Moving Day

I hate moving.

There's just nothing pleasant about the experience. Well, I take that back. Maybe the anticipation of a new start and a new home and all that crap can be seen as a positive. I suppose it's not that bad.

Hell, we even broke out the champagne for our first dinner in our new house (we only bought it for the cool bottle, cuz champagne tastes like ass). But I still hate moving.

And we've certainly done enough of it in the past ten years. Fairbanks (AK) to Wilson (WY); Wilson to Kelly (WY); Kelly to Troy (ID); Troy to Seward (AK); Seward to Rimrock (AZ); Rimrock to West Glacier (MT); and today from our "temporary" house here in West Glacier to our permanent (or near enough) house less than a half mile away at the other end of the park's housing area. Hopefully, though, this will be the last one for a long while. We're living in a cute little cottage in one of the world's most beautiful national parks and paying a pittance for rent. Not too much to complain about there.

To be honest, this had to be the easiest move we've ever done, too. Eighty percent of our stuff was still sitting in the garage all packed in boxes from when the movers had dumped it there in September. All we really had to do was load them into a vehicle (thanks for the help, David and Bill!) and shuttle them a little ways down the street.

*sarcasm* Now the FUN part begins! *sarcasm*

I hate unpacking.

It's Always Bunny in Philadelphia

Ok, I got a little distracted these past couple of days, which is why I haven't done anymore inauguration posts. But I'll get to them eventually. Right now, however, I'm in Philadelphia visiting some friends from a website I've been frequenting for almost ten years (it's not as weird as it sounds. Honest! I already met them once last year).

We spent the day seeing the sights in the City of Brotherly Love, but instead of posting a bunch of pictures of me standing next to the Liberty Bell or the Rocky statue I thought I'd share our adventure as experienced by Androgy-Bunny, our little mascot given to us by another friend from the aforementioned site.

The day started with a long drive into town. Rabbit was intially frustrated by the traffic we encountered, but he/she took it in stride.

Before long we were running up the Rocky steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

And, of course, we spent a few minutes hangin' with the champ himself. We had another "magical" moment at the top of the Rocky steps, but I'll save that part for later...

Needless to say, all that exercise made us hungry, so we all headed over to the world-famous "Geno's".

...and pigged out on some authentic Philly cheese steaks (prov, without).

Our next stop was to Independence National Historic Site. Rabbit wouldn't agree to this picture unless the ranger wore his flat hat.

The Liberty Bell was cool, as was Independence Hall. Too bad the ranger program we saw was decidedly not.

We also met some interesting people on the street.

And explored some of Philly's trendier streets.

After a while, we opted to take a little break...

...and enjoyed some suds in an Irish pub. But the highlight of the entire day occured at the top of the Rocky steps. No one could have imagined who would appear to share in our little Philly adventure...

And just for the record, this picture was Conan's idea. He took one look at Rabbit and immediately felt the sort of connection only another metrosexual with sad, yet slightly creepy eyes could appreciate.

Two Minutes that Changed the World

I am completely and utterly exhausted right now, but wanted to make this post to commemorate this amazing and awesome day. Standing in a crowd of somewhere between 1 and 2 million people, I was witness to one of the most inspiring events of my life. And there was one particular moment in today's celebration that was particularly moving. It was the moment that Barack Obama became our 44th President.

The reaction of the crowd surrounding me was at least as inspiring as the event itself and is something I'll never forget.

There's so much to talk about and share regarding this incredible experience I had that I want to dedicate several posts to it. But not tonight. Instead, I plan to shortly collapse into the bed in my friend's basement here in Silver Spring, MD, and not move again until sometime around dinner tomorrow night.

Before I end this post, however, I wanted to share an image my brother showed me and I improved upon. This is a satellite image of the area directly in front of the Capitol during President Obama's Inauguration. In case you find it difficult to recognize me, I added an arrow. You might need to click on the image to actually see the arrow (and me).

A cool click and zoom version of this that lets you explore the entire National Mall image can be found here.

試し切り

There is a word in Japanese, 試し切り (tameshigiri), sometimes associated with the Samurai. Literally, it translates to trying (試し) cutting (切り), and according to myth it refers to the act of "trying out one's new sword", often on a random passerby. It's unsure how much truth there is to this, though. I would expect that anyone living in feudal Japan would soon learn to give swordsmith shops a wide berth on the off chance a Samurai was picking up a new order.

