OutdoorType

The moon rose over the south east horizon tonight like the great pumpkin; orange and menacing, partially obscured by low clouds and a code orange day haze.

I’d gone to the lake in search of this, the second full moon of May, but arrived in a dusky gloom with no celestial neighbor in sight. I shared the evening with boats of people fishing, the first lightning bugs of the season, and bats darting across the sky.

The bats were a clue I should have become hip to sooner. Once upon a time I led moonlight canoe trips on the Bull Run and bats would follow our boats closely. They would swoop down out of the night sky dive bombing for what seemed to be our heads. The bats however were not targeting our heads but the insects that buzzed around them (the insects though were definitely after our heads!).

With the moon still out of sight I set up my trusty tripod and adjusted for exposure bracketing with an idea that I might give a go at HDR. Patiently I waited for the shutter to click and signal the end of a long exposure. The longer the shot lasted the more I began to rethink my casual attire… sandals, shorts, and t-shirt seemed ideal for an impromptu photo shoot at the lake, but now, now that the mosquitoes were crawling up and down my arms and legs, I started thinking about that line of ExOfficio clothing with the built in insect repellent. As I watched little things chowing down on my blood, an eighty-five dollar shirt started to sound like a bargain.

Still, I persisted and experimented with some shots. The light fading faster and faster meant my long exposures were becoming really, really looooong and yes, I admit it, I got bored.

I pulled out my other camera and took aim at the one on the tripod. Even at 1600 ISO the auto focus on my 1.4 lens would not resolve into the satisfying red light indicating a subject in focus. Above my head a light bulb went off… Reaching into my bag I pulled out my cell phone, turned on the screen and held it closely to the subject. Bingo! The camera locked into focus and I was snapping away again like a happy photographer.

Eventually my patience wore out and I made a hasty retreat to the car. Leafy trees covering the access road between the parking lot and main street formed a tunnel of the likes to absorb all ambient light. As I rolled out of the black hole my eyes scanned left and were greeted with the sight of the delinquent moon in all of its hazy orange glory. Setting the hazard lights I pulled off the road into a slight ditch, grabbed a camera (always at the ready) and dashed off to attempt a few handheld shots. In the end haze, headlights, and glare made me ditch this impromptu shooting location. Plus I didn’t want to get run over by some drunken fisherman. I walked back to my car with Margo Timmins singing in my head…

I only want to say
That if there is a way
I want my baby back with me
’cause she’s my true love
My only one don’t you see?

And on that fateful day
Perhaps in the new sun of May
My baby walks back into my arms
I’ll keep her beside me
Forever from harm

You see I was afraid
To let my baby stray
I kept her too tightly by my side
And then one sad day
She went away and she died

Blue Moon, you saw me standing alone
Without a dream in my heart
Without a love of my own
Blue Moon, you knew just what I was there for
You heard me saying a prayer for
Someone I really could care for

I only want to say
That if there is a way
I want my baby back with me
’cause she’s my true love
My only one don’t you see?

“Blue Moon Revisited (Song For Elvis)”
- COWBOY JUNKIES
(note: pronouns updated to how I like to sing this one)