Mundane Things

I head out for New York City this time next week. I knew when I got home in July that I had a limited amount of time to get a lot done. Now I have a week to finish the most important tasks. While I have gotten a lot done the last two and one half months, there is still a lot undone on my to do lists.

Today needs to be a mundane day - going through mail, filing, throwing away, paying bills and doing paperwork that I have procrastinated on. I find myself wanting to work on the photography projects that also need to be done before I leave. I also find myself sitting at the computer trying to psyche myself up to get started on them. Sometimes it is hard to stay focused on the necessary, tedious, mundane tasks. The other facet of these mundane tasks is how easy it is to get the bulk of a task done, but not truly "finish" it.

This morning I asked God to help me get this set of paperwork tasks done. The undone paperwork hangs over my head and weighs me down. While I know I won't finish all of the backlog of paperwork things today - there are several paperwork tasks that really must be done before we head out for our next set of adventures. I've asked God to help me stay on target and finish these. And, hopefully, I'll get the photography tasks finished as well.

Sigma 300-800mm Lens

I love to do wildlife photography. Going out into a wildlife refuge or a national park, learning where to find the wildlife, and getting to see God's wonderful creation gives me a natural high. Being a photographer, I want to take photos not only for my own personal memories, but also to share with others. When I first moved up from a digital point and shoot to a digital SLR, I bought the Canon 100-400 IS lens. For many situations, it worked beautifully. But . . . . for others, the wildlife was too far away to get quality photos. On my first trip to Bosque del Apache, I saw so many truly large lenses - talk about lens envy!!!!!

So I began to dream of a day when I too would have a large lens. It seemed far away.

I had an opportunity in South Texas to take some shots with a Canon 600mm lens with a couple of teleconverters and another opportunity to play with the Sigma lens. Even with the teleconverters, the duck in the distance that I shot with the 600mm lens was still very small - not the quality shot I was yearning for. In talking with the owner of the Sigma lens, he said that he had compared shots with the Canon lens and with a Sigma before he purchased. He felt that the Sigma lens produced a higher quality image.

From all those opportunities when the bird or coyote was too far away, I knew that bigger was likely to be better. Teleconverters not only reduce the amount of light coming into the camera, but they also put more layers of glass between your subject and your camera's sensor. Plus the autofocus does not work as well with the teleconverters. (And I have not had great luck doing manual focus with my digital SLR's. I have yet to add the focusing screen to my 5D-that could change my mind on manual focus.) So when the money became available, I went with the Sigma lens. I also bought a sturdy tripod for it and a Wimberly head.

The photo at the top of this blog was made on my porch with my Sigma lens. Other photos to reference for image quality for this lens:

My seals' webpage

The Bosque '05 photos

An Intimate Landscape at La Jolla

Heavenly Music

I feel very fortunate to be a member at Brentwood Oaks Church of Christ. We've had a unique opportunity recently. We are connected with the churches in St. Petersburg, Russia. One of the Russian Christians there is a musical composer. We've been privileged to be singing one of his songs, "My God and King" based on Psalms 84. The words and melody linger in my mind.

Two weeks ago on Wednesday evening, the composer, Konstantin Khiguln, his wife and another Russian young woman visited our chorus class. They sang for us. It was like hearing angel voices. This was all the more special because I can remember when some members of our congregation began going to St. Petersburg around 15 years ago. I remember a young American who had just become a Christian become educated at the Institute for Christian Studies (now Austin Graduate School of Theology.) He heard and responded to the call and went to live in Russia. Watching Konstantin lead us in learning his beautiful songs that Wednesday gave me a small sense of God's amazing power to spread his love to all of us. His joy in knowing Christ was radiant that evening.

This past Sunday evening the worship service centered on the work in Russia. One highlight was having Konstantin Zhigulin lead the congregation in "My God and King." This was followed by our Russian brothers and sisters singing some of these beautiful new hymns. And then a small group of local singers joined them for more of these new hymns.

