Dogs

A dog chased me while I was riding my bike this morning.  He was in the street to chase me.  I hate it when that happens.  Luckily there were no cars on the road or the dog could have been hit.

Yes, I know these are bears and not dogs.
I don't have any pictures of dogs. 
Please send me some:)

I can’t blame the dog he was simply doing what dogs do, protecting his territory.  It was irresponsible for the dog’s owners to not train him to stay in his yard.  I didn’t hear anyone calling the dog so he was completely unsupervised in the yard.  He could’ve been hurt or worse and nobody would have known.

When I go walking in the park I’m always grateful for those dog owners who make the time to train their dogs.  Please don’t get me wrong I like dogs.  I simply wish I didn’t get chased by them.

When you come across a dog and you can’t see his owner, don’t make eye contact.  Put your hand out for him to smell.  Hopefully the owner will show up by then.  Of course, if he is barking and angry looking it’s a better idea to stand very still and do not make eye contact.

I really do like dogs but I like owners who train their dogs even more.

Pack out what you pack in.

Trees by Joyce Kilmer (1913)

 I think that I shall never see

A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose lovely mouth is prest

Against the sweet earth’s flowing breast.

A tree that looks at God all day

And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in summer wear

A nest of robins in her hair.

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;

Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,

But only God can make a tree.

 

From the book:  If trees could talk:  stories about Wisconsin Trees by R Bruce Allison, State Historical Society of Wisconsin © 2009

Wind

Wind is my least favorite weather element.  I’m not a fan of walking in wind that creates a chill factor below 10°F.  Thankfully I have enough clothes to do it safely.

Layers are the key.  On a day with single digit temperatures I put on three layers.  I wear thermals, sweatpants, and windbreaker sweatpants on the bottom.  Long sleeve t-shirt, sweatshirt and winter jacket go on the middle.  A pair of gloves and a pair of mittens over the gloves cover my hands.  Hat, scarf and a hood covers my head.  Pair of sweat socks and hiking boots belong on my feet.

It’s important of cover every part of your body.  I wear glasses and that makes covering my face a challenge.  Through trial and error, I’ve come up with a way to wrap the scarf around my face so my nose is free but my cheeks are covered. 

Walking with my back to the wind helps to keep me warm but I often do a circle trail so that means I’m going to face the wind at some point.  I try to walk the trail so I face the wind early in the walk.

The first half mile of any exercise program – running, biking, walking, and hiking – are always the coldest.  Until you heart rate goes up its just cold.  I prefer to have the wind hit my face during this time.

When I’m warm from hiking I don’t want the wind to hit my face and create a chill from cooling the sweat.  That’s the other reason I like to put the wind at my back at the end of my hike.

Of course, if you don’t like to go outside in such weather completely disregard this blog.

Pack out what you pack in.

 

Sources:

            World Book’s Library of Natural Disasters – Blizzards, © 2009

 

 

Waiting

As a nature photographer I often have to wait for the shot to be right.  Waiting is hard.  I just wait for the sun to break from the cloud or the wind to pick up so I’m not as patient as those who shot pictures of animals or birds.  They can wait for hours and still they don’t get a useable photo.  I admire those folks.

As I wrote previously my new camera is heavier than my old one.  So I’m gaining an appreciation of the weight other nature photographers lug around.  You don’t get great shots by standing five feet from a wild animal.  It takes a long telephoto lens and a good tripod.  That’s a lot of gear to haul around.

Good nature photographers (I’m getting there) also know a lot about the birds or animals they want to shot.  Knowing their habits, where they get their food and when, where they like to make their homes, all that kind of stuff.

That means a lot of research.  I usually do my research after I take my pictures.  Finding out what kind of trees or wild flowers I’ve taken pictures of.

As hard as waiting is it does have its benefits.  Whether its 5 minutes, 5 hours, 5 days or 5 years.

Full disclosure:  I wrote most of this blog while I was in line to get my driver’s license renewed.  Waiting.

Pack out what you pack in.

Colors

I’m so glad I live in a place where the seasons change.  Each season has its own beauty but autumn is my favorite.  Watching the chlorophyll drain from the leaves can be glorious.

Chlorophyll is the chemical that gives the leaf its green color.  It takes sunlight and water and makes sap for the tree to use as food.  The by-product of this is oxygen which is released through the leaves.  Photosynthesis is the science name of this complete process.

When the nights begin to cool and the days shorten.  The chlorophyll drains from the leaves.  The green color of chlorophyll is replaced by the brilliant reds, oranges, and browns of the autumn season.

Of course the glorious colors depends on the weather. A dry summer will wilt the leaves early some times without changing colors.  Wind storms in early autumn will cause the leaves to drop, before full color can be reached.

But when the conditions are right.  The colors are beyond words.

Pack out what you pack in.

 

Sources:

            Trees of the United States and Canada, World Book, Inc. Chicago, IL Anova Books Company © 2007.

            Trees are Terrific!  National Wildlife Federation, Chelsea House Publishers, © 1999