Here I am, to rock you like a…um…well, I probably shouldn‘t finish that, my luck I’d probably get sued or something for copyright infringement for using the lyric, so I’ll just say I’m here to rock you. Deal?
Ok, deal.
I’m not sure how many of you will consider this rock worthy, but I’ll continue anyway.
For those that were unaware, my birthday was yesterday. Woo (That was sarcasm there folks). Just another day out of the calendar year. Nothing important.
Anyway, yesterday I went hiking. It was the definition of a “crisp fall day.” Cold yet nice. I climbed Pigeon Hill in Steuben and got a few decent panoramic photos (my little Sony HX1 can do some amazing things!).
After returning from Pigeon Hill I went on to the Birch Point Trail in the Petite Manan Wildlife Refuge. I’m a bit bummed because the foliage around here kind of sucked. We didn’t get the bright vivid colors I was hoping for. It was basically a tree turning a sickly shade of yellow here, another a bland red there, then bam…all the leaves fall.
Today I went hiking yet again. This time closer to home. I had started down the hiking trail of Roque Bluff’s State Park earlier in the year, around August or something but the bugs were out so thick that I had to turn back. Today, I got to experience the trails, bug free. And I must say, I’m impressed with them. More so than I thought I would be.
I managed to get some very interesting pictures while I was there.
Let me set the scene for you.
I was walking down the trail, searching for wildlife (we all know how elusive animals can be when you’re looking for them), and any kind of tree in full fall bloom, when I heard the unmistakable chatter of a squirrel right over my head. I looked up to see this plump little rust colored squirrel on a branch maybe two feet above my head. It just sat there, staring at me and chattering its little head off. I managed to get a picture before it ran off to warn its friends of my approach.
Now, I just love how the lighting worked out in this photo. A lot of people would disagree and say it was a bad shot, but I think it gives it a unique and neat quality. I tried to sound all artsy and technical right there. FAIL.
Moving on…
I managed to get another interesting picture while I was on this trail. After I escaped the squirrel citadel, I came upon a portion of the trail that brought me up to the water’s edge. The tide was out so there were a bunch of various types of birds frolicking about searching for fish. I just happened to look in the right place at the right time and saw a bird I had never seen before. I’m told, from a lady I passed on the trail, that it’s a heron. If anyone disagrees with that, let me know cause I’m no bird expert.
Not to sound conceited or anything, but I timed that pretty damn good to have the bird looking almost directly at me.
Now, on my way back out of this trail, I stopped and took a few random shots of some leaves that were still hanging on, and probably the only tree that was still in semi-decent fall bloom.
Camera: Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-HX1, Focal Length: 100mm, F-Stop: 5.2, Shutter Speed: 1/160, ISO: 200
Camera: Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-HX1, Focal Length: 100mm, F-Stop: 5.2, Shutter Speed: 1/160, ISO: 160
Camera: Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-HX1, Focal Length: 5mm, F-Stop: 8, Shutter Speed: 1/50, ISO: 125
Camera: Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-HX1, Focal Length: 100mm, F-Stop: 5.2, Shutter Speed: 1/100, ISO: 125If it’s a nice day tomorrow, I plan to head out for a third day’s hike. Back to my favorite place, Quoddy Head State Park.
For now, that’s my update.
I’m back in the saddle folks. The hike is on! It’s just too bad it’s getting so late in the year. I could use some more nice warm days before the bitter winter stakes its claim.
Keep on rockin’ on.
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~A.M.
Audrey May Photography 