For those of you in the Texas area, there are some more opportunities to hear these new and beautiful hymns:

Tues. Sept 19 - 8:00 P.M. Abilene Christian University Lectureship - General Session
- 8:30 P.M. Abilene Christian University Campus - Williams Performing Arts Center, Recital Hall
Wednesday, Sept. 20 - High Pointe Church of Christ, McKinney, Texas
Saturday, Sept. 23 - 7:00 P.M. Richland Hills Church of Christ, 24/7 Conference Room Richland Hills, Texas
Sunday, Sept 24 - 9:00 A.M. Duncanville Church of Christ, Duncanville, Texas
Sunday, Sept. 24 - 5:30 p.m. Pleasant Ridge Church of Christ, Arlington, Texas

The Russian and Austin area singers have made a CD that is available. Cost is $20.00. I highly recommend it. There is also a Russian language CD with some additional chamber music that Konstantin has written. If any of my readers are interested in ordering these CD's, contact me and I'll send you the email information.

Dragonfly Field Trip

Roseate Skimmer

Checkered Setwing

Dr. Abbott took us out in the field at the Brackenridge Field Laboratory. While the day was warm and muggy, I very much enjoyed walking around. I brought my camera and tripod rather than binoculars. While I was out there, I was regretting the decision because it was heavy and awkward to lug around. Binoculars seemed the better and lighter choice. And I did not have the close focus binoculars. Dr. Abbott took pity on me and loaned me his binoculars. At first the dragonflies were too far away for the equipment I brought. But because I am a photographer at heart, I did take a few photos. I'm glad now I did. Some of them came out better than I expected.






We got to see a dragonfly naiad emerging. When we first saw him, he was coming out of the exoskeleteon. With the photos you can see him blowing up his wings.


The pictures were taken just a few minutes apart.


















Another recently emerged naiad in the same concrete pond, blowing up his wings.

Dragonflies and Damselflies

After going to the events at Hornsby Bend a few weeks ago, I decided to look up the classes offered by the Travis County Audubon Society. When I saw the dragonfly identification class, I was very interested. While I have not taken a lot of dragonfly photos, I knew that I needed more skills to identify the ones I had taken. And a simple insect identification book is really pretty useless - SOOOOOOOO many insects! Plus I did not know the first thing about the differences between dragonflies, damselflies, darners, skimmers, etc.

While I learned many things tonight, identifying the first set of my shots -sigh . . . we'll cover those Saturday (I think) At least I know they are males . . . . I did not buy the Dragonflies and Damselflies of Texas book because I wanted to see which dragonfly book I already had. Lesson in frustration to come home and not be able to identify the first one you try . . . .

But back to what I DID learn. Dragonflies are fierce predators. I have only seen them flying around my yard and perched various places. But we got to see a dragonfly larvae catch and eat a small fish! They normally eat mosquitoes and biting flies! (That means we should LIKE them.) There are a few instances of them being able to eat a small hummingbird, but that is rare.

We went over basic physiology and reproduction. And then came the identification. It was WONDERFUL. He went through slide after slide and told us what to look for in each identification (hence why I was so frustrated when I couldn't identify the two I tried tonight-but it will be better when I have the book!)


I had gone through and pulled all my dragonfly shots into one area on the computer before the class. I was not too impressed, these were taken a couple of years ago. Most of them I had not worked. But after having seen his shots (and his were great), some of mine are better than I thought.

And the teacher of the class John C. Abbott- the writer of the definitive book on Texas dragonflies, a world expert and a professor at UT whose specialty is dragonflies! What a privilege!

Steve Irwin

I have to confess I don't watch many documentaries or wildlife shows (I probably should, there is some great stuff out there.) And I have to confess that I probably have not seen many of Steve Irwin's shows. When I first heard the sad news on Chris Nystrom's blog, I was not sure who this person was. Almost every website I visit has mourned the loss of this extraordinary individual.

