Not Even My Best

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Originally uploaded by Unknown species

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A picture I took back in July has made it into the finals of a photo contest and as such has been published in their yearly collection. To say I'm flying on cloud nine would be just a bit of an understatement. For one thing, it isn't even the best (IMHO) picture I've taken this year. Still, the editor(s) of the contest liked it.

The above photo was taken about a month later and is my favorite. I call that the Day of the Dragons for I managed to get several good macro shots of three types of dragonfly that day: red, blue and gold.

While I did get many good photos of birds this year, it was the macro shots of the dragonflies that stood out in my mind.
As the year winds down a new riding season has begun with my first ride of winter on the first day of winter as recorded twice in my blog through an error on my part. It would seem that while I can still post to my blog the Powers That Be will not allow me to edit or delete entries. Whatever I post here is carved in stone. You see they've got me in a Catch-22. I cannot remember my password--too many sites, too many passwords. So they send it to my email--except it's an address I don't normally use and yep, I've forgotten that password too. Computers have already taken over the world and they are not friendly.

The Wheels Keep Turning

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Originally uploaded by Unknown species

Riding a bicycle in winter has nothing to do with sanity. Only an insane person would go for a ride when the temperature plunges below zero. Okay, so it was only minus eight and the sun was shining, not all that much of a plunge but you catch my drift. Still, it was well worth it and once I’d gone a kilometer or so I warmed up fairly quickly.

I seem to have hit the limits of both the bike technology (some of the plastic parts have grown brittle and snapped off—going to need major servicing eventually) and that of my camera. Neither was designed for these temperatures. The batteries in my camera lose their charge very quickly. I can cope with by taking spares and keeping them warm in an inside pocket until needed—just one of the advantages to my old camera with its disposable double A’s. Maureen's new camera with its rechargeable battery is done for when it gets too cold.

The pathway around the south end of the lake was snow covered but had been packed down by someone on a snowmobile so the riding was bumpy but tolerable. I'm down to about third gear or so for this but that's what the lower gear set's for. The real trick is to stay in the groove as it were--slip off the track and you're in a foot of powder. momentum lost.

Twas the first day of winter, shortest one of the year. All through the land sane cyclists had fled to their condos, hanging their bikes on the wall and waiting for spring. Yet out on the bike path a lone figure was seen, rolling along like all was still green. Is he insane or merely deluded? Or is it he likes to be all secluded? To enjoy solitude is to enjoy freedom, please hold the fries. So out to the bridge the pedal pusher did push, until on its near end he could plant his…

The Wheels Turns

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Originally uploaded by Unknown species

...and takes us back from whence we came Just when any normal person would give it up for the year, I'm off for another ride.

Riding a bicycle in winter has nothing to do with sanity. Only an insane person would go for a ride when the temperature plunges below zero. Okay, so it was only minus eight and the sun was shining, not all that much of a plunge but you catch my drift.

Still, it was well worth it and once I’d gone a kilometer or so I warmed up fairly quickly. I seem to have hit the limits of both the bike technology (some of the plastic parts have grown brittle and snapped off—going to need major servicing eventually) and the batteries in my camera lose their charge very quickly. The latter I can cope with by taking spares and keeping them warm in an inside pocket until needed—just one of the advantages to my old camera with its disposable double A’s. My wife’s new camera with its rechargeable battery is done for when it gets too cold.

It was the first official day of winter, the shortest day of the year. All through the land the sane cyclists had fled, hanging their bikes in garages and condos awaiting the arrival of spring. Out on the bike path a lone figure was seen, rolling along like all was still green. Is he insane or merely deluded? Or is it he likes to be all secluded? To enjoy solitude is to enjoy freedom, please hold the fries. So out to the bridge the pedal pusher did push, until on its end he could plant his…

I first began building these stone markers back in March with a simple pile no more than a foot or so high. It was just my way of saying, "I was here," without actually defacing anything. What I noticed was that every week when I went back, someone had knocked my pile of rocks over. So I rebuilt it, each time adding more rocks and bigger ones. Over the course of the year it grew and even acquired a face when I brought some chalk with me. Again and again it was destroyed by parties unknown. Again and again it was rebuilt. Who is the mysterious destroyer? I have no idea but they shall not prevail...

One More Time

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Originally uploaded by Unknown species

Even if I do manage to get out next week for a ride, yesterday will mark the final ride of autumn. As it turned out, fall was the most productive of the four seasons: I managed fourteen rides in winter, seventeen each in spring and summer and eighteen in autumn, sixty-six so far for the year. I say so far as I haven't given up hope of getting in at least one more before the year's end. The weather has been very cooperative with the Chinooks coinciding nicely with my days off.

The temperature didn't rise more than a degree or two above freezing but I had enough layers on not to feel it. One layer to absorb the sweat, one to stay warm and one to block the wind. Speaking of wind, it started out around twenty kph and wound up gusting to thirty or so by the end but one can't expect perfect conditions this time of year. It's enough that I can even get out there at all.

