adventures outdoors Archives • Page 3 of 11 • Into the Light Adventures

By Sandra J

Kestrel

By Sandra | December 6, 2024 | Comments 19 comments

Kestrel – American Kestrels occupy habitats ranging from deserts and grasslands to alpine meadows. You’re most likely to see them perching on telephone wires along roadsides, in open country with short vegetation and few trees.

My first sighting of one of these colorful birds.

My shutter speed on the camera wasn’t nearly fast enough to stop motion of this quick bird.

Have a great weekend.

Kestrel

By Sandra J

Florida Panhandle

By Sandra | December 5, 2024 | Comments 5 comments

Florida Panhandle – there are lots of great campgrounds along the panhandle of Florida. I found this little campground next to a nice lake just south of Tallahassee.

It only had about a dozen spots, this photo below shows our quiet little nook in the campground.

A great lake for fishing as the boats came and went most every day. The fisherman said they catch mostly bass here and speckled perch.

The first morning walk down to the lake, I saw the largest group of turkey vultures I have ever seen.

They were all in the trees in the distance and as the sun was rising they all took off at once and headed north.

One morning this colorful boat was cruising across the lake and the sun was shinning on it just perfect. We started to leave and these folks pulled up to the dock, so we went up to the gentleman as he got out of the boat and showed him the photo.

Asked him if he would like a copy so we text it to right on the spot. He really liked the shot.

Florida Panhandle

By Sandra J

Tybee Island Lighthouse

By Sandra | December 4, 2024 | Comments 12 comments

Tybee Island Lighthouse – I have photographed this light house before. There are just so many different ways to photograph it. It is in such a pretty location with lots of beach grass and sand piles.

I like this angle with the old building in front of it.

Now this is a different kind of shot. We were walking back to the parking lot and noticed two Grackles perched on this truck right in front of the light house. Well, they are such a colorful bird in the sunlight, it made for a fun photo.

Then I had to replace the truck with a branch, that was a lot of red. They were sitting all over this persons truck. 🙂

Tybee Island Lighthouse

By Sandra J

Atlantic

By Sandra | December 3, 2024 | Comments 9 comments

Atlantic – We had a photo shoot to do at Tybee Island this year while we were in the neighborhood. Off the North Atlantic Ocean.

Wonderful beaches and container ships coming and going along the coast line.

I took this one while in the Jeep as we were moving. The rainbow popped up right by it. I don’t think that is really the pot of gold though. 🙂

Atlantic

By Sandra J

Looking Up

By Sandra | December 2, 2024 | Comments 11 comments

Looking Up – Yes, even our pets can look like they have a double chin when taking their photos looking up at them. She is all fluff on this one.

Cats

Looking Up

By Sandra J

Our Last Stop

By Sandra | November 29, 2024 | Comments 12 comments

Our Last Stop we walked down a short path that opened up to a beautiful waterway. With one egret standing in the water. I love the blues and greens surrounding the bird.

The moon was visible during the day on this trip so I had to take a photo of it as well. This is straight out of the camera using a 6oo mm lens.

This is all for this nature preserve.

We crossed the bridge back over to Georgia.

The shipping yard looked empty when we looked down river. No container ships at all in the water.

I will leave you with a couple of photos of Ships I have photographed in different places. Have a great weekend.

Our Last Stop

By Sandra J

Road Through the Preserve

By Sandra | November 28, 2024 | Comments 11 comments

Road Through the Preserve – At every turn there is something to see. From the beautiful moss covered trees to birds perched on logs drying their feathers.

Take the time to find out if there are any nature preserves in your area. Makes for a fun drive if nothing else.

Road Through the Preserve

By Sandra J

Birds in the Nature Preserve

By Sandra | November 27, 2024 | Comments 7 comments

Birds in the Nature Preserve – Just a few of the birds I saw while driving around the nature preserve. A lot of the usual ones like the herons and a few ducks now and than. We are a little late for migration time so there were not as many birds as earlier in the year I am sure.

Most of them were quite far away from where we were standing. I found this photo below interesting as the alligator swam past the Anhinga bird perched on the dead tree.

We did find at one end of the lake a lot of bird feathers. The alligators do eat birds.

