Category: Photography

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Amphibian affection

Frog
One of the big (secret)bonuses of being a real estate agent is going into so many houses, and seeing how people really live. I’ve seen some unusual pets, but I hadn’t seen a frog in somebody’s livingroom before. She said it was two years old, and had arrived as a tadpole you could see right through.

I moved up close for a better look.

“Kiss me” it said, “I am a frog prince.”

“Uh, sorry,” I whispered. “Not today.” A talking frog.

“Lick me then.” the frog continued, “I send colors you can hear, and sounds you can see.”

“Hmmmm,” with wrinkled brow as I looked it in the eye, “Gonna have to pass on that. Hey, isn’t that whole licking thing about toads, not frogs?”

The frog spoke no further.

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Insane Clown yard art

We drove by this on our way to show the house next door, southeast of Anderson. Every Realtor’s dream, to have yard art like this in the neighbor’s yard. Needless to say, our client was not thrilled with the house next door. Looks like a really bad horror movie scene.
Insane clown yard art
And of course they felt compelled to put it under cover for protection. Of course.

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A basket of Tulips

February is early Spring in Shasta County. We have lots and lots of emerging bulbs.
Tulips
These showy tulips look wonderful all bunched together. Ironically, Tulip Mania was responsible for an economic bubble and collapse, similar to the housing cycle we are experiencing now. From Wikipedia: “At the peak of tulip mania in February 1637, tulip contracts sold for more than 10 times the annual income of a skilled craftsman.” It seems our economic history is filled with bubbles and collapses.
Tulips
It’s hard to capture an image that accurately displays their deep scarlet loveliness.
Tulips
Such is the transitory nature of beauty.

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Hawk on a limb photo

Took this one yesterday. Only got one shot before it flew off. Still, I like the composition.
Hawk on a limb
I like to shoot birds. With my camera, I mean. Still, my shots are nothing compared to what you can find here:
http://CloudBoxer.com
Birds fighting in air. Really amazing high shutter speed shots. Seeing those, I don’t think the dinosaurs went extinct. I think they just became birds. Click on the image to go to their site:

Sparrows in flight

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1,474 Megapixel view of the Inaugural

Click on the image below to see a spellbinding view of the recent innaugural by David Bergman.
Obama inaugural in impossibly detailed resolution

The photographer’s blogsite is here:

http://www.davidbergman.net/blog/2009/01/22/how-i-made-a-1474-megapixel-photo-during-president-obamas-inaugural-address/

Or at GigaPan here:

http://www.gigapan.org/viewGigapan.php?id=15374&window_height=867&window_width=1663

Really quite a technical photographic achievement that now has become an amazing artistic accomplishment as well. Well worth your time. Scrolling around, you really get a feel for how cold it was. And it’s also interesting to see just how many cameras were there, between the crowd and the pros. Obviously, it was an important moment, and it was covered. I have done many stitched panoramas for online home virtual tours, but this is more extraordinary by an order of a magnitude. The equivalent of 220 photos stitched.

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Dinner and a Movie at the Cascade, with a few pix

Dinner and movie
We attended last evening’s Dinner and a Movie at the lovely Cascade Theater.
Dinner and movie
Sponsored by chef Doni Greenberg of Food for Thought/A News Cafe among others, this series showcases a food themed movie, and then features a cooking demonstration onstage. Last night, it was Doni, along with Nancy Matthews of Chocolat de Nannette fame. Mmm. Truffles. They have the recipe at the website. I learned a new word for mouth-watering: Ganache. You can click on the link for more.
Dinner and movie
This was the 3rd in the 4 part series. The movie “Babbette’s Feast” was unknown to me. To say it was slow starter would be an understatement. But the film really grows on you, until the climax, which was as satisfying as the treats Doni and Nancy had made for us all.
Dinner and movie
We had a glass of Shiraz and enjoyed the exquisite treats they’d made for the audience.
Dinner and movie
Slow-shutter hand-held view. What a great evening! I hope they continue the series.

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Redding Dragstrip Awards Banquet

Dragstrip Awards Banquet
Saturday night we attended the Awards Banquet for the 2008 Drag Racing Season for the Redding Dragstrip. It was held at Win River Casino Meeting upstairs. They gave a great prime rib dinner.

WinRiver Casino

We really like the staff of Win-River. They are very professional and every bit as good as any meeting providers I’ve ever encountered. And I’ve met many, in years at management at Kodak. I was impressed.
Dragstrip Awards Banquet
I’m only a casual fan of the sport, not a racer. I do their website, and do enjoy taking pictures out there. And it’s important to me that the dragstrip provides a safe place for street racers who would otherwise be racing on your streets. I really like that among the pros, it’s very much a family thing. There were lots of kids running around the banquet. A great time for all.
Dragstrip Awards Jacket

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Friday night at the ER

Entrance to Mercy ER at night
Friday night was hoppin’ at Mercy’s ER. Busy busy. I gave a loved-one a ride. Nothing exactly life threatening, but there was no other choice for late-night medical care coming up on a weekend. There were lots of other folks in various circumstances as we waited. If you’ve been in Shasta County a while, you’ve probably been to an ER some night you’d rather be somewhere else, along with all the others with similar wishes to be anywhere but here. All waiting around. Perhaps you’ve been here more than you’d like to remember.
Entrance to Mercy ER at night
We are told we have the best medical care in the world in the US. In Redding, we do have good care indeed. I am very grateful for the facility and the staff, and I am totally sure I could not do what they do with their patience and pleasant demeanor. My hat’s off to those professionals, and to Mercy Medical Center. The workers were all friendly and chatty, to my happy surprise. I’m pretty sure that after just a short while working there on a busy night, I’d be stone faced, saying just “next.” Many of the people in the waiting room were fairly rude under stress. The staff was not. Kudos to you folks.

Watching the anxious patients and their families on busy Friday night at the ER, you have to wonder if there isn’t a better way to handle things that are not life threatening, though. Meanwhile you wait…..