Spring is Here

03-26-2009
This morning I rode to the Gibson Hole to check out the Satilla River. There was no wind at daylight and the “skeeters” greeted me as soon as I hit the edge of the woods. I started wearing my work pants to take pictures because they are thin and comfortable to do a lot of walking in but I soon found out they offer very little protection against these pesky insects.

The birds were active as I saw several ducks come flying around the bend, heard a turkey gobble down river, and watched as a white egret gracefully rounded the sandbar and changed directions back to where it came from. The woodpeckers were hammering and the squirrels were chattering their usual racket. The colors are changing to the refreshing greens of spring out of the dreary winter greys and the temperature is still in the comfortable mild range.

My next goal with my pictures is to get some real good shots of turkeys and have a few people at work interested in taking me along on one of their trips. I work the graveyard shift and the shop at night has the sounds of hammers, air guns, hoot owls and turkey calls echoing throughout the night.

This is one from this morning of a mouth of a slough to the Satilla.

The "n" word

03-18-2009
I was told when I started at my new job with CSX to leave my feelings in the parking lot because the bunch around here will see what they can do to get your “goat” if you let them. There is one around here that has a slight stuttering problem and the more excited he gets the worse it appears. He takes it all in stride and we were all standing around talking the other day and somebody said “Danny, tell them about the drive thru at Taco Bell.” He started out by saying “just to let you know the words that start with the letter "n" can give me a fit sometime. Me and a buddy pulled up to the drive thru to order some tacos and I got hung up while placing the order. Finally was told to pull up to the window and my buddy tapped me on the shoulder and handed me his credit card and I said what is that for?”
“He said you’re probably going to need this because I think you just ordered 99 tacos!”

While out rambling this morning looking for something to shoot I found this tractor and old truck within a half mile of each other at two different locations on the south side of Brantley County.

Sunrise through the fog

03-15-2009
I guess I am a glutton for punishment. With all of the layoff rumors going around I volunteered to go back to Lowe’s and work part-time while I’m working full time at CSX and still trying to get my fix of picture taking every chance I get. Both kids are almost out of school now and I’ve been ‘vestigatin’ the possibility of transferring to another Lowe’s store with Alaska and Montana being high on the priority list if I get my walking papers at the railroad.
I’ve always wanted to go to these places for my picture taking and that is one possibility I see of making it there to photograph other places than southeast Georgia.
The last couple of mornings have been really foggy and I love fog on the Satilla River. This is one I took with the sun coming up through the trees and over the Little Satilla.

My Super Model

03-11-2009
I just found out Aunt Lois has passed away in Dublin, Ohio at the age of 99.
About a year ago I took a 16 hour ride to Ohio to take (Aunt) Lois Dixon back home from a visit to relatives here in Nahunta. She was really my great uncles aunt so I guess she was an aunt somewhere down the line. It was a ride of a lifetime as this lady at the time was 98 years young and full of one-liners. She called me her “famous photographer” and I called her my “super model.” Her and deceased husband Joe Dixon (who at one time was the mayor of Dublin) finished second place on America’s Funniest Home Videos many years ago and just recently she was featured on the cover of a book written by Bud Hearn from Sea Island, rightfully named “Mama Didn’t Raise No Fool.”
She was a quick witted lady and when I asked her to pose for me in an old bonnet, granny dress and corn husk broom she was more than willing to oblige. Aunt Lois was honored in Dublin at the 2008 St. Patrick Days Parade as the Grand Leprachan and told me after our ride to Ohio that I should consider myself lucky. Not everyone gets to spend 16 hours in the back seat with a Super Model plus stay at her home for three days afterwards. She enjoyed life and said when she hit the century mark they were going to shut down part of Dublin with her birthday party. I don’t doubt her one bit and she will be dearly missed.

Ducks in the House

03-08-2009

After coming home from grocery shopping last night our mallard ducks and red-nosed pit bull dog were all standing by the back screen door under the carport waiting on food. They will all eat right along side each other and usually all three eat the dog food. I opened the door to bring in the stuff out of the trunk and the two waddlers followed me right on up to the back steps. Bonnie asked "you reckon they'll come in the house?" I walked back out to the car and left the door ajar and heard Bonnie yell "WAAAAYNE! They're in the BEDROOM!" I said "well, I guess that answers your question." Here they were following each other from room to room and then they started doing what ducks are notorious for doing. Squirting! The whole thing started out kind of funny but the humor was quickly desolving and n0w I had to herd them back out the door. With one final squirt they were back to the outside world.

This is a shot of the male trying to impress the female I guess when it picked up a leaf right between its eyes and started swimming around the pond.

wayne

Peeing in pants

03-05-2009
Bonnie walked in to the post office to drop off some mail the other day and a friend of ours that was great friends with my granddaddy was standing with his back to her when she walked in. He always wears flannel shirts and was sorting through some mail when she walked up and stuck her finger in his back and said “give me all your money”. He turned and looked at her and it was not Gwendell! She starting laughing and apologizing all at the same time for what she had done by saying she thought it was someone else. He just said “its ok, I hear it all the time.” Bonnie laughed so hard she had to make a trip back to the house to change her wet pants.
I’ve been working on pictures of Elroys pond the last couple of mornings just after sunrise. This is a couple that I like.
Wayne Morgan
(912)288-0810