Sharp Shinned Hawk

Sharp Shinned Hawk
I think..

Crew cut Jacaranda

 

 

 

 

Just a trim...

Afternoon at Balboa Pier

Pelican likes to nip Pigeons,
and People

Hermann's Gull

Photo taken through rainy windshield
while waiting at drive up at MickyDees

I've likely seen Sharp Shinned Hawk before, but this the first time I have a pic to study and id, so, so, a new bird, for me....I was at the drive through Yesterday at MickyDees, waiting in the Rain, Hawk was overhead on Post...and Hermann's Gull at Balboa Pier Yesterday is a new bird, for me, too, insomuch I don't id Seagulls, but have noted now Gulls I see are mostly Western Gulls, and will try to make out going forward what other Gulls are in the mix!...no sooner than I get a few extra dollars, like from refereeing basketball Yesterday Morning, than the Old House reaches in my pocket...I was going out the front door, seeing the work on my neighbor's Jacaranda, and a Tree Trimmer trotted over and asked, while they were at it, could they do mine too...wth...'it's xmas time' I said on hearing the price...they did a good job, leaving the Tree to look natural...Two Top Jacaranda!...good thing for trim as very windy and cold last night...in editing for the blog, I noticed in pic of my neighbor's Tree, way up in the top left, that the Trimmers trimmed the Tall Palms across the street...good thing, the one looked top heavy...Parrots will be upset though...Palms a favorite perch...sunny clear blue, last night stormy, this Morning dusting of Snow on Saddleback all the way down...Everything in a Nutshell: basketball games can be dramas, and a couple days back coach was woofing at me for a non call, and while listening, gathering my thoughts, the player, a JV girl, said to woofing coach, 'I didn't foul!'....a dilemma, players cant complain to me at all, unless they are team captain, that's a T, and coach was on verge of getting a T...what to do what to do...I raised my arms outstretched in a grand gesture, and barked out, 'Everyone calm down...no more of this back and forth!!!', and on we all went...

Happy New Year!

Oh, to be fair, having posted up the alliance ironforge xmas tree in wow, the horde has one too in ogrimmar, with ornaments appropriately grim!...

Ironforge Xmas

I thanked my tenant for putting up a Xmas Tree, and while thanking her, asked why she didn't put it up last year..."I was unhappy."...don't know, but painting the kitchen, and putting up curtains, seems to have put some Xmas back in one person's Xmas!...anyway, the living room is painted, but the floor waiting for replenished funds, and renting a floor sander...so no furniture...Tree looks a bit forlorn in its corner, corner where the Buddha family shrine was before the painting!...both my tenant's and my relatives scattered about, though I think H. spent the day with her son and church...myself, I slept in, and chit chatted with my sister over the phone...asked, 'will you do anything today?'...I thought, 'maybe go to the beach'...but knew instead, I'd log in to the Xmas quests on WoW, a Xmas tradition for me begun in the Valley...thereabout, I'd always work Xmas, but snug back in my cabin after work, I'd log in...I'm not much for parties and such...anyway, the Xmas Tree in Ironforge has gifts under it which contain 'loot'...depending on how many 'toons' one has, one can gather in a lot of loot!...I stock up on Reindeer mounts, a favorite...and nowabout I think I have like fifteen toons!...thought is to have each one open presents...took a break, want to watch some more Person of Interest episodes...I didn't see the previous seasons to this one, thought the show too odd!...but have become a fan, and have the first season on dvd...12 bucks at Best Buy...a bargain!

Merry Xmas!

Holiday Bay Merry Christmas

 

The Angela Louise,
available for Weddings, Dinner cruises, and such

 

 

Sun Rays Palm

Google



Little Toot

Monday morning reffed a basketball game, and almost felt I've gotten the hang of it!...to celebrate, rolled out to Balboa, and during the paddle about routine (over and back on the Ferry, out and back on the Pier, snacks and sights) took note that the Funzone Harbor Cruise was about to leave, and for eleven bucks, hopped aboard!...I've never been around the Bay, and it's larger and wider than I imagined, with more Islands, and homes and boats more expensive than I thought!...it's waterfront Hollywood!...I have clips of nearly the entire tour, but much too long to try and upload...tried to find clips on youtube, and there's a few, one from the fifties very good...youtube search: Balboa Boat Tour...sunny clear warm...the Google catamaran won the America Cup awhile back, and then was converted to explore the Mariana Trench by lowering a submersible from the derek in the center that replaced the mast...tour boat operator was very good at narrating the sights, and like the Hiking Bus drivers, expectant of tips!

