In the early evening of April 30, 2013, on Parker’s Lake, Gloria Rice set up
her Canon EOS Rebel T2i and waited for the setting sun’s best possible lighting
for a memorable photo.
“In the spring I always have my camera with me, because the migrating and
local birds and waterfowl are all in their colorful breeding plumage, so they
make spectacular models,” the retired University of Minnesota executive accounts
specialist says. “Watching the courting rituals is a special treat.”
Rice, who’s been taking photos for more than 30 years, says she loves animals
and wildlife. About 17 years ago, she moved with husband Tim to get more in tune
with this passion, finding a single-family home in Plymouth. “At first I
thought, ‘Oh my, what have we done?’ We went from a care-free town house to an
almost ½-acre lot with mostly dead grass and giant trees planted willy-nilly,”
she says. “Over the past 16 years, we have created a backyard oasis for
ourselves and wildlife, including orioles, hummingbirds, butterflies, bees, deer
(not on purpose) and any other form of wildlife that passes by.” The Rice family
is made more complete with the addition of the couple’s two rescued cats: Margo
and Bozo.
&
Gloria Rice’s photo, Stick the Landing, earned second-place honors in the
Nature category of the 2013 Picture Plymouth photo contest.
Start snapping
today; entries in the 2014 contest will be accepted August 1–31 at
plymouthmag.com.
