Category Archives: Photography

August 19, 2024 · 23:45

Fledgeling

Yesterday I stumbled across this smallish dude plotzed out on the backyard patio.

It didn’t seem particularly in any sort of distress or injured, nor did it seem too concerned about my presence.

Obviously a mourning dove fledgeling, which isn’t surprising since we have probably a dozen nests within a couple hundred yards of our back yard. Feeding time in the morning looks like a Hitchcock film between the house finches, scrub jays, juncos, mourning doves, towhees, and all of the other miscellanous freeloaders who have figured out that we’re a soft touch.

Even when I got right down on my knees (more fun than usual!) and just a foot or so away, it never tried to flutter or walk or run or fly, and it barely moved its head. It wasn’t near any of the windows or sliding glass doors, so I didn’t figure that it had run into one of them.

I finally ended up with my iPhone maybe an inch away, and all I got for my efforts was a scowl. They definitely had an attitude!

I had no idea what to do that might help, so I did the absolute minimum and otherwise left it alone. I went to get some bird seed and a cup of water, but by the time I got back the fledgeling had vanished. I left the food and water out there anyway – if he doesn’t need it, one of the other birds will finish it off, it won’t go to waste.

We don’t see any feral cats in our yard, so the hawks during the day and the owls at night are probably the biggest threat. “Circle of life” and all of that – I checked a couple times today and I don’t see any signs of an attack, so no news is good news.

Good luck, my attitudinal fledgling friend! Your species is hardly endangered around here (or anywhere else) but I hope you make it!

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Filed under Birds, Critters, Photography

August 18, 2024 · 23:30

Find The 747

The sky was almost stupidly blue and cloud-free, except for one broad north-south band that had to be at a different temperature or moisture content or something, since little puffy clouds where there and as jets went through it the left little contrails.

As is not uncommon, there was a rumble and yet another cargo 747 was headed from LAX to Asia. It may have been 11,000+ feet up, but the deep almost subsonic thrum of those four big engines is pretty easy to identify.

(Image from FlightRadar24 app)

I moved a bit so that I could see it through the trees. Can you find it overhead to our north?

This will be one of the things that I miss at the Forever Home, wherever that might be. In Apple Valley and Hesperia there are a couple of small airports, and one of the houses I’m really interested in lies just a half-mile or so from the end of one of the runways, but we won’t see any big jet traffic like this, more like the light, private aircraft that go in and out of Whiteman, where I learned to fly in Pacoima.

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Filed under Flying, Forever Home, Photography, Weather

August 16, 2024 · 22:56

Gym 1, Paul 0

First of all, I’m fine!

In an effort to aggressively battle the calendar and entropy, about six weeks ago I started using the services of a personal trainer once a week. He’s great and does a wonderful job of leaving me feeling like I’ve been beaten like a rented mule, ridden hard, and put away wet. I usually feel sore as hell for a couple of days after our weekly sessions. This is a good thing.

But I figured I probably needed more than one session a week.

So using what I’m learning from him, I’ve re-joined the local gym so that I can use all of their equipment a couple of more days a week. Today was the first time I had gone in.

After 20 minutes on the bike, a whole slew of weight machines, 10 minutes on the rowing machine, more weight machines, I was “winding down” with 30 minutes on the treadmill. I’ve used treadmills at the gym for decades, it’s not rocket surgery.

Well, it shouldn’t be.

I don’t know what happened as I was finishing. I tried to step off to the side platform with my right foot but missed the step. Suddenly I was turning and going down.

Intro Psych 101 taught me that the two fundamental fears hardwired into the human brain are falling and loud noises. Getting off of the treadmill was a two-fer since I fell and made a loud noise.

A solid faceplant onto the treadmill belt, and then the funny parts started. There are plenty of hilarious videos out there, but they’re all accurate in one way. If you land on the treadmill belt while it’s still plugging along at 3+ miles an hour, it will deposit your pathetic ass out onto the floor behind the treadmill like a watermelon seed being squeezed out between your fingers. PAAAH-TOOOOEY!!!

My first reaction was to start laughing. It just seemed so hilarious that it really happened that way. Then all of the screaming started, and no, it wasn’t me.

A nice woman on the treadmill next to mine was hollering, asking if I was okay. I started to get up and told her I was fine. One of the trainers ran over to make sure I was okay, help me up, and make sure I wasn’t going to sue anyone. Then someone yelled about my leg and the blood.

There actually wasn’t any blood, just some belt rash and bruises. But it looks ugly.

