Saturday, January 16, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
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Bosque Dawn, San Antonio NM, January 16, 2010
This darned camera
This darned camera I'm using, a nice little Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28K 10MP Digital Camera with 18x zoom is frustrating me. It's a pretty good camera for what it is designed for but I see now I'm trying to work outside it's design envelope. Dawn and dusk are magical times in New Mexico. The landscape and wildlife come to life early and late in the day and I'm having a hard time capturing the magic with this camera. I spent the greater part of the day today trying to get control of the camera so I can get better pictures of birds on the wing. Granted my technique lacks a lot but I'm finding the controls hard to, well uh, ..control. Plus I'm realizing the small sensor in these little cameras just can't gather enough photons fast enough to get a useable image of birds in flight in these low light situations. I'm going to have to give up trying or get better equipment. This little hobby could get expensive if I'm not careful. gotta go - I hear cranes calling....
Night camp
Site 16 - Bosque Bird Watcher's RV Park, San Antonio NM
- This is a basic, small Mom & Pop RV Park with full hookups.
- Verizon cell phone and Broadband service are available here with a strong signal.
- Locate Bosque Bird Watcher's RV Park on my Night Camps map
- Click for Google street view
- Check the weather in San Antonio NM
Rice Toss
After the dinner our hosts conducted us to the beach. Among the presents was a large supply rice for the fleet. It was put up in straw sacks or bales containing about 125 pounds each. By the pile stood a company of athletes or gymnasts chosen from the peasantry for their strength and size and trained for the service and entertainment of the court. At a signal from their leader, who was himself a giant of muscle and fat, a sort of human Jumbo, they began transporting the rice to the boats. It was more frolic than work. Some of thembore a bale on each hand above their heads, some would carry two laid crosswise on the shoulders and head, while others performed dextrous feats of tossing, catching, balancing them, or turning somersaults with them. I saw one nimble Titan fasten his talons in a sack, throw it down on the sand still keeping his hold, turn a somersault over it, throw it over him as he revolved, and come down sitting on the beach with the sack in his lap. Beat that who can. If you imagine it "as easy as preaching," try it the next time in a gymnasium. But let me advise you, first make your will.
The Logbook of the Captains Clerk, John J. Sewell, Lakeside Press, 1995 pg 256