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| Posted by: ycd0108, 3:20 PM GMT on February 05, 2013 | +1 |
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Now looking at the potential of humans (including myself) with regard to understanding complex natural phenomena.
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Page: 1 — Blog Index
Ycd, I found this and wondered what you would think about it.
I read your link at around noon so I have had a couple of hours to think about it:
Romeo, much as I respect him, would not have made a very good representative of any kind at that time.
I bought his book soon after it was published but could not bring myself to read it till about a year or so ago.
The fact is: I was asked to go in to Rwanda in '94 with MSF. I refused because I was still shattered from the (much less intense) experience in Liberia though I did not know how much less until I read Dallaire's account.
As far as I was concerned I had already Shaken Hands with the Devil.
Sometimes I wish I had found the correct answer to a request like that. By the way the correct answer is: "Yes."
If you can help out.
If you become another casualty you can not help others.
If Romeo was the Prime Minister of Canada today I would not be bitching on my blog.
One of my favorite birds!
The Heron likes to fish in the small ponds here. I have seen him/her fly away with a bright orange snack once in a while but the fish generally "sound" when anything looms over the ponds. Heron has to stand on the edge because the ponds are concrete half spheres about 4' radius.
Taking off from this hole in the trees would require some hard work on the bird's part as well so they don't drop in very often.
The memorial Bill was very special to us. Another very long story so "What I wish to record" is the fact that this Heron dropped in that day.
And they are special to me.
I've no doubt that this bird on this particular day had special meaning. Record it. Remember it. Take comfort from it, my friend.
You might be able to answer a question that has been on my mind for some years.
I was working on the third plus floor of a house I had built in a fairly (really) remote inlet when a Blue Heron landed in a sapling just outside the window. The tree was so flimsy at this height the bird was using it's wings to stabilize itself and the top of the sapling - probably less than 15' from the windows I had been trimming out.
What I think I saw (my eyes were much better then) was:
A red pin stripe along the edge of the wing. The stripe was very thin but very distinct. I have mentioned this to others but no one else seems to have seen it.
2C. and VLR with some gusty winds. Our forecast is: "Clearing trend" so by the time I have the roof metalled I won't need it for a few days.
oregonbirdofprey:
I just went to Google and found some fine photos of the bird but I can not see any sign of a pin stripe. Maybe the bird I saw had just come from the Feather Dresser and wanted to show off?
You take care when near those birds. That bill looks formidable and it can strike like lightning.
They're not usually visible when the bird's at rest or fishing, but when it flies - or is trying to balance itself in a tree! - you can see them.
I have wondered since why this bit of color would evolve at all.
You know, it's amazing how hard the U.S. media keeps us in the dark. :(
Just in for lunch and the sun is shining so I better go up the scaffold. We got half the roof metalled.
I don't know much about Herons but they show up now and then - pretty impressive bird but what a "song" as they fly away!
Hope you are making progress on the roof!
Ylee: Got the main surface metaled this aft.
I'm bunned.
Gonna take tomorrow to clean up the site and Sunday to put on ridge cap and gable trim.
'Course it is forecast to be dry for a few days - that always occurs when we get a roof on.
Feels mighty good though.
I could only get through part of the link you put up here.
But I have a feeling the "Rich and (in)famous"
have not been able to dot the "I"s and cross the 'T"s lately if ever.
Tonight I doubt I could dot an "I" but tomorrow I'll be rarin' to go.
He was a sports photographer for years - hence, he has the equipment and the skills to photograph birds in flight, especially. As he says, there's not much difference between a jump shot and a pelican dive!
I was "ground man" today but the Samgal was on charge when a flock of Snow Geese came over. Missed that. Went to get the photo machine and the Snow Geese came back the other way (north east) Then a bunch of tiny birds tried to make a symphony just overhead. Nothing like a Murmuration but not bad.
My picture taking skills are by no means honed so I have no images but more and more I can appreciate what other photographers have to do.
Meantime I was supposed to be cutting the metal roofing and the fellows up top were wondering when they would get the next piece.
I'm still not satisfied that what I think I saw and what I see of Blue Heron photographs are identical. The photos show orange on the leading edge of the wings.
What I saw was a fine stripe of distinct red about an inch or so inside the leading edge on the back of the wing. Also the bird was much more blue than the ones pictured - no white feathers.
Oh Dang! My sister Jan is an avid "Birder" so I should email her with this question. She rarely answers emails but you never know.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21337504
I'd think you'd fit in where I work just fine! Not many places to take pictures of birds, though!
Ylee:
I see from your blog you've already gone home.
I slept in this morning - the push to get the bulk of the metal roofing put in place was a bit much for this old feller. Gunther had enough sense to get down off the roof at about 1500 but the two younger fellows were willing to keep going as long as I could get the roofing felt and metal sheets up to them. I knew the next day would be a write-off.
Still need to go back up and place the gable end trim, ridge cap and bend the flashing for the chimney and skylights.
The guy who sells us roofing loans me a Sheet metal "break" and a "Slitter" so I can make up the flashings.
It makes for some tedium trying to "Think like a rain drop" and break (read bend) the metal to fit.
Of course the straight skylight flashings are easy compared to fitting flashing to a stone chimney so I am avoiding thinking about that. The chimney goes up through the ridge so there is no need for a header flashing.
In a new build I usually try to get the skylights placed close enough to the ridge to tuck the header flashing under the ridge cap.
This is much more information than the reader needs, I know, but it happens to be my obsession these days.
Ah, a wise man. I guess the "belting up" would greatly reduce the "flopping around" aspect. At least you do have ropes to hold onto while on the roof. Kicked-loose moss could make the footing a bit uncertain.
