August: A soggy start

As Tropical Storm Isaias was tracing an uncertain path towards Florida, our morning walks were often interrupted by the threat of rain. Heavy clouds sometimes added to the mood, if not to the technical perfection, of my photographs. Further, I could not operate my usual camera because I did something that was... well, not too smart. 

These photos of a Great Egret, a butterfly and threatening skies may well be the dying "last gasps" of my trusty DSLR camera, taken on July 29, before thunderstorms moved in to shorten our walk:





White Peacock:





While cementing a loose rubber surround on the mode dial of my Canon 80D, I took care to dispense the adhesive in tiny quantities on a paper clip. However, a larger bit of the CrazyGlue dripped unexpectedly on the knob and bonded it (and the camera's on-off switch) to the camera body. An internet search revealed that acetone might loosen the glue, but I worried that it would turn to gum and solvent might find its way into the camera's vital mechanisms. 

I called Canon repair and the representative said they could fix it, for an estimated price, subject to increase depending upon what other damage they might encounter. After paying the estimate I shipped the camera to Virginia, which happened to be on the projected path of Isaias.

My back-up camera is a mirrorless Olympus E-M10 Mkii with a 75 to 300 mm zoom lens. It had come in handy for traveling, but as a "KISS" (keep it simple, stupid) kind of guy, I found its settings menus to be terribly complicated and easy to forget. Actually, it served me quite well, even before sunrise when a Spotted Sandpiper was back-lit by reflections:



Although it is rather soft, this photo of a Little Blue Heron conveyed a morning mood:


     
Mourning Doves against the eastern sky were just short of silhouettes:



A little bit of blue sky helped me out with this Loggerhead Shrike:



A lazy American Alligator watched from just offshore as the rising sun caught his eye:





The restricted range of the zoom lens system of the Olympus was not appropriate for landscape photos, but I tried a few, one of a somber western sky as the sun rose behind clouds...



...and this, from my early morning vantage point overlooking the south wet prairie:

 

These are the cloud tops to the south just before sunrise on July 31:



Fast-moving bands of heavy rain and high winds preceded Hurricane Isaias on the morning of August 1. I made it to home as the wind picked up but just before the rain started: 

 

The view from our back yard:




On the morning of August 6, out in the wetlands, I used my iPhone 11 Pro Max to capture images of the converging array of anti-solar (anticrepuscular) rays opposite the sunrise. The nearly-full Moon was part of the picture.  The Sun is about 5 minutes below the ENE horizon, so the Earth casts a curved shadow just under the vanishing point of the rays. 

Conditions must be just right-- (1) A clear sky to transmit the solar rays all the way from the Sun to the opposite horizon (2) Atmospheric conditions which reflect  light to illuminate the rays, such as moisture droplets, smoke or dust  (3) Storm clouds offshore and low in front of the sun to create shadows which break up the sun's solar (crepuscular) light.   

Isaias weakened and we experienced little more than a breeze and a few light showers. However it regained hurricane strength and pummeled the northeastern coastal area. In the meantime, my camera was delayed for more than a week because of the effects of the storm on Newport News, the home of the Canon Repair Center.  

So, I rationalized that putting more money into my heavily-used 3 1/2 year old camera would not be a sensible option. (Notice that I did not say "reasoned," meaning that I drew my conclusion after considering all the evidence, but rather "rationalized," starting with the conclusion and fitting in the supporting facts!). My new baby is the next one up in the EOS progression, a Canon 90D. Can't wait to try it out!


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Linking to:

Skywatch Friday

Weekend Reflections

Saturday's Critters

BirdD'Pot

Camera Critters

All Seasons

Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday)

Natasha Musing

Our World Tuesday

Wild Bird Wednesday

My Corner of the World

Timeless Thursday

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Please visit the links to all these posts to see some excellent photos on display
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