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Hi Casey, Hi Vi,

Hope 2010 will be good to you and your families.

Casey, thank you for the photos and story of Hosanna's visit. Beautiful child, whimsical story, gorgeous photos. How lovely to have a name that means 'praise'.

Miss you V., hope you'll be back here soon.

XO

Thank you, I.F... Today we finally forked over $35.00 for an annual State Parks Pass, so were able to drive into Sand Hollow Park and get right down on the water for sunset. It was worthwhile if only because Elizabeth saw another Life Lister bird, this time three Trumpeter Swans. And they even made the trumpet sound for her.... Here are some photos from today:

A view of the lake from west to east, showing the Hurricane Cliffs... You can even see Molly's Nipple up there on the far left.


The Trumpeter Swans (the little birds in the back are about a million Coots wintering on the lake, each of whom appears to stake out a 10 foot by 10 foot plot of water for ... something):




A Contrail in the making:


Sunset:


Sunset afterglow:


I heard from Violet via PM the other day. She encouraged me to post. Just so you know she's okay. :-)

Casey

The photo of the plane with the smoke tail... at first I wasn't sure what I was looking at, I thought perhaps it was a Macro photo of a leaf with a spec of dew at it's tip, then I realized the dew was plane and the picture completely changed.

Hi Cate.. hi I.F.. (it’s nice to be missed.. I’ve been missing seeing you in these parts as well).. Hi Casey.. I agree with I.F.. your granddaughter is lovely and delightful.. you and E. are very lucky to have such a visitor..

I still feel to be experiencing The Dark Night of the Soul, I’m afraid, but I'm beginning to see the hangover.. (that was sort of a joke.. which hopefully is a good sign, if not a good joke)..

.. anyway, the whole Haiti situation isn’t helping.. it’s overwhelming, really.. too much to take in, almost..

.. well, my heart goes out to all those survivors suffering in those parts, and yet I know that’s not enough.. it’s no doubt time to look into the best way to get these folks supplies, as too often corruption gets in the way of real aid..


.. some more nice pics, Casey.. I’m loving all the water reflection shots.. they’re stunning.. but also there’s that “psychological” aspect.. that watery unconscious.. I’ll muse on them more..



.. I’m thinking these mountain sheep pics would make nice Christmas cards for next year, maybe..

.. since your granddaughter’s name is Hosanna.. and I’d already introduced this flick..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feWcodU51QY
FULL SCREEN… DON’T BOTHER WITH THE HQ VERSION.. IT DOESN’T WORK..


"Hosanna"

Crowd:
Hosanna Heysanna Sanna Sanna Ho
Sanna Hey Sanna Ho Sanna
Hey J C, J C won't you smile at me?
Sanna Ho Sanna Hey Superstar

Caiaphas:
Tell the rabble to be quiet
We anticipate a riot
This common crowd
Is much too loud
Tell the mob who sing your song
That they are fools and they are wrong
They are a curse
They should disperse

Crowd:
Hosanna Heysanna Sanna Sanna Ho
Sanna Hey Sanna Ho Sanna
Hey J C, J C you're alright by me
Sanna Ho Sanna Hey Superstar

Jesus:
Why waste your breath moaning at the crowd?
Nothing can be done to stop the shouting
If ev'ry tongue was still the noise would still continue
The rocks and stones themselves would start to sing:

Crowd, with Jesus:
Hosanna Heysanna Sanna Sanna Ho
Sanna Hey Sanna Ho Sanna
Hey J C, J C won't you fight for me?
Sanna Ho Sanna Hey Superstar.. (Andrew Lloyd Weber, music.. Tim Rice, lyrics)


.. This derives from the traditional Christ on the Cross scenario (which my “historical Jesus” material of a while back questions).. Here, the imminence of Christ’s death cuts through the celebration with the palms..

