I thought GFM was last weekend. Dave
On Fri, May 29, 2009 at 10:38 AM, Cotty <[email protected]> wrote: > Friday am > > Sat on porch waiting for Fedex van to turn up with lost luggage! one of > our two checked bags 'didn't make the flight' out of London was what the > hapless British Airways luggage clerk told us when our big green duffle > was conspicuously absent from the reclaim area at Newark. Didn't make > the flight? I imagine there are always a few bags dropped off the > trolley on their way to the plane and - oh darn it - they were just too > late. Ack. But she gave us 200 bucks kissoff and said they's fedex it > on. Lucky for us it was just the camping gear which we need Friday > night. Unlucky for me it was also my tripod :-( > > No matter, Helen picked us up from Charlotte after a packed-like- > sardines shuttle from Newark. Up for 18 hours and counting. Whisked > around to her parents where siblings and brother-with-babe were waiting > with good ol down-home south'n BBQ. To us Brits that means cooking > outside on flames. To the Carolinians it means BBQ-tasting food not > necessarily cooked over flame (which they call a grille-out). Either way > it was delicious. Finally to Helen's house for sleep (just made it > through 24 hours on the trot). > > Thursday and rested, kids off to school (Stefan is on a half-term > vacation from UK hence his attendance) and of we go up to the mountain. > Nice and quiet, lull before the storm (literally as it rained cats and > dogs while we had lunch in the museum restaurant). We looked around the > habitats and Stef and Helen photographed while I filmed. Without a > tripod you ask? I had a beaten up loaner from Ms Hopper except that it > had a ballhead on it which is useless for video unless as a static shot. > Well, I struggled on and managed to get some half decent scenics. The > thunder storm cleared and we had good light at dusk, some amazing mist > in the valleys from across the swinging bridge. Nobody else around. > Helen works there so we were privileged to be there after park closing. > I was impressed with Stefan's shooting - he always seemed to be pointing > his lil Pentax in the right direction! Earlier, in the habitats I got > some lovely footage of the otters playing in the water from the big > glass window - a bit like a seaworld view - and they danced right in > front of me, amazing movement as two of them literally pirhouetted (sp) > inches away from the camera. Even Helen said she's never seen them do > that and she goes up to the mountain every weekend and most days in the > summer. > > Sunset was pretty non-descript, so we left about 9 and I glanced up > towards MacRae peak and wondered if Mark managed his customary Thursday > night bivouac on a lonely ledge ready to catch Friday sunrise. I must > try that one day. > > An hour later and a Taco Bell drive-thru and sleep. > > So we're packed and ready to travel back to the mountain, just waiting > for the camping stuff in the duffle, which according to the fedex > tracker is imminent (ha!!!). > > Weather has cleared this monring and is bright and sunny. Still looks > like building pressure so could be nice this weekend. > > Just be glad to get my tripod with proper video head on it. If this sun > stays out, I'll be using my big polariser after all :-) > > > > -- > > > Cheers, > Cotty > > > ___/\__ > || (O) | People, Places, Pastiche > ||=====| http://www.cottysnaps.com > _____________________________ > > > > -- > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > [email protected] > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow > the directions. > -- Documenting Life in Rural Ontario. www.caughtinmotion.com http://brooksinthecountry.blogspot.com/ York Region, Ontario, Canada -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
