Duck Soup

2011-11-26T21:22:00.000-08:00

Things from office

2011-11-18T13:31:00.001-08:00

Computer desk on wheels

with slide-out shelves

Credenza from my Dad, he used it in his law office

Book shelf/cupboard (from old Draper home)

Smith & Morehouse reservoir by Max Yospe (1990)

Honorary Sheriff plaque (1)

Honorary Sheriff plaque (2)

Utah Bar Certificate

US Supreme Court certificate

Duke Law Diploma

Paris Montmartre (1983)

Paris Notre Dame (1983)

Kennard kids 1992

Ashley's Wedding

Nancy Jan., 1999

More Albino Quail

2011-09-13T17:47:00.001-07:00

On July 28 I captured these close-up shots of our albino quail in the neighbor's yard

In my earlier pictures the plume or top-knot was not as evident, so she could have been mistaken for a dove.

But in these pictures, there is no doubt she is a quail.

Albino Quail revisited

2011-06-23T21:09:00.000-07:00

This evening (June 23, 2011) I heard some quail in the neighbor's yard. I peeked through the fence and saw the albino in a covey of 5 or 6. I ran for my camera. When I got back outside with the camera, I saw them trotting through yards down the street. I ran for my bike and followed them. These are among the pictures I shot before they flew into a fenced yard and I lost them.

Albino Quail

2011-06-19T23:38:00.001-07:00

I first spotted what I thought was an albino quail in late April (3 months ago). I researched and found that they do exist, but are rare. The webmaster at Utah Birds encouraged me to send him a photo.

For the past 3 months my neighbors and I have seen her off and on, but none of us has been able to catch her with the camera.

Until this afternoon - Fathers Day - with some of my grandkids, we saw her running from our yard to the neighbors'.

I ran for the camera and got these photos. I'm still hoping to get closer for more detail. Perhaps with chicks in the near future? Wouldn't that be great!?

Puppets in Paris - Guignol and Friends

2011-06-04T05:45:00.000-07:00

We found this wonderful Gignol puppet theater while strolling along the Champs Elysées in Paris.

It was run by this colorful barker/puppeteer.

Mrs. Guignol explains that Guignol himself is absent today, and she must go to her kitchen to fix food for her guest:

Her husband's brother, Don Christobel!

Guignol's son, Jérome, is full of mischief - mostly at the expense of Uncle Christobel.

The audience loves it - especially the little kids!

They are captivated!

Totally mesmerized!

The Gendarme comes and rescues poor Christobel, captures that rascal Jérome, and saves the day!

Curtain. The End.

Quail Drama April 2011

2011-04-03T18:57:00.000-07:00

It is springtime. The quail are showing off their colors.

Looking for something to eat.

Yum! So tasty!

Two days later, and 3 inches of snow (and still snowing), they still know enough to come for breakfast.

But a hungry magpie attacked, and they barely escaped, losing just a few feathers!

On the next attack, the quail was not so lucky!

Nature is not always pretty, and it's not always kind!

Speaking of nests with eggs . . .

2010-05-19T22:22:00.000-07:00

Five days ago (May 14) Suzanne and I took pictures of two new robin nests in our yard. One in a maple tree, the other in an Austrian pine. Both were quite new, and both were empty. Then today (May 19) I hoisted a mirror up above the nests and verified the presence of eggs! As we raised the camera above the nests for new pictures, you can imagine the scolding we received from the robins! They were furious! Squawking the whole time. At least they did not attack us. If they had attacked, I think Suzanne would have abandoned the project - she was in charge of operating the wireless remote shutter trigger, while I held the camera aloft. Here are the best of our pictures. Now, we're not going to invade their privacy again until the chicks hatch out. Stay tuned.

And Don't Forget the Quail!

2010-05-19T22:14:00.000-07:00

With all the photos already posted, it is hard to come up with new ones that "raise the bar." Here are a couple of close-ups that show off their beautiful colors. And a couple where I caught them in the middle of making their distinctive calls. I am hunting nearly every day for nests among the bushes, in hopes of getting a photo of their eggs. And then, I also hope to have baby quail chicks running around the yard. The camera will get a workout then!

Other Birds

2010-05-19T21:53:00.000-07:00

That same day (May 12) I captured these other birds, either in or from our back yard. First is the finch I have shown in an earlier post, hopping around in the yellow-green shade of an aspen's new leaves.

Next is a big hawk floating above the scene looking for dinner. He had better not dine on our quail!

And then this pretty little yellow bird that I have not yet identified. It's too small to be the oriole - about the size of the finch. Maybe you can identify it for me?

