A Pictures Worth

Precious

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 14:31 +1100

This cat with the turquoise eyes belongs to my younger sister. In the early days of living with my family, she was dressed in doll clothes, placed in cabinets and drawers, and accidentally dropped more than once. Through it all, Precious endured patiently, and quickly became my sister's constant companion. As years passed, their adventures together gradually changed from playing dress-up to cozying up on the couch with a good book.

Their care for each other is evident. When we return from vacation, Susan jumps out of the car at the bottom of the driveway and races to the top to find her favorite cat. When Susan enters the room, precious begins to purr loudly and lazily rolls over on her back to have her stomach scratched by
her best friend. The gifts of dead mice and birds left on our back steps also indicate the affection Precious has for Susan.

When we acquired an adorable new kitten a few years ago, Precious was instantly jealous, and even aggressive toward the new addition to the family. A test of her friendship with Susan, however, proved that she had nothing to worry about.

After noticing that Precious had lost a significant amount of weight and had been particularly sluggish, Susan took her to the veterinarian's office. The doctor had some grave news: Precious had a form of diabetes that, without daily shots of insulin, could kill her. My squeamish sister rolled up her shirt sleeves and immediately agreed to learn how to shoot a needle into the scruff of Precious' neck. Since that time, she has faithfully given Precious a shot every morning and every evening. Precious has regained her weight and her energy, and still goes everywhere with Susan.

Albert Schweitzer has said, "There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats." Susan has found this to be true. Not only is she a gifted pianist and guitarist, but she has Precious, the cat with the turquoise eyes.

Amanda

Sun, 04 Nov 2007 13:06 +1100

Hurricane on the Bayou quickly became my son's favorite IMAX film of all times for three reasons: 1) he loves nature, 2) music stirs his soul and there was plenty of it throughout the film, and 3) Amanda Shaw -- the darling girl who played fiddle and shared her love of Louisiana with viewers.

There was no knowing, when we saw the film, that we'd soon have the opportunity to meet Amanda. As soon as I discovered she'd be in town (at an event we'd already be attending), I put all my energy into giving my son the chance to meet this young lady. Once I told him she'd be in town, he stated over and over and over again how much he wanted to meet her. I didn't say a word. On pins and needles for weeks, he became more nervous the closer it got to the big day.

"Do you think I'll be able to say hello to her, Mom?" he asked repeatedly.

"Maybe," I said. "We'll have to see." He still had no clue what I'd been planning.

The day before the big event, my son searched for a little stuffed animal to give her. He chose an alligator. It made sense because she sang "The Gator Song" in the movie and well, my son had also made her a card in the shape of a gator. On the day of her performance, he asked to stop at the store so he could pick out flowers for her. My little boy was turning into a big time Romeo, it seemed. I reminded him that she was six years older and maybe we wouldn't get a chance to even talk to her, but he was undeterred. "If I could, I'd ask her to have dinner with us!" he declared. I had to smile at his gutsy first display of...not exactly manly, but definitely not boyish...ardor.

On stage, Amanda played her fiddle with energy and style. My son waited nervously for his chance to "maybe" meet her. A few minutes before the end of the set, the woman responsible for Amanda's appearance at this event came over and asked us to follow her, my son clueless. Suddenly, "THE AMANDA SHAW!!" as my boy called her, was in front of us. And before the entire thing was over, she'd hugged my kid several times, leaving him tongue-tied and grinning from ear to ear.

I know I won't always be able to give my son the special things he wants, but for once, I managed to make a dream come true for him. I look at this image and see how happy he was and am filled with a certain sort of motherly pride and dread. You see, I'm thrilled at seeing him realize dreams, but hate the thought of the disappointments that he'll inevitably encounter during his lifetime. I rationalize that this is the way life is and I can only encourage him to pursue his dreams regardless of the outcome, help him whenever possible, and pray that for the times he falls short of whatever his goal that he remembers his "Amanda" moment and keep on reaching for the stars.

My Home Town!

Sun, 06 May 2007 19:55 +1100

Sydney, Australia. My home town.

Many times I have flown into Sydney on a large plane and always, whether returning home from overseas or intrastate, I fall in love with my home town all over again.

Recently I had the opportunity to fly over Sydney in a small plane, taking off from Bankstown airport, heading over Hornsby to Palm Beach and Manly, over the Heads and the Harbour, before returning to Bankstown the same way. A wonderful and breathtaking 90 minutes!

Sydney - my home town!

