Since 2009, the retirement home of Shot On Site Photography... the source of the finest sighthound performance images in the world. As of August 1, 2022, the blog will become much more photo-centric. Not only will I post images from the homestead in the foothills of the Little Florida Mountains, and surrounding environs, but also tips about shooting, editing, archiving, software, hardware and more. The political rants will become few and far between (but not eliminated! It is 2022 after all!)
Monday, November 10, 2008
A Real "Deal".
Traveling Light.
It's been a long, long time since I've made a 650 mile road trip in a car. I've forgotten how hard it is, which is to say I re-learned to respect those of you who travel great distances to events every week, or even every other month.
I had to get used to using public restrooms! And filling the tank at the auto pumps at the Flying J's instead of the RV lanes. (There was good news at the pumps, however. Flying J in Wichita Falls, TX: $1.93/gal for unleaded- $1.85 with my frequent fueler discount!). Not traveling with all of our possessions meant I had to constantly worry that I hadn't left anything important behind. In fact, I did. We didn't load our dwindling inventory of "I'd Rather Be Coursing" bumper stickers. A minor inconvenience, I guess, in the grand scheme of things. Would have been worse to forget the camera, or memory cards.
I arrived exhausted, about 10 hours later. The last 250 miles, or so, being much faster than the first 400, as I finally got on the Interstate in Amarillo. I hate slowing down for all the little burghs in Texas. Other states have found a cure for this: they're called bypasses.
My hosts, Steve and Joan Garth, (whom you may remember from our Summer trip to California), were waiting with wine, and a comfort-food dinner. I tried to keep up with the conversation and be sociable, while I attempted to shake off the sensation 2 hours after I parked in their driveway, that I was still sitting in a speeding vehicle. At 7:30 I said I needed to put my head on a pillow for a minute. My minute ended when I got up the next morning to go to the trials.
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Answer: Hang On!
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Monday, November 03, 2008
My Last Post on BarkObamaBlog.
Since not everyone who reads this blog reads Bark Obama, (and shame on you!), I thought I'd reprise my final pre-election post there. It's entitled:
Last Minute Advice for All My Republican Friends.
Both of you. You're uncomfortable with the McPain/Calin ticket. I know... I can read your body language. But you just can't bring yourself to vote for Obama/Biden. I understand. I once voted for John Anderson. If you're truly conflicted, I have just the ticket for you: Bob Barr. Saw him on PBS NewsHour a couple of weeks ago.. he's just the guy for you. In fact, if you've got friends with the same hesitations about the 'Cainster let 'em know that a vote for Bob Barr will make them feel oh-so-good. The more the better. Really. Do it. Do it tomorrow. Lots and lots of Republican votes for Bob Barr. Ignore for a moment he's a friend of Al Franken's. So is Gordon Liddy, and we don't hold that against Al. (Although, we might should...).
Better than not voting.
I was listening to Radio Times last week, and the discussion was with a panel of three non-voters. These guys not only don't vote for President; they don't vote for anything. One guy's wife was an elected school board official and he didn't even vote for her! Their reasoning was the usual nonsense: Not happy with the choices. It doesn't make any difference, I don't live in a battleground state, yada yada yada.
I've only heard one person give a compelling reason for not voting: (Warning- Not work-safe, and definitely not for the little ones...)
And he's dead.
So get out there and do it tomorrow.. (if you weren't smart-as-whips like some of us were and already voted!)
Friday, October 31, 2008
Where The Hell Are We?
And where have we been? Oh, it's a sometimes troubling, sometimes humorous trip across some of the reddest states in the land: Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana, before arriving in Oklahoma, where the Republican politicians don't just think the voters are stupid... they know it. We've been subjected to some of the worst political ads we've ever seen. Worse, we're subjected to ads from both Oklahoma and Texas. Thank dog it'll be over soon.
A funny thing happened while we were in Georgia... pollsters changed Georgia's status from "lean McCain" to "toss up"! Wow. We're good. ;-)
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
We Are The World!
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Fall Color
I've updated the schedule, to the
And, of course, Margaret's kids and grand kids are calling, so we'll be in Georgia again for Christmas, and that means the folks at GANG have let us know we should also include Calhoun at the end of the year for 5 straight days of trials.
Among the other things I need to catch up on:
- A shout-out to the folks who made our California trip enjoyable
- The toilet story
- Anything else of note that's happened since I posted last. (This will not include anything about Michigan football, which is mothballed until next season)
Thursday, October 02, 2008
VEEP Debate Observation.
