Cornelius FallsOn Saturday morning (still Easter weekend), Dad and I managed to sneak away to one of my favorite spots — Bridal Veil Cornelius Falls. The name isn’t original, but ever since Tim Ernst used “Fuzzy Butt Falls” for a site featured in his Arkansas Waterfalls Guidebook, I’m beginning to think that re-using a title isn’t so bad.

We didn’t get started as early as I had hoped, but the surrounding hills kept the sun at bay late enough for me to get a few long exposures. While I set up my tripod for my first shot, Dad walked around the fall’s pool picking up trash washed down by the recent heavy rains and flash flooding. What a dad.

At one point, however, he had his eye on an aluminum can resting on a slick, steep hillside adjacent to the falls, and only a few feet from the edge. When he lit out that direction, I said, “Hey, I can Photoshop that can.” Yes, I used it as a verb. Regardless of the photo software used, that particular product’s name has become interchangeable with the much less succinct, “fix it later.”

Disappointed that the redbud tree I love to use as foreground was not in bloom (Easter arrived way too early this year), I looked down. Anna (see my blogroll) likes to look up, and that’s great for some situations. That day, however, I was glad I looked down, because I saw something neither Dad nor I ever had.

(Click any image to enlarge)

Hydra

Some kind of funky Hydra

Curly FernThese mysterious curled plants were all over the place. I slapped on my macro lens (an old, all-manual micro-Nikkor 55mm I bought used from a Canadian via photo.net about seven years ago) — the best glass in my bag, got on my knees and elbows, and started snapping.

It turns out they were ferns in various stages of opening up for the spring and summer. We wondered how we never had noticed them at that stage.

Back at the house, Dad and I found ticks on our clothes. I hate those nasty buggers. None had sunk their “teeth” into us, but even a few itchy bites would have been worth the trip. Sometimes, a couple hours with your dad doing what you both love is exactly what you need.

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