EARLY, EARLY MORNING ON THE WATER

Yesterday was the first morning in a long while that I was floating on the water before sun-up.  My normal habit is to do that when on day shift but I've let it laps lately.  I really love to be on Beech Creek prior the sun's arrival but I've sort of gotten away from the early morning thing since working on Douglas Lake.  I know why it is too.  Douglas is a mud hole and who would get up before dawn to visit a mud hole?  The only thing to see are houses and bass boats.  I guess it could be worse.  Well, this morning I decided to be on in the boat while it was dark and I'm happy I did.  Even Douglas Lake has its pretty side when its dark out.

 I started working the shutter button as soon as the sun started to appear.

Its dark enough that the million dollar houses on the mud shoreline can't be seen, yet just light enough to give the illusion of primitive wild country.

 The bass boats would arrive soon and then the pleasure boats later toward noon.  I'll be off the water at noon so I don't much care how crowded it gets.  Its perfect out here for now.

The sun rises higher and higher and still I'm alone out here.  The bass fishermen are getting lazy these days I think.  They normally have the parking lot filled with trucks and boat trailers at this hour.  Oh well - that's fine.

A particularly pretty scene presented itself just off the point of rocks at Henderson Island.

A rock pile can be seen well off shore testifying to the fact that TVA is lowering the water in the dam at an alarming rate.  Hello Winter.

Below is a better look at off shore danger.

And finally the sun is high in the sky and the day is officially started.  The first bass boats just blasted by me and I felt the first twinge of pissedoffedness for the day. Bass boats I can deal with.  Pleasure boats drive me insane, especially ski boats and jet skies.  The day will come when they are regulated on the lakes and that day ain't too far away.  

I hadn't photographed a great blue heron in a while and thought I'd practice on the guy you see below.

The fellow below did some pretty interesting moves while taking off the limb he was sitting on.

And finally I had one more cove to check before I got off the lake and look what was there in an old hay field.

That was my morning.  Hope your's was just as interesting.  Catch ya later.