Year's end

(Dec. 31) Time to turn over a new leaf for 2007. Happy New Year to all in the DP community and happy shooting in 2007!

Urban-Wildlife Interface

(Dec. 30) Can you find the wildlife? The photo is deliberately not processed much to look "better." In fact, the lens is way too forgiving to the area of Apple Valley, which is desolate and in the process of development. This is the flotsom edge of it. I'm not a huge fan of the area, but it is sad to see what little inherent beauty there was being destroyed or damaged. Here's a little more:
http://chaosgraphics.smugmug.com/gallery/1841037/1/119919765

A prickly question . . .

(Dec. 29) Not much out today, still windy. So I tried taking close-ups, but only every other spine in a diagonal line is in focus -- the middle right, the bottom left, and the top right. Why aren't the spines closer to the middle one (the one I focused on) in focus instead of the ones that are further away? No equations please.

Here's my alternative. I like it but it is a little boring:
http://chaosgraphics.smugmug.com/gallery/1841037/1/119713651

A seriously big cat

(Dec. 28) There was a really fierce wind today, so I worked on processing some of the shots from Prescott instead. This is still from the Heritage Park Zoo, shot through a nice, thick piece of protective glass . . . and I was still backing up. That cat is BIG seen through a 300mm coming right at one!

Heritage Park Zoo link:
http://www.heritageparkzoo.org

Lazy afternoon

(Dec. 27) I don't know where the pelicans came from. Could they be migrating this time of year? There were four of them at Lake Evans taking in a little sun and rest. I had a hard time choosing -- here was my second choice (I decided on this one just because I see the acorn woodpeckers all the time):
http://chaosgraphics.smugmug.com/gallery/1841037/1/119352007

Welcome to the Inland Empire . . .

(Dec. 26) This is how I know we're almost home: the dinosaur at Banning Pass. It was once a restaurant and now serves as a museum for a far, far, far Christian right group (did I say 'far' enough?) to illustrate that humans and dinosaurs coexisted . . . that is, evolution as a scientific hoax. Riverside County is nothing if not surreal. That must be why David Lynch chose it as the backdrop to his newest movie. This was shot at 80mph off of Interstate 10.

Coming in for a landing

(Dec. 25) Christmas Day around Willow Lake, Prescott, AZ.

Halt! Who goes there?

(Dec. 24) Mexican Gray Wolf, recent addition to the Heritage Park Zoo in Prescott, AZ:
http://www.heritageparkzoo.org/

All animals there are injured, orphaned, or born in captivity, and non-releasable to the wild.

Arizona Outback

(Dec. 23) The road to Prescott, AZ, through the Arizona Outback. This is near Kirkland Junction.

Happy Holidays from the gang

(Dec. 22) Gypsy and Gus helped wrap presents. We're headed out of town tomorrow, so I'll catch up with DP next week. Have a great Christmas everyone!

. . . and that goes for the flora and fauna too!

(Dec. 21) Almost nothing of interest today. This is my favorite sign on campus. One wouldn't want those plants to evolve too fast now, would one?

Honk if you love mammoths

(Dec. 20) This is what greets commuters on the Pomona Freeway coming into the "Inland Empire" -- Riverside/San Bernardino area. A more distant view is here:
http://chaosgraphics.smugmug.com/gallery/1841037/1/118079552
While I think it is meant to be educational rather than a whimsical artistic statement, it makes me laugh every time I drive by. It is part of the Jurupa Cultural Center and usually at this time of year it also sports a Santa hat. Sadly, the Center is closed and no hat this year.

Building Christmas

(Dec. 19) Remember the psychology building?
http://chaosgraphics.smugmug.com/gallery/1955270/2/114876048/Large
The workers put up a flag and a tree with a glove on top. The star is underneath.

Two of a kind

(Dec. 18) Shot from yesterday. Nada today.

Wildcat

(Dec. 17) Okay, this is oof, from yesterday, and I have a better finch photo from today. But at the risk of being self-indulgent, this one simply cracks me up. This is Gypsy Rose going on a wild tear in the backyard yesterday. Two more bottled up cat shots here:
http://chaosgraphics.smugmug.com/gallery/1841037/1/117224520

Cleared for landing

(Dec. 16) I found a small park I didn't know today and came across this RTH that had been ruffled by some mockingbirds. Here is a little more in the series -- it took him a few moments to compose himself.
http://chaosgraphics.smugmug.com/gallery/1841037/1/117226279

Southern California nightmare -- where everything is the 215 and under construction

(Dec. 15) I had to choose from a simple image and a chaotic one, taken within a few hundred feet of each other:
http://chaosgraphics.smugmug.com/gallery/1841037/1/117068884
I chose the peaceful one, but Ginger chose the other -- she wins!