This Would Be Really Funny If....
...there weren't a grain of truth in it. Coming this October, in the Simpson's Treehouse of Horrors.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Monday, September 22, 2008
I Read Blog for Bark Obama.
My partisan leanings have caught the attention of those lovable curmudgeons over at Bark Obama , and they have had the audacity to invite me in to their circle. You may have noticed that the widget in the sidebar has changed slightly.
Who are the Bark Obama writers? Well, just just check out this roster!. That's an all star cast of the folks who, when they're not proselytising on the merits of our next President, are writing the stuff you read the most.. on blogs, in books, and in magazines... about your pets.
And my non-dog aquaintances are always telling me to get a life. Hell... see? We got life!
Check it out, for sure.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Gimme Some Truth.
One song he plays, without fail, every single week is one that maybe we should hear on a daily basis during this political silly season:
Especially relevant for a certain campaign that will remain nameless here... but they like to talk about a bridge. ;-)
Brother Patrick Explains it all for You!
Thanks to Pat Burns the Terrierman, I can point you to an explanation that will make it all clear... especially for our fellow dog friends. Prepare to be severely pissed.
But don't worry.. according the the alleged President this morning, wrongdoers are going to be "persecuted" . (That mean they'll have dollar signs burned on their lawns? Heckled at the workplace? Sugar in the gas tanks of their Escalades?)
RTWT.
Even Mindless TV Can Rock.
these guys are my pick to be standing at the very end.
Amazingly, differently, entertaining.
*"No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people."- Henry L. Mencken
AAARRrrrrggghhhh!
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Doppelganger.
The question on everyone's mind: How would she do? This would be a role she'd never before been cast in. The Republicans were tense. Democrats, too. This could be the deal breaker... or the deal maker of the whole presidential campaign.
In the end, as if there was ever a doubt- she didn't just hit a home run. She hit it clear out of the park.
"Dan", you're saying, "have you switched parties?".
Of course not. I'm talking about Tina Fey on SNL last night:
Perfect. Right down to the Frances McDormand "Fargo" inflection. She's still so damned hot! And a major talent on both sides of the camera.
As if I ever had a doubt.
(Watch it while you can.. NBC apparently doesn't like its stuff on YouTube for some reason, and this may be pulled.)
UPDATE: As predicted, NBC pulled the clip off YouTube, but thanks to Andrew at Regal Vizsla we've got another link up. Watch it while you can.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Wet.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Moron Report.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
More McSame...
Wasn't this campaign going to be, uh, different? Tell 'em you're sick of it.
As the final frame says.. "Psst. Do Something."
Monday, September 08, 2008
The Real Original Mavericks.
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Nobody Does it Like Jon...
There are straight, academic places online where you can get the straight scoop. The best of these is Annenberg's FactCheck.Org which analyzes political ads and campaign statements for accuracy and context, regardless of political party. I check it out every time I see an ad that raises my blood pressure.
But I enjoy laughter and humor with my political exposƩs, and for that, there's only one place to go, (and all the great HBO and Showtime programming aside, the real reason I want satellite TV in the Express), and that's The Daily Show:
This segment is being hailed, on FARK, as the best Daily Show segment... ever. Pushes all of my (political) buttons.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Excuses.
Soon I'll post another story. About the toilet. You won't want to miss that one.. guaranteed to elicit a comment or two from Santa Anna, TX. Also look for the final report on the long trip.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Fun For a Couple More Days
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
12 Years Ago This Morning...
"...may you stay forever young." - Bob Dylan
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Local Travel Alert!
If anyone's interested in meeting us, and more importantly, the hounds ;o) , please get hold of us by email, or phone. (Phone number is listed at http://shotonsite.us ).
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Donner Pass. (Insert tastless joke here.)
Friday, August 08, 2008
Last Stop.
We made it to Hollister today, the last stop (event-wise) on the California trip. They have larger-than-normal entries for Sunday, and possibly Saturday as well. Is it the "Shot On Site Effect"? We'd like to think so.
Anyway, there's a lot of activity behind us that still needs to be reported. Maybe on the way East, we'll stop at a WiFi-equipped campground for an day or two and get caught up.
Here's a partial list of some of the highlights you should look for:
- Restaurants
- Wine tastings
- Sandia and Fanny at the beach
- Hunting with Dr. John Burchard... (chasing, actually)
- Herb's Jackrabbit portfolio- Stunning!
