Mississippi Sound in Sights

Rip BLOG

2008-10-31T03:48:00.000-07:00

The new site.

http://www.jasontaylorphotography.zenfolio.com

Clouds on Fire!

2008-10-23T15:20:00.000-07:00

Jason

10/23/08

October Sunrise

2008-10-23T15:01:00.001-07:00

Jason

10/23/08

October Sunrise - Boats

2008-10-23T10:27:00.000-07:00

Jason

10/23/08

October Sunrise - Wildlife

2008-10-23T10:11:00.000-07:00

Jason
10/23/08

The Water(mark) Oak

2008-10-06T17:06:00.000-07:00

This morning I met an older couple living on the water in southern Hancock County. At the back of thier lot, next to the water, I noticed some signs posted on a water oak tree indicating high water marks from several hurricanes. They were nice enough to let me snap a picture. Shown are Katrina, Camille, and Betsy. They told me that during Ike, the water came up just about even to the Betsy mark. Click on the picture to see a larger version, and the Camille and Katrina marks speak for themselves.

Jason
10/6/08

A Bald Eagle Sighting!!!!!!!!!

2008-10-02T09:39:00.001-07:00

Yep. Spotted one on the front beach this morning. I gave chase, but only managed a few poor photographs from a good ways away. It was very shy, but impressive even from far away. I cropped a few just to get a closer look and for identification purposes. Talk about get the adrenaline pumping.

Jason
10/2/08

Egretta rufescens

2008-09-28T18:23:00.001-07:00

A juvenile

Jason
9/28/08

Ship Island Day Trip 9/28

2008-09-28T17:13:00.000-07:00

Got buzzed.

Does it get any better than this?

A Regulator and "The Beau" in the background.

Pelicans everywhere!

Still showing scars from Gustav.

Here is a before picture of the dunes.

The same dune, after.

Jason
9/28*08

Cardinalis cardinalis

2008-09-20T03:03:00.000-07:00

Jason
9/20/08

Another Contest Winner

2008-09-19T18:12:00.000-07:00

You can see this picture in the South Missippi Living September Photo Contest. I hope I win the grand prize this time.

http://www.redstardigital.net/lib/smliving/9.2008.1/index.html

Jason
9/19/08

Archilochus colubris

2008-09-18T16:14:00.002-07:00

Ruby throated hummingbird. I think i'm getting the hang of it now!

Jason
9/19/08

How to Photograph a Hummingbird

2008-09-18T16:14:00.001-07:00

I'm no expert by any means, but i'm making some progress. Now that i've got a lens that can handle the task, i've started experimenting with the placement of my feeder. It is in a spot now where I can sit in a chair about 10 feet away and the birds don't seem to be bothered by me too much. The trick is to wait.........and wait.........and wait some more. Good things come to those who wait............I guess.

Here is a shot of one of the little fellas perched up in the tree, waiting for just the right time to move in for a meal.

Wait.........wait.........wait.........listen for the hummmmm......

Finally!

This gets the adrenaline pumping for sure.

Notice all the lovebugs on the feeder?

Stay tuned for more!

Jason
8/18/08

Global Warming

2008-09-11T14:53:00.000-07:00

Updated again.

Jason
9/11/08

Continued.........

2008-09-08T04:05:00.001-07:00

Jason
9/8/08

Post-Gustav Ship Island

2008-09-07T16:53:00.000-07:00

Overall, not too much has changed. Lots of debris on the west end.

Lots of erosion and stumps on the east end.

An artsy shot to break things up.

Some really interesting erosion occured near the dunes. Look at how the black sand was exposed, and this reddish water is slowly flowing from the dunes. I'm assuming the rust color is caused by tannic acid, much like in our coastal rivers and creeks.

Ever wonder how you get a travel trailer on a barrier island. Well, now you know. Here is the park service loading one up and taking it back to shore.

They pushed it on with this.

There it goes.

Stuck in the sand.

Jason
9-7-08

Telephoto!

2008-09-07T16:45:00.000-07:00

Testing out a new lens.......a Tokina 400mm F/5.6 with a 1.5X converter. I'm impressed so far. A few shots of the moon.

Updated moon shot.

Without the converter.

With.

A willet at Ship Island.

Incoming!

