Black, Red, Blue

I dallied too long in the classroom Friday setting up a saltwater aquarium so it could "cook" over the long weekend, when I should have been out in the woods.
By the time I escaped around 4:15 and drove into Devil's Hammock for a slow ride home, the creeping shadows had ruled out photography in my favorite places.

I decided to turn around and go get groceries rather than drive the slow, shadowy woods trail through the park. It just wasn't going to happen today, I thought as I bounced back towards the entrance gate through clouds of flitty robins.


"Mad Eye Moody"

At the last bend in the dirt park road, just before the gate, a red maple full of seed was glowing in the fading light.

A grackle was hopping around in it, working the seed clusters.



I pulled over and took a few shots through the open JEEP window, and then the grackle was gone.

I like the stark contrasts even though the focus is not super sharp on the middle pic.

Often a viewer will forgive you some softness if the eye of your subject is sharply focused.

Will you?

Note For Today: I may be here and here today. It all depends on my ability to wake up and motivate part of my crew who had very late nights last night.

It's iffy right now...