GOOGLE PHOTOS ... I'm kind of digging this app.

For the record, I still love Google Picasa with its easy interface for basic photo tweaking and I'll continue to use it, even if Google doesn't update it anymore.

This new Google Photos app has really won me over also.

It automatically uploads my newest photos and videos, from my phone or my computer, (unless I say no), and then... it "messes" with them.

Photos cruises my pictures and then woos me with "creations".

Some of these "creations" are not worth saving, but often, the software has done a pretty nice job of creating a collage, artistically tweaking a photo, or making a short animation or photo story based on some related photos.

(Okay ... when Photos makes a story of your trip using your pictures and includes a map of your travels ... that's a wee bit creepy...)

Here's a small sample of "creations" made by the Photos app and then submitted to me for approval.

Today, it sent the collage below based on the date.

The photos are all from PureFlorida posts I made in 2009 using Google's product Blogger.

It's a pretty little collage for a bit of software to have created.

It made me realize how much my timber bamboo have expanded. The bamboo "sticks" in the photo have expanded to a healthy, young grove.

It also does this ...

This anole is an example of the "animations" that Photos comes up with based on related sequential photos.
I get a lot of these submitted for my approval, since the Canon shoots 7 frames per second and I'm usually shooting on full auto trying to get that one good shot.

And then there's the "stylized photos" where Photos takes a shot and softens it, enhances it, ages it, or in this case, turns it into a  ... a water colory sketch?
I like it.

And not just because these are the steps where my Emma will marry her Kyle in December.

Google Photos ... it's free and it keeps on giving.

I'm a fan.

Bear-iers To Critter Photography

When Bear and I walk, I sometimes bring my camera, but mostly, I know this is a waste of time ... unless I am shooting for one of those "ISN'T BEAR ADORABLY CUTE/SILLY/GOOFY/HANDSOME !" posts.

He was whining to go with me as I shut the door on his nose. Let's be clear here, he was whining before the door -nose collision.
He had thrust it out the doorway in reverse "Fuller Brush salesman" fashion and the door and the door jamb made a sorta dog muzzle sandwich.
No harm done by the way.

(Can't you hear the younger PF readers Googling "Fuller Brush" right now?"

I can go slower and quieter when not attached to 100 pounds of black lab, which is why I was able to spot and spend time with this fence lizard.
He stayed still for an unusually long time, even for a fence lizard.
At first I thought he was just chilly and needed the sunny side of this burnt stump, but then I glanced down at my feet.

At the base of the stump, a black racer (a known lizard muncher) was coiled in the early morning sun.
I have a video of me demonstrating why they are called "Racers" complete with wife scolding at the end, but it would take to long to upload here at home.
Soon come, I promise.


By the end of the video, the black racer has retreated to a perch high in my bamboo. They climb a lot better than I expected. I'm used to my rat snakes climbing like Spiderman, but this racer did some amazing acrobatics on the slender bamboo.

I continued my walk around PFHQ without Beardoggie. He would have appreciated these dogwoods in a quiet corner of the woods.

In the back of the property, an armadillo had gone to ground to avoid a predator that night. I've seen them do this when I have chased them. If they feel cornered, they will just start digging. They go just deep enough so all you see is rounded "shell" and it's pretty hard to find anything to grab. Go here to read a neat tale of armadillos by someone who LIKES them.

Near the southwest corner is the brush pile I built last year. Remember? I put an old wire cage down first as a support instead of tossing it in the landfill.

A time bomb waiting to go off.

I count among my many blessings, the fact that I just am not allergic to much of anything.

These oak flowers are going to cause a lot of people pain and aggravation in the coming weeks.

Not me.

Down by the pond, which is full of big tadpoles, the black willows are just starting to bloom.

Notice the water in the pond.

This is why I am referring to it as a pond and not, " the hole formerly known as 'POND ".

Near the garden, where I worked all day after this walk planting tomatoes and herbs, a fresh gopher (pocket not tortoise) mound was erupting.

Here is Bear, behind the Bearier, a portable table slid across the porch entrance.

He could leap it so easily, but he is afraid of gates and barriers and doesn't realize the power of his massive thigh muscles.

Notice his muzzle is all in one piece, no door damage, and rest assured that right after I laid this camera down, he and I went for a romp around the place.

In other news, I have week of spring break ahead of me.

Already Gulf of Florida events are lining up, beginning with a marine collection expedition today with Emma.

Tomorrow, I'm fishing with Denny, but it's top secret for reasons I can't say now. That post will have a waiting period, but you will eventually see it here.

Later in the week, I'm heading to Port St. Joe for a little exploration. It's just a short ride from here and it has been a long time.

Get ready, 'cause it's coming.

Cindy's Gator Shots

My pal Cindy doesn't need me anymore.



