Smoky Deer is Today's Video

 Another video, for my midweek photo blog. Because I'm a rebel.

Most of you are aware Canada is burning, either because you follow the news, or you breath. Forest fires are common in the wilderness areas of Canada, and if they're not near any homes or infrastructure, firefighters usually can't fight them--it being the circle of nature, and all that. They're mostly inaccessible, and the resources to battle that many fires at once just aren't there.

YouTube version here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-aHVUO5a70
 

If the weather is right, the smoke drifts south and you get what we got across the Midwest last week: smoke. It's not even a fun campfire-like scent, because the nature of smoke exposed to sunlight cause changes that give it a nasty, almost factory-like smell.

I'm something of a smoke expert, if I do say so myself (not really, but let's just say I've experienced a lot of smoke). I've been in way worse than this, but it's still not a lot of fun--and it's very unhealthy, of course. 

I took this photo during a training fire. Notice everyone has breathing protection.

Emily and I drove to Huntertown Gardens in the smoke, because the doctor told me to eat fresh fruits and veggies or die. It's a tough choice, especially since we had to work our way around three construction areas to get there. But I now have low potassium for some reason, and we were hoping bananas, kale, and potatoes would share their potassium with me.

On the way home, as you'll see in the video, it felt like one of those foggy mornings even though it was early afternoon. That might be why the deer were active: Maybe they thought it was near dusk. We saw two fawn, then a grown up deer ran in front of us on a county road.

 

The deer responsible for accidents often isn't the first one; it's the second one. So I slowed way down and sure enough, the second ran across the road right in front of us. Have some corn, fellas. 

And that's why you get another video on picture day. Between that and the moron in the pickup truck that I posted over the weekend, one has to wonder why Emily and I go out at all. Easy: Otherwise we'd starve. But maybe that whole DoorDash thing isn't such a bad idea, after all.

 

 

You can find safer adventures in our books:

 

·        Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B0058CL6OO

·        Barnes & Noble:  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/search?attributes.contributorId=13727646

·        Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4898846.Mark_R_Hunter

·        Blog: https://markrhunter.blogspot.com/

·        Website: http://www.markrhunter.com/

·        Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ozma914/

·        Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarkRHunter914

·        Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markrhunter/

·        Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarkRHunter

·        Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MarkRHunter

·        Substack:  https://substack.com/@markrhunter

·        Smashwords:  https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/ozma914

·        Audible:  https://www.audible.com/search?searchAuthor=Mark+R.+Hunter&ref_pageloadid=4C1TS2KZGoOjloaJ&pf

 

Remember: You don’t have to go out to read

Chain O' Lakes in Winter

I take a lot of pictures--something that happens to already photo happy people who get access to a digital camera (or phone) and lots of storage. So, since some unidentified experts say we writer types should post twice a week, I thought it would be easy to do a photo post around mid-week.

I didn't take into account the fact that I'm of the generation with zero experience in transferring photos from, say, a camera to a laptop. It's not at all uncommon for writers to be clueless about things not writing related, but it's not like we want to admit it. So, I started with some photos I took when Emily and I walked along Sand Lake at Chain O' Lakes State Park.

It was, oh, about four thaw/freeze cycles ago. The temperature got above 60, which I know because neither of us go outside voluntarily if it's below that. Was it windy? Well, if you haven't been paying attention, we haven't had a day so far this year when it wasn't windy.

With that and a blue sky, the lake ice was getting a little, well ... weird. Strange holes and cracks were showing up everywhere, and in some places water was running in streams across the tops of the ice.

A branch was on the ice, close enough to a crack that I wondered if they weren't connected. Maybe some kids had thrown the branch out there, and also made the hole not far away. What's more fun than throwing stuff into a lake? Or maybe it was Mother Nature, who's been very moody this winter.
 

 In any case, it was an attractive target for good photographers, and also for me.

