pamola

06:34 am: Oh my... Dole has gone to new depths

I can't believe how low this ad is. They apparently had to hire a voice actor to get the final line. Its all smoke and mirrors.

06:54 am: 888 Challenge: One Sci-Fi/reread, starting another non fiction
So after laylalawlor reminded me of Cordwainer Smith's novels with her talk of Sun Sailors, I had to break out Best of Cordwainer Smith. "The woman who sailed the Soul" is one of those perfect short stories (like "Ill met in Lankhmar" or Zelazny's "Tower of Ice"), which deals with the hazards of an interstellar trip on a sun sailed vessel. And "Scanners live in Vain" is really great as a fifties/sixties era sci fi story. So in following Chabon's Yiddish Policeman's Union, I picked up Neal Karlen's "The story of Yiddish" from the new book shelf at the library. I've started it and it is an amusing, anecdotal sort of book.

02:02 pm: Gannet flies free

Freed Gus' Gannet
Originally uploaded by gusgrosch

So Gus' Gannet was released today. When we picked it up off the beach it was 4.5 lbs and it weighed in at a respectable 7.4 lbs before release. He would have been released a week ago, had he not had worms. And he was so bossy with the pelicans, he got triple or quadruple dosed with worm meds (hidden in fish). He could not take the shore break when we found him, however today he was through a stronger shore break in five minutes. All the flight feathers are not quite in, but he is strong enough to do short hops and fend for himself.

03:52 am: Spring Storms and Clouds

Marsh Sunset 360 Panoramic
Originally uploaded by gusgrosch

We've had majestic storms this week, with great clouds and light when the sun goes down. The boy was skittering to keep out of the picture while I took the 15 shots to make this panoramic picture.

05:29 pm: Weather is here,,,
Wind 10-15 mph from the west, midtide and falling, waves started at 2 feet around 1530 and built to 3-4 by 1630. A fine day paddling on small forgiving waves and trying out the new seat set up. I pedaled down and got lots of compliments for the kayak carrier.

05:37 pm: Gannet in the Shower

Gannet in the Shower
Originally uploaded by gusgrosch

So here is yesterday's rescue. He has gained 8 oz overnight. Three force feed fish and watered down cat food. He also has taken numerous chunks out of the wildlife rehabilitator's hand. He came in at 4.5 lbs and dehydrated. Normal weight is about 7lbs, the rehabilitator is aiming for 6.5 pounds.

07:31 am: And Me without my Camera

Diving Sea Bird
Originally uploaded by gusgrosch

So doing the Sunday Morning Alternate Church service (walking by the beach with the boy) We come upon a gannet stranded above the surf line (tide going out, south winds 10-15mph, 1-2 foot waves). It honks at us but doesn't move (they are mostly swimmers and flyers). The boy walks behind it which annoys it enough to hop three times into the surf, where it seems to be floundering. After calls to the wildlife rehabilitator, we get a beach towel and capture the gannet(who had tired itself out in the shore break). We walk up to the rehabilitation center about the time the rehabilitator gets back from Walmart. She looked it over, said it was light, but good shape. It can't fly because it is changing from winter to summer plumage and all the flight feathers are not in yet.

04:17 pm: Flotsam and Jetsom
I have been collecting a number of pictures of odd things washed up on the beach(mostly dead animals). Mostly I fascinated with the colors of the freshly dead animals.

07:49 pm: A Spendid Sky Last Night
The boy and I walked to the beach and I stiched this together with Photoshop.


There were also Gannets diving on the fish to be had.

Tags: sunset oinc

02:01 pm: First Spring Dip
The boy and I biked down to the beach and took our first dip of the season. Winds from the South 10mph, Air Temp 70, Water Temp 65, Waves at 2 feet, 2 hours before low tide. We threw the water frisbee awhile and got out after 15-20 minutes.

In other news the wildlife rehabilitator had several calls about a pelican with broken wing from a beach across the river. She expected it to be one bird reported many times. The Aquarium staff went up and found it was four, which have all been turned over to her. She called the sheriff and suggested foul play (just too odd a circumstance).

Tags: waves

08:01 pm: Sad Passings
The fine one legged Great horned owl at my local wildlife rehabilitator had to be put down. While a spunky owl, he had an infection in his leg. It was not visible in this shot, but was in some of the other I took for showing the state wildlife agent.