Home

Mon, 09 Apr 2007 22:56 +1100

This picture was taken from my fire escape. It is one of the photos I took as a representation of home. This home being Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada where I go to university. It's the town my mom grew up in. Essentially, it's the town I grew up in, too. Though I wasn't born or raised in Sackville, I have spent the past four years here collecting enough knowledge to earn me a diploma. As I'm about to graduate and move away from this great little town, I find the least significant things becoming important to remember. These are the stairs my roommates and I rush down each morning on our way to class. They're the stairs that used to be guarded by the building next door which burnt down in August. They're the stairs that are meant to save our lives in the case of a fire... yet they're made of wood. They're the stairs where I get to see the neighbors' grey cat sitting in the window. They're the stairs I can get the best view in the whole town from. They're probably even the highest stairs there is in Sackville.Despite my BA, I learnt more about life in this small bubble of a town than anywhere before. Now seeing the world through an anthropologist's eye, I can tell you that there is a strong environmental influence on each and every one of us that I would not have recognized before. Sackville has taught us to smile and say hi to the stranger walking on the street. It has taught us to stop worrying about the paper that's due tomorrow and take in what's left of our time in the town and at the university. It has taught us that knowledge is indeed power, but personal relationships are what facilitate knowledge. It is the town where 2000 odd students grow each year.

Missouri Sunset

Wed, 04 Apr 2007 22:25 +1100

We cross the river several times a week, heading from Nebraska into Iowa and back again. It's a common drive for most of us in the area.I always have my camera ready to snap some shots as we head back to Nebraska. It's often at sunset. I have hundreds of such shots -- spring, summer, autumn, and winter. I have a few early in the day, and some late at night. There is ice on the river in some, and the summer boats flying along the water in others.Barge traffic stops about half a mile below this bridge, so there's never anything larger than a good sized personal boat out there. Sometimes there are even rafts.This river has flooded the area far too many times, even after the dredging and other controls were put into place. It's not as wild as it was fifty years ago, but we still watch the waterline (quite high this year because a tributary is flooding just a few miles away) and make note of high and low levels.But I watch for other things -- the clouds on the horizon, the setting sun and the occasional flights of birds drifting over the water in ways that are unchanged for several hundred years, despite what those of us on the land around the river have done.In a picture like this, though, you can barely see the mark of man along the edges, blurred out by the coming of night. Instead, for a few brief moments heading over the river, you can imagine what it might have been like before the cities grew up along the river edges and the barges and steamboats plowed up and down stream, bringing more and more civilization to the area.The land has changed. Even the river has changed... but the sun still sets over the edge of the water, and birds still float along the rising thermals to nest in the trees along the river's edge.And crossing the bridge at sunset, for a brief fleeting moment, we can see the past.

One for the road

Tue, 27 Mar 2007 22:22 +1100

New Zealand has the reputation of being one of the most beautiful countries in the world. I'm one of the lucky 4 million or so who live here. During January of this year, 2007, I spent a glorious three weeks on holiday, mostly down the South Island. I normally reside in the small city of New Plymouth, which is about halfway up the west coast of the North Island, however I really do love the south very much.The most common and popular way to cross the Cook Strait, between the two main islands, is via one of a handful of ferries. These travel each way several times a day, weather permitting. One way takes about three hours, depending on the ferry, though it's not something many people would want to hurry! In fact, this would have to be one of my personal favourite experiences. On this last trip down I was treated to the most beautiful sunset journey through the Marlborough Sounds, though sadly I didn't have my camera handy. On the trip back I couldn't have wanted for a more glorious summers day, and this time I did have my camera. Trust me when I tell you that the scenery is breathtaking! Sometimes passengers are also treated to an experience of dolphins swimming alongside the boat. (On occasion, however, due to bad weather, the passage can be a little unsettling, to say the least. This may result in the loss of all stomach content, and/or a lie-down all the way! It's a good job that the ferries supply 'sick bags'.)Luckily for me, both the trip over, as well as the trip back were glorious. Not even a tipple of wine could unsettle me. Just a pity that the company in the photo weren't up to partying!

Big Bend

Mon, 26 Mar 2007 22:22 +1100

Luna's Jacal on the Old Maverick Road, April 6, 2006.In 1947, at the age of 108, Gilberto Luna drew his last breath within the walls of his own Big Bend penthouse suite, an aged but sturdy jacal (prounounced hah-KAHL) he built himself with mud adobe, stones, dried lechiguilla and creosote - materials that were close at hand. In the distance, a spectacular view of Santa Elena Canyon rises above the desert floor, made more beautiful with each sunrise and sunset.Farming near Alamo Creek, Gilberto Luna raised melons and beans...and children; 38 in all, born by six different successive wives. He made peace with the raiding indians, and the bright full Comanche Moon in the autumn night sky was not feared by the Luna family.Some would say Gilberto was impoverished, uneducated. Perhaps so in the measurements of modern-day existence, but I doubt Gilberto would agree. He awoke to nature's grandeur each day; his ability to survive and flourish a testament not only of tenacious human will over immense obstacles, but also a tribute to intelligence and a special communication with the land.I am humbled by Gilbert Luna.