.. death is implicit in each moment that we live.. I don’t say this in a negative sense.. if viewed properly, it’s what gives life its sacredness.. Children are so often full of the joy of the moment, and so we can enjoy each moment far more spontaneously I think when we’re in the company of children.. especially, I would think, if you’re a grandparent, since you get to do a bunch of fun stuff, mostly..

..oh.. some interesting lyrics in this Jesus Christ Superstar number.. at the point the crowd sings.. "Hey J.C., J.C., won’t you fight for me..”.. I don’t know anything about the writer of these lyrics [.. as per above, that's Tim Rice.. (I just looked it up)], but that’s very much in line with the historical Jesus material I was talking about.. a Christ who would be more of a rebel.. not necessarily a warrior (although I don’t know).. but someone who would hold people accountable.. especially those in power..

[LATER NOTE: This line of Jesus' is interesting I think: "The rocks and stones themselves would start to sing".. I'm thinking of it in relation to the Coral Castle guy material of -- I don't know how many posts ago.. It is the properties of rocks themselves as used in the megaliths and monoliths that I'd been reading about, which are also significant to our Coral Castle man in his levitating those massive rocks.. What made me think of that was the "singing," given that vibrational sound is relative to this too.. so.. keep tuned (no pun intended), and maybe I'll put this all together at some point.. (hopefully soon).. So, you see, Casey?.. what your granddaughter's lovely name has led to?.. me, doing my homework!]..

.. Anyway.. just a few random thoughts for the moment..

.. oh.. and in honor of children.. (and Hosanna, in particular).. I’ve always liked this song.. so innocent seeming..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BiuIn0LmUA
FULL SCREEN..


"I Am A Child"

I am a child, I'll last a while.
You can't conceive
of the pleasure in my smile.
You hold my hand,
rough up my hair,
It's lots of fun
to have you there.

God gave to you,
now, you give to me,
I'd like to know
what you learned.
The sky is blue
and so is the sea.
What is the color,
when black is burned?
What is the color?

You are a man, you understand.
You pick me up
and you lay me down again.
You make the rules,
you say what's fair,
It's lots of fun
to have you there.

God gave to you,
now, you give to me,
I'd like to know
what you learned.
The sky is blue
and so is the sea.
What is the color,
when black is burned?
What is the color?

I am a child, I'll last a while.
You can't conceive
of the pleasure in my smile.. (Neil Young)


.. okay, she’s smaller than his leg..

.. bye Cate, Casey, and I.F.. I’m grateful for all of you.. say hi to E. and Hosanna (and Mr. Darcy) for me, Casey..

v i o l e t (flower)..

We've been having a Vancouver week... Like I remember in Vancouver, during the winter, the sky was mostly overcast and it rained a lot, though not big rains usually but constant drizzly rains. However, this morning/afternoon the clouds broke up for several hours, so we hopped into Silver and went a roving...

What has come down as rain down here has fallen as snow at the higher elevations, so Zion appeared sugar frosted when the sun hit it:


The clouds and blue-sky patches seemed to be highlighting Kolob Terrace, our "Heavenly Valley" as we quixotically refer to it...


When we got on the grassy plain level (see ancient photos above) we found the snow started there. I got out and took a picture of Silver:


As we got higher it became a real winter wonderland up there. We were lucky because the Grader was just then plowing the road up to the place where it gets really hairy and only Snow Machines go in wintertime. The big white mountain up there was even whiter:


And... Another Life Lister for E!!! It's amazing how many birds she's added to her list since we've been sign-rangers. She was known as "high-priestess" of her birdwatching club back in college, so she's had a pretty full list since I've known her.

Anyway, this one is a Western Scrub-Jay, all puffed up against the cold up there:


I took a picture of Firepit Knoll (the pointy mountain) through the passenger window. At this point the clouds were closing in again, returning us to a sort of high-elevation Stanley Park, weather-wise.


When we got back down to just past Sunset Canyon Ranch, I stopped at the little lake there to get pictures of the Ring-Necked Ducks we'd seen swimming around in it on the way up.