Seeing the picture of the house and surroundings (beautiful setting, I might add), I now understand why you've a bit of a moss problem. All those constantly-dropping fir needles provide a fertile base for moss to flourish.
Do try to keep fingers and other protruberences clear of that flashing break. Don't want any fingers bent where they're not supposed to.
That is why we chose the metal color "Hickory Moss". I doubt the moss can get as much purchase on the metal but we will see. I know my boots don't get much grip on damp metal.
Thanks for the mail re the photos. I don't usually reply there because I doubt that anyone would go back to check but by golly if someone has the gumption to post a comment there I should be able to post a reply.
SIL and nephew spent a couple of hours stitching down end trim, closure foam, bug screen and ridge cap up to the chimney while I ran up and down the stairs to feed them materials through the open skylight so all that's left is a short section from the chimney to the south gable. Well, that and the skylight and chimney flashing. Then a day pulling down the scaffolding. Final cleanup will involve dealing with the mass of moss but Tloml, daughter#2 and grandson had a good time placing moss in a mosaic just off the wood deck today and it looks fine just now. I don't know if it will survive since that is an high traffic area.
I am guessing you are mature enough to remember the "Wringer Washer" and the saying regarding safety near that machine.
"Do try to keep fingers and other protruberences clear of that flashing break. Don't want any fingers bent where they're not supposed to."
The Sheet Metal Break and the Slitter seem fairly safe in that regard. None of my phalanges could fit in the squishing part nor the slitting part.
We love moss and it seems to tolerate us.
Something that happened here today that I posted on my blog, but thought you might enjoy:
This evening, a momma squirrel who is particularly tame and has been coming around for a few years showed up on the deck. You have to understand, she will just sit there and stare at me with those hungry brown eyes until I go and get her a treat. If I don't, she'll just keep coming closer until she is practically in my lap. Now...I don't want a tree rat in my lap, so I generally comply.
Anyway, as I was inside getting half a slice of 12 grain bread for the tree rat, imaginatively named 'Squirrely', (yeah, I know...don't give me any grief but it's a squirrel, why waste a lot of time coming up with a name...especially when she comes a runnin' to 'Squirrely'), when I hear Angie calling me frantically from the deck.
Well, I come out to see what the commotion is. Big Blue, the Heron decided to drop in just before dark and had caught himself a bass, at least 10 inches long.
So...he's standing there at the edge of the lake with this big fish flopping around in his mouth. I could hear him thinking. Okay...I won the lottery. Now...what am I gonna do with it.
Well, either he dropped it, or it go away, but at any rate, he then pierced it with his beak. Now he was standing there with a too big fish flopping around on his beak.
Well, we watch for a few more minutes. Not sure he knew what to do with it, when all of a sudden he flipped it off his beak and proceeded to swallow it!!
At this point, I'm thinking, "I'm not sure I know how to do and emergency tracheotomy on a bird" but thinking I'm gonna have to learn.
To our amazement, Blue swallowed, with some real effort, the bass, stood there for a minute, then drank a lot of water to help wash it down.
Couldn't believe it!
Thanks for the story and the information about the Blue Heron.
I'm wondering now if the pinstripe was not on the inner surface of the wing. It has been a number of years since I saw it so I just assumed the bird would have landed there to scan the tidal flats below. However the tree was so close to the window the bird would have had to avoid the roof overhang so maybe it landed facing me.
Maybe if Big Blue is that well fed he or she will let you scratch it's belly and stretch out limbs (wings) with pleasure like Jupiter often does.
We have a number of small brown squirrels living about my house, wood shed and shop and they have been a bit vocal about our crew setting up scaffolding and fastening roofing down with battery powered impact drivers. They were fairly tame before this project and now that we can return to a somewhat normal setup the long lectures should taper off. I don't know how a squirrel will manage on damp metal roofing though.
The squirrels learn to skate pretty quick. Might freak them out for a day or two though.
As for Blue, well, He'll let me get pretty close and will accept the occasional shrimp tossed from a few feet away, but I don't think any belly scratching will occur any time soon.
It never occurred to me to try to feed a Blue Heron. I built a couple of ponds and stocked them with Goldfish instead. Today a heron did a low pass over the ponds. I was using one hand on the rope to keep steady on the roof and only noticed when Jupiter announced. He won't put up with large birds or helicopters anywhere near the yard. I don't know if the Samgal was even in my pocket at the time but it seems to me there might be a market for a camera more or less shaped like a pistol which you could draw, aim and shoot a picture with one hand. 'Course I've already got enough stuff hanging off my belt
Someone would very likely mix up the Camera with a real cannon so maybe that is not such a good idea.
I had a habit of climbing buildings years ago in the "Big Smoke". Now and then some resident would call police as I passed - I did not want any of their possessions, I just wanted to climb the building.
Got away almost clean from the first trial climb. I was coming out of the elevator as two policemen entered the lobby so they ignored me. One buddy was wandering up in the top floor looking for me so the officers asked him to check to see if I was hiding on top of the elevator shelter. He was a bit ruffled when they let him go but drove me home to get rid of me.
I don't do that on other folks buildings any more - mainly because it is not physically possible now - but I enjoyed some very special views.
Quite often there is no "Break and Enter" needed and I was not a real burglar anyway. When you get a few floors up the windows are often unlatched.
So I was showing off to one of my now quite upstanding guests and took him on a tour of my favorite offices in downtown 4th floor. I had been through before but this time I wandered in to an office and there was a uniform snoozing at a desk.
I Said: "What are YOU doing here?"
He said: "What are You doing here?"
Buddy and I hurried out the front door and carried on with our nightscapades.
I think I linked the whole album:
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