Repost: Bicycle Safety

Originally Posted October 5, 2005, a time when I had realized that things in my own life needed to change, but when I was 'stuck' and unable to make those changes. Things are good... We need not regret the past, we need to concentrate on shaping a better tomorrow.........



One of the most confusing things, as a parent, is teaching our kids about "right" and "wrong". It is easy to say, if it goes against the 10 Commandments, then it is wrong. But, is that enough? No, in this world, we have many rights and wrongs. Like "white lies", where you tell someone something to protect their feelings. Strictly speaking, is it right or wrong to say, "Well, it isn't so bad....", when you really don't like it?

On a more personal level, with children, is winning and losing. It's good to win, and bad to lose. But, at the same time, it seems like some kids win all the time, and some kids lose all the time. Truthfully, no one wins ALL the time, at everything, but, sometimes it seems like they do. So, how do you tell a child who has lost, yet again, that it is all right? That losing can be a good thing? That they did the best they could, and everything is going to be okay... Through their tears, their pain and humiliation, they do not want to hear this. How can anything be "right"?

In Scouts, we had a state police officer come and give a safety lecture and demonstration. He talked about bicycle safety. It's pretty apparent why helmets are a good thing, even common sense. But, how do you explain to a child, that when you're walking up the road, you should walk on the "left" side of the road, instead of the "right" side? But, when you're riding a bicycle, you must obey vehicular laws, and ride on the "right" side, and not the "left" side?

The reasons for this are that when you're riding, you are, in effect, on a moving vehicle, and subject to the laws that apply to moving vehicles. On a bicycle, you should stop at stop signs, use a turn signal or hand signals to indicate which way you are turning, etc. Also, it would be dangerous to top a hill on a busy or even remote street, and meet oncoming traffic while riding your bike. But, when you're walking, you need to be able to see ahead of you, so you can get out of the way, in case someone is coming toward you.

It all goes back to safety first. There are times, while walking, that we will cross to the right side of the road, like on a blind curve or hill, where no one can see what is coming, and people drive too fast, causing dangerous conditions for the walker. In general, however, we follow the law and walk up the left side of the road, and as cars come toward us, we move to the edge of the road, and they tend to veer toward the middle, and all is well.

Going back to "rights and wrongs", to explain bicycle and walking safety to my kids, I tried to make it as clear as possible. "When walking, right is wrong, and left is right. But, when riding, right is right, and left is wrong." I think they get it.

In life, how do we so clearly explain things? Often it is just as hard. Our greatest way of teaching our children is by setting examples. Therefore, they see us doing something, they deem it acceptable, and do the same things. So, if we shout a lot, the kids will tend to shout a lot. If we complain a lot, the kids will tend to complain a lot. If we pray a lot, the kids will tend to pray a lot. If we wear smiles on our faces every day, our children will tend to wear smiles.

But, what happens when it seems like everything is wrong? Like when you're in a race, and you lose? You hold up your head, and say "Congratulations" to the winner, and life goes on. What happens when you're in a situation where there are no winners? When something ends, like when their Grandfather dies, perhaps? How do you tell a child that there is any "right" in this? You say, "Grandpa is in heaven." but is that really very meaningful to a child? He has just lost his best friend.

I suppose we could distract them, by teaching them bicycle safety...

But there is no "right" anywhere that will bring back something that is gone forever. And this is one of the hardest lessons to learn, as a child or an adult. You can pretend that everything is "right" and just continue to go on, pretending, forever. But, to fix the wrongs and make them right, means to truly come to accept that some things just are not "right". Then you must not only accept this awareness that they are not "right", and cannot be, but also become aware that life goes on. There's a future there, that each and every one of us contributes to. And that if things are not, and cannot be "right" the way they are today, then it's our job to build a better tomorrow. For when everything else is "wrong", there are still "right things" inside of us.

Through faith, hope, and love, we can each help to bring about a better tomorrow. No matter how bad today is, there is always hope for tomorrow. If we have faith in ourselves, and in the world around us, even God, then we can work to make a better tomorrow. And through companionship, though love, we can strengthen the faith and hope inside us. And, maybe, despite the "wrong" of today, we can reshape tomorrow, where we'll wake up and find "right" in our world.

Happy Birthday Kate

Happy Birthday Kate!!

Spent several hours in the ER last evening with Miss Kate. She's great... hurting a little from 19 stitches, but otherwise okay. She was getting off of something and an old empty aquarium was below her so she put her foot on ... err.... through it...

The really cool thing is (well... okay, nothing's too cool about getting hurt the day before your birthday (Today is Kate's birthday - be sure to wish her a Happy Birthday!!)) she remained calm and level headed through it all. And there were some nasty cuts - the glass got her from both sides. But although it looked bad, it wasn't deep enough to sever arteries or anything... The only time she really got upset was when the doc shot her up with the anesthesia (and even then she didn't over-react.. but she sure told him about it!!) I am proud of my girl's way of handling it... And glad Ms. Robin was there when it happened (and glad I was only about 5 minutes away). She kept everyone calm and got the foot unwedged by pulling the glass away on one side so she could get her leg out of it on the other side. Robin's daughter called me and I got my giddy-up go in gear and got home fast, and we turned around and went back to the ER within a couple minutes of getting there.

The important thing is she's all right... Happy Birthday Kate... I love you!

Betrayal

So I went to my first Maundy Thursday church service last evening. It was interesting - held by candlelight at tables in the large Sunday School room instead of the sanctuary.  A ritual celebrating the Last Supper.  There were readings, and hymns... One of the companions of Robin and I, someone I've gotten to know somewhat over the past few months, was reading along with the liturgical response, and singing the hymns. When we got to the story of Jesus' betrayal, and a hymn was sung about "I am the betrayer... I have betrayed thee."

She seemed to stumble a bit there, as, admittedly, I did.  It was a reference to the betrayal of Jesus by Judas and the abandonment of him by the rest of the disciples.... But it was sung in the first person... implying that the singer IS the betrayer.

Neither she nor I get too caught up in the details of the "Jesus Story".   I have read most of the bible, probably 80-85% of it, so I have a good understanding of the stories and history.  But there's so much more to Good than reading the words, or The Word, as some call it.  Regardless of that, we do attend church most Sundays and worship. We're lucky enough to have a pastor who reaches beyond the words to try to bring the Message to life.

It's not about all the technical details. There are "inspired" stories throughout the Old and New Testaments that were written by human beings. And centuries later, translated by other human beings into new languages, including English. Many people use the King James translations as the One True Gospel... It was written in the 1600's, and commissioned by King James of England. To quote one source, "James gave the translators instructions intended to guarantee that the new version would conform to the ecclesiology and reflect the episcopal structure of the Church of England and its beliefs about an ordained clergy."

Interestingly enough, politics played a huge role in that translation of the Bible. And know what? It DOESN'T MATTER. No matter which translation you use, the Golden Rule is still the Golden Rule. The story of the Good Samaritan is still the story of the Good Samaritan. It is not about the words, it is about the Message.

For example, we could spend weeks or even months discussing Revelations... and unless we are living in a world where we do Good Things because we live in fear of some future action against us if we sin, then it's all pointless. It's good to understand the book, to read it, but in the end, if we focus too much time and energy on it, then we have wasted a great deal of ourselves on this pursuit.  We need to live right because it's the right thing to do.

