Breathing Room

I'm growing! There is a lion out there that may laugh a little at that, but for the rest of you, I'm talking about business! Haha, Lord. It's an incredible thing, and I feel so blessed in so many ways. I have my first real gallery show next week, and even though it's in a group show I'm still excited about it. My "art" art is completely different and I haven't really shown any of it to anyone in a long time. Beyond that, I've got 3 critiques for class in the next week, 2 shoots for the magazine this weekend, and then a wedding on Sunday. Yikes!

I skipped class today and took for myself out for some much needed breathing room. It was a gorgeous day, a swift breeze on the prairie gave the fresh water just enough chop to make it textured. The banks were covered with gators (they get over 20ft long at Payne's) sunning themselves. I rounded a corner and found a Mama and 4 babies curled up close to the embankment.. There is no other place that consistently fills me with such awe and peace. The air was perfumed with blooms upon blooms of wild flowers that spotted the trails with lavender, coral and yellow. Monarchs were sipping up the nectar and a few let me get within inches of their beautiful wings. Today made me ache for some new lenses.. soon though. Soon.

I ran into an extremely nice bird watcher who let me peak through his telescope, and also an impossibly talented wildlife photographer who was using a 600mm lens. Just to give you non-photo types an idea, that's a lens that is almost half as tall as I am!!! They told me about some super secret local haunts that they go to that I'll hopefully have time to check out when things die down a little. I spotted some eagles chasing ducks, 2 of the wild horses from a distance, about 14 boar, an abundance of swallows, ibis and egret, and more gators than I can count.




I feel so blessed to live in Florida. What a state, what a beautiful state of mind. Today is the day.