All My Blogs

A birdhouse at Swan Lake Bird Sanctuary - Tree swallows. We put up birdhouses to help and attract birds, but sometimes our good intentions lead to disaster.  Hole size is important.  If it is too big, predatory species can get in and take the eggs or chicks.  A perch also makes predation easier; birds don't need one, as they are fully capable of accessing the nest without it. In the spring, when nesting begins, the air is cool and the sun rarely causes heat issues.  As the season progresses into summer, the risk of heat exhaustion to the vulnerable birds increases.  Putting the house in the shade or having some kind of insulation reduces the likelihood of their death.  Lots of ventilation also helps to encourage air circulation; just make sure the vents are not too large. Birdhouses don't need a perch, but their walls can't be smooth either.  Rough, unsanded wood is all that is needed for the birds' access.  You can build the house out of plywood ...

Left:  A Zentangle name card made by Mrs. Graham for me.  Right:  A GSS yearbook photo of her. Did Mrs. Graham ever make a you a name card like the one shown above?  She made one for me, it was something I saw her often working at.  A Zentangle is a "relaxing art method used to create abstract, structured black-and-white patterns called tangles on small paper squares." (Google)  I think she found them relaxing and enjoyed making them for people.  She would laminate them afterwards and give them to their namesake.   She cared for people, was a respected teacher and colleague, and taught at Garibaldi for a number of years.  I always enjoyed her company.  The cards that she made for people spoke of her care for others.  If you notice, it is signed, "L L.G."  I think it stands for "Love, Linda Graham."  I never saw her as emotional or conflicted, but I am sure she must have had challenges in her life. She was a heavy smok...

  My daughter, Leanne, visiting us on the week of my birthday.  So much to be thankful for. The photo says so much about the things happening in my life.  Living in the Okanagan, a nice house with a great view of the neighbourhood, my dog, and my beautiful daughter enjoying another sunny day.   I turn 66 years old in two days.  My health is pretty good, although my issues with diabetes haunts me a bit.  I have a beautiful wife who plays cards, attends church with me, likes camping, and loves her children and grandchildren.  She even goes kayaking with me occasionally.   I have many friends, some I have known for almost 50 years and others who are more recent but devoted to our relationship.  Although stuff tends to not be too important, I have all that I could ever want. But the thing that I have, more than everything else, is my relationship with those I love. Family, friends, and God.  I don't talk much about my faith in my b...

Six-spotted orb weavers. Left:  2020, Clearwater BC.  Right:  2026, Wabamun AB I must see a thousand-plus spiders over the period of a year.  Many of them are familiar.  The long-legged cellar spider (they give me the creeps), jumping spiders (at least 3 species at my home), wolf spiders, and those funnel weavers (barn-funnel spiders) are commonly witnessed.  I can usually spot most of them any time I go into my garage and look around.  I have even found a few black widows ( click here) , but none in my house, thankfully. But, it's nice to know that they aren't the only ones.  This morning I saw a European-cross spider, and as you can see above, I photographed a six-spotted spider recently on a trip to Alberta.  I also saw and photographed a spider I had never seen before last week while in Didsbury (Alberta Jewel spider - click here ). The interesting thing about the six-spotted spider is that it is the second one I have seen/photographed....

Canon, Nikon, Minolta, Olympus, Pentax - film cameras and lenses for sale. Yes, I have quite the collection.  Some are mine that I used back in the good ol' days of film.  Many I have collected over the years as people hand unused equipment to me.  There is a lot; I have 25 lenses for sale too, ones on the camera bodies and many more that are not.  Nikon, Pentax S, Canon, Minolta.  I even have a Bronica medium format camera for sale. While it is true that film is somewhat passe, the truth is that many out there still use it.  Partly out of nostalgia, partly because film is still a viable medium, with a dynamic range that beats many a digital sensor.  And then there is darkroom work.  Although all my prints are done using pigment and ink-based printers, I fondly remember my days in the darkroom. I will be posting my cameras on Facebook Marketplace soon.  They will be listed at fair prices.  Looking forward to the response. Thanks for read...

Main:  Common grackle (male), Airdrie, Alberta.  Inset:  Great-tailed grackle, Arizona While visiting Alberta this summer, I came across some common grackles.  They look similar to Brewer's blackbirds initially, but closer inspection shows that they are both larger and more colourful than them.  They belong to the same family (Icteridae) as their smaller cousins.  There are three species of grackle that live in North America: the common grackle (main), the great-tailed grackle (inset), and the boat-tailed grackle.  Only the common one can be found in Canada, and they are only found east of the Rockies. The male grackle's breeding plumage is striking, with its bronzed-iridescent body feathers and deep blue/purple head.  The female, as is the case for all female Icteridae, is a mottled brown designed to prevent unwanted attention.  Unlike the male, the female does not have the bright yellow eyes. Grackles are the number 1 pest of corn crops in ...