Oriole

2010-05-19T21:44:00.000-07:00

In the evening of May 12, I was scouting the yard for other birds, when I heard an insistent new bird call coming from our willow tree. Here is the beautiful Bullock's Oriole who seemed so happy to stop here on his way migrating from South America to Manitoba Canada.

Pheasant

2010-05-19T21:24:00.000-07:00

This pheasant was squawking his heart out one morning in the neighbor's back yard, just beyond our fence. I love how the morning sun sets his breast afire.

Recent Bird Photos

2010-03-28T23:37:00.001-07:00

Northern Flicker (woodpecker family).

Practicing take-offs.

Practicing his landing.

Another landing.

Red-winged blackbird.

More Quail Photos

2010-03-06T18:18:00.000-08:00

Stalking Quigley in the back yard.

He's checking me out from the safety of the apricot tree.

Ducks by the River

2010-03-06T18:14:00.001-08:00

Bully chasing his rival

Trying to escape from the bully

Trying to walk on water

Lunch time. (Adds new meaning to "bottoms up!")

Backyard Finches

2010-03-06T18:11:00.000-08:00

Aren't they cute?

Quail Covey

2010-02-21T12:39:00.000-08:00

I sometimes play a recording of quail calls. Then, before long, I hear an answering call from this Quigley or one of his brothers.

After eating at the feeder, the quail will casually scratch in the flowerbed.

But, as soon as they sense my presence, the whole covey flies to the fence, prepared to escape if the "danger" increases.

Quail Update - Reading Lessons

2010-02-03T11:46:00.001-08:00

The quail seem to appreciate the inviting welcome.

But the magpies appear to be reading-challenged!

Quail in winter

2009-12-25T12:03:00.000-08:00

Chow call! Here they come for breakfast! (Dec. 24, 2009)

Do I need to get a bigger feeder?

This little finch seems to be saying: "Save some for me!"

After breakfast, Quigley "swims" through the snow for shelter in the bushes across the lawn.

It's so much work, he flies the last part of the way.

After breakfast on Christmas morning, Quigley stands guard, watching the feeder from his perch in the nearby shrubs. (Dec. 25, 2009)

What! Sleeping on guard duty?

OK, Quigley, your shift is over, you can crawl under cover and take your nap.

The Days of Christmas

2009-12-20T15:09:00.001-08:00

On the week before Christmas, my backyard gave to me:

Three quail a-scampering . . .

Two woodpeckers a-pecking . . .

And a mourning dove calmly looking at me!

Twas the Week Before Christmas . . .

2009-12-20T14:29:00.000-08:00

Twas the week before Christmas, and all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even her spouse.
At the basement back door, at the foot of the stair,
Suzi was checking the lock with great care.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
She peeked out the door to see what was the matter.
Where, what to her wondering eyes should appear,
But four eyes and four ears of two ghostly mule deer.

They were nervous and skittish and shifting about,
When Dad with his camera came sneaking on out.
The setting was "auto" and under-exposed,
So the shutter stayed froze while they anxiously posed.

Then he made some adjustments and turned on the flash,
But, alas, was too late, as the deer made a dash.
More rapid than eagles straight at us they came,
And the photo was missed, what a gosh-awful shame!

[Translation: We had 2 deer in our backyard Sat. night, a week before Christmas! The photo was from last summer - the best I could do.]

Quail Report - Freedom Week 3

2009-09-20T19:41:00.000-07:00

After I chased away two raucous magpies that had been hogging the feeder, I went looking for the quail. I found Quigley hiding in the tomatoes. His sister, was hiding behind the grow-box. But I could only find 3 quail during my morning search. All week long, we've seen 4 survivors on most days. I worried that another one had fallen victim to the magpies or other predators.

This was an interesting shot of Quigley pecking at an itch somewhere under his wing. I especially like how blue his breast feathers are.

Later in the day (with no magpies around) I found all four of our survivors pecking around near the feeder. That was a big relief! We hope they have learned how to stay safe!

Quail Report - Freedom Week 2

2009-09-13T19:36:00.000-07:00

After two weeks of Freedom, there are still four quail that return regularly to our yard for food, water and shelter. We see them resting in the dirt, roosting in the trees, and stopping by the food station off and on during the day. We also see them run/fly across the road to the neighbor's bushes for a change. (All but the first of these pictures were taken by Suzanne, who enjoys watching the quail as much as I do.)

Quail Report - Freedom Day 2

2009-09-02T19:41:00.000-07:00

Yipee! Our quail have come back "home" for supper! Here they are chowing down at their old familiar feeder.

Then, when they had eaten their fill, they filed off behind the grow-box to find shelter for the night

. . . as up the hill they scoot, perhaps to roost in the big pine tree for the night? We sure hope so. Welcome back! And come again anytime!

