Desolation Island: 2006

October 30, 2006

World Champions!!

The St. Louis Cardinals are your 2006 World Champions!!

October 20, 2006

Ok, this isn't a picture I took myself, but I wish I could have. The St. Louis Cardinals are going to the World Series after Yadier Molina's dramatic 9th inning home run beats the NY Mets in Game 7. The Redbirds are the National League Champions and Redbird is celebrating!!!

October 11, 2006

Come Sail Away

Mrs. Redbird and I spent the day sailing on Brother's Bliss, a 40 ft. sloop on Lake Texoma. It was our first time on a sailboat. The wind was light but it was a great day!

08 October 2006 - Sailing on Lake Texoma
Canon S2 IS, Shutter Speed 1/60 sec.
Aperture: F/4, Focal Length: 9 mm
Linear Polarizer

October 06, 2006

Meet You at the Top

I chanced on a herd of Rocky Mountain Bighorns at the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. It was late in the day and the background sky didn't turn out too well...so, I tried my hand at some photo manipulation. I edited in a cloudy sky picture taken from our deck in Colorado Springs. I didn't do a great job, but I did get some experience using the editing tools.

Foreground: 06 August 2006, Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs
Canon S2 IS, Shutter Speed: 1/125 sec.
Aperture: F/4, Focal Length: 72mm
Background: 14 July 2005, off the deck, Colorado Springs
Canon S2 IS, Shutter Speed: 1/60 sec.
Aperture: F/2.7, Focal Length: 6mm
Edited with ArcSoft PhotoStudio

September 22, 2006

Hawkeye

I was sitting in my office working one day last winter and a large shadow pass by the window. I looked out and saw this hawk with an attitude taking a break from hunting field mice (and little dogs) in our neighborhood.

01 February 2006, My Backyard

Canon S2 IS, Shutter Speed: 1/250 sec

Aperture: F/4, Focal Length: 72 mm

Cropped & Edited with ArcSoft PhotoStudio

September 21, 2006

Up and Away - Ballooning on the Front Range

I heard a noise outside the window a few years back on Thanksgiving afternooon and looked out the window to see what it was. I grabbed my A70, ran upstairs, and just happened to catch this balloon in flight right over our neighborhood.

November 28, 2003 - Hot Air Balloon & the Front Range - Pikes Peak

Cannon PowerShot A70, Shutter Speed 1/1000 sec, Aperture: F/3.5

Photostitching with Canon ZoomBrowser

September 06, 2006

Dragon Spirits - The Bell Tower

A Bell Tower in the heart of Xi'an, China. Legend has it that Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang (First Emperor of the Ming Dynasty) built this Bell Tower on top of a gigantic dragon held in check by a 300m chain. Bell Towers were built all over china to repress dragon spirits. This shot was taken from our hotel room in Xi'an.

July 24, 2006 - Xi'an, China - Bell Tower
Canon S2 IS, Shutter Speed: 6 sec., Aperture: F/8

August 28, 2006

Frozen in Time - Terracotta Warrior

One of Qin Shi Huangdi's Terracotta Warriors. Thousands of slightly larger than life-size warriors have been unearthed near the tomb of the First Emperor of China. Archeologists are painstakingly piecing these warriors together. The site, near Xian, China, is a fascinating place to visit.

July 24, 2006 - Xi'an, China - Terracotta Warrior
Canon S2 IS, Shutter Speed: 1/25 sec
Aperture: F/3.5, Edited with Noiseware

August 24, 2006

Lost in the Fog - The Great Wall

I'm back! It was foggy and hazy much of the time, particulary on our trip to Badaling. A disappointing trip photographic-wise. No expansive views of the Great Wall. Black & White seemed to fit the mood of the day.

I doubt the handrails are original equipment :-)