Heron today, garden tomorrow…

The other day in the afternoon, I took my pug Olive out for her constitutional.  I knew that I would be fighting swarms of mosquitoes (OK, I exaggerate, but they seem like swarms to me) so I didn’t take my camera.  I wanted it short and sweet.

As we walked down the road, Olive twirling around and sniffing every leaf, stick and stone to find the perfect spot and me cursing and slapping at mosquitoes, something in front of me caught my eye.  There was a slight movement.  When I focused, I realized that standing a few yards ahead of me

was a great blue heron.

Herons are not rare around here, but this was the first time I had ever seen one standing in the street.  The bird suddenly seemed to realize we were there and then slowly walked across the road.  Olive and I stood still watching.  For twenty or thirty seconds more, the heron studied us and then he turned his back and in a beautiful, graceful movement, he raised his wings like a conductor raising his arms to lead an orchestra into a symphony and silently left the ground flying slowly and elegantly

the few yards further to the beaver pond.

“God bless America!” I muttered.  “Why didn’t I bring my camera?” 

There are so many missed opportunities in a photographer’s life.  But this week, while I missed the heron, I also had a hit.  My friend Donna S., who is a master gardener, told me on Sunday that she had planted a lotus in her garden and it was about to bloom.  When it did bloom, she promised me that she would call to let me know so I could go out there to take some pictures.  What fun!  The lotus is much rarer here than is the heron.  True to her word, Donna called and I was happy to get the opportunity to snap away at that beautiful bloom. 

Still…I regret missing the heron. What got into me to leave my house without my camera?!  Bah!