My community had a yard sale yesterday. I didn't do extremely well, however, I did capture a pair of mourning doves that were hanging out on the roof line, catching some early morning warmth.
For those who do not know what mourning doves are, Cornell University's "Lab of Ornithology" / All About Birds site states that they are "[a] graceful, slender-tailed, small-headed dove that’s common across the continent. Mourning Doves perch on telephone wires and forage for seeds on the ground; their flight is fast and bullet straight. Their soft, drawn-out calls sound like laments. When taking off, their wings make a sharp whistling or whinnying. Mourning Doves are the most frequently hunted species in North America".
From what I've heard and have seen, they make a mid range "coo" sound and usually hang around the entrance areas (front doors) a lot. I see them in the walkways and balancing in the gutters. Usually they frequent the aforementioned roofline, as I was able to see them this particular morning.
All the editing was done in Photoshop, and I did try to auto tune it, but some came out pretty worse in auto color than they should be (it's my lack of calibration). However, I was using (the now old and currently listed as "renewed" / "refurbished") Canon EOS Rebel T7i camera with the (again, "renewed" / "refurbished") Canon 75-300mm Telephoto Zoom Lens. I had no tripod or stabilizer at the time, due to having to stop setting up the driveway to run in and get my camera. I didn't want to take away from why I was home on a Saturday instead of being at work (I switched days during the week so I could have the weekend off). Therefore, the more I could set up my sale stuff, the better I would be when the gates opened.
I know the photos came out different. I wasn't trying to be truly professional with them, but I wanted to take something to show my friends, since I know they would love to see the nature shots and what a Canon can do, as they are both users of other brands.
Yes. I got a photo of random birds flying. I don't know what they are. I also admit, again, the quality isn't the best. It's a combination of my inexperience (especially in editing) mixed with a zoom lens that likes to add a touch of fuzziness around the object. I feel like you can tell when a photographer uses a zoom lens and then blows that image up on a larger size than what is needed - there's always some weird halo around the subject; how do you explain that?
At least I got some thing. My mother says, from the angle we were standing at, they both look like they are carrying eggs. I don't think they are; I think it's just the way we were standing, looking upwards at them. These type of birds are small and can be round from the front; based on whenever I've seen them hanging around. According to various PDFs, egg laying time is "around April to May", and mating / courting season usually happens "late January, early February". So the pair I have are just a couple of randos enjoying the morning before it gets busy.
Side note, I finished Edward M. Kennedy's "True Compass: A Memoir". I hate bringing politics into my blog, but I do have to say, this autobiography is very well written and really insightful. As a former Masshole who has lived in Brookline (and was born in the next town, Brighton, if you want to be hyper specific), I'm very familiar with the Kennedy lore. Considering they were residents of those particular areas as well as the compound is in Hyannis, which is an area of Massachusetts I spent a little bit of my much younger years in (Hull / Nantasket Beach).
Although my accent is gone due to living in Florida, I still have some "r" droppage sometimes and this book name checks all of the historical sites I learned and other Massholes know about. Kennedy friends, family and associates are all spoken about, well before their names were leant to building names. Examples would be the Tip O'Neill Federal building (I'd actually have some work related stuff to do here) and the Tip O'Neill Tunnel (which took ages to work on.. felt like generations), Leonard P Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge and much more. I don't want to get into all the landmarks, but these are specific stand outs of people who have had dealings with the Kennedys or in Massachusetts legislature.
I really was amazed of all the things Mr. Kennedy spoke about in his memoir. There were things I knew from reading about the family in other stories as well as seeing some of the family photos - it seems like every Kennedy documentary has access to the same media. There's nothing wrong with it, but after seeing the photo of John, Bobby and Teddy standing happily together too many times, you start getting bored with it. I want to say I'm a little desensitized to the pictures, but that's the wrong wording. I enjoy reading about history and things "from my own back yard", but the oversharing of the same photos and videos gets boring.
Yes, I realize I'm talking about figureheads that were relevant in the past and there is nothing up to date about them currently. They've all since passed away during various decades so all of the information we have in print is what there is; there's nothing left to share that would be "new". I'm not saying it's so old that it's truly tiresome, because it isn't. I did like reading Teddy's story, I just got bored with the photos.
I didn't realize how long he was in the Senate or what he fought for. Some of the health care issues we are currently trying to fix (or revert back to) were things he had a hand in - whether he started it, came in during the middle of it, or he helped finish it. Our senior population receiving certain "perks"? Teddy worked on that too. Help for the underprivileged and underserved? Teddy worked with others to make it happen (a lot of Civil Rights stuff). He did a lot of work between the late 1960s and mid 1980s, that I really didn't put a specific person behind that issue. I just thought "it got done" by various humans. It did, but he was one of those humans who pushed for it.
Which is why he name checks people too. High powered people who would have some pull he could barter with - share what he can do if they can help back. He didn't use his last name to his advantage 100% of the time. For as much as some people might expect that to happen. He had to fight for a lot because of his birth order, but also that birth order made him see life differently. There was 17 years between his older brother Joe Jr. and himself. He also had struggles, politically, because he was third generation Irish American and the early years of the family being in Boston weren't well received when they were out stumping for each other.
Honestly, I'm struggling to write about this right now because I know it can be seen more of a political review or a biased review. I don't want to offend anyone, but I do want to say, if you want to read a little more about history and what "the little guy" (literally - he was child nine of nine) can do, I suggest readying this. Especially if you're familiar with Boston and want to know more about the area or like to sail, this memoir is loaded with boating terminology and analogies. If you don't want to take my word for it, pick up the book and give it a whirl. If all else fails, you can tell your friends how much you may (or may not) agree with it. You never know, it might make you see things in a new light.
Until the birds come back and I get them talking to each other, enjoy the day and take care of yourself. Read a little and learn something too.
Cheers;
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for sharing!