Jason
9/7/09

Gustav - Carnage at Pass and Long Beach Harbors

2008-09-03T16:02:00.000-07:00

A few from Long Beach.

Jason
9/3/08

A Peaceful Summer Morning

2008-08-14T14:08:00.000-07:00

Jason

8/14/08

Stalking a Stalker

2008-08-09T16:46:00.000-07:00

I spent about an hour stalking this fella as he hunted in the tidal pool at the east end of West Ship Island.

Taking off.

In flight.

Jason
8/09/08

Mostly Birds

2008-08-09T16:37:00.001-07:00

But a few other things thrown into the mix too.

Some gulls.

A few pelicans.

Terns in flight. I'm not sure about the exact species. There are several different species and they are all very similar.

Tidal pool, at low tide.

A Hatteras charterboat, "The Amberjack".

Some underwater critters........or, some critters under the water.

Jason
8/9/08

First Post of August

2008-08-05T03:52:00.000-07:00

No theme here, just some pictures that I haven't posted yet.

Forgot to post this one before. I found out recently that the locals don't call these skimmers, they call them shearwaters.

More insects.

Sometimes a picture just comes out perfect. This is one of those I think.

An early morning storm.

Some pictures from a bridge walk.

A kite surfer taking advantage of the winds from Tropical Storm Ed.

Jason
8/5/08

A Backyard Aviary

2008-07-26T06:50:00.000-07:00

A shy thrush.

Juvenile cardinal.

Red-headed woodpecker on a feeder. Kinda unusual.

Red-bellied woodpecker.

A very elusive hummingbird. Here it is, perched.

At the feeder, in the shadow. The shutter speed on this shot was 1/100th of a second, and its wings are still blurry.

Jason
7/26/08

Bama Breeze and a Bank Vault

2008-07-25T07:56:00.000-07:00

Where Jimmy Buffet filmed his Bama Breeze video http://youtube.com/watch?v=vfhNKK7rkhw. I stopped by to get a few snapshots the other morning. Doesn't look like it'll reopen any time soon.

This huge oak stump has been sitting in the parking lot ever since the hurricane.

About a block down I spotted this bank fault that survived the storm surge. Unfortunately, the rest of the bank didn't.

Jason
7/25/08

Day Breaks at Pass Harbor

2008-07-24T18:07:00.000-07:00

Jason
7/24/08

A Three Island Tour...........

2008-07-20T15:58:00.000-07:00

...........a three island tour...............West Ship, East Ship, and Cat. We took the waverunners to Ship Island again, but this time we took advantage of the glassy waters and headed over to East Ship Island for the first time ever.

The trees on East Ship give it more of a wilderness feel, like Cat Island.

Still showing signs of Katrina's wrath.

Lots of dead horseshoe crabs on the beach.

I thought this was odd. An old boat, wrecked right on the beach. I couldn't tell it was a boat until I got right up on it and noticed the outboard. Note the rusty flywheel.

On the way back to West Ship, we stopped to check out the shipwreck in Camille Cut. I've always noticed it in the distance but never got up close. The water here was a clear as i've ever seen it around these islands.We could clearly see several schools of spadefish all around the wreck, as well as some monstrous sting rays cruising along bottom. Oh, and plenty of dolphins too.

Then it was back to West Ship for lunch and some more swimming.

Cat was last on the list, but no pictures there. The wind picked up and we bounced our salty selves back to the launch.

Here is a Google Earth screen shot showing a path of the entire trip. About 45 miles total.

Jason
7/20/08

A Morning Spider

2008-07-19T17:07:00.000-07:00

Jason
7/19/08

More Ship Island Shots

2008-07-19T16:16:00.000-07:00

Few more from Ship Island. Chillin' out.

Another black skimmer.

Soaring gull.

Gliding black skimmer.

Dancing black skimmer.

Broken shell in the black sand.

Dunes and clouds make a perfect combination.

A shot of a Pearson Yacht taken at water level.

Jason
7/19/08

Beautiful Bugs

2008-07-15T16:26:00.000-07:00

Boxelder bug.

Moth.

Spider.

Argiope spider.

Goldensilk spider.

Long-tailed skipper.

Silver spotted skipper.

Gulf fritillary.

Tiger swallowtail.