First, here is how the little lake would look in wintertime if it were up in Vancouver instead of down here in Utah:


Here are the Ring-Necked Ducks... It's very strange. These ducks have rings on their BILLS, not on their necks, but they call them Ring-Necked Ducks. I am forever calling them Ring-Billed, Ducks however.


Now just as I'm taking duck pictures, these people pull up beside Silver and the guy driving says, "Sir... Did you see the Bald Eagle up in the tree there?"

Now really...

Sir, if I'd seen the Bald Eagle, would I be taking pictures of Ring-Billed Ducks like this?

But I didn't say that - in fact, I didn't even think of it at the time. It sounds cool now. Might have appeared rude, though.

I thanked the people and walked down the road a bit to see the Eagle. It's no wonder I didn't see it before. It was on the opposite side of the trees from us... But I took a picture through the branches and thought it came out good enough to show you:


Speaking of Vancouver, taking this picture of the Bald Eagle reminded me of when we lived in Vancouver, back when I was twenty-something.

Nearly every Sabbath I would drop E and the babies off at church and putter up the Squamish Highway to Howe Sound, there to creep along looking for this pair of Bald Eagles I would watch and try to get pictures of. I think they got to know me in my little blue VW Beetle, and when it was clear I wasn't trying to shoot them in negative way, I found I could get closer and closer to them all the time.

Yada yada... Anyway, today I walked around the lake to get closer to the tree if I could, but I misunderstood which tree the Eagle was in and didn't do my "Eagle Walk" (a very slow walk attempting to look a harmless human while imitating the "chip chip chip..." Eagle call) and before I knew it the Eagle flew off, nearly right over me.

Bald Eagles taking off and landing are one of my great eye-loves.

I watched and it landed on a cliff ledge down the road a bit, so when we got "under" it I took another picture, not as close, but still better than anything I ever got creeping around Howe Sound so long ago:


The clouds have closed in again, and as I type even it's drizzling a Vancouver Drizzle in good old Hurricane.

This picture was taken when the sun should have been setting tonight. I was deprived of the honor of recording that event for you, Violet.


I'm glad to hear you are sensing the hangover... :-)



Casey

Hi Casey,

Wow! That shot of the eagle with his feather colour and formation mirroring the rock face behind is superb!

I didn't know that you used to live in Vancouver... small world! On the way to Squamish, did you ever stop in Brackendale to watch the eagles? They congregate there this time each year, to feast on salmon in the Squamish River (not sure what the salmon are doing in the river at that time... I thought they swam upriver in Sept-Oct-Nov to spawn). We used to drive up at least once in January, I remember counting over twenty in one spot, in the trees and on the beach.

I found this video of them on You Tube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ezrj5mIg ... re=related

Thanks Casey!

Hi I.F... Thanks for overlooking the blurry parts. I never went to Brackendale that I know of, I saw Bald Eagles at a Salmon run once, but it was somewhere east of Vancouver. The pair of Bald Eagles I used to try to photograph (though it was probably more than one pair) were usually somewhere between Horseshoe Bay and Brittania Beach on a dead tree. It is so beautiful around Vancouver.

Anyway, today was the same as yesterday, except that I slept late and missed the blue-sky part of the cloud break up. But we went up to Zion anyway because the colors are so different when it's dark and everything is wet like it is now... And the clouds were cool too, being grey clouds under high white clouds, giving the sky a great texture instead of just grey. Very dramatic stuff. :-)

Clouds parting this afternoon, Molly's Nipple on the left:


Zion and Virgin all wet:


A tree with snow-covered Canaan Mountain & Eagle Crags behind it:


Smithsonian Butte, the Virgin River turned red because of extra water from melting snow carrying sand downriver:


Eagle Crags framed by two mesas and dark clouds. If you look closely you can see a bunch of migrating ducks just over Eagle Crags. I couldn't tell from the other photos I got of them what kind they were, however. Argh.


