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!)