As Christians, we know that life is fragile, that death can come at any time. But as humans, we live as though we will live forever. When death takes someone young like Steve, our first thought is that he was robbed of time here on earth. I can't help but think of his family and the young children left fatherless. Being older (and wiser - yeah, right . . . ) I wonder at the foolishness of the risks he took. And yet, he has left such a legacy for his children. He has fostered the love of nature, a sense of adventure, and a loving spirit. Many people who have lived long lives have not experienced even a quarter of what Steve did in his short life. He used his time on earth fully, not only living exhiliarated in God's creation, but sharing that exhiliaration with the rest of the globe.

It is so easy to live a mundane existence, living from paycheck to paycheck, carefully saving for a future that may be cut short. It is easy to fall in a rut driving to and from work only seeing the cars and people around us. While I fret about money issues, I find myself grateful that while my adventures don't come anywhere close to Steve's, we have had opportunity to go out in the RV and have our own adventures. Many of Steve's obituaries talk about how he lived life to the fullest, dying doing what he loved best. I believe that God wants us to enjoy his magnificent creation. People like Steve help all of us experience and appreciate the wonders of our world. In memory of Steve, go out and have an adventure of your own!

I found this posted at one of the websites and thought it worth sharing.


THE CROCODILES ARE CRYING

Endless visions fill my head – this man – as large as life
And instantly my heart mourns for his angels and his wife
Because the way I see Steve Irwin – just put everything aside
It comes back to his family – it comes back to his pride

His animals inclusive – Crikey – light the place with love!
Shine his star with everything he fought to rise above
The crazy-man of Khaki from the day he left the pouch
Living out his dream and in that classic ‘Stevo’ crouch

Exploding forth with character and redefining cheek
It’s one thing to be honoured as a champion unique
It’s one thing to have microphones and spotlight cameras shoved
It’s another to be taken in and genuinely loved

But that was where he had it right – I guess he always knew
From his fathers’ modest reptile park and then Australia Zoo
We cringed at times and shook our heads – but true to natures call
There was something very Irwin in the make up of us all

Yes the more I care to think of it – the more he had it right
If you’re going to make a difference – make it big and make it bright!
Yes - he was a lunatic! Yes - he went head first!
But he made the world feel happy with his energetic burst

A world so large and loyal that it’s hard to comprehend
I doubt we truly count the warmth until life meets an end
To count it now I say a prayer with words of inspiration
May the spotlight shine forever on his dream for conservation

…My daughter broke the news to me – my six year old in tears
It was like she’d just turned old enough to show her honest fears
I tried to make some sense of it but whilst her Dad was trying
His little girl explained it best…she said “The crocodiles are crying”

Their best mate’s up in heaven now – the crocs up there are smiling!
And as sure as flowers, poems and cards and memories are piling
As sure as we’ll continue with the trademarks of his spiel
Of all the tributes worthy – he was rough…but he was real

As sure as ‘Crikey!’ fills the sky
I think we’ll miss ya Steve…goodbye

RUPERT McCALL 2006

Books by Rupert McCall

Bird Indentification - Part 2

I posted a request for habitat information about the bird Fernando posted. Thickets . . . .

Someone else posted an excellent treatise as to what to look for on this bird . . . .

But what I find interesting - and relevant to my other post . . . . I've seen and identified kingbirds in New Mexico and the panhandle of Texas. So when I saw this bird . . . . my first thought was western kingbird - I've seen them before. . . . . And the bird had the pale yellow breast and dark head and feathers. It was familiar. But it is in the details, apparently kingbirds have black tails, not rufous colors.

Back to the spiritual comparisons- often we read passages of scripture and our familiarity can blind us to new truths or sometimes lead us to reject someone else's ideas. As humans we also like being "right."

I kept clinging to my ID as a kingbird, because that bird was familiar to me(and despite the other guys long treatise on why it could not possibly be a KINGBIRD) there were similarities. I can see why I thought the bird was a kingbird . . . . but I can also see at this point why it probably isn't. Even my second guess did not agree with the more experienced birder.

While I've been playing with identifying birds for 25 years, I have not birded as vigorously or as extensively as many birders. Some birds are easy to identify - others more difficult. I think I'll keep the title "Nature Photographer" rather than birder. But even as a nature photographer, I need to be able to accurately identify what I am photographing. So I'll keep on with practicing my birding skills.