(sniff)





Once upon a time she would bring her flash drive down to my computer and slurp all the good gator shots up to load on her computer for screen saver slide show thingies.



When she went on trips, we reviewed her photos ... they got better and better.



Then she got a new camera ... a Sony.



Now she's going out there and getting her own fabulous gator shots.



How about this one? Not bad huh!

She actually has this guy on video walking towards her.



Pewter gator anyone?

That one is huge ... look at that belly ... and that huge tail.



Ferdinand?



Above... she even captured a gator stopping to smell the flowers.





These pics are nothing to yawn at.



I think she did really well ... next thing you know, there will be a new blog out there ... Pure Cindy, or something like that.

Sigh ... they grow up so fast don'cha know?

Oh, ... and she had a birthday just the other day, so she's really on a roll.

What? How old? ...Oh, ... thirty something ... ( Was that a great show or what? )

The only negative thing about Cindy getting better at her critter photography is that NOW I'll have to get even closer to the gators to out do her.


Oh goody.

SEE-Cada? Cicada Emergence

We'll let the pictures do the talking ... mostly ... I will be back at the end of the sequence.

WARNING!

DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME. IT TAKES HIGH TECH PHOTOGRAPHIC LAB EQUIPMENT TO ACCOMPLISH THIS SEQUENCE.

The photo below demonstrates the high tech devices required for cicada emergence photography.

That's right, you're gonna have to go out and get a stick and something to hold it up.

I know, I know ... who can afford photographic accessories like this? If you want the photos, you will find a way.

The good news is, the bowl of fruit is completely unnecessary for good cicada emergence photographs.

It's summer and the cicadas are emerging, mostly at dusk it seems, so if you keep your eyes open, you might notice one of these little bumbling nymphs. This one scuttled out from under the lawnmower when I went to roll it into the barn last night.

All I did to get these photos was:

1. Scoop up the cicada nymph.
2. Grab a stick on the way into the house.
3. Prop the stick up in a vase.
4. Put the cicada on the stick.
5. Eat 3 bowls of Emma's white bean chicken chili while the cicada did what it MUST do.
6. Pause in chili eating to take photos every once in a while.

See? I told you it was a difficult high tech photographic project.

Pond Critters At Harbor Branch

During my visit at Harbor Branch, I used some of my lunch time to walk along the ponds behind the aquaculture research buildings.

I was not alone.


Now you see him ...

... now you don't.

So much of nature photography is being there so that when something cool happens, your odds of "being in the right place at the right time" increase dramatically.

So it's not just luck, in fact, there is no such thing as luck.

I don't believe in luck or accidents.

Being there, yes. Luck, no.

Mistakes, yes. Accidents, no.

So it was no accident that I was the lucky guy who got these pics by being the first person to walk the pond during that lunch break.

On my way back, I said hello to a small group of my classmates who were walking out towards the ponds.
They only went as far as the woodstork and pelican below, so I think they probably never saw the softshell turtle or the big alligator that I spooked off the bank of another pond beyond this one.
Lucky me.

What A Hawk Wants

Here's the hawk.


Here's what he found. Cleverly camouflaged bits of bird flesh flitting and twittering from twig to twig.

Close cover and cryptic coloration caused raptorial consternation.

Now this is more like it. A juicy target out in the open.

This is what the hawk wants.

Heh, ... it's what I want too.

Prime warbler photography habitat. This is the type of roadside brush that is just alive with warblers during the winter. Usually, I just stop, psshhhhht, psshhhhhhht, a few times to get their attention, and then sit quietly for a moment.

If you pssshhhhhhhhttttt it, they will come.

Birders,

What exactly is that sound saying to these birds?

Am I being rude and they are coming to scold me?

Is it an alarm sound of some cranky species that everybody else responds too?

Does it translate into, "Free birdseed and bug larvae, come and get it!"

or " SNAKE, OWL, SNAKE, OWL!!"

If I were guessing, and I am as I am not much of a birder, I would suggest it sounds alot like a ticked off Carolina wren.

So weigh in, oh avianaficianado types.

Lost Final Post Of The Secret Pond series

This was supposed to be the tail end post of that secret pond post about a month ago ...

... then something ... probably Bear ... happened and I shoved this post back into ...

... the swampy recesses of Pure Florida's waiting to exhale posts, so ...

... you never saw this feather boat left behind by the fleeing ibis flock that ...

... I scared away just before I could push the shutter release, leaving me ...


... alone to reflect on the ones that got away.

Unrelated, but still cool news ... It's my big brother Terry's birthday today!

Who Needs A Game Camera?

If you're stealthy enough, you really don't need one of those game camera thingamabobs. You really just need to get out there, be quiet, stop, look, listen, and you will find critters.
If you sit still for a while, they may even come to you ... like these deer below.

