Out and about on a sunny March day.

While it's true the air was cold and the wind still had a way of sending shivers down your spine, the sun was out and so were we.  Hmmm, where do we go today?  Well, our plan was to first do our weekly check on the Heron Rookery, then end up high on a mountain to catch the first glimpse as the Super Moon makes it's first debut in 18 years.  While both of these happenings are quite cool it wasn't enough for us.  The sun was up and as usual we would squeeze every bit of enjoyment out of this day just as we try to do every day.  We spent an hour shooting images of the Herons coming and going as they got food and did repairs on their nests.  We probably observed 15-20 Herons at this location. 

Next, we were on to a local Amish area.   We shot photos of two giant workhorses as they tilled the soil in preparation for the spring planting.  We watched a couple Amish children playing nearby as their father tended to the buggies.  We sat and watched several young Amish boys and young men at a huge bonfire as they toiled to clean out a nearby barn. Right down the road from this we watched three young calves, most likely only a few days old, as they tried to stand on their new wobbly legs. 

Perhaps a half hour later we struggled to get in position to photograph a colorful male Ringneck as he made every attempt to make that task more difficult.  He achieved his goal but we still enjoyed the moment.  Some people may say, that sounds boring, but not for us.  We cherish every action packed second.

Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that we took a few minutes to sit between the rails of an active railway to get an image that I had higher hopes for but hey, we still like it and that's what matters. 

Next we were on our way to Benezette to capture a few hundred more images of the local elk herd.  Yeah, like we need more images to pack our hard drive to the brim.  We actually didn't take many pictures this day   but we watched for nearly a half hour as several young bull sparred, locked horns and played chase as they fought for control of a nearby salt lick.  These young bulls were quite entertaining!

Next on the agenda was to find a spot high on a mountain to catch the first look at the Super Moon.  We sat for probably an hour in hopes of catching some good images.  Directly to our backs was the last glowing rays from a beautiful sunset.  Overhead was a darkening sky.  In front of us we could see for maybe ten miles to a breathtaking horizon.  What's not to love about the mountains and scenery we have here in Pa!  As we sat there we got the first look which appeared as a large red ball of fire beginning to emerge.  Within minutes it emerged in it's entirety interrupted only by a thin dark cloud that gave it the appearance of a ring such as the rings of Saturn.  It climbed into the sky so quickly that keeping it full frame required constant adjustments of the tripod.  We took tons of pictures, deleted nearly a ton but ended up with some that were pleasing to us and we hope they are pleasing to you.  We hope you enjoy these latest additions to our Blog.  We sure enjoyed our day but then again, we always do!!

  

  Yes, there are crater on the surface of the moon!