Giant swallowtail.

Jason
7/15/08

Fort Massachusetts

2008-07-12T17:14:00.001-07:00

"Civilian workers with the U.S. Army began building the brick fort before the Civil War, but the arrival of Confederate forces forced suspension of construction in January 1861. Union forces returning nine months later found the fort’s brick walls stood only a few feet high and nowhere near completion."

Note the change in the bricks in the picture below.

"The 15-inch Rodmans were among the largest smoothbore cannon manufactured; the barrel weighs 50,000 pounds. This type of cannon fired a 15-inch diameter cannonball weighing more than 300 pounds, with a range of approximately three miles."

View from the top, looking east.

View from the top, looking west.

Jason
7/12/08

More Birds in Flight

2008-07-12T17:05:00.000-07:00

Black Skimmers again. Very neat birds.........and fun to photograph.

Jason
7/12/08

And the winner is..........

2008-07-09T18:37:00.001-07:00

This picture won a photo contest in the March issue of South Mississippi Living Magazine.

Jason
7/9/08

Pictures Without a Place

2008-07-06T11:32:00.000-07:00

So named only because I'm tired of typing the word miscell........well, you get the idea.

Low tide at Goose Point, Cat Island.

A relaxing swim at Ship Island.

A cloudy spring sunrise.

A shot from the peak of the Biloxi-Ocean Springs Bridge of a boat running wide open in the channel.

Another shot of the bridge, from the Ocean Springs beach.

A bored outfielder.

Jason
7/6/08

Rays

2008-07-04T18:36:00.000-07:00

Thanks to clear water and a polarizing filter, I was able to get some nice shots of these cow-nosed rays (I think) at Ship Island.

Jason
7/4/08

July Clouds

2008-07-04T18:28:00.001-07:00

Lots of cool clouds caught my eye today. Of course, i'm always watching the clouds for signs of building thunderstorms. When they are this beautiful, I don't really mind.

Jason
7/4/08

On Over to Cat Island

2008-07-04T18:22:00.000-07:00

Explored a little of the north end. A shot of the inland pine flat. Good to see some new pines coming up among all the dead ones that Katrina left.

Barnacle covered shell.

Dead horseshoe crab.

Shells, shells, and more shells.

Jason
7/4/08

Fourth of July Waverunner Adventure

2008-07-04T18:15:00.000-07:00

To Ship Island again. One of the calmest days i've ever experienced on the water. The crystal clear water at the east end of West Ship Island made it that much nicer.

Tidal pool.

And yet another short video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ebDoHd2r18

Jason
7/4/08

Ship Island Dunes and Marsh

2008-07-02T17:14:00.000-07:00

Beach morning glory (Ipomoea imperati) is everwhere.

A marsh seperates the dunes from the fort.

I didn't expect to find a cactus. Had to google it: Opuntia humifosa (pricky pear).

My favorite shot of the whole day.

Jason
7/2/08

The East End of West Ship

2008-07-02T16:58:00.000-07:00

Our own little Carribean, right in our backyards.

Crystal clear waters.

Baitfish bustin'.

Looking over toward the fort.

A willet.

Interesting coloration on this piece of driftwood.

Picture perfect day.

Jason
7/2/08

'Splosions of Color 2

2008-06-28T06:34:00.000-07:00

......continued.

Cosmos.

Day Lilly.

Sunflower from the back.

....from the front.

Cherry maters.

Poison ivy.

Japanese maple.

Jason
6/28/08

'Splosions of Color 1

2008-06-28T06:22:00.000-07:00

Wildflower garden.

Sunflower.

......from the back.

Banana pepper.

A wet 'mater.

Coneflower?

Blueberries.

Cosmos.

...........to be continued.

Jason
6-28/08

Miscellaneous Wildlife

2008-06-27T04:14:00.000-07:00

Jason
6/27/08

A Trip Cut Short

2008-06-21T13:23:00.000-07:00

Took the waverunners to Cat Island this morning, but the storms started building as soon as we got there, so we reluctantly headed back. Barely made it, too. It wasn't a total waste though, I managed to get a few nice snapshots of the storms and the harbor, as well as another short video.

Maybe we should've stayed home.