Quail Report - Freedom Day

2009-08-31T19:59:00.000-07:00

Above, the last pictures of the quail in captivity. "The huddled masses yearning to breathe free."

When the cage wall was removed, several immediately flew over the fence and disappeared. But these two stayed on the wall, trying to decide, "Should I go, or should I stay?" One looks like he's ready to fly off into the sunset.

This one stayed on top of the cage. Glad to be "out," but not sure if she wanted to leave her home.

This one roosted in the aspen right above the cage.

And this one flew to the other end of the yard and roosted in a big pine tree. We will see if they return to the cage area for their food and water.

Deer in "back yard"

2009-08-30T19:33:00.001-07:00

I spotted these two deer in the field beyond our yard this afternoon as I finished "shooting" the quail. They are about 150 yards from our back deck. (Be sure to click on the photo to see them "up close.")

Quail Report - 7 Weeks

2009-08-30T19:20:00.000-07:00

One day this week, we saw this covey of about 20 quail cavorting all over the neighbor's yard. The more the merrier!

Our own quail are now 13 weeks old. Still 9 left out of 11. They're getting bigger, and more nervous. We've about decided to give them their freedom this week. We hope they will still remember our yard as their "headquarters," even if they merge with the neighborhood covey. The big test will be if one or more pairs lays their eggs in our backyard next spring. That's our hope.

Quail Report - 6 Weeks

2009-08-23T10:53:00.001-07:00

Age 12 weeks. Adult coloring is a little more advanced. They seem more nervous, perhaps anxious to be set free. I can only count nine now. I don't know is no. 10 is hiding inside the box, or has perhaps died in there. Time will tell.

Quail Report - 5 weeks

2009-08-16T20:12:00.000-07:00

The quail are now about 11 weeks old. They are getting bigger and more colorful each week. More and more blue around the shoulders on the males, and much more color on the bellies. Enjoy!

Quail Report - Newcomers!

2009-08-11T18:34:00.000-07:00

As I arrived home from work this evening, a family of quail walked onto our front lawn from the neighbor's yard - a dad, a mom, and 6 little quail chicks! I stopped and called Suzanne to come out of the house and watch. We watched them run across our yard, cross the street and hide in another neighbor's trees. Then the dad & mom flew up on the neighbor's house. They didn't seem to like the dog in that yard. After supper, I went back outside with my camera to see if I could find them. I circled the house and ended up in the back yard, approaching the back corner where our own quail are in their cage. I heard a lot of activity back there, so I peaked carefully through the bushes, and found this new family perched on the cage and scratching in the dirt around the cage. The dad took off running across our back lawn - to draw me away from his family. I took a few shots of him. Then shot these other pictures through the bushes - the mom perched on our cage, and some of the babies, just before they flew up onto the fence, and then into the back neighbor's yard to hid in their bushes. Our own birds seemed to enjoy the company - they didn't run and hide, but kept jumping onto their box and their perch. Isn't this fun?!

Quail Report - 4 Weeks

2009-08-09T17:21:00.001-07:00

The quail are about 10 weeks old now - we've had them 4 weeks. They like to roost on their bar. There are no dramatic changes in their growth since last week. The males have a little more blue around shoulders and top of breast, and their bellies are starting to get more yellowish and reddish color. The females may be a little bit bigger.

We had one casualty overnight. This morning, I found one of them dead in a narrow space between their box and the wire cage. It looks like the magpies had been picking at her through the wire mesh. I don't know if she just died, or was killed by a predator. They all seemed to be healthy last evening when Bailey and I checked on them.

On a lighter note, Emily and Adam reported rescuing a whole family of baby quail at their house in Sandy this morning. Emily heard bird noises outside her front door. She opened the door and saw the mother quail on the front lawn, and lots of little babies scrambling around in the rose bushes. Then the babies began falling into the window well - following each other like leamings, I guess. Emily called Adam, her big strong knight in shining armor, to climb down into the window well and lift out the little babies. They soon disappeared around the corner with their mother. Good job, Emily & Adam!

Quail Report - 3 weeks

2009-08-02T14:07:00.001-07:00

The quail are about 9 weeks old now. They are becoming more vocal. They "cheep, cheep" a lot, and sometimes now I here them making the "Chi-ca-go" sound, but in a soft clucking voice, rather than the loud calling voice. They like to scrape out a hollow depression in the ground, and fluff around in it all covered with dust. I understand that is how they nest, so maybe they're already practicing for when they are adults. They like the roosting bar - both for resting and for strutting (see photo). The males are starting to have blue feathers on their breast. They seem to like to empty the feeder and scatter the feed all over the ground. Then they peck it off the ground to eat it. All 11 of the young chicks still seem healthy.

