Back in western New York

It was a loooong drive back home, but we made it back safely. After 88 days in western Michigan, not including the week we drove to WNY to get new tires and have the car in for its annual inspection, etc; we only spent one night on the road to sleep but otherwise enjoyed a nice drive. It's over 500 miles on the roads south of the lower Great lakes, but this time we were delighted to have missed the worst of the rush hour on departure, and enjoying fairly good weather along the way. 

We saw only one bad accident that had westbound traffic backed up for several miles, but this is what can be expected when states set their interstate and highway speeds to 70 (or higher) miles per hour! When the speed limit is so high, I do not believe vehicles are able to stop within a safe distance. Only by encouraging people to drive so fast, is just asking for a massive loss of life and for future accidents of a major type to be the norm instead of the exception. 

You'll remember months ago WE were stuck in a major accident just miles from our Michigan destination, and traffic was at a standstill for over five hours! As you can guess, I am against high speeds for any roadway anywhere. Just because you can drive at a high rate of speed doesn't mean you have to....  and Michigan is a state where cars come up to your back bumper and ride along for some time, hoping you'll be frightened enough to move over so they can finally pass. How close is that "back-bumper" riding? You cannot see their license plates ~ THAT is how close they get! Add to that, the typical Michigan driver who pass you even when the lane has a double-solid yellow line(s), and on curves, and not even use their turn signals, thus building dangerous situations!

We enjoyed being with Sheila's grandchildren, the two twin boys who are more like rockets than little three year old boys. Add to that an adorable little girl who has a gorgeous smile and has now learned to crawl in a forward motion, and when we departed, is now standing on her own and taking exploratory little first steps, and it's a grand occasion to laugh and cry at the same time! 

What's most important - as always - is Family, and being there for each other. 

We enjoyed being able to see a tiny bit of Michigan's lake shores and lighthouses, and a getaway Thanksgiving weekend to the north staying in an old victorian house restored as a bed and breakfast. The Inn at Ludington was built in 1889, and is a delightful flashback to an long-gone era, but the breakfast was tremendous and delicious! According to their website, the morning meal consists of quiche, sausage potato egg bake, bacon, saute mushrooms, oatmeal, cereal, fresh bread, cinnamon rolls or muffins, fresh cut fruit, yogurt and, offering alternatives, such as vegetarian options and choices in meats. That sausage potato egg bake was fantastic, and I had two helpings of that, enjoying it immensely!! After breakfast, we stayed at the dining table and chit-chatted with several other guests for quite some time!

Talking of food, we ate fish and chips at a few places while in Michigan. While it was good, the quantity and appearance really lacked to what we get typically in WNY. One cannot beat the price and quality while in western New York for a Friday Fish Day, or any day of the week for that matter! We continue to get our Fish Fry at a certain TOPS supermarket store near us. You just cannot beat the taste, size and price!

Now THIS is a real Fish Fry!!

We also had time to search for, and photograph a Snowy Owl near Muskegon. As you know, we always attempt to responsibly seek out wildlife without scaring or flushing them, nor do we believe in baiting them in order to get a good picture. We were finally able to photograph one, but as usual, it was so far away that even with our long lenses, it was no larger than a tiny dot for us and the world to see! We've also seen quite a few Bald Eagles while in Michigan, and even along the route while driving to and from WNY and Michigan!

The Niagara Falls weather has been good too; during the past few weeks while in western Michigan, temperatures had been at, or just below freezing, and not improving, and that was without the chill factor considered. Grey overcast skies also do not make for good sunrises or sunsets either, but today Sheila dashed out to snap a sunrise, her first in four months!! You can also see the image at her website, and comment on her fantastic sunrise, as well as other lovely images she has posted! 

Sheila's fabulous sunrise on the Niagara River 
days after returning from Michigan

Work still continues within our humble tiny home, with great expectations for the future ~ so please stay tuned for exciting news. Once someone tells us of the excitement, we'll be sure to share it with you!

Here's another picture link of tonight's sunset from a different perspective  
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/golden-dark-reflections-tony-lee.html

Looking back when we were in the Cordoba Mezquita

Last year while in Spain, I took Sheila on a short train ride to Cordoba where we stayed a few days just a few meters away from the Mezquita. 