Looks like this bird blind got hit by a storm and ripped the roof right off of it. Closed for the season.

Birds in the Nature Preserve

By Sandra J

Next to the Nature Park

By Sandra | November 26, 2024 | Comments 13 comments

Next to the Nature Park, it is next to the Savannah river, right off from the North Atlantic Ocean. So as one looks towards the left anywhere from within in the park. You will see the Georgia Ports Authority Shipping Container Yards.

Literally yards and yards of shipping containers. But, one will see places like this all along the coast. I forgot about them as we drove deeper into the preserve and started seeing birds.

I saw this very interesting lone tree along one of the waterways. I had to edit it a bit, by cutting out the shipping containers in the background.

Original photo below this one.

Next to the Nature Park

By Sandra J

Gus the Alligator

By Sandra | November 25, 2024 | Comments 19 comments

Gus the Alligator – There was a giant alligator named Gus who lived in the murky swamp, notorious for his immense size. He was enormous. When he slid into the water, a wave formed. It could knock over a tree. Most people thought Gus was slow because he spent most of his time floating in the swamp. He looked like a floating log, with eyes barely visible above the surface.

One day, a curious human wandered along the edge of the swamp, casually walking by with a sandwich in hand. Gus watched from the water, thinking, Ah, a snack walks by. Perfect. I’ll just stay here and wait…

But as the human strolled closer, Gus got an idea. He was tired of people thinking he was slow. They always see me in the water, Gus thought. They never see me on land.

With a sudden burst of speed, Gus shot out of the water like a torpedo, launching himself onto the shore with a thud that shook the trees. The human turned just in time to see a 20-foot alligator charging at him, jaws wide open.

The human, completely startled, froze. Gus, with his massive legs now moving surprisingly fast on land, was in full sprint mode, his tail swinging like a wrecking ball. He zoomed past the human in a blur, kicking up mud and leaves as he raced by, and disappeared into the trees.

The human blinked, looking around. “Wait, what just happened?”

From the bushes, Gus’s voice echoed, “Don’t ever underestimate an alligator with a good sprint workout, buddy. I’m faster than your Wi-Fi connection!”

Gus the Alligator

By Sandra J

Stop the Car

By Sandra | November 22, 2024 | Comments 16 comments

Stop the Car – I mean the Jeep||||

Yesterday’s Spoon bills were so far away, I could not get a decent photo of them. But today we were driving along a dirt road and all of a sudden I looked down this small ditch of water and there was one spoonbill.

So I got a better look at one and now I am happy. 🙂

Have a great weekend.

Stop the Car

By Sandra J

Savannah National Wildlife Refuge

By Sandra | November 21, 2024 | Comments 12 comments

I finally spotted two new bird species and one I’ve been hoping to see for years at the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge!

Whenever I’m traveling, I always pull up Google Maps to check for nearby wildlife areas. In the Southeast, especially along the coast, there are tons of them, thanks to the vast marshlands.

Lately, I’ve been discovering more wildlife refuge areas that let you drive through the landscape. These parks have roads winding through the marshes, giving you deeper access to the area and better chances of spotting wildlife.

Savannah National Wildlife Refuge is one of those special places!

We didn’t spot many bird species as we drove through the area, but I did add two new ones to my list.

My first exciting sighting was a wood stork. They were distant, but I still got a good look with my binoculars.

Then, as we walked down a narrow trail alongside a waterway, a hint of pink caught my eye. Sure enough, there they were!

The spoon bill bird. I finally got to see them. A pink bird. Quite amazing. So different from all the other birds. We are in South Carolina where I finally got to see these. I thought I would have to go to Florida to see them.

Savannah National Wildlife Refuge

By Sandra J

Georgia

By Sandra | November 20, 2024 | Comments 11 comments

Georgia – We made it to Georgia. Some road construction along the way really shows how much clay they have in this part of the country. Amazing how the world is made up of so many soil types and landscapes that go with them.

I heard a comic talking about the earth, something like this below.

Okay, folks, let’s take a moment to appreciate just how hilariously absurd our lives are! Here we are, trudging through our daily grind—stuck in traffic, scrolling through cat memes, and obsessing over whether we should order pizza or sushi for dinner. Meanwhile, we’re standing on a giant spinning rock, hurtling through the cosmos at a dizzying 67,000 miles per hour!

