Too Cute not to post....

Your gonna love this...

While taking an evening stroll through the house, a kitten encounters a scary thing.
Being a brave little guy, he cautiously investigates all by himself

VIDEO: http://www.wimp.com/scarything/

Road to the Sun

Road to the Sun, a group on Flickr.

Wonderful vacation with wonderful friends at Glacier National Park, MT

Rebel on cruelty to Animals....

I know I’ve posted here about how my dog, Rebel , likes to watch TV. (especially  ”Animal Planet”.)

Thought this was due to the animals on the screen and the noises they make.

So it’s not unusual for him to respond to something on TV. 

 

Today we were in the family room and I was watching the News at 11:00 on Channel 6.

 

Rebel is stretched on the floor with his back to the TV playing with his “Kong”.  

When the news reporter starts to comment on a story of a Racine man being sentenced today for cruelty to animals. Apparently, his neighbors witnessed him bashing the dog’s head to the floor.

At this point they show the man’s picture.

Rebel stops playing, turns to the TV and starts barking.  

There were no animal pictures or sounds. Just this guy’s picture.

Rebel wouldn’t stop until they took the picture down. 

He never ceases to amaze!

BIG Cats....in Wisconsin???

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Months ago I joined a photography group sponsored by Art's Cameras. The short name for it is the FOCUS group. (Pretty catchy, Huh!)

I finally had the opportunity to participate in one of their outings. (scheduling conflicts). Imagine that, retired and I still have scheduling conflicts. Ha, Life is Good!

Back to the  Big Cats.
The FOCUS group worked with WISCONSIN BIG CAT RESCUE and EDUCATIONAL CENTER in Rock Springs WI. They arranged for two groups of photographers (about twenty folks each) to get access to photo the cats and each group received a personal tour by the staff. The tours are interesting in that they provide an explanation of each group of animals. Such as specific type of cat, what they eat, where the came from, their natural history and an example of how each interacts with their handlers.
 

 

The photographers gathered at Art's Waukesha store at about 8:00am. We formed our carpools and headed out for the Baraboo area. I was fortunate to have 3 great companions. Linda, Kelly and Gina.

 

We opted for the scenic route and enjoyed Lodi and the Merrimac ferry across the Wisconsin River. Then a short drive thru Devils lake State Park along the south shore of the lake and on toward Rock Springs. It should be noted that this intrepid crew had only one reroute along our whole route. That was in Rock Springs itself. Seems yours truly couldn't find Ash Street. We made it to the Center just on the outskirts of town. Elapsed drive time including reroute was about an hour and a half.

 

 

I believe this is "Ozzie". His pose seemed to describe the weather for the day. It was sunny and warm with just a tad too much humidity. Jeff and Jenny (The founders of Big Cat Rescue) were excellent hosts and even better tour guides. We borrowed lens and tripods (supplied by Art's staff) and off we went in search of perfect images.

 

After some  hours of fantastic photography and the tour that highlighted our afternoon, our lil group decided we were ready to head home. Actually, we were ready to get a bite to eat then head out.  We had an uneventful ride back to Waukesha. That is if you don't consider the blinding rain and 60mph winds just outside of Madison.

 

The FOCUS group is a free service of ART'S CAMERAS  and is open to all photographers.

For more images from other members of the group check out the photos on Arts facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/artscameras

 

Wisconsin Big Cats Rescue and Educational Center can be found at:  WWW.WISCONSINBIGCATS.ORG

 

Finally, I want to add a humungous THANK YOU to ART's staff and BIG CAT RESCUE for putting together a great event, I look forward to the next FOCUS GROUP outing.

 

Barring Schedule conflicts that is. ;)  

A Little Shameless Self Promotion...

Whitnall Wonderland

In the past, many of you have commented that you enjoy my photography. Fortunately, those of you that don't like it haven't said anything.

Over the last few months I've been busy setting up locations where I can display my work. While my hobby is for my own satisfaction, I do enjoy sharing my efforts. So a few friends have been convinced to exhibit my work at their place of business. Currently I am fortunate to have three great locations for your viewing pleasure.

The FIXX Coffee House has about twenty prints, mostly of the Milwaukee lakefront area. I snuck in a few from Maine for good measure. There a a few 16x20 prints but most are 11x14. Stop in and get a great cup of coffee and a sandwich. (it's located just north of Packard and Howard aves)  

Double B's is a great Burger and Barbeque spot in West Allis that also features adult beverages. They have some 16x20 images with a western flavor to go with their decor. 

Treasure Island Resale is a wonderful store in beautiful downtown Eagle WI that's filled with collectables of all kinds. They've agreed to display some of my favorite 11x14 equine images. Seems the Eagle area is crazy with horse lovers.  

