MIDWAY in the Week, and MIDWAY...

First, before I begin for my day trippin' stuff, I want to mention that Bud and I went to the 1st showing of the movie, MIDWAY, on its opening day, Friday.  I can't say enough about it...in my opinion it was an extraordinary movie.  90-99% accurate in historical value, acting was exceptional...and effects were awesome.  Why the first 2 minutes of the movie had me hooked.  Wow...the aircraft carrier coming right towards me!!  Okay...movie review done, now I move on....Another morning, just before a strong cold front moved in, the fog in the air was patchy. Here and there dense fog; while other areas along my drive it was trying to show a bit of early morning sunlight. I was driving over the harbor bridge to Indian Point Park in hopes of seeing some migrant ducks [buffleheads and mergansers mainly]. In the east the sun was breaking above the horizon and the misty air gave the sky a mixture of muted colors along the bay and tidal pools....

Arriving at the parking lot, the pier was silhouetted by the calm sea; the stillness of the hour set up the tranquil scene...

Along the shore herons, cormorants, pelicans and gulls were resting on the rocky outcroppings, while a couple of turnstones were in search of breakfast. Early arriving fishermen were gearing up to head out on the pier and hope for catching a flounder or two. Maybe sea bass. As I was viewing the city-scape on the shore across the bay, the fog laid among the high rises and the harbor bridge was only faintly visible...

As I was looking toward town, from my peripheral vision, off my left shoulder, I saw a darker area on the top of the water, with a bit of movement!! As I turned my head, I could see the rippled remains of something that had dived below the surface. I stood and waited for whatever it was [I had an idea of WHAT] to come up for air. After what seemed an eternity, it made itself visible again. Yes!! It was a loon. And it had a large catch in its mouth. This instigated a walk on the pier for me. I wanted to get a clear photo of the migrant bird. [by the way, I LOVE their calling]. As I took steps, I'd stop to watch the bird. Then, it dived underwater again....its common ritual/habits. As I inched my way, it'd resurface and dive again. I did get some photos. But, not good ones...the weather wasn't cooperating, not enough light OR color; even tho the bird is mostly black and white, the bay was gray and the sky was grayer!! LOL When I finally decided enough is enough, I started walking back to the car and a heron landed on one of the pier's lights....

Nearing the end of the pier walkway, along the shoreline breaker, I notice again, some movement. This time on the rocks! I played a bit with my Paintshop Pro software on the two photos I snapped and put them into ONE image:

Can you "spot" it?
...if not, look HERE

To get my step count up, I left the car at Indian Point and walked the park road to the trail that takes me to Sunset Lakes. This is a co-owned area...Indian Point is Corpus Christi, while Sunset Lakes is maintained by Portland Texas Parks. It's only about a 2-3 mile walk round trip. I walked the trail and returned to the car to call it a morning and head home. But, I did take a few photos along the trail. And I ended up playing with THOSE photos with PSP pro too. I used the soften tab on the original [the original is in the insets] and then framed them...

Happy Birthday to the United States Marine Corps!  Today, 244 years in the making!!  Oooorah.