Jessica spotted this floating in open water. A dead Kemp's Ridley turtle. Maybe it got caught in one of the nets of the many, many shrimp boats that were shrimping around the Intracoastal Waterway. Poor fella.

Few nice boats at the harbor.

And another short video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOOjPTT40mk

Jason
6/21/08

Attack of the Black Skimmers!

2008-06-13T13:56:00.000-07:00

These guys must be nesting on the west end of West Ship. They let us know that they weren't too happy about us walking past thier nesting area, by circling us and making some noise. No harm done and I got some cool shots.

Jason
6/13/08

Friday the 13th at Ship Island

2008-06-13T13:47:00.000-07:00

Soupy skies..........luckily, didn't get caught in any storms. I never did believe in that stuff.

Assorted wildlife.

Jason
6/13/08

A Waverunner Adventure

2008-05-31T15:19:00.000-07:00

Headed out of Long Beach Harbor this morning on the Waverunners in slick calm conditions all the way to Cat Island. It was so nice, we decided to make the deep water crossing over to Ship Island. The wind kicked up a bit and the ride home was rough, wet, and fun. Overall, a great day to be out exploring the barrier islands. Pictures are all snapshots from a point-and-shoot digital. I also made an attempt at a few short videos.

A short video I shot while making the crossing from Cat to Ship. Hard to shoot and drive at the same time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XAmr9oseVg

Here are some birds on the north point of Cat Island.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Shyp9NdIpM

Jason

5/31/08

Cat Island Snapshots

2008-05-29T17:24:00.000-07:00

Dead pine tree

Looking east into South Bayou.

Racoon tracks and people tracks.

A few pictures of "the stumps", a popular wadefishing destination.

Jason
5/29/08

Cat Island Sea Shells

2008-05-29T17:21:00.001-07:00

Jason
5/29/08

Ship Island Dolphins 2

2008-05-29T17:18:00.000-07:00

Jason
5/29/08

Aboard Pugnacious

2008-05-29T17:13:00.000-07:00

A few pics snapped while underway in near dead calm conditions, leaving Ship Island, heading toward Long Beach Harbor.

Jason
5/29/08

Ship Island Snapshots

2008-05-28T03:26:00.000-07:00

Fort Mass.

Super calm water.

Super clear water.

Lifeguard and NPS officials practicing rescue techniques. Unexpectedly, the lifeguards didn't run in slow motion.

A Chandeleur party boat.

Ship Island day trippers.

Nice sportfisher and a neat little inboard tender.

Jason
5/28/08

Ship Island Dolphins

2008-05-25T17:47:00.000-07:00

Jason
5/25/08

Testing the New Lens

2008-05-24T06:30:00.000-07:00

Clematis Vine

Sunflower

Unopened Sunflower

Veggies from the garden.

Jason
5/24/08

Bandit

2008-05-11T18:08:00.000-07:00

Jason
5/11/08

Anoles

2008-05-04T13:52:00.000-07:00

Jason
5/4/08

Ship Island Day Trip 4/20

2008-04-20T16:58:00.000-07:00

A few snapshots taken on our first trip of the year to the Barrier Islands. An absolutely perfect day......light winds and clear skies. The ramps were crowded and the water was a bit cold, but i'm not complaining.

The eastern tip of Ship Island has changed a bit over winter. The dunes appear to be a bit higher and there seems to be alot more black sand around (see previous post).

Jason
4/21/08

Black Sand of Ship Island

2008-04-20T16:19:00.000-07:00

Jason
4/20/08

The Garden Visitor

2008-04-12T13:52:00.000-07:00

Lulu didn't get too excited about it.

Jason
4/12/08

More spring........

2008-03-30T11:13:00.000-07:00

Some azaleas in full bloom.

Wisteria.

The blooms of a tung nut or tung oil tree.

Jason 3/30/08

Sunrise 3/24/08

2008-03-24T17:17:00.000-07:00

The sun rising behind what is left of Penthouse Pier in Pass Christian.

The moon setting behind me.

Jason
3/24/08

Spring has arrived...........

2008-03-22T14:12:00.000-07:00

.......in my yard, anyway.

Flower of a banana bush.

Jason
3/23/08

The Bay Bridge 2

2008-03-16T14:54:00.000-07:00

A few pics from my first bike ride over the bridge.