Birding and Bird Identification

Being raised in the Church of Christ, I am quite familiar with going back to chapter and verse to prove a point. As a group we have moved from legalism toward grace, and so these arguments occur less.

However, it was interesting this week to watch the birding world's version of legalism:

I joined Texbirds this week. I get email throughout the day as to bird counts, bird sightings and other Texas birding news. I've even posted a couple of birds that I've seen in my yard for identification.

On Wednesday Fernando posted a bird on his website for us to identify. Since I'm familiar with a bird similar to this, I sent him an email saying I thought it was a western kingbird. He was kind of enough to post a tally of the identifications he received:

14 votes for Brown-crested Flycatcher
12 votes for Great-crested Flycatcher
4 votes for Ash-throated Flycatcher
3 votes for Western Flycatcher

I've looked through 3 of my bird identification books since then comparing these birds. (I've got a few more I can use . . . . it has aroused my curiosity - I WOULD like to know which bird this is and why.) If it is truly a crested variety, then its crest is not up . . . . . Many birds you make an id based on where you saw the bird. If I was out in West Texas or New Mexico - flat prairie - it would be a no brainer - Western Kingbird. However, if the shot was taken in a forested or thicket area then it could be the Great-crested Flycatcher.

So even though it is a great bird shot . . . .the birders can't agree on the identification . . . .

Since one of my good friends debates with me on identification of birds we see, I am going to say that I think humans like to debate over small details. And in birds most of the time it HAS to be one species . . . but that does not count the birds that can interbreed and have hybrids making identification MUCH more difficult. It also does not take into consideration that juvenile birds also look different - making identification harder. One set of birds that I posted for identification turned out to be juvenile starlings - they don't look anything like the adult version! I also find that some of the sparrows and finches look so much alike that it is hard for me to tell who is who at my bird feeder. Sometimes I find that I want to know which sparrow I'm looking at. Other times I am content to enjoy the constant coming and going from the feeder. Sometimes life is too short to debate over the small things. (Does that mean I'll never be a "true" birder?)

The first breath of fall

August is always a hot month in Central Texas. Temperatures over 100 degrees are common. This August was especially hot. Generally the coming of September brings just a hint of cooler weather. This September has been more generous than usual. Yesterday morning and this morning, I awoke to temperatures in the upper 60's. While I sat on the porch most mornings throughout the summer, this cool air is so welcome.

We'll have some more hot weather, but I plan to enjoy these cooler temperatures while they last.

Horses for Writers

At Lone Star Con several years ago, I attended a panel of writers who were also horse people. They talked about all the mistakes writers make when having horses in their novels or short stories. Some of them simple things such as when the calvary marches over barren stone mountain passes, where are the wagons carrying the hay and feed. Another common mistake is having the horse act more like a motor car, pushing over more territory, too fast, without including the necessary rest and recoup time.

My friend, Bettye Baldwin, has just published Horses for Writers dealing with these issues and many more. It covers everything you would want to know about horses. I would recommend it for anyone who loves horses. In some ways it is an anything you want to know about horses, but were afraid to ask book!

Baby Birds

I've had bird feeders out for a number of years now. This year we've been home during the summer. I've kept the feeders going. This past month I've been rewarded by seeing the fledged baby birds coming with their parents to the feeders. Not only are they "cute," but watching the interaction is fun. One of the first babies I noticed was a baby cardinal. The baby was on the ground, fluttering his wings begging his mom for food. I saw this same behavior this past week only with finches. The baby was on a branch, fluttering those wings (trying to look helpless????) with his beak open.



And, of course, mom fed it. However, it was not too long before the baby flew down and started feeding himself from the feeder. Not so "helpless" after all.

Owl Prowl and Frog Frolic

I signed up for Texbirds recently. I'd heard about it several years when I was birdwatching in the Rio Grande Valley. I signed up because I had an unknown bird that I could not find in my bird books. (I still need to post about that one . . . later) Warning: If you sign up for this list, you will get LOTS of emails. But I have found it interesting to hear about bird sightings all over the state.