Seriously, 67,000 miles per hour! That’s faster than your last attempt to get out of a family dinner! And we’re doing all this while orbiting a massive ball of fire that’s about 93 million miles away. I mean, come on, talk about a cosmic game of dodgeball!

Georgia

By Sandra J

Giant Cotton Balls

By Sandra | November 19, 2024 | Comments 10 comments

Giant Cotton Balls rolling down the Highway. Video below or click this LINK. Pink, Yellow and Green

Watch this video on YouTube.
Sandra J's Photography

My Second Favorite Bird

By Sandra | November 18, 2024 | Comments 10 comments

My Second Favorite Bird – The Great Blue Heron photographed in South Carolina at a National Wildlife Refuge

My Second Favorite Bird Have a great week ahead

By Sandra J

Free Overnight Parking

By Sandra | November 15, 2024 | Comments 24 comments

Free Overnight Parking – I keep certain places marked on my maps so I can find them easy if I ever need to. This is one of those spots.

A casino in Alabama with free parking for RVs. It is well lit and security cameras everywhere. A good place to stop when you need to take a break.

We got there just before sunset and as you can see, the hotel part of the casino is all glass. I looked out our window and the building was lit up like a giant outdoor movie screen. So I had to go out and snap a couple of photos.

Than the moon was rising over the building, I only used the camera on the phone, so this is the best it could do.

We had a good nights sleep and hit the road the next morning.

Have a great weekend.

Free Overnight Parking

By Sandra J

Some Fall Colors

By Sandra | November 14, 2024 | Comments 13 comments

Some Fall Colors , We left a little earlier than usual this year. So we did not get to see much for fall colors. As we travel south, it seems like things are just turning brown. It is very dry through out the mid west.

Some Fall Colors

By Sandra J

The Winding Path

By Sandra | November 13, 2024 | Comments 13 comments

The winding path through the woods is shrouded in an enchanting mystery, where sunlight dances through the leaves, casting playful shadows on the forest floor.

As you follow the path, the air thickens with the scent of pine and earth, and the world outside fades away.

The Winding Path

By Sandra J

November in Mississippi

By Sandra | November 12, 2024 | Comments 17 comments

November in Mississippi – The word “Mississippi” comes from the Ojibwe (Chippewa) word “misi-ziibi,” which means “great river.” It reflects the significance of the Mississippi River to the Native American tribes in the region. The name was adopted by French explorers in the 17th century and has remained ever since

The photos capture the serene backwaters of a campground we visited, accessible by a winding trail. The grass here is as vibrantly green as it appears in the images.

November in Mississippi

By Sandra J

Daydreaming

By Sandra | November 11, 2024 | Comments 13 comments

Daydreaming, “Clouds are the sky’s way of daydreaming, floating softly on the breeze, whispering secrets to the sun.”

Daydreaming

By Sandra J

Bridge Across the Cedar River

By Sandra | November 6, 2024 | Comments 7 comments

Bridge Across the Cedar River – One of my favorite spots to visit in a small town in Iowa. This is a walking bridge for people to cross the river. Makes for a great landscape photo.

Bridge Across the Cedar River

By Sandra J

Birds

By Sandra | November 5, 2024 | Comments 12 comments

Birds – Starting to see some birds other than the blue jays from home.

First the Double Crested Cormorant known for those striking blue eyes. One of these days I would like to get a close up photo of this birds eye. So unique.

The Little Killdeer bird. Always fun to see in the spring time.

But very fast birds, it was very hard to get a shot of this one flying.

This photo below was from last spring, just cute as is. Two goslings.

Birds

By Sandra J

Her Regal Look

By Sandra | November 1, 2024 | Comments 5 comments

Her Regal Look – My Chloee. In her defense I had to show you how beautiful she can look when she wants to sit for a portrait.

She has such beautiful eyes, masked by the dark fur giving her a bit of mystery to her face.

Oh, and another cat video of her playing with her favorite thing, red light. LINK HERE ALSO

Watch this video on YouTube.
Sandra J's Photography

She is 10 years old now and such a good dog.

