James Brubaker

Dave Wrote:    Hi Jim, Here are some pictures for the blog. Birds at our feeders during and after yesterday’s spring snow storm. We got 6 inches of heavy wet snow. The feeders were very active as to be expected with the snow. The Brown Thrasher was an unexpected treat as we don’t often get them here.   Dave

04 22 2022 Dave Cesari

04 22 2022 Dave Cesari

04 22 2022 Dave Cesari

04 22 2022 Dave Cesari

04 22 2022 Dave Cesari

04 22 2022 Dave Cesari

04 22 2022 Dave Cesari

ART #1.  One of those watching me fly my radio controlled airplane drone.

I have been playing around with PhotoShop to create art – 1.  A painted dog, and  2.  an abstract of stuff.

ART#2. Reflection in bumper of me photographing one of my bad landings – Oh My!

As you swing thru life in phase 2, work hard and long doing what you love and what earns you enough money so you can play around in  Phase 3 of life, retirement,  where you can work hard at what you love without pay. 

Dave Wrote:    Hi Jim, I was able to get out to my photo blind a few days ago. Here are some shots of Wood Ducks on the pond. Lots of action as the sun was going down so not the greatest light.  Dave

04 14 2022 Dave Cesari

04 14 2022 Dave Cesari

04 14 2022 Dave Cesari

04 14 2022 Dave Cesari

04 14 2022 Dave Cesari

04 14 2022 Dave Cesari

04 14 2022 Dave Cesari

As you swing thru life come back and enjoy these photos of Dave’s again.

Dave wrote:  Hi Jim, Greetings from the Rome, NY area. It is snowing here. My feeders are very active with the snowy weather. Here are a few birds at the feeders. A Fox Sparrow, a White-throated Sparrow, a male Cardinal.and the treat of the morning a male and a female Bluebird on the stub posts I put up near the feeders. Bluebirds don’t eat seeds at the feeders but birds attract birds. It is too cold and the water is too high to get out to my blind to shoot Wood Ducks. Supposed to warm up later in the week.  Dave

04 04 2022 Dave Cesari

04 04 2022 Dave Cesari

04 04 2022 Dave Cesari

04 04 2022 Dave Cesari

04 04 2022 Dave Cesari

I love to see Dave’s birds in the snow – I want to show you a couple of my iPhone snaps of a “day-in-my-life” here in NO-SNOW-TGO:

When I started my day with a bike ride, these guys were playing around in my driveway – A natural ballet with a one rabbit audience – I enjoyed it – Like being in the  NYC theater district, Haha.

Along the nature trail I saw this on a dead palm tree –  I enjoyed seeing it – like a piece of nature’s art.  Someone added a seashell to the fungi in the upper right-hand corner of this photo.  Next time you see one, tell your walking partner “Oh, look at the Ganoderma Zonatum” – They will be impressed with your scientific knowledge of things seen in nature.

The sky as I flew my RC airplane – almost crashed because I was distracted by the beauty of the cloud’s natural art in the sky.

Yep, I know why I quit taking flying lessons on real planes – With this Radio Controlled plane, the pilot(me) and the plane were ready to fly the same windy day after this mis-judgement(or distraction) on the landing approach happened – with the help of two good friends, of course

Then doing some fence repair at the air field – I would not call this art but it made me laugh ’cause it seemed to take 4 watchers (5 if you count me) & one worker to get the  hole ready for the fence post.

I must be famous. I saw, on TV, our President getting his booster and during this pandemic, I must have seen, on TV news, a 1,000  arms getting the needle.

As you swing thru life enjoy each distraction

I wrote:  Hope you are looking forward to seeing some pictures from Dave taken in upstate NY.  Dave told me that in a week or two he would send photos of Wood Ducks and more.

Dave wrote:  Hi Jim, Here are some pictures for the blog. Our time here is growing short. We’ll be heading north in a week or so. I will be sending you pictures from our home area in upstate NY. Seems like we just got here and it is time to go. Dave

03 21 2022 Dave Cesari

03 21 2022 Dave Cesari

03 21 2022 Dave Cesari

03 21 2022 Dave Cesari

03 21 2022 Dave Cesari

03 21 2022 Dave Cesari

Now My Story:

There is an old adage about sitting on your hands at a meeting.  Somehow I forgot about it at our Photo Club meeting last Friday.