Surf Scooter

Dark Clouds Dark Ocean

Dark Black Surf Scooter



Seagulls Pinned Overhead On The Wind

December Balboa Beach

Palm Trees Trimmed

Lens Flare Sunset?

Or Whales Spouting?

Dog Adoption

This is another text I saved in the blog but not for posting...but there are some things to consider here, and so post it up!

from email to my sister...

Susie hooked me up with a dog adoption non profit...dog looked fine, and I committed, but bailed after being pestered by the non profit for this and that...looks to me it's not a non profit, but web store front fishing for donations, with high adoption fee, which they don't explain at beginning, and still haven't...I told them to take me off their email list...I went to craig's list, and there seems to be a lot of these non profits...typically they ask for a $250 adoption fee...some nice dogs on craig's list...eskimo puppy just down the street on chapman and west...but I got to give the thought of getting a dog a rest for a bit...I found it very trying relating the history of all the dogs I've known...non profit was full of questions...sticking one was to raise a section fence to six feet, that chain link section with the ivy...the other chain link has been added to by the tenants already...I was willing to do it, but the manner in which they demanded I do it, to their specifications, and costs, put me off...too bad...nice dog, if in fact it's available...they gave me impression it is was fresh from a shelter, but it's been on their facebook promos for months...I web searched them, and some of the others like them and it's a muddle...they have no facilities, just a po box and web site, and corral people into being foster homes, and that's where the dogs are they get from shelters, scattered about in foster homes...

This Day in History

In 1937, Japanese aircraft sank the U.S. gunboat Panay on China's Yangtze River. (Japan apologized, and paid $2.2 million in reparations.)

http://news.yahoo.com/today-history-050206767.html

Remember the Panay

ref

I don't have a wordprocessor software on my computer, I do all my writing in emails or blog, but sometime I want to just save something I wrote, and I put it in a blog post, but don't post it...which is all the following is, but, I thought to post it too...

 

There are things I put a lot of hope in, and one thing I discovered was basketball, and in particular the little high school basketball rulebook.  It is a marvel of brevity, kinda like the bill of rights, and marvelous in how much discussion and wrangling goes on over it, and basketball rulings by refs, players, coaches, fans--all a bit like Congress and US!

 

The instructional chair of the ref organization I joined invites anecdotal accounts...don't know if much regard are given mine, but I find the opportunity to go on about the intricacies of refs' calls irresistable! 

 

Following is such...

 

T,

Yes, I have a play...while at the Laundromat I checked Rules and Topics and found a mistake I made yesterday, 4:30 girls freshman at W., C. the second official...Red team player, B, defense, was crossing the line on Green A's throw in at baseline...I whistled it and gave team warning to Red bench and coach...later in game, Red B, same player, did it again, I whistled the technical...free throws were taken for the T, and while I was about to inbound opposite the scorer's table, I noticed coach in discussion with scorers...waited a bit, then went over to see what was up...red coach wanted to know if the foul was a team foul, or a personal foul on the player that would count toward foul totals...a bit of doubt on my part, but stated with conviction that it was a personal foul that would count towards totals...coach accepted this, and C. too...I can be too convincing!...Red player 5 was the one getting the foul, this one the fourth...and later they fouled again on a reach, and fouled out, which was too bad in a close game, as 5 was enthusiastic, and coach wanted her in game...feel a bit blue about this my own self!...another red player crossed over on throw in too, and I called the T same way, personal foul, not realizing my error...Freshman girls cross the line, reaching, a lot, and I don't call all these, but red players stepped over the line...

Now, if I could, I'd like to go back and correct my mistake to Red coach, and to C. too (update: saw C. yesterday, and explained my error!), and maybe even the scorers!  I have them all convinced it was a personal foul on the boundary violation, when it should be just a Team tech... so my error may propagate! 

