chuckography

On a happier note .....

OK, the water is back on so let's move on to more cheerful blog items.

I was late coming to this meme but Cat Beard gave me something to share with my cat.

They like it when you take their picture.

Even when they are used to simulate a fuzzy beard.

Her tiny nose became mine.

Please notice her curled "Taco Tongue." That was a bonus for the picture.

She likes to please.

My brother Dennis got two fast shots before she squirmed her way outta my hands.

Members of my Photography Group had a busy weekend.

A bunch of us caravaned to Port Royal for a full day down in Beaufort County.

First stop was St. Helena's Island at the Penn Center.

History, beautiful moss-covered oaks and a nearby church ruin.

Does a weekend start any better than this?

one of the members - Rick Coakley - had the "biggest gun" on this jaunt.

He was prepared for a stop in the Wetlands egret rookery in Port Royal.

Talk about intrusive!

These birds were gathered to nurture their young'uns.

A handy boardwalk brought us close enough to the hundreds of white and tri-colored birds to observe aviary activity with our eyes and cameras.

Even my small P/S was active, using my 20x zoom.

Like most small digital cameras, the viewing screen on the back is difficult to see in bright light.

Larger DSLRs have a nice viewfinder and they can track fast action which was not likely with my Canon SX 260HS.

I had planned ahead though and now had a viewfinder loupe I hold over the screen.

It has an adjustable lens so I could take off my glasses and concentrate on following the birds in flight.

Also was able to experiment with shooting in "bursts" of 5-6 shots per second as they flapped around.

Our goal for the day was to wander the shrimping boats dock area of Port Royal.

We were fortunate to have "Phil", a local resident and photographer, join us and help us find areas and interesting targets for shots.

We also had printed out a walking tour for the town.

There was a boardwalk area I missed but members walked up stairs of a 4-story structure for a fantastic view from above.

My GPS was starting to be tired of my lack of knowledge of local geography. I could hear it in the recorded voice.

Many restaurants had signs boasting "Local Shrimp" and I could believe it. I had some later.

Tide was low when we arrived, but by the time we were were seated at 11th Street Dockside restaurant, the boats were bobbing at the piers.

We wandered around and snapped local history and many residents were pleased to pose for our curious cameras.

The restaurant filled quickly with locals and out-of-towners.

I chose to start with steamed peel & eat shrimp.

How could I resist?

Perfectly seasoned and good sized.

A visiting Charleston diner looks at shrimp differently than, say, someone who lives in the Midwest.

When I lived in Kansas City, Missouri, many years ago, there was a local restaurant that featured fresh, live Maine lobsters.

They were flown in daily we were told.

Kansas City also featured "Operas In English."

The planned sunset shoot was thwarted by low clouds that didn't break up. In fact, a storm was approaching Savannah but we did not get any rain, just some short sprinkles.

I drove back to catch a music show at the Pour House. It was to start at 11pm. I stopped for a coffee.

St. Paul and the Broken Bones was touted as having the moves and sounds of Otis Redding.

He and the band grabbed the audience right away.

After just a few bars into his first song, the crowd surged forward and enjoyed every bit of the 75-minute show.

Paul announced, after coming back for an encore, "That's all the original material we have so we'll do some covers I think you'll enjoy."

He did and we did.

It was his first time ever in Charleston and he had caught a Saturday night starring spot at the PoHo.

I look forward to his next visit.

They'll have more songs then than their initial 4-track  EP disk.

Labels: Beaufort, Parris Island, Penn Center, Port Royal, Sea Islands, St. Helena Island, St. Paul and the Broken Bones, Wetlands Rookery.

posted by chuckography @ 2:00 PM