Quail Report - 2 Weeks

2009-07-26T17:49:00.000-07:00

We've had our quail chicks for two weeks today. That means they are about 8 weeks old. They're getting bigger, and they are starting to chirp more and louder. The color differences between male and female are becoming more evident. The male (right) has a white line above the eye and a black patch below the eye - the beginning of his black "beard." The female has just a dark patch behind the eye. (Click on each picture to see them super-close-up!)

The males have a distinct blue tint to their back, shoulders and breast. (See two photos above.) Notice again the markings around the eyes, including the white stripe above the eyes that sets off the crown of their head. At full adulthood, that crown will be reddish (see photo at end of this post).

The females are more brown (no blue tint), and have more subdued markings on back, shoulders, breasts, and around eyes. Notice again the dark patch behind the eye.

This photo from last April shows the distinctive adult markings. Our "adolescent" chicks still have a ways to go, don't they? Still, they're pretty dang cute!

Quail Roost

2009-07-19T15:23:00.001-07:00

I decided to add a roost to the quail pen, not knowing whether the birds would use it. This morning, I found that they like it just fine!

Daily Quail Report July 15

2009-07-15T20:12:00.000-07:00

This morning I was tending the quail chicks - fixing some things in their pen and changing their feed and water . Suddenly, I heard a very loud "Chi-ca-go" call of an adult male quail. It sounded like it was very close, so I came out from behind the bushes to see if I could find it. It was up on the top ridge of our roof! I ran inside for my camera, went around to the front of the house (so that I would be shooting with the sun at my back), and started clicking away. This was my best shot. I wonder if this big daddy was attracted by the sounds or smells of our little brood of chicks? I hope he decides to stay around.

Qual Saga Continued

2009-07-12T20:50:00.001-07:00

Since our first post (April 22), we have seen or heard quail in the neighborhood, and even a time or two in our yard, but none seem to have made a permanent home here yet. So, we bought 11 young quail (5 weeks old), and are hoping that they will grow up thinking this is where they belong. We'll see. We're pretty excited.

Jordan River Trail photos

2009-07-06T19:07:00.000-07:00

These photos were taken on the Jordan River Trail near our home, where I love to ride my bike.

This one shows the moon rising over Suncrest development (Traverse Ridge, Draper), taken from just across the river from our home.

Swimming lessons

Well, what did you expect? This blogspot IS called "Duck Soup" for a reason. It's for posting "family portraits."

"IT'S A MIRACLE!"

2009-06-03T20:45:00.000-07:00

'IT'S A MIRACLE!" That's what everyone says who looks into my office! Yes, Suzanne came in on Memorial Day and helped me really clean house. We sent 12 big boxes to off-site storage. If you ever saw it before, you will know how amazing this is. Why is everyone asking me if I'm about to retire? The answer is "No. Give me another 5 years or so."

Notice also that I have re-displayed my Grandpa's Tahiti shell collection. They have been sitting in boxes for 3 or 4 years - ever since I moved from the 18th floor to 17. I did the shells last Presidents' Day. Love those Monday holidays!

It's been 10 days, and the office is still clean. Any bets on how long I can keep it that way?

Papa Duck's Whacky Musical Instruments

2009-05-20T21:40:00.001-07:00

Here are two pictures of Papa Duck with a couple of his whacky musical instruments: a musical saw which he arranged for Santa to give him for Christmas in 2003; and his new musical "washboard tie" which Dawn's family gave him on his recent birthday. What next?!

Quail in our Yard!

2009-04-22T08:06:00.000-07:00

Suzanne and I have been wishing for a long time that we had a covey of quail in our back yard. I've searched on-line for places that would sell us some chicks, and have been seriously considering buying some later this spring. I've also been scheming on how to catch a few from Shauna's and Spencer's yard to transplant into our yard. Imagine our surprize and excitement this morning when I saw this pair checking out our yard - hopefully for a new home? We hope they liked what they saw, and will stay.

Tinker to Evers to Chance - A Wild Dream!

2009-04-19T06:56:00.000-07:00

Here's a dream I had the other night: We were playing baseball for the Dodgers. It was the last game of the World Series against the Cubs. The Dodgers were leading in the Cubs' half of the ninth inning, with one out. Darin ("Little D") was at bat for the Cubs, with a runner on first. For the Dodgers, we had Suzanne pitching, myself playing second base, and Aaron playing first. Darin grounded to second, I shoveled it to the shortstop, who fired the relay to Aaron at first, and the game was over. Darin was upset, so I tried to console him by pointing out that we would all be remembered forever in baseball lore as the only World Series ending double play to have involved four members of the same family! He was not impressed!

