Country Blues

I've been experimenting lately with different compression codecs. Now that blogger lets you upload video, I'm trying out different graphic styles and compression settings. Since "Illustration Friday's" weekly topic is "the Blues", I figured I'd upload a little 19 second clip. The preview doesn't look all that hot, so I'll be editing this post pretty often. The illo above is a still image from the original file. I started out with a black frame (oops), so ya need to scroll down a scoche to see the clip. Thanks again, for stopping in!

Hey Waitress!!

Well Well, this weeks topic for Illustration Friday is "Juggle". No, the server in the illustration is not trying to juggle her tray, she's trying to balance her tray. What she is juggling, however, is the overwhelming amount of tasks she must do "RIGHT NOW!". She's got a hot order sitting in the window, with a blood thirsty chef banging on the bell with blood in his eye. Table six is having a meltdown because they want to order "NOW!". Table eight is pissed because they are late for a movie and want her to cash them out "NOW!". The creep on table seven just reached for her cheeks (no not the ones next to her nose) . She's scrambling around the floor trying to dodge table twelves children who are running amok like a pack of Hyena pups. Her restaurant was just bought out by a huge conglomerate, and her new boss is a snot nosed brat who just sent all of the rest of the floor staff home so they could cut costs. The corporation has decided to add a snazzy new dessert to the menu called a "Flaming Spasm", this of course takes about ten minutes of table side preparation (with a blow torch). Table sixteen just happens to be impatiently waiting for their Flaming Spasm. Now she's trying to juggle all this and so so very much more. Her kids are home with the flu, and the babysitter is threatening to run off to become a groupie for the Rolling Stones. Rent is late, and that snot nosed brat boss of hers is about to give one of her best shifts away to the new busty blond. All in a days work. Tip that server, and tip her well. This post goes out to all of you servers out there who have the grits and the guts to make it through one crazy shift after another. I've been there, and done that, got the varicose veins hollering out their testimony. Don't ever let anyone lead you to believe that you are in anyway mentally inferior. Because it is you that can juggle a hundred tasks, and execute them all one by one in an order that is swift and efficient. The song below is dedicated to you. And if your not a server, yet you may know or love one...... send them a link to this page. It just might brighten up their day.

Here is a shot I snapped yesterday of a Dragonfly high atop my Ocotillo.

Momentum Take two

Last weeks Illustration Friday topic was "momentum". I uploaded this illustration above, which I designed from a frame take from the video below, and uploaded some cool video clips of thunder and lightning. I posted the clips in the Quicktime format. Unfortunately not everyone has a Qt plugin, and it was causing my page to load slower than Molasess in January. I decided to upload it from an AVI using bloggers video uploading tools. Too bad the quality cannot compare to the high quality and resolution of Quicktime video's. Anyhow here is the re-post.

I do

This week's Illustration Friday topic is "Wedding". Sorry I just couldn't help myself.

Century Bloom

I was in the mood to do a digital sketch tonight and decided to do an illustration of an agave blossom. They seem to be one of the most interesting blooms in the desert.

Peekaboo!

I think this Stick bug is on the lookout for hungry Wolf Spiders.

Autumn Colors

I'm in a uploading mood I guess. Thought I'd throw up this piece that is almost finished. This one is also a smaller version of the one that I posted, which is even smaller than the poster sized original. You can click on this one too, to see a bigger view.

Cactus Sculpture

This could mean the birth of a new hobby. I bought some cacti yesterday, because I wanted to create a nice center piece for the patio table. I added a little Buddha sculpture, some rocks, shells, and a piece of petrified wood. After shooting the photo I was pleased with a close up version of the shot, so I figured I'd post it here on my blog. I uploaded larger versions of these photo's. So if you want a closer look you can click on the images. This could become a rather addicting pastime.

Yeee Gads!

Yikes! What a huge Wolf Spider! There really isn't much in this top shot to give a sense of scale on this guy, but he's probably over four inches in length. I went out on the patio this morning to enjoy the cooler temperatures and rainfall. A little something grabbed my attention from the corner of my eye. At first I thought it was a Tarantula, but at closer inspection I discovered that its A Wolf Spider. The shot above was taken from out on the patio.

This shot was taken from inside the house looking out. I wrestled him down and escorted him to a safer location, as the neighbor birds were all looking lustfully at him like a lobster on display in a four star restaurant's tank.

Bad day to be a Butterfly

I saw a butterfly sitting still on a flower in my yard. When I got a closer look I discovered why he didn't flutter off. OK, now I really like butterflies, but you have to admit it.... that is one cool looking spider.

Ansuz

This weeks Illustration Friday topic is "Alphabet". I decided to illustrate the Runic symbol "Ansuz". I've been doing some graphic experiments lately, using photo's I've been shooting of some interesting textures. I took a picture of the rock used in this illustration, while hiking down in Patagonia Az.
I found a nice website that discusses the meaning behind this symbol (here). I chose "Ansuz", as it seems fitting with regards to some of my experiences these days. Thank you again for visiting, and thank you all for the nice comments you left on my last post!

