Campfire Tales

ARE YOU AFRAID?

I watched the State Of The Union last night and I was terrified. If I listened to President Obama I was sure that humanity would come to an end. My computer would no longer work if I did not cover my ears! My television would be nothing more than a paper weight! Our car would not start and On Star would not be available! Our air conditioning would be shut off! No washer/dryer! Everything would be broken!

Then something happened, I began to listen. The monster that people portray this man to be began to soften. He sounded as though he cared about people. About health, economy, housing, security. He sounded as though he might care about me personally. And so more than listen I began to pay attention. These are the President's words...

" One year ago, I took office amid two wars, an economy rocked by a severe recession, a financial system on the verge of collapse and a government deeply in debt. Experts from across the political spectrum warned that if we did not act, we might face a second depression. So we acted — immediately and aggressively. And one year later, the worst of the storm has passed."

I remember when everyone from all corners of this country were screaming, "The sky is falling!" How easily we forget. One year, ONE! And this man has been has been turned into something out of a campfire tale. The monster, the creature. An e-mail caricature.

I watched on with great curiosity and thought I had found the largest living organism on the planet, the republican party. Eric Cantor, John McCain, Joe Lieberman, (GOP at heart) Mitch McConnel. I started doing research and to my dismay there are some arguments as to what is the largest.

Aspens,

The Aspen tree (Populus tremuloides) forms large stands of genetically identical trees (technically, stems) connected by a single underground root system. These trees form through root sprouts coming off an original parent tree, though the root system may not remain a single unit in all specimens. The largest known fully-connected Aspen is a grove in Utah nicknamed Pando, and some experts call it the largest organism in the world,^[1] by mass or volume.^[2] It covers 0.43 km² (106 acres) and is estimated to weigh 6,600 short tons (6,000 t).^[3],

Mushrooms,

A giant fungus of the species Armillaria ostoyae (honey mushrooms) in the Malheur National Forest in Oregon was found to span 8.9 km² (2,200 acres)^[4], which would make it the largest organism by area. Whether or not this is an actual individual organism, however, is disputed: some tests have indicated that they have the same genetic makeup,^[5]but unless its mycelium is fully connected, it is a clonal colony of numerous smaller individuals. Another clonal colony that rivals the Armillaria and the Populus colonies in size is a strand of the giant marine plant, Posidonia oceanica, discovered in the Mediterranean Sea near the Balearic Islands. It covers a band roughly 8 km (4.3 miles) in length.^[6]

Well, the GOP is not the largest. However, looking at this group it could be argued that it is the oldest. The party of do nothing but tell campfire tales about the monster.

The dragonfly close up picture can be viewed at, www.aoh-vision.com

Butterfly Bleu

And so... It was yesterday morning in, Tucson Arizona. I got a call from a friend and he asked if I would like to go to the Tucson Botanical Gardens. Me being the avid photographer that I am told my wife (who was preparing for work) that I was gone!!! I grabbed my camera, a canon 40D with an 85mm f/2.8 macro lens, and headed out the door. I had no breakfast of any sort, but you know how that goes. We arrived, and for the month of March they were having an exotic butterfly exhibition and for a few more bucks we decided yes. Following the rugged trail with little to drink and no food in me, my images were telling the tale. Not quite what I had wanted. Then in near sight was the butterfly exhibit! As always with these exhibits you must have a lecture before going in. I realized how important this was once I was inside. We had to go into a room with the shield behind us shut before they would open the NEXT DOOR!!! Once inside I could see why. Butterflies were everywhere! On the ground, in the air, on the exotic plants and leaves, and YES, YES...on the people. The humidity was so high that my camera was useless for about ten minutes. The temperature and the humidity in the room were both around 99 degrees. But once my camera was ready I spent almost 2 hours in the room and shot off more than one of my 8 GB flash cards. I did not realize how much the humidity had drained from my already depleted body. One very large butterfly landed on a woman's head and she screamed! At that moment all the photographers leaped around her and commanded her to hold still ... she did. Great pictures!!! Once we exited, exhausted and weak, we had to be searched for hitch hiker butterflies. The humiliation. But GUESS WHAT? THEY DID NOT SEARCH MY UNDERWEAR!!! HAH!!! Weary and drained we stumbled about is search of water and food. There not to far away was what appeared to be a cafe. But could we trust our eyes? It was real! We stumbled in and I cried "WATER PLEASE!" After that I had a wonderful sandwich. It was The "Tuscon via Tucson". Slices of fresh mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, roasted red peppers layered on "Cafe 54 pesto" and served on a baguette. I made it. I got home weary but well. I uploaded my images and ran several through my PS3 program. What a day. But hey, I am proof that it can be done and you can survive. Keep your loved ones and your pictures in mind and you can also survive such a test.