Plus, after she has played for a bit, she actually looks like she is smiling when waiting for a ball to be thrown one more time.

Video below of Chloee and Kit Kit or click HERE

Dog and Cat, Early Morning Awakenings #shorts

Have a great weekend.

Her Regal Look

By Sandra J

Cat vs Dog

By Sandra | October 31, 2024 | Comments 11 comments

Cat vs Dog – I have taken lots of pet photos over the years. Including my own pets. My dog Chloee has a thing about the camera, usually when I point it at her she turns around. Or she gets close trying to sniff the camera.

Which I think makes for fun photos, close up of a dogs nose.

But, cats can be just as funny at times. I took this photo below with a wide angle lens on a phone camera. It made her ear closest to the camera look cartoonist big.

Kit Kit enjoying the outdoors video below or click HERE

So then I took some photo up close to the cats fur. Quite the different colors when you look real close.

I am guessing it is the oils in the fur and the light shinning on it.

After pestering my cat with taking her photo over and over. She then gives me this look telling me that is enough. 🙂

Oh but it is never enough for me. 🙂 there will be more.

Glowing Eyes Cat Digital Art by Sandra J’s Photography

Cat vs Dog

By Sandra J

Kit Kit the Cat

By Sandra | October 30, 2024 | Comments 18 comments

Kit Kit the Cat – when I don’t have a lot of things to photograph, my cat gets her picture taken a lot. I mean a lot. Mainly because she has so much more patience than the dogs. She will sit perfectly still, which makes for much better photos.

When the temperature starts to drop. I find her sitting like this. She wraps her tail around her little paws trying to keep them warm.

A cats tail seems to have a mind of its own and is quite flexible compared to a dogs.

Kit Kit and Red Light Game Video below or click HERE

I have more videos of her on my You Tube Channel, you can click HERE TO SEE MORE OF THOSE.

Kit Kit the Cat

By Sandra J

Golden Season

By Sandra | October 29, 2024 | Comments 11 comments

Golden Season – The Art of a Flower

In petals soft, a whisper glows,
Colors dance where sunlight flows.
Each curve a brushstroke, grace unspun,
Nature’s canvas, art begun.

With every bloom, a story weaves,
In fragrant sighs, the heart believes.
A fleeting moment, beauty’s hour,
Life’s tender touch—an artful flower.

Golden Season

By Sandra J

Autumn Sunflowers

By Sandra | October 28, 2024 | Comments 19 comments

Life often teaches us in the most unexpected ways, and sometimes, it takes the simplest moments to reveal profound truths. Recently, I experienced a beautiful metaphor for resilience and grace. I want to share this lesson from a little seed I planted and then forgot.

A few months ago, I planted a few sunflower seeds. I nurtured it for a while, watering and tending to it with hope and excitement. But as time went on, I grew disheartened. The seed showed no signs of life, and eventually, my attention waned. I stopped watering it, convinced that it had failed. I gave up on it completely.

Imagine my surprise when I returned to the garden weeks later. There, midst the weeds and the remnants of my neglect, stood a stunning flower, vibrant and full of life. The colors were brilliant, and its presence was nothing short of miraculous. How could something I had abandoned flourish in my absence?

In that moment, I couldn’t help but reflect on how similar this is to our own lives and faith journeys. We often plant seeds of hope, love, and dreams. However, we sometimes see them wither due to doubt. Despair or the daily grind can also cause them to wither.

We find ourselves overwhelmed, wondering if anything we’ve nurtured will ever bloom. Just like my neglected seed, we feel like our efforts have gone unnoticed, forgotten in the chaos of life.

This experience with the flower taught me a powerful truth. Even when we give up, God is still at work. There are times we feel our prayers are unanswered. We believe our efforts are fruitless. But, like that seed, growth often occurs beneath the surface. It remains unseen and unfelt.

God’s timing is perfect, and His plans are often beyond our comprehension. My flower emerged when I least expected it. Similarly, we find that our moments of struggle and doubt can lead to unexpected beauty. Sometimes, what seems like an end is merely a pause, allowing God to work in ways we can’t imagine.

Autumn Sunflowers

By Sandra J