Posting daily at 1pm central about all kinds of things. One day it's dating, the next it's TV commercials. I hope you're entertained. Professional photos on SmugMug – https://benwilder.smugmug.com
A rattlesnake wasn’t the only thing that took my breath away at Kissimmee Prairie State Park. And no, I wasn’t bit, but it was still a scary encounter! I had the best campsite (#20) for views of the prairie during the day and the huge, wide, never-ending sky at night. Here are a few of my favorite shots of the stars, Milky Way, my camper, and the prairie late one evening. I’ll kick this off when a sunrise photo, then keep scrolling for the astrophotography stars pics.
Hello and thanks for checking out the post today. I write every day about all kinds of things including commercials. If your curiosity is piqued, check out my Popular TV Ads page. Volvo is advertising the Volvo XC90 and a gigantic wind turbine in a recent commercial. Check it out then scroll down for more info…
Volvo calls on the talents of a band called Wet with their song “On Your Side.” The song was released in 2021. Here’s the full track…
I was recently camping at a Florida state park (check out my camping recaps here) and had a really quick, but scary moment that could’ve changed my life drastically. I’m just going to go ahead and say it was a Final Destination-y type experience. Maybe not quite “near death” but also not something I want to experience again anytime soon. Kind of like that time an angry driver pulled a gun on me. Or when an attic latter spring snapped off the hinge, hitting my face just an inch away from my eye. And the time I fainted in my apartment and face planted against the bathroom counter. Or when I unknowingly snorkeled with a barracuda.
This time I was on land. Lots of land. A prairie, in fact. I decided to go for a jog. During the run I took a detour down a trail off the main road. That might have been my first mistake. The path was one that has two lanes for tires. I guess they drive out here every once in a while to check up on things? Here’s a pic of the path where I was running.
I had run about half a mile and turned around. I stayed in the left tire track of the path. The middle had higher brush, anyway. Out of nowhere I heard a sort of hiss. Only took a second or two for my brain to compute what I’d just heard. It wasn’t a hiss at all. It was more like plastic beads in a shaker. I immediately stopped running to look back where the sound came from and sure enough… on the brushy edge of the left tire rut…
AN EASTERN DIAMONDBACK RATTLESNAKE.
WHAT THE CRAP!?!?!?!?! There it was, coiled up but it’s head pointing directly at me. Goodness gracious, Lord Almighty thank You for keeping me safe while I was oblivious to the snake just inches from my legs. I can’t believe I had come within a foot of a rattlesnake. So close that it felt the need to rattle off a warning. I didn’t have my phone with me but a day earlier I saw one crossing the park road. Here’s a pic of that one…
Needless to say I finished the jog at a faster pace than I started.
Gosh, I forgot how much I love astrophotography. Well, I mean, it’s not the bugs and bites I enjoy so much, but the resulting pictures mesmerize me. I’m currently in a park with very little (if any) light pollution so I thought it would be a great spot to get some photos. And let me tell ya, it was. I LOVE the results. Buuuuuuuuttttttttt, first I need to recap my time in the Florida keys.
AMAZING.
How’s that for a recap? I snorkeled, kayaked, swam in the ocean and a pool, biked, napped, worked, walked the dogs, forced them to dip their paws in the ocean, it was all just a real hoot. I was in a campground about 40 miles from Key West. Here are a few of my favorite pics from camping for 7 days.
If you like that last one of the shell on the blue table, it can be yours this very day. It’s on my Fine Art America page here, where you can get it printed in all sorts of ways.
OK, now I can get to the astrophotography photos! Come back tomorrow at 1pm central to see if you like them, too. Thanks for dropping in…
I had no idea there was a word for the perceived image of something familiar where there’s actually no image of that familiar thing. It’s called pareidolia. A few popular examples can be found here. Quite funny and crazy how so many things can look like something else. But before you check those out, take a look at the Virgin Mary holding Jesus as a baby.
It’s especially noticeable if you look at the X, then you’ll really notice her image.
Cypress knees, as these are officially called, are all over the place but this one was pictured at Manatee Springs State Park in Florida. The little white balls are apple snail eggs.
Do you have any examples of pareidolia? Let me know in the comments below and thanks for dropping in…
Out of the Wilderness 