Movie Time

Well, since some friends of mine had such good luck uploading videos onto this website, I thought I might try my hand at it, too. I've collected a number of videos over time, but I'll only put up a few to try this out. The first two were taken on slides in the City Museum in St Louis, which is great fun. Roll 'em!!!

This one is called the Monstroslide and is very, very long. It reminded me of the old slide in the school playground in Lometa, Texas -- or at least how it seemed to a youngster. I actually did this one twice.



I'm not sure what this one was officially called, but it looks like you're crawling into a bedpan to me, so I called it the Bedpan Slide. That'll teach them not to name their slide. (FYI, "sharp turn" is a warning, not the name of the slide. You'll see.)



And here's one I did just for fun when I got my new digital camera. This one is called Zoomin' Around The House, because . . . well, that's what we're doing. It's pretty simple, folks.



Here's one I took a while back in the Trails Shop at Adadia National Park in Maine. This is Jeff Chapin's dog, Hank (a.k.a. "Hank the Tank") and he's just begging for someone to play fetch with him. How dogs make that high-pitched whistling sound is beyond me.



Well, speaking of dogs, I guess we might as well end this with a couple of videos I took during a "hunt" in Star, Texas, over my birthday. The only hunters were the dogs, and the hunted -- a couple of rabbits -- never had anything to fear. They always loped by us about 5 minutes before the dogs arrived. Still it was fun. So, why don't we open up the boxes and let 'em run? Watch quickly, because it doesn't take long. The first group to be let loose are Joe's dogs.



Next up, we have Joe's cousin, Pete, and his dogs. Again, watch quickly as they're gone as soon as they hit the ground.



Okay, that'll do it for now, I guess. I hope you enjoyed the show(s). Stay tuned for Coming Attractions in the near future. Ciao, baby!

A Day In The Life

Not every morning starts this way but, with any luck, sometimes they do. I just couldn't believe the sights and smells of this desert morning. That jaggedy mountain to the left of the sunrise is Dove Mountain.

By now, most of you are aware of my transfer into the Persimmon Gap Visitor Center for our summer operations, as the budget wouldn't allow for two places to be open at the same time -- plus the Entrance Station turns into quite an effective oven during the summer months. This view (a historical view at that) is taken on the hillside across the road. You can see the new apartments off in the distance, just sitting there now due to the contractors being given the heave-ho for taking their own sweet time and not doing a decent job while they were doing it.

Down off the hill now, here's a little shot of the moon caught between the tall yucca and the front of the building. It adds a nice graphic touch, doesn't it?

One more image of plantlife before heading in -- the false pitaya in full bloom in the flowerbed to the right of the door. I promised you some photos of desert blooms, didn't I? Unfortunately, they're few and far between out here this year.

And here we are, inside the Visitor Center and looking at my new duty station. It's kind of fun getting to sit and chat with the visitors, for the most part, but when they pile in all at once, it loses some of its charm. Oh, well. (Obviously, this shot was taken out of sequence, as you can see the flag still folded on the counter.)

This is one of our display areas, picked for a couple of reasons: 1) It's got the most information for the display in the picture and, 2) It's just the best photo of all I took. This particular display deals with being on the river and showing what you should take with you when you go. I want that hat!

This is by far one of the most appealing aspects of working in the VC -- the picture window. This photo is a rough approximation of the actual view, as all the displays blocked me from getting a good shot of it. You get the general idea, though. No back ends of Exxon stations for Doug anymore.

Well, the day is done and it's time to kick back at home with a "beer-and-a-bump" as Garrison Keillor put it in A Prairie Home Companion. I was on my way back for another bump to accompany my beer when I caught this ray of light illuminating my Route 66 shotglass I got when I was at the Meramec Caverns in Missouri. I was just stunned by the lighting, so of course I had to grab the camera. I really like this shot.

And so, friends and nieghbors, that will close not only my day at work, but this blog entry, as well. Thanks for tuning in to our show. Till next time . . .

Pepe vs. Deer

And welcome to the Wild West, folks, where if you're not careful -- and sometimes even if you are -- this sort of thing can happen to you. I was headed to work on Tuesday morning early and shortly after I turned onto Highway 385, a 6-point buck came charging out of the bushes at me with his head down. I stomped the brakes and turned away from him, but he was on me in nothing flat and BOOM!, down he went. In looking back, he was in an out-and-out charge, as I've never seen a deer run across the road with his head down like that. After I got out and went back to check him out and move him off the road, a doe ran out of the same bushes and across the road, so he was definitely in his protective mode.

And here's another angle to show the impact area where his body hit. Fortunately, he didn't knock out the headlight, but it does point down at the ground and is virtually useless for night driving and I can't get it adjusted out. Looks like a job for an auto body shop. Dang! Well, at least Pepe's still drivable.

Oh, well. That ought to just about catch you up on big events around here for now. Next weekend I'm going out on a wildflower photo safari throughout the park, so stay tuned!