 It's nice getting out to a state park during the off season, when you can generally get some alone time and appreciate the beauty. And yes, despite what I say, there is a beauty to winter. Just the same, it's always nice to see a lot of people in warm weather. Not long now--I hope.

 

There’s bound to be more cold—and hot—weather coming up, so check out our books:

·        Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B0058CL6OO

·        Barnes & Noble:  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/"Mark R Hunter"

·        Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4898846.Mark_R_Hunter

·        Blog: https://markrhunter.blogspot.com/

·        Website: http://www.markrhunter.com/

·        Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ozma914/

·        Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarkRHunter914

·        Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markrhunter/

·        Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarkRHunter

·        Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MarkRHunter

·        Substack:  https://substack.com/@markrhunter

·        Tumblr:  https://www.tumblr.com/ozma914

·        Smashwords:  https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/ozma914

·        Audible:  https://www.audible.com/search?searchAuthor=Mark+R.+Hunter&ref_pageloadid=4C1TS2KZGoOjloaJ&pf

 

Remember: Buying books puts Spring in an author’s steps.

Bald Eagles at Salamonie Reservoir

 Just a photo blog today. After we got my glasses repaired a few weeks ago (long story), we headed down to the Salamonie reservoir near Huntington, where we proceeded to drive around aimlessly for awhile. Well, not completely aimless--we were looking for bald eagles.

When I was a kid, a bald eagle was something you'd just heard of, and maybe seen on TV. But this time of year the Salamonie area is now teaming with them, if you're willing to go out into the cold to see. We were willing ... reluctantly.

We weren't sure exactly where they were being seen, until we stopped at an overlook near the top of the dam. Were those folks down there hauling around huge cameras for some mystical reason?

 Yes. Yes, they were, and way better cameras than we had. But never mind that: There are lots of photos of bald eagles at Salamonie--we had binoculars too, and just wanted to see them for ourselves.

The place you want to go is where there's open water, because an eagle's gotta eat. Of course, a lot of water in the area was frozen, even waterfalls. Indiana's larges icicle. That brought us to the other side of the dam and the Salamonie River.

"Hey, Mark--what's that directly over your head?"

We walked past three ice fishermen who were ingesting some pretty good antifreeze, and I ventured over some frozen sandbars and ice to get a shot of this fellow, who couldn't care less. It was only when we came back that one of the fishermen pointed out there was another eagle directly across the river from them, no hazardous travel involved.

I think this is the best shot we got of any of them. We saw at least five bald eagles, one of them a juvenile who flew directly over our heads. Maybe more, or maybe we saw the same ones more than once as we tromped around the area.

It was a great day despite the weather. We didn't worry too much about disturbing the birds, because the three fishermen were being pretty vocal, and the bald eagle closest to them just didn't care. Maybe if they actually caught something he'd be more interested.

And finally, because we do like a little adventure, everywhere we went we encountered these signs:

 

We were right below the dam, after all. Luckily, no siren sounded. If one had, it would have been when I as inching my way across the ice, trying to get a clear shot of that waterfall. I'd imagine I would have looked hilarious, slipping and scrambling my way back, but those things are only funny if they aren't followed up by the words, "And they never found his body".

The eagle-eyed can find our books here:

 

·        Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B0058CL6OO

·        Barnes & Noble:  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/"Mark R Hunter"

·        Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4898846.Mark_R_Hunter

·        Blog: https://markrhunter.blogspot.com/

·        Website: http://www.markrhunter.com/

·        Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ozma914/

·        Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarkRHunter914

·        Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markrhunter/

·        Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarkRHunter

·        Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MarkRHunter

·        Substack:  https://substack.com/@markrhunter

·        Tumblr:  https://www.tumblr.com/ozma914

·        Smashwords:  https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/ozma914

·        Audible:  https://www.audible.com/search?searchAuthor=Mark+R.+Hunter&ref_pageloadid=4C1TS2KZGoOjloaJ&pf

 

Remember: Good books make your mind fly.