Sunrise, Sandhill Cranes, Harriers, memories of Asheville, NC
I woke up around 6:40 am and I arrived at The Florida School of Massage during the nautical twilight and by the time that I left the building with camera in hand the sky had already shifted into the civil twilight. Within a period of 2 minutes the sky shifted from black to blue. I stayed up last night and discovered all of these different terms for twilight, before reading about these terms it was just night or day for me. I drove .5 miles from FSM to the outlook at the prairie ready to film my first sunrise at Paynes Prairie with a tripod, and the intention of leaving the camera in place to capture the whole event. Its cold around 40 degrees but I actually felt warm with excitement. It was looking pretty cloudy. 
I began thinking how out of touch that I have gotten with nature. Now where exactly is the sun going to come out? I knew which side of the road just not precisely enough for a close up. I was pretty close but was I close enough that I could have the camera already set in a close up position to capture the beautiful event with out having to move the camera over a few centimeters? I set up the camera where I thought the sun would be popping up. I turn on my SLR camera to capture some still shots while the video camera is filming the horizon. I see a bunny hopping through the brush. I met a guy who was doing almost exactly the same thing that I was doing, video camera on tripod and SLR for still shots. He pointed out a bird called a Harrier that I was able to get a few pics of. The cry of an eagle was far off on the top of a light post. The sun rises behind thick clouds. I stay and take pictures of the harrier then a few sand hill cranes. Then the cranes keep coming and coming and coming. 
I am getting hungry. I reflect on a day years ago playing a show in Asheville where there was delicious food for all of the bands and people at this festival and I remember all of the people coming from different directions to get some delicious food. I pretend that the sandhill cranes are like us waking up from different parts of the prairie and excitedly flying to a shared communial location. I fantasize about how they are meeting up to greet the morning and eat together. I am getting hungry, I dont remember the food that I ate at that festival but I remember the sense of community and feeling like I was really living my lifes purpose, a little rough around the edges but going for my dreams and having a good time doing it. That was the year that I broke my toe minutes before we were supposed to go onstage and play. Yes I droped the 50 pound amp that I later named the bone crusher on my left foot. (more…)
I began thinking how out of touch that I have gotten with nature. Now where exactly is the sun going to come out? I knew which side of the road just not precisely enough for a close up. I was pretty close but was I close enough that I could have the camera already set in a close up position to capture the beautiful event with out having to move the camera over a few centimeters? I set up the camera where I thought the sun would be popping up. I turn on my SLR camera to capture some still shots while the video camera is filming the horizon. I see a bunny hopping through the brush. I met a guy who was doing almost exactly the same thing that I was doing, video camera on tripod and SLR for still shots. He pointed out a bird called a Harrier that I was able to get a few pics of. The cry of an eagle was far off on the top of a light post. The sun rises behind thick clouds. I stay and take pictures of the harrier then a few sand hill cranes. Then the cranes keep coming and coming and coming. 
I am getting hungry. I reflect on a day years ago playing a show in Asheville where there was delicious food for all of the bands and people at this festival and I remember all of the people coming from different directions to get some delicious food. I pretend that the sandhill cranes are like us waking up from different parts of the prairie and excitedly flying to a shared communial location. I fantasize about how they are meeting up to greet the morning and eat together. I am getting hungry, I dont remember the food that I ate at that festival but I remember the sense of community and feeling like I was really living my lifes purpose, a little rough around the edges but going for my dreams and having a good time doing it. That was the year that I broke my toe minutes before we were supposed to go onstage and play. Yes I droped the 50 pound amp that I later named the bone crusher on my left foot. (more…)
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