James Brubaker

Category: Uncategorized

  • August 20, 2022 – Wanted to show you this tortoise

     

    Don’t forget to look at yesterday’s post by clicking “OLDER  POSTS” at the bottom of this page:   August 19, 2022 Dave Cesari, Photoshop, and Politics – That word Politics ought to get your attention!

    But first look at this – I love seeing the intellect of these guys – He/she made some quick decisions about how to get under the fence – Knew quickly he/she needed to move on up the fence line.

    First a close-up I did with my new iPhone

    SMART ANIMAL _ CLICK HERE TO SEE him/her making smart decisions

    As you swing through life – get off from time to time and walk in the outside world – like a Nature Trail or a Lake Shore or a Rails-To-Trails bike path
  • August 19, 2022 Dave Cesari, Photoshop, and Politics – That word Politics ought to get your attention-READ ON!

    August 19, 2022 Dave Cesari, Photoshop, and Politics – That word Politics ought to get your attention-READ ON!

    Dave wrote:  Hi Jim, Here are some pictures for the blog. An immature male Yellowthroat. Yellowthroats are members of the warbler family. Also Cardinals male and female at my feeder set up. This is the slow time for bird photography. Hopefully it will improve as fall gets closer.   Dave

    08-18-2022-Dave-Cesari
    08-18-2022-Dave-Cesari
    08-18-2022-Dave-Cesari
    08-18-2022-Dave-Cesari
    08-18-2022-Dave-Cesari

    In my last posting here I spoke of PhotoShop and recording memories – another subject I enjoy thinking about is politicians – not as candidates but as a person working their way through a career as we all did in our 20’s through some future year (Our working years).  I like to read about how they studied, practiced, and worked at being successful as as person in a career.  Well, Thomas and John have always been fun to read about and that reading made me jump onto PhotoShop just for fun:

    Political debate in 1800 when things were slow – John and Thomas – Thomas won!

    I was thinking about the speed of technological change and how it impacts me even before my eyes are fully open at my breakfast hot coffee.

    Every morning on TV, the politicians are fighting it out for the mid-term’s – often miss-using events that happened overnight. But think about how it was 200 years ago before TV, cell phones, internet, and even before postal service. How many days dit it take to transport a letter from Virginia to Massachusetts – and who would transport that letter? Politicians had to fight with old information – but they did fight just like today.

    John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died on the same day, July 4, 1826. 

    Adams was 90, and Jefferson was 83— They had been rivals, indeed enemies, for some time; Jefferson had defeated Adams in the presidential election of 1800. But they had repaired their differences and had pursued active letter writing with each other years before their deaths. 

    On that final day, the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Adams died at his home in Quincy, Massachusetts, and Jefferson died at his home in Monticello, Virginia. 

    John Adams whispered his last words: “Thomas Jefferson survives.” But he was wrong – Jefferson had died at Monticello a few hours earlier.

    John Adams spoke without complete information! But in those days politicians had an excuse – Information flow was slow – it took days to move information from Monticello to Quincy.  When John was on his death bed he could not wait that long to see if Tom was really surviving, so he spoke with what he assumed was correct!

    As you swing through life, join me and study the politician as a person – it is fun – later on you can worry about his/her political position – if you see it as fun.
  • Aug 15, 2022 – Featuring my Photo Memories.

    Aug 15, 2022 – Featuring my Photo Memories.

    As my new phone, with the .5 lens,  saw this flower by Lake Judy – It was my memory of Lake Judy this morning as I rode my bike by it.
    As PhotoShop saw the Lake Judy flower later in the day.
    As my old phone saw this memory moment
    As PhotoShop saw the memory shot – OOPS where is the proud Mother?
    NOW PhotoShop fixed it
    As you swing through life, keep that phone working – Snap many memories

     

  • July 21, 2022 – Featuring Dave Cesari – What great photos Dave provides – & – a few of my travel photos

    July 21, 2022 – Featuring Dave Cesari – What great photos Dave provides – & – a few of my travel photos

    I wrote: I can’t get over Daves photos – Look at the composition, the colors, the foreground/background, and of course study the beauty and body expression displayed by the birds. Enjoy them!

