Owlets relocated

The owlet story is ongoing and their adoptive parents have put in many hours watching out for them, with the tacit endorsement of Mama and Paper Great Horned Owl.  Since their nest no longer existed, they were moved to a broad, stable nook of a live oak tree.  They seem to be very comfortable in their new digs, and for the full story, follow Dale's blog at  here  I hope to be able to photograph them as they grow up, but right now they are just so cute.  They are even learning to pose!  The red bottom left is the unrecognizable remains of today's breakfast, courtesy of their real parents.

Two Owlets just starting out

A friend in my neighborhood had two Great Horned Owls build a nest in a tree outside an upstairs bedroom window. We have been following the baby chicks since they hatched and are now at the point where the nest has disintegrated and they have graduated to the "branchers" status from being "nesters".  This has not been without some drama however, and both have fallen out of the tree and have had to be carefully rescued and returned.  The Center for Birds of Prey have been, and will continue to be an invaluable resource through this process. Here are a couple of photos taken yesterday.  It won't be long now before they start exploring a wider world which will make it more difficult to get close-up shots.

The Edisto Solo by John Martin

No posts recently because I am without a camera.  It's amazing how often I miss it throughout the day.  I go to pick it up to take in the car, or to record something and darn, I forgot I don't have it.  Unfortunately when it needs servicing or repair it has to go to Nikon in New York and who knows when it will return.  Right now, they're waiting on a part and they can't tell me how long it will take to get the part - sigh!

So I went through some recent folders and found this image that I took for a friend, master wooden boat-builder John Martin.  This particular craft, the Edisto Solo, was going to be offered at a silent auction recently, and the event organizers needed a photo of it for their promotional materials.  For more of John's work, or to inquire about a custom made wooden boat, visit his website  here.

Disturbing on Multiple Fronts

February is Black History Month, and as part of this year’s commemoration, the Seashore Farmers’ Lodge have created a roadside exhibit. A black man dangles from a tree, his neck broken, the victim of a lynching, genital mutilation, and finally a hanging, while the effigy of a Klansman stands off to the side.

Like the Jews’ mantra “never again”, I agree that these things that happened are beyond horrific.  Throughout history and in many countries worldwide, atrocities have been committed against innocent and helpless people.  I know this first hand having grown up in apartheid South Africa.  We should not forget, but what disturbs me as well is that we also must move on if we are to secure a better future.  

To move on we have to forgive, if only to break the shackles of bitterness that will hold us back from being all we can be and achieving our full potential.  Nelson Mandela had the wisdom to demonstrate this in his handling of South Africa’s very sensitive transition to majority rule.  I’m sure he didn’t feel much like rubbing shoulders with those responsible for the persecution of his people, but pragmatically he knew it was necessary for their best long-term good.  Everyone had to pull together to make this thing work.

So this display bothers me because it forces you to think about the suffering and injustice that people were forced to endure, and it bothers me because I think it is not helpful in furthering the cause of a better society where people of different colors and nationalities can develop relationships built on mutual trust and respect.

Photographing Leigh

My daughter Leigh has become used to being photographed through the years.  Even when she was a kid I would ask her to pose for me, to look here, and to tilt her head a certain way.  She was always obliging, even when I was really tiresome.  Now she is my perfect model and knows just what to do.  The best part is that she is just gorgeous, which makes photographing her even more of a joy. She's the best, inside and out.