Blog
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July 23, 2015 – Snapshot vs Photograph -The dictionary defines a snapshot as: a photograph that is “shot” spontaneously and quickly, most often without artistic or journalistic intent. Most often an image for capturing a memory or a moment. They are a foundation for story telling – telling a loved one of your day or of the sight you encountered. I love it – I love my snapshot camera (My cell phone). I have some great snapshots! — and Gloria must listen to my stories of the day’s encounters! See:
Since Gloria does not ride with us – I use my cell phone camera to tell her of the day’s ride: We three rested our horses by an old “Homestead” long lost in the woods in the Isle of Drummond. Since Gloria is an artist – we often talk of the impact of light and shadows At breakfast she talked of tree shadows she is using in her latest painting – I just happened to have this snapshot of one Gull almost hidden in the shadow of a tree – while two Gulls shown brightly in the morning sun! I like these siblings – two are twins with a one year old brother – he is sprouting tinny spike! The third fawn is a cousin! All snapped while I worked on the driveway leading to the corral. They just hang around – watching to see if I do my work correctly – OOPS lets get out of here he is getting too close with that silly cell phone camera Gloria sent me this with the request that I plant Milkweed around the house – See – a snapshot (Well I must say, her’s are photographs) used as the foundation for making a work request! But, it sounds like more work then I have time for – Maybe next year. I just wanted you to be encouraged to take more snapshots and use them at breakfast to tell stories of your yesterday’s experiences! Then, after the snapshot – take your “PHOTOGRAPHS” for your entries into galleries. -
July 22, 2015 – I went to Google and ask “what is a garden?” – I got: Liberty Bailey, a horticulturist, said: One plant in a tin can may be a more helpful and inspiring garden to some than a whole acre of lawn and flowers. So, say I, a garden is as big or small as you want – maybe just one plant! The word garden originates from the old German term “gart” which means ‘enclosure. Some say: ”A garden is a vast number of outdoor restaurants, operated by charity-minded folks, in an effort to provide healthful, balanced meals for insects, birds and animals.” In Japan, I found, a garden might be the size of a casserole dish. To the ancient Chinese, a garden symbolized a way of life, as illustrated in this proverb. “If you would be happy for a week, take a wife; but if you would be happy all your life, plant a garden.” I did both – but it best I say, “The wife will make you happy each week – even in the winter when the garden is long gone!”
Flowers, in the left half of the garden, arranged by Gloria at planting time – not only that but there is a matching arrangement on the righthand side! – WOW to her artistic eye – and God’s fulfillment of color – even in this cool summer on the Isle of Drummond! 
In the walk way looking for the restaurant – this dove is worth a photo opportunity it’s self – but back to the restaurant and some closeup looks inside the garden! 
Yipes – “I may be on the menu! – Please go take a close look at the flowers and leave me alone!” 
Seems to have more layers of petals then the next rose? 
OOPS! in the high winds yesterday a Gull lost a feather – But, the feather made a nice addition to my garden 
Hey, I see a smiley face! Do you? 
May your mind be filled with visions of your garden – what ever it’s size – I am speaking of the size of the garden – not the size of your mind! -
July 21, 2015 – ‘Tis a beautiful morning on the Isle of Drummond! One of us is studying the news of the world via the New York Times on the iPad. The other one is studying the morning light hitting the soaring bodies of one of the most interesting creatures on earth – the common old Sea Gull!
I think we both believe – after much real estate searching throughout many of the listings in the good old USA, finding a better place to read the New York Times than the Isle of Drummond is impossible! So, we stay here for now! 
Soaring behind the tree catching the morning light and casting shadows as I soar with the North Wind this morning! 
Light and shadow as we wait for the bait fish leavings. 
More light and shadows – as we head away from the rising sun 
Light and shadows create funny images 
Now can you see what the shadow has done in the previous photo? 
The people have gone and the bait leavings are for us Gulls 
So, my morning was studying the shadow and light patterns on Mister Livingston – totally ignoring the New York Times – it has been fun – come see flowers and stuff tomorrow! -
July 15, 2015 – I have been working to gain a little more sun light to the barn and to get a little larger turning radius for the camping and corral area. My friend runs the big machine. He runs it as if it were an extension to his own arms – pushing over trees, lifting out stumps, smoothing land – remarkable!
My friend Carlyle really concentrates some times – We enjoy working together – of course we are “Two Grumpy Old Men!” do not tell him I said that. But I have always enjoyed working in the woods – Enen more now – Chainsaws now days are a lot lighter and easier to start and keep sharp then they were years ago when I grew up in Pennsylvania cutting wood to keep our new hatched chickens warm. 
Digging up stump number one! 
Got it! Now let us put stump number two on the other end – and off to the burn pit! – the tree is cut up and used for winter warmth – he figures we provided almost a month of fuel for his furnace – even if it is a cold winter! 
