Archive for April, 2010

Clouds Reflected on Mirror Surface

Rare are the words, “There’s no wind”, heard in Southwest Oklahoma.  Even more rare are the times when it’s actually true, with nary a breeze astir.  The morning I came upon this scene at Caddo Lake on the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge was about as close as it comes.  My timing was perfect, which is rare for me also, and I knew I would have to hurry to capture the scene as I found it.  My sense to make haste proved true, because within fifteen minutes, I could feel a breeze whispering on my cheek and see the delicate wildflower heads beginning to nod.

"In Your Own Backyard"

Early spring is certainly one of my favorite times to live in Southwest Oklahoma.  It is especially so after the very destructive ice storm we had on January 28th, 2010.  Evidence of the damage from the massive ice storm is still very visible around the area.  Because of this, I was delighted to see the first sign of Henbit sprouting amidst the dead brown leaves of the bermuda grass and the green leafy curlydock.  I patiently watched as both the henbit and wild lettuce grew taller and taller.  The curlydock began providing a wonderfully rich green background and, already, I was making plans to capture images at the first opportunity.  An opportunity when the wind is not blowing too strong for macro work is rare during a Southwest Oklahoma spring day.  It’s even more rare when one occurs on the weekend when I can actually take advantage of it.  East Sunday was such a day, and rose before sunup and actually waiting patiently in my backyard to begin just as soon as it was light enough.  For the next 1 1/2 hours I had a great time, but even then, as time passed the breeze was gradually becoming more troublesome.  I had a great time in my own backyard until I finally conceded to the wind.