Getting closer to Zion:


The Watchman in wintertime taken from the Bridge of Perfect Photography. There were so few cars I actually parked on the Bridge to take this (Shhhh...):


A Shuttle Station at the "Court Of The Patriarchs", as these formations are called. Sorry about the angle. If I correct it I lose too much picture:


When it was nearly dark E took this shot of a deer in Zion Canyon:


Another winter tour. Hopefully spring will be here shortly. I's drizzling again, but lots of water means lots of gorgeous desert plants in the springtime, and full reservoirs. But it's drizzling now... :-)

Casey

Hi Casey.. It does seem as if the dark clouds are parting, and I am indeed experiencing the hangover now.. namely, I'm realizing all the work that's now piled ahead of me.. I've been in a kind of denial, I think.. you know, when you know there's a lot you should be doing, but you're just not dealing with that fact.. until..

.. well.. I think I'm at that "until" part..

... oh, I do want to say something about the eagle you photographed, only just not right now.. I am writing this as a note to myself, so I won't forget.. oh, and I looked up some interesting stuff that I'd like to try to put together too.. something involving music.. so..

Anyway, for now, I just thought I'd check in.. say hi.. Oh, and your wintery pics are just in time for a shift in the weather here from quite warm (for this time of year) to cold again, with snow possible this week..

.. I love this Western Scrub-Jay shot, and am so impressed to have such a precise name for the sweet thing, and am impressed too that E. is a real live bird watcher.. I have a friend who is also a bird watcher, and whom I never see, come to think of it, since he’s always out watching birds.. anyway, it sounds like a lovely pursuit..
signed,
v I o l e t (flower).. drinking peppermint tea, hoping to cut through this yucky, hangoverie feeling.. and get back to.. (oy).. work..

Casey.. this just caught my attention today, as I was attempting to read some news item or other..

http://www.peakperformancegolfswing.com ... 5QodL2yK3g
FULL SCREEN..

Now, I don't know if, in this context, it's meant to be a metaphor, or if we should all just stop what we're doing, and learn how to perfect our golf swing.. And I'm not sure if your average golf game is on par with what a legend is, but this quote (from a Jean Luc Godard film.. Alphaville) just came to mind.. (it's a quote I've used before, and so I have it memorized).. I'll put it beneath a photo of yours whose deep-hued russet colors really captivate me.. lending "legend" to the land, as it were..

.. "Sometimes reality is too complex for oral communication.. Legend gives reality a form.. so that it can be spread all over the world"..



I guess, as opposed to “legend” (though it could involve that), what I'm getting at with my golf video has to do with honing in on one thing, and seeking to perfect it.. For you it might concern how you are using photography right now.. not necessarily the technical skills related to it, but how you are thinking of it.. what aesthetic choices you may be making, even if unconsciously so.. Sometimes, it is through the processes associated with Art that one comes closer to understanding oneself -- or that God speaking through oneself.. Who's to say.. maybe this can happen, even through a golf game..

.. anyhoo.. just something that came to mind.. I've always been interested in golf, though I've only played once or twice.. maybe it has to do with it's being a Scottish game originally.. that, along with my father's undying love of the activity, even if he wasn't all that great at it.. for him, it had a lot to do with being out in nature, and I can only imagine that the first golf games in Scotland most certainly would have involved navigating some pretty rough terrain.. (!)..

.. 'til soon.. v i o l e t (flower).. back on English Breakfast tea.. with toast.. and honey.. and almond butter..

.. oh, Casey.. I didn't want to leave you with the impression that I sit around on the couch all day watching golf tournaments on t.v.. (pretty boring, for the most part, I'd say).. no, it's more of the "idea" of golf that I'm talking about, when I say that golf interests me..

.. it's something that this particular golf pro captures quite beautifully, methinks..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNVU23knqZw
FULL SCREEN..

.. oh, and for a bit more training for us "non pros"..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQjqvEktoSo
FULL SCREEN..

