B/W 2024 #3

 

“There are no facts, only interpretations.” 

~Friedrich Nietzsche 

 

I went to the archives for this one. I just didn't do anything this past week that inspired me, so I thought maybe I missed an opportunity in the past, and yes I had. We visited Alameda a couple years ago, in search of some nifty little shorebirds and ducks. Well, we weren't very lucky about finding the birds, but we did find a magnificent view of San Francisco and the bay, and in the case of this photograph, Mount Tamalpias peeking out of the fog that was surrounding the bay! I think the black and white gives it a haunting feel. Not scary necessarily but rather in terms of history. That view has been there forever. Just think about how many folks stood in the spot I did, and appreciated the natural beauty in front of them. 

 

One of them might have been my dad, who worked his whole career in Alameda, at the Navel Air Station. He and I both enjoyed a love fort the bay, and the mountains surrounding the Bay Area. Mount Tam is just one of the mountains that inspires me, and it does in almost every way! We have been to the top only once, so I think this summer would be a good time to maybe do some photos of the gorgeous views that go on forever, and of course a sunset over San Francisco would absolutely fill my heart. In fact, Mount Diablo, Mount Hamilton in Santa Clara County, Mount Lassen, all the way up in Lassen County, and finally gorgeous Mount Shasta, might also be a fun way to shake up the subjects a bit. And in that there are birds everywhere, well, that just makes for one beautiful day! Black and White or color is just beside the point!

 

 Elevations

 

Mount Tamalpias... 2,571

Mount Diablo... 3,849

Mount Hamilton... 4,265

Mount Shasta... 14,179

I hope I can move beyond my fears and go. I really want to break out of the box of reluctance and travel anxiety I live in. I want to experience new things, especially when my love of birds and photography calls me at the same time.

 

 

Power Lunches

 

“Pull up a chair. Take a taste. Come join us.

 Life is so endlessly delicious.” 

~Ruth Reichl 

 

Here is the downside to birding, occasionally you come across the circle of life on full display. Hey, they do the clean up, and all of it fits together in the greater scheme of things, but oh my, my heart breaks for the animal that was hit by a car, or a bird that may have been affected by the recent bird influenza, that has been affecting the ducks, geese and other migratory species. Sigh. The lack of huge number of birds everywhere, drives home the scary point that a life without birds could be an eventuality. If you look at the reported declines in different bird species, due to both environmental factors and disease, it's not just depressing, but deeply concerning for our future. But on this day, this pair of turkey vultures was doing their thing, and that is a good thing!

Autumn, But Winter Also

 

“It looked like the world was covered in a cobbler crust

 of brown sugar and cinnamon.” 

~Sarah Addison Allen,

  First Frost

 

 I know, I know, I have used that quote, perhaps more than once, during the last autumn season, but what can I say, it applies! And it should come as no surprise that if there is autumn to be found, I will be there, camera in hand. And I am happy! But, oh my, the beauty of winter when you live on the delta! I love all the shadows and reflections, the boats also. It's so great when there is something of both seasons to focus on and appreciate at the same time. I wish I had seen the beauty of Smith Canal sooner. I posted photos from the canal a while back, and I hope to combine some birding with canal photos this spring. Spring isn't my favorite time of year, but I like blossoms and flowers, so perhaps I will be a bit more open minded about turning them into subjects for my photography. Hey, letting my imagination lead the way is how I found the amazing spider, Boris, and also the fun of the Mexican Free-tailed bat of summer. 

Winter On The Delta

Smith Canal 

Louis Park/Pixie Woods

Stockton, Ca

Jan 18th 2024

 

“I love to watch the fine mist of the night come on,
The windows and the stars illumined, one by one,
The rivers of dark smoke pour upward lazily,
And the moon rise and turn them silver. I shall see
The springs, the summers, and the autumns slowly pass;
And when old Winter puts his blank face to the glass,
I shall close all my shutters, pull the curtains tight,
And build me stately palaces by candlelight.”

 
~Charles Baudelaire

  Les Fleurs du Mal 

 

 
 

 

Lighting And Timing

 

Sandhill Crane

Woodbridge road

Lodi, California

 

“For me, the subject of the picture is always

 more important than the picture.” 

~Diane Arbus 

 

Sandhill crane always inspire me to search for the beauty in the world, and despite the vile cruelty in the world, natural beauty eclipses it. They are becoming my favorite subject. So far I have never seen them, when they weren't photogenic, not all birds are like that. The crane will be on their way soon, and I will miss them very much, because photographing them has taught me a lot about lighting and timing. I will miss their beauty, but I will especially miss hearing their call, but September will bring them back home, as we usher in the autumn season. Its all only two seasons away. It's a long time away, but I have plenty of subjects to keep me busy while I wait for their return. And hey, I spotted a couple of them that were banded, so hopefully I will get to photograph the same group in the fall!

