No Bull!! This was exciting!

Cowgirls go to Baltimore!


WARNING!!!

If you don't like bull riding you might wanna skip this one

Above the 1st Mariner Arena sits two starlings 'chutin' the bull.

One asks the other "What's all the fuss about cowboys and bulls?"

March 3, 4 was the Baltimore Invitational and
I was thrilled to be able to attend.
I invited two girlfriends and off we went.

One of the first things you see is the PBR (Professional Bull Riding)
trucks parked on the street.

Once inside the arena you see the chutes, the bulls and the cowboys!!

You will see two ropes on the bulls. The one in the
front is the cowboy's bull rope he holds while riding,
it is weighted down with cow bells, as you can see.

The flank strap goes around the back of the bull in front of the back legs
just tight enough to stay on but loose enough that the bull kicks to get it off.
It does not hurt the bull.

(rumor that it goes around the genitals is false)

When the chute is pulled open, the bull blasts out like a shot from a canon.

the e on the vest stands for enterprise which is
one of the PBR's many many sponsors.

You will witness camaraderie between the cowboys and
the bullfighters. You might say they often stand between
life and death for these brave cowboys.

As you can see in the next couple shots, just how very
dangerous bull riding can be.

You see the bull fighter moving in to distract the bull from
stepping on top of the rider. It doesn't always work!

More points are awarded for staying aboard and spurring.

It looks as if the bullfighter is taking the "bull by the horns"here.
that's one heck of a buck off.. a 2000 lb bull is powerful.

Brian Canter (NC) is one of smallest bull riders in the PBR,
but is one wiry dude.

He loses his hat aboard a bull named Red Line.

It goes flying but Brian keeps his seat.

When he does get off, the bullfighters are there to
protect him from the bull's mighty power.
Funny how the bull fighter thinks that hand could stop the bull!!

Chaps are colorful but their real purpose is protecting
the bull rider's legs while riding and in the chutes.

No wonder it is called

"The Toughest Sport on Dirt"

L.J. Jenkins bites the dust.

The very first bull rider I saw in 2004 on TV was Chris
Shivers. He remains a favorite. He holds the PBR World Cup
for 200o & 2003. And he's a cute cowboy- just 29 yrs. old...
looks like a baby, but tough as nails. He is talking to L.J.Jenkins.

Here is Chris on a bull named 'Silent Assasin'.

Tips his hat to the crowd.
Chris was the first to earn 1 million dollars and
holds the highest point ride total in the history of PBR -- 96.5.

I was pleased with the Sony H9 this time around. In NY
I had nothing but blurrrr.. Lighting was so much better
in the 1st Mariner Arena and I used the advanced sports setting.

You will see some cowboys wearing half face or full
helmets. That's a change since I started to watch in '04. Cowboy hats
used to be the norm with no helmets, but serious injury
has changed all that.

The vests they wear are made of kevlar. Yep! The bullet proof
material made for law enforcement. It protects against horns, and hoofs,
sometimes. It is made to rip away if the bull hooks you and
prevents a toss into the air.

Mike Lee (Texas) is another of my favorites and is #6 in the
standings right now. He had a serious injury last year when a
bull stepped on his head and he started wearing the helmet. He
came back to sustain a second injury even with a helmet
and was out for several weeks in 07.

A lot of the riders have a belief in Jesus Christ, and Mike Lee
is one that shows that to the audience every time he rides.

You will see him kneel down on one knee and thank God
every single time he rides, whether he has made the whistle

or not.

Here we see a bull kneeling, but that just means that
Adriano Moraes who is aboard may be awarded a
re-ride because the bull stumbled and he
didn't get a fair chance to ride.

The cowboys often climb the fence to get away from the
bull once they get off. L.J. Jenkins (NM) did just that in
Baltimore to get away from a bull named Physical Education.

The cowboys all have their own style, and when they win
they do something .... like Guilherme Marchi (Brazil)
who dances with Flint the rodeo clown. He has a big
reason to dance as he is #2 in the World standings right now.

Mike White (TX) rides a big yellow bull for the 8 seconds and
makes the whistle.

