Pelicans and Snow.

The parks service burned the area around the lake.

 Wind and cold continue, along with small bouts of rain.   Not very nice conditions for outside activities.   However,  There are some things that seem to like the current weather conditions.  The North American Pelican!

I have been trying to capture these guys for a while now, ever since they showed up.  But, they are about as evasive as the Bald Eagles that are leaving for the Season.  It does not help that I have a short range camera for my picture taking.   Or that I forget the Camera on certain days when the pelicans are plentiful!

But yesterday, I managed to have Camera in hand and, although not in the numbers seen previously, I did manage to capture a few on the river and on the wing.  

The problem with getting a really great shot is that the pelicans like to hang out on the other side of the river. OR they are obscured behind lots of brush and trees, so my Camera fails to focus on the actual bird.   Add in that Cheryl likes to run fast and not wait for me to get a good shot in the open that is close to our side of the river..  Well, you see the challenge.  

On this particular day, the Birds were mostly flying overhead.   Even barely above treetop level, it is a challenge to get any good shots of them.   I have to fiddle with the camera, turn it on,  Point and shoot.  Sometimes I get luck if I take a dozen shots.   Many times, they simply turn out blurry. 

There are lots of folks out there with Rifled Telescopic lenses on tripods.   I'm sure they are loaded for bear... Or birds...  When they take their pics.   You can always tell who are the serious bird watchers by the CANNON ( Literally and figuratively! ) around their necks. 

This morning, we were greeted with snow!  Thankfully most of it has melted  by now, but I was shocked at how much actually fell overnight.  I thought that we were only going to get a few flakes in the air.   Fancy my surprise when the car was covered with over and inch! 

Luckily, the trail was open and Cheryl was able to complete here 7 miles.   She is currently working on her Pearson Project requirements for next week.   I have to train over the weekend for my project, so next week will mostly be about scoring.   Good times. 

As for me,  most of my week has been trying to nail down the Origami Ibex.

Ibex... Missing the Cape.

( or Markhor...  depending on the horn spiral.) I finally have the pattern memorized,

Markhor.  More accurate.

( I don't have the pattern  in my origami notes) So I'm working on a wet folded version.   So far, it is looking pretty good. 

That is about all for now.  Thanks for stopping in!  And I will hopefully have some fun and excitement to blog about over the weekend.    Stay warm!

The Wind, The Mural, And The New Toilet!

 The last few days have been very blustery.   And when the temps drop, they become rather cold as an additional form of torture.  But we continue to run and bike in the gale forces.   If there is one thing that is good, we gain the appreciation for a warm Subie ride home and a fresh piece of mostly guilt free pizza.  

Despite the wind,  the sun has been out and warms things just enough if you are able to get out of the breeze.   For this reason,  I give in to the temptation of chalking and head down to the park to continue work on my mural.   It looks like it is taking shape, but in reality, it is just a Hodge Podge of  little scenes I snipe from the internet.  I might be able to add something a little more sophisticated if the Printer worked.

New Toilet!

And finally,   the Highlight of the day!   We got a new toilet.   

I know what you are thinking:  "Why would you need a new toilet?" 

What is that?  That was not the question you were thinking?   "Why am I so excited about a NEW toilet?"   Well,   who wouldn't be?   It is NEW!  And it has Technology!

First,  It is elongated and taller than our old one.   Second,  it has two flush types!

Two Flush setting!  Science!

Two!   You can flush small or.... For the sake of Cheryl... You can flush BIG!  (What?    Is the topic of Bowel movements too sensitive for you, dear reader?   Well think about the importance of saving the planet!)

Did I lose some of you?   Did my transition from Toilet to Planet saving require more connected dots? Come to think of it, I might have digressed too far even for myself.   So I will now attempt to get back on track.... Ah yes!   Reason three!

The Slow closing toilet seat!   How does it do that?  SCIENCE!   I can now drop the lid and not damage it or wake Cheryl up at night after a midnight bathroom run.   AND....  I won't forget to leave the seat up.  ( Hopefully...  Because the last two points are the main reason I forget to put it down in the first place.) 
The toilet is new, so we will need some time to "break it in." (Feel free to use your own imagination on how....)  And see if it will continue leaking and making noise, like the last one did.  Currently,   there are no sounds coming from the bathroom.... From the toilet at least.

Game of "Thrones."

And who wouldn't be thrilled and excited about getting a new toilet.... Elongated!  They don't call it the THRONE for nothing, you know.   A Man's home is his castle... and the Toilet is the Throne on which he rules.    ( I got that from a "Married With Children" episode....)   It may not be a Ferguson.... It may not even be a Gerber...  But it is mine.  And it is Elongated!

 

Did I mention that I got to help install it?   That is correct!     Don't be fooled by the two bolts that keep it on place.  The REAL secret to proper installation is the Wax seal.   Get that right, and everything else is window dressing.  

Well,  that should give you a hint of the exciting life we lead here in Wellman, Iowa.   Nothing stirs the imagination like a new toilet install.  Except maybe gardening.... Or mowing one's lawn.  If people really get bored around here, they cut down another tree or replace their roof.  No wonder folks from Chicago want to live here in Iowa.   It is just such an exciting place to be.

The Problem With Printers...

Printers suck!   All of them!   And worse of all, I think the Manufacturers know it.. and Don't care. Why would they?  The very idea that we can print from home should be something the common man should grovel for.  Well.... I hate to grovel. 