Suzanne tells me there is something wrong with this dream. (What's new?!) Is it because the Cubs (home of the famous double-play combo of "Tinker to Evers to Chance") and the Dodgers are both in the National League, and would never play against each other in the World Series? Or is it that I would never have been able to bend down and field that grounder? She says it is the impossibility that she would ever have even been on the field, much less as "Fireball Suzi" the pitcher! Oh well! That's the nature of dreams, isn't it?

Thanks for indulging my looniness. (Sorry, no pictures.) Papa "Sure-Hands" Duck

Bonsai - Miniature Trees

2009-04-18T20:06:00.001-07:00

Here are pictures of my bonsai trees. Each winter, I bury them under leaves when they go dormant. Then I bring them out in the spring, trim their roots and prune their branches and re-pot them for the next season. In each pair of pictures, the first is from April, 2007; and the second is from April, 2009. (showing two years of progress.)

These two sets of photos are of Russian Olive trees. These were volunteers (planted by birds) which I dug up from my flower beds, and first potted in the spring of 2006. So, the summer of 2009 will be their 4th season.

The lava rock you see in all of these pots comes from Idaho. I picked it up in the lava fields north of Twin Falls on various trips to Sun Valley.

All of these other trees are Ash trees. Again, volunteers which I dug up from my flower beds, and first potted in the spring of 2006. These were not planted by birds, but grew from the many seeds which fall each year from an ash tree I moved from our Pony Express home to our Joey Park home in 1999. It was about 4 or 5 years old when I moved it, so it is now in about its 15th year. As with the Russian Olives, these Ash bonsai are beginning their 4th summer.

"It looks like a banana!" Venus as a crescent

2009-03-18T15:26:00.000-07:00

I got my telescope out on Monday night to show Venus to the grandkids (Elisse's family). Sarah said, "It looks like a banana!" It was the perfect object to look at on a short attention span. Even Elisse and Garry were asking good questions, like "What makes it a crescent?" "Why is it so bright, when so little of the surface is illuminated?" "Why is it so much bigger than it was when you showed it to us in early February?" And after the naked-eye "star" disappeared into a cloud, "How come we can still see it in the telescope?"

The next night, I took the telescope over to Shauna's, because a few days ago Cole was asking to look at Venus. So Cole and Kylee and Katie all got to see it too (along with Spencer and Shauna, of course). We also took the time to find Saturn, the Orion Nebula and a few star clusters. Hopefully, I'm sowing seeds of interest for new generations of star gazers. Now is a great time to view Venus: crescent phase, good spring weather! (While both last.)

Part of this text was posted on the Salt Lake Astronomical Society's daily email, and received good comments. The big photo on top is one I found on Google, and is very close to the view we had through the telescope. The photo below is one I took by simply placing my point-and-shoot digital camera up against the telescope eyepiece. Something about my low-tech method makes Venus look fatter than it actually appeared as we looked at it through the telescope.

Comet Lulin

2009-02-25T13:13:00.000-08:00

This is the picture I took of Comet Lulin in the early morning of Satuday, Feb. 21, 2009, from our back yard in Draper, Utah. This view is cropped from a wider field of view photo taken with a Nikon D40X digital SLR camera, using a 55 mm lens, at f 4.0, iso 800, time exposure of 30 seconds. The comet is the bluish smudge, left-center in the photo. (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Last week, Nathan, Scott and Sam and I attended a lecture, sponsored by the Salt Lake Astronomical Society, in which Tyler Allred explained his imaging and editing magic. Tyler is an expert astronomical imager in Tremonton, Utah. (See his dazzling images on his website at http://www.allred-astro.com/gpage8.html . I was so impressed with Tyler's abilities, I sent him this photo of Comet Lulin, and invited him to try his editing magic on it. I wanted to know if Tyler's techniques could be used to enhance even my simple photos. Tyler produced the version below, which is much improved, and described his process of editing as follows:

"I am using Photoshop CS3, but there may be a more recent version out. (Yes, CS4) I just did a quick version with your data. I used Focus Magic (Photoshop plug-in program) to remove the trailed stars. Then I did some curves and levels adjustments in Photoshop. I broke my own rule and forced the background to black because there was quite a bit of blotchy noise there. That is normal when using only 1 frame. The resulting image is not bad. Keep up the good work."