One of the posts that caught my attention: Hornsby Bend Partnership Celebration. I'd been reading about the Hawkwatch that was counting the migrating hawks at Hornsby Bend. It was a multi hour event, but the big drawing factor for me was the Owl Prowl.

I went last night . . . . We walked for about 2 hours. We heard a brief owl calling early on as well as some frogs. One of our guides was excellent at simulating owl calls, but they went unanswered. But it was beginning to look as though we weren't going to get to hear the owls. And then as we neared the end of the walk, it came: Whoooo Whooooo Who Who Who Whoooooo!!! (Ya gotta get the rhythm right here!) And then an answering Whoooo Whoooooo Who Who Who Whoooooo!!!! The pair called back and forth, and at one point called at the same time! They were close . . . . While we did not see them, it was well worth the time spent tromping around near the Colorado River in the dark.

Test

Test . . .

Arriving home

When you first get home from a long trip, there is much to be done. For one thing, all the things you did not get finished before you left are still waiting for you. There are weeds in the flowerbed (they're still waiting for me.) There is overgrown grass - (Henry usually does the mowing.) The pantry and refrigerator are either empty or filled with items that are now out of date. (This time Jonathan had cleaned out my refrigerator -- that was nice to come home to). It also means a trip to the grocery store is top priority. There are the friends you need to get together with.

Then there is mail . . . . . have I said how much I HATE MAIL!!!!!!! I tend to come home to a month's worth of mail. And I have a post office box as well as my home mailbox. So that means I get two sets of bulk mailings. My initial sort looks something like this:
Throw away bulk mailings
Shred the credit card offers
Bank Statements
Brokerage Statements
Bills
Bulletins
Catalogs
Magazines
Newsletters - Christian Chronicle, various children's homes, European Bible, etc
Mail addressed to my deceased mom : Theta, Ratcliff, Harvard, charitable hopefuls, etc
Stock Annual Reports
Mutual fund quarterly reports
Stock Class Action Suits mailings (I don't ever join those, but they mail them to me
anyway. But I have a hard time throwing them away thinking I should read them in
case I should want to reap some benefit.)
Breckenridge Colorado realtors hoping I want to buy or sell property there (look at
before throwing away - keeps me updated on what my Breckenridge properties'
current value is)
Mail for the kids that I need to get to them

When I'm on top of my game, several of these categories should go straight to the file box. This year I have not been on top of my game. Knowing I would be home a while this time, I knew that I needed to get caught up with the six months of filing that had stacked up. As of August 13th - I am close to being caught up.

Some mail is easy to file - it has its place, no decisions required. Some mail is deceptive. You know it is eventually a throw away item. But some of it you want to read or browse - or think you SHOULD read or browse. There is more of it than I will EVER have time to read or browse. Unfortunately, I have a hoarder's mentality . . . . . When I am tired, it is worse. At the beginning of a filing session, I'm throwing away things, sorting and filing. At the end, my unfiled, maybe I'll need this or want to look at this , or the I don't know what to do with this sets of stacks gets larger and fewer things are thrown away.

One partial solution for those items that I might want to look at, but don't have time right now is to find a place to store them . . . . one year later it is MUCH easier to throw it away. Unfortunately, once stored, they are out of site, out of mind, and take up space somewhere. Now to train myself to throw it away now . . . . . could happen . . . . . . . sadly, I've got a long way to go in terms of throwing things away.

Wave Magic at La Jolla

As I've participated at the various photography websites over the years, I've seen some beautiful photos taken as time exposures of ocean waves. In my journeys to California, I've made attempts at several places. Most of them are fun for me, a few people like them, but my efforts have not been competition quality. But I am happy to say that all the practice runs taught me things that finally came together at La Jolla.


During the convention, I went over to La Jolla three different nights to do photography. My emphasis the first night was on the seals so I only had my big lens. But as it got close to sunset, I repositioned my big lens and started shooting the waves. Unfortunately, I did not bring my remote shutter release - so many of the shots were blurred and unusable. At the end I started used the timer which helped some. But I got a few shots I was pleased with using the larger lens and getting a more intimate view of the rocks and waves.