I picked the Hostal Azahar for its proximity to the mezquita, plus the area is very lively and active. It's just a few short meters away from many landmarks, such as the old roman bridge, and many eateries and shops.

It was cold but the sights were gorgeous, and Sheila enjoyed seeing the history and architecture. We are hoping to return soon, if we ever get released from our Michigan duties. Perhaps we'll see Barcelona or Valencia this time?

Who knows?

Click to see the beauty and color inside the Cordoba mezquita

Farewell, my trusty Wacom tablet

I discovered the world of amazing drawing tablets made by Wacom back many decades ago. I could never afford a decently-sized tablet, and always purchased their smallest tablet, overall about 5x7 inches but the true working area was even less. I've had three of them through these decades, starting with the ArtPad that had a cabled serial port, but worked great. I cannot remember my second Wacom tablet model, but it was powered by a USB cord (much better), and enjoyed it. One day it went bad....  it just got caught on a pixel and didn't move too well. I then purchased some tablet that was huge (at that time), but it never worked correctly. I think that's still in Rota, sitting unused and collecting dust. My present one I've had at least a decade: the Wacom Bamboo and is a wonderful extension of my mind and hand. 

While in the Navy, I had drawn a few sketches while off-duty, aboard my first aircraft carrier. In fact, till its last year of active duty, the Forrestal still had an annual art show! The very first art show was organized and coordinated by me, a lowly airman who then worked in the Photo Lab! I went around the ship searching for people who were artists in their own right, and got them committed to creating artwork to display in the show. They could use any medium they wanted. We were deployed at the time, and I picked our last portcall in Palma de Mallorca as the location of the very first Art Show, giving these artists of the USS Forrestal about three months to decide what, how and time to get it done! We had a good amount of sailors participating in the art display, and later I contacted and coordinated with the Palma USO to find me a place to show the show during our brief inport period. I practically did everything and the strange part about all that? 

I don't and cannot remember a thing about the actual show or anything!!

However, it was a big success, and the following year I departed the Forrestal, heading from the East Coast of the USA, to the West Coast where I joined the ship's company of the USS Constellation. In the next century, I was surprised to discover by chance while reading an article of the Forrestal's last year in active service, of their final art show to be held! I had NO idea the ship was still continuing the art show after all these years!

From then on the Constellation and other ships, I had no time at all, and stopped sketching. I never had any formal training in art, same as I have NO training or instruction in photography, but I liked seeing things and scenes then, and sketched them when I could. Heck, I remember drawing jets, tanks, and aircraft carriers while in grammar school in cold foggy San Francisco as a very young teen! 

Well, today I got a new and early birthday gift to myself: A Huion drawing tablet with a wireless battery-less pen, and with a working area measuring 10x6.25"!! 

With so many decades using Wacom and now this tablet, it was an easy conversion, but as I knew: Though the features of Wacom cannot be beat, this newest tablet is making me very happy and I haven't even had it a whole 24 hours! Granted it's not as flexible as my older three usable tablets, but I love the broad landscape this tablet has, and that is what I really needed and deserved! Granted, now I do not edit images as I once did decades ago, but I love using a pen and NOT a mouse!

I've already done two sketches, one just a quick sketch of a plane to include in my Amazon review of the tablet. I just finished another of a portrait of someone who is very near and dear to my heart, and I plan to try another sketch tomorrow once I have any ideas of WHAT to draw. 

Who knows? Perhaps this will be my incentive to QUiT cameras! I had done a pen and ink drawing before I joined the Navy, and that scene was that of the backside of Ghirardelli Square and the Golden Gate Bridge, as seen from the long and steep Hyde Street! I found that original sketch partially folded and rolled in San Francisco in a very dusty spot, and now have it (meThinks) in the Falls!

So farewell, my trusty Wacom tablets. I salute you, and am very grateful for your service. I am hoping this new Huion H1060P tablet will keep me happy and occupied in sketching as I expect it to serve me just as well in photography, during my remaining years on this Earth!

