FOTO FRIDAY: THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY

FOTO FRIDAY: Unfortunately this is about the one that got away and although I am referring to an event along my drive home along the Mississippi, it's not about a fish. 

As I gazed towards my last glimpse of water before entering the small river town of Stoddard there was a huge blob of white, hundreds of pelicans.  Not just a pocket of a hundred or so but I swear somebody must have called a community meeting. There were a lot of them.

The highway shoulder isn't very large at this point but I knew I needed to turn around and go back to capture the incredible sight. The car in front of me much have had the same thoughts as he was hesitating too. Having the pelicans so close to shore and in such numbers is a very unusual occurrence.

Well, by the time I turned around, parked and crossed the highway, I could tell something had startled the birds. Commotion and the rustling of a thousand wings was amidst the flock. I flipped my camera to video or so I thought as they were all taking flight at once and within the next minute, I understood their alarm, a train approached between me and the birds. And by the time the train had passed they had all flown to a spot much farther out into the waters. 

No photo shoot for me after hesitating with the decision to stop. At least I'd have the video. As I sat back down in the car to view the footage, there was none. In all the excitement, you know who had forgotten to push start.  As I drove into town, the gentlemen who had been in front of me must have parked and was walking back to the edge of town to see the pelicans. I gave hime a shrug and shake of my head mouthing what he would soon understand,  they were gone. :(

Deflated I headed home with just a story for Natureman. Then as if our local crane understood my mood, there in his magnificence he awaited me roadside before our mailbox.

I snapped his magnificence and thanked him for posing for me. I also apologized to him for our recent snowfall.  Well I don't know about him but I really didn't go home skunked for this FOTO FRIDAY and Life in the End of the Rainbow Valley. 

Last week's FOTO FRIDAY was  LABELING in case you missed it and ironically it got more views than all my entries this week. Go figure.