Ghost Rider

I just discovered today that you can now upload video's to blogger quick and easy. So this is just a test. What I would like to figure out is how to upload video's in the Quicktime format. When these get converted to flash all of the quality gets flushed down the tush. This is a short clip I've been working on. I must admit though it looks way better in Quicktime. If anyone knows how, or if anyone know anyone who knows how to upload Quicktimes, please help me figure it out.

Visitors

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Another good topic for Illustration Friday. I've been playing hostess to many reptile, amphibian, and insect "visitors" lately. Some far more welcome than others. I was out doing some yard work yesterday, and had my Parrot sitting on the patio table. Suddenly she started screaming like a Banshee. I looked over and saw one huge grand daddy Diamondback sauntering up towards my sweet bird. I didn't run in to grab my camera as usual, because this guy was right up by my sliding glass door. I decided to blast the varmint (with the power nozzle on the hose). I managed to shoo him off, but he took his sweet time wandering off. He's probably got the cleanest, shiniest rattle in the whole Southwest right now. I'm so very grateful to have Palapa's (my parrot) keen vision looking out for me while I'm out doing yard work. Had I not noticed him on the porch, things could have gotten ugly when I came back for a water break. So thats what inspired the Rattler in the motif. As for the Scorpions, well I've had more than my fair share of Scorpion party crashers as well. About a month ago, I found three in the house. They are Bark Scorpions which are notorious for having the most toxic sting of any species in North America. The discovery made me edgy and miserable for a couple of weeks. I had just moved in and still had cardboard boxes, and other items on the floor that must have appeared as a delightful condo's to those little nasties. I had laundry baskets and such on the floor of the closet where one was discovered napping under my camera bag. I ran to the store and got some long cooking tongs and goat leather gloves, because I was too chicken sh*t to reach my hands in the laundry after that. I was not as forgiving with a couple of the Scorpions as I was with the snake. One Scorpion got stomped, one got released back into the wild down by the wash, and one wound up in the vacuum bag. Unlike most other folks I managed to allow one Scorpion to live, and I've calmed down since then from the stinger jitters. So any further discoveries will spark a catch and release project. The Diamondback was lucky he showed up in my yard and not someone else's. In another's yard he would have left in a bag without his head. In my yard he just left without his dignity. I just discovered that blogger has now made it possible to upload video. As soon as I finish publishing this post, I'm going to try to post a video I took of a Rattler earlier this Summer. Well I hope you enjoyed your visit to this post. I have a few more shots of some of my other very interesting visitors under this post on my home page here. Thank you for stopping in! Come back soon to check if the video uploaded OK.

Mr. Toads Mud Bath

Alas! Another post for "Reptile Amphibian Day". When I got home from the grocery store this afternoon, I noticed that the Toad was no longer shading himself beneath the ledge of the house. I assumed that he just wandered off. I pulled some medium sized shrubs out from in front of the house, yet neglected to cap off the water source from the drip system. This Toad does not seem to be complaining one bit about that oversight. Now he has a little puddle to rest in, and cool off a bit on this searing hot day. There is a some new construction going on nearby, so I imagine I will be encountering a whole host of new refugees looking for a new homes. Sad. I think I'll keep a few watering holes fresh for the critters.

R.J.

Well since today seems like reptile and amphibian day, I figured I'd post a newer shot of RJ the Western Diamondback Rattlesnake. He got his name from Randy Johnson of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Get well soon Randy!

Coachwhip

My sweet Parrot let out an ear piercing shriek. So I headed over to the sliding glass door to see what all of the clamor was about. It's nice having such a vigilant extra set of eyes. What a good watch dog (er I mean watch "bird"). I've been stumbling across these most unusual looking turds on my patio and front porch. My Parrot hollered just in time to reveal the culprit. I guess he's some sort of King Snake. As he slithered off at a real fast clip, it was easy to determine that he must have been approximately five feet long. I e-mailed a herpetologist out of curiosity, and he said the critter is a Coachwhip. I hope he decides to stick around and keep the mouse population down.

New Toad on the Block

I was walking towards my front door and saw something in under a corner ledge of my house. At first glance it looked like something a puppy may have left behind. I moved in for a closer look and discovered that it is a Sonoran Toad (also known as a Colorado River Toad). As harmless as this guy looks, he's got what it takes to kill your dog or cat. I guess he has some sort of toxin in his skin that is quite poisonous. I found a little article describing the toxic effects here.

Captain Oblivious

Some folks said he had an oar out of water, others said he was just a bubble off of level. Nobody really understood how Captain Oblivious survived as long as he managed to (with what little wits he was endowed with). Rumors weaved their way throughout the seven seas that perhaps he'd guzzled a jug or two too many of that Jamaican rum. Or perhaps he had sniffed more snorts of snuff than his feeble mind could handle. Who knows, as a matter of fact, we don't really know for sure whats cooking in that pipe dangling from his chops. He still managed to somehow maintain command of the vessel. Despite all of his deficits, throughout the beginning of the twenty first century, most of the citizens of the new world were stunned by how much he reminded them of their very own commander in chief.

Missing

I lost them a long time ago. I suppose if I missed them, they would be missing. Lets just assume for now that they are just lost.