Sketched Dec of 1972 while the Forrestal was inport in Athens, Greece 

UPDATE: Sunday 9 December: After 24 hours of switching from my laptop's touchpad and the new Huion tablet, I've given up!! Granted, it is a huge working area for a pen as compared to my old Wacom which is soooo tiny, but in not even being able to do some quite basic and simple functions that is easy with my Wacom pen since day one, but nearly impossible with this newest tablet, I've decided to send it back! As I type this, my older Wacom (CTL-460) of over a decade is connected as usual!!

I DO have my eye on a Wacom Intuos though.....

UPDATE: I have already ordered and received the Wacom Intuos Medium Size Pen Tablet (PTH660). I tried it for two days before I contacted the company it was shipped from, regarding its return. My older wacom tablet works better and simply, and has more functions built-in, unlike both newer bigger tablets received and returned. It also works better as a "mouse" all day, doing many things taken for granted with a mouse, without the need to be "programmed"  :( 

Memories of Spanish Sunsets

I'm always sifting through something or another....  this time I shifted my attention to my virtual negatives. In fact, I saw one that I liked so much, and hasn't been posted ever, so now it is posted! 

Many say my images are darkish, but that's how I capture them. Sometimes I may lighten a little, but just enough to have that image display as when I first spotted it. I edit very little, and dislike working hours on an image. I rarely have time these days for anything, so why should I plant myself in front of a monitor even more?

Hoping you'll like this ~ if you've been to Rota, you'll recognize it's a sunset of the northern beaches of Rota, where the historic "corrales" are located. Built centuries ago when people had to use wit and wisdom to accomplish anything and survive, they used their hands and back to pick up rocks, building a corral from the beach and extending out some distance. When the tides came in, the waters brought in the fish. When those tides went out, the fish stayed. 

Good idea if I may say so!!

Click here to see this great Rota sunset - opens in a separate window
Above link now doesn't link as the image has been deleted.
You can click to see other images which has since been displayed

Again it's all White!

We woke this morning to a white wonderland again. It had snowed through the night, and all the remaining tiny streaks of whiteness still seen after two days after the rainfall, were all again repainted in white again. I know for many who live or have lived in those areas seeing regular snowfall, it may be a bit tiring to be lost in the white, but I have lived so few times in the snow that it still transforms me to a running crazy kid every time I see that stuff falling. As an adult, I know the complexities of snow and its origin, but still, it's better just to not think and just enjoy snow as one of Life's simple pleasures.

Yesterday we went searching once again for the Snowy Owl, but it wasn't around. We saw instead a few Bald Eagles and hawks, but no owls.

This immature Bald Eagle flew right over us!!

Then we saw what seemed to be a Merlin (falcon) perching on a tree branch holding with one claw a caught prey. Poor bird but it will make that Merlin very happy!

This female Merlin waits for dinner to be served
while hanging out with its guest

Still Looking back(wards)

Working on cleaning out my inbox of thousands of emails as I have been for many months now, I keep running into those sent emails with images! It's so thought-provoking to see these past moments of my Life now, and makes me sad yet proud of what I have seen and photographed. 

These are from 2015 and in San Francisco ~ where I was at the time ~ where "we" were to be one of the "lucky" areas of the USA to be able to see the Blood Moon eclipse then. We actually were not believing all that stuff about luck, as San Francisco gets a lot of clouds and fog, which was forecast for that day....  

I went to the piers that afternoon to await the sunset, and saw many with tripods and cameras, all waiting to see the eclipse. There was a huge cloud front that blocked the moon and any color of the blue sky, plus a bit of fog was present too. 

After the sunset, I turned around to see if there was anything I might be missing, and immediately noticed the cloud front had slipped away but still visible, and the moon had just popped out!! It was an eerie sight seeing a bloody moon, and I immediately started running to get a snap, while many other photographers were running around too, trying to get away from the many other photogs to get their unique shot!!

A September Blood Moon becomes visible in cloudy San Francisco!

Did YOU also see that Blood Moon of 2015?

Seeing YOU while seeing Me

Just a side-note about two photographers, with two different brands of cameras, but one passion: getting that image!

