Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Foul Tidings with Good Feelins in the Evenins

Salutations Bird Friends. 
I first have to preface this post with some unfortunate news. Last weekend, whilst pursuing my latent dreams of becoming a professional soccer player vis-a-vis Friday night rec. league soccer, I injured my knee pretty seriously. The kneecap on the left looks more or less normal--not the world's most attractive knee, to be sure, but not the least. The knee on the right is swollen, misshapen, gross, and...lost.


 Here is some photo-documentation of the cumulative effects of the injury: strained veins and massive bruising. At this point, the swelling is pretty bad and the leg is more or less useless.


The intent here is not to facilitate a pity party, though PARTY ON as needed, but to explain the paucity of birding posts that will be coming in the next few weeks or more. I have photos from a recent trip to Florida, the intention of which was to attend a friend's wedding, but any contemporary hiking and birding is at a standstill. Hopefully I can avoid surgery and a longer lay-up.


So, moving on to nicer, more pretty things, I'll start with some of the first scenes from my wife's and my Florida trip in early May. We landed in Ft. Meyers and drove to Naples first thing, hoping to catch the sunset and some beach time during our first evening. Of course, there were birds on the beach too...


I didn't know it at the time, but this Black-bellied Plover was the only one of the species I'd see for the whole trip, so my minor guilt at interrupting a romantic beach walk to take its picture certainly has not lasted. The soft evening lighting, cool breezes, and powdery sand of the Florida beaches are the most welcome of refuges for desiccated Arizonans.


Of course, the main objective of the Florida trip was to attend a wedding, but with that objective well-established and not under threat, there would be plenty of birding to fit in as well!


P.S. Apologies for the rather revealing shots. It's all for...SCIENCE.

19 comments:

  1. Wow.Such a traumatic life event to be sure. For an active man like you...well debilitating doesn't even come close, I'm sure. So sorry. The bird images are stunning in a beautiful way...the leg...well it's the opposite. Best of luck in your healing, Laurence.

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    1. Ah shucks Kelly, the leg was the most colorful thing in the post!
      Nah, thanks for your comments. Hope all is well.

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  2. Damn thats some serious shit! Hope the healing happens quickly and completely. At least you got some spring Florida birding in first, looking forward to the rest of the pics.

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    1. No doubt! I was pretty bummed actually, leaving Florida, as my birding opportunities didn't turn out to be nearly as expansive or satisfying as I was hoping, but now those precious photos will be the only thing keeping my bird blogging alive for the next month.

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  3. Your write is fun BUT I just sat and showed my other half(health) your revealing shots. Did you tear a muscle/ligament perhaps? So sorry about the knee. That's the first thing to blow out around the 30's. I had something similar happen 10 years ago and it will take time to heal. If the swelling doesn't stop in the next several days, check out the Doc. Although it's probably better to see them anyhow. Get better so you can get on those trails again.

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    1. Thanks Chris,

      I have my MRIs on next Tuesday, but my doc thinks the MCL and ACL are torn, and my meniscus went and folded itself self in half between the knee bones, so surgery seems to be in order.
      Lucky for those birds at high altitudes...they'll be out of my reach this summer...

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    2. Doesn't that figure.....right before summer. Although to be honest....not having to deal with the extreme heat for awhile is quite nice. Some good reading can happen:)

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  4. Yikes, bummer dude! Hope it heals up quick! Now go put some pants on, you're making everyone uncomfortable. Kidding...sorta... Sweet plover shot, looking forward to the rest of the FL birds.

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    1. A little discomfort is all I ever wanted in an audience. Unfortunately It came at my own expense.
      Like any ol' blogger worth his salt, I know it takes a little skin and carnage to keep y'all coming back for more.

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  5. Oh my goodness, that is quite an injury! I hope you recuperate quickly! I love birding on the west coast of Florida. It was probably really fun for you to view tropical birds not often seen in Arizona. Wonderful photographs ... of the birds and lovely sunset. Take care, Laurence!

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    1. It was indeed Julie. In some ways, my actual birding time was as satisfactory/prolonged as I hoped, but I loved every minute that I did have.

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  6. Hi, just saw your post here. I'm in Peggy's AZ birding group. Wow, I tore my ACL early Feb. and just had the ACL replacement with allograft and meniscus tear clean up on May 10th. I feel your pain and sending good thoughts. I did prehab before the surgery to get strong and that's the best advice I have for anyone. I miss birding and being active!! good luck to you on your knee journey!

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    1. Thanks Peri Ann, and thanks for stopping by the site.

      I'm, glad to hear you're on the mend, and hope I won't be out of commission for too long.
      Hope to see you in the field.

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  7. OUCH!!! Sorry to hear of your (very painful looking) injury...I, too, wish you a speedy recovery! Your Black-bellied Plover shot is top notch! Sorry to the Florida birds let you down (how dare they)!

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  8. What miserable luck. Perhaps it was to balance your amazing luck with the Spotted Owl? Your leg looks extremely painful and annoying. You should find some going places to sit and bird to see how many species (and which) you can get per site. It's one of the categories for World Series of Birding.

    How's the teaching going with that leg? Or are you just about done?

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  9. Ouch Laurence! Your knee looks very painful. Recover soon and get back out with the birds.

    Love that Black-bellied Plover image!

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  10. Laurence, I am so sorry to hear of (and see) your injury. You will forgive the mother in me for giving you some healing advice. If you are open minded, have your wife take a short drive to a health food store or Sprouts and buy you some Traumeel Ointment. It works wonders on bruising and swelling and sports injuries. It also helps arthritis. If you are even more adventurous, try some Arnica 30C, a Homeopathic remedy, which will also help with bruising and swelling, even at this late day. This is 35 years of mothering speaking here. I raised 3 boys and I very active girl! (and besides, I've been known to take a tumble or two myself!) I do hope you are on the mend soon. I am not sure eBird will survive without you!

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  11. Wow! Laurence, you must have torn something major to cause so much bleeding! Hope it doesn't keep you off the birding for too long. Your Black-bellied Plover image is magnificent!

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  12. I was thinking of joining a soccer rec league, then I saw this.....I will stick to birding and watching my kids play soccer. Thanks for saving me months of pain and hospital bills.

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