Wednesday, May 9, 2012

the supermoon over lake ocklawaha...


...and the fauna & flora of the Rodman Reservoir.
(part1)

supermoon over Lake Ocklawaha, FL

i had wanted to do a post yesterday
with pic's from our weekend at Rodman Reservoir/Lake Ocklawaha...
BUT
i had to do a Tampa drive on monday...over 2 hours each way...back to back.
and the next day i couldn't stand straight.
Sciatica!
i've never experienced it before.
it pains to sit, to stand, to lie down.
it's a REAL pain in the ass...literally.
so...after using ice...heat...ibuprofen...stretching...Kinesio taping...
today i'm not walking hunched over (as much) but i'm still feeling it.

SO
in order to not aggravate it...i'm going to make this quick.
so i can get off my butt.
not too much gabbing...mostly pictures.

FIRST,
on the way there we stopped at one of those big ice vending machines to fill up the cooler.
you know me...and misspellings...or grammatical errors.
CAN YOU see why i snapped this one??


(there shouldn't be an 'apostrophe' in cameras.  no apostrophe in plurals)


ok...on to Lake Ocklawaha  or  Rodman Reservoir.


Rodman Reservoir is a flooded forest.
there's plenty of underwater structure...and floating trees...stumps...logs...
so you have to be a pretty good navigator...or at least lucky...
to troll around without running into something.

we have a small boat. a Gheenoe. it's like a canoe, but more stable...
with a flat back for a small motor.
i was combing the shore while sam pulled the boat to ground and fished off the back.
THIS IS THE SPOT WHERE he caught the BIGGEST catch of the weekend...
a 17" BASS!  
(that's inches...not pounds! we didn't have a scale.)


Dragonflies were everywhere!!
we also saw Ospreys, Eagles, Hawks, Herons, Cormorants, Anhingas...
and of course, Alligators.

Great Egret




Osprey young with mother...i wish i could know what they were saying...or yelling...to each other.


Great Egret




Alligator


a swarm...i mean...a school...of feeding minnows.


a  Hawk.  a Red-shouldered hawk i think, but he looks much bigger than the ones at home.




Anhinga...or snake bird.


Great Egret


heading back to the camp at the end of the day...
sam's silhouette...against the setting sun... 

and a last look at the super moon through the trees...


stay tuned for part 2...and maybe even a part 3.

gotta change position now...and get off my butt...go stretch.

i've had clients with Sciatica...but NOW i know first hand...the pain!
yikes.


be cool  &  stay safe.
laura

((yeah yeah...i know...i'm way behind in reading...but i have a good excuse...
this time it's not just that TIME is slipping away...bear with me.  :)  ))



24 comments:

  1. oh sweetie! sorry about the sciatica! hubby struggles w/ it. yikes!

    love these watery photos! so pretty! that minnow swarm is cool!

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  2. Hope the sciatica backs off quickly for you. How miserable.
    Oh my goodness...all those gorgeous photos and I'm thinking about each one and then I get to the end and see that glorious moon and everything else just flies out of my head. I do so love photos of the moon and that is a beauty.

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  3. oh dragonflies! oh and all the rest! But ahhhh that moon through the trees! Hope you're better soon, keep moving, keep stretching! X

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    1. thanks lindsey! i am...stretching, icing, heating, rolling around on a tennis ball...all i can do...getting better but still pains me some...ugh!

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  4. Love the spiral of minnows. Sciatica is the pits. Hope you feel better soon.

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  5. I love the "not responsible for spilled ice" and then the phone numbers for "problem." And as always, I absolutely love those photos. Great egret. Be well.

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    1. THANKS makropoulos!! yes!! that ice machine & it's signs were really pretty funny!!!

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  6. Hi Laura, great post. Looks like a wonderful camping trip. I love the shot of the moon over the lake. And the dragonflies are cool. The Ospreys are one of my favorites but the sunset is gorgeous. Awesome photos and post. I hope you feel better soon, take care!