After I stood up I could hear an alarm and realized it was my Apple Watch doing that “It Appears That You Have Fallen!!” warning screen. It’s counting down, defaulting to a call to 9-1-1, which was the last thing I would have needed at the moment. My embarrassment in front of the screaming lady on the next treadmill I could deal with. The scorn and disdain from a crew of LA County Paramedics (and the $500+ bill) as they check my blood pressure and vital signs over a road-rash-y knee? Even I have my limits.

Fortunately, it didn’t hurt at all. A little tender, but the skin abrasions seemed to be fine for about six hours. About dinner time all of those nerve endings came out of their coma and started screaming, so tonight might be “interesting” trying to sleep, but everything’s relative. It doesn’t hurt as bad as my jaw has for months after multiple cavities, three root canals, a “crown lengthening” (Google it at your own risk if squeamish), and three new crowns.

So yeah, I’m embarrassed, but that hasn’t slowed me down in the past and doesn’t seem likely to do so this time either. Just another reminder that I’m not 30 or 40 anymore. (Plus, I was a klutz at 30 and 40, so this won’t be the last time I end up doing something stupid and painful.)

The worst part is that the freaking Russian judge only gave me a 3.2. Apparently my degree of difficulty wasn’t that great, but I scored well on style points.

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Filed under Health, Paul, Photography

August 15, 2024 · 22:25

Life’s Too Short To Drink Cheap Wine

Some days the Universe just slaps you upside the head to remind you of that.

Don’t assume you’ve got tomorrow. Live big today. Don’t live in fear. Take that chance, revel in that experience.

Take that trip. See that show. Tell those close to you that you love them. Mean it!

It will all be over way too soon and you don’t want to leave any unplayed cards in your hand.

Enjoy the journey, no matter the path, no matter who you’re traveling it with.

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Filed under Deep Thoughts, Photography

August 13, 2024 · 23:22

Fine Feathered Friends – August 13th

House finch – male.

The colorful red head gives him away – the females don’t have any of that coloration, just muted browns & greys.

I got a couple of decent pictures of him through the kitchen window before he saw me and screamed, “NO PAPARAZZI!!” before taking off for a more private perch.

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Filed under Birds, Critters, Photography

August 12, 2024 · 23:26

The Mourning Doves Return

While we’ve had plenty of house finches making nests on the back porch every year, last year was the first time that we had any nests out under the eaves of the front porch. Way over in the boonies by the garage, and well away from the front door, a house finch nest got built, but right next to the front door we had a mourning dove nest. (At almost the EXACT same time of year, too!) After they had a couple of eggs and fledgelings, they abandoned the nest, but I never tore it down or cleaned out the eaves. No doubt these mourning doves are members of the flock of a dozen or more that hang out to get fed every morning in the back yard, but they’re not wearing name tags, so it’s hard to tell.

Yesterday I noticed a mourning dove sitting in the nest. No clue if it’s one of them from last year, but that wouldn’t be the worst guess.

Today I noticed three of them perched up there. Unlike the house finches that freak out of their minds if you get anywhere near the nest, these dudes are pretty laid back. Or maybe it was just that it was hot.

Either way, they didn’t stir whenever I was going in or out, and even when I stretched way out and shoved my cell phone up at arm’s length and got within a couple feet of them, they just stared at me. Humans! Am I right?!

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Filed under Birds, Photography

August 11, 2024 · 23:46

High Thin Pink Clouds & First Quarter Moon

Just before 20:00 local time, about fifteen minutes after sunset, there were some high, thin clouds overhead that were tinged pink.

Also up high, just at the right here, was the first quarter, seven-day old moon.

Across the street to the right, the juvenile great horned owl was just starting to squawk. We’ll all be happy when it gets some experience and a couple of good meals under its belt. Well, all of us except for whatever rabbit, rat, gopher, or feral cat ends up being dinner.

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Filed under Birds, Photography, Sunsets

August 10, 2024 · 23:36

To Pool Or Not To Pool

Soooooooo many factors to consider when looking through hundreds and thousands of Zillow postings for THE ONE, The Forever Home.

Deal killers abound both pro and con – steps are out, as are any HOA fees, but a walk-in shower, kitchen pantry, and high-speed internet are absolute must have items. (I’ll still be working, remotely, from home, so that internet isn’t just so that I can stream Real Housewives of Sheboygan any time I want!)

Other things are more fuzzy getting plugged into the decision tree. Solar panels? Really, really nice, but we can always add them later if we really need to. A trash compactor? Not a problem if it’s not there, we have one in this rental house and we’ve never, EVER used it.

