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Osprey with fresh-caught fish

I was just settling in to my favorite chair to catch up on reading some long-neglected photography magazines, when out of the corner of my eye I saw something big sitting on top of the dead palm trunk in my neighbor’s yard. Once I figured out what it was, I ran upstairs to get my camera and braved the 35 degree weather for a half hour while this osprey ate a fish he must have just caught in a nearby retention pond. Needless to say, my photography magazines are still waiting to be read, but I do have some pretty awesome photos of this osprey now. Unfortunately the image size limitations of my blog don’t do the images justice, but you get an idea. Enjoy, and Happy New Year!

Checking out the neighborhood before digging into the fresh catch:

What appears to be a stork flying by in the background. Have I ever mentioned how much I love living on the marsh and seeing all this wildlife every day?

I had no idea what he/she was eating until I saw the images on my computer screen. The lack of flying feathers at least clued me in it wasn’t one of the many birds that hang out by our feeder or bird bath.

Once the catch was eaten, the osprey sat for a long while, often rustling its feathers and enjoying the warm sun on a cold day.

Even though I was quiet so as not to disturb him/her, I think he/she did know I was there the entire time.

And, suddenly, the osprey flew away over the marsh. Check out those talons in this image:

The osprey’s wingspan is HUGE. I’m so stoked I was able to capture this osprey with my camera…

 

 

 

Healthy Charleston Challenge 2-mile Run & Walk

The MUSC Wellness Center celebrated its 23rd Anniversary this past Saturday with a 2-mile Healthy Charleston Challenge Run & Walk. The race began at 8 a.m., and featured seasoned runners as well as past participants of MUSC’s Healthy Charleston Challenge, a Biggest-Loser style program in which participants complete a 12-week fitness and weight-loss regimen designed to increase physical activity and promote healthy lifestyle habits. It was so inspiring to see everyone successfully complete the race to reach personal goals and set new benchmarks toward health and fitness.

Everyone gathered in front of the Wellness Center to await the start of the race:

The Wellness Center’s James got the party started with some warm-up moves:

Aaaand they’re off!!!

This little guy looked determined to catch up with the head of the pack:

The winner of the race, Matt Hellier, of Charleston, finished in 10:23. Congratulations Matt!

The first female to cross the line was Katherine Loggemann of Mount Pleasant, who finished in 12:30. Congratulations Katherine!

Images of each participant crossing the finish line can be found in the image gallery below. All other images taken on race-day can be found in the image gallery at the bottom of the post. The small gallery images can be opened by clicking on them. Images in the galleries can be advanced by clicking in the right side of the open image to move forward in the gallery, or, by clicking in the left side of the open image to move backward in the gallery.

All other images from race day can be found in the image gallery below.

Men’s College Soccer: College of Charleston vs University of South Carolina

A record crowd of 2,931 fans witnessed the College of Charleston Cougars defeat the USC Gamecocks 3-2 in the season opener soccer match held at Patriots Point Sunday evening. I was able to concentrate on getting some shots in the first half while at the same time dodging both fans and security for being where I wasn’t supposed to be with my camera. I love a good challenge. By the way…is everyone aware there are two, yes TWO, Dutchies on the College of Charleston team this year? Sophomore goalie (#1) Kees Heemskerk and freshman defenseman (#6) Daan Brinkman both come to Charleston by way of the Ajax Youth Academy (and yes, I DO happen to be an Ajax fan, sorry all you Feyenoord people!) Hup Holland Hup! My Opa (grandfather) Wim Roetert was a striker for the Dutch National team in the 1920s. Anyway, here are some faves of the evening:

Governor’s Cup Surfing Contest on Folly Beach, SC

We went out on Saturday to check out a few hours of the Governor’s Cup Surfing contest on Folly Beach. The sun finally came out just around the time we were ready to go find some lunch, and we missed all but two of the “open rounds” in which the best surfers take part. There were some good waves to be had, and both contest surfers and “soul surfers” were having a great time catching the waves.

In another life, I spent quite a few hours in the water on my body board. I’ve done a previous blog post about it and you can check that out here. Enjoy!

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