Members at the meeting were saying they felt many people in TGO were not aware of the excitement we members have for our club and the great things that it does for our TGO community.

Well, I raised my hand and now I am the new “Community Relations Officer” with the job of getting people in TGO to be aware of us.

You can help me – tell your friends and neighbors about our web sites, our wall displays, our meetings, and our photo trips.

But for now – I want to show you an iPhone photo of the sky I took a couple days ago:

Study this photo and see how many images you see. – Couple of faces, a fish, maybe more?

As you jump for the joy of your life – always look up – see art in the sky – smile

Dave wrote:  Hi Jim, We found a group of 100 plus White Pelicans out on the refuge this morning. I had too much lens on so I couldn’t get the whole flock on the water. Shooting with my 500 mm that worked great for some flying shots. I’m quite pleased with the flying shots. This is the most White Pelicans we’ve seen the whole season.   Dave

03 10 2022 Dave Cesari

03 10 2022 Dave Cesari

03 10 2022 Dave Cesari

03 10 2022 Dave Cesari

03 10 2022 Dave Cesari

From my “What You Think” series – “Do you think trucks can get confused? Just 5 days apart – 80 degrees in Florida and 30 degrees in Conn. I think that truck is confused and yearning for a new home in Florida!

ON TO A NEW SUBJECT, GIVING THOUGHTS TO MY KIDS VIA WORDS AND DEEDS.

I am at the age where my kids are retiring and beginning to face, yipes, old age.  So, I tell them I have never really retired – I just do different things. 

I can not say I have started to do the things I enjoy doing.  I always really enjoyed, quote, working or should I call it playing?  Playing is what I always did at work.  But, now I do need to plan my work/play.  No boss is telling me what to do – I have to decide on my own.  To me, that is what hobbies are all about.  

For example, Dave Cesari has posted, here, some of the most great photos of those white Pelicans – I am sure no one told him to did it – I bet he enjoyed being out hunting for them and using his camera in a professional way to get those flying shots. And, I bet he planned the trip on his own – no boss told him to get up and do it! I call that a hobby.

Here is some stuff I read:  Hobbies provide seniors with an opportunity to socialize, a new experience, methods to improve physical health and relieve stress, a better sense of community and strong sense purpose. It is important for seniors to engage in rewarding activities that enhance wellbeing, self-esteem and individual satisfaction:

Here, I am getting some instructions on how to take off and land on water with a Radio Controlled airplane – Hope to do that some time in the future!

A hobby can be beneficial for you in more ways than one.

• Physical activity leads to better health. …
• It will sharpen your mind. …
• Productivity is good for those used to always going. …
• Social connection promotes happiness. …
• It will relieve some stress.
  

  As you jump for the joy of your life – remember to do the deed as well as giving your thoughts about it.

  

  As I swing thru life I may retire this swing photo – Oh my, It my have a plan of it’s own and keep on a showin’ up

Dave wrote:  Hi Jm, Here are some pictures for the blog.  Eastern Meadowlarks. Meadowlarks and all the grass land birds are in serious trouble in the north eastern US. In Florida they are doing quite well on some of the large  interior cattle ranches.   Dave

Mary Oliver wrote -“ Meadowlark, when you sing it’s as if,  You lay your yellow breast upon mine and say,  Hello, hello and are we not of one family in our delight of life?”

03 02 2022 Dave Cesari

03 02 2022 Dave Cesari

03 02 2022 Dave Cesari

03 02 2022 Dave Cesari

03 02 2022 Dave Cesari

I want to tell you, I had such great fun as a Photo Club member making 4 photos to hang in the porch of the Manor House.   All Photo Club members submitted what must be at least 35-40 photos to hang in that porch gallery – I urge you to go there and browse – You will enjoy. The Club volunteers spent hours hanging the photos and they will hold an open-house reception on March 5. THANKS TO THEM!

