Evening Sunrays Illuminate a Shrimp Boat on the Bay

Early Evening Sunrays Illuminate a Shrimp Boat in Portersville Bay, Alabama
This and other such photographs can be found at the gallery, "Elsewhere in Alabama"

Brown Pelican Fishing in Twilight, Portersville Bay

Brown Pelican Fishing at Twilight on Portersville Bay, near Bayou la Batre, Alabama

This and other birds can be found at the "Fauna" Gallery.

Lowland Marsh near Mobile Bay, Theodore, Alabama

On a recent trip down to Bayou la Batre, Alabama, I happily concluded my business errands shortly before sunset with the opportunity to photograph lands and waters along the western side of the Mobile Bay.

My last photograph of the day was made at this lowland marsh, whose waters would slowly become more saline as they moved toward the bay.

A fiery sunset blazes in the western sky and reflects off the marsh's still surface as the air begins to chill, shrugging off the day's warmth.

Lowland Marsh at Sunset near Mobile Bay, Theodore, Alabama

Office Area Abstracts

Low Winter Sun on the Rails to Trails, Fultondale

As the winter sun daily rises lower in the southern sky, the splashes of color that the are landmark of autumn's arrival begin to peter out and become scarce. The shadows deepen and the light takes on a colder hue.

A low winter Sun illuminates that last Autumn Colors

on the Rails to Trails at Black Creek Park, Fultondale, Alabama

Spring Has Sprung and Fall Has Fell, Part 3

In order to make sure credit is given where it is due, I must recognize that this photograph would not have been taken had not Darby gotten a wild hair about her and taken off down a side trail on Black Creek Park's Rails to Trails. There is seemingly no accounting for her urges, but once in a while, I find myself grateful for them.

White Oak Leaves Lying Nestled on the Forest Floor in Fultondale, Alabama

Also found in the "Flora" Gallery, here

Spring Has Spring and Fall Has Fell, Part 2

The last vestiges of Color cling to a Sweetgum Leaf amidst a dreary Winter Pallet

on the Rails to Trails at Black Creek Park in Fultondale, Alabama

Spring Has Spring and Fall Has Fell, Part 1

A Sweetgum Leaf stands out against the seasonal carnage in late Autumn

on the Rails to Trails at Black Creek Park in Fultondale, Alabama

This photo can be found in the "Flora" gallery, here.

Warm Autumn Colors decorate the Sipsey River

Warm Autumn Colors decorate the Sipsey River in the Sipsey Wilderness, Bankhead National Forest. This and other photos of the Sipsey Wilderness can be found in the "Alabama the Beautiful" gallery.

Railroad and Red Oak in Phil Campbell, Alabama

The Railroad runs alongside a Red Oak near Phil Campbell, Alabama

This and other photos of rural Alabama can be found, here

2013 2nd Annual Gardendale Turkey Trot

Whereas last year's Inaugural Gardendale Turkey Trot was a smallish cluster of runners gathered on a pleasant Thanksgiving morning, this year's congregation made it a much bigger affair.

Runners receiving instruction at the 2nd Annual Gardendale Turkey Trot, Alabama

More than 90 runners and walkers (and one David Crockett on a bicycle leading the way) gathered on a clear but frigid late autumn morning, not only to run so as to justify the gluttony that would occur later in the day, but also to donate coats and clothing for the Firehouse Shelter. In addition to the runners themselves, the Turkey Trot was sponsored by a number of local businesses (seen on Run Gardendale's Turkey Trot event page), including Buffalo Wild Wings, where the event commenced and concluded.

With options to run 3, 4, or 5 miles, runners and walkers of all ages and experience levels congregated to participate in a very successful 2nd Annual Gardendale Turkey Trot.

The photos found in the above slideshow can be found at the 

2013 2nd Annual Gardendale Turkey Trot Gallery.

Orb Weaver Spider Crouched for the Pounce

Orb Weaver Spider Crouched for the Pounce, Fultondale, Alabama
Find this and other arachnids at the Galleries, here.

Honey Bee Wrapping up the Summer Harvest

Honey Bee Wrapping up the Summer Harvest on the Rails to Trails at Black Creek Park

Hornworm Devouring my Tomato Plants, Fultondale

Several months ago, I notice that my tomato plants were being ravaged by some critter, but I could not seem to find the culprit for some time.

Initially, I suspected grasshoppers, as I had intermittently seen them grazing on my plants, but this appeared to be a much more systematic approach.

And then I spied this fat, well-fad monstrosity of a hornworm, engaged at that very moment in the act of feasting on my tomato plants. So I did what any gardener would do: I took a few photographs of him, then I ended him.

