Sometimes You Just Have To...

   Raining in our part of the world this morning, tennis courts are too wet to play, just a time to eat breakfast and relax.

   As I got up from the table to walk into the bedroom, I glanced out the door to the outside porch and noticed a big black shape next to the pool. It was a cloudy, rainy morning without too much light yet, but there he (or she) was, checking out the hot tub and pool.

   I had to try to get a shot. I had never seen a heron like this parading around this pool area, and it was too good to miss.

   Running back into the front room to get my camera, I quietly moved out onto the porch and shot away, knowing I had the wrong lens, it was too dark and I had no tripod to make up for the slow shutter speed that I had to use to get some light into the picture.

   So I got this, knowing it would not be a very clear or sharp picture, but wanting to preserve the moment anyway, regardless.

   The heron did not stay long, in fact as I went back to get a longer lens, off he flew, as if to say that I had had enough time and he could not wait any longer.

   Oh well, wrong lens, no tripod, handheld at a slow shutter speed to get some light, and then I realized that I still had on my polarizing lens that I had been using in the bright sunlight the other day. All of those technical things working against me, plus shooting from the porch through the screen wire made this effort iffy at best.

   But I will remember the sight of that bird, his majestic parading around the pool, and his showing up to add some oomph to a cloudy, rainy morning.

   And I am still thankful.