Say it loud, purple, and proud

(Dec. 14) This hummer clearly doesn't miss too many meals. He's also well camouflaged in this butterfly bush. He was busy defending his perch from this little green hummer:
http://chaosgraphics.smugmug.com/gallery/1841037/1/116898873

Peace
(Dec. 13) I loathe barbed wire, but I did like the contrast of the wire and the dove.

Got a parking permit for that?

(Dec. 12) Boy, the UCR parking lots are the place to be. This little hummer was taking advantage of some of the median plants.

Friend or foe?

(Dec. 11) Another one of these little guys again. This one was actually curious about the camera.

I ran into Mr. Hokeypoky Hawk again, and it looks like he needs to push away from the table a little more often. He's got a bit of a belly on him:
http://chaosgraphics.smugmug.com/gallery/1841037/1/116347177

declittlebird

Hot Rod Noel

(Dec. 10) I went down to the "Slow Drags" this afternoon to see our local old farts having some fun:
http://chaosgraphics.smugmug.com/gallery/1841037/1/116071400
This was a race in idle -- you can't touch the gas or brake or clutch; last car over the finish line wins. This car came in second. The dodge on the right in the second photo won. It took a lot of tweaking and tinkering to get the cars to run slow.

Handle with care

(Dec. 9) Actually, this is from yesterday - Dec. 8. I didn't get a chance to shoot today. This is what I was planning to post before I saw the bobcat.

And a lizard for Thusie:
http://chaosgraphics.smugmug.com/gallery/1841037/1/115832417

Stopped in my tracks

(Dec. 8, 2006) Bobcat at the UCR Botanical Gardens -- can you believe it? I can't. I was walking back to my car and saw a very large cat cross the road. I followed it and got a few shots through the trees. I've only seen a bobcat three times in the wild, and the previous two times nobody believed me. This fellow was a gift, I think. .

This is Jim's daily pick. Mine is here:
http://chaosgraphics.smugmug.com/gallery/1841037/2/115615226

Maybe someday I'll be big . . .

(Dec. 6) A quick shot from my backyard. I'm on my way out of town, back on Friday. I couldn't decide whether I liked this in color or bw:
http://chaosgraphics.smugmug.com/gallery/1841037/2/115225144

Learnin'

(Dec. 5) This was my afternoon -- an afternoon seminar on plant pathology. I'm not a plant pathologist so the image on the screen is exactly the amount of information that I retained -- something about genetic mapping and enzyme inhibitors and bug spit. This is the view as I slouched lower and lower in the chair in the back. Did you know that a whole hour can pass by in one minute?

Cirque du Construction

(Dec. 4) I didn't have time to shoot anything except going back and forth from my car to the office. This is the beginning of the new psychology building on campus. I've been fascinated by the construction workers swinging these huge beams (trusses?) about while perched 3-4 stories up. It's a ballet of sorts between man and steel.

What else this baby got?

(Dec. 3) John Force Christmas Car Show, Yorba Linda, CA. I love car shows. You get a real insight into American society and gender roles. More here:
http://chaosgraphics.smugmug.com/gallery/1841037/1/114592937

jfxmasshow

An egret with an opinion

(Dec. 2) Let me beat y'all to the punch -- this would have been much better if I had used EC-1 or more. I burned out the wings. Next time.

Party time

(Dec. 1) These sparrows are a raucous group. Every day they come in at morning and early afternoon to raid the feeder. There's a definite heirarchy and as one comes in another has to go out.

What am I?

(Nov. 29) Busy day today, so I'm including a shot from last Sunday. Here are some more of this guy:
http://chaosgraphics.smugmug.com/gallery/1841037/1/113796240

I'll be out of town tomorrow, so no shot then either. I'll catch up on Friday, I hope.

Good omen

(Nov. 28) I braved walking around Fairmount Park and its seedy element to capture this heron(?). The park has a combination of families enjoying Lake Evans, homeless (harmless), transients, drug dealers, and undercover police. It's hard to tell the diff between them. I would have stayed a little longer to see this guy take off, but a guy who had been shadowing me for a while was creeping me out. The better part of valor is discretion, so I left.

What is that noise?

(Nov. 27) Our squirrels are a little rattier and scruffier than most. This one spent a little while checking me out.