That is US in a heartbeat!

In general, photographers are difficult to capture on film, mainly because they are behind the camera often. Usually others won't think to photograph a photographer while working simply because, they work in photography and they "probably" should have a few pixs of themselves already.

How farther from the truth that can be sometimes!!

I hate how I look in any picture, and have avoided being in images for as long as I have carried a camera, and my first camera was a SLR when I was in my mid-teens. I have managed to stay out of pictures till I left Spain in 2006, when I then wanted to share my "life" behind cameras in so many different places, with my Spanish amigos, so I sort of have given consent to have my image captured on virtual film, and sometimes with strikingly good results! 

HA!!

Now married to a photographer, I have been photographing her daily, especially since she is so lovely and unknowing of my intents! I love having snapped her in Spain, in San Francisco, along the Delaware coast, in rain and in fog, on frozen lake/river ice and freezing cold snowy areas, as I have seen my love with camera in hand, and love how intent she is in seeing the World through her lens.

It's a sight to behold!

Here are two images of us, as I snapped her, and unknowingly, she snapped me too. 

hahahahaaaa ~ enjoy!

First she gets me in a scene by the Upper Niagara River

I see her later and snap her as the sun drops lower
 as the golden hour arrives to surround her in liquid gold.
That's my Sheila!

After the snow storm

Well, we survived the worst of the big storm that blew up from the SW and dropped snow on our western Michigan location. Granted, we were inside for the most part babysitting kids, but we could see the grand amount of snow falling all night Monday, and practically all day Tuesday. That called for me to get busy again shoveling the snow from the driveway and sidewalks. Using the edge of the snow shovel, I cracked several frozen parts of ice that was over an inch thick and more!!vehicles just get in the way

We cranked the car and moved it onto the cement overflow off the driveway. In such snowy areas such as Michigan, vehicles are not allowed to be parked on the street since plow and salt trucks need 
to move freely around neighborhoods and main roadways quickly, and for that to happen smoothly, cars are not to be parked on the streets. Sounds like a good idea to me, but unlike New York state, there are NO signs posted about this here; I guess they expect everyone to know, but what if you aren't from the area?

Our poor but bright red minivan resting in the chilly street

Yes, that is about 4-inches of white stuff!

Monday we took a short walk around the neighborhood, and on a snow-covered trail, we heard birds and later saw the birds too!! Of the three types of birds seen, one was a bird we haven't seen ever, being a Northern Flicker (Yellow-Shafted) which makes it a tiny bit different from any of the other usual Northern Flickers! If anyone is interested, I'll put up a picture! 

In the meanwhile, here is a picture snapped at just about the spot we saw that bird! I love Winter and its stark landscapes and scenes of overlying whites. It's so tranquil and abstract in its own way, but Nature does that!

Unretouched S5 image of the trail

Post-Holiday Thoughts

It's Monday after the long holiday weekend, and it has been snowing almost all night. It's the third substantial snowfall, and by 8am today, probably has surpassed the total of the other previous snowfalls, and it is still lightly snowing!

We completed our holiday escape Sunday late afternoon, stopping at an area east of the lakeside community Muskegon. This was our third visit to the area in search of the elusive Snowy Owl. Last winter was our most successful year when we saw Snowy Owls before we departed to Spain, and saw Snowys again after returning to western New York (WNY) in late February 2018. We DID see a Snowy Owl yesterday, and it was relaxing in a cornfield waiting for a model shoot!

While we haven't been successful in previous visits, we were able to find the white owl on this visit! It's always exciting to see these birds, and any chance to see Snowy Owls are always special!

During our weekend retreat, we also stayed at the Inn of Ludington which turned out to be a lesson in history! Plus the following day's breakfast was a heavenly treat, consisting of cooked eggs atop home fries (delicious!), a quiche of egg and spinach, fried bacon, and several baked desserts among the favorite treats! It was so tasty that I didn't even take a moment to snap any pixs as I was too occupied eating!!

Though we originally planned to go further north to the Mackinac Bridge for a few pixs, it was so bitterly cold with blowing winds that we ditched that idea quickly. 