- Los Tres Amigos
- Granite Construction tour of the big hole
- and, hummingbirds.
Mileage now stands at 2,900 miles..... exactly!
The future? Reno, Salt Lake, Medicine Bow, Badlands... and more.
Sunday, August 03, 2008
Saturday, August 02, 2008
Friday, August 01, 2008
Sideways.
I have a couple other "mystery" images to post shortly. Stay tuned.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Lemonade.
That's why we say, "when life gives you lemons...
Sunday, July 27, 2008
That's More Like It!
*****
The perfect weather notwithstanding, the Scottish Deerhound portion of the reason we drove the 2500 miles to California was pretty much a disaster. We missed two events due to breakdowns, and the one event we did shoot- the AKC trial- "we" lost the win pictures. Perhaps our luck will change now.
We've got two weeks before the next event, up in Hollister. Our schedule is starting to fall together as to how we will spend that time.
When we leave Santa Maria, we'll head up the coast to Paso Robles, where we will park for a day or three at Margaret's cousins. She thinks she remembers that her cousin's husband is a good cook. There's that "food theme" again!
Then we have some options. We've been invited by a total stranger- but one who is familiar with this blog, and knows someone who knows Dutch Salmon, and therefore we're all friends (I like that logic)- to stop and spend time in Coalinga.
Or.. we may drive from Paso Robles to Alpaugh and spend time with Dr. John Burchard, whom I haven't seen in 8 or 9 years, and his cohorts, George Bell, and Herb Wells, (another photographer whose open field coursing images many of you may be familiar with). There's a better than even chance we could go scare a few jackrabbits.
We may do both! And probably will.
That should get us near to where we have to be in Hollister, which I've been told is only about 25 miles from where we might get a chance to photograph one of these guys:
Stand by for that! For a Hollister weather image, just add 1-2 degrees to the above ;0)
Long range plans- beyond the Hollister trials- call for a return on Interstate 80, through Wyoming, where we may veer north to Medicine Bow and, you guessed it, kick up a few more jacks. White tails, in this case. Then up to I-90 so we can see the sites of our adopted state: Badlands, Rushmore, Crazy Horse. Then we need to get our driver's licenses renewed while we're there.
And finally, back to Michigan. Whew!
I've got to talk about our dinner here in Santa Maria the other night, but I'll save that for another post. I'm still processing that.. literally, as well as figuratively.
Time to feed the crew.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Oh by the Way...
We arrived in time for the Deerhound AKC trial, and have been hard at work all week long. We'll try and get some details up when we get a chance to rest. Good eats abound!
Meanwhile, male readers should check out this interesting archery post on Patrick the Terrierman's blog...
Monday, July 21, 2008
Help Us Spike!
Besides.. we have bigger problems now than some old K&N filter with too much oil on it.
We travelled 235 miles today, to roughly 25 miles west of Needles, California. We were into our second climbing stage out of the Colorado River basin when there was a loud noise, and it only took a second to realize that while the engine was still running, we didn't have any power steering. Cataclysmic destruction of the serpentine belt.
So, here we're parked, behind the Colorado River Cheverolet Dealership in Needles, waiting for them to open in the morning, so we can get the damn belt replaced, and not miss more than two deerhound events.. (LGRA, ASFA Lure Coursing).
You know you've heard of Needles if you watch your local weathercasts: "And the hottest place in the nation again was Needles, CA at 107 degrees". Fortunately, we'll be gone before Wednesday, when it will get really hot.
Oh.. and gas here? $4.99/gal. Yeah.. we could live here. It's hot... but it's a dry heat.
*****
Talk about a vertical profile! That trip down Oak Creek Canyon was nothing. In 4 hours today, we went from around 7000', cool-ish temps, at Flagstaff, to the California border at the Colorado River: 326' and 102 degrees. A shock to the system.
*****
And who is this "Spike"? You know. Click on the title.
*****
Decent little Chinese place here.... right up on the corner. Dinner specials packaged like lunch specials, including rice, soup, and soft noodles. Hmmm, noodles in Needles.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Another Perspective.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Sedona Road Trip
The canyon ends at the city limits of Sedona. We took a look, and drove right on through, having no current need for any crystals, T-shirts, cappucino, palm readings or anything else on the main drag marketplaces.
We wanted to see Red Rock Canyon. And we did.