Here are three of mine they hung – I called them my “Sometimes…. Series”

#1 Sometimes….

#2 Sometimes…

Sometimes….

As you swing thru life,                                         Jump for joy and smile!

After Dave’s owls, I posted a couple of my “out and about” iPhone street-photos – I enjoy looking at them after I snapped them – Tell me if you enjoy them too.

Dave wrote: Hi Jim, Here are some pictures for the blog. Screech Owls come in two color morphs red and gray.  This bird is a red morph Screech Owl. Morph is the correct term not color phase.   Dave

02 19 2022 Dave Cesari

02 19 2022 Dave Cesari

02 19 2022 Dave Cesari

02 19 2022 Dave Cesari

Now:  iPhone street-photos by me:

First while taking my garbage out – He/She actually talked to me – Thanked me for the lunch – I think that is what was said!

On the way back home from the garbage drop off this guy did not really talk to me but he/she really sent a message – I think the message was “Do not get any closer or I will thank you for the lunch!”

Some times the Iphone does funny things when you push the wrong button – but I sort of like the funny shot of the screen it mysteriously gave me! I did add a face in the background – Can you find it?

Finally – Last week I got to kill a lot of time at the shopping mall – these two strangers doing the exact same thing as me and as each other -killing time- caught my attention – some how I liked the shot!

As you swing thru life, maybe you want to study and enjoy nature’s birds as much as Dave does – and do not forget to use your iPhone to enjoy killing time as I do.

Dave wrote: Hi Jim, Here are some pictures for the blog. A Great Blue Heron that caught a Water Siren at the bridge here at TGO this evening.  Water Sirens live in the water. They have both lungs and gills with two small arm like legs near their front end.  Dave

02 11 2022 Dave Cesari

02 11 2022 Dave Cesari

02 11 2022 Dave Cesari

02 11 2022 Dave Cesari

02 11 2022 Dave Cesari

MY TURN TO POST A THOUGHT.

We all know the dangers of down hill skying – at least I do! ’cause I still remember several hurts!

. Individual sports can be dangerous:

But, I was a ponderin’ more.  In this time of Olympics and Super Bowl and me joining the MoonPort Modelers Flying Club, sport safety was something I pondered as I ride my bike for hours each day.  Sport-club insurance is important for all sports & for a radio controlled model air plane clubs it is no different.

How fast do radio controlled planes fly?

Off the shelf RC Planes can do anything from 30 mph to 150 mph, depending on their design, construction, and type of engine.

Are RC airplanes dangerous?

There are dangers and accidents involved with the hobby sport of remote-controlled planes.  For example, hitting a by-stander with your plane, even at 30 miles an hour, hurts – A lot!I   So, you see, the sport carries risk, just like skateboarding, fishing, and archery.

Oh my, Did you say fishing is dangerous?

Things are perfect when you hook a nice-sized fish and finally get it in to shore.  The only danger here is for the fish – Right?  Well, consider, with a bass hooked and almost to the bank, you may not notice a wake begin to form and something approaching very quickly.

THINK SAFETY WHEN FISHING OR WALKING WITH YOUR DOG AROUND OUR TGO PONDS!

As you swing thru life Know that what ever your sport, safety is important – And also do not forget that “Pondering” is a fairly safe sport – if not done while driving on I95.

Dave wrote:  Hi Jim, Here are some pictures for the blog. Glossy Ibis and Purple Gallinules from this afternoon.   Dave

01 25 2022 Dave Cesari

01 25 2022 Dave Cesari

01 25 2022 Dave Cesari

01 25 2022 Dave Cesari

01 25 2022 Dave Cesari

Jim wrote:  While at the computer during these cold-wet days, I produced these photo-art from my iPhone photos – practicing my guidelines of composition:

A Drummond Island horse peeking thru the clouds

With his clouds in  the sky – God’s replacement for Lake Judy’s broken fountain

As you swing thru life say I, Get out there and  find a way to enjoy the days that are dark, cold, wet – make them bright, warm, and perfectly enjoyable. You will love it!