A pool or jacuzzi? They’re not uncommon out here because of the climate and they fit into the price range and home size that we’re looking at. I would guess somewhere between 25% and 33% of the houses we look at have either a pool or a jacuzzi, and of those most have a combination. We had a jacuzzi at the Pomelo house for almost 30 years, but we didn’t use it more than a couple times a year (at most!) and sometimes it would go for a couple years at a time without being used, usually due to maintenance issues.

I could live without the expense of a pool and/or jacuzzi, but I do see where they would be nice to have. So it’s neutral to me – I wouldn’t mind having one and if we do get a house with one I’ll probably make an actual effort to use it more regularly. But if we find a nice home without one, that’s just dandy as well.

The one shown here is at a house in Lancaster that we looked at today. Nothing that I absolutely am in love with, but it would be acceptable if for some reason we had to pull the trigger on Monday (God forbid!) and be moved in 30 days (just kill me now). On the other hand, it’s better to have a Plan B and not need it than to need a Plan B and not have it.

As with so many things in life…

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Filed under Forever Home, Photography

August 7, 2024 · 22:44

Sunset Lizard

I know that all y’all have been wondering how the yard lizards have been doing. It’s a good thing, nothing to be ashamed of.

Just an hour or so before sunset. I went out to catch a final bit of daylight, my little lizard friend in all of his ectothermic glory, was doing the same.

Not so little. We’ve had quite the crop of tiny (maybe two inch long?) “popcorn” lizards this summer, but this one’s pretty good sized for a fence lizard.

The instant I got too close, our friend was off like a shot to someplace where they blended into the background a little bit more.

Being in the shade wasn’t ideal, and there was also a goal of staying opposite of me on the tree trunk, so when I moved, they moved.

Once they got up into a higher, sunnier spot, I backed off and went back the way I had come in, leaving them to catch those final rays for the evening. They needed it more than I did. I’ve got a billion years of evolutionary advancements working for me.

Of all of the things we’re looking for in the Forever Home that we love about our current and previous homes, our lizard friends will be the easiest to guarantee finding in the Victor Valley area.

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Filed under Critters, Forever Home, Photography

August 6, 2024 · 23:35

Earthquake Alert

In parts of the world (think, Japan, other parts of Asia) where they have even more dangerous earthquakes than we do, they’ve for years had warning systems that detected earthquakes starting and send out alerts to peoples’ phones and computers. While the energy from an earthquake spreads out from the epicenter quickly, communications systems are even faster. If you’re on the epicenter or just a couple miles away, you’re screwed. But if you’re twenty miles away and it takes a minute or two for the shaking to start and the system can trigger your phone in ten seconds, then you have fifty seconds to pull your car over to the side of the road, to get away from the windows and under the desk in your office, to have surgeons pause their operations, to have elevators stop and let people off.

We’re starting to implement those systems here in the US, but in all of the five or six years that I remember them being active here in SoCal, I don’t recall them ever going off before the shaking starts for me, or if they do go off, it’s been for a false alarm, telling me about something too small and/or too far away to be felt by me.

Until tonight.

Buzzing, shaking, that’s an alert that I hadn’t seen before and it definitely got my immediate attention! But there was no shaking. I had enough time to think, “Another false alarm?”

The watch went off a few seconds later, but still no shaking. I figured it’s different alert systems all tied into the same network. False alarm? By now it’s been maybe thirty seconds and my brain is thinking through the “how big?” and “how far away?” math…

And then the shaking started. The quake was 100 miles away or so, so by the time the energy got here we were swaying back and forth like being in a boat when a barge had gone by and the wake was making us bob around. That’s actually an excellent analogy, except instead of water it’s rock that’s transmitting the waves and energy.

While things were swaying around, multiple more alerts came in. Our shaking lasted for 20-30 seconds and never got particularly violent or energetic, but it was very, VERY noticeable. Even if we hadn’t gotten an alert it wasn’t like we would have overlooked it. If it’s small enough and/or far enough away, you only know there was an earthquake when you see a news report about it. This would not have been one of those.

So, the system worked! I’m sure they got a lot of good data on how to make it better for the next time, but I sure felt better given that 30-second warning. Especially if we have some higher confidence that the system works, when it goes off next time (and there will always be a next time) I’ll pay attention immediately. It’s not like hurricane warnings that are out there a week before the storm hits, or even tornado alerts that go out a few hours early. If sixty seconds is possible, I’ll take it!

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Filed under Deep Thoughts, Disasters, Photography