Watch Your Step!

You never know what might be rattling around out there.

Camouflage

See if you can spot the deer in this photo. (Hint: You'll probably have to use the arrows to enlarge the view.)

Hiding in clear sight. That would have been the case for this deer had it not flicked its tail. In a dull, brown wooded environment, those white tails are like beacons. Seems like a design flaw if you ask me...

Christmas Prayer

A Squirrel prays for an easy winter on Christmas day. (How do I know? Simple, I was there!)

Another Glowing Leaf

Another in my "glowing leaf" series.

Towhee

An Eastern Towhee almost in the open. These darn birds like to be among the sticks and branches so it's tough to get an opportunity to catch one in the wide open spaces.

Drinking

YAMWB

Yet another milkweed bug.

Boathouse

A tiny boathouse.

Turkey Incident

Kentucky has always been known for its giant turkeys. We're not talking 20 pounders here, we're talking about "birds" as large as 700 pounds! Unfortunately, they too are meat eaters. And by "meat" I mean you. That's right, they eat people. They seem to particularly favor tourists. It happens at least once every year, no matter how many public service announcements and warnings are issued by the media.

I happened to be close by during one recent turkey attack. Though there were signs posted everywhere warning tourists to not look too "touristy," this guy just wasn't paying attention. He was snatched up, just like that. Nothing I could do really. He was too far away and it happened too quickly. I barley managed to get this photo and wound up having to shoot from the hip, not even knowing if I got the photo. I later found out from onlookers who knew the victim that his name was Tom. Kind of ironic I thought.

Gobble, gobble!

AFIK

Usually, when you see the letters AFIK in a posting on the Internet, it means, "As Far As I Know". In this particular case it means A Field In Kentucky. Seen here is the Education Center at Bernheim Forest in Clermont, KY. This is a beautiful piece of land.

Bath Time For Robin

Apparently, late afternoon is bath time for many of the Robins in Tom Sawyer Park. This one spent considerable time lathering, rinsing and repeating.

And this is what the creek sounded like. You can start the sound playing and then view the photo at full size to feel like you were there. Watch out for splashing!

Download Bear_Grass_Creek.mp3

A Squirrel Ham

Most of the animals I run into in the woods are very shy and skittish but, every once in a while, I happen across one that actually seems to want its photo taken. This was one of those cases. This squirrel jumped out into the middle of the path I was on and walked with me until we got near this bench. It then hopped up onto the bench and gave me that, "I'm ready for my close-up" look. I probably could have gotten it to pose even longer but a herd of 25 to 30 runners was right behind us on the trail and that sound was even too much for a squirrel that wanted to be in the limelight.

The Halloween Tree

It is often said that a tree will twist its limbs in times of torment.

This tree stands on the grounds of the old Fourth Kentucky Lunatic Asylum - Central State Hospital where I'm sure it saw many a torment.

Lakeland, KY Lightning Strikes Insane Asylum, July1901

Bolt Of Lightning Strikes Among Eighty Inmates of a Kentucky Asylum.

Louisville, Ky., July 2.-A bolt of lightning from a clear sky that struck among eighty inmates of the Central Kentucky Asylum for the Insane at Lakeland, eleven miles from Louisville, at 3:30 this afternoon, killed JAMES HOWARD, aged 38, of Stevensport, Ky., and knocked unconscious Nat Mercer, an attendant, and three other patients. Great excitement followed among the insane persons who had been taken into the yard for air, but rain came and drove them back to their quarters. The attendant and the patients who were knocked senseless will recover.

Times Picayune, New Orleans, LA 3 Jul 1901