 Hornworm Devouring a Tomato Plant in Fultondale, Alabama

This and other insect photos can be found on my galleries, here.

Fog-Laden Swamp at Shady Grove, Gardendale

Fog-Laden Swamp at Shady Grove on Newfound Creek in Gardendale, Alabama

Muted Colors in the Mist at Shady Grove

Muted Colors in the Mist on the Swamp at Shady Grove in Gardendale, Alabama
This and other photos can be found in the Galleries, here.

Heavy Morning Mist at the Swamp at Shady Grove

Heavy Morning Mist at the Swamp at Shady Grove

on Newfound Creek in Gardendale, Alabama

Foggy Morning at Shady Grove, Gardendale

Heavy Fog Blankets the Swamp at Shady Grove on Newfound Creek in Gardendale

Dilapidated Purina Plant Overwhelmed by Kudzu

This dilapidated Purina Plant in Marion, Alabama, was long ago abandoned and left to be reclaimed by whatever or whomever would have it.

And as tends to the case in the Southeast, those viny tendrils began to slowly and inevitably creep in from the outlying woods. And once they had covered the grounds and reached the building, they began their trajectory upward in an undeterred effort to envelop that facility whole.

Perhaps that famed statement should more rightly have been: "Now, I am become Kudzu, the destroyer of worlds."

This and other photos can be found in the gallery: "Elsewhere in Alabama"

Kudzu-Overrun Purina Plant in Marion, Alabama

Purina Plant in Marion, Alabama, overrun by Kudzu

Morning Mist in Monochrome, Bibb County, Alabama

Morning Mist in Monochrome in rural Bibb County, Alabama

Misty Golden Pastures in Morning Light, Bibb County

One of my favorite things about Autumn is the early morning fogs that can be seen settling in the valleys and around the crests of Alabama's hill country. This golden pasture was seen in rural Bibb County, Alabama.

Eastern Box Turtle at the Cahaba River, Birmingham

While recently hiking along a swampy inlet along the Cahaba River in Birmingham, Alabama, I came across these deceased Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina). 

Something had damaged his shell quite badly, along the rear right quarter. But he, nevertheless, crawled to a peaceful place along the water to shuffle off his mortal coil. 

And by the time I saw him, he was being relegated to his place on the food chain, as can be attested to by the fly seen resting atop his shell.

Picnicking with the Carolina Anole

Before Darby spotted him and sent this Carolina Anole skittering off in search of higher ground, I was able to photograph this fellow who spent a good deal of the summer tucked away in the umbrella attached to our patio furniture, where he seemed to be well-fed and well-contented.

Carolina Anole on a Picnic Table in Fultondale, Alabama

Blue Morning Glory Blooming in Early Autumn

Last of the Morning Glory blooming in early Autumn

at Black Creek Park, in Fultondale, Alabama

Family Outing on a Hazy Morning, Rails-to-Trails

Family Outing in the Cool, Hazy Light of an Early, Autumn Morning

at the Rails-to-Trails at Black Creek Park, Fultondale, Alabama

Early Morning Run with Rosco on the Rails-to-Trails

As a disclaimer, I have no actual knowledge whether the pup featured here running with its owner on the Rail-to-Trails at Black Creek Park in Fultondale, is actually named Rosco. In fact the odds are likely against, but it did bring some appreciable consonance  to the title. And as may have become readily apparent to regular readers of the blog, I'm a sucker for some consonance.

Runner and Canine Companion Running on the Rails-to-Trails, Fultondale, Alabama

Father and Son Traversing the Rails-to-Trails

Father and Son Walking and Bicycling on the 

Rails-to-Trails in Fultondale, Alabama

Broken-Down Pier in Arnica Bay, Elberta, Alabama

Broken-Down Pier in Arnica Bay, Elberta, Alabama

Grain Silo in Monochrome, Hale County, Alabama

On one of my more recent endeavors across the State, in an effort to reach some obscure locale, I came across this grain silo (seen previously in color, here), while on my way to my destination. I didn't really have time to stop then, but on the way back, I was pleased to see the lighting was better, illuminating the silo from a more advantageous angle.

The point of my trip had taken an odd turn upon arriving at my destination, when I had difficulty locating the house I was searching for, and upon finding it, also finding a note that read: "May the curse of the thief always be with you." I could not get out of there quickly enough. On the way out, I saw a mama cow and calf who had gotten out of their pasture and seemed distraught that they could not find the gate to get back in.

So I'd like to thank this silo for being the only positive memory to come out of that endeavor.

