The Patience of Eagles

I marvel at these predators. I shot this during a brief respite from the harsh arctic dry-freeze we'd been enduring in January of 2018. The eagles become confined to crowding around a nearby damn on the Wisconsin River. The constantly flowing water ensure they can find an easy meal there. After weeks of fish this one had other plans for dinner. The sudden "warming" (and I use that term very loosely) gave it an opportunity to go patiently hunt in the Driftless. Since it's too cold to soar on thermals it simply waits for something tasty to meander into it's sight. That happened to be me, only I'm too big to eat.

Bald Eagle, juvenile

#eagle #baldeagle #birdofprey #conservation #wildlifefriend #wildglobe #wildgeography #featured_wildlife #marvelouz_animals #animalelite #ig_shotz_animal #nature_perfection #nature_brilliance #wildlifeplanet #live_love_wildlife #bd_pro #splendid_animals #fog #foggy #lax_parksandrec #lacrossewisconsin #lacrossewi #wisconsin #wisco #discoverwisconsin #mississippiriver #travelwisconsin #explorewisconsin #driftlessarea #midwestmoment

Playing with Light

Another new beginning for me. A unique creative opportunity to simply relax, play with camera gear, do fitness stuff and teach has begun. Not only do I get to learn more about yoga, pilates and mobility training from Jessica Baak, but I also get to play with my lighting techniques. Not only that but I am also teaching her how to create promotional imagery for herself. Explaining how I light a scene was a lot of fun for me. Basically it's the mythical "Win-Win" situation. I get to learn more fitness stuff, get a model to practice lighting techniques with and get to teach techniques for something I love to do. She gets to learn a useful promotional skill and gets some fun photos. By happenstance one of the places she trains folks at is a short walk from where I work! So expect some fun imagery to be posted soon.



#bluemoundsdharmacenter #pilates #pilatesbody #reformer #fitnessjourney #fitness #martialartslife #limber #training #fitnessaddict #dharma #namaste #feeltheyogahigh #yogafit #igyogafam #meditation #yogaaddict #yogaeverywhere #yogaeveryday #yogainspiration #yogagram #practice #fitnessgirl #yogagirl #yogajourney

A Natural Darkness

The Cave's natural environment is total darkness. A darkness so devoid of natural light you can only find it deep underground and leagues under the sea. It feels like a thick, black woolen cloak on a foggy night's stroll. The weight of it presses down on your back gently. It's warmth off setting the drooping gravity of it as it tries to slowly envelope you. I find I am being drawn into it, carrying only my tiny shielded flash light as I hum my way along the passages alone.

#speleothems #limestonecave #galenadolomite #cave #activecave #Stalagmite #Stalactite #calcite #caveformations #caveofthemounds #jewelbox #nationalnaturallandmark #usdepartmentoftheinterior #nationalparkservice #nps #usdi #nnl #usinterior #NationalPark #naturelover #travelwi #wisconsin #wisconsintrails #wisconsinparks #driftlessregion #driftless #driftlessarea #wisconsinlife #discoverwisconsin #travelwisconsin

A Learning Experience

After shadowing tours and reading material for a couple of weeks today I began to feel ready to conduct a tour on my own. How I want to present this amazingly still growing "active cave" has been brewing in my head ever since they told me I'd be giving tours. I know the only real issue I may have is when it comes to timing. The allure of covering all the fascinating details is very strong. In caverns that began to form nearly a million years ago you can find evidence of an ancient ocean that predates any (as of yet known) land-based ecosystems. That was 400 million years ago. You can see fossils of shelled Cephalopods and other life that flourished around ancient coral reefs. And then there's all the chemistry, geology, history of discovery, cave culture nomenclature, learning the nature of the elements and how they combine, the Collembola, luminescence and the list goes on and on... My brain is happy.





#speleothems #limestonecave #galenadolomite #cave #activecave #Stalagmite #Stalactite #calcite #caveformations #caveofthemounds #jewelbox #nationalnaturallandmark #usdepartmentoftheinterior #nationalparkservice #nps #usdi #nnl #usinterior #NationalPark #naturelover #travelwi #wisconsin #wisconsintrails #wisconsinparks #driftlessregion #driftless #driftlessarea #wisconsinlife #discoverwisconsin #travelwisconsin

A Spring Blizzard

It's April in Wisconsin. Usually there are flowers starting to bloom and you run around in shorts all day. Not today though. On the plus side, after hours of shoveling snow someone said to me, "Go take photos of this crazy weather!" I was just getting into an artistic groove when I was then diverted underground. It made for a bizarre counter to having been out in the weather all day. When I resurfaced it took a while before I could see again. Who knew heavy snow could be so pure and bright?







#blizzard #caveofthemounds #jewelbox #nationalnaturallandmark #usdepartmentoftheinterior #nationalparkservice #nps #usdi #nnl #usinterior #NationalPark #outdoorlife #getoutside #liveoutdoors #getoutthere #naturelover #prairie #prairieland #oak #oaksavanna #findyourpark #travelwi #wisconsin #wisconsintrails #wisconsinparks #driftlessregion #driftless #driftlessarea #wisconsinlife #discoverwisconsin #travelwisconsin

Drekahofud

So today I experienced a bit of ironic humor that seemed aimed at me in a very personal way. I went to attend the monthly Marketing Committee meeting at my local Chamber of Commerce. They have been using me as a travel photographer for a while now. I also offer them tidbits of advice stemming from my own professional experiences as an artist. Today's meeting was very memorable for me. During their presentation of the new look & feel of how marketing material was going to be branded I couldn't help but notice the photo. I give them access to a number of images but don't pick for them which they use. They happened to use one that I took when I first moved to town from Pennsylvania. My father, pictured on the left, had driven the eleven hour trip to see where we lived. As he left PA he must have realized he'd forgotten to get my daughter, pictured on the right, a gift. So he picked up the little blue bear at a Turnpike rest-stop gift store. it just happens to say, "Travel PA" on it. I used to work for them while I lived there covering various assignments for their travel magazine. So here I am, sitting at a marketing meeting aimed at boosting local travel, where I hope to expand as a local travel photographer, looking at a photo of my daughter clutching a marketing item aimed at boosting travel to where I once did travel photography. I chuckled to myself the whole way to the Cave...

#mounthoreb #moho #travelwi #explorewi #wisconsin #driftlessregion #driftless #driftlessarea #wisconsinlife #discoverwisconsin #travelwisconsin #midwestliving #explorewisconsin #viking #dragon #drake #drakeships #dreki #drekahofud

Sunny Morning

I've been arriving early to work these past couple of days. This particular morning was sunny, crisp and cold. The birds were all singing and the place felt so peaceful I could barely hear the traffic on the nearby highway. I can't stop thinking how lucky I get. My commute here is about and 8 minute drive down a country road while doing the exact speed limit. I'm looking froward to warmer weather and taking the bicycle trail that goes from near my house directly to here. I think it's a casual twenty minute ride? I'm also trimming down a lot. I can't believe I am averaging walking over ten miles a day!

#caveofthemounds #jewelbox #nationalnaturallandmark #usdepartmentoftheinterior #nationalparkservice #nps #usdi #nnl #usinterior #NationalPark #outdoorlife #getoutside #liveoutdoors #getoutthere #naturelover #prairie #prairieland #oak #oaksavanna #findyourpark #travelwi #wisconsin #wisconsintrails #wisconsinparks #driftlessregion #driftless #driftlessarea #wisconsinlife #discoverwisconsin #travelwisconsin