Myrtle the Turtle

Myrtle the Turtle encountered a hurdle
But Myrtle is smart (so she says)
So Myrtle the Turtle climbed up on the hurdle
And spent the day catching some rays.
The End

A poem by fstop steve (grade 2)

Thanks a lot, Pal!

I hate when someone just barges in front of your lens when you're taking a photograph. This big lug must have seen me. I would have said something to him but he just lumbered off without stopping. I registered my disgust in the usual Canadian way, I gave him "the look". He knew what it meant. If it happens again I'm writing a letter to the editor.

I love night photography

For some reason, I do better with photography when I look over my left shoulder. I have won several awards when I submit photographs using this unorthdox technique. Last night I looked over my left shoulder and saw this fountain. I used the hood of the car for a reflector and this is what developed. I like it.

Our little garden

For years and years, our back yard was filled with kids, kid's toys, swing sets and dogs. The toys are gone, the dogs are gone and the kids (although they come and go) are mostly gone. But the best news is...so is the grass. Sweetie and I had the backyard (long and narrow) turned into our little piece of paradise. We both like green plants and have filled the backyard and the front yards with hostas plants. This photograph is looking west with my back against the pool fence.
When asked if we are going on vacation, I always tell people that we are going "as far as "Ourgate" which is at the end of "our yard".

The second shot is looking to the east towards, (wait for it) "Ourgate Lake".
I had some golfing buddies over for a beer a few years ago and one of them said "this is like being at the cottage".
We think of this place as our cottage. We have a hot tub spa, central air, digital cable tv with big screen tv and comfortable beds. The only thing we don't have are reservations.
But friends are always welcome.

Why I hate the metric system

Apparently I have a problem converting millimeters to inches and vice versa. This chair was supposed to be for the kids.

A buliding within a building

I was stopped at a traffic light when I grabbed my digital camera and took what I hate - a "snap shot".
To me a photograph is a slice of time. They should be set up and composed correctly. A photograph is "made" a picture is "taken", a subtle but true difference. A snap shot picture is when you hold up a camera and push the button.
So - that being said, I like this photograph. I just set up and composed it quicker than normal.

My mug shot

Shalee wants to know what my favorite coffee mug looks like. Okay, here it is. It's a Starbucks travel mug that you can unscrew the bottom and put in photos, pictures, etc. The magnificent artwork was drawn by my Grand-son Jake. It shows the two of us at our annual favorite-place-in-the-world-to-be-together, the model train show. It may not be much to look at, but each time I pick it up, it serves to remind me what's important.
As for what's in it? Well, I like Nigerian Dark Roast coffee. We have a Cuisinart automatic grind coffee maker that grinds and makes the coffee all in one. Cold, filtered water and the coffee beans in the Tupperware container in the cupboard. (If you keep your coffee in the freezer, the frost-free humidifier dries it out.)
I also like a dab of International Delight Irish Cream coffee flavour.
Sometimes, just sometimes, (only to ward off evil spirits you understand), I will use a touch of Heather Cream liqueur in place of the International Delight. The problem with doing this is that it makes the coffee taste like "more".

Once again, I reveal the truth to you.

Most people think that potholes are created when water seeps through a crack in the pavement and freezes during cold weather. After this happens, cars run over the spot that has frozen and break the asphalt even more creating bigger cracks and hence, bigger potholes as the process continues.
They are wrong. During the day (and probably at night although I don't have any evidence to support it) Dahl sheep come and chew holes in the road as proved by my actual photograph. Oh sure, there are some who say that the sheep are just licking the salt from the road, but come on - who are you gonna believe? Total strangers or someone (fstop Steve) who proved that Santa exits.
I thought so.

Rapt attention

Somewhere in this world there is a teacher who would love to have this kind of attention from his/her students. It is a first generation digital camera that stored the photos on a floppy disk.

Ghost Writing

I love old buildings with the remnants of advertising signs still partly visible. I'm not sure what this one says, but I can make out the first part and whatever the product is, "children cry" for it.

Glacier Studies - 101 Class # 4

Shortly after this episode happened, the ship, which displaced about 37,000 tons, rocked back and forth from the wave. The Wildlife Officer told us that one or two sea kayakers are killed each year from falling ice when they venture too close to the glaciers.

Glacier Studies 101 - Class # 3

This is an example of an ancient tidewater glacier. Please note the deep blue of the ice indicating that it has very little air remaining in it. This ice is extremely hard and approaches the strength of solid rock. Once again, the darker surface colour is crushed rock. We helicoptered onto the surface of the glacier and very few of the other tourists found it amusing when I ran around asking "Did you feel that? It moved!"
The vignetting in the corners of the photograph is caused by using a cheap wide-angle lens.

Glacier studies 101 - Class # 2

This is the face of a glacier from a safe distance of about a half mile back. The Captain said that it was about 250 feet in height. It was an active, advancing glacier that was "calving" on a regular basis. Glaciers produce very large waves when several hundred tons of ice hit the water very quickly. It is not an old glacier due to the whiteness of the face, indicating that it had a large amount of air in it. The dark streaks are not dirt (as in pollution), as some think, but actually ground up rock. Sort of like "ground ground" which has been taken for granite.

Pretend it's Wednesday

The poor fools never saw it coming. They just sat there, posing for the camera, never suspecting that slowly, inexorably, the glacier was advancing towards them.

I'm not lion!

This is a photo of Ceasar. He was the most famous resident of the Bowmanville Zoo, the largest privately owned zoo in Canada. He was a movie star too (just like yesterday's blog). He starred in several movies and commercials including, "The Ghost and the Darkness" and "George of the Jungle". He died a few years ago of cancer and now his offspring are at the zoo. However, they may not be there for long. Developers have moved in and are building subdivisions around the zoo. What are the chances of the zoo lasting in its present location? fat and slim. The zoo has been an important part of this town for a long time and has employed more than a few of the kids from town (including both our kids) and if it should be forced to close, it will be a loss that will be missed forever.
Sometimes progress is not "pro" anything. Just my two cents worth.

I'm a Movie Star!!

There it is, as plain as day - my name - on a movie poster. Whoda thunk it? There is one small problem. I don't know which one is Steve Rowland. I'm taking a guess on the second guy on the right. Why? Because that's what I think a movie star named Steve Rowland should look like.

National War Memorial

While visiting Ottawa recently, I took this photo of the National War Memorial. It is an impressive monument to say the least.

I've got to get a stronger cleaner

I don't know what these are, but I found them on the counter this morning . Mr. Clean is apparently not working.

Proof that Santa exists!

Well, who do you think took the picture at the ......? It's warmer in the summer.

Cornfield sunrise

The elephant walked away before I could check the height of the corn but I sang a refrain of "OKLAHOMA" anyway. The reaction from the crows indicated the origin of the word "scarecrow".

Palm tree and full moon

How times have changed

Someone sent this to me recently and it made me very sad. I started in 1974 and was making $3.75 an hour or$7800 a year.
How I longed to have an extra $2786 a year. I could'a bought a brand new car!

Friday Quiz

What is this man doing? Is he:
(A) Ejecting from a fighter aircraft at Mach 1?
(B) Riding a motorcycle at 120 MPH?
(C) Goofing around with an electric leaf blower?
Personally, I'd pick (C).