Ellipsis... Brought To You By...

 

 

 

 “Advertisement shouldn’t look like information,

 it should look like a promise.” 

~Amit Kalantri

 

 Eat your cereal. Eat your toaster pastry. Eat your ice cream.

 

Remember Post Toasties? Lordy I loved the commercials of the 50's, 50's and 70's, so here is 17 minutes, or so, of some fun ones from, among other brands, Post, Seven Seas, and Bird's Eye. My goodness advertising was great from back then. I get so nostalgic for these simpler and more dangerous times. Yum. Food additives, lack of safety seals, and false advertising. Good times.

 

 

Ahhh Yes... Sodium

 

“Sir Humphrey Davy
Detested gravy
He lived in the odium
Of having invented sodium.” 

~Edmund Bentley 

 

Ahhh yes... sodium. I enjoyed sodium filled products my whole life. Chinese food. Italian food. HAMBURGERS. Buffalo wings. You name it, I was a sodium fiend. Let me stress, I was a sodium fiend. Ugh. Age makes us alter our thinking about food, and now that I am 106 years old, well, it's just a matter not wanting to fall over dead, while picking out Blood oranges at Trader Joe's. I just hate the thought of dying in public, don't you? Having to look at total strangers staring down at you, speculating on everything from why I was wearing a mask in public, to whether or not I had a next of kin in the car, while you see the white light of a thousand or more fluffy angels come flying to your side. Your last thoughts could be, wait... did I put underwear on this morning? Or perhaps, why the HELL did I have that salt platter of death last night? If I had just listened to my doctor, I might have at least made it to my car before I dropped dead. Sigh.

 

The delight you see in this post is from Panera. It's the absolutely perfect, Cranberry Orange Muffin. Worth the calories. Worth the sodium. Worth every naughty crumble, especially if you just do a little planning for it. Figure out what you want to spend your calories, fat, sodium and all the rest of it on, and give yourself a free day once a month! It will work for weight loss, I guarantee it, and it will work with cutting back other nutritional concerns as well. I tried it just after I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes back in 2007, and honestly it was one of the easiest things I have ever attempted. I gave up restaurants. I ate all the foods I loved, but they were homemade, and once a month I fed the culinary cravings, which I think made me less likely to drop the modified diet, because I knew there was a day waiting for me to enjoy each month. It works. So, that's what I plan to do now, all these years later. Salt in moderation. Salt measured. Not only am I lacking for nothing, I might just live to reach the car, the day I go tits up!

Well done, future me!

Happy Or Sad

 

 Yellow-billed Magpie

Louis Park

January11th 2024

Minolta ProShot MN67Z

 

“A magpie can be happy or sad: sometimes so happy that he sits on a high, high gum tree and rolls the sunrise around in his throat like beads of pink sunlight; and sometimes so sad that you would expect the tears to drip off his beak.This magpie was like that.” 

~Colin Thiele

  Magpie Island

 

It's seems magpies are a lot like humans in the sense that we all have good and bad days. This magpie was quite happy, he was hopping about from tree top to tree top, searching for seeds or acorns, or perhaps he was simply playing with his magpie buddies. I never see a magpie alone, they always have a community around them. Some birds are definitely loners like, for example, the Shrike, but magpies apparently believe there is safety in numbers. The shrike, by contrast is an aggressive bird that will, in human terms, will cut a bitch! LOL. Truthfully, they are simply nasty, cruel bird, but they sure are pretty. Figures. I love learning about the lives of birds, I have missed so much in my life by taking nature for granted. 

 

 

The American Kestrel

 

“Beauty of whatever kind, in its supreme development,

 invariably excites the sensitive soul to tears.” 

~Edgar Allan Poe 

 

I don't think the American Kestrel has ever brought me to tears, but I do know that I photograph them every chance I get. They catch my eye not just because of their beauty, but because at a glance the share a lot of the same features of a Merlin, although Merlin's are a bit bigger. I have yet to find a Merlin, to add to my birding lift list, but I am having a great time searching for them. That's how I found the American Kestrel is the smallest of the falcons, but what a cool, mighty little bird!

Sierra Snow

 “Snow falling soundlessly in the middle of the night

 will always fill my heart with sweet clarity” 

~Novala Takemoto,

  Missin' (Novel)

 

I never get tired of looking at the snow on the Sierras. I can stand in the valley, my favorite spots are Woodbridge road, in Lodi, and Desmond road, in Galt, and just marvel at the beauty of the hills covered in the color of snow. Like I said a while back, the San Joaquin Valley isn't home, and it will never be as beautiful or as exciting as San Francisco, but it has some unique beauty that I am really glad I got to see and appreciate in my lifetime.