Skiing at Jordan Pines (Donut Falls)

2009-02-21T16:08:00.000-08:00

I thought Aaron & Nan would enjoy this one. We had a sledding party for the young single adults this morning at Jordan Pines / Donut Falls (Big Cottonwood Canyon). I took my camera along, and got this shot. If you enlarge the photo, you'll see to the left of the big middle tree (below the shadow) two skiers hiking up the mountain. If you look on the ridge-line to the right of the same tree, you will see a few skiers getting ready to come down through the powder. In most of the open areas, you can see the tracks of skiers who have already made their runs. They all have to hike to the top - this is not a mountain with a ski lift! Aaron, this is you!

Mystery of Missing Measuring Cup Solved!

2009-02-09T22:17:00.000-08:00

With the New Year, I decided to get "back on the wagon" for exercising and eating right (after about a two-month "vacation"). So, for about a week, I exercised every day. The eating right part was harder though. I couldn't find the one-cup measuring cup that I use for fixing my oatmeal. How could I eat my oatmeal if I couldn't follow my established routine? Suzanne swore that she had not misplaced it. She also reminded me that I could simply use the half-cup measuring cup, and fill it twice. I considered that, but the departure from routine was all the excuse I needed to procrastinate getting "back on the oatmeal wagon." So, for five weeks I kept telling myself that one of these days I would start eating oatmeal again. Maybe I would even stop at the store and buy a new one-cup measuring cup! Finally, this morning, I decided I would try to break through the mental block and try using the half-cup measuring cup. So, I got the oatmeal out of the pantry, and what did I find? You guessed it! The elusive missing one-cup measuring cup! Busted! Oh man! I am never going to hear the end of this from my sweet Suzanne! She's still laughing! I just write it off to my early stages of . . . . Oh! what's the name of that blasted disease that wipes out your memory? Anyway, you know what I mean. Hey! Stop laughing at me! It's not funny!

Garry's New Telescope

2009-02-01T07:01:00.001-08:00

Last summer at the Palmer reunion annual auction, Elisse bought Garry a used telescope. They had to take it to a shop in Dallas to get it fixed up, and it is now up and running! We took it for a spin this weekend, and had a lot of fun. We looked at Saturn, Venus, the Orion Nebula, the Pleaides, the Double Cluster of Perseus, and the Moon. We took this picture of the Moon with a point-and-shoot digital camera by placing the camera lens right up against the telescope eyepiece. Low-tech, but it works. It was fun to see how fast Garry and Elisse got the hang of navigating the sky to find things. We tried to find Comet Lulin, but without success. Hopefully in a couple of weeks it will be bright enough to find.

Old Homes

2009-01-27T20:52:00.001-08:00

These two photos are of the house where I grew up in Granger, Utah. It was a fun old house, with a huge yard, garden, barn-yard and a deep narrow field which we called the "pasture" - even though the grass was too crummy to really qualify for the term. Still, we used to turn the cow loose in the pasture each day in the summer, and she never starved. We also hunted birds, caught carp in the drain ditch, and picked asparagus along the ditch banks. We had lots of adventures here. For example, the field would usually catch fire at least once each summer. I wonder how that happened? So many vivid memories! The house is gone - replaced with a freeway interchange (3500 South and I-215). Progress. (Top: view of front. Bottom; view of back and garden, taken from the barn-yard gate.) [Click on photos to enlarge.]

This is the house where my family lived when I was born. It is still there, on the corner of 1300 East and Browning Avenue ("Steep Browning") in Salt Lake City. We moved to Granger when I was 3 years old, so I have almost no memories of this home - just the photo of me crying because Mom tied me to the garage door to keep me out of the street. (See Oct. 8, 2008 post of 8:19 p.m.)

Old Family Photos

2009-01-24T16:43:00.000-08:00

I found these old family pictures, and scanned them to digital. This is my mother at age 27 (Christmas, 1935). I see a bit of different members of my family in her that I've never noticed before. For example, there is a lot of my sister Marie, and also some of my daughter Dawn Marie - especially in the first photo. There's probably a little bit of me in these as well. Do you see any other resemblances? Enjoy.

Emily's Portrait of Seth

2009-01-20T14:22:00.000-08:00

Emily did this portrait of her cousin Jolynn's son, Seth, at the big Kennard Christmas party on Dec. 27, 2008. The dinner tables were covered with table paper, and each table had one or two boxes of crayons. The MC invited everyone to write a poem or doodle or use the crayons to entertain the little kids. So, Emily did this sketch of Seth. Jolynn didn't realize it was happening until the MC came over and gave a Emily a prize. Pretty cute, no? What a talent!