The second day I came with my landscape zoom (28-105mm) lens and tripod - a much smaller. Henry came with me this time. I've learned to shoot aperture priority at the highest f/stop for the lens to get the deepest depth of field possible. Then I make exposure adjustments as I go along based on the histogram and what I see on the back of the camera. I've also learned that the rocks must be extremely sharp for this to work. So I focus on the rocks. Even so, from one shot to the next even without changing settings the exposures tend to shift. The remote shutter release is very important so I don't jar the camera during these longer exposures.




I make sure I get several different views - one for the larger picture.






But I find that I am most interested in getting the details in the rocks and waves - the intimate landscape.





On Monday I get one more opportunity to photograph at La Jolla. I've concentrated my photography over at the Children's Pool. I wanted something different. So I headed over where people snorkel and do their afternoon swims - a couple of blocks over. It was a totally different environment and I kept changing positions trying to get shots that might work.


The evening light fades. This is my last night on the Pacific this trip. Tomorrow is the fourth of July - and there will be NO parking around here. Besides Wednesday is the day we leave to go back to Texas. We'll have stuff to stow. I hope I get to come back to this site. I had wanted to snorkel with the seals and see the fish. I discovered that there is a sea cave to explore. And now that I've seen the photos - of course, there is more stuff I would like to try. Lord willing, we'll be back.

Morning Aerobics at a Con

The first morning I had gone to a Tai Chi class led by Stephen Barnes, a novelist and television writer. I found it interesting and wanted to go to the second one. While he said something about having another class on Sunday, the program said Monday. So I showed up on Monday all ready for another lesson in Tai Chi . . . . .

I got an exercise class all right . . . . Belly dance was not on my life list of things to do . . . . hum . . . . . .

Most of us were in "street clothes" or con attire. She conducted it just like an aerobics workout - only with middle eastern music - and a different set of moves. I stayed until the new moves and my back decided to disagree - about half an hour.

TV News - from Westercon

New Voyages

One of the panels I went to talked about something new for Star Trek fans. A man in New York state is filming episodes to complete the original five year mission from the original Star Trek. They have built a complete set . . . . . at Ticonderoga, New York. It has a new cast playing the familiar roles. However, the second episode has Walter Koenig and the third episode - yet to be shot will have George Takei taking on the role of an older Sulu. This is a new concept - these episodes are being aired over the internet. The third episode has picked up a real TV producer who is planning to shoot in high definition. Most of the actors have real day jobs, and this is a work of love. I haven't yet seen an episode - Henry has downloaded them for me. But the review I heard at the con makes me think I'll enjoy them. Because this is all volunteer work - don't expect episodes to come out frequently.

Eureka

A new TV series will air on Tuesday night on the SciFi channel. The official blurb: "Nestled in the Pacific Northwest, Eureka is a seemingly ordinary town whose residents lead ordinary lives … at least to the naked eye. Shrouded in secrecy, the picturesque hamlet is actually a community of scientific geniuses assembled by the government to conduct top-secret research." At the SciFi panel they showed clips and previews. I think it will be worth watching at least the first few episodes.

Garth Marenghi's Darkplace

They showed clips from this - It will be shown on SciFI beginning July 27. Filmed in the 1980's, it apparently has never been aired - or perhaps it was filmed to look like it was filmed in the '80's. Definitely looks strange. I'm not sure it will be on my watch list more than once, but I know I've got friends in the science fiction world that will watch this.

Dr. Who

SciFi is negotiating to get the second season of the newer version of Dr. Who. We've got it on Tivo, but I have not watched it yet. Most fans of the original Dr. Who seem to like the new one.

Saturday night movies:

After going to the website, some of the trailers make sense now.I will have to say many of these movies that were mentioned as upcoming for Saturday Night Movie night - don't thrill me. They sound more like the "B" movies from my childhood. But once again some people LIKE this kind of stuff. This is from my notes, there is better info on the website.