The white stuff is still falling as I finish this up, and soon we'll go out to shovel the sidewalks outside, and see exactly how deep the snow is. My most recent record of snow depth is Norway, where I was up to higher than my knees while taking walks after a long snowfall. Enjoy!!

A nearby park with reflecting clouds

Yes
It looks BETTER in Black and White  ;)

A recent moonlight scene snapped with my getting-old S5

On the road again

Looking across the water at some nice houses

The lovely quiet Riverwalk in Manistee, MI

The Manistee, MI Riverwalk where
they proudly call themselves the Victorian City!

Victorian homes in Ludington, MI

Victorian homes in Ludington, MI

Victorian building in Ludington, MI

Lovely details of the street in
Ludington, MI

Finally saw our first Snowy Owl of the 2018/19 winter season!

Memories of Another Life

Still in northern areas of Michigan, looking out the windows now and then, seeing the wind blowing the treetops surrounding our little "cabin". The windchill will be freezing but are still thinking of doing a bit of hunting with our cameras.

Last night, a lot of sleep for us both that began after we arrived and moved our bags inside. Guessing we are much more tired than we thought we were!

Am still doing the administrative stuff in clearing out my inbox....

Look at the treasures of memories and moments long ago discovered!!!

Within a very well-visited SF Landmark

Just watching the waves come and go

Just a bit o' color to spice up a favorite Black and White scene

Who doesn't fish these days (I still don't!!)

Another Image encountered was snapped while at the Scottish Highlands Gathering and Games of 2011, sponsored by the Caledonian Club of San Francisco. I've never been to any of these events previously, so it was a great opportunity to see it and get some memories and images of such a gathering! 

This image is of the U.S. Marine Corp Band performing at this event. They also played "Amazing Grace" and was just so delightful and enjoyable, and so powerful to hear it played on bagpipes for my very first time!

Go Marines!!!!!!!

ESCAPE!!

Yes, you have read correctly; ESCAPE!!

We are up to the highest point we've ever been in Michigan, though there is still a lot of Michigan to see!! Earlier today we braved high winds coming from the SSE, to snap a few pixs of the Ludington Breakwater Lighthouse. It's an interesting design, plus the rivets holding the metal sheets can be seen easily on the exterior walls. It was so freezing cold, I think my fingers fell off and I still haven't found them!!  ;)

Ludington Breakwater Lighthouse

I have no idea what we will do tomorrow, but it'll be cooold!!!

It's been cold and busy

We finally had a chance to get out today! With bitter cold wind and even colder temps creating a windchill of under 25-degrees, and though we did walk outside in even colder temps and higher-speed winds back at the Falls, this is not the Falls!

We went instead to a very popular nearby huge park, with lots of ponds, trees and trails. Many cars filled the parking lot, and we saw many others out for a walk. After some time, Sheila heard some noise from above, and looking up, saw what we thought to be Canada Geese; we thought it was a flock of about 90+ very noisy Sandhill Cranes, but later identified as being actually Tundra Swans!!! 

As of today Snowy Owls and Sandhill Cranes have been reported in western Michigan, and the owls are back home in western New York (WNY), but the numbers for the cranes near here have been in the thousands! But those cranes have been seen about two hours one way by car, and didn't want to go so far and then end up empty-handed should the flock be sight-seeing out around town! So we made the decision to go this big local park where we have seen cranes here, though it has been always two lovers, and they always depart at sunset to roost somewhere cozier and with more privacy!

The weather was nice, and for the first time wasn't freezing as it has been in recent days. It's snowed three times in the last week and a half. It'll snow even more soon!

Sandhill Cranes in a special flyover just for us!

We also saw a few Mute Swans, but we have those lovely swans in our list already. Nonetheless, they are a sight to behold, and the smooth calm waters mirrored each move the swans made!

The clouds were gorgeous also, and I love the sight of lovely clouds filling up the sky. Plus, it's been some days since we have seen the sun! 

Panorama snapped with my SSG S5 with those great clouds earlier

There's been online reports of a Snowy Owl closer to us now, so perhaps this week we'll go out and see if we can find it also. It's still a long drive, but not as far a drive as the other sightings are, since currently the other Snowy is near Detroit!!