Regardless, it's a fascinating (albeit gruesome) story. Whether or not Samurai actually stepped outside and sliced some poor chap in half to make sure their sword "worked", I'm sure many of us can relate to the concept. Who doesn't want to run right out and start playing with a particularly coveted new toy the moment it is out of the box? I have been guilty of tameshigiri, more often than I could count. Although, to my knowledge no one's blood has ever been shed as a result (except, on occasion, for my own).

While I didn't get a new sword to try out I did get a package in the mail that I'd been waiting for, a new lens for my camera (Canon EF 50mm F1.8, my first prime (non telephoto/zoom) lens). As soon as I ripped open the box I wanted to try it out. When you get a new lens, the first few pictures are always special. Here are the first two images taken with this one:

This one isn't all that great a picture, and there's a bit of noise in it from me fiddling around too much in Photoshop, but it is the very first one taken with the new lens. So it's a keeper.

This one turned out way more better. The sharpness is pretty good, even with the low light. The contrast is good between each of the objects, too. All around not bad for just sitting on the couch taking a picture of the coffee table.

Well, this morning dawned bright and clear, so I thought I'd try it out in some light, too.

I took Luna along too, although it was a bit cold for her. I think the two years we spent in Arizona made her forget she was born and raised an Alaskan dog. This is her shivering on the shore of Lake McDonald.

I hope you all appreciate what I went through to get this picture. I was up by the park's entrance sign taking some photos of the Middle Fork of the Flathead River (I wasn't happy with any of those) when I saw the sun lighting up some spruce trees down by the river. So I hopped the huge snowbank along the road and post-holed my way down into the forest. I knew we had a lot of the white stuff, but it's been a while since I tried walking through snow that was deeper than my waist. Not an easy task.

And once I got down there I was so pooped I just flopped back into the snow to take a break. That's when I looked up at this tree that was blocking the sun and thought the snow looked cool all highlighted like that.

Then, this evening I drove into town to get some groceries and caught a glimpse of that amazing phenomenon you see in the mountains during winter sometimes. When the fresh snow on the mountains captures the last rays of the sun, contrasted by the dark clouds behind, it looks like the mountain is glowing from within.

I'm really quite happy with this lens. Definitely worth the price! I think this little beauty will be attached to my camera quite frequently in the months to come.

Mario Rescues the Princess

From the mind of Seth MacFarlane... what REALLY happened when Mario rescued the Princess.

Snow

We took the kids for a snowy New Years Day walk this afternoon.

Snowy Fur

Snowy Sonja

Snowy Car

2008's Top Five "Birdy" Moments

As has become sort of a tradition, I'm choosing to do a "Top 5" list to close out 2008. As has ALSO become sort of a tradition, I will be copying Patrick's idea.

So, here are my top five "birdy" moments of 2008.

5. 2008 Christmas Bird Count
I had been planning on posting a report of my experience with the '08 CBC, but I got a little distracted. So I figured this would be as good a place as any to put it. Even though the day was wet...very, very wet (it rained the entire time), I still had a great experience. I love participating in the CBC. Not only does it give me an excuse to go out birding (as if anyone needs an excuse), but the camaraderie of gathering together with other birders and tallying the day's count is always exciting. There's such a sense of anticipation and delight at learning what everyone saw during their count.

As I mentioned, my count was very wet. I volunteered for a 7.9 mile route down the Going to the Sun Road, starting at the Lake McDonald Lodge, then turning off toward Kelly Camp around the northeast end of the lake. The snowshoeing wasn't necessarily that difficult, but I still got drenched from the outside (rain) as well as the inside (sweat).

The most anticipated spot along my route was the bridge at the head of the lake over McDonald Creek. Sonja had been spotting dozens of eagles here a month ago, all feasting on the spawning kokanee salmon. I saw four, plus about a half-dozen Chestnut-backed Chickadees, some Pine Siskins and a Steller's Jay.

But the highlight of the entire day was spotting the little American Dipper happily diving into the creek in search of aquatic invertebrates. These little birds absolutely amaze me every time I see them. They have a tremendous range (from interior Alaska to Arizona) and are completely non-migratory (given that there is an open stream available year round). It's hard to believe that the little birds toughing it out all winter north of Fairbanks and those chillin' in the warm perennial streams of southern Arizona are the same species. This bird is why Sunday's CBC is on my top five list.

