Mid September in the Country

Today was so lovely, with the light shifting between bright sun and dark clouds, that I decided to risk a frustrating photography day.  My greatest photography frustration is always trying to shoot good photos on days when the light is moody and shifting.  I don't manage to keep up well, and get a whole lot of crummy shots.  Today was no exception.  Thank god there's no cost to take and dispose of bad digital photos.

I spent the day driving around with a friend to random spots that I thought might be photogenic, from an area where I used to get lost riding my bike (somewhere in the neighborhood of Pennelville) to a pretty spot in Baldwinsville where I've been wanting to catch the cormorants in the evening light.

I did get a few shots I like in the course of the day, but they certainly were at the expense of some frustration.  I also paid for today's photos with a couple of bee stings on my scalp.  This is my shot of the bee tree I found.  As my friend was saying, "look out!  bees!" I was moving in closer for a photo.

But just as I was clicking the shutter the first honey bee got tangled in my hair and stung my scalp.  There are no further bee tree shots, as I was running toward my car trying to get the rest of the bees untangled from my hair.  Note to self: bees do not like getting tangled in long hair, and getting stung repeatedly on the scalp HURTS.  I'm amazed I didn't fling my camera as I tried to get the bees out of my hair, but I guess my instinct to protect my camera is greater than my instincts for self preservation.  Good to know!

I'm frustrated, too, though, because my camera is misbehaving.  Despite my devoted efforts to protect my baby at all costs, I am lacking the kind of clarity in my photos that I had when I first got this camera and lens combination.  I guess it's due for some servicing - I have never had it cleaned and it seems like that might be the place to start.  Heaven forbid it's something worse!

I do love this time of year, when things start to turn all red and gold.  Being a devoted summer lover, though, this time of year brings a great deal of sadness.  How long it will be before everything is all bright green again!

I tried to set aside my sense of impending gloom about the end of summer, and instead found myself reflecting about just how very much of a Country Girl I am.  I grew up in suburbia, really, but always spent a lot of time camping and hiking.  Now I live in a country village.  And while I passionately love, say, Manhattan and all its vibrating energy and concrete, my heart and soul are always in the boondocks.  I would shrivel and die without open space, and cows and barns, and big sunsets and stars and trees.  Thank goodness I have them in abundance in Central New York!

A marble we found on the roadside.

When I lived in Liverpool I used to ride my bike north and get lost.  This road used to plague me.  It's a pretty spot that runs through a swamp, but it was like a recurring nightmare.  I would ride and ride and ride... and find it over and over again even though I thought for SURE I was taking different turns each time.  It's nicer when I find it in a car.

I inexplicably love this farm.  Have for years.

Finally, I dropped my friend off and came home though Baldwinsville as the sun was sinking on the horizon.  I'd been wanting to photograph the cormorants on the dam for ages, but found some other lovely images while I was shooting them.  I adore evening light, and all its drama.  Hope you enjoy my country excursion as much as I did.