Monday, March 4, 2013

Snake birds and pirates

You might well wonder how these could possibly be connected. Well ...

It continues to be unseasonably cold down here in Florida, so the pool is not in high demand by our guests, although our grandson did briefly consider it today. Instead we made our way down to a local park this afternoon so he could release a little pent-up energy. Graydon had a lot of fun on the swings and slides, while I had fun capturing some of his antics. He continued clambering over the playground equipment when I left him with his parents for a few minutes, while I stole over to a nearby lagoon for a look around. That's where I discovered this snake bird (or anhinga), presumably after a successful afternoon of fishing since he was now drying his wings.

I'm still gaining experience trying to photograph a very active 3-year old (aren't all 3-year olds very active ?). It's a bit like trying to nail jello to the wall. My best success came when I caught him in those rare instances when he stood still. So here he is with a pirate's headdress (fashioned by his father), followed by a shot of him with a handful of playground mulch that he was scheming to stuff down his father's shirt. [my shutter's had a great workout during their stay with us so far. I'm trying to squeeze in a few visits to blogland when I'm not on call as grandpa or family chronicler].






26 comments:

Cloudia said...

Aloha young man! Rock on.

© Piedade Araújo Sol (Pity) said...

very beautiful photos.
moments immortalized with his lens.
kisses

ju-north said...

What a lovely grandson! We have 6 grandchildren to keep us busy so can appreciate your thoughts on trying to get photos of them!

biebkriebels said...

Mooie foto's, de aalscholvers hebben we hier ook, ze staan altijd zo leuk op te drogen met een vleugels wijd. De foto van je kleinzoon is prima gelukt, hij ziet er prachtig uit.
Groeten, Marianne

S. Etole said...

What a handsome little guy. I'm awaiting the birth of a little grandchild later this month. Looking forward to his arrival.

Amelia said...

Hi Rick, your grandson look so adorable and cute. Oh... 3 years old are real super active, they seem to be very energetic.

The snake bird look interesting, excellent click.

Have a great week ahead.

Pamela Gordon said...

Graydon is really cute! And yes, toddlers are really fast on the feet. They just don't sit still! I'm surprised to hear it's that chilly in Florida right now. The bird is very interesting looking. Enjoy!

Ruth Hiebert said...

That's a good looking young man you have there. Looks like he is a lot of fun to have around. Oh and the bird looks alright as well.

Stephanie said...

oh he is precious, your three year old lad! and the bird shot is awesome!

Lisa Gordon said...

Rick, he is just adorable, and what great shots of him.

Happy day to you!

Marty said...

le petit garçon est mignon et tu as réussi à faire de belles photos de lui !
We have the same birds here on the river !
beautiful images Rick
wish you de belles journées !

imac said...

Great bird shots, and you did very well esp to capture a 3 yr old they never stop still for a second do they lol.
Well done Rick.

Helma said...

Hoi Rick,

ik dacht eerst dat het een aalscholver was deze slangenvogel want daar lijkt hij het meest op. Ik had zelfs nog nooit van slangenvogel gehoord :-).

Zijn het jou kinderen die voor piraat spelen? Leuk om ze zo te portretteren.

Groetjes, Helma

De lente was bij ons begonnen maar dit weekend is de winter weer terug met sneeuw en ijs.

Dzjiedzjee said...

Very nice series! Prachtig!! ;-)

Greetings from the Netherlands,
DzjieDzjee

Kirsti said...

Pieni poika on niin söpö :)

Fernando Santos (Chana) said...

Excelentes fotografias em particular da criança....
Cumprimentos

mariiana capela fotografia said...

Hi Rick :)
Your photos are great, like always..
Graydon is so lovely.. :D

darlin said...

Rick now how did I ever miss this post and seeing your adorable grandson? He's sure a sweetheart and I do believe that almost all 3 year olds are non-stop busy as can be. Elyssa is almost 3, she sure can keep me busy as well, but it's such a good kind of busy! It sounds like you're having the same type of awesome kind of busy on your end!

Sorry to hear that it's been cold there, I didn't think that Florida ever got cold.

How much longer until you take the trek back to Canada? Where do you call home these days? Wherever you hang your hat? :-)

Have a wonderful week, as well as a very blessed and Happy Easter.

Randall said...

Nice Pirate cap Rick.

~Randall

magda said...

What angel Is this! Adorable boy!!!
You're a great photographer Rick!
The photos are excellent!
I wish you a Happy Easter!
many greetings

Katherine said...

Hi Rick .. oh my Graydon is growing up so fast... Can he really be 3 years old already? Time really clicks on doesn't it. He is adorable and these photos as usual are just wonderful. I hope all is well..cheers Kath

Laura Delegal - Leroy Photography said...

Well it's cold in South Alabama too. I planted my flower garden on Sunday and the frost came on Monday. Some have died, but others have managed to survive. Your grandson is handsome and all little boys are a handful. Blessed Easter.

Marty said...

Joyeuses Pâque Rick, avec tous les tiens ! bisous de pluie

Amelia said...

Hi Rick, drop by to wish you Happy Easter and have a great weekend.

Helma said...

De aalscholver is lang geen gemakkelijke vogel om te fotograferen, maar je hebt deze uitstekend op de plaat gekregen Rick :-)

En dat kleine piraatje daaronder vind ik echt een superfoto. Heerlijk bekkie hihi...
Compliment :-)

Groetjes, Helma

Linda said...

An adorable grandson. Amazing captures of the bird!