Finding Mushrooms: The Elusive Photo Shoot

When I was a little kid, my mom and dad would take me mushroom hunting with them at my grandma's woods. This was a great woods because my grandpa was the immaculate outdoor type that kept the wild sticker bushes at bay along with numerous saplings. I was free to roam, play in the creek, and, if all else failed, look for mushrooms. My enthusiasm was strong for about the first 20 minutes; after that, I started picking wild flowers and giving my mom bouquets. Without a great deal of help, I don't remember finding the first mushroom. Nevertheless, it was a grand time.
Fast forward to 5o Adventures at 50...NOW it's time to find a mushroom on my own for purposes of one of those great photo ops in nature. Some folks head to the savannah for a shot of lions; some head to the mountains for a shot of a bear. For me--it was the mushroom. The elusive mushroom.
Tom and I started out on the trek; he with the mesh bag and me with the Nikon. He was much more successful out of the gate and found a couple right away. I was still getting acclimated, so I told myself. In my hunt I saw that it was going to be necessary to cross the creek and the sides are steep, so I was going to need to do a bit of scrambling up the other side. I fortunately wore my gum boots, so getting a little muddy was no big deal. I slid down the side easily, crossed the shallow creek bed, and started up the other side. At this point I was in the step/slide mode. One step, and a slide down down to the creek; repeat. Finally I was able to pretty much crawl up the hill and it was then that I found the elusive prey at eye-level. It was actually growing horizontally under several limbs. Had I not taken that route, there was no way I would've found it. So, camera ready, I started to take its picture before plucking it. I then realized that I had the lens that needed some distance to take super close-up pictures (don't ask), which required me to crawl to the other side of the bank adjacent to the prize. Which I did. Success.

Now it was time to continue to the search; I was hungry for the next find. This came much quicker--it was just kind of standing there in the middle of nowhere, not near anything. I grabbed the camera and, apparently, also the attention of the two dogs that came to "help" me. I've always heard that dogs can sense fear; now I know they also sense a rare photo op. Just as I was getting ready to take the picture, eight excited feet started dancing dangerously close to the subject. After scolding them both and slightly offending White Dog, I got them away from the mushroom and got the picture. 

I was feeling pretty happy with the world at this point; from now on everything was going to be bonus. I continued on the trek. The next ones I found were just as elusive, and just as much fun to find. The shots continued...

Each mushroom in a different shape and size (and some very elusive)...

As I was spending the afternoon looking for those hidden wonders, my thoughts couldn't help but float back to those days back in the woods with Mom and Dad. Since Mom doesn't hunt them these days, I decided to take her some out this afternoon. She's having them with her supper. I also picked her some wild flowers of the digital kind. I'll add them to her pictures on the picture frame at her house along with the pictures of the mushrooms. Maybe she'll have those same fond memories of those days in that woods with Dad and me and those elusive mushrooms.