Mountain Peaks from Draper, UT

2009-01-11T19:32:00.000-08:00

Suzanne got a new more advanced Nikon camera for Christmas, and I "inherited" the old one - still a very nice camera! These are my first photos. All three pictures were taken on the same afternoon (Jan. 7, 2009) from the same exact spot (I just swivelled the tripod head). They were taken from the street that borders our subdivision - about a half-mile from our house on the western edge of Draper, Utah. I was hoping to catch the pink sunset reflection on these snowy peaks, but the battery died just as the pink was starting to appear. I'll try again in a few days. The first one is Lone Peak, elev. 11,253 ft. Next is Timpanogos, elev. 11,722 ft. The last one (two actually) is Twin Peaks, elev. 11,489 ft. Some of my kids have climbed Lone Peak and Timpanogos, but I never have. Enjoy!

Hale-Bopp Comet 1996-1997

2008-12-06T17:55:00.001-08:00

In the summer of 1996 the astronomy press was buzzing with news of a new comet, Hale-Bopp, racing toward a rendez-vous with the Earth. I first spotted it with my telescope at the cabin in August, 1996, and took this picture. (Click on the pictures to enlarge.)

During that fall and early winter, the comet was not visible, but it was calculated to become visible again in the mornings of early February, 1997. So, I would get up at 4:00 each morning and go up on the then-undeveloped portion of South Mountain in Draper. (If you know me, you know that for me to get out of bed THAT EARLY was a real sacrifice for "science.") If you're wondering why the stars in the Feb. 7 picture (above) are so wavy and some have spikes of light at each end, it's because I was using a small car-top tripod that I had to hold onto because of the fierce wind. The wind and my body shivering caused the wavy effect, and the pushing and releasing of the shutter release button caused the spikes. I didn't use my cable release because both hands were busy holding the camera from blowing away, so I had to do the release by hand. That's probably more than you ever wanted to know about it, right?

Anyway, these next pictures show it getting ever bigger, and moving through Sagitta (the little arrow), and into the bottom of Cygnus (the swan). (Feb. 9, 12, 19, below.)

Notice how the comet (above) has moved away from Sagitta (the little arrow). In the next picture (Feb. 24) it has moved further to the left and below Cygnus (the swan). Sagitta is no longer even in the frame.

In the last photo (a month later - March 30, 1997)), the comet has moved through several constellations, into Cassiopeia and Perseus. It is now visible in the early evening. It is also near its closest point to the Earth. Eleven years later (Dec., 2008), I just now noticed that this photo also has a meteor in it! It is the very faint diagonal streak near the center of the frame. COOL! (The faint horizontal streaks near the top of the frame are not astronomical phenomena - just scratches on the negative. Dang!) This last photo was taken the same night as the Hale-Bopp photos posted several months ago on this same site (see earlier posts).

I continued to photograph the comet for another two months, as it became more distant and appeared smaller. I am anxiously awaiting the next fabulous comet. Holmes in 2007 was cool (see my earlier posts), but nothing to match Hale-Bopp.

Clear Skies!

Identities of Enchanted Grandkids Revealed!

2008-10-21T09:43:00.000-07:00

Here are the original photos used by the Goofy Grandpa in perpetrating his magic spell. The first victim was Bailey.
The second victim was Breanne.
The process involves first converting the photos to "negatives,"
then transferring the image to the pumpkin, and carving out all the "light" areas.

This was a first experiment, and I've learned a few tricks along the way. Future enchantments will hopefully be even more recognizable. Thanks for playing. Papa Duck

Grandkid Jack-O'-Lanterns - A Fun Idea

2008-10-19T19:34:00.000-07:00

Saturday, I stopped at the Farmer's Market in our neighborhood to pick up some fresh tomatos. There was a big trailer full of cheap pumpkins, so I thought we should have a couple of Jack-O'-Lanterns. Then I tried to think of what to carve. How about if I cast a spell on some of our grandkids and turn them into Jack-O'-Lanterns? Yeah! That would be fun! For me, at least. (Grandma Suzi accuses me of doing it so I could procrastinate a certain weekly chore that I don't like very much. Busted!) Anyway, taking some of her recent portraits, I transferred them to the pumpkins and began carving. This is what they look like with the room light on, and no light inside. See the post below for the finished products. And while you're looking, try to guess which two grandchildren have been enchanted and turned into Jack-O'-Lanterns. Good luck.

Papa Duck

Grandkid Jack-O'-Lanterns - the Finished Product

2008-10-19T19:24:00.000-07:00

Here are the finished Jack-O'-Lanterns, as seen in the dark and lighted inside. Pretty cool, huh? Now, can you guess which of our 31 grandkids have been turned into Jack-O'-Lanterns? I'll give you a couple of hints: (1) It's not one of the boys. (That narrows it down to just 15 grandaughters). (2) It's not either of the newborns, Eden or Ali. (Now you're down to 13 to choose from.) Post your guesses here under comments, or on the family Yahoo email. Good luck.