    Dave wrote:  Hi Jim, Here are some pictures for the blog. Kind of a mixed bag. A Green Heron up in a tree in our woods. Two Wilson’s Snipe and some Morning doves at our feeders. We got some much needed rain today. That was good as my gardens needed a good watering.  Dave

    07 21 2022 Dave Cesari
    07 21 2022 Dave Cesari
    07 21 2022 Dave Cesari
    07 21 2022 Dave Cesari
    07 21 2022 Dave Cesari
    07 21 2022 Dave Cesari

    I can not resist showing a few photos from my travels to Michigan and New Hampshire.  I selected some photos of art that I saw along the way:

    I call this horse a piece of historic art.  My good friends Allen and Tess Hoey, (I kept my horses at their place on Drummond Island) donated this horse to the Betsey Seaman Museum – What is it you say? – It is a mannequin like a department store would use to display cloths except this mannequin was used to display the horse harness which they sold in their store.
    This is an art wall to me. In Keene New Hampshire is a store where the owner invites students to come in and play games like corn-toss, and small basket ball tossing competition and of course, feel free to write on the wall – His store is like a community center to give the kids a wholesome safe place to stop on the way home from school.
    And in Keene, some professional artist decorate the outside walls. – For Human & Animal Rights
    I really liked this art wall. The steps look real – I almost tried to walk up them- OOPS they are real – or – are they. What do you think?   Very interesting how the artist handled the legs of the artist in the art.
    As you swing through life, remember Henry David Thoreau said: “Art is not what you look at that maters, it’s what you see.”
  • July 10, 2022 – Featuring a message from Dave Cesari concerning the decline in bird populations:

    July 10, 2022 – Featuring a message from Dave Cesari concerning the decline in bird populations:

    Dave Wrote:  Hi Jim, This is the slow time of year for bird photography. The birds if there were any are off molting.

    The populations of the neo-tropical insectivores are and have been disappearing at an alarming rate. This has been happening for several years but is now occurring at an accelerated rate. The neo-tropical insectivores are the warblers, tanagers, thrushes and orioles.

    Here are some pictures  of a Monarch butterfly on a bee balm flower at  the patch in our yard.    Dave

    07 15 2022 Dave Cesari
    07 15 2022 Dave Cesari

    I have been studying a lot these last couple of weeks.  Trying to understand how the worldwide hosting systems work and how I can keep all these photos available for you to view years later.  At the bottom of this page you see an opportunity to view previous post.  Dave has posted his wonderful bird photos for what seems to be years now. I think I have it set up where you can keep going back over those photos.

    I have also been studying things that I can do with those little 3 second videos that the iPhone creates every time I snap a photo.  And, obviously I continue to play around with PhotoShop to create photos you are sure are real!

    I don’t see a bear, do you see a bear down there in the woods?
    With all the locks they put on this fence, you would think I would know enough not to ride my bike in there. – Oh, by the way, where am I?   Why is my hat in that bear’s lap?

    Try Clicking here        Then press back arrow to end video and return.

    As you swing through life, enjoy studying things – I do not know what else to say – my brain is full today from all my studying. Catch you next time.

     

     

     

     

     

  • 07 04 2022 – Just a thinkin’ while sitting on my computer – Read on to see what I am a thinkin’.

     

    On the road & eating at the same time

    I just got back from a trip through 4 airports, a trip up east cost on a week end,  even stopping at a McDonalds for a lunch in the car while driving, and to NYC during rush hour (which as any hour in NYC I discovered).

    I discovered we humans are great at standing in line to get what we want. Especially when we want to eat or travel.

    By 49th street in NYC – Not exactly a food wagon line – It is really a WEED wagon line. But my point is we humans understand lines – We are actually friendly and orderly in most cases – as you can see folks visiting while waiting in line.
    Then, I came across these birds in our great TGO this afternoon – standing in line waiting for food not WEED – but the food was hiding in the weeds. – Those birds were very orderly waiting in line for their turn – I ‘spect we got our ability to tolerate waiting lines from the birds we my have descended from – what you think?
    As you swing through life, enjoy visiting with others waiting in line – and stay orderly in life!

     

  • 06 28 2022 – Featuring some photos after I left Drummond and headed to be with family

    06 28 2022 – Featuring some photos after I left Drummond and headed to be with family

    We went to New Hampshire to enjoy Keene and the Rails-to-Trails, and each-other of course. Lots of laughs and fun experiences.  Then to NYC, Then to New Jersey & New York  to look at Real Estate – Heather Is an Agent, then to visit places I lived in and raised a family – starting over 60 years ago.

