Easter egg hunts. Those darn things are over before they even start.
You don’t believe me? I’ll prove it.
This past Saturday, the first egg hunt I had on my schedule was Franklin’s, held at Lions Legend Park, directly behind the library and City Hall.
One trick I’ve learned over the past couple years is to stick with the younger kids … as in … under 3 years old. When kids get to be 7 or 8, they’re bigger, faster and stronger. They show no mercy to a poor little newspaper photographer who just needs a good picture.
They’re in it for the candy, not the fame.
So, I headed on over to the tennis courts, where only the younger children were allowed.
Yup, there’s really no “hiding” an egg on a tennis court …

And, I waited. 9:55 a.m. 9:56. 9:57. I turned on my camera, adjusted the exposure, eyed up a few cute kids, and prayed my pick wouldn’t turn into a crier.
To show you just how fast these eggs disappear, I’m going to post a few screen shots from my computer’s desktop. If you notice in the photo below, you’ll see a time stamp on the first frame I shot as the kids were let loose: 9:03:15. (It should say 10:03:15, but I still haven’t changed the time in my camera to daylight savings.)

Click click click click. IT’S OVER.
The last frame I shot, after all the eggs were gone, has a time stamp of 9:04:08.

Whoo hoo! The egg hunt lasted an entire 53 seconds. Numbers don’t lie.
Here's a few quick pictures I captured at Franklin's egg hunt ...

Nikon D3, 17 mm, 250 ISO, f2.8, 1/1250, Manual
Addison Broom, 3, rushes across the tennis court Saturday, April 11, 2009, to find her eggs during Franklin's Easter Egg Hunt, held at Lions Legend Park, Franklin. The park was divided into separate areas according to the ages of the children. After the hunt was over, children had the chance to meet the Easter bunny.

And here are a few from Muskego's Easter egg hunt, just a couple hours later. Muskego's lasted 55 seconds, giving me two more seconds to work. I'll take it.

Nikon D3, 17 mm, 250 ISO, f2.8, 1/2500, Manual
Ashley Walters (center) prepares to sprint for some candy Saturday, April 11, 2009, shortly before Muskego's Easter Egg Hunt, held at Veteran's Memorial Park, Muskego. Ashley took part in the hunt with her sister, Cassidy. The Muskego Lions Club sponsored the hunt for children up to 8 years old.

Nikon D3, 17 mm, 250 ISO, f2.8, 1/1600, Manual
Ashley Walters (left) eyes up some candy Saturday, April 11, 2009, shortly before the start of Muskego's Easter Egg Hunt, held at Veteran's Memorial Park, Muskego. Ashley took part in the hunt with her sister, Cassidy. The Muskego Lions Club sponsored the hunt for children up to 8 years old.

Nikon D3, 17 mm, 250 ISO, f2.8, 1/1600, Manual
Ashley Walters runs through the woods in search of candy Saturday, April 11, 2009, during Muskego's Easter Egg Hunt, held at Veteran's Memorial Park, Muskego. Ashley took part in the hunt with her sister, Cassidy. The Muskego Lions Club sponsored the hunt for children up to 8 years old.

Nikon D3, 17 mm, 250 ISO, f2.8, 1/1250, Manual
Ashley Walters searches for the last few pieces of candy Saturday, April 11, 2009, during Muskego's Easter Egg Hunt, held at Veteran's Memorial Park, Muskego. Ashley took part in the hunt with her sister, Cassidy. The Muskego Lions Club sponsored the hunt for children up to 8 years old.