I's still here... Please go on... :-)

Casey

Tonight when I drove out to Sand Hollow I spotted four big Hawks on the Irrigation Sprinkler Machine:


I don't know what they are yet, they have so much white on them and the horizontal eye stripe they sport doesn't really match anything in the book, but Hawks dress a lot of ways and you have to read the details - which I haven't matched up with these as yet. They must be wintering down here. There must be a lot of ground squirrels around this winter to support them too:


I also spotted a Sparrow Hawk (now called something else but I can't remember what, offhand... Okay, I looked it up: an "American Kestrel") and got him through Silver's windshield as he stared me down:


Now this is the cool part.

I got the sunset from down by the lake, risking sinking in the sand even:


As it got red:


After waiting for the colors to fade, I drove out of the park and when I was just about to SR 9 I glanced left to the west again. Even though the sunset clouds were now dark and you can see Venus in the pictures, indicating how dark it is, there were these white stringy clouds all lit up on the Horizon.

I would guess they were like very high altitude jet contrails, but not straight ones. As high as they were and to the west it just may be they came from some planes practicing maneuvering, from that highly secret place in Nevada everybody knows about.

Anyway, the cool part is that, as I watched, these probable contrails became a sort of Northern Lights show in the West (so I guess they would be the Western Lights) as they caught the rays of the sun in a sort of Sun Dog phenomenon way above the sun instead of on the sides of the sun as Sun Dogs usually appear in my experience.

It was cool, though, Violet, so I thought I'd share some of the photos in the series, which are mostly out of focus because it was so dark the camera wouldn't hold still long enough for extended exposures:





Zoomed in closer:




At this point I'd set the camera to ISO 200 for clearer pictures because it was taking ISO 800 on auto. But that meant a 1-second shutter speed so I moved as mentioned above and they're a little blurry.




I enjoyed your Golf Videos even if your metaphor always eludes me. You would not believe how many Golf Courses they have down here, BTW... Here in "Utah's Dixie".

Casey

.. I'll be back to post more soon, but some of these night shots, Casey, are fascinating, and quite beautiful.. the last ones were giving me the feeling of anticipation, which can't be a bad sign, methinks.. and Venus.. which I quickly looked up.. rules the number 6, a number which has come up for me today in another context, and which is also a good sign, it seems, having to do with harmony, balance.. sincerity.. love.. (though that's just a quick read).. Oh, and I have got to post the stuff about soaring birds.. eagles, and maybe your hawks too.. but for now, I'm thinking of the soul urge to be above the mundane aspects of life.. that might speak to our need for art.. for reaching, perhaps.. striving.. (I just though of Don Quixote)..

.. signing off for now.. v i o l e t (flower).. feeling better.. but still not feeling terribly productive, exactly (so need to attend to that, I'm afraid).. anyway, I'm just relieved, actually, not to be so blue..

The Hawks must have heard me about not being able yet to identify them (just kidding...) because today I got a sort of definitive view!

If you see one (not likely, because they're shown as in the West only, which is why they, too, are Life-Listers for E [Since her bird-watching adventures mainly took place in Ontario, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and around DC, she's "seeing" lots of Western birds for the first time], but if you do...) it's called a "Ferruginous [fuh-roo-juh-nuhs] Hawk".

Anyway, this time the first Hawk I saw was at the front of the Irrigation Machine nearest to the road. He let me park as close as possible to him, then he even stayed as I slinked out of Silver crouching and set the camera on her roof to make it stable:


Then the unbelieveable (in my context) happened when another Ferruginous Hawk landed beside the first while I was locked in focus. I saw the movement through the viewfinder and snapped immediately (one of the things I'm slowly getting better at these days).

I couldn't tell until I got it on the computer here if it was sharp or not, but it was.

Then I just died and went to heaven, Violet. :-))


It was so cool!

...And it was another nice and peaceful sunset down by the lake at Sand Hollow... Pretty in pink tonight:






Casey

Wow (again) Casey – those hawk photos!

Thank you, and for the previous 'Western Lights' thrillers too.