Grain Silo in Hale County, Alabama

Grain Silo in Hale County, Alabama

Stamen of a Pink Knockout Rose from a Rose Garden

Stamen of a Pink Knockout Rose from our little Rose Garden

Pink Knockout Rose, Upon Closer Inspection

Pink Knockout Rose shortly after Rainfall, Fultondale, Alabama.
This and other knockout roses of differing varieties can be found here.

Knockout Rose shortly after Rainfall

Knockout Rose shortly after Rainfall in Fultondale, Alabama

Adventures with Darby: Sniffing It Out at Black Creek

There is little in life that Darby enjoys more that trouncing along Black Creek in Fultondale, Alabama. From swimming to drinking to chasing anything that moves, Darby is at home here as in her own bed.

Adventures with Darby: Focusing on the Droplets

Adventures with Darby: Alabama Shakes at Black Creek

Darby shakes it out after a swim at Black Creek in Fultondale, Alabama

Tamron 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro :: My Only Complaint

I recently purchased a Tamron AF 90mm f/2.8 Di SP Macro Lens and was intending to employ the above title in an ironic sense, such that my only real complaint was that I hadn't purchased the lens any sooner. When using the lens on a number of objects around the back yard, I was really pleased and enjoying the lens, despite what I believe its one real limitation - the extending front element as one focuses closes to 1:1 (as opposed to internal focusing mechanisms) - which I was willing to overlook because I knew of it going into the purchase. But then, when I took the lens with me out to a local hiking trail, I discovered that for some reason it would not focus to infinity; in fact, it wouldn't focus any further out than about ten feet.

So I exchanged it for a Tokina AF 100mm f/2.8 AT-X Pro Macro Lens, which as it turned out, would only intermittently choose to communicate with my camera body. Next stop: Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens. And I will certainly be posting results, as well as any complaints.

Adventures with Darby: Smelling like the Scenery

There is something peculiar and innate with Darby that compels here to roll around in strange foreign substances in an attempt to acquires their foul stenches. And as much as I want to curb this behavior, few activities seem to bring her greater joy than knowing she now stinks as badly as whatever that was that she found.

Darby rolling in a Foreign Substance at Black Creek in Fultondale, Alabama

The American House Spider Nursing Its Eggsack

The American House Spider (Parasteatoda tepidariorum) nursing its Eggsack

Leaf-Footed Bugs on Common Mullein, Black Creek Park

Leaf-Footed Bugs (Leptoglossus phyllopus) on Common Mullein (Verbascum thapsus)

at Black Creek Park in Fultondale, Alabama (at the Gallery, here).

Dilapidated Fencing along the Dunes, Destin, Florida

After developing a roll of film from my then-newly-acquired Fuji GS645S (read about it, here), I came upon a couple of additional photographs from our beach vacation to Destin, Florida, this summer. This is the second of two.

Dilapidated Fencing along the Dunes at Miramar Beach in Destin, Florida

Overlooking Miramar Beach, Destin, Florida

After developing a roll of film from my then-newly-acquired Fuji GS645S (read about it, here), I came upon a couple of additional photographs from our beach vacation to Destin, Florida, this summer. This is the first of two.

Overlooking Miramar Beach in Destin, Florida

Hazy Mid-Morning Hike at the Cahaba River

A Hazy Mid-Morning Hike on the Trail at the Cahaba River in Birmingham, Alabama

Dense Ground Cover near the Cahaba River, Alabama

Dense Ivy serves as ground cover along the forest floor at the 

hiking trails along the Cahaba River in Birmingham, Alabama.

Scorched Earth near the Cahaba River, Alabama

Scorched Earth on a hiking trail along the Cahaba River in Birmingham, Alabama

Stones and Reflections on Black Creek, Fultondale

Stones and Reflections on Black Creek at Black Creek Park in Fultondale

Juvenile Yellow Crowned Night Heron at Black Creek

Taking a cue from its mother (seen here), this juvenile Yellow Crowned Night Heron has taken to a tree at Black Creek in Fultondale, Alabama, where it remained until any semblance of danger passed.

Juvenile Yellow Crowned Night Heron at Black Creek in Fultondale, Alabama

Yellow Crowned Night Heron Hides among the Foliage

This Yellow Crowned Night Heron stalks Black Creek in Fultondale, Alabama, on a daily basis. When I first spied it on this occasion, it was contentedly fishing, but upon hearing some nearby dogs, it took shelter in a nearby tree, waiting for the danger to pass.

As much as I would have liked to coax it to resume its fishing activities for my photographic benefit, that seemed unlikely to yield a productive result. So I contented myself with photographing the bird in its attempts to escape the local canine populace.

Yellow Crowned Night Heron at Black Creek in Fultondale, Alabama

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly at Black Creek

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly (Papilio glaucus) at Black Creek in Fultondale, Alabama