Before I stepped inside tonight, the moon was already up though the sky was full of clouds, and the sun had just set. I grabbed one shot with the Nikon P900 before a cloud instantly slid in front of my moon! I checked it on the spot, and was happy to see it was a decent shot. The Nikon also snapped all the other shots in this post, except for the panorama ~~ Enjoy!!

Remember, on any image in these blog-posts, click on the pictures to see them bigger! Have a comment floating in your head about my words and/or pictures? Leave a comment; I love hearing from you!!

Being a responsible Nature/Wildlife photographer

With the thought of many others in the upper United States during this oncoming winter, I'm posting this link so that many of those with cameras will know better than to scare off or flush a Snowy Owl (or any wildlife), and leave it in peace!

Recently recorded image of a Snowy Owl

Sure, everyone wants a "great" image of those elusive white birds but at what price? Please BE a responsible human and photographer, and do not harass, throw things, or otherwise scare it into flying off, just for a photograph. Also, do NOT bait or otherwise feed them. Keep your distance away from the bird (or ANY wildlife), get your picture, then move out.

Are you active on trails and paths and often encounter a photographer? How many times have we been in an area photographing wildlife somewhere, when the loud voice of a visitor/walker/runner is heard long before they actually appear. You'd think they were shouting at their friends right next to them, or using a phone (why? You can hear them even in the next county!).

Please, while out in Nature and its nice trails and paths, respect others. Keep your voice low, and be respectful of others. If you bring it in, carry it out. Humans are so disrespectful of Nature and litter everywhere!

If you SEE someone harassing any wildlife, snap a pix of that immature irresponsible person and report them!! I do always!! Please teach your children not to feed wildlife, and not to chase wildlife. It's not nice. Would you like a huge ugly animal chasing your kids? That's how humans are, always chasing some animal or birds around!

Enjoy your winter and other seasons, and please allow other animals and species to enjoy it too!

Click here to read a great article with incredibly gorgeous imagery by Joe Gliozzo
 The article opens in a new window

When will it ever stop?

The image at the end is of tonight's Waxing Crescent, 44% visible moon over western Michigan.

That image wasn't snapped with my "new" 77D but with a nikon replacement purchased earlier this year when my canon 70D was in and out of the repair shop. Yet again, my camera is sent in to the shop. This EOS 77D I now have, was one of the replacement options for my 70D which in the last few months, was in and out almost continuously after dying during a chilly night shot in Cordoba, España earlier this year. Almost every digital canon eos camera I've owned since 2003 has been to the shop to be repaired or replaced (usually in those times, it was replaced at my own cost with another store-purchased camera). These days, it hasn't changed much when considering the December 2014 theft of my camera in San Francisco while it was in use. I replaced that stolen camera with another 70D months later. Not even a full year yet, that replacement camera was on its way to the shop already!

When my 70D went in and out of canon repair facilities after it snapped its "last image" in southern Spain in late February of this same year, and sent off to canon to be "repaired" (a purely relative and very subjective matter as far as I am concerned), within hours of returning to the states, and later resent back to canon four more times to be refixed, the last problem on the 70D was that which developed after they "fixed" it (again, but now displayed a parallax problem in which the recorded image displays an unlevel horizon); Well, it seems that after having this replacement camera since late June 2018, this 77D is now also suffering from the same parallax problem!!

So, I want to ask: Why is canon selling and replacing cameras that suffer so much from the people they have "repairing" their cameras, and why is there NO type of responsibility and accountability, and most of all: QUALITY CONTROL in their repair facilities?

All I have to ask is: if you are thinking of buying a canon, watch out.

I'll never buy a canon eos camera again after this current 77D is deemed UNusable and nonfunctional (which might be sooner than I think!).

Anyone want to take a look at my list of EOS lenses which may become available if I sell my cameras + lenses, if this poor workmanship, terrible repair "service" and negative quality control of work continues?