I study the book and rules, but sometimes they just don't come to mind in stressed game situations the first time something particular comes up...once something happens in a game, and I get it right, I have it  for keeps.

On another note, I attended seven varsity games over the last two days at the C. Tournament at B. P... At a scrimmage, C. recommended I watch some varsity games, which is good counsel.  .I took some clips, nearly all of the final game.  I can put them on a disc and mail them to you for your library if you like.  Refs in games did fine, some nit picks I could make, and I missed getting on clip back to back Techs called by T.....first was on player at baseline, and while he was squaring away all the players for free throws, back to the scorers table, coach was barking as he didn't see, or hear the call, and having got T's attention, T went to the table and coach, and some quick back and forth, and Tech'd the coach, quickly.  Thinking on this, I'm not that quick!, and maybe too tolerant.  T. delayed a bit reporting player Tech while squaring away, and this brought out coach, I think, and thinking this, in that situation, I might myself had thought, 'ok, coach, vent a bit, I've kinda brought this on myself being slow to report'...if I mess up somehow, and coach goes off, I feel I kinda have to just be more tolerant, as coach has cause...best I don't make mistakes, and give coach cause!

And at a scrimmage with J., a second season ref like myself, and D. H., think that's the spelling, D. took us under his wing and went over everything from baseline to baseline...very good help from D., who has an admirable style and flourish in his effort!  Two new refs being taught by an experienced ref in a scrimmage seems a good way to learn.

That game I did yesterday has already scrolled away at A., I wanted to update the Note about my mistake. 

Cheers,

David 
 

Pics from CALM Zoo in Bakersfield

Hawk (need id) taking bath

Ferruginous Hawk...yet to sight in wild

Kit Fox

Bear sleeping

A real dug out dirt Bear den

motorcycle 'nazca' lines...see these everywhere

need to id...Red Necked Grebe?...this a new bird for me, as while at Zoo, Grebe was swimming in open Pond...or Common Juvenile Loon?

Sleeping mountain lion

Porcupine just waking up

Badger upside down sleeping

Three Bobcats in exhibit, all with new winter coats

Behind cashier at Denny's

At the Mountain Lion exhibit, there is a kinda grotto with a big window, and Lion was cleaining and relaxing by the window, and young couple with infant were there, mom on the bench, and pop with infant by the window kneeling, holding his kid and flying him back and forth towards the window, --Lion would lick his chops at each close approach, and kid would giggle!...much fun at the Zoo...

Rainy Day Hawk and Pigeons

 

 

 

Stopped at Denny's for snack on way home from the Laundromat--salad and potato soup--and sighted Hawk on the Light Pole--light on...blurry pic with iphone...Pigeons too on the Arco AmPm sign acorss the street...second rainy day in a row!!!...Denny's Pigeons always about, and of late it seems, Hawk too--have pic, Hawk on the Freeway Sign at sunset...for sometime...Fellow next to me folding clothes at the Laundromat was on his cell phone going on about pitbulls...curious, as I'm trying to adopt a dog, I asked what was up...seems he was at Motel Six and another guest had pit bull...he was giving headsup to motel manager...seems pitbulls are out-lawed in England, and several states..."It's the thug culture, thug tattoos, thug clothes, thug music...thug dogs"...bit over the top, I thought, but smiled in sympathy!...

quote

For one thing, despite being illegal in all fifty states, dog fighting made a comeback in the 80s, and the pit bull is the dog of choice. It is also the preferred guard dog for drug dealers and gangs, with a hugely publicized attack in 1987 in which a pit bull guarding a marijuana crop in California mauls and kills a two-and-a-half year-old boy.

Read more: http://www.cesarsway.com/dogbehavior/basics/How-Did-Pit-Bulls-Get-a-Bad-Rap#ixzz3KsxrUYa1

unquote

Kinglet

Ruby Crowned Kinglet, I think... nice thing about being forgetful, I get to go through the id books often, which I enjoy!... walking with my sister at CALM, the little zoo near Hart Park, this the day before Thanksgiving, I thought Little Birds were Vireos...  more pics from visit to post...busy today with the house...finished the kitchen paint, but need curtains now!...clear nowabout, but some rain yesterday, enough to get new windshield wipers, along with everyone else crowded into auto zone!