The problem is that they never seem to work once you get the printers home.   All those cool features we see in the store with their bright colored test pages and flashy adverts are gone the moment you open the box and can not get the software to link up with your computer.   Or the Cable to hook up to your computer...  Or the Paper to stop jamming.  

But most of all... The BIGGEST scam that boils my blood... is the ink. 

Printer ink is highway extortion.  It is the one thing that the printer needs to function properly and the manufacturers know it.   Each printer cartridge is unique to the printer... even within the same manufacturer!   No universal kits or cheaper bargain brands here... You buy from them or you bought a 12 lbs paper weight of useless tech. 

And the ink is NOT cheap!  It has nearly doubled in price over the last year!   And it was never very affordable to begin with.  In fact, it usually is about half the price of the PRINTER!  Yes!  Pay $79 for a printer...  Ink costs $40!  ( In our case $50!)

And the printer is always being fussy.  Some days I can print from my computer straight away.   But MOST of the time,  I have to do some techno gymnastic dance to get something to print and it always takes more time than my patience will allow.  Why does it fail on some days and work properly ( rarely) on others.   I certainly do not change anything on my computer.  And every time it fails to print, I have to reset it... causing it to print EVERYTHING a minimum of 2-3 times.   Wasting additional precious ink....

So we can put a man on the Moon.   We can Explore Mars and Space.   We can launch satellites and explore the deep oceans... But we can not get a printer to work properly?  Talk about designed obsolescence.  Heck!  They can even 3D print things with less problems!

I know it is a money grab by the manufacturer.   And the Computer chip they put in the ink Cartridge is designed to protect their "Intellectual Property"....  And yet they can't seem to keep Stealth technology from the Chinese!  Heck!  Maybe I should ask the Chinese to send me a pirated version of a printer.... I have a 50% chance it will work as good or better!

And with all of the sanctioning going around by every one these days,  Computer chips are becoming rare and expensive.  So why put them in everything?  (Including Car Keys!)   Wouldn't it be better to offer a reliable piece of equipment that people want and seek out for its value?  Where is the pride in one's Product?

Today, I spent the better part of my time trying to refill the ink cartridges for the color printer. I have done this before with other printers in the past.   It was easy!  Just a little DIY Aptitude.. and you could save yourself $30 bucks!  ( Back then, that was a LOT of money... ) Now,  even the DIY stuff is a challenge now that the Technocrats have caught on.

And so do the Chinese!

Similar to the Farmers reprogramming their Combines and Tractors...   Techno-elites hate it when the common man finds a work-around.   Well, Maybe they should make things more simple. More Affordable... OR open up competition for their brand of goods and services.  Remember the FBI warning on VHS tapes?   Pirated copies were eliminated overnight when the price of movies became more affordable

But what do I know.   I'm just ticked because after several hours wasted with  ink stained fingers, I was not able to get acceptable results for my efforts. Cheryl has given me permission to look for a new printer rather than pay another $50+ bucks for more ink.   The problem is that all the printers are the same.  ( Including laser printers!)   Either they are too expensive,  or their ink is ridiculously overpriced! (OR BOTH!) So for $74 dollars, I can get a "NEW" cannon printer with all the features we have ( except  scan and copy) and it comes with $34 bucks worth of ink.  And who knows.. It might actually be able to talk to my computer without me doing a ritualistic dance.  

Sorry about the rant.  (Sometimes,  I just have to rant a little...)  Not much else to blog about lately, but this really got under my skin.  I should see if I can sketch the item faster and more accurately than waiting for the printer to spit out a copy.

Rain, Snow, Running, and Chalk....

Time moves fast!  Today, we are chained to the Apartment waiting for the Cable Guy to show up.  "But Eth!  Didn't you say MediaCom sucked as a Cable Provider?"  It is a long story... but apparently we need the service to score from home.  I will leave it at that.  

In the mean time,  Monday's Wonderful weather has given way to Winter's last ditch effort to stay annoying.   It snowed today.   The temps have been slowly dropping over the last couple days with occasional rain.  But today it snowed.   

I think it was just to attempt to demoralize us.   Well think again!  Mother Nature! Cheryl went out and ran in this junk anyway.   Luckily, the snow did not stay long and the temps, even though they dipped below freezing, did not ice up the trail.  

I wanted to capture the White Pelicans today.   They have been hanging around the lake and river for a couple days now as they fly up north.   It is always a treat to see them here.  Normally, we only get to see them if we run by the Mississippi.   There must have been hundreds hanging out on the river as we ran by them yesterday. ( I had left the camera at home...)  But even today,  they could be seen on the lake.   Too bad they are skittish.  It is about as tough to get a close up of them as it is for Eagles.

And finally,   Some more chalk.   Even with the threat of rain, I was able to do a little chalking on the Rec Center building.  I made sure the receptionist knew I was there so no police would be called.  ( By now, most people know who I am and what I am doing....)  I managed to add a couple more figures before the cold became too annoying.   Also, I noted that the rain had not done much damage tot the last figure.   Perhaps they will last longer than I had initially planned. 

In the mean time, I will practice a little more on the portrait.   The human face is a very difficult thing to capture.   Sure,  They look like human faces..  But not like the one I'm trying to replicate.  Then again,  taking things to the next level might require years of practice and study.  I just want to keep things light for the time being.  

Hope everyone is staying warm today.   I think this is the last of the cold weather and we will soon get the spring stuff.  Fingers crossed... Now that I have a place to chalk without it washing away immediately.  ( or until they tell me to stop... which ever comes first.)  Thanks for stopping in.