This is Cathedral Rock. Just one of the hundreds of amazing rock formations in the Red Rock area. We took lots of pictures. Lots. We'll put up a slide show when we have a better signal. We haven't had a slide show here in quite a while.
Robert Earl Keen Said...
Stuck in Flagstaff, Mile 1852.
We had to pull off on the shoulder, where it finally died. We waited a couple of minutes, and on the second attempt it started right up. It was flooding for some reason. Back on the highway, we made it another 10 miles before it did it again.
We called our road service and got the phone number for a service center in Flagstaff. We had two more "episodes" before we finally made it to the Flagstaff RV Service Center.
The problem: It was a Friday afternoon, they closed at 5:30, there were 3 rigs in front of us... and they're not open Saturday. About 5:30 they at least got in to check the fuel pressure- good. Problem is not yet another fuel pump. Filter was clear, no blockages. Code reader showed a couple of sensors having problems that could conceivably be sucking the power down. All that pollution equipment that wasn't in vehicles when I was a kid!
Time was up. We found "Black Bart's RV Park, Steakhouse, Music Hall with Singing Waiters". Holy Cow! We didn't eat there, as the menu was way overpriced, and the parking lot was packed to the rafters, so to speak. Instead, we found yet another great Mexican restaurant... Salsa Brava. It was a "pork night". I had the Adovada Combo, and Margaret had the Carnitas Combo. It was good, good, good! The pineapple-habanero salsa was delicious, but not nearly as hot as advertised. My only disappointment of the night.
Since we're stuck here for the weekend, and going to miss the small Scottish Deerhound LGRA (8 entries) on Monday morning, we decided to "make lemonade". Today we're going to Sedona... gonna get our auras and chi adjusted to some new age brain-mush music or something. Or maybe we'll just go see the Red Rocks. Stand by.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Here It Is
So. How much did we spend in the Jackrabbit Trading Post? You tell us!
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Mile... oh, Big Whoop!
Cooler than Todd's I-Phone!
Hah! Where to start...? 10.3oz, with a display that looks just like a paper page. (No back light! At night you have to turn on your reading light, just like a real book!) No glare, either. That's a good place to start. I hate reading articles and books on a laptop.. blogs, and newspapers' online sports sections are about all I can handle. I can handle this. And my aging eyes can sure handle scalable fonts!
It's priced about like an 3G iPhone, and is packed with about as many features, (except the phone part, of course). $359, available only from Amazon, includes the EVDO data network, so you can download books right off the NY Times best seller lists, and more, including magazines, blogs, and on and on and on. No need to find a hot spot. The only wires you ever need for it are attached to your ear buds, if you download a talking book!
Instead of listing everything it can do, I'll just point you to the link above.
There's lists of features and functions, videos of testimonials, and more. I'm pretty sure we'll be carrying fewer pounds of books around in the Express come Christmas...
HT to our "hand model extraordinaire", Steve Garth. ;0)
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Land of Enchantment.
Aliens in New Mexico
Save the Planet, Be Humiliated on the BBC
Apparently, it's a real... car... quadracycle. Don't get caught dead in one.
Summer Hunting With the Family
Early means 5:00AM if you want to get to the fields near Moriarty at the crack of dawn. We loaded up Sandia with his sister, Maya, and his aunt, the notorious Camille, in Steve's Explorer and headed out at 5:30 in moderately cool 58 degree temps.
By 7:30, we'd run two jacks, and the temperature started to rise. We headed back to the vehicle, and by 8:30 we were meeting Joan and Margaret at the once-closed, and now re-opened with new owners, East Mountain Grill, (No web page). As good, or better than we remembered.
This is our "day off" from travelling. I've got a little project to finish on the motor home, and mostly we're just kicking back. Maybe we'll go ride the "World's longest aerial tramway" to the top of our Galgo's namesake mountain. Or maybe not, now that I've checked the rates. :-(
Maybe we'll just sit tight, and await tonight's next powerful thunderstorm.Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Monday, July 14, 2008
Day 4, Mile 1347
And your math skills haven't left you if you figured out we only drove 258 miles today. Needing dog food, and that all-important Route 66 bumper sticker (and a couple of T-shirts, as it turned out), we didn't leave Elk City until after Noon.
The museum looks nice, but we didn't have time to go through it. In fact there are a cluster of museums, and they can all be viewed for one price; $4 for AARP members.