This bull looked real mean with it's big black eye patches.

Bryan Richardson (TX) is new but gives it a go.

Robson Palermo (Brazil) won the event in Baltimore.But...

Adriano Moraes a fellow Brazilian holds the World Cup
for 2007. He is 37 yrs. old and is a 3 time champion.
He announced his retirement at the end of this year
in Madison Square Garden, NY this past January.

Until the next event...... Yee Haw!!
Sorry you bird lovers... But this IS my second love!

Check out my video... If you've never been to an event they all start the same way.
The lights go out...... the music comes up ......and then fireworks begin...and they
introduce the cowboys. It's quite exciting.

This is NOT a rodeo, This is the PBR!

Never Leave Home Without It!

Your Camera that is!
My brother David and I took my dad out to eat on Sunday
and traveled North on I99 to the Pine Croft exit. We saw
4 or 5 hawks that I couldn't get pictures of, but when
we got off the exit this one was sitting there pretty as
can be. The sun was shining right towards me and
prevented me from getting a great shot.

After lunch we headed up Route 350 towards Phillipsburg.
He wanted me to see the buffalo herd.

I call this photo the 'face off'.

When we got back down to the Vets Home on 220
my favorite red tail was resting on the wire.

As soon as I snapped a few shots he was off to the
nearest telephone poll.

Then he flew again and this time joined another red tail....
maybe his mate..

Wouldn't that be exciting... a little red tail love.

We couldn't take dad home without checking out
the dry run deer. I was ever so excited to see them
finally coming out again! I was beginning to think
hunting season had taken it's toll.



Yes! I see you hiding behind that tree.

I truly love these creatures.

Looks like a first year fawn, looking for last years leftovers
that she can eat.

My favorite place to see deer, by this pond.

Unusual sighting for February

You can tell I wasn't ready for these shots.....but I got them.
I was getting ready to go out, and there he was perched on a chair by
the feeder. I couldn't believe a Red Winged Blackbird could be
here in February. I am used to seeing them in the fields in
the spring while trolling for deer pictures.

Definitely not good shots, but you can sure tell it is what it is.

That wing patch is a dead giveaway. This bird eats seeds
and bugs and berries and fruit so I don't have a clue what it
would be doing here in cold weather with snow cover on the ground

photos with my New lens

I purchased a 1.7x conversion lens for my H9 and I can see
the biggest difference in my photographs already. The red
belly woodpecker did not have to be cropped and the detail
around the face and clarity of the eye is so much better.

Likewise this female downy looks better.

I did crop these female cardinal picts but was pleased
with the detail in them also.

And for the funny shot of the day.... check out the red belly
on the right side of the feeder almost lying on it's side to get seeds

Lunar Eclipse

Where were you last night between 8:43 and 12:09?
I'm usually parked in front of the computer or snoozing in
front of the tv...until 10 and then off to bed.
But last night I was in the back bedroom with the
tripod all set up waiting on the expected lunar
eclipse. In the Northeast the temperatures were
dipping to 2, so I did not want to move outdoors.

My first photo was at 8:01 before the event began.

An eclipse of the Moon (or lunar eclipse) can only occur at Full Moon, and only if the Moon passes through some portion of Earth's shadow. That shadow is actually composed of two cone-shaped components, one nested inside the other. The outer or penumbral shadow is a zone where the Earth blocks part but not all of the Sun's rays from reaching the Moon. In contrast, the inner or umbral shadow is a region where the Earth blocks all direct sunlight from reaching the Moon.

You will see the progression as you scroll down.

A total lunar eclipse can put on quite a show. Dramatic colors from bright
orange to bright red and dark brown -- even shards of dark
grey --could peek out.

As the shadow moved over the surface of the moon, the orange
glow begins.

In it's totality it is very much orange and red.

Then it starts to move away and reveal some of the moon's light

It didn't take long for the white of the moon to return.

taken at 12:06...

After the eclipse everything
outside was illuminated by the full moon and it
was shining ever so bright once again.

If you missed it..... maybe my photos will give
you a glimpse of something that won't happen again
for three years.We had two last year, but another will
not occur until December 10, 2010.