I'll say again, "...unless we are living in a world where we do Good Things because we live in fear of some future action against us if we sin, then it's all pointless."  All the studying of the technical details of what may come to pass in the future is pointless.  My opinion... Just my opinion.  You should know the story and have a grasp of what it means, but in the end, we must strive to live right for the right reasons.

Think about that for a minute. IF we are living Good Lives because we are forced to do so by our fear of Hell, or because God wants us to, or because doing so will earn us all the milk and honey and mansions of heaven, then we've missed the boat entirely. What we need to do is to live the Good Life because it is the Right Thing, not for some reward or punishment.

Those things are there, yes... but inside each and every one of us is a little voice, a voice of reason, a voice of conscience, the voice of the Divine, that if we will listen, if we can free ourselves from the distractions of our world, and disentangle ourselves from the cages of words that the church and the bible and society have built around us.. If we can do good things because they are the right things to do, then we're on the right track.

And the Bible and the Church are great places to start. They are a roadmap to a Better Place. But if we keep looking down at the road beneath our feet, then we'll never be able to see up ahead to where we're headed. We need to forget for a moment where we are and just BE.


And then there's Maundy Thursday. Why is it that we tend to stumble when we say, "I am the betrayer, I am the one who betrayed you."? Think about it.

Since this is a somewhat biblical essay, let us return to the roadmap of Christianity, the Bible.

In Romans, there's a section that discusses right and wrong and those who are strong or weak. In effect, it says, "If you are strong in faith, and you believe that it is okay to eat meat or drink wine, then do so. It's okay - you aren't sinning if you do so. But if your brother, your neighbor, is weak in faith, and feels like it is wrong to eat meat, or drink wine, and does so anyways, then he IS sinning. Don't judge him for being different. But if you, in your actions, lead him to do something that in his mind is wrong, then you are wrong, too."

Romans 14:1-4

1 Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. 2 One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3 The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. 4 Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

Romans 14:13-15

13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way. 14 As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean. 15 If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died.

Romans 14:19-23

19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. 21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall. 22 So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. 23 But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.

And most importantly:
Romans 14:17

17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Why is it that we tend to stumble when we say, "I am the betrayer, I am the one who betrayed you."? Think about it again.....

I have only given some exerpts of this sermon from Paul. But there are a few object lessons here. One of them is to quit judging others. Really. What another person does is between that person, and his Creator. YOU have nothing at all to do with it. That person will make mistakes. You will, too. In the end it's between them and God.

We all want to live good lives. We all want to be better people. But have you never gone against that little voice in the back of your mind, and done something that deep down inside you thought was wrong? Did someone say, "C'mon, do this..." and you did it, even though they thought it was okay, and you thought it was bad?

If you did, then you betrayed your Inner Voice. That Whisper of the Divine that can guide you through right and wrong.

I have been there, and done that. It isn't always a fellow person who leads you astray. Sometimes, we have two Inner Voices... You have the Divine that says, "Do what is right, do what is healthy, do what is Good..." and then the voice of the Profane, that says, "It's okay... everybody does it."

At some point or other, we have all listened to the Profane, whether that was an inner voice, or the voice of our Brother or Sister or anyone else in our lives.

It is not for us to judge the other for the faults that we imagine them to have. It is not for US to judge anyone. We must learn to do for ourselves, to Be for ourselves. To strengthen our own faith in ourselves and the Divine. To search for Peace and Joy. "..it is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness.", or as I prefer, Right.

Do it because it is Right for you. Period. By all means, guide your friend, be there, but do not become the person who makes them stumble because your standards are different than his.


Why is it that we tend to stumble when we say, "I am the betrayer, I am the one who betrayed you."? For me, it's because I don't want to be the betrayer. I also don't want to be the betrayed. But at various times in my life, I have found myself in both roles. I am Human.


One of the most important life lessons I have learned can be summed up in this short phrase, "He was a good person in a bad place." Remember, when you find yourself realizing that you have been the betrayer, or the betrayed... You are Human.
 
Chances are, the other is, too. It does not make either of you a bad person. Just a good one in a bad place. The important thing is to look forward, look ahead, to a better place. Find the path to Peace, and Joy, and Right.

And feel free to sing along with the hymns, even when they make you uncomfortable.

One year ago, today...

A year ago today, my Mom went to heaven, or where ever it is that good souls go.

She was human, but she had made peace with herself, and with her Creator.  Ten years before, she had written a letter to her children - just in case this day should come.  At her service my brother Ron and I each spoke, and then her letter was read. 

Our comments, followed by hers, is shared here.  Her part was modified slightly - things HAD changed in 10 years, but the family details aren't important - the message is.   Remember that when we are down and hurt and lonely, feeling forgotten, or just plain tired, there is a light out there, a hope, a better place, a better day.  All is not lost.  We have family, and sometimes they are our friends as much as our blood.


James:

I was fourteen and Ted had just turned sixteen a few days before our Dad died. Times were tough for awhile. I can remember not being able to stand sitting at home, and hearing all the talk, so I got up and went back to school.

The first day back, there must have been five hundred “I am so sorry”’s thrown my way. By the end of the day, I wanted to shout at them “Shut Up!”, but I just nodded my head and mumbled thanks, and went on.

And over the years, I have had a hard time dealing with death, whether that of a random stranger or that of someone close, it didn’t matter. I’ve lost a number of good friends, my grandpa, my baby.

And each time, I staggered with the weight.

Three or four years ago, I was friends with a black man at work, Al. Al was a father and a grandfather, always active in the community, in sports, loved by everyone around him. One day he had a heart attack, and was gone. I attended his service, and it was the first (and only) time I was at a service like that. There, they did mourn the loss of him for their sake, but I’d describe the whole affair as a celebration - a celebration of the life and the legacy that Al had lived and left behind. A celebration because they knew without a doubt that he was finally with his Creator, and happy, and free from the chains of this world. There was singing, much of it joyful and loud.

In a way, I think this, for me, was a life changing experience. It was the first time I had dealt or saw people deal with Death on friendly terms. It was just one step on my journey to understanding and becoming at peace with Death. I still don’t like it but that’s mostly a selfish reaction. Because I know my Dad, my grandpa, Al, and my Mom, and my nephews Carliss and Johnny, are in a place where there is no pain, no suffering, no sneezes or coughs, and no hatred.

Then there is this world left behind. How do we deal with this change?

I recently read a description of Celtic tradition that puts a few things into perspective for me. These words were written by an Irish Priest named John O’Donohue:

Ireland is a land of many ruins. Ruins are not empty. They are sacred places full of presence. A friend of mine, a priest, was going to build a parking lot outside his church. There was a ruin nearby that had been vacated for fifty or sixty years. He went to the man whose family had lived there long ago and asked the man to give him the stones for the foundation. The man refused. The priest asked why, and the man said, “What would the souls of my ancestors do then?” The implication was that even in this ruin long since vacated, the souls of those who had once lived there still had a particular affinity and attachment to this place. The life and passion of a person leave an imprint on the ether of a place. Love does not remain within the heart, it flows out to build secret tabernacles in a landscape.