So when you're out and about in the next few weeks, stop in and check out my images,. Sample the wares of these fine businesses. And.... Maybe you'll even find a print to purchase. 

Thought for today....

The Wooden Bowl 
 A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year-old grandson. 
The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered 

The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and 
Failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. 
When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth. 

The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. 
'We must do something about father,' said the son.
'I've had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor.' 

So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. 
There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. 
Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl. 

When the family glanced in Grandfather's direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. 
Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food. 

The four-year-old watched it all in silence. 

One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. 
He asked the child sweetly, 'What are you making?' Just as sweetly, the boy responded, 
'Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up. 
' The four-year-old smiled and went back to work..

The words so struck the parents so that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done. 

That evening the husband took Grandfather's hand and gently led him back to the family table. 
For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, 
Neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled. 

On a positive note, I've learned that, no matter what happens, how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow. 

I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles four things: 
A rainy day, the elderly, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights. 

I've learned that making a 'living' is not the same thing as making a 'life..' 

I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance. 

I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back sometimes. 

I've learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you 
But, if you focus on your family, your friends, the needs of others, 
Your work and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you 

I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision. 

I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one. 

I've learned that every day, you should reach out and touch someone. 

People love that human touch -- holding hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back. 

I've learned that I still have a lot to learn. 

A day in the park

The Barn at Whitnall park

I know, I know. I've been trying to stay in a chronological order to update this blog. It's my attempt to bring the blog up to date.
But, I couldn't resist posting this to share a fun day we had at Whitnall Park.

By the way, my assistant was with me all the while. Rebel that is.

We had a great day watching all the folks enjoying one of our greatest parks. They were cross country skiing, snowboarding, tubing, running and, of course, sledding.
 
It was a beautiful clear day in between snowstorms. Every tree ad bush was covered with a layer of white. You just knew these views wouldn't last long. I absolutely had to capture these images.

As we travelled through the various areas of the park, it quickly became apparent that I was not the only one with this opinion. There were people taking pictures everywhere.
From small point and shoot cameras to obvious professional / hobbyists with expensive rigs.

If you'd like to see my "view from the road" click on this link to FLICKR.

Thanks to the ANGELS....

Trying to catch up on this blogging thing. The image on the left was taken by my son Tim in January 2012. Notice the smile. This was before my knee replacement surgery. Little did I know.

This also shows what a big boy I was. Approx 310 lbs. and this was after losing 15 lbs on doctors orders.

The surgery was the least part of my worries. It was the rehab that tested me, my friends and family.

A few weeks later, I was home and had a reaction to a sleeping pill. Cousin Fran got the EMTs and I was back in the hospital. More testing and off the AMBIEN then back home. This time with "Visiting Angels" to babysit thru the night for a few weeks.

All goes well for a while and I think I'm doing fine. No need for "Angels". Suddenly early one morning ( about 2:30am) I wake up and I am losing motor functions. Fortunately, Tim made sure I had my phone nearby and luckily Fran's number came up. After much confusion and mumbling on my part, Fran decided to come over and get the EMT's again. ( I firmly believe that she saved my life.)

The EMTs checked my sugars and I had a glucose count of 47. Damn close to a diabetic coma. EMTs administered glucose and I started to come back quickly. Back to the hospital for more tests.
Apparently I wasn't eating due to pain drugs. I had lost almost 65 lbs! Yet I was still taking the diabetes meds without checking my count.  Doctor switched my meds and the "Visiting Angels" were back.

This January was one year. I'm happy to report that the surgeon says the knee is OK and I don't have to see him for 2 years. YEA!
My regular Doc says my diabetes is back under control. I don't need to see him for 6 months. I have kept the weight off. I excecise a little and watch my diet. I check my sugars regularly too. While in physical therapy many friends and family members helped drive me there. A big THANK YOU to all of you.

If there is a moral to this whole experience I believe I am under the watchful eyes of many Angels. Not just the "Visiting Angels" but the ones in Heaven and the "Angels" in my family.

An update...Finally

Well here it is Feb 2013 and I haven't posted here since Sept 2011.

A friend of mine started a blog for a school project and that got me thinking.
It's time to dust off the cobwebs and update this puppy.

Speaking of puppy, Rebel is now two years old and doing fine. I noticed that the blog started to be mostly about my pets. That's understandable since I had recently lost Whiskey and adopted my new friend Rebel.
Well, as the blog subtitle says, this is a sharing experiment.
If the sharing takes the direction of pet stories...Well then so be it.

I am however going to make an honest attempt to re-direct the focus to share more experiences. And more pictures. So strap yourself in and hang on we're going for a ride!

Sorry! I couldn't resist.
Here's my buddy enjoying one of his favorite pasttimes.
Watchin "Animal Planet"!
He will actually come into the room and sit and watch .
Until a commercial comes on, then he ignores it.
Smart dog!