The view from "The Road" (above), and proof (below) that "everything old is new again". This trailer was hand-built, using plans published in Popular Science (or a similar magazine), before WWII.
Seen one lately?
Smaller, by orders of magnitude, than what you see on clifftops throughout the West and Southwest, this "wind farm" was at the Farm Museum, which is also part of the Route 66 complex.
*******
Dinner tonight was at Del's in Tucumcari. Been in town at least 4 times and have never eaten anywhere else, and they don't even have liquor! So that should tell you something.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Hey, You Care!
My Cabinet meetings will be held, appropriately, at the liquor Cabinet!
(Shamelessly stolen from Patrick Burns' Terrierman blog. HT to Patrick!)
Day 3, Mile 1089
"Wow! Y'all are in my hometown! Forest Manor has been there since before I was born. Head just a little ways down Millcreek Rd and you'll see a house with a pretty little covered bridge in front. That's where I grew up. My dad was a big fan of covered bridges and built that little jewel, using all local materials and old-timey building techniques."
We've known Pam (and Glen) for a number of years, and I don't think I ever, in a million years, would have pegged her as Lebanese ;-)
So, whose hometown are we in tonight? Elk City, Oklahoma, some 450 or so miles down the road from Lebanon. I know one thing: Somewhere right near this exit is the National Route 66 Museum, and you'd best believe we'll stop in for a little visit before we leave in the morning. Funny... it's not like we haven't gone this route a dozen times before; it's just that we're treating this trip as kind of a vacation, because no matter how much business we do at the events in California- it ain't gonna cover the gas!
We'll probably have one more long day's run like we did yesterday and today. There's a method to our madness.. we get the long ones out of the way early so when the going gets more, uh, interesting in New Mexico, Arizona, and California, we'll still have plenty of time left to shorten up the daily trip legs. We also want to spend more than a day visiting with friends in New Mexico.
Meanwhile, my discipline with my right foot's paid off, as we logged an impressive 8.6 MPG on the last fill-up! This machine's never run so good; Knock wood.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Day 2, Mile 637
After "sleeping" without power last night, in the humidity and sound of droning big rig diesel engines, we decided tonight would be a campground night. Smart campers that we are, we belong to Passport America, so Margaret perused the campground guide for cheap places on our route, and here we are at the Forest Manor Motel & RV Park in Lebanon, MO. It's on "The Mother Road", and it looks like it's been here since Route 66 was the only way to "motor West". We'll spend some more of this trip on this historic highway, so stay tuned. I realized that among the bumper sticker collection we have on the rear of the Express for places we really, really like, we're missing one for Route 66. We'll have to rectify that, maybe once we get into New Mexico.
The rain and humidity have begun to abate, and with it our "Service Engine Soon" light has gone off. I wish I knew which sensor where was causing it. High humidity and/or heavy rain light it up. The induction system's been cleaned, and I recharged the K&N air filter, (and I'm really embarrassed about how filthy it was). The beast really ran well when I left Rob's shop... but that was a low humidity day. We'll get it figured out eventually.
Tonight, it's a shower and a viewing of "There Will be Blood", and tomorrow we'll sleep in! Next stop should be somewhere near the Oklahoma/Texas Panhandle border. Stay tuned.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Day 1, Mile 250.
Yeah. I know. We didn't get very far today. That's us... the blue line, parked for the night at a rest area just West of Indy. Sign says no overnight parking or camping, but we've stayed here before, and so have most of the trucks that surround us and keep us safe.
The green line is Microsoft Street & Trips recommended route. Reality check, and experience led me away from it immediately. Only a fool would take 80 south of Chicago... on a Friday night... or any night... or day.
We'll be on the road much earlier tomorrow.. especially if the state cops boot us out. Unlikely.
UPDATE: 8:30 am, day 2, still sitting at the rest area as the rain is falling at a rate of an inch an hour. Did I mention our initial fill-up yesterday was $260? What a fun trip this is going to be!
Mile "0"
That's Rob under the Express. (Note to Sherita: be glad... be very, very glad... there was a lot of profanity under there.) Rob's happier working on E-type Jaguars, so this was a bit of a challenge. But it's done, and we're running around 50 degrees cooler. Mission accomplished.
UPDATE: Since inquiring minds wanted to know, I did some googling and can now tell one and all that this is a Great Leopard Moth, (Hypercompe scribonia), as if that shouldn't have been immediately obvious. ;-)