This UNcropped picture was snapped with a nikon P900 at max optical zoom handheld with stabilization off

settings: iso400 f/7.1 at 1/80th handheld 

fototaker's canon EOS lenses
In the future, should I sell my lenses and camera, these are up for grabs as is:
  Canon EFS 18-135 f/3.5-5.6 IS
  CANON EFS 55-250mm f/4-5.6
  CANON EF 50MM f/1.4
  CANON EF 75-300 F4 III USM
  Canon 18-55 F/3.5-5.6

  CANON EF MACRO 50 F/2.5
  TAMRON 1.4x Teleconverter Model 140F-CA
  TAMRON 16-300 f/3.5-6.3 DiII VC PZD Macro
  TAMRON SP 150-600 USD Dii (the Monster!)

Virtual negatives and moments of Another Life

Over the last months, though it seems an unending project, I've been going through my in and other boxes at my online webmail. It has a 15gig limit and I was then up to 12gigs of virtual newsletters, letters, conversations with friends new and old, and more. I've been wanting to do this forever, and finally put my mind to starting it, and continuing till it gets to a reasonable level. About the first of this month, I finally hit the LESS than 6gigs of virtual mail in my inbox! WoW!

I continue weeding it all out, archiving my newsletters as text files, and attached images all neatly organized into a folder named after the newsletter's subject theme. In the old days, I just deleted the newsletter (which I delightfully call Spams), after I had replied to any emailed comments.

These newsletters started way back in the old days of chunky huge heavy computers with hard drives heavier than a car, as I typed of events and activities I thought others would be interested in knowing about, then mailing it out to friends and family. It looked like a newspaper, complete with pictures and columns, a banner page and all!

I delighted in doing this, as I had been a navy journalist at one time. Of course, as I type more and more each day, I tired of the work and eventually began writing/typing all in lowercase. I never proofread anything and as it would be sent out, I'd see all sorts of errors and typos!

I remember while living in Germany and sending out delightful observations of my everyday Life in Bavaria, and when I went on a month-long trip from Spain to Sweden, I wrote daily of my scenes and sights captured by both my eyes and cameras!

I've enjoyed creating and sharing those newsletters, and though they may not be much in real content, I am hoping everyone enjoyed the images too!

When I recently remarried, I still sent out newsletters but now in a shared life with such a lovely lady, I have discovered there is little time to do some of the many things done previously, but then alone, I also stayed up to 2-3am each and every night, with a full daily schedule that kept me quite occupied from morning and till the wee hours of pre-dawn! Eventually, those newsletters went on pause mode as I maintained the everyday photography and its own daily work that devours a lot of hours, and every-week life.

These are images sent through a newsletter lost in my virtual shoe boxes of virtual dust and shadows, and I'll share these memories snapped years ago, forgotten but never archived, till now.

Hope you enjoy the memories, as much as I did in its creation waaay back then.

Seal Rock at sunset

Seal Rock and the Cliff House

Looking below and past the Golden Gate Bridge
to Point Bonita Lighthouse

Framed!!

Just wanted to share this image snapped with my Samsung S5 just a few minutes ago. It's amazing how far phones in general, and smartphones have progressed. Who needs a camera these days when one is carried in your purse or pocket practically every minute?

This is looking out a panel of a window, showing the Fall colors still very apparent in my little area of SW Michigan, though we have had two snowfalls within the past three days, and temps are in the 30s and lower during the night!!

Naturally framed by the window frame
and roof overhang, those yellows really pop out!

Great Lakes activities

It's been cold and windy, as can be expected in these Great Lake areas, and where we are presently. Back in western New York (WNY), it gets cold and windy also, but it's nothing like a visit to a Lake Michigan park beach, and to be slapped in the face with chilling cold that will really wake up anyone!!

We had just arrived and walked to the beach where there were some great waves!! Sheila mentioned that the waves at that beach reminded her of seeing the Atlantic Ocean waves, huge on a very windy day! It was indeed windy but since I have seen huge waves in my life near waters of the world, it seemed those waves were small but still, it always feels good to be near water.

It was just a few minutes later that Sheila shouted out "Eagles" and pointed north. I looked up to see two large birds, and snapped a few. We didn't have our monsters on the cameras, but one could easily see the white head and tail. We are having an eagle of a month, with over 10 eagles seen now within the past few weeks!