Friday, when I got back home, I walked over to Mom’s, and there was the family, gathered around. Looking through books, talking, just being. I looked around for Mom and saw her everywhere. The life and passion of a person leave an imprint on the ether of a place. Love does not remain within the heart, it flows out to build secret tabernacles in a landscape. She was still there, within her house, but more importantly, within every one of us who remained behind.

It has taken many, many years to understand this. And even now, it’s a learning process. It’s easier to grasp with the mind than it is in the heart. But I do know that she is still here with us, and although today we may bury her physical remains in this sacred ritual, her soul and spirit is still alive and we will all carry on her legacy. She gave birth to six children, but was mother to many more. She will live far beyond our lifetimes, in the actions of our children and children’s children.

Ron:

When I was little, when all of us were little, Mom used to read to us. Sometimes she’d read with voices, making the words, the characters, real. Often she’d read of far away places, far away times, different worlds, either in the past or the future. She’d transport us to some new place, showing us the wide world long before we’d ever go out and explore it with our own eyes.

Her younger brother Ralph told us about when he was struggling in school, trying to learn to read. Mom went out and bought a set of books, and brought them home, and made him read to her every day. She’d stop him after every paragraph and make him explain to her what he’d just read. Eventually he, too, learned to love words and books.

Through her love for us, and her love for reading, she helped us become ready to face the big wide world. She also inspired us to be readers like her. She has indeed left a legacy for her children and her children’s children that will endure forever, in those left behind. All her kids have benefited from this legacy that she has started.

The new generation, our kids like Amber and Jacob, who love reading her books, and finding new books of their own, have been inspired by her passion for reading. The legacy will live on as long as we continue to be inspired by the things she has shown us. She taught us to love to read, but more importantly, she taught us to love.

Awhile back, she wrote a letter to us, and it started out like this, “Don’t grieve for me.” She realized that her time on earth is limited, and took the time to worry about those of us left behind. In the time since writing her letter, she stayed with us for awhile longer, but she was at peace with leaving.

Here is her letter…

MESSAGE TO MY FAMILY

Don't grieve for me when I've gone. I've lived a full life with all its ups and downs. Downs seem to last forever. But the up swings do wipe them out.

When one door shuts, others open which can lead to even better things than you think you want.

I count myself to have been greatly blessed in my children; all are people that I'd be honored to call my friends, even if we had no other bonds. In order of Birth:

The oldest one is only mine by courtesy. He was born to my late husband and his first wife. But I'm proud to call Larry Gene Wheeler “my son.” Larry is married to Pam and has no children.

The next three are my children by my former husband:

Barry Kent Craw is my first born. He is unmarried.

Ronnie Burns Craw is married to Tisha. He has three children by a former marriage Rhonda, Tiffany, and Stephen. Tisha has one child Nicholas.

Beth Ann Craw is married to Dennis and had one step-son Johnny. She has two daughters and a son: Amanda is married to Micah and has two daughters Ashley and Gracie. Amber is married to Tim, no children. Geoffrey is not married.

Next is Larry's sister, my step-daughter Diann (Wheeler) Godwin is married to Russ and has one son by a former marriage. I have been proud to have had her as my second daughter.

Next come my sons by my late husband Eugene Wheeler:

Teddy Eugene Wheeler is married to Geneva. He has three children by a former marriage Jacob, Johnny, Jacklynn. Geneva has two children Michael and Trevor.

James Arthur Wheeler is married to Vikki and has two children: Jeremy and Katherine (Kate).

All are good, decent, reliable people and are a joy to their mother’s heart. They are responsible hard working folks. Like everyone else I've traveled life's road. But my real blessing has always been my family. That has made it all worthwhile.

Do not grieve for me when I'm gone. Just go on raising good, decent children. Do so and all their lives they will be a blessing to all who know them.

And know that LOVE allows for all our quirks and honors us for them, and is made stronger by them. That is the very best way to honor my memory-not grief!

Just go on doing what you all do best: Be good decent human beings, who help to guide the next generation along those same lines.

And keep my love for you ever in your hearts.

MOM

Humans Against Dragon Stereotypes

Halifax Area School District information can be accessed via the web url of http://www.hasd.us

Of course, I am, once in a blue moon, dyslexic.

So of course, I typo it.

This site is much better anyways:  http://www.hads.us   .. errm.. that is to say, Humans Against Dragon Stereotypes.  It's full of great information useful to all of us who have a general conservationist's view of the world, and wish to protect endangered species, and all (like the dragon).

Be sure to check it out.

Project Gutenberg

I've been a fan for several years of the volunteers over at Project Gutenberg.  They (and at this point it is they although at some point in time perhaps it'll be "we" if I ever volunteer time for it) have made a real effort to take writings that are considered to be in the "Public Domain" and create electronic versions of them that we can download either as .txt files, or browse via html pages, or in some cases, even posted as audiobooks.

ALL FOR FREE.

So next time you want to read an old book but have no money or time for the library (assuming it had that obscure text in the first place), go on over to gutenberg.org and check it out.

Some examples that I personally have read include Emerson's Essays and various writings by Mark Twain.

There are over 30,000 books available as of now, with over 100,000 available through the partners, affiliates and resources link.

There are some things about this format of reading this is a little awkward.  From footnotes and copywrite notices and just plain old "looking at the screen" issues, but if you need to find a quick quote from an old book, this could be a good resource for you.

There

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."


What does this mean to me? Well, when I was in the eighth or ninth grade, Mrs. Parker had us write an essay on any topic. I chose the golden rule.  (See photo of Mrs. Parker looking at me for making a paper airplane in class).

I cannot remember exactly what words I used in the essay - but the gist of it was that I felt it was important to live by that rule. I really did, even as a teenager, treat those others who were around me with respect, whether they deserved it or not. Why not? What would it cost me?

The rewards, although not sought after, were plenty. Treat others with respect, and sometimes you'll be surprised at the results. You may find friends in the most unexpected of places. It doesn't matter that the Other is different from you, of a lower or higher class, intelligent or not. It doesn't matter. It doesn't even matter if they're a jerk. It's been my experience that people are often jerks because they're unhappy or tense or because they don't realize they are. But me being a jerk back wouldn't help their situation in any way. Ever. So I treat them with respect. Over time, if I know them that long, sometimes I earn a grudging respect from them, even when others don't. Sometimes things never change, but ... Sometimes they do. But this isn't about the jerks we sometimes run into in life......

A few months ago, someone asked me to help them pick out a computer. I did so, then went and helped set it up. Whilst I was working on it, I was asked if I'd look at a neighbor's printer. I went over to the neighbor, and looked at the printer. There was nothing at all wrong with it - but the software they were using to print from would not wrap when it reached the edge of the page so the text would be cut off when sent to the printer. Internet Explorer 5 behaved that way, and upgrades were available all the way up to 8. I suggested they upgrade to 7 or 8 which would resize the page and print it properly, and for free, and then I left.

It turns out that when they updated that, they also upgraded something else (at my recommendation) that broke Windows totally. It was, I'd consider it, a manufacturing defect. The details aren't so important - the point was, they called me back and said, "We did what you suggested, and now our computer won't turn on." I looked at the company's website and the top listing for support for that model was a problem with doing the Windows upgrades having a conflict on that model. And a link to a fix. So I downloaded software and put it on a cd, and went and fixed the pc for them.