Found me a little butterfly

As blue as the sky

With just a touch of gold

I knew I had to hold

My butterfly, fly away with me

(Iron Butterfly)

buttefly in hand picture

DIRT

I have recently become a user of Facebook. WOW! People are everywhere. There are some people from my past that I probably should not seek out, and some that would bring great me great Happiness. One such acquaintance is, Mike Burns. We traveled all over the great northwest with our band, Jaded Strompet. Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Alaska... What a time full of wonder. This is where "DIRT" began.

Mike and I were talking about the dirt bike pictures that I took at Thunder Valley in, Lakewood Colorado. They can be viewed at, http//www.aoh-vision.com These are pictures of some high flying motocross dirt bike daredevils. I spent several hours of several days shooting at Thunder Valley.

Well I was thinking about all the political "DIRT" going on all around me and it seemed a good link. I guess Massachusetts voice has been heard. I don't quite understand though. "41"? "truck"? He may has well run on the platform of owning a toilet with a five gallon tank. While this is going on Haiti is having 6.0 aftershocks and there is not much left to hold onto. And you have Pat Robertson spewing "DIRT"! "something happened a long time ago in Haiti, and people might not want to talk about. (Haitians) were under the heel of the French... and they got together and swore a pact with the Devil. They said, "we will serve you if you'll get us free from the Prince." True story. And the Devil said, "O.K. it's a deal." Ever since they have been cursed by one thing after another." It is Pat Robertson that is scary and the fact that anyone can take him seriously. This sounds like "The Devil Went Down To Georgia". "DIRT", is coming not only underneath us, but all around us. I would also go into the looters at Fox news but I want to enjoy the rest of my day.

Mike Burns blog can be seen at, http//www.disorderlyreport.com

These dirt bike pictures and more can be viewed at, www.aoh.vision.com

All Things Begin.

So, This is the beginning. I have not even finished the layout settings. Yesterday and today I sat here watching the playoffs alone. Kind of odd, and I feel I should pick up the phone and talk to some one. But, Free Falling begins. I have just come home to Arizona. I have not been here in close to twenty years and I got to witness the dismantling of the Arizona Cardinals. The end of the Dallas Cowboys. And, The beginning of Free Falling. I am fine with New Orleans going to the NFC championship game because you know, They deserve it!

I am a photographer, I play guitar, I am married to a Registered Nurse, have a bunch of "ADULT" children, with bunches of children of their own, I have three Bro's and one Sis. And now I am compelled to write. I am not sure of how I am beginning so I have some random thoughts To throw out.

Haiti, I have watched this disaster on our outdated 38 inch LCD Magnavox television. And oh, sometimes while eating. I could not help it, I was hungry. And this is a vicious circle that has made me feel bad. What's an American to do? I have tried to put my way of thinking into this kind of anguish and pain. You Know I did not have it that good as a child... But to no avail. There is no way to imagine this kind of horror. I can only hope that this never befalls my family, my friends, my country, MY WORLD! Truth is we are one meteorite away. One meltdown. One hurricane. One tornado. One food shortage. One water shortage. One fixed but broken banking system, etc, etc, etc... I was asking my wife what we could do. A donation? When she woke up yesterday she asked me if I had made a donation. When I told here I did she asked me how much? $50.00 I replied. She told me thats what she was thinking. I got a thank you e-mail for the gracious gift from the Red Cross. I did not feel much better.

The season of life is here

And the reason to live is clear
We've waited 'till who knows when
For the time to begin again
It's more than the change of time
It's something that's in all our minds
That no matter where or when
For endings are only
Places where all things begin...

Endings by Ambrosia