It's more work than riding in summer, that's for sure. The clothing fights you, the bike fights you and traction is always an issue. In many ways it's like riding an excercise bike with the resistance turned way up. On the other hand I don't have to share my bike path with anyone else. The solitude is amazing as is the quiet.

Days's End

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Originally uploaded by Unknown species

The cycling season isn't quite over yet.  With the extreme cold and all the snow I did have to take a week off but once it warmed up I was back out there.  This was as far as I managed to get on the first attempt but on the next I made it to the wetlands area rest stop.

I've gone full circle this year, from snow and ice through spring, summer and back to snow in late fall.  The view has changed over the course of sixty-five rides as has the subject matter of my photos.  There isn't any wildlife left other than the odd magpie and while I could hear the geese, they were all at quite a distance.

 

Farewell To Flickr

I cancelled my Flickr account this afternoon—they upgraded (in their opinion) the site and it is no longer of any use to me. The increased graphics and extra links slow it to the point of a complete stall. To put it bluntly, nothing works. They are obviously no longer interested in anyone still using a slow speed connection. So I will simply post my pictures here and on the Red Bubble site. When the tech boys get around to f**king up this site, it too will disappear. If something isn’t broken, why fix it? Their so-called 'improvements' have completely destroyed the utility of the site. Thanks a lot guys.

There is something in people I fear that simply will not allow them to leave anything alone. Take my stone cairns for example. Every week someone comes along and just has to knock it down; every week I build a new one. Why is it important to this unkown induhvidual that there be no pile of rocks at the end of the pathway? I have no idea, nor I suspect do they. It is simply there and therefore must be f**ked with. I find myself wishing all such meddlers could be gathered together and put in one place where they could meddle with each other and leave the rest of us alone.

It was a beautiful day for a ride though and I went a wee bit further, stretching the knee as it were. I’m still wearing a brace but it does seem to hurt less each week. This week I made it all the way to the Glenmore Inn, a total ride of just over 40 km. I did manage to see a blue heron and took a couple of low quality distant shots of him but he wouldn’t let me get close enough. Nice to know there’s one in the area though. I will keep trying as the summer continues. This was the 40th ride of 2010 and the ninth of the summer season. The adventure continues.

Second Chances

Sometimes I manage to land in a cesspool and come up smelling like a rose. In spite of my recent stupidity, I somehow wound up with exactly what I wanted. I’m back in Forest Lawn again (yeah!), back on night shift (Hooraw!) and down to just four nights a week (the same four nights Maureen works). It just doesn’t get much better. Best part is I didn’t even have to eat all that much crow. Believe me when I say second chances like this do not come along every day. To this end I find myself repeating the test pilots’ prayer, “Please God, don’t let me f**k up!”

The same is true for stray cats. Over the years I have offered more than a few strays a second chance. The day we had to say goodbye to poor Odo we returned to a very empty home. When we moved in here seven years ago we had four wonderful cats; now only Max remained. So we loaded our empty cat carrier into the car and set off to the Calgary Humane Society (4455 110 Avenue SE) to see what we could find. In the end we wound up adopting two strays, one kitten (Minnie) and one six year old gentle giant named Bear. Bear is a big suck, just the kind of cat I adore. He sits on my chair (doesn’t really fit in my lap) and purrs like an approaching freight train. He loves to have his enormous belly scratched and will actually let me brush it, something no other cat liked at all—good thing since he’s a long-hair.

The riding continues--I went out Monday morning after work and while it was pleasant enough, one of the people sharing the bike path was anything but. I was busy climbing back on my bike after walking it across a roadway when this moron came blasting past me swearing like a stevadore just because I was stopped on the side and he had to go around me. Why he felt the need to ride flat out, I have no idea. Why it was such a big deal to him to have to slow down and go around me, I'll never know. What I do know is that his rudeness ruined what could have been an otherwise enjoyable ride. Thanks a lot bozo. Oh, and one other thing: the bike paths are not a racetrack and you are definitely no Lance Armstrong.

Last Cat Standing

Odo 1993 - 2010 RIP
Originally uploaded by Unknown species

Once opon a time there were two wonderful little kittens: Spot and T'pring. Although not littermates (Spot was six months or so older than T'pring) they soon fell in love and were allowed to mate. As soon as Spot was pregnant, T'pring was neutered for this was a once only mating. Time passed slowly and Spot grew and grew. Then one day we heard them: five little bundles of fur mewling. They were dubbd "The Little Onlies" after an old Star Trek episode. Odo was the last of these five to pass.

A Little Creepy

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Originally uploaded by Unknown species

Sometimes life can get just a little creepy. There are times when I wonder about such things as free will and fate. Are some things meant to happen and some not? Are there forces over which we have no control directing our lives? Or is it all our own subconscious mind, bending our lives to its own agenda. I do not know nor I suspect, does anyone else. When things 'just happen' is there a reason? And when things fail to happen, is there also a reason? The more religious among us would say yes, this is simply the will of the Great Maker at work. No matter what name or form they choose to give this Great Maker, his plans are always too convoluted and mysterious for us mere mortals to comprehend. Maybe, and then again maybe not.

