While this week won’t win me any awards for Life and How to Live It, it was a tolerable experience. And during a mid-Michigan March that is frequently filled with 45˚ days, 15˚ days, high winds, snow, ice, bright sun, freezing rain, standing water, mud, gloom, blue skies, spring-time inspiration, and winter-time funks —often all in one day—tolerable is way above average for me. So, yeah, mark it a win, dude.
The week was a busy one that included a few hours at the bike shop on Tuesday and lots of time in the gym lumbering nowhere fast on the dreadmill and lifting heavy things for no reason. There was also a follow-up appointment with Mindbender II (The Wrath of Kahn) to see how things are progressing with my battle against the black dog (very well, thank you) and my standard weekly sessions with the O.G. Mindbender, where we attempt to turn past traumas into ancient history that need not concern me as a grown-ass adult (we’re getting there).
I’ve really been enjoying my time in the gym, but I’m glad to have a couple of days to slack off and head into the woods with my camera. I’m also looking forward to the return of B-Man from his BPA comp in Grand Rapids and then to watching him play in the Rocket League finals at the Block House on Sunday afternoon! GO MP!!
So far this Saturday morning, I’ve enjoyed copious amounts of coffee, dippy eggs and toast, multiple bowel evacs, and watching the first half of the Liverpool match against Brighton, but I think it’s time to do something legit and head out for some picture takin’. If I leave, now I can be back in plenty of time to watch Spurs v United at 12:30.
Cue intermission music while I gather my cameras and gear. I suggest The Debt Collector on Blur’s 3rd studio album, Parklife.
A Few Hours Later…
A hike around the Forest Hill Nature Center was had, and it was COLD. I’m talking 16˚ with a westerly wind that made it feel a hell of a lot colder!
The first 15 minutes of the soon-to-be abbreviated hike was filled with me muttering obscenities about why anyone in their right fucking mind would live in a state like this and cursing the frigid wind that smacked me in the face like a dead man’s balls as I hurriedly walked over the open wetland trail towards the forest.
I was having no real luck with photos and dropping f-bombs all over the place for even wasting my time with this photo walk, but then I heard the sounds of a pileated woodpecker doing its thing in the trees to my right. I froze, waited a few seconds, and finally found it pecking away.
I did what I could to get a shot of it through the bare trees of the woods and then quickly made my way towards the parking area and the patch of woods near the office feeders.
With the thought of a warm car in my head and Dry Cleaning on the hi-fi, I hung out near the feeder and watched the trees as birds of all sorts dodged, ducked, dipped, dove, and dodged their way from tree to tree and feeder to feeder.
I took a few shots and then headed home, stopping for a few roadside attractions as I made my way back to the cul-de-sack shack and a hurried pot of strong french press coffee to warm my cockles and other assorted bodily bits before watching “Ronny” single-handedly beat Spurs.
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The photo walk wasn’t long, and it was bitterly cold, but I was glad to have got outside for some shots and to finally drive by a couple of subjects I’ve wanted. Like I said earlier, this week won’t win me any awards for Life And How To Live It, but as our world consistently proves to us, there are worse things.
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Later.