 

 

B/W 2024 #2

 

“More than anything she wanted the world to be uncomplicated, for right and wrong to be as easily divided as the black and white sections of an Oreo. But the world was not a cookie.” 

~Roshani Chokshi,

  Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes

 

The "8 Miles" sign is bright orange, with black edging and print. The "California 99" sign is green and white, the electrical box is grey, and the trees are autumn brown with the tiny leaves that remain. Quite fetching as a black and white photo I think, because it removes the assault on the eyes from the bright colors, and instead brings out the pertinent details of the scene, and to my delight is a single stand out quirk of the photo that might have been overlooked, unless you're like me, and see faces where no faces exist. But I can't help it. It was just there. An electrical box that seems to be emoting a little side eye. Perfectly understandable if you are familiar with this exist off Hwy 5, in Lodi.

 

 

Unnecessary

 

 

“You can’t listen for more than one minute.”

 

~Donald J. Trump

 

Full story via NYT

 

How rich is that quote? It was so unnecessary for Trump to accuse Judge Engoron of not listening to him, as he offered his own closing arguments in his New York fraud trial. Judge Engoron didn't even have to let Trump speak, but when has the word NO ever mattered to that loser? I would laugh, but it's just too damn pathetic. Sometimes,  however, I verge on feeling sorry for him. He is a train wreck in general, but he is more than anything else, a sad, demented, hollow man, and I dread the day Hollywood makes a movie about the era we are living through. I just hope, when the eventual movie is made, it will accurately reflect how Trump brought all his troubles on himself, by doing one unnecessary action after another. He is the most unnecessary man who has ever lived. When will I wake up from this dream? Umm... nightmare?

Necessary

 

 

 And then this happened...

Via New York Times

 Full transcript

Today, at my direction, U.S. military forces — together with the United Kingdom and with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands — successfully conducted strikes against a number of targets in Yemen used by Houthi rebels to endanger freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most vital waterways.

These strikes are in direct response to unprecedented Houthi attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea — including the use of anti-ship ballistic missiles for the first time in history. These attacks have endangered U.S. personnel, civilian mariners and our partners, jeopardized trade and threatened freedom of navigation. More than 50 nations have been affected in 27 attacks on international commercial shipping. Crews from more than 20 countries have been threatened or taken hostage in acts of piracy. More than 2,000 ships have been forced to divert thousands of miles to avoid the Red Sea — which can cause weeks of delays in product shipping times. And on Jan. 9, Houthis launched their largest attack to date — directly targeting American ships.

The response of the international community to these reckless attacks has been united and resolute. Last month, the United States launched Operation Prosperity Guardian — a coalition of more than 20 nations committed to defending international shipping and deterring Houthi attacks in the Red Sea. We also joined more than 40 nations in condemning Houthi threats. Last week, together with 13 allies and partners, we issued an unequivocal warning that Houthi rebels would bear the consequences if their attacks did not cease. And yesterday, the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution demanding the Houthis end attacks on merchant and commercial vessels.

Today’s defensive action follows this extensive diplomatic campaign and Houthi rebels’ escalating attacks against commercial vessels. These targeted strikes are a clear message that the United States and our partners will not tolerate attacks on our personnel or allow hostile actors to imperil freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most critical commercial routes. I will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary.

Wait... Monetery?

 

“Isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a

 new day with no mistakes in it yet?” 

 

~L.M. Montgomery 

 

Honestly, I should never blog when tired, drunk or sleepy. The other day I titled a blog post, A Winter's Day In Monterey, or so I thought. What I actually titled it was, A Winter's Day In Monetery. A simple slip up, but nonetheless embarrassing. I can provide tons of reasons for my error, and excuses too, but I know I just need to slow down and proofread before I hit the little publish button. It's what would be best for everybody. Unless there is such a place as Monetery, California. It definitely sounds like it could be a real place. Don't you think? Maybe it's just off Rodeo drive or something. In any case, I am thinking of running for mayor or princess of Monetery. Do I have your vote? 

 

 

B/W 2024 #1

“The most colorful thing in the world is black and white, it contains all colors and at the same time excludes all.”

 
~Vikrmn,

  10 Alone  

 

 I did almost no black and white photography last year, so I think this year I am going to try to do at least one b/w photo a week. This photo was taken last week, at the Stockton Rural Cemetery. I was there because cemeteries are excellent places to look for birds, and it was rainy and foggy and I was wanting to find an owl. I did not find an owl, but it was a perfect day for doing a little moody photography. This cemetery has inspired me many times, but the other day was really stunning. I promise my next black and white photo will be a little more uplifting. I wonder what it will be?

 

 

2024's Cedar Waxwing

 

“In order to see birds it is necessary to become a part of the silence.”

