Cap'n Bob & the Damsel

A Tale (Tail?) of Three Pinschers

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Just as we were about to head home from the Dog Park today, a gentlemen showed up with his Doberman Pinscher. It was an interesting thing to see the similarities and the contrasts between the Doberman and our two Miniature Pinschers.

When we adopted Cabela, the Humane Society told us that Min-Pins are terriers and not related to Dobermans. The large breed is more closely related to Greyhounds and Rottweilers. Still, it was almost like the big dog was having a “mini me” moment. Click on the image to enlarge.

03 Apr 2012 by Critters Photography Retirement

Festering Turd of Healthcare Reform

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I think the president made a thinly-veiled threat against the Supreme Court today at a joint press conference with a couple of America’s other enemies – Calderon of Mexico and (to a lesser extent) Harper of Canada.

The president, adopting what he described as the language of conservatives who fret about judicial activism, questioned how an “unelected group of people” could overturn a law approved by Congress.

“I’m confident that the Supreme Court will not take what would be an unprecedented, extraordinary step of overturning a law that was passed by a strong majority of a democratically elected Congress,” Obama said.

Strong majority? This festering turd of a healthcare law was passed by a 219-212 margin in the House of Representatives. His “strong majority” characterization is just another example of how out of touch with reality the president is. Fifty-six percent of Americans reject the mandate – there’s the “strong majority” on this issue.

Cartoon via The Patriot Post. Click to enlarge.

02 Apr 2012 by Beltway Kabuki International Judiciary Whacko Politics

My New Bird House

When we were at our friends’ house on the Colorado River last week, one of the in-laws surprised me with a gift of one of his handmade bird houses. He builds the houses and the ladies decorate them. We saw examples of his handiwork all over the riverfront complex since he had presented many to the neighbors there. I still don’t know where this one is going to be placed. Note the bird-sized satellite dish. Click on the image to enlarge.

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01 Apr 2012 by Arizona Home & Garden Retirement

Preparing to Photograph the Eclipse

filter.jpgI ordered some solar filters for all of our cameras so we can try to get images of the annular solar eclipse in May. The filters aren’t very substantial since they are made with cardboard tubing and have polymer filters, but they are cost-effective (~$10 each) and they work.

The filters come with an adhesive felt liner that you install to allow a snug fit when you slip the filter over the objective lens of the camera. Once installed, the filter doesn’t interfere with the auto-focus mechanisms nor with any other camera function.

Image: Solar filter slipped over my Canon SX-40 with inset of solar photo – click to enlarge

After some experimentation, I found that trying to use the cameras in auto modes (other than auto-focus) does not give good results; camera motion would blur most images. I tried using a tripod, but getting the image centered in the camera was taking too long. The eclipse would be over before getting all the proper adjustments.

I finally settled on using the camera in manual mode where you can independently set the film speed, aperture and shutter speed. I settled on ISO 3200 film speed, F5.6 for the aperture and 1/1250 second shutter speed. Holding the camera in my hands, the image was good enough to resolve sunspot 1445 currently transiting the solar surface. I uploaded a large image of the sun to the image viewer. Click on the link to view.

31 Mar 2012 by Astronomy Photography Retirement

Another Unknown Bird

river-birdz.jpgOf all the millions of bird species seen worldwide, we have been able to identify most of those we see in our neck of the woods, except for a small number we can’t find in printed or on-line references. We’re still looking to find the species of this bird.

This week, during our visit to some friends who live on the Colorado River near Parker, AZ, we watched flocks of these black and yellow birds zipping from one treetop to the next. This is yet another mystery bird that does not seem to be listed in our references. Any clues? Click on the image to enlarge.

30 Mar 2012 by Arizona Critters Environment

Hedgehog Cactus Flowers Now Showing

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This beautiful cactus flower is blooming on a hedgehog cactus in a neighbor’s yard just down the road from our house. Ours will be blooming soon. We have two hedgehog clusters in front of our house. I just love our colorful spring here in the high Sonoran Desert. Click on the image to enlarge.

27 Mar 2012 by Arizona Flowers Photography

High Desert Wildlife Drama

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A few days ago we saw our first snake of the season. Our buddy, Crotalus, advised that it was a Sonoran gopher snake and that it preys on rodents and is non venomous. Today, the same snake appeared out back. As it climbed up the embankment by our driveway, a curve-billed thrasher and its mate showed up to encourage the snake to go elsewhere. The bird in the photo pecked at the snake’s tail several times before the snake hurried off into some underbrush on the neighbor’s property. Click on the image to enlarge.

26 Mar 2012 by Arizona Critters Photography

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