Doggy

Wed, 14 Mar 2007 19:19 +1100

Pain. Anguish. Sadness. This picture could describe all. Around the world millions of animals are being mistreated and abused for no such reason. Not only abused while undetected. I snapped this shot in my school about 20 miles east of Kansas City, Kansas. We have two dogs in our school, this being one of them. However he may be a dog, but I feel we should not have dogs in our school. One reason I feel that way is when you are taking a test they bark at what looks like air, and when you laugh at them you get in trouble. Or they can be severely distracting. Okay, back to animal abuse what my project is really about. If you have ever watched Animal Cops, Houston you know what I'm talking about. Some people treat their pets so badly that the POPO has to take them away. I had two dogs that barked all the time at night, so the neighbors got mad. I mean wouldn't you get mad if you only got 5 hours of sleep every night. About a month after they started barking, the POPO show up at my doorstep. They took my dogs straight from my back yard. Now one was adopted from the humane society in Lawrence, KS.My sister got a wiener dog and when it was a puppy little kids shot it with pellet guns. We took him to the vet and he surgically removed most of them, but he couldn't get some of them without hitting a vital organ. So now when you look at him from the top he has fat lumps in his ribs. Thanks for listening to my essay and treat your pets with care or else watch for the POPO at your doorstep.

Macs

Tue, 13 Mar 2007 19:19 +1100

To start off, Mac computers are freaking awesome. You can do so much with this computer. The brand new ones are the best so far. Just on Wednesday, Apple posted a record-breaking $1 billion profit. Apple said it shipped 1.606,000 Macintosh computers and 21,066,000 iPods during this quarter.These computers are really fast. I think if you compare it to something like a Dell, Mac would blow it away. I've been using these computers for about 7 years and I haven't really seen any problem with them.A manufacturer of desktop and laptop computers and the industry's most fabled story. Founded in a garage by Steve Woznaik and Steve Jobs and guided by Mike Markkula, Apple blazed the trails for the personal computer industry. Apple was formed on April Fool's day in 1976.In 1998, Apple introduced iMac, a low-priced Internet-ready Mac that was the first personal computer without a floppy disk. Self-contained in one unit like the original Mac, Apple sold 800,000 iMacs in a year, making it the fastest-selling computer in history.Apple's turnaround was confirmed in the first years of the 21st century, as the company strode toward its 30th anniversary exuding an unprecedented degree of strength. At the heart of the company's surging growth was a digital music player branded as iPod. Introduced in late 2001, the device featured five gigabytes of storage, enabling the user to store approximately 1,000 songs on a player that was smaller than a deck of playing cards. Retailing for $399, the iPod represented another example of Apple's skill in designing an elegant and functional product, a product that became one of the most sought after consumer electronic items during the first half of the decade.By the time video iPod arrived in stores, Apple derived roughly 35 percent of its revenue from iPods. Between 2001 and 2005, thanks primarily to the popularity of iPods, the company's sales nearly tripled, increasing from $3.5 billion to $13.9 billion. Apple controlled mare than 75 percent of the $2.5 billion digital audio player market in the United States.

Water Tower

Mon, 12 Mar 2007 19:19 +1100

Every city has at least one water tower, but this one has two. In the town of Tonganoxie we have two water towers one of them is next to our new school. I think the water tower is cool cause I have never seen a water tower next to a school. Except for this one. In the picture it looks yellow and orange but it is really white. I dont know why we have two water towers but we do. This picture caught my attention cause the way the color is and how you look up at the top of the water tower, it looks like it is in the sky.I've never seen a water tower standing on five legs and one leg in the middle of the all the other legs. I wonder if the water tower is full of water or if is just their to add pressure to the water in our school and the neighbor hood behind the water tower. I like this picuter cause their is alot of different styles of water towers. The other water tower is white and it has one big leg. Both of them have fences around the tower so nobody can mess with the them and or do anything to them. It was built during the summer of 2006. This water tower is in the little town of Tonganoxie. At first there were only one but since we had a new school built they needed more water so they decided to build another on. This water tower is built behind the new middle school. The water tower is white with tan writing that says Tonganoxie and a picture of wheat.Everyone really enjoys the new water tower. When they were building it, I thought to myself why are they making another water tower? Also it was an ugly tan color. But finally they painted it and it looked so much better! So now in little Tonganoxie we have two huge water towers!