While I was there, we started talking about our hobbies and interests. She was into various papercrafts, cardmaking, and the like. While I am into photography. After I had her computer running again, I logged onto my page and showed her my favorite picture - and she recognized the church in the scene. She immediately went to the phone and called her friend, who was a member there, and described it to her.

Long story short, I donated a print to that friend, and showed her my book that I had published the year before. When she wanted one, I told her that I'd sell it to her for the regular price, but she could take $5 off the price and donate it to the church instead of me. It just seemed like the thing to do. Why not?

And as it turns out, she sold a copy here and there to several of her friends and fellow parishoners... In all, I sold 28 books through her. The $5 per copy that went back to the church was matched by another organization, and so the church earned $280 on the book sale! I originally offered the donation because I was moved to do so. The photo of that church moved me to explore photography in a more active way than ever before. It was the thing to do. Why not return $5 to the church that had helped inspire me to do more. It was the 'do unto others as you would have them do unto you' mentality. And the $5 became $280 which made a real difference in their budget.

But rewind that a bit. The first request was from a friend to help with a computer problem. Then I met a friend of the friend, and then through her met a friend of the friend of my friend. And now because I have three friends (and more) instead of one, the church earned $280 towards some much needed repairs. And I made enough profit to pay for a few more copies that I gave to family as gifts.

I could have told my friend that I was too busy (and I was!!). But as a result of the investment, I made new friends, continued along my journey a few more steps... and the church benefitted.

And what started this ramble? Love. Yes, love. When you apply the golden rule to your life in a way that affects those around you, do so out of your heart, or don't bother. Don't do unto them because you are currying favor. Don't do for them because you want something. Don't care for someone in an attempt to make them care for you. Show respect, and express love, with no hope or desire for return. If you love them, help them repair their wings and fly. If they fly away, give thanks because they are able, and if they return and love you back then good. But don't do ANYTHING because you want something. Do it because you care.

After awhile, it can become a habit, a lifestyle. You may find yourself on the Road to... There.


And There is where we all need to try to be.

Shuttle Trip and Other Life Stuff

I've not been very active here for some months now. I am on a 'hiatus' as it were. Not gone, just temporarily absent. A lot of things going on in life, mostly pretty good overall. I have so much to tell you, and so little time.

One of these days, things will be 'normal' again, and in a better way than before. And when life does settle down a bit, then I plan to do some of the things I've flirted with over the past few years - to include more focus on the art of photography, and maybe even some sales... For the time being, I've closed my ebay shop. It was a nice experiment.

The books I put together have been a wonderful success - in terms of distribution. Considering it was a self-publishing effort, and I never sold ANY through the publishers website, and only sold through word-of-mouth, I did great. Enough to give several as gifts and still break even. I sold almost 100 books altogether, and at $60 a pop (expensive by my standards) that was saying something. And not a lot of effort went into it. (Read more here: A Window to My World)

As an, "Oh by the way" you should check out Karen Arnold's deviantArt website, as well as my own, if you're interested in the images in my book. Her collection of five paintings based on my photos may be found, along with many others, at http://buble.deviantart.com/gallery and my page, which has many images from Central PA, is at http://arkansawyer.deviantart.com/gallery .

The last wave of sales was a fundraiser for the church that is featured in the first section, where one of the members of the church stumbled upon my book. For every copy she sold, $5 of the purchase price went back to the church, and it turns out the Lutheran Brotherhood matched the donations dollar-for-dollar. So for 28 copies of the book that the church's members bought, the church itself earned $280, money which went directly toward fixing an old furnace that is used to heat the building. And the funny part of the story is that meeting Ms. Patrick in the first place was a total fluke, an accident, some would call it a coincidence.

And - that has been life over the past year. Full of interesting coincidences that have changed the landscape of my life dramatically. For the first time in 20 years as an adult, I finally have a plan for some of my future. It's not fully formed out, but I am working on it. From budgets that I've set and lived by for the past few months to try and reduce and eventually eliminate debt, to eating healthier to have a longer, happier life. And so much more. And you'll hear more about it as long as we remain friends... All I can say is that Good has entered my life - call it God, the Great Spirit, call it Love, or Grace, or anything you want... I am on a journey toward a better place, and although it's taken and will take awhile to get there, I will continue moving forward one step at a time... I've learned that it's not so much the destination that is important - it's the journey. And as long as I am moving forward with a purpose, instead of drifting with the current, then life is pretty good.

And there's my family... The purpose of this journal was to introduce my son. His nickname is Beanz. He's very active in various bands, including Marching Band, concert band, jazz band, county band, through his school. He's a bright and wonderful kid, if he can overcome his natural teenage tendencies to stay up late and procrastinate. :)

A few months ago, he was invited to participate in a summer trip with a small group of students to Florida, to watch one of the last two launches of the space shuttle, before the fleet is decommissioned. The selection was based on a polling of several teachers as to who should be nominated. Only those students who were selected by multiple teachers were considered.

I gave him two requirements to meet: 1) He had to bring his grades up - and with the marking period just past, he got Distinguished Honor Roll :dance:. And 2) He had to make some effort to do a fundraiser. I told him I'd match him dollar-for-dollar, but so far he hasn't made enough for the deposit. I suggested he start with a letter that I could post to my 'sites' and send out with Christmas cards. And there, I fell down on the job - I didn't even send out Christmas cards. Nor, till yesterday and today, did I post this online anywhere. (I did post a short version of this on Facebook - my page there is James Wheeler if you'd like to befriend me).

Here is Jeremy "Beanz" Wheeler's letter:

Hello!

Since most readers of this is family and friends close enough to be family, you probably know me. Yes, this your friendly cousin/nephew/grandson/friend, Jeremy Wheeler. Now, as many of you may or may not know, I have been selected for a special honor in my school. My math/physics teacher, Mr. Dwane Lahr, has selected a group of students, including me, to attend one of the final NASA space shuttle launches at the end of July next summer in Cape Canaveral, Florida. It is a special occasion that few will actually see close up, like we will. The space shuttle program is being abolished very soon, and is going to be replaced with the original rocket-based design for manned trips to extra-terrestrial bodies, like the Moon. The trip, which is five days long, is going to highlight two days at the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral. We will also spend a day to have fun, by going places such as Sea World, Orlando Studios, and/or Disney World. Two days are of course devoted to getting to and from Florida (probably by plane). A full document showing our plans and potential extras is shown at Shuttle Trip.

Here's the tricky part. The overall cost for the trip is estimated at around $600 per student. This price is all-inclusive, and covers everything but spending money for our free day. I am planning on getting a job to pay for part of this, on top of other things. Several involved parents are planning a fundraiser to help with the trip. The only thing is, my dad and I don't think it will be enough. I am asking for a small donation (it doesn't have to be much) to help pay for this trip to Florida. If you don't have the money to put into it, that is perfectly ok! Don't worry about it if you don't have it.