Cyclops - Roger Corman
Supergator Roger Corman film
Screech - deadly bird flu
Yetti - curse of the snow demon - college football team struggles to survive . . .. .
Lake Placid II - sequel to 1999 thriller . . . . .
Beyond Sherwood forest - slay creature slaying poor and innocent
Stan Lee - Lightspeed - guy who travels faster than anyone else
Harpies - female wing monsters
Ron Moore - Batle star spin off set 50 years before . . . . .




Other news:


It looks as though the SciFi channel will be showing "Dead Like Me" perhaps with cleaned up language. From the website, first episode, July 18. They also talked about showing the original "Nightstalker" complete with episodes that were never aired. For those that actually like reality shows - on Thursday night "Who wants to be a Superhero?" Count me out on that one.

In development:

I'm just going to post my rough notes. These are series in development. They may not ever make it to our TV screens.

In development:

Kip Stanley Robinsons - Mars

Tale of 2 cities
Mini series base on Myst
Remake of Thing
Ringworld Pilot live action anime witchhunter robin
Urban arcane
Own pilot for Time Tunnel 3or 4 versions pilots made nothing happened

Lots in developmnet but whether we see

developing Steven Baxter ???? - Times' Ice novel series - very preliminary

Surface and Invasion - Threshold - all cancelled by networks -

Surface in daytime block - new episodes - not likely

Maybe pick up Threshold , Invasion - genre series - sci fi will look at if cheap enough to pick up

For those of you wondering about the wrestling now on SciFi - ratings went down beginning in 2006. Wrestling in theory is bringing in those coveted younger viewers. SciFi is owned by NBC and connected with USA Network. For those of us that have been enjoying some of the good science fiction on TV, I guess we either need to be vocal (which is not really very effective - the networks don't tend to listen) or we need to pass the word around about the shows that are good, that we enjoy.

Science Fiction/Fantasy Conventions

I've been going to science fiction conventions (cons) since the early 1970's. Being married to a science fiction writer means I've been to a lot of them. Large cons, small cons, gaming cons, film cons, costume cons - there's a wide variety.

This weekend we're at Westerncon - this year named Conzilla in San Diego. While it has been smaller than I expected, it has been rich in panel discussions.

In the hallway this morning, I overheard this snippet of conversation- the fun thing about a con is you see all the crazy people - just like me! And that is true in many ways. Last night was the masquerade - so in the hallway were Arabian sheiks, belly dancers, Sand people (Star Wars), wizards, Hogwarts professions and students, a guy with a helicopter beanie, etc. There has been a children's track - Hogwarts themed. They did not do that when my kids were little.

While I go to be supportive to Henry, I also like a good con. Many of the panels give you things to think about that in my "normal" life, I probably would be too mentally lazy to explore.

My Saturday schedule

10:00 - Tai Chi with Stephen Barnes
11:00 - Basic SF Library
12:00 - Technology of Writing (Henry was on this one)
3:00 - Logistics of LARP - Live Action Role Play (I ended up in there by accident- it had so few people - I decided to stay)
4:00 - Raising the Dead: Remaking Old TV and Movies
5:00 - The Science of Art

Sunday
1:00 Star Trek: The New Voyages (more on that later)
2:00 - KaffeKlatch: Sheila Finch
3:00 - Writing for TV
4:00 Art Show as Marketplace
5:00 Writing from a Non Human Point of View (Henry was on this one)

Monday
10:00 Tai Chi - er, no, this ended up being an aerobics class done belly dance style . . .
11:00 SF/F and Spirituality/Religion/Ethics
3:00 Television Series that Died Too Soon

Tuesday
11:00 But It's British! Comparing British vs American Genre Television
12:00 The (Sometimes) SciFi Channel
2:00 The Economics of E-books

I don't fill all my time at panels. I like to browse through the dealer room. Sometimes there are fascinating things there. This time the highlight was an artist who had been to China and learned the fine art of creating wood carved dragons. They were very impressive (and expensive). I always go to the Art Show, but rarely buy anything. But I enjoy looking at the creative work. This year I took my computer each day, to catch up on my blogs that were in my head, but not yet written and to do some initial sorting on the photographs I was taking each evening.

