I got a Niiiikon Camera...

So, I've been having a lot of fun with my camera. I've been shooting pictures here and there, but mostly I've been chuckling at myself for missing great photo opportunities. I have to practice whipping the camera out and snapping on a moment's notice - or no notice at all.

Yesterday, for instance, I was pulling out of the driveway at work and noticed that the traffic in the road was stopped. There was a huge flock of wild turkeys crossing the road. At first, I could only see 8 or 9. They were making their way from the field to the woods, slowly but with lots of obvious determination; heads bobbing, eyes popping, faces jerking around to see every detail of the pavement landscape.

My camera didn't even come to mind even though it was right in the seat next to me in it's case. I've vowed to have it everywhere I go just in case something like this comes up.

I watched as they made their way into the woods, the cars slowly began moving again and the driver of the first car, a boring looking young woman, smiled at me as if to say, "Wasn't that the cuuuutest thing you've eeeeever seen?"

Then, as I started inching my car forward toward the road again, I noticed more bobbing and jerking in the field and there were about 20 more turkeys, waiting their turn to cross. Now, in my head, a little voice said, "GET YOUR DAMN CAMERA OUT YOU STUPID FOOL!!!!" The voice said it just like that too.

I began to scramble for the camera as the turkeys began to bob across the street, eyes popping, heads jerking. I could see their little red wattles waggling. Great photos in the making.

But I was missing it. Not only did I struggle to get the camera out, but once I got it, seated in the driver's seat of my car with the turkeys at a "one o'clock" position, it was almost impossible to get a good shot. And then they were gone. The last one looked back at me before he stepped into the woods. Maybe he thought my camera was a shotgun and they'd just gotten away with their little turkey lives.

So, another opportunity missed. Gotta think faster.

Here are some pics I DID get during the past week.


A little hometown grafiti.




Okay, I'll let you.


Rock 'em Sock 'em - First game. Number 68.


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