|
IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO RECEIVE THIS PLEASE SCROLL DOWN TO THE
BOTTOM & HIT UNSUBSCRIBE!! Thank you.
Contents:
“Looking Out My Back Door”
The Florida Adventure’s “Pontoon
Putt”
The Florida Federation of Garden
Clubs
Tour to Ecuador
|
|
|
|
“They are back”!!! I’m
delighted to report my good fortune to have the Painted Bunting family back
at my picturesque feeding station!! This means many more enjoyable
moments watching and photographing their progress. Now, if I could just
find the nest……
|
Also, ‘granting me an audience’ is a pair of
Spot-breasted Orioles, a Downy Woodpecker, and a pair of Red-headed
Woodpeckers---the latter two I’ve yet to photograph Out My Backdoor.
I’m even learning to enjoy the Common Grackle and their antics. There is
definitely a pecking order in my little backyard community, which someday
I’m going to take the time to really study and document. So it is nice to
report that there is still a lot of ‘sunshine’ amongst all the Doom &
Gloom we hear on a daily basis.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I knew this photo-adventure would be a giant
success for at least one of my four participants as she was leaving the
cold March winds and snows of Canada to join us here during perfectly
gorgeous weather and excellent photo wildlife opps! I also know well the
area I was taking the group on the St. John’s river (where we documented
42 different species last year) and can usually guarantee great success.
This year we were short one species---one of my favorites---the Barred
Owl. As I only take four tour participants, everyone is capable of
getting great photographs using their tripods or my custom-made bean bag
pillows and my ‘tracking’ skills! As an ‘add-on’ portion of this tour, I
included three days in the Merritt Island National Wildlife area where we
were unexpectedly treated to a really unique event for all of us---a
shuttle landing!! It was impossible to get any decent shots off as
everything happens so quickly and one is just plain in awe of the whole
event, but the visual experience is imbedded in my memory’s scrapbook!! A
good time was had by all, which I’m sure will be the case for my May
Pontoon Putt Participants visiting from New Mexico and the west coast of
this fine State.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Many, many months ago I was honored to be
asked to give a presentation before a prestigious group of dedicated,
environmentally-conscious citizens of Florida—a State that needs every
helping hand it can get. I was shocked when I learned that there are over
15,000 members of this Federation in Florida alone. As I sat and quietly
chatted with the President of the Federation and other board members
before the meeting and my presentation, I became more and more impressed
and amazed at the power and strength this group has in ‘getting the ear’
of our State’s elected officials and Tallahassee and the commitment this
group has regarding many aspects of our State’s woes. The title of my
presentation was “Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink” and
the title of the Federation’s Summit Meeting for this year was “The Sands
of Time.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
I was feeling quite comfortable about my
selection of topics for my presentation which is about the mess the Army Corps
of Engineers made of the River of Grass, the mess the Developers made who
planted thousands of the Malalucca Trees throughout the Everglades to dry
up its waters so they could build shopping centers, and then there was my
latest target, the Department of Transportation who are digging up our
coral reefs, which are the filtering system for our water supply, to use
for our road system. As I sat up at the head table up on the platform
alongside all the board members, I looked over the whole group of about
300 or so members, mostly women, but definitely a number of men also
scattered throughout the group, I thought to myself that this is a
powerful group of people---there’s force and strength behind this bunch.
We all know (or should know) that when someone chooses to voice an
opinion or “stand up” for a cause or go public with an action or an idea,
that one is setting themselves up for ridicule or criticism or other
challenges as not everyone is going to agree with what you think or say
out loud. I know this, but I still don’t like the idea of being
ridiculed or challenged, and this day at the Plaza Hotel in Daytona
before all these dedicated and wise older people was no exception. I
breathed a sigh of relief when I heard for myself how environmentally
committed they all seemed to be. I breathed a sigh of relief because I
knew they would love the images they were about to see, they would love
the music that went along with those images, and that they would love my
message!!! I breathed a sigh of relief as I looked over the crowded room,
and as I listened to the incredibly complimentary introduction the
Federation’s president was giving me, and I breathed a sigh of relief as
I stood up at the podium and said my brief little piece before we started
the slide presentation. As I stood there receiving a very nice applause
after her introduction and before my brief comments, I noticed a table of
eight distinguished-looking gentlemen that I hadn’t noticed before and
who were sitting right next to the stage.
|
|
|
|
|
|
When I sat down, after giving the “nod” to
start the show, I leaned over and asked the President of the Florida
Federation of Garden Clubs “who are those important looking gentlemen at
the table over there”? The answer; “They are from the Florida Department
of Transportation and are here to receive awards from us for their part
in helping to beautify our public road system with the many plants, and
beautiful flowers we see along our highways.” At that moment there was no
hole in the earth that would be big enough for me to fall into and be
swallowed up-- forever!! There was nowhere I could run and hide! As they
say, there I was, a sitting duck!! I sat motionless, momentarily frozen
in time, my heart beating wildly in my chest. Suddenly a tiny little ray
of sunshine crept into my consciousness and I realized how grateful I was
for my dedicated investigation of the issues and the facts, and that I
only repeated the facts when I was sure they were completely truthful. I
instantly came out of my self-inflicted coma, and became aware of the
smiles, affirmative nods and positive ‘vibes’ floating in my direction
from the audience. I heard my voice on the screen saying that “now I know
why I titled my presentation Water, Water Everywhere and Not A Drop
to Drink” ! And then I heard the applause and knew that my
presentation was appreciated for its truthfulness, it accuracy, and the
knowledge that it came from hard- core facts, and the images came from my
heart.
|
|
|
|
|
|
The bottom line is, the real issue of
rock-mining...how are we going to water those plants and flowers
along our road system if we keep digging up the coral rock---nature’s
filtering system—to build more roads? A huge thank you to the Florida
Federation of Garden Clubs for all your hard work, and for allowing me to
share with you my images and my thoughts. To any and all organizations
dedicated to the betterment and good of our environmental future, I make
this offer: If ever there is a need for my speaking services,
presentations or my images to help ‘pack a wallop’ and bring home a point
in Tallahassee, please feel free to call on me. I would also love to be a
part of your Youth Educational program wherever you feel I might be of
service, as we all know that that is where the future lies, and is where
the sun really shines!!
If you are interested in any of my tours, click on
their corresponding link below:
|
Photo Researchers, Editors, and Publishers:
|
As stated in previous newsletters, at no
obligation to you, send me a “want list” of images you are looking for
that may coincide with a trip I'm about to take, or have recently taken,
and I'll do my very best to seek out that subject and shoot it with your
request in mind. This may save you some expense, give me a specific
mission and possibly a sale of that image. It's a ‘win, win situation'!
A quick reminder that my library of 35mm original
slides houses approximately 75,000 images, and my digital library
presently holds over 100,000 (and growing-hourly)!
My website holds an in-depth Stock Shop for your quick review: www.joannewilliamsphoto.com
|