For most of the creatures on this planet, life is fairly straightforward as is their so-called fate. They are born (or hatched), they mate, produce the next generation and die. Everything else is simply maintenance. For humans this is never so simple. There are relationships, careers, family and our place in whatever society we choose to live in. All of these things either lead or push us in one direction or another. Where we wind up would seem to be random but is it really? All the rest of nature appears to be following a plan, why not us?

My own life has been a series of things that seemingly 'just happened' or just did not happen. If there is any master plan, the planners never let me see the blueprint. Like most people, I have no idea what tomorrow will bring. I left DOMO when my knees gave out--not something I saw coming but there it was. I could no longer do the job so it was time to leave. Someone far wiser than me once said, "You can never go back." She was referring to a dead relationship at the time and she was right. Neither of us could ever go back to the way things had been. The same appears to be true when it comes to other life choices.

One can only move forward, never back. After leaving DOMO I tried going back to the familiar--the taxi. For most of my life it has been a haven to me, somewhere I could hide and do my thing. Not any more. After just four shifts back dispatching I was pulled off the board and sent home. I was angry and bitter at first but in the end I think they did me a favour--now I have no choice and must move forward. Whatever I do from here on in won't involve pumping gas or taxis. That only leaves a couple of million other options.

Fate, random chance or my own subconscious? Cannot say. Saying would be knowing. Do not know; therefore cannot say. Zathras had it right. Perhaps my life is meant to go a different direction now. Maybe someone will finally buy one (or more) of my pictures (shameless plug--the link is to your right). Either way, I know I will survivve this just as I have survived all the other twists and turns fate or random chance have tossed me.

Buzzed Again

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Originally uploaded by Unknown species

Yeah, I know it's corny but those who know me will smile at least. Besides, it is a great shot and one I'm especially proud of given the way I feel about stinging insects. They scare the living bleep out of me but this guy was right there and I was already shooting the roses in macro so voila.

I really like how the macro setting allows me to get up close and personal. As with the other shots, not everything turns out. Not being able to use the viewfinder does make it hard to aim since the LCD screen is virtually invisible in the bright sunlight. So mostly I point and shoot and hope for the best--sometimes I get lucky.

Then there were the birds; red-winged blackbirds to be precise (Agelaius phoeniceus for those of you who like Latin) This pair has gotten rather used to me since I come out once or twice a week to photograph them. After I've been sitting there by the marsh for a while they relax and come quite close.

Oh, and just a shameless plug but if you do see any pics you like either here or over on my Flickr page, please remember they are my property and don't steal them. Got to my Redbubble page (follow the banner link on the right) and buy them. If they're not already posted there, drop me a line and I'll put them up.

Early Morning Ride

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Originally uploaded by Unknown species

For the first official ride of the summer season I couldn't have asked for better weather. At six in the morning it was a little brisk but tolerable. The morning sun glistened off the dew-covered grass like millions of tiny jewels. As the sun climbed into the morning sky it produce some interesting reflections off a dead calm lake,


I did manage to get a rather nice shot of a female red-winged blackbird. Her mate was scolding me the whole time, swooping down in an attempt to scare me off. Since she did not move I can only assume she had a nest nearby.

A tree swallow stood guard over his nest and if you look closely you can see another bird peering out of the hole. Timing is everything when it comes to nature. Generally speaking, flowers are easier although if there's a wind blowing (and when isn't there around these parts?) they can pose a challenge.

I continue to ride as the knee continues to heal (slowly) and take pictures of everything in sight. Hopefully some of them are worth looking at.

Final Rites Of Spring

It may not have been the most ambitious ride I've undertaken this year but I managed thirty kilometers never-the-less. My knee is screaming but I refuse to listen. Take two painkillers and call me in the morning. Better yet, don't call me, I'll call you.

Every time I get out to my little railway bridge I rebuild my rock cairn. For some reason it seems to be someone's mission in life to knock it down--I have therefore made it mine to rebuild it each and every time. The change in the vegetation is amazing. When I built the very first cairn back in February there was nothing green to be seen, only white and brown--it made me frown.

The sights and sounds of summer surrounded me today. Between the birds, the frogs and the insect population there was always a background synphony playing. The wetland areas seem to be full of blackbirds this year, both red-winged and yellow-headed.


Summer begins tomorrow--enjoy!

A New Beginning

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Originally uploaded by Unknown species

As I end one chapter of my life, I begin another. The wheel turns (quite literally in this case) and I return from whence I came. On Sunday I will be back at Black Top Taxi for the first time in over four years. Much has changed and I will need retraining but considering how long I spent in the industry I think it'll come back to me fairly quickly.

I hobbled out to the field across the road from our place and watched the sun come up this morning. Perhaps it was an omen of good things to come for when I got home the phone rang. My old job was mine if I wanted it! So there it is--full circle. I shall be wenting back from where I wented from.

Speaking of which, I have no idea when or if my knee will let me get back on the bicycle. The last two rides were somewhat painful but I suppose it won't get any better if I don't use it. At least I'll get to give it a rest at work.