Month: June 2006

A Quiet Day at Nisqually

I wasn’t the only visitor to remark that the Nisqually refuge seemed to have fewer birds than usual Wednesday, though perhaps that was a misperception caused by increased vegetation offering better refuge for birds and animals from prying birders, which is a good thing, unless you happen to be birding with your camera, which, of course, I was.

At one point early on, I was walking through a large stand of trees listening to birds on all sides, unable to locate a single one. Fixed on the songs, i was suddenly lost in them, uplifted by the sheer joy of it, reminded once again my beloved Canon D20 is nothing more than a tool of awareness, not the holy grail of enlightenment.

Shortly afterwards, I tracked this Goldfinch for several minutes, though it’s much easier to get pictures of them at the backyard feeder. The goldfinch seemed to tolerate my harassment quite well, probably because it was across a stream and didn’t feel threatened. Suddenly quiet, a harrier swept overhead, veering just above my head. Apparently deciding it’d been harried enough for one day, the finch disappeared into the surrounding shrubs and trees.

Nearly two hours and two miles later I saw my only new species of the day, California Quail:

I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw the little drooping topknot through my telephoto lens. I haven’t seen these quail for many years.

My favorite shot of the day, though, didn’t involve birds at all, but, rather, this shot of a dragonfly.

Rising to the Occasion

It’s been a tough few weeks here, weatherwise, and the roses in the Point Defiance Rose Garden are a bit under the weather, as you can tell by looking closely at the edges of the petals on many of the roses.

In fact, it’s nearly impossible to find a perfect rose this year, one without a blemish or mold, but luckily the roses are so beautiful that most of the visitors didn’t seem to mind a few blemishes.

If you live near Tacoma, now’s the time to come see the roses because they are at their peak. While newly emerging roses may escape the damage caused by recent rain, many roses will be finished blooming if you wait much longer.

Two for the Price of One

I have a hard time getting my head around the fact that listening to John Fogerty or Mark Knopfler is merely one more form of nostalgia, but considering that even Knopfler is over fifty, it would be tough to conclude otherwise.

My recent purchases on iTunes include albums by both of them, two by Knopfler, but I was a little surprised to realize that my favorite song on Fogerty’s Deja Vu All Over includes both of their talents.

I think it’s actually Knopfler‘s guitar playing that I like most, but they’re also my favorite lyrics from the album, perhaps because they make me feel slightly guilty considering how many hours I spend in front of my computer and how few people I actually see since retiring to Tacoma.

NOBODY’S HERE ANYMORE

He got the latest software
He got the latest hardware too
He got the latest gizmo
up in his room
He’s feeling so connected
But he don’t talk to a soul
He got a stash of Twinkies
up in his room

Nobody here anymore
Nobody mindin’ the store
They’ve all gone
to another dimension
Nobody here anymore

She comin’ ’round the corner
Ah in a SUV
She got the latest cell phone
up in her ear
I’m running ‘gainst the traffic
She don’t see me
One hand on the cell phone
One hand on the mirror

Nobody here anymore
Nobody mindin’ the store
They’ve all gone
to another dimension
Nobody here anymore

He’s sittin’ back of the classroom
A million miles away
He’s listenin’ to the rock star on the CD
Up front the old teacher
She’s too tired to snag his mind
He’s lookin’ at the future, she’s looking way behind

Nobody here anymore
Nobody mindin’ the store
They’ve all gone
to another dimension
Nobody here anymore

Nobody here anymore
Nobody mindin’ the store
They’ve all gone
to another dimension
Nobody here anymore

Of course, I’m always amazed how much better lyrics sound in a song than they do without the accompanying music. Still, these quick sketches, particularly the first one, seem frighteningly realistic. Though we could easily have afforded it, I never had more than one television or one computer in the house when my kids were living at home, convinced that it wasn’t particularly healthy to have a kid sitting alone in their room night after night immersed in various forms of media or games.

Dave Rogers has presented this argument more often and more convincingly than I have, but I also suspect there is a real danger that virtual communities can actually weaken real communities and provide a false sense of security.

And, of course, in a greater sense it often seems that people are so caught up in their day to day communication that nobody’s looking out for the future.