    Oh my – We were young – Caroline changed – Sure grew up – Do you think I did?
    Mom is explaining to the dog what Caroline grew up – Look what she achieved!
    Rails to trails in New Hampshire – History on my cell phone! You see every time you take a photo you record historic stories – memories – ’cause that time will never reoccur – it is history
    The bear that turned out to me a tree stump and appropriate shadows – Family history of laughs on my cell phone
    Look what we found – Family members that never learned to spell their name correctly – but their cookin’ was good. Lets get off the trail and have lunch!
    OK – Let’s go have happy hour and talk about the historic memories we had today
    Then off to NYC – I enjoy NYC folks – great for Street Photography
    Orlando had lots of weather related travel delays and scenes like this
    As you swing thru life – Do not tell me you like looking at my photos of family trips or I my post some of the 500 more that I took!
  • June 13, 2022 – Featuring some morning wildlife and scenes of my Drummond Island morning bike ride.

    June 13, 2022 – Featuring some morning wildlife and scenes of my Drummond Island morning bike ride.

    These photos are not intended to be photos of beautiful art form – They are photos intended to show you what I saw and enjoyed on my morning ride.  I carried my D5300 with me and kept it set to aperture priority at f7.1 – I forget the ISO limit I set but I normally set it high. Most of the time the camera software chose 400-800 I think.  I did some post processing on each photo to crop and play with tone and saturation.

    The temperature  was still in the high 40’s and the sun was bright – perfect for me and animals!:

    For starters – Spring is about to emerge – The yellow flowers in the background told me that.
    In fact I looked right into the Lady’s slipper.
    I know these two – they survived the winter & hunting season – They are saying to me -“Where have you been all winter? – Great to see you back – but why have you not put out apples for us?”   They do not understand I sold the place.
    There are families every where.
    More families.
    Nothing special here, unless you enjoy early morning boat rides – I do.
    Oops – mine in the used boat sales wharf.
    Just had to snap this shot – made me laugh – in days gone by I tapped maple trees – never thought of this idea. Ha Ha!
    This is my people friendly Gull – We call him/her Gully. A friend of mine feeds him hard boiled eggs from time to time – But his/her real food source is another friend who fishes every day – rain, sun, or snow – and this Gull sits on her boat waiting for hand outs for an hour or so every day! As you see he/she stood right there posing for this “Photo Opportunity” – Of course, her/she expected to be paid with a minnow for breakfast.
    As you swing through life, I hope you can find and enjoy  your own “Drummond” for your time outdoors!

     

  • JUNE 10, 2022 Featuring Dave Cesari and birds from Upstate New York and my street photography – one photo!

    Dave wrote:  Hi Jim, Here are some pictures for the blog. Some resident warblers from the upstate NY area. A Pine Warbler, two American Redstarts, A Chestnut-sided Warbler, a Morning Warbler, and two Yellowthroats. Spring migration is about over here. Birds are into the nesting season.   Dave

    DAVE 06 10 2022
    DAVE 06 10 2022
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    DAVE 06 10 2022

    Now a photo from my walk on Drummond to do street photography:

    You can always tell a Drummond car – Can’t you?
    As you swing through life ENJOY IT!

     

     

  • May 29, 2022 – Featuring Dave Cesari and some UpState New York bird life – I like that one peaking out from behind the greenery – I chose it as the featured image above.

    May 29, 2022 – Featuring Dave Cesari and some UpState New York bird life – I like that one peaking out from behind the greenery – I chose it as the featured image above.

    Dave Wrote: HI Jim, Here are some more marsh birds for the blog. A Virginia Rail and a Sora. Soras are members of the rail family. You have to go searching for these marsh birds as they are fairly common but not easy to find. Next I’ll send  you some resident warblers from our area.  Dave

    05 29 2022 Dave Cesari
    05 29 2022 Dave Cesari
    05 29 2022 Dave Cesari
    05 29 2022 Dave Cesari
    05 29 2022 Dave Cesari
    05 29 2022 Dave Cesari
    This is what I saw when sitting at my lunch table – I went out and explained to him/her that the pond that it was drinking from was the pond claimed by the local 10 foot gator.  It pondered a moment and headed to hide behind the bushes surrounding the house. – Good move – at least safe for now!
    I think this is the older brother stopped by to say “Thank You”
    As you swing through life look out your door or window – bet there is some form of wildlife to study out there.