Rurality seems to have a knack for interesting game camera shots with lots of critter variety, but most of us seem to get pics of moving branches, deer butts, and half armadillos. If you're just trying to document what's on your property, or catch Sasquatch strolling by, the game camera may be what you want, but there's no substitute for getting out in the woods.

It's just you and them out there and if you're good enough ...

... and quiet enough ...

... you'll come home with the shot.




Oops ... the secret is out.


Okay, THIS time, I was stalking these deer from the chilipepper red upstairs bedroom where I write Pure Florida.
From this window, I can see occasional kites swooping by,deer grazing, and the barred owls (3 at a time a few evenings ago).

It's a wonder I get anything written.

I'll end with a little puzzler.


Now, what do you suppose this could be?

Getting Close

Saturday's post never happened due to a series of events that all conspired against me. It went something like this ...

EVENT #1: THE PUPPIES: I am the predawn early riser in this household and the puppies have already adjusted their caninological clocks to awaken at the precise moment my eyes open. Their yapping begins around 5:30 am and of course, I can't ignore their cries, so I let them out of the crate and we dash for the front yard before any accidents can happen.

Back inside, they need to eat and play. We wrestle, eat, wrestle, eat, wrestle. Then, it's back outside again.

Everyone else in the house is still soundly asleep of course. Outside in the cool morning, I can feel my window of coffee-fueled, early morning muse time ticking away ...

TICK, TICK, TICK ...

EVENT #2: THE GARAGE SALE: Early yesterday, Junior and I were directed to load up the living room couches for a garage sale at a friend's house. We wrestled two couches out the front door and onto the JEEP trailer along with a few other items. Then I headed out on the 20 mile drive to civilization and the sale.

After I unloaded the furniture, I took the slow way home through a favorite wild place of mine. Along the way, I nailed some closeup photos of gators and hogs, so the morning was turning sweeter.

It was only about 10:00 am and I was heading home to post with some new pics. Things were looking up. Then, still deep in the woods, my phone rang.

It was Emma at the sale. A lady had bought both couches, but had no way to get them home. Would I return and deliver them?

Arrrrrghh. I turned the JEEP around and headed back to the sale. When that chore was done, I headed home, where a grocery list awaited me. So it was off to the store.

TICK, TICK, TICK ...

EVENT # 3: MULCH and GRADUATION: Back home with groceries unloaded, I got busy spreading the mulch I had picked up in town. When I finished unloading the last bag, I glanced at my watch. YOWZA!

I'd better get cleaned up. Our high school graduation ceremony was in a few hours and I needed to be there as a member of the faculty.

When I got home from graduation, it was about 7:30 pm and there was one more event.

TICK, TICK, TICK ...

EVENT #4: CHINESE FOOD: Every Saturday night, I cook a spicy Chinese stir fry for my bride. So, another hour or so slipped away in a flurry of chopping, stir frying, and eating. At 9:30 I trudged upstairs, flipped on the computer, and dozed off.

TIME EXPIRED!

This morning, I wrote most of my defense plea on paper, sitting at the kitchen table, while the puppies wrestled and chewed on my unprotected toes. They are not allowed upstairs where my computer now resides.

I only tell you all of the above because Pure Florida is a daily blog with few exceptions. I want it to be a place where you can count on something ( granted ...maybe something silly) every day, and generally in the morning.

Having made my case, here is today's post:

It seems to me that wildlife photography is like a good romance ... the closer you get, the more exciting it becomes.

Saturday, I had two chances to get close to some critters. The first one came as I rounded a bend in Devil's Hammock.


Florida Road Hazard
See it?


How about now?



Okay, what about now?

To me, a gator of this size, about 6 feet long, is the most dangerous size when they are on land. That's just my opinion, but the six footer is a unique combination of speed, youth, and flexibility that the biguns lack.

Conversely, the 6 footer in the water is probably afraid of you while the 12 footer will eat you.




This guy really cooperated and did not seem to be in any hurry to return to the waterhole. Perhaps there was a bigger gator already lurking in there somewhere.


Once I was inside his comfort zone, this very patient gator dove into the waterhole in one fluid movement. I was counting on that.

Today promises to be slower paced. I have some gardening to do and already this morning I was graced by a jewelbox spider outside in the sun, so she'll be a post later this week. I've got feral pig and babies pics, puppy pics, owl pics (yawn ...), green egg pics, and of course, all the stuff that's going to happen today, to share with you this week.

Speaking of this week, it's the final week of the school year. You know what that means, doncha?

That's right, I'm unemployed for the next two months.

So, get ready for long rambling posts ...

One last thing. Today is crack the pickle crock open day, so I will post a short pickle update later this afternoon.

Inquiring minds want to know ...