If you do, and you would like to donate to the cause, you can pay through PayPal to either arkansawyer@gmail.com (my dad's email address), or jeremy.baggins@gmail.com (Jeremy's email address), or send a donation in any form to

Jeremy Wheeler
1820 Mountain House Road,
Halifax, PA 17032

Many thanks,
Jeremy Wheeler


If you'd like to help out Beanz, a small donation would be appreciated. Even if all you'd like to do is email him and congratulate him on his selection for this trip, feel free to do so! Just let him know you learned about him through Blogger and this post.

A World Within

Yesterday we went fishing, but had a late start. We didn't catch any fish but I found a treasure. The outside of this glass bottle reads (Not a label, actually a part of the glass):

DR. ELLIS

SPECIAL
QUICK DRY
WAVING FLUID

WAVE SET

DR ELLIS SALES CO. INC.
DISTRIBUTORS
PITTSBURGH, PA
CONTENTS 6 FL. OZS

The coolest thing about the bottle, though, was the life within....

Emerson

A friend recommended that I read Emerson, specifically, the essay entitled "Self Reliance". Here's a paragraph from it...

Man is timid and apologetic; he is no longer upright; he dares not say 'I think,' 'I am,' but quotes some saint or sage. He is ashamed before the blade of grass or the blowing rose. These roses under my window make no reference to former roses or to better ones; they are for what they are; they exist with God to-day. There is no time to them. There is simply the rose; it is perfect in every moment of its existence. Before a leaf-bud has burst, its whole life acts; in the full-blown flower there is no more; in the leafless root there is no less. Its nature is satisfied and it satisfies nature in all moments alike. But man postpones or remembers; he does not live in the present, but with reverted eye laments the past, or, heedless of the riches that surround him, stands on tiptoe to foresee the future. He cannot be happy and strong until he too lives with nature in the present, above time.

Isn't that great? Another line, that I've heard before, goes like this: Speak what you think now in hard words and to-morrow speakwhat to-morrow thinks in hard words again, though it contradictevery thing you said to-day.

I wish I had some worthy thoughts to add to this, but it's enough, for now, to have read and enjoyed it. I hope you will take the time to look up the essay - if you can't make it to the library, check out Project Gutenberg, where they've digitized many classic literature works of the world.

Politics and Finances and who I vote for

Sign by Danasoft - For Backgrounds and Layouts

So one of these days, I'll get around to voting. My choice will be unpopular with some voters, but ... I don't much care.

I've heard all the talk... I know the general positions of all the candidates.

When one says that the other is all about "redistributing wealth" in such a way as to make it seem derogatory... I think back to my childhood...

If someone hadn't redistributed some wealth, we'd have had nothing.

School lunch was free. Toys for tots came through a few times to give us gifts. Mom was often sick and didn't work and Dad worked his butt off but never could quite get ahead with his 10,000-12,000 annual income to feed the family.

***WARNING:  TANGENT AHEAD***

As an adult, I've fought for years over the whole credit card thing... Finding out that after awhile, one or two late payments here and there seems to give big banks the right to charge up to 35% or more in interest - not to count any 'penalties' they provide.

** The following is a hypothetical situation but all too real for many of us.  My own personal situation spans 10 to 15 years, instead of the five outlined here, but it's also multiplied several times over as well... It doesn't take long to get snowed under by credit card companies... But it can take a lifetime to dig your way out. **

SCENARIO ONE:

Let's do the math for a second. I open a credit account with Citibank.. I "borrow" 10,000 at 10% APR interest. My monthly payment is, say, 4% of the balance, or $400. I pay the payment of $400, leaving a balance of 9,600 + 83 or $9,683.

Next month, my statement comes... It shows the 'old balance' of 9,600, plus interest charges of $83, (the interest is roughly 10000*10% ($1000) divided by 12, or $83 give or take). The new minimum payment due is 4% or $387.32.

Now, gas prices go up, making the president and vice president's bank accounts go up (but not mine)... (of course, that isn't true, I am sure they severed their ties to big oil before saying "I do" *ahem*). I find myself short on cash, so I send Citibank $300 in month 2.

On next month's statement, I see a few things new:
A beginning balance of 9683, minus $300 in payments, plus interest of around $80, plus a late fee of $39, leaving a new balance of (9683-300+80+39 or $9502). The new minimum payment is $380 plus the $100 left unpaid the prior month ($480). This month, I scrape things together and send the entire minimum payment of $480...

Next month, I get a suprise... Since I've had late payments posted to my account, my interest rate is no longer the 'preferred rate' but is, instead, 24.99%. My beginning balance was $9502, minus my payment of $480 or $9022, PLUS $198 in interest leaving a new balance of $9220. However, last month, in order to scrape the money together to make my minimum payment on time, I charged some gas to my card, so now I am back up to $9,500, and my minimum payment due is still $380.

I see that my interest rate just did a more-than-double trick so I surely don't want to use the card any more, so instead of paying the full amount due, I cut back a little, and send them $200 and pay cash for my gas.

This next month's statement has more surprises... My prior balance, as you recall, was 9,500, minus $200 just paid, but because I didn't pay the minimum due, I have a fee of $39 added to the balance, and since I am now a repeat offender, my interest rate goes up again, and now I find it's at 34.99%. In summary:

Prior balance: 9500
Payments: -200 (9300)
Fees: +39 (9339)
Interest: +272 (9611)

I get into this vicious cycle now, where my minimum payment is roughly $380 to $500, and I am struggling to make it, finding that my balance goes down approximately $100 a month - if I am lucky... Here and there, I make a payment a couple days past due (gotta wait for payday). My interest rate never falls, I use the card sparingly but enough that the $100 balance credit that I should have is canceled out, and this goes on for, say, five years.

At the end of five years, here's what I find in totals:

Original balance: $10,000
New Charges: (average $100 per month for 60 months = $6000)
Payments: (average $400 per month for 60 months = $24000)
Interest: (average $275 per month for 60 months = $16,500)
Fees: (2 late fees per year for 5 years $39 each = $390)
New balance: almost $33000 minus my payments of $24000, or around $9000.

At this rate, I'll pay $400 per month for many, many years, before my original $10,000 balance is paid off. As it is, in five years time, I've "borrowed" a grand total of $16,000 and paid a total of $24000, and still owe another $9000.

SCENARIO TWO (aka the way it should be):

If the original terms of the agreement had been followed by all parties - or if the bank were reasonable and not so greedy, and kept an honest interest rate of 10% despite my late payment now and then (whack me with the fees, go for it!) the picture might have been totally different.

Year one:
Original balance: $10000
Payments: $400 per month for year one, or $4800
Interest: (at 10%, approximately $1000)
New charges: $100 per month or $1200
Balance: 10000-4800+1000+1200 or $7400

Year two:
Original balance: $7400
Payments: $400 per month for year two, or $4800
Interest: (at 10%, approximately $740)
New charges: $100 per month or $1200
Balance: 7400-4800+740+1200 or $4540

Year three:
Original balance: $4540
Payments: $400 per month for year three, or $4800
Interest: (at 10%, approximately $454)
New charges: $100 per month or $1200
Balance: 4540-4800+454+1200 or $1394

Guess what... I break even in the third or fourth month of year four.  By year five end, I have not only paid my credit card off, but have managed to put about $7000 into the bank... 

The finance company just made a fair $2500 or so profit on me, I am happy, they should be too...

