Tyger, Tyger

I’ve never been too fond of zoos, mainly because I don’t like to see neurotic animals pacing back and forth in concrete cell blocks, nor hear neurotic men making comments about how a particular animal doesn’t look very frightening.
Hell, even Mike Tyson doesn’t look particularly threatening on television or behind bars.

I’m somewhat fonder of the Tacoma Zoo now that they’ve redone many of the exhibits. I particularly like the Tiger exhibit, where you can see these magnificent animals in what would almost pass as a natural environment though they’re still not allowed to hunt down their natural prey or even zoo visitors who would probably make a tastier meal.

This one reminds me of William Blake’s favorite poems.

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare sieze thy fire?

And what shoulder, & what art,
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And why thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? & what dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors grasp?

When the stars threw down their spears
And water’d heaven with their tears,
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

Look, Gramps

Turns out that perhaps not everyone is quite as thrilled with my new-found interest in photographing everything in sight as I am:

After having a camera stuck in her face for most of the evening Lael had apparently had enough of pictures, not that she had cooperated too much before that, as I have far more blurry pictures than clear ones, and damn few pictures with smiles in them.

Now, Uncle Rick knows how to make a lady laugh.

Addicted

Did I tell you that I just received the newest upgrade to Photoshop, Photoshop CS2, and that I might be more addicted right now than I have been recently, which is a scary thought, even to me?

I also just made reservations to go to Broomfield CO from the 17th to the 24th next month, which led to a sudden burst of grandchildren pictures.

Here’s the one I got originally:

And here’s what it ended up looking like because I couldn’t resist working on it with Photoshop CS2:

Looks like I’d better start working on my balloon blowing skills because it looks like we might be moving up from bubble blowing. Anybody know if you can get that famous French movie about the balloon on DVD?

This one was too cute to need many changes

but I did have to apply one of my favorite newly-discovered filters, Lens Blur, in order to give that cute little face the attention it deserved. Did I mention that May will be the first time I’ve gotten the chance to see this granddaughter?