Sunday, March 29, 2009

Silent Sunday: The Bald Eagle Edition



This ridiculously blurred picture is of our Queens Creek bald eagle who likes to land in my parents' pine tree down by the water. When I saw him the other day as the sun was setting, I raced to get my camera and frantically took pictures in hopes that he'd linger long enough for me to get a good one.

Thanks to the words "raced" and "frantically" in that last sentence, all of the pictures came out blurry. Taking pictures under pressure just doesn't seem to work at all for me.


There are hardly any a few things I do well under pressure. I tend to perform better at work if I am not there overly busy as opposed to having nothing to do. On the other hand, when there's little to do but there's an entire week to accomplish it, I tend to read magazines procrastinate, dawdle and stretch things out. In college, waiting until the very last minute to study for exams or write a term paper tended to revive a previously dead, unused or unknown portion of my cerebral cortex--which produced satisfactory results.

But taking pictures is different. I need my own space, my own time and permission to trespass no interruptions. If there is someone with me I can't concentrate or focus; it completely disrupts my process. The other day my mother was following me around the yard talking and asking questions when I was trying to shoot some sunset shots. It was all I could do to keep from screaming and then crying being rude, because my whole routine was interrupted.

Anyway, what I'm trying to say is this:

- We have an eagle, pictured blurrily (it's a word, look it up, but don't expect to find it right away) above, on our creek who often spends time in our trees.

- Maybe one day I will capture him in a shot that isn't blurry.

- Chesapeake Bay Woman often shifts from first person to third person for no apparent reason other than adult-onset ADD cannot take pictures under pressure.

- Chesapeake Bay Woman is a recluse who prefers the life of a hermit does not like anyone around her when she's taking her pictures.

- I thought she said this was Silent Sunday? Why so many words? And I also thought she said she was done with all this strike through business? Last but not least is it possible that she has now referred to herself in both the first, second and third person in the same breath?

Sorry for falling off the Strike-Through Wagon, I promise to try harder tomorrow.

Signed,

Me/Her/Chesapeake Bay Woman

13 comments:

Annie said...

ah, very funny ..again! Since it is silent Sunday, I better be of few words.

I know I operate a little better under pressure. As in, when getting ready to go overseas, I leave it all to the last week....then panic!

But not in studying for exams...no..."what I don't know now, I will never know", was my motto the night before exams. Probably saved me from curdling my brain!

I know what you mean about fuzzy pikkies...I get a lot of those also when I am in a hurry. I don't stop to wait for the camera to focus properly!

Mental P Mama said...

You know, if you strike through the whole post, it would count as silent. I think that eagle wants his own tent and sleeping bag.

Daryl said...

These people do not appreciate the finer points of the strike through ... and I totally understand wanting to be left alone while being creative ...

Unknown said...

You are so funny! I'm glad you like the strike through function of blogging.
That eagle is awesome. Years ago my husband and a few other Marines used to have a hawk that they called their pet. He had many pictures with it on his well protected arm.
We saw many bald eagles on the Alaskan cruise...I hope to see this "little guy" at the blogfest.

Anonymous said...

OK, I now seek permission to camp out on your mother's lawn in hopes of capturing that eagle on film.

I hate being bothered when I'm shooting too, but with five kids, I'm rarely alone when I do get out. There's usually choas all around me, thank goodness I don't make movies.

Having said all that, a quiet shooting buddy is fun to have alont on a photography outing, especially when exploring new places...those that are private property make a buddy even more welcome.

abb said...

I'm with MPM - strike through the whole post and you've got Silent Sunday!

Chesapeake Bay Woman said...

Annie - That's my problem exactly. I don't wait for it to focus. Well, I have other problems, but that's one of the main ones when I'm trying to take a picture in a hurry/under pressure.

MPM - Striking through the whole post....you're giving me ideas and not helping me kick my habit. Oh, and about my mother and her protective tendencies, the other day the white goose discovered that we live on the water! Imagine that. The goose actually went for a swim. Chesapeake Bay Mother was parading up and down the shoreline because she feared the goose would get in trouble somehow or another. The goose eventually did come ashore in her yard, but you can rest assured he won't be seeing water for another decade or so, unless it's in the comfort of the plastic swimming pool in his gated community....

Daryl - Thank you so much for understanding on both counts.

Grandma J - The chances are very good you'll see him when you're here. He's becoming less and less inhibited, but then again he's never met a group of women bloggers before....

Michelle - Absolutely, I'll make sure you're able to work unencumbered. You'd probably get some great (unblurry) pictures of him/the eagle as well as the daffodils.

TSA - Most of my posts need to be struck through entirely anyway; I have a feeling that's precisely what I'm working towards.

Happy Day Before the Worst Day of the Week.

Big Hair Envy said...

I heart your eagle.....AND the strike-through function...

Bwahahaha!

Not Moved Mom said...

It drives me crazy to wait to the last minute to get things done. (Sorry, CBW) but my two older children have taken me through their 12 step program of "procrastination." They wait to the last minute to do just about everything, especially my eldest son. It has just about thrown me over the edge. I think, however, that they are starting to get somewhere with me. At least they have taught me to "SHUT UP" and let them handle it. (They don't tell me to "SHUT UP" but there are times that I know they want to.) Oh well, if you can't beat 'um-join 'um. That's what a mother with 4 males in the house has to do!!!!!!!!

Chesapeake Bay Woman said...

BHE - I'm glad you discovered that strike-through feature yourself. It does come in handy although it is addicting.

NMM - You're organized, that's a good thing, but obviously you're not so structured that you can't adapt to your environment, which is also a good thing. That's why the school wants people like you organizing stuff and why people like me run from you screaming. Just kidding, I'd only do that when you want me to play basketball with a fever of 102 and the beginning of the flu which then turned to bronchitis and I was the oldest person on the court. For instance. But you're lucky to have been born with the organization gene. It doesn't exist in my family, except perhaps with Middle Sis.

Have a great Monday. (She says absolutely dreading tomorrow's 5:30 a.m. alarm.)

Not Moved Mom said...

I am off to bed too. I have to get up at 3:00 am tomorrow. It is NOT going to be PRETTY, especially when I am not used to going to bed early. I see UGLY, UGLY in my near future. Wish I could strike through the alarm in the morning. Wouldn't that be a useful tool?

Anonymous said...

I, too, usually work well under pressure (read "she needs some justification for that overwhelming urge to procrastinate.") But when I managed to do about a 1/2 day's labor in ONE HOUR on Thursday evening for the paying job, because I was taking the day off on Friday, I almost gave myself a heart attack.

I may have to quit procrasinating cold turkey...or maybe I'll tackle that next week. Or maybe I'll just quit taking days off.... might be easier.

AMN

foolery said...

I had to look very carefully because something behind the eagle made him look like the eagle version of Jimmy Durante. It was a trick of the lighting.

Which is what I tell myself about a) all of my photography, and b) all photos of myself.

And I think it's a great shot, no matter what. Plus, if I drink enough wine then ALL of your photos are blurry.