I looked up and saw this “cloud cat” in the sky chasing one of my sea gull friends – as you know I love to see sea gulls – yea, they are a little noisy and some times not so clean but they are the most interesting animals that I see almost any time I look outside and they can hover, dive, glide, – almost anything – that is why I named this one Mr. Livingston. 
Looked into the woods by our tree clearing project. “Mom told me to stay here.” 
I tuned my head just a little and my eyes spotted this – “Mom told both of us to stay here” 
But being kids (I mean fawns) we did not obey – we want to see what that big machine is doing! I love Johnathen Livingston and all those creatures around our home – even the regular toads that visit us every night! -
July 9, 2015 – “Don’t leave home without it!” Let’s go back to our roots of taking plain old snapshots that recreate the emotion we felt the moment we took the snapshot. I feel we get saturated with advertisements for us to take better professional digital photography if we only use this camera or that software. I do urge the camera club in my retirement community to take advantage of all of this and hang their professional results in the galleries the community provides -BUT I also urge them to tell their story thru just plain old snapshots – create memories and emotion with a series of snapshots of their trip, their family wedding, their 4th of July parade, their wildlife in the garden, or their BarBQ and then place the snapshots in an album like we used to do! So, I gathered a few snapshots I took in a few days (end of April) on my trip to our Island home (I brought our truck up for the summer. So, think of this blog as if it were a photo album that your relative made you sit down on the couch and look at!
We arrive on Drummond – the rive is open – no icebreaker needed. 
Some still walk on water – on an ice flow, that is! 
See, this deer has expanded it’s territory – both spits of land are now his/her domaine – the ice makes it all like one. 
This Robin found food in a little snow melt puddle. 
Out in the gap, the freighter beats toward the Soo Locks – They have been open for some time now! 
OOPS!, the weather on the Island if ofter fickle in the spring – can’t even see if a freighter is heading north this evening! 
But when the sun is shinning the horses head for their beach – there is a sand pit placed by the barn for their pleasure on spring days like this! 
So, create a snapshot album of your day – save and enjoy later – make relatives sit down and look at it too. You may not want to scroll down to the last snapshot – but I had to include it since I am showing a album of the real spring on Drummond! 
I really hesitated placing this snapshot here – but this is a true story of spring – and last winter the coyote needed to survive also – and the subject shown here is no different then the ribs we had for our BBQ on the fourth! -
July 8,2015 – This week is my time to say unto you again – “Don’t leave home without it” I was looking through my photos to see what “snapped” recently – “snapped” because I looked at a subject close up – Looking close up with a camera helps me enjoy the world just a little more – I see pretty things, weird things, mystery things – but, just because I had my camera (Phone), I saw them – thus the camera made me (helped me) see the beauty of life on this earth! Have a look see:
Beautiful up close pattern – Mayfly or Shadfly wing -From freshwaterblog.net: The mayfly’s lifecycle is one of the most fascinating and fleeting stories in the natural world. One of the many characteristics that makes mayflies the unique insects they are is the potential for two different winged adult forms in their life cycle. The nymph emerges from the water as a dull-coloured sub-imago (or dun) that seeks shelter in bankside vegetation and trees. After a period of a couple of hours or more, the sub-imago once again sheds its skin to transform into the brightly coloured imago (or spinner). It is not clear why mayflies have retained this unique step in their lifecycle, however it is thought that they may not be able to achieve the change from nymph to sexually mature adult in one step.
A mayfly’s life cycle starts with the males forming a swarm above the water and the females flying into the swarm to mate. The male grabs a passing female with its elongated front legs and the pair mate in flight. After copulation, the male releases the female, which then descends to the surface of the water where she lays her eggs. Once mated she will fall, spent, onto the water surface to lie motionless, with her wings flat on the surface, where fish pick them off at their leisure. The male fly rarely returns to the water but instead he goes off to die on the nearby land.
Beautiful up close pattern – How many seeds in a wild strawberry? I do not know but I think this: Strawberry seeds give rise to the strawberry plants that produce the strawberries we all love. We think everyone should have a fond affection for strawberry seeds (unless, of course, you get a strawberry seed stuck in a tooth or between your gums). 
Beautiful up close pattern -not sure what it is 
Beautiful up close pattern – collection of little pudding stones – see heart stone! 
Beautiful up close pattern – New pine growth in the morning dew 
Beautiful up close pattern – Flame in my burn barrel -OOPS How in the devil did he get there? 
Looking for Mayflys to eat! -
July 7, 2015 – Don’t leave home without it – your camera (or phone) – Why? It helps you see things in your everyday world that you may never have notice. – Nice things – Like patterns!
Smiling Grandma at Fourth of July party! – Is she dressed for the 4th? 
Boat wake as we traveled (boated) to the party. 
Perla’s hair while she rode (Carried me – therefore I rode) in the parade. 
My burn barrel 
Lichen on rock – as I rode my bike I found it 
Brought this close-up of the wall of our house in Florida! 