Jason
3/16/08

Spring Fever

2008-03-15T18:23:00.000-07:00

Haven't posted yet in March and spring fever is setting in.......dug into the archives for a few old pics.

Few more sunrise shots.

The waverunners at Cat.

The boat at Ship.

"Hey Jake, what ya staring at?"

"Oh!"

Jason
3/15/08

The New Bay Bridge

2008-02-24T14:14:00.000-08:00

Took advantage of a fairly nice and calm (but hazy) late winter day and launched the waverunners on the Wolf River for a short ride. It was my first time to see the newly finished Bay St. Louis Bridge from below. Just this week, the company building it announced that the project was 100 percent complete. For comparison, at the end i've added an aerial shot of what the old bridge looked like a few days after Hurricane Katrina dismantled it over two and a half years ago.

Jessica heading downriver.

The view from my cockpit.

The bridge, looking south.

Above the channel, where the draw used to be.

Take another picture of me, pleaseeeeeee!!!!!!!

Idling back to the Delisle launch.....or as I like to call it, Gnat Hell.

And finally, the "before" shot (taken by NOAA).

Jason
2/24/08

Lazy Days........

2008-02-08T10:36:00.001-08:00

.....for Lulu.

Jason

Deer Watching

2008-02-02T10:45:00.000-08:00

A good friend of mine, Jon, has a petting zoo for a backyard. Here are some pics from a motion sensor digital camera that he set up to catch the action. It's good to see that there are still some of us left who just enjoy observing wildlife as much as some enjoy killing it.

Jason
All photos © 1992-2008
2/2/08

Sunrise, January 29

2008-01-29T17:09:00.000-08:00

The Pelicans

2008-01-27T06:58:00.000-08:00

Miscellaneous 4

2008-01-22T16:25:00.000-08:00

A dusting of snow in the Appalachians.

Cypress stumps on Black Creek.

Some "Out West' shots.

Jason
All photos © 1992-2008
1/22/08

Some more wildlife.........

2008-01-20T17:09:00.000-08:00

Gulls.

Brown Pelican comes in for a landing.

Another egret.

Gull. Perched birds are a favorite of mine, can you tell?

Monarch Butterly.

These guys have such character!

Jason
All photos © 1992-2008
1/19/08

Miscellaneous 3

2008-01-19T17:15:00.001-08:00

More Resurrection Fern. It is called that because during dry periods this plant will turn brown and all but die out......but only an hour or so after a good rain, it will "resurrect", becoming lush and green once again. I like this shot......the way the new growth and old growth naturally interwine.

Morning dew on a rose leaf.

A sailboat cruises along south of Deer Island.

The famous Golden Fisherman. Hurricane Katrina knocked this thing down and some criminals stole it and tried to sell it for scrap metal. Not sure where it is now or whether it'll ever be restored.

Jason
All photos © 1992-2008
1/16/08

The Finches

2008-01-16T03:56:00.001-08:00

How many goldfinches can fit on a half-empty thistle sock?

Three.

Here they come. That's four.

Easy fellas, no fighting!

Six.

Seven.

Eight. How many can fit on a full thistle sock? Stay tuned.

Update: 15............i'm cheating, I know.

Spring Sprung!

2008-01-12T11:43:00.000-08:00

Miscellaneous 2

2008-01-07T17:06:00.001-08:00

Biltmore Estate

Oak Alley.

One of the oaks in the alley.

Monument overlooking Little Round Top at Gettysburg.

Headstone in Cades Cove.

Inside the Catholic church in Annunciation Parish, Louisiana.

Inside another church, somewhere in Louisiana's plantation country.

Unknown church.

Jason
All photos © 1992-2008
1/7/08

Great Balls of Fire!

2008-01-06T17:42:00.001-08:00

Some sunrise and sunset pics.

Wolf River (sunrise)

Wolf River (sunrise)

Bay of St. Louis (sunset)

Smuggler's Cove, Cat Island (sunset)

Sunset on the Sound.

Another Sound sunset.

Miscellaneous

2008-01-06T16:49:00.000-08:00

A few more.

Maryland monument at the Antietam battlefield, with an unknown monument in the background.

Gun overlooking Antietam.

