Passport Canada

There are seventeen persons ahead of you...your call is very imortant to us...Somebody will be with you shortly...Yup, you've got it still no passport! And I'm on hold once again. Got in the queue a lot quicker today though. Ooops, getting excited we're down to 13!! They told me last Thursday that they received my application 1st week of Dec. but they hadn't done anything with it yet, to phone back Monday blah, blah, blah. That I may have to drive to Victoria to pick it up...so here I sit to see what's next.

So since the last post I've had my National Geographic Photography Seminar in Vancouver and it was so good. I wish it had been more than a day. The facilitators were amazing, never a dull moment. And it was a very diverse group, about a quarter were like myself, people just trying to learn to take a better picture and maybe one day getting one published but the rest were serious photographers, students and commercial getting more tips of the trade so to speak. I hadn't realized there were only 4 of this particular seminar so the folks attending were from all over Western Canada and the States. Right at the beginning I thought I was going to be in way over my head but I could hold my own quite nicely so I was pleased. Can't wait until we can find another one and we will make a trip out of it. Jim can enjoy a nice hotel in a cool city and I will go off and drool over expensive camera equipment...

Yeah!!! I got through finally and they mailed my passport out last Friday, should be here today or tomorrow. San Jose here we come!!! I tell you Jim & I are looking so forward to sunshine and warmth we can hardly stand it. Apparently it's supposed to be sunny here today but it's so fogged in you can barely see the water and it's high tide!

Time to go, I'm back to work today and it's going to be such a shock as I haven't been there since September! Don just got a new point of sale system so we have to enter all the stock, hopefully this new one is a little more user friendly compared to the last one. It'll be nice to back with everyone though, they're a good group.

These are my latest eagle shots, he's such a beauty.

Well, not a very exciting week so far. The weather is the pits, imagine that, and Jim & I are definitely into the 'Mexico' count down. Unfortunately my passport that was supposed to be here last Friday has still not shown up. It was sent 01Dec but according to the news this week Passport Canada is just now working on November. I will be so cranky if I can't go!!! If we were flying direct it would be okay but we have a stop in L.A. Oh well, I've still got 3 weeks...

So here's a few pictures I got last week of an eagle. I was watching him bathing in the river and managed to get a few shots as he walked onto the beach. He was a long ways off and I only had my 300 with me but he still looks pretty cool.

I been having a terrible time with this version of Blogger so I gave up on the last post and I'm trying again...
I've been doing a lot of macro shooting and I think, at this point, it is my favorite type of photography. I even used it to get some of the closeups of Luke, it's difficult because you have to be soooo steady but the results are great. So here are a few, let me know if you like them. Actually the water drop on the fence in the previous post is with a macro lens as well. The first one is of my amaryllis that I grew this Christmas, it was so beautiful.

January has so far been rather uneventful, a typical January actually. We started with more storms and now we just cold but at least we got to see the sun for a few days. Today is cold and grey though and wouldn't be surprised if it started snowing. Needless to say we are both really looking forward to heading to San Jose del Cabo in February. One month today we will be drinking G&T's by the pool!!! Whoopee!!!!
I've been out with my new lens and have had a few good results. It's quite heavy but I want to be able to use it hand-held as much as possible. I need to be packing Luke around to get my arms built up but I guess I will just have to get my fat old bod back to the gym. I spent some time shooting on the estuary in San Jose last year and I'm really looking forward to taking this big guy there this year. Watch I'll proably get mugged! The birds are amazing though so it should be fun. I did manage to get this one a hawk that I've been seeing when I walk the dogs. I had to trudge through the brambles and snow (okay there was only about an inch of snow but it sounded good) to get close enough but I managed to get a few shots before he flew. Note to self: when sneaking up on birds don't take the slightly insane 100 pound labrador.
This guy was a long ways away so I'm pretty impressed with the outcome. I met a woman at the last course I took and we've been trying to get out practising as much as possible. There's another course being offered in Campbell River that she's taking but it's only five nights and I would miss two of them so why waste the money. Next weekend though we're heading to Vancouver and attending a
National Geographic Traveller photography seminar so that should be really interesting.

I've been trying to think outside the box for my pictures and I absolutely love it. Jim doesn't get the whole 'artsy fartsy' thing but that's okay I'm just having fun. I love the next picture. I'm sure if anyone had come along they would have thought I was nuts but I still think it looks very cool.

Happy New Year

I just wanted to add a few more pictures but this is the 3rd time I've tried this today and I am getting really fed up with this version of blogger. Not exactly user friendly for us old folks but what the heck.
I hope everyone had a great New Year's Eve. I have been in trouble all day because I fell asleep at 11:00 and there was no coming back. We left Darcee and Chris' and that was it. Walked in the door and just crashed. It was a wonderful Christmas season but I'm wiped!!
I'm looking forward to learning more about photography (I've got a National Geographic seminar in Vancouver in January that Jim got me for Christmas,
not to mention the most amazing lens, soooo excited) and just getting back to work.
I'm going to try and get my eskimo roll down this year.
That's up to you Gary, please don't let me drown.
So here are a few snap shots and I hope you are all having a great 01Jan07
Just a part of the Christmas Village on Ceara II

Nicole and the very handsome Casey on Ceara
Lindsay and Luke
Johnny, One-Eyed Princess Mya and Kyle
James, Johnny and TJ Berrytales