 
~Robert Lynd 

 

I quit X about 10 days ago, and what I have learned in that short amount of time is simple... I was ready to turn off the noise. Social media, overall, has been good for me. I have met amazing people, shared my photos, got to know celebrities I've admired and just generally felt more connected to fellow democrats and those who share my values. It has made me feel less alone. 2024 is a different beast. I will share my opinions, particularly as we move closer to November, and I am hoping to volunteer for my local political chapter, but when it comes to the sounds I want whispering in my ear, I am ready to just hear my birds, and not the head noise Donald Trump causes. Yesterday, as an example, I heard a small group of Cedar waxing land in a tree above me. I heard them, and knew what they were, without looking up! They make a cool little high-pitched sound. Sreeee or  seeeeew. It's fairly easy to miss if you aren't into birds, but if you are, their sound is unmistakable, as is their beauty. I think they are one of my absolute favorites at this point. And as I mentioned in a post last year, sometimes they fly around drunk, which is amusing to watch, bu I can't help buy also feel bad for the bird, like the time I watched one fly beak first into a drive. It wasn't harmed, it flew off dazed but determined to be on it's way. Like all of us I guess. We all walk around dazed these days, but in my case I am determined to be on my way. It's healthy.

#74 for 2024

A Winter's Day In Monterey

 

The Lone Cypress

17 Mile Drive

Monterey, California

January 8th 2024

“Monterey is a place, a grating noise, a quality of light,

 a tone, a habit, a nostalgia, a dream.”

 

~John Steinbeck,

  Cannery Row

 

 

Yesterday, in Monterey, it was as about as beautiful a day as it gets. It was clear, and the water blue and beautiful, as opposed to times when the it is almost gray and full of kelp and frankly... stinky. Don't get me wrong, I love Monterey any time of the year, and any time of day, and no matter how the water looks, but yesterday it was particularly beautiful, and dreamlike. It was hours not moments of Zen. It was cool outside, but not really cold, at least not until much later in the day. We spent the day bopping from spot to spot through Pacific Grove, and then along the 17 Mile Drive, which paid off, because we came home with 13 birds for the 2024 file. It was a very good day by the numbers, but we only saw one new species, the Black Turnstone. We smiled a lot too, especially while watching the Sanderling running toward the water to catch their lunch in the surf, and then darting back to the dry sand as the waves came in. It was a silly little dance, and I wouldn't have miss it for the world. This was dear hubby's birthday trip, and I am so glad he got to spend his day, in the sunshine, in one of the most amazing places in California!

 

Photographed By Hubby

Let's Try This Again...

 

“Birds know themselves not to be at the center of anything, but at the margins of everything. The end of the map. We only live where someone's horizon sweeps someone else's. We are only noticed on the edge of things; but on the edge of things, we notice much.” 

 

 ~Gregory Maguire

  Out of Oz

 

Last week, will doing some birding close to home, I spotted for the first time, a pair of White-tailed Kite, possibly nesting, in some cedar trees in Louis Park's Pixie Woods. It was really amazing, because I rarely see them south of Lodi, so to be right next door in the park gives me some hope that this year will be full of surprises. We are again planning to visit the Monterey coast later today, barring any unforeseen circumstances. The birds recently seen there makes it impossible for birders like us to not go and check out the possibilities. I can't wait to come home and tell you what I find, and of course, show off the photos of the beautiful birds! So, let's try this again...

 

 

This Girl Does Not Live By Monopoly Alone!

 

“...no one is born a great cook, one learns by doing.” 

 
~Julia Child

  My Life in France

 

I wasn't just playing Monopoly yesterday, I also made Chicken Cordon Bleu. It's so easy, and fun, and if I may say so myself, mine is delicious! There, I said it! I tooted my own horn, and that's okay! One should brag on things they do well, but before I go any further I will cop to the fact that all it took was being able to read 30 years ago! I couldn't boil water when I go married, my mother had no clue about what to cook, ever, so I was pretty much on my own. What I wanted from life was to be married, with the eventuality of children. I needed to learn to cook first, so that my babies would get off to a healthy beginning. Alas, we never had children but I did learn too cook. I have some specialties, which is really simply my spin on some basic dishes. My 30lb lasagna has some secrets to tell. My Chicken in Puff Pastry is definitely to our taste, and my Italian soup is really no big deal, mostly expected ingredients, but dear hubby looks forward to it! I am planning to make a, Sun-dried tomato and Kalamata olive Focaccia, one day soon. I miss using my breadmaker, but with Trump and the national election in full nonsense mode, I am sure it will get quite the workout.

Here is a pretty good Chicken Cordon Bleu recipe, and from a different site, a lovely accompanying sauce that raises taste of the dish to the next level. Experiment with it, and if you want to share, comeback and leave me a comment. I would love to hear about what you made!