Overhead shot of the "Sunken Road" or "Bloody Lane" at Antietam. Five thousand men died there in four hours.

A border collie anxiously awaits instructions from his master. This was taken at the Pecan Festival in New Augusta, MS. The dogs only responded to commands given to them in spanish.

Statue at Middleton Gardens in South Carolina.

Tulips at Callaway Gardens.

Roses, with the Biltmore Conservatory in the background.

Jason

The Balds

2008-01-06T15:30:00.000-08:00

A bald is a unique mountain ecosystem, usually found on or near mountain tops, that are mostly covered with grasses and other low growing shrubs and hedges. I've made it a point to see several of these, and once you make it to the top of one, you won't soon forget. The following photographs were taken from Andrews Bald and Gregorys Bald, both of which are located in Great Smoky Mountain National Park, and Max Patch. Andrews and Gregorys are special in that they are covered in flame azaleas that bloom in late June. Max Patch is a grass bald with some great views. Whether they have mostly shrubbery or grass depends mostly on whether the Park Service maintains them by clearing or fire.

Andrews Bald

Gregory's Bald, overlooking Cades Cove. In the last photo, though hazy, you can see the cove in the distance. This bald can only be reached by hiking 6 miles, straight up. A grueling hike for sure, but worth it, as you can see. The flame azaleas can be found in several colors, and even hybridize to create new colors (see third photo).

Max Patch. Note the small footpath that winds up and over the mountain. That's the Appalachian Trail.

Jason
1/6/08

Mount Leconte

2008-01-06T13:22:00.000-08:00

I've made this hike twice. This is a short photojournal of my second time up, Jessica's first. Mount Leconte is one of the highest peaks in Eastern North America. At the top sits a lodge that can only be reached by trail. Supplies for the lodge are carried up by a pack of llamas. Reservations for one of the many small cabins have to be made years in advance. Most people hike up, stay the night, then hike down the next day. Some of the more hardcore types, like us, make it a day trip. We took the Alum Cave Trail......the shortest, but steepest, of the many trails that lead to the top. The first time I hiked it, in 1999, I made it up and down in four hours, in a new pair of hiking boots that left bloody blisters the size of half-dollars on both of my ankles. On the way down I ran into an older gentleman by the name of Ed Wright. Mr. Wright developed a fondness for the Alum Cave trail, and starting in 1991, the year of his retirement, hiked to Mt. Leconte over 1300 times. In 2007, he finally had to give it up because of knee problem (go figure). He has written a book and created a website devoted to the mountain and trail: http://www.mtleconte.com/. He kept a log of every hike and on the day I spoke with him, he took my name and added me to the list.

The trail starts low and meanders beside a peaceful creek for a while. A few miles up is the trail namesake, Alum Cave(below). There used to be a mining operation here, where alum was mined for use in epsom salts.

Past the cave, the views become spectacular and the trail is so narrow and rocky in places, cables are bolted in to the side of the mountain for hiker safety.

The views disappear and its straight up to the top. I'm out of breath just thinking about it.

Near the top, the trails converge.

Made it! The cabins appear through the mist.

The lodge. Only the paying overnight guests get to eat at the lodge. The smell of that food cooking was just too much for us to handle, having just hiked uphill for almost 6 miles, and facing a downhill hike of the same distance with only cheap snacks in our backpacks. We didn't stay long.....there is a KFC a few miles from the trailhead.

Jason

1/7/08

The Smoky Mountians

2008-01-06T11:21:00.000-08:00

Been many times......hopefully, will go again many more times.

Why do they call them smoky, anyway?

The place to be in late October.

Barn in Cades Cove.

A rainbow spans a valley in Cades Cove. Luck was with me that day.

Brrrrrr........but still beautiful.

The balsam wooly adelgid has destroyed a large percentage of the fir trees at high altitudes.

Tower at Clingman's Dome, on a bad day.

Tower at Clingman's Dome, on a good day.

Jason
All photos © 1992-2008
1/6/08

A Walk on the Wild Side

2008-01-06T07:03:00.000-08:00

Just a few.........i'll be adding more as I scan them.

Great Blue Heron

Egret...........tip, when shooting something white, over-expose a bit, since the white fools your meter into thinking the subject is brighter than it really is.