06:42 am: Going, Going, Gone

Release of a Cormorant yesterday, following the witnessing of rat school for a one legged Great horned owl. Definitely not for the faint of heart. But the owl appears to be able to handle the larger prey, so he will probably be released soon.

 
See more about the rehabilatator at Sea Biscuit Wildlife Shelter Blog

Tags: cormorrant, owl

07:43 pm: Friends of the Library Book Sale
So the boy being on Spring break and I being on a 5 on, 1 off schedule, finds me off today. We go to the library book sale, disc golf and then 4H council meeting for the boy.

Saturday and Sunday are usually better days for books at the sale, but every day the price drops (hard covers $0.50, trade paper $0.25, other paperbacks $0.10. The boy and my wife went Sunday and pulled a large number of books and reported there were plenty to be had. They must of had a great Monday, since the tables were well picked. However there were a few books I picked up: Engineering Drawing, Njal's Saga, Stendahal Scarlet and Black, Fortune of Formulas, Bob Born of Battle(a true dog who would rise to the challenge).  Fortune of Formulas was in the math section, but is actually a 1939 book on how to make all sorts of compounds. From Adhesives to Photographic emulsions. I read the instructions for making Ginger beer to a 4H mother and described how to make a variety of old fashioned drinks. You can also learn to make diamond glue and a whole host of other noxious compounds. Well we're ready for the revolution/IEOTWAWKI, are you?

07:57 pm: One Mystery, One Nonfiction for 888
Finished The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon. I really enjoyed the chess subplot(the main character despising chess for having to play know it all helped) and the Yiddish (close enough to German for me to follow).  Then I rushed through Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food. If you have heard the Talk of the Nation Science Friday piece, then you have heard the major points of the book. He is an amusing writer and I highly recommend the book for whole food lovers.

07:07 am: More Owls
Well I got to take pictures of the two Screech Owls in Mouse training at the rehabilitation center last night. Basically they are in an outdoor cage (6'x10'x8') with children's swimming pool in the center. Nightly two live mice are placed in the swimming pool and if kills are made five successive nigths the owl that weighs the most graduates to being released. both these owls are blind in one eye. The grey one actually has about 30% use of one eye, but he seems to fly worse.


I really think these guys look like the little creatures in my Neighbor Totoro.

Tags: owls

05:23 pm: Easter Sunrise Service and Owl Release
A restful Easter with many encounters with wildlife.

( Picures and Such ensue... )

07:17 pm: New Camera Just in time for the Azaleas

Yes spring is in full swing here, but of course this is when I get sucked into long days at work. Fortunately it is also bonus time from work, so scraping together Christmas, Birthday and bonus money I got an Olympus E-510. Just ran out to try it on the neighbor's azaleas.

09:13 pm: Onward on 888
Read half of Omnivore's Dilemma before it had to go back to the library. Now we'll go with Mystery: The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon. My wife read this and enjoyed it, eventhough it bordered on Sci Fi. Apparently a alternate time line where all the Jews went to Alaska instead of Israel after WW II.

09:36 pm: Early Birthday Present
The Boy having a hockey game Tuesday, we had an early Birthday dinner for me and I got to open some presents. From my family I got Arkadia, a lovely Euro-strategy game(half price at Barnes and Noble, apparently ours still has some left). We saw the towers similar to Torres which it resembles in its somewhat cooperative play, but it had a flavor similar to Tigres and Euphrates. Players are architects (up to four), who are constructing buildings for four families and the castle for the king. Each time a building gets built, the castle adds another section(which impacts the influence of the families in the kingdom), architects gain influence for each worker who helped build the building and a bonus for completing the building. Players choose when to trade in their influence with the families for gold. The amount of gold is determined by the families influence in the castle. The pieces make the record keeping quite easy. There is a lot of strategic planning and resource planning. Buildings are similar to the pieces in Cathedral, so there is boxing out of players, using the buildings to gain more neutral workers. Workers can be used to cover up stray squares. The boy and I had a grand time figuring the game out(it only took an hour and half, probably an hour with experienced people).

My elder sister had sent a box of sale items from William Sonoma and Barnes and Noble. Not a bad haul this year. Candies, Clay Pot Shrimp Sauce (a Vietnamese delicacy), Man's Apron, and book on Hunan Cooking (Revoluntionary Chinese Cooking).

Tags: arkadia, birthday

02:20 pm: Trying new things with Old Digital Camera
In particular Macro filters:


Tags: 2008, nature