Here is an image link to my images at fineartamerica, which feature quite a few western NY scenes

We stayed and froze a little bit longer till the sunset. We snapped pixs to our heart's content with the chilled wind on our faces, and the waves crashing onto the shore. The intense color quickly faded but it was one of the nicest sunsets we've been able to enjoy in over a week! Just days ago we experienced the first snowfall of the area, and brushed off almost two inches of snow from the car. We drove looking for Fall colors and snowfall, but the high winds of last week had already stripped most of the leaves, and instead just found white expanses of snow....  except for a leaf-print in the snow. I've been to many areas where snow is the norm, and I have never seen these ice cube sights ever...  have you?


On the other hand, I am porting my cell number over to a company offering very lost cost data for those on the move. I still have my old number which I've had since 2009 at least, with its various groups of numbers originating from the area code of Oregon, the area code of Sevilla, and lastly, using a very easy-to-remember combination of keypad presses. I've never been one remembering all the previous numbers I've been assigned, but this I've had for too many years but never forgotten since it's so easy to remember! If you know it, you've still got a means to call me! If you don't, no sweat as I make very few calls but also receive even fewer calls!

The only exception to this newest company is that I now have - for the first time ever - data on my Samsung S5! We use digimobil while in Spain, and they have been offer rollover-data for their data users! Why can't we have that in the USA? Unfortunately DigiMobil is not in the USA!

UPDATE: As you probably know, the image links in this post doesn't take you anywhere since those linked images are gone; I change out the various images I have on fineart every week. I apologize but you can always see other imagery I have displayed at redbubble

It's Saturday morning outside

......and there's about an inch or so of the white stuff on the ground after a few hours of snowfall during the night. The Fall colors are still very apparent in some spots, and we are hoping these scenes will still be available by time we get out on the streets later today, or tomorrow. I usually do not get these chances of seeing such wondrous scenes, and now that we are here, we might as well try to see the sights, when not surrounded by the grandchildren! The change in the hour now puts the time of sunset as we are still with the kids, so we are missing a lot of sunsets since the time-change last weekend!

On the other hand, while in Michigan, I have been continuously checking for online sightings of Snowy Owls! Last winter, though we departed for two months in Spain, before we departed in December 2017, and after returning from Spain in late February 2018, we were darn lucky to see and snap a few pictures of Snowy Owls! Last winter's record was in seeing a total of eight Snowys!!!

Please click to see a collection of my Snowy Owl images posted at ebird

Interestingly enough, according to ebird.com, there have been Snowys reported all this summer throughout the Great Lakes areas! I am also surprised to see there have already been sightings of this gorgeous snow-white Arctic bird recently, both in western New York (WNY) area we call home, and within a few miles of where we are in SW Michigan!

We have been very fortunate recently in seeing Bald Eagles too!! Granted, those grand birds have been more than a mile usually, but we have been lucky to see some seemingly just a hair closer! As always in these situations, even though you think you have the longest lens around, oftentimes while shooting wildlife, it seems that even with what we have is way too short and inadequate! We are still hoping to see more of these majestic birds, and our last sighting was a week ago in a local park! 

Here's two memories from months previous when we were at a favorite WNY spot, and suddenly the perched eagles we were observing, suddenly went active and passed much closer! These images are cropped, but it still is a great moment for us!!!

Great Lakes Cold

We have been on call for babysitting duties in SW Michigan for the past two months, and though it's been known for a few days, as I type this, it's the first measurable snow falling outside!! It's supposed to snow for most of today, and again tomorrow. Perhaps we can get a break from our duties and shoot in the snow? We have our cleats so being careful walking in the white stuff won't be a problem....  hopefully...

To think just a few days ago, we were snapping the last of the Fall colors in our area! We were lucky to have a few clouds rolling through, which really made a pretty image!!

To think before in San Francisco, I used to drive

for hours and not see any "signs" of Autumn

These were snapped not even 

ten minutes from where we are staying!!

Here's a few images of the snow, shot through the window!!