A perched hummingbird, taken inside the butterfly conservatory at Callaway Gardens.

Tiger Swallowtail.

A goldensilk spider chowing down on its recent catch.

Jason
All photos © 1992-2008
1/6/08

Look a little closer.......

2008-01-06T06:54:00.000-08:00

"Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads." - Henry David Thoreau

Daisies in a Cades Cove meadow.

English Ivy.

Resurrection fern.

Yaupon berries.

Red Maple leaf on the Grotto Fall's trail, Smoky Mountians.

Whelk.

Periodical Cicada on my trailer tire.

Jason
All photos © 1992-2008
1/6/08

Waterfalls of the Smokies

2008-01-05T18:59:00.000-08:00

I've spent a great deal of time in Great Smoky Mountain National Park and have always had a fondness for shooting running water, be it one of the major waterfalls, like Laurel or Grotto, or just a small trickling stream along the roadside. I've accumulated quite a collection of photographs of these waterfalls and it'll taking some time to scan them all, so i'll be updating this particular post on a regular basis. Here are just a few to start:

Nightlife

2008-01-05T18:12:00.000-08:00

Sorry, no wild party pictures here......just some night photography.

A Fourth of July shot.

A ferris wheel in motion.

Another ride (not sure which one, but it doesn't look very safe).

A thunderstorm unleashes some of its energy over the Sound. Taken from the beach in Pass Christian.

Taken from atop the Treasure Bay Casino parking garage, around 1994.

Jason

1/6/08

Lulu, by request

2008-01-05T08:04:00.000-08:00

Ask and ye shall recieve........

Lulu, right after we brought her home.

Mmmm, grass......tasty!

Mmmmm, glove........tasty!

And finally......well, this is just embarassing, for all involved.

The Pug Dog

Of all of the dogs its the Pug
who might be king of the castle.
If you're looking to bug,
he might first give you a hassle.
But the Pug dog is kind,
he would never offend.
He is just looking to find,
if you'd be his next friend.
No! He's not really pugnacious,
as his name might suggest.
He is really quite gracious,
kings and queens like him best.

Michael Leiter - May 1995

Lulu all grown up.....but still a trouble maker......or should I say a trouble finder.

I call this one "Peek-a-boo Pug in the Pickets"

Jason
All photos © 1992-2008
1/6/08

Island Life

2008-01-01T04:08:00.000-08:00

Some more recent stuff taken while spending time at the islands.

Jessica relaxing at Ship Island.

Jessica exploring the flats of Cat Island. Who needs the Carribean?

Kayaks beached in Smuggler's Cove. One of my favorites.

The boat in Smuggler's Cove

God bless America!

Keep an eye out for this (above).........or you may be dealing with one of these (below).

Dole banana boat heads into port (Gulfport) via Ship Island Pass.

Jason

1/6/08

Settings.......

2008-01-01T03:23:00.000-08:00

......or the "where" of most of our little adventures. None of these images taken by me unfortunately.

Satellite image(post-Katrina) of the MS Sound, barrier islands, and surrounding waters of LA, AL and the Gulf.

A few really nice aerial shots (post-Katrina) taken by Steve Martin (http://www.pbase.com/smms/profile). Ship Island (above), looking east.......

......and Cat Island (above), looking northeast. Note the erosion on the south tip.

A good aerial that I found on the web of West Ship Island(near) and East Ship Island(in the distance). This one is pre-Katrina. Now, East Ship Island consists only of the dark, tree-covered area in the center. Most of the sand on either end has been eroded away. You can see this in the above satellite image. Looking at the barrier islands, East Ship Island is the third island from the left (appears as just a white dot). Unbelievable.

Jason
1/6/08

Beginnings

2008-01-01T01:17:00.000-08:00

First blog, first day, first post.......and a new year. I'm just getting the hang of this, so let's consider this a practice run. Jessica and I will be updating this blog as often as we do something that is worth posting. Winter I expect will be quite slow, but i'm always shooting pictures of something, whether its the pug, Lulu, or a bird at one of the feeders. Once the boating/fishing season kicks into high gear, April or so, hopefully our blog will do the same. In the meantime, i'm currently scanning all of my old slides and negatives into digital format......whoa, what trip back in time. Enjoy!

12/30/07
Jason