Five feather salute

(Nov. 26) I don't know if this is the hokeypokey redtail from last month, but he seemed to be showing off . . . or counting his feathers. Here's more of the sequence:
http://chaosgraphics.smugmug.com/gallery/1841037/1/113059544

Bug off

(Nov. 25) Dang, these birds are hard to catch. The other one I got was a much ruder gesture on the part of the bird.

Skating by feel

(Nov. 24) Winter came to Riverside, by way of an artificial outdoor ice rink. I got a big kick out of watching this father (I assume) take his son for a turn. It took them a full ten minutes to make a 20 meter circle. More here:
http://chaosgraphics.smugmug.com/gallery/1841037/1/112592130

High Desert Fall

(Nov. 23) I found a hole in the fence at the retirement community where Jim's folks live, and strolled along the riverbottom. It's fairly desolate and degraded, with encroaching development and unrestricted use. However, there were a few glimpses of old desert beauty. Should I crop this tighter on the right or all over? I liked the stump on the right, but in looking at it on smugmug, it's a little unbalancing.

Here are a few others from Thanksgiving Day. My favs were of Jim and his parents, but I don't feel right about posting them without his okay first.
http://chaosgraphics.smugmug.com/gallery/1841037/1/112532622

tree

Coopers?

(Nov. 22) Just dope-slap me now. This is a photo of a missed opportunity. I was driving and saw this fellow on a fence not more than 30-40 feet from me. I grabbed the camera and got a few shots out the window before he flew off, but thought I had it on aperture priority. Nope, it was on shutter priority and set for a hoped-for, sunny BIF shot at 1/2000. Auuugghhh. Damn, damn, damn. The shot was pretty dark but highlights/shadows in Photoshop at least rescued it somewhat. It could have been much, much better, but it also could have been worse! I am quickly working my way through all the mistakes one can make with a new camera. Doh!

Here's another shot:
http://chaosgraphics.smugmug.com/gallery/1367522/8/112205416
He looks a little brighter than Thusie's Doofus Cooper, no?

Get your ducks in a row

(Nov. 21) Fairmount Park, Riverside, CA at twilight

Have a seat

(Nov. 20) I was chasing the light around this afternoon after work and ended up using the 300mm as a close-up lens. Still fun though! Here are some others from today and the drive home (sorry, y'all have to suffer through me taking the new stuff out for a spin):
http://chaosgraphics.smugmug.com/gallery/1841037/1/111755813

Tread carefully

(Nov. 19) After scrambling about chasing a kestrel, I had a couple of blurry photos and some scratched up legs to show for it. This was the better shot of an easier bird. Here is an alternative and the kestrel shots -- dang thing was up in a dead tree on a steep & brushy slope. And I'm kicking myself for not getting it while it was flying -- I was fumbling around with the center focus and was too wobbly handheld to get it.
http://chaosgraphics.smugmug.com/gallery/1841037/1/111394376

Circumspect

(Nov. 18) Just had time to shoot with the "little" camera this morning while walking Gus. We were gone for the rest of the day.

Flickers?

(Nov. 17) I know these could be sharper, but dang, those birds were a ways away on the top of a tree. I'm having a blast discovering a world beyond the range of my old lens.

What are YOU looking at?

(Nov. 16) Back from Mexico. I took the new camera out for a little spin as the light was fading and caught this little Phoebe looking at me looking at him. Next time I'll try to get the whole bird!

Hasta Jueves

(Nov. 12) A little oof, I know, but I'm in a rush. I'm off to Mexico tomorrow for three days. Not fun, just work. It will be an intense few days, so I'm not taking a camera. I'll try to catch up with everyone's photos on Thursday. Have a great week, shoot well.

Oh yeah, I'll keep the camera

(Nov. 11) Just sitting outside looking at the camera and pushing buttons, our backyard hummers came around to fight with each other a bit. I have to figure out how to adjust the spot focusing a bit, but gee this is fun.

novhummer

The picture of patience

(Nov. 10) The things a dog has to put up with. More on what happens when I have no daily photo, no light, and no ideas:
http://chaosgraphics.smugmug.com/gallery/1841037/1/109472681

gus

What am I?

(Nov. 9) This is a tiny, tiny bird that I seldom have been able to catch on camera. It makes a little peeping sound and seems to flit about in the low brush, not in the trees or ground.

I didn't use the 30D today -- it's definitely not a bang-around-with-Gus-and-me camera, especially since Gus sometimes needs to be reminded that being unfriendly with other dogs, overly friendly with people with dog biscuits, or chasing lizards over cliffs (with me on the other end of the leash) are NOT options within acceptable behavior.