Music Cafe at the Fitton Center

It was a fun, laid back evening at the Fitton Center.  Support local musicians on the last Tuesday of the month. Downtown Hamilton.

A nice supportive atmosphere  drew a lot of soft, folk style music, as well as some Americana . . . and more.  Then, Kevin Loving got up there and woke the place up with a great energetic set.

If you are moving around with a camera - with a zoom lens, changing lenses, and attached flash, folks tend to think you know what you are doing! ( I had them so fooled.) A nice gentleman took me behind the stage and then up in the booth upstairs to get some pictures.  I was using the zoom lens and unfortunately, my new flash  attachment, which is great when it works, eats batteries like tic tacs and only worked 1/3 of the time.  I use it on auto setting due to visual issues so I take what I can get.

When Kevin was not on stage, I only used "no flash"  and high ISO speeds as flash can be very distracting and ruin the mood by washing out the color ambience. Buy skipping the flash, it  can  cause some blur, soft focus and grainy outcomes. But some musicians like a little blur. Every individual has different ways they like to be represented . . . musicians and others a like.

Everybody had something interesting to add to the evening. While I confess, some music was too slow for my taste, those around me really enjoyed it.  What do I know?

I want to thank all the nice people, who's names I did not get, as I over did it and spent the last three songs of the night, lying on a bench in the main hallway.  So I posted two photos of Mark Becknell. I felt bad I skipped out, but could still hear him. 

 Jeremy Francis started off the evening.

 Papa Joe came next

Then Brad Monti, a friend of Joe's who is in shadow here.

 Mark Becknell

 Mark Becknell 2

 Kevin Loving, from up in the secret entrance booth! I really should've gotten the name of the gentleman that showed me around.

Day of Visiting and the Mall

Hummingbirds and Other birds

Click on any photograph to enlarge it.

 Tufted Titmouse on Shepherd's Hook .. .. ..

 Getting ready for take off, with topknot flat for better aerodynamics!

 Female hummingbird, looking around for other territorial females. Lots of fighting over feeders.

 I have three feeders on 3 sides of the house. This is out back window.

 Can see her tongue here if you look closely.

 Just got chased away and came back...now looking under for sneak attacks.

 RARE! Though only one is in focus, two hummingbirds are on same feeder!

Another photo before one got nervous and allowed the other one to scare it away!

 There she goes. Ruby throated hummers are very territorial.  So when you see those photos of hummers sharing feeder in an ad, it's usually a lie.  Maybe other types are more likely to share but these are not!  Dive bomb each other all the time like little war planes. Even the males with the red throat will chase away females.

 Female Cardinal with some red tufts and feathers missing. They molt every year.. the males look like they have black helmets where the red feathers are missing.

 Goldfinch on hummingbird feeder in front yard tree. Getting ready to drink plain water from the moat.

 They love these sock feeders.

 Sparrow waiting turn on sock feeder inside this little red maple tree.

On end of house, a hummingbird window feeder. Old window so glass is not too clear for photographs but so fun to watch from the recliner or sofa!