But instead... Instead scenario one is lived by many individuals, banks and finance companies today... and now, because I am homeless and can't pay my bill, the bank has to call this 'bad debt' and because I am not paying my credit card as I agreed to five years ago, the bank is hurting, and the federal government needs to bail them out.

It doesn't matter that I just paid them almost $25000 in payments, on $16,000 in charges, giving them a hefty $9000 in profit... what matters is that on the books, I am a bad debtor, and owe them $9000 that I'll never be able to pay off.

I like the ideal represented by Scenario Two above.  We all win... and in a perfect world where money flows freely into my checking account and I never, ever post a late payment, then maybe it's possible to live scenario two.  But when one of the bread earner's loses their job, or becomes disabled, or, heaven forbid, gas prices quadruple in a few years time, sometimes crap happens.

Back to my vote.

From an independent-seeming site, I garner the following facts about our candidates:

McCain would cut the corporate tax rate from 35% to 25%, and favors permanent tax credits to business for research and development.  For people earning 250,000 or more per year, he wants to keep Bushes tax cuts.

Obama says that he'd let the Bush tax cuts expire for those earning 250,000 or more.  And the whole corporate tax rate?  Leave it at 35%.  And end all the loopholes and deductions for industries like Big Oil.

For personal taxes, McCain says, "double the dependent deduction to $7000" and Obama says to implement a $500 per person or $1000 per family 'credit' on the taxes.

The McCain plan means this to me:  If I earn enough income to be in a 20% tax bracket, I'd have an extra $3500 exempt from taxes - which means I'd save approximately 20% of 3500, or $700.  The Obama plan says I'd save $1000.

Furthermore, Obama says for seniors making less than $50,000 eliminate their taxes.  Period.  My whole family would benefit directly by that one.  

I do get McCain's preachiness about how Obama wants to 'redistribute wealth' while he wants to increase wealth.  But from someone who has lived and does live down in the trenches of life in America, I can't afford any more of this "increase the wealth of the wealthy" attitude, in the hopes that some of it might trickle down to me..

In this, I must vote for the person who will enable me, somehow, hopefully, to get that extra $300 tax break - and to hell with those people who are making $250,000 a year.  If they can't afford the extra taxes then who can?  Certainly not my Mom or Grandmother, both of whom live month to month on their social security checks, just hoping that they'll have enough to pay for their groceries or medicine or both... and feeling terrible because they can't buy nice gifts for their grandkids and greats.  They need a break from that, too.

Much of my family supports McCain, and I am sure he is a real American Hero... I do respect the man.  But I think his support of the wealthy and of Big Industry is dead wrong.  My vote goes for Obama.

I just hope that somehow, someone puts a stop to the craziness involved in credit financing - even though it's been an invisible subject since the big 'bailout' plan had to pass congress in such an emergency.  Honestly, I am not paying my citibank cards another dime till I have some money comfortably saved somewhere... because I don't have two nickles to rub together by the time the next payday rolls around.

As for YOU.  Just vote.  And if your conscience says to vote for McCain, then GO FOR IT.  Just do it.  May God bless the winner and those he represents.

Canon EOS Rebel XSi Review

Background:

The last camera I bought was a Sony DSC-H7B... A camera that I love to hate... Meaning it has so much potential wrapped up in it with the 8MP, 15x Zoom, etc... But with Sony's compression (no options) image quality suffers big-time. A full review may be found here: http://arkansawyer.blogspot.com/2007/07/sony-cybershot-dsc-h7b-review.html

Finally, a few months ago, I decided it was time to do it right... But I knew I couldn't afford to take the leap yet to a Digital SLR camera. I had thought about getting a Sony, but honestly after the point-and-shoot, I wasn't too impressed. The good side was compatibility with my old Minolta SLR... itself a low end film model. But I only had the kit lens and a basic 70-200mm zoom, bought on clearance somewhere, so it's not as if I was losing much if I went with another brand.

I considered Pentax, because they've been around a long time, too, and have great quality equipment... In the end, one of my biggest frustrations has been low light shots... and I started looking for a Pentax vs. Canon review and what I found was mostly reviews of newer models of Nikon and Canon cameras... The review that intrigued me most was a comparison of four top brands in astrophotography.

Ah-ha, thought I. The Canon and Nikon were very similar in quality, and references were made to the fact that they both blew away the competition... I am no astrophotographer, but I have been known to take moon shots occasionally, and eventually maybe I'll get a really good one.

So if I narrowed it down to Canon vs. Nikon - I know more Canon users than Nikon, and my friend Jamie Walling is a firm advocate of Canon. Add to that that I could buy older Canon camera outfits (film) anywhere for a reasonable price these days... and the digitals are dropping in price every week, I sensed a real possibility there.

I started looking and happened to stumble upon an eBay auction that listed a Canon EOS Rebel 2000 35mm camera, a 28-80mm kit lens, a UV filter, a polorizing filter, a Canon branded camera bag, a Canon branded lens cleaning kit..... and I won the auction ($50 + $10 shipping).

To start there, I took some awesome shots with the 2000. Here's one of my favorites:

This was shot with the Rebel 2000, ISO400 film, Sigma 70-300mm macro-zoom.

You can read my review of this camera here:
http://catalog.ebay.com/_W0QQ_fclsZ1QQ_pidZ52119363QQ_tabZ3QQ_uaidZ780597746

I kept having fun with it - thinking, "It's great to have a REAL camera." Finally, though, the cost of film and processing, began to add up. It dawned on me that the newer Canon digital camera could be bought with a payment less than my film processing costs...

So... enter the XSi. I purchased it bundled with the 18-55mm IS EF-S lens. I added a 4GB PNY memory card. I will go into some detail later about my thoughts on each of these items.

This image was captured with the XSi at Wildwood Lake in Harrisburg, with a low-end 70-300mm Sigma telephoto zoom lens attached, on 9-02-2008.

This was taken 8-31-2008, from Negley Park in LeMoyne PA, overlooking City Island and the Harrisburg skyline. The green dome on the lower right side is the state capitol building. The fireworks are a part of the annual Kipona Artsfest that is held on Labor Day weekend at Riverside Park. The lens was the 18-55mm IS kit lens, at 4 seconds, using a tripod for extra stability.

This is a hand-held shot, taken 8-29-2008, at the Halifax High vs. Shippensburg High football game. The runner is a Ship football player... (they ended up beating Halifax 14-3 but they are also a much, much larger team - in a different division - which means that it won't count toward the state championships). The lens was the Sigma 70-300mm telephoto.

This beautiful young lady is "Min", a friend of the family. This photograph was taken at Colonel Denning State Park in Central Pennsylvania, using the 70-300mm Sigma lens. Actually, most of my best shots during that photo shoot were taken with the kit lens... But I did like this one a lot.

I haven't had a chance to use my 50mm f1.8 Canon lens very much, but the few shots I do have with it are leaving me wanting to experiment more. This is one such shot, taken along Powell's Creek on 8-16-2008.

Ahh... waterfalls... One of my favorite scenes... And something I've only taken two trips to take photographs of, or rather - SERIOUS photos of. This was taken on 8-17-2008 at Rickett's Glen State Park in north central Pennsylvania, with the kit 18-55 lens.