La Jolla Seals - Natural Drama and Human Controversy

Someone called my attention to one of the younger seals who is off by himself and not moving. Over the next few days, I return for other ocean shots. This little one is in trouble. The only people who can rescue him have to have special licenses - and even so there are restrictions on what they can do. If he is still making efforts to get out to sea, they have to leave him alone. This pup probably won't make it.














I photographed one seal injury that I saw while I was shooting.


But when I scanned my shots back at the RV, I noted another injured seal. While this is a normal resting position for a seal (especially after bouncing up from the sea), this injury may be slowing him down. Whether a cut from hauling himself up over sharp rocks or an injury from another animal or hazards in the sea, he'll probably have to heal on his own. Just as life can be rough for humans and their situations, life is rough in the wild, also.

On one of my other visits I find that these seals are controversial. La Jolla Friends of the Seals stations people to help protect and provide information about the seals. Unfortunately, there are those who begrudge these animals their place in the sand. It turns out that the seawall was built in 1931 to provide a pool for children to play in. The wall encouraged the beach to grow, and was modified after a drowning occurred. The sand filled in the pool. It is my belief that the majority of people enjoy the close proximity of the seal rookery with its opportunity to watch both adults and baby seals. Certainly, the seals and other marine life at La Jolla Cove bring many tourists with their dollars to benefit the economy of this area. And there are other much larger beaches nearby for humans. It is sad to know that a few individuals come on a regular basis to harass the seals (a federal offense) in hopes of getting them to find another place to rest.

While sad about the seal issues, I enjoy each of my visits to this area. I am fortunate to come back two other evenings with a different camera set up to try to capture the ocean waves in an artistic fashion. While I have not had time to process very many of the shots, I am pleased with the results. Some will be entered in the major competitions I enter each year. I am hopeful.

La Jolla - the Seals

On our first pass through San Diego, my sister-in-law, Martha showed me La Jolla cove and the seals. Naturally I was dying to come back with my camera and big lens. After we get settled into our new campground. I dig out my 300-800mm lens with its big tripod. Henry is going to stay at the RV to do his mental preparations for the con. I say a mental prayer that God will help me find a parking spot close to my destination (lots of people go watch both the seals and sunset here - parking is VERY limited!). With the weight of the camera equipment, I COULD carry it several blocks, but it would not be my first choice. When I get there, God is VERY good, I find a place right next to the viewing area for the seals. One of the tricks for parking around the La Jolla ocean front is similar to finding a parking spot at a mall. Watch for the people who are walking to their cars to leave or who are packing their stuff back into their cars. Put on your blinker and wait for the spot. This seems to be commonplace and the drivers behind you are prepared for it.

So I lug my lens in its case and the big tripod over to the small seawall to the best viewing area. The walkway is narrow, but there IS room if I put two of the tripod legs through the railing.





When the seals haul out, they ride the waves as far as possible and then bounce into their resting spot.




They go bounce, bounce, bounce . . .





collapse on the sand, catch their breath and go bounce, bounce, bounce into their spot. It reminds me of when I climb a big long hill or a tall flight of stairs - I have to stop and rest before I can go on. As they are bouncing, their bodies contract such that they look a little bit like bouncing balls. My goal was to try to capture some of this "action."

I enjoy watching the strategy of the seals as they choose the rock or the beach as their destination. They'll ride a wave, head back out and ride a bigger wave - using the wave's energy to get them where they want to be. My big lens is giving me a close view.

The seals use this area as a resting place and a rookery. They need so much time each day out of the water resting either






on the sand











or rocks.










To get these shots I'm using my big SIgma lens. I am a traffic hazard on the narrow seawall, blocking the foot traffic just a little. People have to ask me to readjust the lens positioning so they can get around me. They don't seem to mind and I certainly don't begrudge the time it takes to move out of the way. I'm planning to spend a couple of hours here enjoying the seals.

As sunset approaches, the number of seals coming in has diminished. So I reposition my lens to try to capture the wave action on the rocks.