The Perfect Shot

Lois and the girls and I have a number of cameras. We didn't always use them, though, until we went on vacation. It wasn't until my aunt from Boston sent us a bird feeder a couple of years ago that I really got inspired and started snapping bird shots. Now we have dozens of bird houses and bird feeders in our yard and if you're driving down the street it kind of looks like you're going by an aviary when you pass our house. I try to take my Kodak Easy Share DX7590 almost everywhere I go, but sometimes I forget and then I kick myself in the rear when I see a shot.
Like tonight. Tonight there was a beautiful landscape shot over the Great Salt Lake and brilliant rays of sunlight broke through the brooding thunderclouds. We just happened to be up on the bench overlooking the valley and were leaving the hospital when I noticed how breathtaking it was. I don't know why I forgot my camera. Without failure, everytime we are up at the University of Utah and leave the hospital, there is always a shot.

This evening you could see pure blue skies toward the south and dark ominous clouds in the north. Sheets of rain fell between them out west and the sunlight sparkled off of them as they moved toward the city. About 40 minutes later I could hear the sound of thunder crashing outside over the store we had stopped at. I anxiously told Lois we had to hurry. "I know." She said. When we got up to the register we looked around for the clerk but didn't spot her right away. She was standing outside watching buckets of rain come down as lightning flashed all over. Doh! Camera! Again! I mumbled to myself.

After thinking about it later I realized I need to take some different pictures. The birds have gotten old. I try to catch the bees and the butterflies, but I hardly ever see butterflies. They are so rare. So I got online and I found myself looking for butterflies. When I was in Boise a couple of years ago there was a butterfly exhibit at the local zoo and I was thinking I should go back. But after looking at the website it looks as though the exhibit will be closing down this year and moving. The next place I found that had a butterfly exhibit is at the Birmingham Zoo. It is housed inside a 3,000 square foot exhibit and claims to have hundreds of butterflies and twenty different species. That would be awesome. But it is a very long way to go to see a butterfly. I think I better shoot for something closer to home. Maybe I'll just have to go back to Yellowstone and find another bear.

On an afternote: In order to raise revenues, the federal government is offering 3 free weekends this summer for National Park admissions in most areas. It may be a nice way to take advantage and visit your national parks.