4. Any morning spent enjoying Montezuma Well
As much as I love living at Glacier National Park, I really miss Montezuma Well. There are very few places I have ever been where you can actually feel the spirit of the place. Montezuma Well is one of them. The sense of timeless magic and peacefulness is palpable. Each season has a different sort of magic, too. In the winter, my favorite thing to do is walk slowly up to the rim from the parking lot. As you crest the ridge you are suddenly bombarded with the adorable squeaking of dozens of American Wigeons. Hearing that sound brought a smile to my face every single time. In the summer, the place to be is in the little oasis at the end of the trail where the water emerges from the cliff face into the prehistoric irrigation canal, the Outlet. Sitting comfortably under the dense forest canopy with your feet soaking in the 74 degree water, while the Arizona sun scorches everything not in shade, is an experience you'll never forget. And the birds know this, too. Even in the heat of the afternoon I never failed to see/hear all manner of birdlife: Summer Tanagers, Hooded Orioles, Bridled Titmice, Canyon Wren, Rock Wren...

3. Madera Canyon
What more can be said about Madera Canyon? Any visit to that birding paradise deserves a spot on your top 5 list!

2. Madera Canyon
And if you go more than once, it deserves TWO spots on your list!

1. Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Even my trips to Madera don't trump this little gem of an experience. It was my last official day working at Montezuma Well, and I decided to take a video camera to document my commute to work along the prehistoric irrigation canal that ran behind our house. I had assumed that I had seen all the new species that I would see in Arizona, considering we would be moving to Montana within a few days. Imagine my surprise when I heard a bird I had been dreaming of seeing for nearly 20 years during my morning walk. And I had the video camera along to document the moment! So here it is, my top "birdy" moment of 2008:


Happy New Year to all of my faithful readers. Here's hoping that 2009 lives up to it's promise:

Behind Our House

After several days of biting wind and blowing snow, today the air is bright, cold and crisp. So, despite the subzero temps I grabbed my camera, pulled on my mukluks and post-holed my way through the snow and into the woods just behind our house.






I'm still having some difficulty figuring out how to deal with the white balance and contrast between shadows and light in the snow, but I think I'm getting a little better.

It's Beginning to Smell a Lot Like Curoivie!

Time to make the donu...I mean curoivie. These cookies just scream Christmas to me. Growing up it was one of the things I looked forward to the most this time of year. I'd typically stuff my face with several dozen of these clovey little sour cream cookies. I've tried looking up the name we always called them (curoivie...pronounced ker-AH-vee), but they must be a super secret recipe Grandma Schweighofer's mom brought over for Austria/Hungary.

Best. Cookies. Ever.

And I think someone else in our family probably agrees. Although, I'm not sure if he's had as tough a time convincing his spouse that these are, in fact, delicious cookies. Luckily, after ten years she's finally beginning to see the light!





Even though it is not (is too) a competition, I think mine look way prettier.

Socializing Corporate Stupidity

Be sure to click on this and read the fine print.

You know, even though politically I tend toward the socialist part of the spectrum (ok, maybe I don't "tend toward" so much as "abide entirely within"), this Big Three bailout just turns my stomach and pisses me off. I can almost understand the necessity of bailing out the banks in order to prevent a complete economic collapse, but something about rescuing Ford, Chrysler and GM from their own moronic policies is absolutely ludicrous.

I mean, it's their OWN DAMN FAULT no one is buying their shitty cars!

Congress balks every single time someone proposes socializing health care (which would actually HELP nearly everyone in this country) but bends over backwards to socialize corporate greed and stupidity. It boggles my mind. Really, it does.

The Shoe Heard Round the World

In case you haven't seen this yet.

Funniest...Thing...Ever!

Triumph vs. Star Wars Geeks

Only a true Star Wars geek can fully appreciate the humor in these clips. Personally, I didn't find them funny at all.

Nope. Not at all...

Santa, Baby!

Santa visited our living room this evening to check on our cute little tree while on his way to the park's family Christmas party. Pretty cool that he thought to stop by and say hi, huh?

I heard he was a big hit at the party, too. Although, apparently he has replaced one of his reindeer. During a reading of "'Twas the Night Before Christmas", jolly old St. Nick had a little trouble with the pronunciations. Yep, if you listen carefully you'll notice that one of Santa's regulars has been replaced with a rather spicy second stringer.

Just up the Road

This afternoon I decided to drive a few miles up the road and take advantage of the gorgeous weather for a little photography. It's been a while since I've been up that way, which is rather unfortunate, really. Particularly considering I only had to drive for about ten minutes to get these pictures.

So here's what Glacier National Park looked like this afternoon.