Papa Duck

Serre de Laurian - Our Cabin in the Mountains

2008-10-12T16:31:00.000-07:00

Since 1989, we've had a little cabin in the mountains near Oakley, UT. We named it "Serre de Laurian," after the name of a quaint little country house I lived in on my mission, in the Cévennes region of southern France. In French, a "serre" is a greenhouse, or a plant nursery, or (more figuratively) a garden spot or a growing place. We've done our best to plant trees, flowers, and to keep it green and pretty.

The third picture in this group was taken early one morning in August, after we had spent most of the night out on the loungers counting and taking pictures of meteors during the annual Perseid metero shower. We also had two telescopes and had fun looking at plantets and hunting deep sky objects like galaxies, nebulae, star clusters, etc. At the cabin, we enjoy the most beautiful dark skies for star gazing. (See the Astronomy Photos post earlier on this blogspot.)

Interior Pictures of Cabin - Serre de Laurian

2008-10-12T16:18:00.000-07:00

These pictures show the kitchen/dining area and the living area. It's really all just one big L-shaped room. Notice the wall bed. In addition, there are 4 beds upstairs. We've had over a dozen people staying overnight, with beds and sleeping bags. It's cozy, but better than camping out.

More Interior Pictures of our Cabin - Serre de Laurian

2008-10-12T16:01:00.000-07:00

Here are some additional shots of the interior of the cabin. Two bedrooms upstairs. There are two twins (with a third as a trundle under the first one) in the larger bedroom. A king bed fills the smaller bedroom. Of course, there's a little half-bath next to the kitchen downstairs, with the essentials - a sink, toilet & shower. We only have running water in summer, but we can still use the toilet in winter by carrying water in from a year-round yard faucet. It's modest, but comfortable.

Temples

2008-10-09T00:33:00.001-07:00

The new Draper Temple shines in the late afternoon sun below Mt. Timpanogos mantled in the first snow of the season. The Jordan River Temple, as seen from our back porch.

Life & Times: Tuxedos

2008-10-09T00:21:00.000-07:00

I do get dressed up for the weddings!

Life & Times: Miscellaneous

2008-10-09T00:05:00.000-07:00

Papa Duck as Santa, 2002. Learning to play his new musical saw, Christmas, 2003. (It's supposed to be as easy as whistling. NOT!) An impromptu duet at the Grand Canyon with a total stranger from Kansas City, so naturally we had to sing Roger Miller's "Kansas City Star." Visiting with Suzanne's sister Rita Kay, who keeps me sharp on my nursery rhymes. A free-hand portrait Emily did one Sunday when I was being long-winded from the pulpit.

Life & Times: College

2008-10-08T23:57:00.000-07:00

With baritone uke in college (BYU). With babies Elisse & Nathan in law school (Duke).

Life & Times (Mission to France/Switzerland)

2008-10-08T23:51:00.001-07:00

A wonderful chapter in my life. I have fond memories of my trusty old bike.

Life & Times Part 3

2008-10-08T23:37:00.000-07:00

Granger High School. Good friends. Favorite teachers. Sports. Ever-changing hair styles.

More Life & Times

2008-10-08T23:07:00.001-07:00

Fun times. Playing with my brothers, enjoying school, and teaching myself to play the ukulele. My Mom was my biggest (only) fan.

The Life & Times of Old Papa Duck

2008-10-08T20:19:00.000-07:00

First installment. Here are some photos from my earliest years. I'm sure there must have been a good reason for my Mom to tie me to the garage door. And what about that collection of headgear?

Astronomy Photos

2008-10-08T19:25:00.000-07:00

Here are some of my favorite astronomy photos. The first photo is of a meteor flying through the Big Dipper during the Perseid meteor shower many years ago. My first meteor capture. The next two are of Comet Hale-Bopp, March 1997. The first one was published on the cover of the Utah Bar Journal, and later won "Cover of the Year." (My 15 seconds of fame!) All of these three were taken under the dark skies of our cabin 30 minutes east of Park City, UT. Next is the Moon (duh!) taken with a hand-held digital camera through my telescope eyepiece. Next is Comet 17P Holmes in Nov., 2007, with a small meteor above and left of comet. Then, Comet Hyakutake, spring, 1996. These last three were all taken from the Salt Lake Valley, not ideal dark skies. I will add others as time goes on. Enjoy!

Introduction

2008-10-07T23:14:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my new blogspot: Duck Soup. This will contain my pictures on various subjects, my profile, family and other news, and other material reflecting the bizarre mind of Raeburn Kennard, aka M. Duck, aka Papa Duck. Enjoy!