And this would be Lucky! I came home on 8-15-2008 to find him relaxing in my chair. He would not get up - just looked at me with that paw resting comfortable under him. I grabbed the camera of course, and shot him till he got tired of it, and finally he got up and left me to my chair.


First impressions:

Now that I've given you world history, and a sampling of photos taken over the past month, now we're to the meat... What can I say?

When I got the package, and unpacked it, I couldn't wait to get started. But of course, batteries must charge and all that. So I stuck the battery on the charger and started reading through the books, installing software, etc.

Surprisingly fast, the battery was charged. I was used to a 3-4 hour wait time on the Sony point and shoot, and about 300 shots per charge. On this one, I charged the battery in an hour or hour and a half, and still haven't run it down in a day's shooting (once filling up a 4GB memory card and then some with RAW+JPG shots). I think I can easily get 600-800 shots as long as I don't overuse the flash and even a respectable number with part time flash (I used the flash some the day I filled the 4GB card).

Confusion? Everything was pretty straightforward till I tried to use the live-view mode. I played with options trying to figure out how to get autofocus to work, and finally gave up in disgust, thinking something was wrong with the camera.

Finally, a day or so later, I got the book out and dug it up. Turns out autofocus in live-view is controlled by the * button, not the shutter button as is the case normally. My guess is it's a way to encourage people to get away from using the live-view, which eats the battery life very quickly.

I have, once or twice, used live-view successfully after figuring it out - but with an optical viewfinder (instead of the digital one on the old Sony or my prior Olympus pointandshoot), I don't find much value in the live view mode. I prefer the viewfinder, actually.

Image Quality:

This is one area where I definitely cannot complain... I have had to learn the camera's foibles... But those are mostly in terms of overcoming my point-and-shoot bad habits, not in any problems with the camera itself.

For example, I used to lock the Olympus into ISO 64, it's lowest setting. The Sony, ISO 80. This camera's lowest ISO is 100... But I've learned not to be afraid of ISO 400. Indeed, even 800 or 1600 has a remarkable clarity... I have shot a speeding roller coaster (not pictured here) and gotten very sharp images at 1600.

I did try a portrait at 1600 and there was enough noise to distract from her skin, but at 400 the noise was almost invisible.

I feel like I can easily get 20x30 shots with this camera. I've never had a camera capable of that.

And I can't wait to see a print in that size to see how it looks.


Some of the things I don't like (and these are very minor things):

1) All the auto modes do not allow capture in RAW mode. That said, I've learned over the past year or two to use Program mode a lot, and with this camera, some of the other manual settings... so really I can shoot RAW+JPG as much as I want. Sometimes I go back to the default AUTO modes just for a reality check.

For example, if I try a portrait shot, in Portrait mode, and the camera chooses to take it in auto mode at ISO 400, f4.5, and 1/250 second, then that gives me a starting point in the manual modes...

2) Live-view could be much more user friendly. No need to go into more detail - it's outlined above. That said, I am not a huge fan of live view anyways, so... *shrug* No big deal.

3) The kit lens is an EF-S instead of EF mount. That means it works great with this camera, but not with my 35mm Rebel 2000.


Things I really like about the camera:

1) Image Quality. Overall it is superb. The option to shoot in RAW mode added to the Canon processing software is a very powerful addition to the usability of this camera. The RAW mode has already saved the day a few times - it captures tons more detail than straight JPG shooting as most point-and-shoots support. At the end of the day, this is the most important feature of any camera. Period. And this one is a winner in this department. The only shots I've really been disappointed in were when I was using the 300mm zoom at close distances without using macro mode.... I had some focusing issues that I think were more the lens and photographer's fault than the camera's.

2) Live-view. It has it. Although not always useful, I do look forward to using my laptop as my LCD screen and try some portrait shots indoors with it.

3) The kit lens is image stabilized. I tried turning IS off and on and did various shots - and it definitely does a great job.

4) Lens compatibility. All Canon EF type lenses work in this camera. I did use the kit lens that came with my 35mm and got some good shots out of it.


There's more that can be said, but in the end, this is a great camera outfit. I could go on and on - but the photos speak for themselves... Feel free to let me know what you think of this review... and any questions you may have, I'll be glad to try and answer.

Mom to be

A turtle at Wildwood Lake Park in Harrisburg PA. We walked up to see the turtle, and a rather largish snake nearby. We startled the snake but the turtle didn't even try to run away. After a few minutes, we saw why.

Groundhog Regrets

A few days ago, we were on our way out Powell's Valley Road heading somewhere not so important after all, when I saw something that I should have gone back and photographed. I thought... well, the camera I have doesn't see things the way I do... everyone else is ready to get where we're going... there's a hundred excuses not to do it.

The scene? Amber waves of grain. Literally. It was sunny, the grain was ripened to a golden hue in the bright sunlight, the breeze was blowing, causing the grain to wave in the sunlight. And between the fields of grain was bright green fields of corn. It was an awesome sight in it's own way.

Today, they baled that grain into haybales. That photo op that I had the other day is gone for good.

Early this morning, on the way to work, I stopped and took a photo. I took it with two cameras, and I am hoping the other camera did an even better job - but we'll see. As it is, I am proud of this photo:


As I started to drive back down the road, I spotted another splash of blue against the golden backdrop of grain. It was an oh-so-very bright bluebird... Very, very pretty. Experience tells me if I'd stopped, and gotten out with the camera, there's a good chance it would have flown away before I got focused on it, and my daughter was ready to be at her friend's house already, so I drove on.

But maybe, it wouldn't have flown away.

But what really baked the cake (so to speak... ) was this afternoon on the way HOME from work. I thought, "I have some time to kill... I am going to drive up to Boyd Big Tree Preserve, and look around. I did, too. After I pulled of Route 322 onto Fishing Creek Rd, with my destination in mind, I looked over and saw the coolest thing.

I have yet, in the eight years I've been in Pennsylvania, to take a good shot of a groundhog. Yes, there's Puxtahawney Phil, but I've not seen him. But here was a groundhog, not waddling through the grass like we usually see, but rather, next to the road, his paws up on this weed that was more of a bush than a weed, biting at a branch very above his head.

I haven't ever seen a groundhog behaving quite that way. But I was driving too fast. Like the bluebird, I had the feeling that if I stopped, he'd run away, so I didn't. But that was the straw that broke the camel's back. I drove to Boyds, even took a couple photos - one or two might be okay.

But after I left, I pulled out my cell phone and jotted a note to myself... the subject was "groundhog regrets".

Secret Ingedient

From time to time, I've taken a few great shots... and a lot of merely good ones, I suppose, but a few really great ones. And they usually happen despite myself - meaning they are accidents of some sort, or just merely the result of being in the right place at the right time.


With that thought in mind, I am going to share a link to a photo my buddy Jose shared with me (No - I do not know the photographer).

This external link will take you to CNN.com's site. This is one of those "perfect moments" that most of us don't quite happen to catch...

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/weather/06/04/tanker.fire.irpt/index.html

An ebay experiment

I've never sold on ebay... I have bought a thing or two over time - but never have I sold.

But I wanted to direct some traffic back to my photobook's page on the blurb site, and so I thought I'd do something that I read about... which is to advertise/list prints on ebay. Provide a link back to the book's page, etc.

