Bald Eagles

The nest through my 400mm zoom

I'd been itching to travel a road never taken and decided yesterday was Road Trip Day. Also, it would be good to take the hubs along as well for it's nice to have a companion when taking adventures. Driving along heading elsewhere a snap decision was made - check out the eagle's nest "just in case" before heading down the road.

Turns out a whole hoard of birders from the North Alabama Birdwatching Society had the same idea. The eagles were out and the chicks, or at least one chick, would occasionally pop their heads up. Originally, there were two eggs in the nest but no one knows if both chicks survived. Or no one in our group did on this day.

Mom - using the 2X converter

I've never seen the like of cameras on tripods, cameras draped from necks, cameras cradled in arms as I've seen this day. While I recognized some of the birders I nestled in next to Bala, whose 500mm lens I covet. (We all do - it's not just me.) Bala had already taken some amazing shots which he proudly showed to me and Bob. Amazing. Simply amazing.

A little fluffing and calling going on here - putting on a show for the photographers

I apologize for the fuzziness of these shots. These were the best ones. The converter doesn't allow auto focus to work so I'm holding my breath, focusing as best I can while steadying on Bob's shoulder. They won't win any prizes nor can these shots hold a candle to Bala's but they're mine

Mom and chick

Eventually, we said our goodbyes to Bala, the eagles and the birders, turned the Yaris around and began our road trip. The road trip was interesting but the eagles were definitely the highlight of the day.

The Hidden Green

This isn't where I was going. There was a specific destination in mind when the cameras were loaded into my car. However, there wasn't a level of excitement deep within me as I'd been to my intended destination many times before. Time hasn't been on my side of late and there was simply a deep need to get away - go outside - breathe some country air - dust off the camera and shoot something - anything -besides the backyard. Off I went, unsure but needy.

About 45 minutes from home I pull off the highway heading to my target spot. Rolling slowly through narrow roads framed by huge trees, covered in dappled lighting I'm uneasy. This just feels too .... I dunno .... planned? Safe? Ordinary? Non-adventurous? Yeah, all the above.

Restless, a little irritated and antsy it's clear my calling isn't here in this safe, albeit beautiful, place. I leave.

Instead of turning back to the highway my car is pointed west down a long abandoned roadway. Formerly a major highway, the road has been overshadowed by the newer interstate spur that parallels it. This 5 lane road is still used by fishermen and bird watchers and nature-loving men and women as it contains small dirt roads that leads you back to the Tennessee River deep into Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge.


I'm not sure why I turned left because my iCar (Yaris) can't take those small offshoot roads. I'm just searching, seeking, and a little melancholy. Even my music was depressing me (NOT NORMAL!) so I turned it off and opened the windows wide, letting in bird calls and the sounds of the forest that's beginning to close in around me.

That the road goes over a waterway is barely noticeable as the area hasn't been kept up and is sorta overgrown, the road all weedy and cracked.

What made me look to the right just as I was going over the water I'll never know. My eyes were treated to a hidden green world of dark trees, reflections, water and elephant feet. I literally gasped. Or made some little sound. Thankfully, no one was around to hear it.

I shot and shot and shot, various angles both close and wide. Running across the street to see the other side I was dumbfounded at the different kinds of greens that were waiting for me. The sunlight was shifting and rays were coming through the trees at points, the color of the water changing.

This is a place of hobbits and elves and fairies and sprites.

And elephant feet.

Downloading the images at home it took me hours to decide which ones to process. They are all decent and/or good shots because the area was so beautiful. How do YOU decide which to process, which to print and which to put on a website? Any slight change in composition simply created a different look that was equally as good - imho - as the previous image. So how do you decide?

Bell Mina, Alabama

Finally, finally, finally...I can respond to other's posts, seemingly, and can post photos in my blog. Thank you blogger folks for your help. Now....where was I? Ah yes. Meandering to the lake house on a glorious breezy sunny bodacious clouds scudding by kind of autumnal day. On a whim I drove through several small villages that have been in my heart since childhood. First stop - Bell Mina, Alabama, where people normally drive through without stopping and trains rumble by blowing their horns on their way elsewhere. There's not much there except quaint homes, dishevelled store fronts facing the railroad lines, boarded up buildings and the scent of antiquity. It is beautiful to me, in its uniqueness and authenticity.

Bell Mina Methodist Church

This is the Bell Mina Methodist Church. There's no date on the sign but it's really old. Probably late 1800's, early 1900's. Every Christmas the church members decorate the doors with greenery, fruits and berries. I mean to get photos but never have.

Bell Mina store front

I was a small child when my mom and her best friend dragged me here. At that time it was a store of some sort, bustling with business. The roads were dirt roads. Our car was one of only few; the rest being mule wagons and farmers. There was dust hanging in the air. The mules fascinated me, and I remember romanticizing those visions with something akin to Little House on the Prarie and Laura Ingalls. Most wagons were carrying crops in the back, occasionally added to by whatever the Missus picked up at the store. It was a different, foreign place to me. This vision, this visit has stayed with me all this time. I return to Bell Mina from time to time just to feel that feeling and remember. My mom bought a chandelier at this very store that hung above our dining table. I don't know what happened to it but it's been long gone.

Hahn Firetruck

While I was skipping down memory lane my eye caught this amazing, old firetruck off to the right. Well, I had to see it! Don't you love it's face?

Parked here so long ago that weeds are growing around its tires, this firetruck has great personality. It fits this place! While I was photographing it a fireman, who was nearly as old as the truck itself, walked (slowly) over from the fire station to ask if I was interested in buying it. Well, no, but it sure is pretty, isn't it? He didn't think so, but he wasn't romanticizing this place in his mind like I was. He lives there and that sorta says it all.

The old firetruck and old building, recently painted in glorious red, compliment each other perfectly. It was a fine day for meandering and reliving past memories. By the way, the building is for sale and the firemen would love to sell the antique firetruck. Any takers out there?