If you do not have a camera, paint a pattern in your mind – AND next time do not leave home without it! -
July 6, 2015 – Don’t leave home without it – without what? Your camera (Oops your telephone) or that small digital camera. My, goodness, how things have changed! Grandpa would not have known what I was talking about – (Another Oops – I am now Grandpa!) I should have realized that I am Grandpa when we bought a new car and the dealership sent a trainer to our home 2 times to teach us to use that new car (I mean computer on wheels)! Why do you want the photos anyway? Many reasons exist – but one you may not have thought about – they help us observe, wonder why, and seek to learn – basically keep the spirit of our life alive – without my camera I might forget what I saw, I might not wonder how what I saw came into being, and I would not be motivated to learn about and appreciate that which I saw. So, do not leave home without it and do not forget to study to learn what you saw. For example:
This photo essay started here – My good friends Tess and Allen, who own the farm where Perla lives were getting ready for storing hay for the horses for the upcoming winter – Tess is very in tune with the natural world around her and careful to enjoy it and protect – said “WOW, what is that on the horse trailer?” 
Hang on they are going to move my resting place! 
WEW! That was a bumpy ride – but I made it ! 
Look at my smile!
Wait… Is That Lichen on My Chair? Luckily, I Spotted This Tiny Member of the Arboreal Choir (Hyla versicolor), in the Nick of Time!
If you live in North America, chances are you’re more familiar with the springtime song of gray treefrogs (Hyla versicolor), than you are with the colors and patterns of this amphibian’s chameleon-like skin. The gray treefrog is a tiny creature —measuring less than 2″ long— and with its highly-effective camouflage, it often escapes detection. In fact, these little fellas blend in so well with their surrounding environment, I nearly mistook one for lichen on my old lounge chair. Luckily — just before sitting down— I paused to get a closer look at the “lichen” growing on my chair. Well… Hello friend!You can link to these below:
Learn more about the gray treefrog by visiting AmphibiaWeb, linked here.
Listen to the Gray Treefrog at Mister-Toad’s Website linked here.
Learn more about the gray treefrog by visiting AmphibiaWeb. -
July 3, 2015 – Are there bugs that do not bite? Why are there Gull feathers in our lawn? Why is stuff floating on Whitney Bay? Why are fishermen/women catching more fish these days (Even a 5 foot Pike was caught – well that was how big it was before they measured it!!!) Fishermen do not lie – they just get excited and exaggerate a little! But back to my favorite bird and favorite bug!
This is a mystery essay “The Mystery of White Feathers Resting on the Lawn” 
There are clusters of Gulls resting on our Bay – (Gulls, my Favorite bird – some day I will do a photo essay for this blog on the beauty and interest of Gulls) 
There are clusters of Gulls resting and waiting on my rock pile – a rock pile placed up bay from our dock – there to protect the dock from wind blown chuncks of ice in the spring “Break-Up” 
Did you know?: Herring Gulls have the shown red on their bill Herring Gulls prefer drinking freshwater, but they’ll drink seawater when they must. Special glands located over the eyes allow them to excrete the salt that would otherwise dehydrate most animals. AND During courtship, males feed their mates, losing fat reserves in the process. AND An adult Herring Gull was spotted bait-fishing. It floated bits of bread on the surface of a Paris pond and attacked goldfish feeding on the bread. It ate none of the bread itself, indicating deliberate tool use. All this from a Cornell University web site” 
They are even sitting on the rocky shore – Waiting, waiting, and waiting 
Wow – the mystery continues – what happened to our house – Do you think these bugs will bit? 
A closer look – Oh, this is my favorite bug – a Shad or May Fly – Look at the pattern in their wings – A ladies blouse or a man’s beach shirt with that pattern would sell well at any department store – Oops – I just dated myself – I mean on-line store! 
Down by our dock – looking down – Some are hatched and some waiting to stretch out their wings. Did you know Shad Fly nymphs will spend up to a year underwater before they emerge as an adult. During this stage, the nymph will crawl out of the water by clinging on to a plant. It will then split its skin (called an exoskeleton) and a winged adult will emerge and take flight. Adult mayflies are not good flyers and cannot escape predators. Therefore, they have evolved a strategy to “evade” predators. The adults will time their emergence at the same time so that millions of them will appear. This essentially overwhelms predators, which cannot eat all the mayflies, and therefore many of the insects survive. The role of adult mayflies is to mate and lay eggs before they die. In fact, adult mayflies do not have mouthparts and die several days after they have emerged. Hence, we do not have to be afraid of them since they cannot bite! 
Why are the Gulls leaving the cluster on the Bay, leaving the rock pile, leaving the rocky shore? Why – because there is a “Hatch” happening – Gull dinner is ready – But due to the Shad fly strategy – they will not get them all and the life of the Shad Fly goes on until next year. Now you know the answer to the mystery of how the white feathers got on my lawn – hundreds of gulls waiting for a Shad Fly hatch are bound to drop a feather or two – hope this essay helps you find and enjoy a few bugs and Gulls in your life!