I can get 11x14's printed locally for a good price, for good quality prints. My objective here isn't to make money, but rather, to test the waters and learn a little about selling online.

With that in mind, I started my prices at 2.99 plus shipping - which wouldn't even be a break-even for me if they sold at that price. BUT it was something... A friend looked and advised - if I do ever sell anything, then sell more later - it's harder to keep customers once you raise your prices.

So I revised/listed my prints for a much more realistic price of $10 plus shipping... But again, I am not caring if I make money - my objective is to break even and learn the waters, so to speak, so I started looking for something that would be a worthwhile charity for Central Pennsylvania - and one thing I've learned is that the Central PA Food Bank is there for people - especially in the hard winter months and during the holidays...

Through scouts and other activities over the years, we've donated food before, but ebay has them as a charitable partner. So I put 10% of my selling price to go to that organization. The only catch? It's a minimum $5 donation.

So if I sell any prints at the starting bid of $10 - $5 automatically goes to the Food Bank, the other $5 is spread over the cost of the prints, the ebay fees, and so on.

In the end, I won't make anything.........

But that's okay.

If you are interested in purchasing a print from me, you can get it cheaper through my ebay page than through deviantart prints service. Right now, I have a handful of Harrisburg area shots listed - I can list special requests if you have any... and at this point I will gladly continue the partnership with the food bank - just to gain the experience and perhaps get some positive feedback on ebay - and learn the ropes, so to speak. :)

Arkansawyer on eBay

Central PA Food Bank on ebay.


Let me know what you think - and if you think a photo is worth $10 - $15 feel free to make a bid. :)

err. For those more serious ebay shoppers out there - my "postage" on the current listings was for priority mail to US addresses. Any suggestions on mailing large format photographs? Like packaging and priority vs parcel post, etc., etc. I am a 100% newbie at this... and again - looking to learn the ropes.

Central Pennsylvania Photobook

I still need to finish posting my individual sections here, but I am going to skip ahead and post photos of the finished copy of the photobook I just had published. Feel free to leave a comment or email me at arkansawyer@gmail.com for more information.

All images and the photobook are copyright 2005-2008 James Wheeler and/or Karen Oudeman.

The best movie quote of all time.. IMHO

My First - A Photo How-To Experience

This quick post is in response to a comment on my photobook series image, "My First"...

Central PA Photobook Series: Country Living

"How did you ever happen to capture that?"

I will go back a few years... a buddy and I, both potential photographers without the money and time to deal with the cost of film, used to sit on the balcony at the dormitories on Laughlin Air Force Base near Del Rio Texas... and we'd watch thunderstorms roll in. He'd try to capture lightning shots and may have been occasionally successful. As for me, I quickly learned I could go through a heck of a lot of film and never capture anything but a dark sky.

A couple years ago, when this photo was taken, I had just recently gotten a decent digital camera, an Olympus C765-Ultra Zoom model. It was 4.1MP (good enough in it's day even if it's not the newest and best now). And I was really beginning to get the bug.

Now I live in Central Pennsylvania, and there are things to take photos of in my life every day - all I have to do is learn to open up my eyes. So I had begun to bring the camera along part of the time... and around home I was looking at wildflowers and sunsets and things with a new eye, when one day a thunderstorm rolled up Powell's Valley from the west, straight towards our house.

It was a very slow-moving storm front, and as it got nearer and nearer, the lightning just kept popping, over and over and over again... I got my camera and went out in the back yard (facing the west) and I took shot after shot... almost 60 total - and got nothing but pitch black skies or an occasional "glow" on the horizon. There was lightning all right - I was just getting really good at missing it.

I got discouraged, disgusted, and went inside in a humph... I quit. As I sat in my easy chair, I started looking over the camera. I though - hmmmm... this has a manual setting that has a 15 second exposure... Other than the lightning, it was pitch black outside. Maybe, I should try that.

By this point the storm was passing our house, and rain was beginning to pound down, so I went out front, and stood under the overhand of our porch, pointed the camera into the night-sky, and pressed the shutter button. 15 seconds later, I had myself a black image. I tried again... same results. But the third time, the lightning struck the mountain and the rest is history, as they say.

I have some comments and 'lessons learned' as it were.

1) Knowing what I know now, it's not too smart to be standing out there taking pictures of something this deadly. Look how the tendrils of the lightning came back through the sky right over my head. When we're looking there with the naked eye, we tend to see a really quick light "explosion" and then darkness again - but the camera caught a lot more than that. So if you ever do something like this - don't go stand out in the middle of the field and just do it.

2) I got really lucky. I didn't use a tripod. I might have had the camera braced on the porch post or something but I am not even sure about that. In subsequent attempts, I find myself getting a lot of doubled-lines if I do not use a tripod to steady the camera. Probably the only reason I got what I did in this attempt was because it WAS so pitch black outside that all the camera saw was in that brief second of light.

3) Longer exposures work great - in pitch black darkness. If it's daytime - you just have to get lucky. :)

Hope you found this useful and/or informative. Have a great day!

Photobook 6: Wildlife

Post six of a series of photographs I am going to use in an upcoming photobook. All of the photos in this series were taken by me in Dauphin County Pennsylvania and its neighboring counties, between 2005 and 2008. Occasionally I will also post paintings based on my photographs. The artist behind these paintings is my friend, Karen Oudeman, from Gouda, the Netherlands.

This is the the section entitled Wildlife. In my time in Pennsylvania I have been lucky enough to see many various creatures. I have just very recently photographed a porcupine and elk in the upper part of the state, and have seen black bear there, as well as here near home. However, in this collection - I am only including area scenes - and I have not had the luck to catch a bear with my camera.

However, there are many interesting creatures - from deer and ring-neck pheasants to many types of insect. I love to go out on lunch breaks to local nature centers in the hopes of finding some "nature" and sometimes I am successful. :) I hope you enjoy this collection - it does not do justice to the many diverse species of animals and insects to be found in the area.

The text on the section introduction page reads as follows:

Central Pennsylvania has an abundance of wildlife. White-tail deer are very common in the area, and one of my favorite pastimes as a photographer is to stop and photograph a deer as it stops to look at me (but all too often it runs off before I get the camera in place). Other mammals, waterfowl, amphibians, and reptiles are fairly common in state forests and park areas such as Wildwood Lake in Harrisburg. In Powell's Valley, ringneck pheasants are a very common sight. Various species of insects and bugs may be seen, from common bees and butterflies to the saddleback caterpillar. This area is an animal lover's paradise.




























All images copyright 2005-2008 James A. Wheeler or Karen Oudeman.

Contact me at arkansawyer@gmail.com for information on obtaining copies of any of these prints or information on the upcoming 160 page photobook, which will be a "coffee table" style hardcover book complete with paper sleeve cover, initially priced around $60 - which to my cheapskate pocketbooks seems high until I compare the cost to that of eating out at a nice restaurant, which for a family can quickly exceed the cost of this book, and is quickly forgotten.

The series so far:
Photobook 1: The Story
Photobook 2: The Church
Photobook 3: Farmscapes
Photobook 4: Country Living
Photobook 5: Waterscapes
Photobook 6: Wildlife