Mist-ical Mardi Gras Morning

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It's February 24, 2009, Mardi Gras. No work. No school. I awaken early, dress in the dark, grab my gear and dash out of the house headed for the lake - careful not to wake my sleeping husband and children. I thrilled to learn that it's 37° outside. If I'm right, the water in Lake Martin is warmer than the air and a nice steamy mist will be rising from the surface.

As I drive away, the sun is just appearing over the horizon. It's burning bright on the winter morning. I've never driven to the lake in the early morning, so I am excited at the prospect of what I will find.

I arrive at the lake and out of my side window I immediately notice a blue heron standing still as a statue in the water, waiting for breakfast to swim into view. Then, I notice the mist. Just has I suspected, its dreamy tendrils are rising from the lake. I am giddy with anticipation. Within minutes, the golden sun breaks through the trees and beams of light streak across the lake, illuminating the mist.

From where I am standing, a tree-lined peninsula separates the lake so that the water on the other side of it glows like an ethereal cauldron. I carefully compose my photos and fire away, knowing that something wonderful awaits on my memory card.

The air is soon filled with the noises of lake activities. The cries of birds beginning their day. The rumbling of boat engines starting up and racing off to find that perfect fishing spot. I continue to shoot on foot, then I return to my car and tour the lake road, enjoying the morning as it unfolds.

I have witnessed the birth of another beautiful day in South Louisiana.

Louisiana has some of the best sunsets on Earth.

This is another beautiful Louisiana sunset as it unfolded tonight at Lake Martin.

5:51 p.m.


6:02 p.m.


6:09 p.m.


6:12 p.m.

A Day Comes to an End and New Friendships Begin...

After picking up my daughter at a friend's house, we made a quick trip to the lake since we both had our cameras with us. No clouds to be seen, but we could still get some sunset pics. When we arrived at the lake, I was excited to see a few clouds just above the horizon, reflecting the golden glow of the setting sun.

But, before I was out of the car - surprise! John sees me through the window and recognizes me! Beth wasn't far behind. Then I find out D and C are there, too! It turned out to be a surprise Lake Martin Flickr Group meet and greet. A quite chilly one, I might add.

After setting up my tripod and mounting my camera, I turned it on only to discover I had left my CF card in my computer at home. Luckily, I had some smaller cards on me for backup. While my daughter ran back to the car for the backups, I used her point and shoot to get in some shots.

It didn't take long for me to figure out what a fun group of friends I have made. In fact, after a couple of minutes it was like we had known each other forever. We've corresponded through Flickr, but I had never met them in person. We had fun taking pics of the sunset and a few birds and enjoying a few good laughs. It was nice to know that I'm not the only one trying to figure out which settings to use for what. Since Tuesday is Mardi Gras and most of us will have the day off, we talked about meeting up on Tuesday.

On the way home my daughter asked if I was going to the lake Tuesday and if she could come with me. It looks like photography is becoming more than just a creative outlet for me. It's helping me to make some wonderful new friends and creating some great memories for me and my girls.

I wasn't very focused (pardon the pun) on what I was doing, so my shots were pretty unremarkable. In honor of Mardi Gras, I took some liberties with this photograph and gave it a purple cast to complement the gold.

Photo taken at Lake Martin, Cypress Island Preserve, Breaux Bridge, Louisiana

Fish gotta swim, birds gotta fly...

Fish gotta swim, birds gotta fly,
I gotta love one man 'til I die,
So I can't help lovin' dat man of mine.

Excerpt from the song "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man" by Jerome Kearn; lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein, from the 1927 musical Show Boat!.
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When visiting Lake Martin and surrounding areas, it's apparent that Mother Nature is always busy at work, even during the winter months. There's always something to be seen at the lake. Even on the coldest of days, fish gotta swim and birds gotta fly.

Here are some my favorite photographs taken during January, 2009.

January One With Nature

January 1, 2009. The first day of the new year. I decided to spend it being one with nature.

I arrived at Lake Martin at around 1:00. Since it's a new year, I wanted to try something new - see the lake on foot. So I parked my car at the boat launch and headed down the road, traveling counterclockwise around the lake.

For those of you not familiar with the lake, you should know that you can drive around part of the lake, but much of the lake is off limits to motorized vehicles. But you can walk around the entire lake since it is surrounded by a levee, topped by a footpath. I walked it in a little under four hours. You can probably walk it in much less time if you walk fast and don't stop to enjoy the wildlife along the way.

At first, it was quite sunny. Saw a few turtles out sunning. Of course there were great white herons and anhingas out and about, as well as lots of beautiful cardinals and tiny, little yellow bellied birds that suffer from severe ADHD so I couldn't get any pics. A terrific flock of wood ducks was surveying the scene before landing in the lake not far from me. Saw a little blue heron at a distance. Oh, and a green-headed mallard took flight. Wish I had seen him before he took off.

Met up with a few people along the way, including someone I worked with about 10 years ago. Visited a bit with a friend who actually lives on Rookery Road. The day became overcast around 3:00 so by the time I reached the area where I usually see gators, there were none to be found. And, unfortunately, no pretty sunset to speak of.

I have to say that this was one of the most relaxing and enjoyable days that I've had in my life. Sometimes it's good to be alone.

Happy New Year!

Map of the Lake