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  7. Oh I do hope you get to feeling good as new, no better real soon. What an assortment of wild and wonderful photos you have for us today! I can hear the ripples almost as the croc makes his way ever so slowly! I have to laugh when people us their "'" in the wrong spots, but they're trying I guess :) I didn't really get the spilled ice ? but maybe they don't have scoops or who knows! But no problem right! Looking forward to your part 2 or 3! Take care of yourself okay!

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    1. the ice...it comes out a chute...so i guess if you don't have your cooler sitting right under it...and the ice goes all over the ground...they won't refund your $$. haha!! that's all i can figure! :)

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  8. I feel for you Laura - I've had a really painful back for the last 2 months. Not sciatica; thought it was just muscular, but maybe my back's just wrecked... hope yours gets better real soon!

    These pics are stunning as always. The moon is wonderful and I love the birds, especially the egrets and the snake bird :)

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  9. Oh, I hope you're doing better. I didn't know what sciatica was, but, an acquaintance of mine recently said she has it. I love your photos, and, last year around the Dallas area, some neighborhood was having problems with egrets, but...hardeehar-they spelled it Igret!!! Well, they were getting in everyone's yards and crapping all over the homes and autos, it was a mess. Don't know how they finally got rid of them. But, they weren't as big as your photos show, or, as pretty! And I love herons, although I've only seen pictures of them. They are most beautiful. I always enjoy your lake and river pics-they're the best. You capture impressions that most people don't see (I see them). And, the minnows! They do swarm like that...minnows I've seen a lot of, even had some in an acquarium once. So's, I'll go load my 'CAMERA'S' up now! Haha! See you later. Have a comfy weekend. hugs to Milo, too♥

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  10. Well that IS a pain in the !@#.
    Thanks for posting these gorgeous pictures in spite of it! Feel better! (do it now! ;)

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    1. thanks TT...stacey!! i'm feeling better today...but overdid it a little. so what else is new?

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  11. That sciatica sounds so painful Laura, sorry to hear you've got it.
    Gosh I love this selection of photos you've posted. Dreamy photos of the supermoon.
    It's certainly a beautiful camping spot. Looking forward to the next parts!
    :D)

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  12. I get the same thing. Now you know what happens when I have to sit for long periods. (or bend and lift without thinking, or any number of unsuspecting everyday things like picking up a trash bag). If you know a good acupuncturist, that can get mine gone in one treatment, like magic

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  13. Hi Laura...Ouch..hope that gets better soon!!
    Your photo's(Hmmm is there supposed to be a 's on photos : } lol) are awesome just awesome! I really like the next to last with Sam's silhouette and sunset !! The moon is gorgeous...wasn't that a beauty!!
    Grace

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    1. yes! yes! OOOoooooh the moon!!! i cal already feel myself starting to howl...and it's not even full anymore!! :)

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  14. Sitting in a car in a car for a large amt of time often creates sciatica . Suggestion: Go to the medical supply store or large drug store and BUY THE BLOW UP DONUT THAT PREGNANT LADIES USE TO SIT ON AFTER THE DELIVERY of the baby. IT WILL REALLY HELP. YOU CAN ADJUST HOW MUCH AIR YOU NEED TO TEMPER THE SENSITIVE BONES YOU SIT ON: Ischial tuberrosity. The donut will help very much while driving in the car to reduce road vibration and continued irritation from having to sit eg at the computer. Sometimes when sciatica gets bad I go to the chiropractor for help.

    The donut cushion is worth every penny! I always use it in my car and sometimes have to bring it in to the computer when long sessions occur. GOOD LUCK!

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    1. THANKS jean!! i sure hope when this bout of sciatica is gone...that it's gone for GOOD!! yikes!!

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  15. that lake has the coolest name!
    love your dragonfly shots

    http://cre8space.blogspot.com.au/

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    1. i agree kel...i like the way ocklawaha kind of rolls out of your mouth. ALL the native/indian names seem to do that...

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  16. Isn't Florida grand! What a lovely series. I hope your back gets better very soon -- that's no fun.

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thanks for stopping by! it's always nice to hear from fellow wanderers!