All My Blogs

Dave and his daughter on her wedding day.   There are many words I would use to describe Dave, but the top ones would be honest, giving, kind, and family-orientated.  He is a Christian, not one that associates with that term loosely, but rather one who is truly committed to its deepest meaning.  He is knowledgeable about many things and is constantly increasing his knowledge base through his reading and program watching.  And, if that weren't all enough for a human being to be, he also plays cards (and wins - he beats me regularly). It has been my good fortune to have known Dave for over 35 years now.  During that time, I have watched him face many challenges that Life has thrown at him.  It has never been easy for him and he has faced each one with both faith and determination.  I know the pain each event has caused him and have done my best to support him during those trying times.  That's because we're friends - good friends. Likewise, Dave has...

I photographed this from our cabin balcony on the cruise ship. Yes, it's an osprey.  But my previous post on this bird was for a peregrine falcon.  That's on me, I was clearly mistaken, and some of you pointed that out to me.  Thanks. I guess I get excited when I see something like this.  Open ocean, nothing around but a few other birds using the ship as a moving landmass, and this great predatory beast cruising around the vessel in circles.  I should have known straight off that it was an osprey, but I was hoping it would be something else, maybe something exciting. And so I pulled out my bird book (yes, I brought my bird book with me on the cruise) and went through trying to identify it.  I saw a subspecies of the peregrine falcon and, for some reason, decided that was it and claimed my find.  To make matters worse, I posted my claim, complete with photo, on Facebook and was soon humbled by my rather massive error. The up side to the whole thing in t...

Eric and Kathryn in Valdez, Alaska It was a family thing.  We celebrated the lives of Kathryn's mom and dad while on the Noordam , a cruise ship of Holland America.  Kathryn and her siblings released their parents' ashes into the sea in what was an emotional farewell.  The rest of the time on the two week sojourn was spent visiting, dining, and enjoying shore trips together. I say "dining" because I seemed to have found the ten pounds that I lost earlier this year.  Morning and evening meals were collectively taken in the dining area where my normal 15 minute meals turned into an hour and a half of culinary experiences.  The time was well spent though as the ten of us (5 siblings and their partners) had a rare opportunity to visit. It was a good chance for me to do some photography, although the weather wasn't particularly helpful in that manner.  I did get some good photos of some birds and mammals and even saw a few whales on the trip.  Viewing the g...