"The Butler"

Saw the movie today about the White House Butler who served about 6 presidents and how his life and family mirrored the civil rights movement in America. In one sense it was almost a documentary, just more intimate than most. On the other hand it was a great and moving biography that brought tears to my eyes. And I've always liked biographies. It will not be a blockbuster movie, but a great piece of history!

Rain Forest Immersion

An article written for my Writer's Guild:

Rainforest Immersion

By Charlie Doggett

The chatter of birds and frogs set the atmosphere as I feel and hear the gentle breeze through deep green foliage. Our boat glides smoothly up the Tortuguero River, headed for this two-night stay in the Costa Rica jungles I’ve come to love. My simple camera with only a 300 mm lens is ready around my neck for the next bird, monkey or other bit of color and excitement.

Along the river shore on a sandy beach, a black-necked stilt struts along on his long

pink legs in a tuxedo-like dress. Leaning as our boat comes around a sharp bend in the river a flock of snowy egrets is spoofed into the treetops with a thunderous swoop. The yellow feet at the base of black legs make me sure they are snowy and not great egrets. At the same time a large green iguana stares at us from a tree limb above our boat as if to ask what we are doing here. Before I can answer my camera focuses on a brilliant blue, white and orange Amazon Kingfisher. My how wonderful this is! Have I already gone to heaven?

With the smell of fish in the water we are approaching our camp, but not before seeing

the silent two-toed sloth hanging high above us and the much noisier white-faced capuchin monkeys jumping from limb to limb near the water. Always hoping to see a toucan, we see two! A chestnut-mandible toucan too high to photograph, but best of all a closer keel-billed toucan looking like he flew right off a Fruit Loops box to the palm tree just for us. Click, click, click!

Being surrounded by animal noises in the thick jungle while eating tropical fruit or hunting for colorful frogs with flash lights makes a night in the rainforest too memorable to ever forget. As were visits to other lodges like one looking out on an active volcano or another on a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean with scarlet macaws feeding on nut trees below while monkeys and hummingbirds come right up to our little rooms surrounded by tropical flowers. The cloud forest is just a rainforest in the mountains and where I got my coveted photos of the resplendent quetzal. Two trips, coast to coast and hundreds of photos help make the rainforests of Costa Rica one of my favorite places in the world to visit. It is a wonderful immersion in nature and wildlife! Pura vida! (Pure Life!)

Roo at the Zoo

One of our 17 Red Kangaroos at Nashville Zoo

Docents got a preview last Saturday

Walk-through exhibit opens September 14

Bledsoe Creek State Park

In my continuing effort to visit all 53 state parks in Tennessee

I visited Bledsoe Creek near Gallatin last Thursday

and found it to be another delightful walk in the woods!

See also my Nature Notes Blog for wildlife photos or

My Bledsoe Creek Photo Gallery