Leaving a Legacy for Those Around Us in God's Great Outdoors
Author: legacyoutdoorsblog
I am a retired teacher and coach with 38 years in public education. I have a love for the outdoors and all the opportunities it provides. I love to fish, hunt and surf. Through this blog I hope to share some of my experiences in Gods great outdoors.
The month of September was a busy one. September was full of family time, travel and some nice photo opportunities. The return of the hummers is always a highlight.
September allows for a diminishing glimpse of the core of the Milky Way. The two and a half hour drive to Matagorda can be worth the view on a clear night. Who knows? You might even capture a meteor.
The backyard birds are always entertaining.
If you are lucky the first plane you see might transit the almost full moon.
You might even get to see the moon rise behind the cross, on the steeple at your church.
Whatever your fancy, fall is a great time of year. I hope you get a chance to get out and enjoy God’s creations.
Psalm 147:4
God bless and thanks for taking a peek at this post!
Made a quick trip to northeast Texas to see Grandmother. Did some chores, ate some good food and had a good visit with relatives. I had a chance to fish Grandad’s pond and shot some video with my GoPro. It always feels good to get on the pond that Grandad loved so much. The bass are growing and hungry for my topwater lures. The stillness and beauty of a warm summer evening is always good for my soul.
Thanks for tuning in. Enjoy the video! Romans 1:20
I have always had an interest in nature and God’s creations. The beauty of a sunset, a Milky Way, a beautiful landscape or an animal or large bird of interest. Since buying a stronger zoom lens with the combination of a crop sensor camera, I have been able to open up a new-to-me world of photography. The subjects lately have been smaller birds. In the past, I was not able to get a very good picture of any small bird that was a long distance away. My new lens and camera have made it possible to get some nice shots of birds I never knew existed.
On a recent trip to the Texas Hill Country, I visited South Llano River State Park. I sat in four different bird blinds for about forty-five minutes each. It was the middle of the spring migration period. I was amazed at the colors and variety of the birds I saw and photographed at each blind. I had no idea what the names of the birds were. I just listened to the experienced birders name them as they landed near the water features of each blind. I later used an app on my phone to identify from the back screen on my camera.
When I arrived back home on the Texas Gulf Coast, I started to look for birding sites near me. I decided to try my luck at the Anahuac Wildlife Refuge. I had heard there were some barn owls discovered in a nest there. I found the owls and also found two blinds with water features. On both trips I made to the refuge, I found numerous birds and had no idea what they were. I just knew they had more color and pattern than I had ever seen.
While on my photography outings, I met a lot of very nice birders who were more than willing to converse and share their knowledge of the species we saw. With the new app on our phones, my wife and I are enjoying watching the birds and listening to their sounds as the app identifies each bird’s specific chirp or call. We have even noticed certain behavior patterns according to the noises they make.
Is it that I am getting older and appreciate the creations God has placed around me, or is it the fact that I am retired and have more time on my hands? lol For what ever reason, I have enjoyed the spring migration and the many fascinating birds I have been able to photograph with my new lens. Who knew?
Take time from your busy schedule, be still and look around. You might be surprised at what you see and hear. I have included some of my favorite pictures I have taken this spring. I hope you enjoy them.
Took a trip to the beach Wednesday around noon. Pre-front conditions were foggy with gloomy skies. I sat in my truck and snapped a few shots from a low angle as I waited on the front to make it to the coast. A couple of hours later the winds switched and the sun came out. I put my wet suit on and made my way out as the surf was cleaning up. Short boards, mid lengths, longboards, SUP’s and foils began to enter the line up. Everyone was having a blast. The swell seemed to hold up through the afternoon, even with the strong offshore winds. After a few hours and a lot of fun rides, I got out and positioned myself on Ted’s front row beach house porch to shoot some video with my new lens. It has been a while since I have posted a surfing video. It seems like every time there is a good swell I have family obligations. Oh well, I am very thankful any time I get to surf in fun waves! I hope everyone got to join in on the fun. Thanks for the nice comments from a few people in and out of the water! I am thankful for the creator of the great outdoors and the time we have to spend in it! Mark 16:15 Have a blessed day and enjoy the video!
Tim Lumpkin
Instagram:@tlump10 Facebook: Tim Lumpkin Youtube: Legacy-outdoors Vimeo:Tim Lumpkin
Tuesday January 21,2025 was a day to remember! Four to five inches of snow fell in Houston causing a winter wonderland. Making snowmen, sledding down a hill or just sitting and enjoying the sound of falling snow. They all were something to enjoy. I went outside during the beginning of the heaviest snow and captured a few images to share. I hope you enjoy the beauty of God’s artwork!
November 5, 2024, a day that the whole country anticipated. Instead of watching election returns I was fortunate to escape the political drama. The surf that day had some size and the offshore winds were grooming the faces. I spent about four hours riding some fun waves in Surfside Texas. When I got out of the water I drove to Galveston and shot some photos and video of the afternoon leftovers. I can’t think of a better way to avoid the speculative drama of some of the corrupt media. Here is a short video of the great day I had.
This year I shot some hand held video at Sylvan Rodriguez park of the Blue Angels at Wings Over Houston. I used a Sony A6600 with a Sony 70-350mm lens. Some of it was a little shaky but it turned out ok. Some of the flight patterns were directly over my head and flew by fast and loud. Two of my grandchildren were able to experience it with me. I think the oldest one, who is six years old, seemed to really like the Blue Angels. You can hear her in the video say,”Paw Paw, cover your ears.” Then she says,” Aaawwwe” as they go inverted and head toward us. They love watching my videos so this will be a treat for them. I also put together a short video of the family mixed in with still shots of the Blue Angels at the park that day.
Grand children are truly a blessing and a gift from God. I hope to have many more memories like this one as they grow up.
Hurricane swells are what most Texas surfers love. Hurricane Francine raced up the gulf coast creating a swell the entire coast got to enjoy. Here are a couple of videos I took of the action. Keep those in Louisiana in your prayers who suffered damages and losses as a result of this weather event.
Wednesday April the 4th we had some good conditions for surfing on the upper Texas coast. A good swell with offshore winds made for some fun rides. I surfed in Galveston mid morning and caught some screamers toward the pier. After about two hours I got out and took some pics. After lunch I drove to Surfside and surfed some long clean lines near the jetty park. I got out late afternoon and stopped on Beach Drive to shoot some more photos. I hope everyone had as much fun as I did! Here is a short video of some of the pics I took that day. If you see a pic you would like you can contact me for the jpeg copy.
This year I did not purchase a ticket to the Wings Over Houston airshow. I thought we might be making a trip to the hill country to see the fall colors at Lost Maples State Park. As luck would have it, the leaves have not changed colors yet. Since I did not have a ticket I went to a nearby park and took some shots of the USAF Thunderbirds, the F35A demo and the speedy Mig 15. I put the shots together in a video. I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for tuning in!
Legacy Outdoors 