Swimming with the fishes

Just a few random shots from under the cruise ship pier at Fredricksted in St, Croix.

If you ever get to St. Croix (which I don't really recommend, but if you do...) this is the place to do your snorkeling.

Afternoon Siesta

Birds of a feather Siesta together...

Happy Fisherman!

Continuing with the fishing theme... 

Here's a happy Fisherman with fresh Flounder for dinner!

Going fishing

It was cold and rainy out and the smart thing to do was stay inside and maybe take a nap but...

I wanted to test out a new lens so I jumped in the truck and headed to the river with camera in hand.

There were several birds actively fishing, including several eagles, but they all were just a little too far away for the lens I had with me. (Nikon 80-400mm)  This one got a little closer but I still had to crop the photo about 80% to get this so-so picture.

I was excited to see that the eagles are already starting to show up, there were 5-6 there, and I will be heading back soon with the "bazooka" lens to see what I can get.

A tropical breeze

I woke up to it being 41 degrees this morning. I wasn't quite ready for that chill so I thought a little tropical breeze might be in order.

The passing of a good friend

My good friend Marion, known as Parker to everyone on the blog, passed away on Thursday.

We spent a lot of hours in the Wichita Mountains of southwest Oklahoma hiking and talking and learning from each other.

His wife Charlotte wanted me to let everyone know that he passed away. He had been suffering from ALS and it finally got the best of him.

He will truly be missed as a friend, a hiking partner, a historian and a great story teller.

Farewell my friend.

Late bloomers...

I found these Blackberry blossoms a couple of weeks ago and took a few pictures. I'm thinking they are either 3 months too late or 9 months early!

Hitting rock bottom

Even though I wasn't overly enamored with the Virgin Islands I will say the snorkeling was pretty good. They have different coral there than what you find in Hawaii so it made it interesting to be in the water. I definitely preferred being in the water than being on land.

Hardy Bay Rainbows

A couple of Rainbow pictures from Hardy Bay.

Huge Blackbird!

I did a double take when I saw this huge Blackbird in a tree...

Turns out it wasn't a bird at all...

 It was a Black Bear chowing down on Crab Apples!