Photo Op.

I've had many opportunities to break out the camera and get shots that I normally wouldn't get. Yesterday when I went to the store, I saw two eight-point bucks standing in the road. I got my camera out, but they had disappeared into the brush. On the way home I went around the back way and saw the braver of the two - and I'm assuming he's the same one who hung around just long enough for me to think I could snap a few shots the first time I saw him. This time, though, I got my pictures, and he stood there like the seasoned model he should be.

Gorgeous buck, and sadly this will probably be the last summer I'll see him around. Come November 15, he'll probably be hanging in someone's garage waiting to be delicately sliced and ground into a year's worth of dinner.

This morning when the dogs were raising a fuss I decided to peek out the front door and there were four deer standing in the tall(er) grass along the pines. The doe is probably safe this year, and she's a smart one too. She had THREE babies with her. The oldest was probably 2008's baby, a nice-looking young buck. The middle was last year's baby, and almost her size. The youngest, this year's baby, still has its spots. As long as mama sticks to our fields with that baby by her side, she'll be safe this winter.

Of course, I'm not the only one who has found great opportunities to get great photos. Little man has commandeered my camera several times and managed to get a couple decent shots as well.

Hopefully the remainder of the summer affords us some more wonderful opportunities. If I don't get the great shots, I can always count on little man to seize the moment for me.