It’s baseball season!!!

Hardly ever watch baseball.  Live or on TV.  Kinda boring.  But when my grandson plays it’s like a Laker’s vs. Celtics play off every game.  It is a blast!  Doesn’t matter that every kid is out on the field.  Or that the coach is 15 feet from home plate “tossing” in the pitch.  Or that a little batter will run to the pitchers mound after hitting the ball instead of home plate.  It’s better than Keystone Cops.  Real talent run amuck.  Cute as ever.  Here is a look……..

Grandson #2.  Thought after #1 I had all the love I could give.  like Niagra falls it kept coming.  This little munchkin loves his pappa.  (that would be me).  And boy do I love him……..

Then there is the teammates and opposing team mates.

The home run hitter……

Running to third is serious business…….

Ready…..Set………..GO!!!!!!

Can we go home now?

Road side quick click…I saw these swallows and had to stop and watch.  There was hundreds of them.  Fast and beautiful.  Head back in a couple of days to see if they are gathering here for a reason.

We all need water.

Have you ever watched animals drink?   A few years ago I watched a horse drink 5 gallons of water in short order.  Sounded like a huge pump.  Cats..well they lick water.  Never figured out how they do that.  Do fish drink water?  We drink from cups, straws and drinking fountains.  For the first time I saw an Egret drink water.  At first I thought he was fishing.  He dropped down to the water and raised his head quickly and threw his head back.  Thirsty.  We all need water. Even shore birds.

Back home tonight.

Drove from the Monticello, Utah area through Moab.  Not enough time to visit Arches.  BUt stopped and took rock shots!

It was the middle of the day.  Light was not the best.  Everything looked black and white to me.  I did notice little critter prints everywhere.  Here it has been extremely windy and rainy.  The sand was fresh with prints….

I wonder if the critters where out the night before?  Or was it early this morning?  I imagined the tiny things running around……

I passed this building several times while in florida.  Every time I passed it I thought that it needed to be photographed.  But in daylight it just did not work……so night it was.  A little HDR to cover the dynamic range…….

On the road for the first time in quite a while.  The last time I was out it was for vacation.  This week ……work.

As noted in my earlier blogs I loved my time at Gatorland in Florida.  Photographing birds.  The Giant Egrets were amassed there.  I keep going back to the hard drive to look at pic’s.

Only saw one fight.  I am only guessing it was a fight.  Most likely it was a love spat.  When the wings are wide open there is little more beautiful…….

If it wasn’t for the comedy I may spend less time in front of birds.

They really are funny.

This day this Blue Heron was excited about something.  Or an unknown lurking monster was chasing the Blue winged scaredY bird.

I was laughing so hard I could hardly keep my finger on the trigger………

I loved my time with the birds in Florida!

What was thrilling me was the introduction to new birds.  Ones that I won’t find near home.

The Green Heron.

Small but beautiful.  And flies very fast!  The combination of the lighting mix and the speed of this beauty made it difficult to get “that” shot!  This one is my favorite.  As he was flying at me he became shy to the camera instantly and turned.  At elevens frames-a-second my odds went up…………

Gatorland!

Land of the Egrets.  Large and small.  Never had so much fun.  In a three hour stretch took 2700 pic’s.  Birds everywhere.  A rookery.

Died and gone to…..bird heaven?

My wife gave me the goal to get a backlit shot of a Great Egret wing spanned out.  Got real close a couple of times.  Of all the shots this was one of my personal favorites…….

Got lots more including an incredible shot my wife captured!   MTC   jc

Saturday was EPCOT day.

********12 hours********

Just as you enter EPCOT is the famous “Ball”.  Inside it – our first adventure.  The people who run EPCOT know how to get a lot of people in a line in a small area.  Back and forth, around a corner then back and forth again.  The whole time I was wandering what the ride was going to be like.  Did it go inside the big “ball”?   Just what was ahead?  A little twinge.  After walking around in circles for while we where at the end of the line.  Ready to board the ride.  Then I noticed the sign…. “suggested height for this ride”- with a line and arrow pointing at it.  Passed!  Then…“if you do not like small dark spaces it is suggested you do not ride!” Well.  Do you how embarrassing it is to go all the out the “in” line?  I guess that it was better than a “Jim Volcano” inside the big “Ball”.

It was a pretty nice day over all.  Disney everywhere….

We walked and walked and walked.  A big giant circle of representations from different countries. Beautiful!

British streets…….

Canada……..

Canada Totem Pole…..(I always thought that was an Alaskan thing)

You know some people just can’t resist the temptation to be a comedian.  She cracks herself up!

There is no way I am carrying a camera all day without some wildlife photos!

Forgot my sunglasses this day.  Paid for it.  About half way through the day heat stroke/sunstroke kicked my butt.  Took a nap in the French (air conditioned) theater during an 18 minute movie. I guess I will just have to go to France to see what I missed.  Didn’t miss Norway. They had a cool exhibit with vikings.

China was probably my favorite.  My daughters have been there and seen the warriors in real life.  This exhibit was a great representation of what to look forward to if traveling to China.

Definitely had to get into the butterfly display!

I would do it again.  But make a few changes:

* Drink more water and remember sunglasses,

* Make reservations in advance if wanting to spend the bucks for dinner where you want.

* Sneak in food. Lunch for three – $79.00, Dinner for three -$117.00.  YIKES!!

* Plan on at least three days.  Slow down and sit more.

* Plan around different venues.  See more on a better schedule.

* Last and most important get an early front row seat to the light show at closing!!