Stickin’ it to the Man

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One of the things one does when he’s forced to convert his office to a nursery (at least half of it, for the time being) is to condense things as much as possible. That means a lot of little trinkets I want to keep for sentimentality’s sake are getting stuffed into my big ol’ footlocker for safekeeping. Of course, you can’t crack the lid on a chest like that without dipping in and sighing at old memories. This is one of those.

Patrick Kellar is a friend of mine from back in the 80s, although we haven’t spoken a whole lot lately. He’s a newspaper publisher in New Castle, Indiana now, having run newspapers in Valley City and Connersville, Indiana. But in 1987-88, he was my best friend. We worked at the Dan’s in Arrowhead Plaza that summer, he had a cool little Opel GT. He’s one guy who showed me that even a 17 year old kid can put his mind to something, see how it works, and just do it. He was good at auto-mech and bodywork, savvy in politics, well-read… my kinda guy, and probably my youngest role model.

Whoops! See what looking into a box full of memories does to a guy? Back to the story. Pat had been cited for going 45 in a 35 zone on River Road, right at the point of the sign where the speed limits change. As you can imagine, he was quite put out by this. So, we set our minds to seeing how we could get out of it. We found ourselves at the law library in the legal wing of the State Capitol, looking every which way at the ND State Century Code as it pertains to traffic law. We were certain we could find some little snippet to exonerate Pat, or at least allow him to wriggle free of this citation. Nothing doing.

Then the Clerk of County Court handed Pat a Get Out of Jail Free card in the form of his summons. As you can read in the image above, Mr. Patrick Kellar had been summoned to court at 4:30 AM instead of PM! If there’s anything he remembered from the time spent up at the capitol, it’s that there is in fact that elusive snippet of Century Code waiting to be wielded in his favor. As it turns out, he found an entry that allows for a traffic case to be dismissed if the prosecution does not show up. Obviously the City Attorney wasn’t present at 4:30 in the morning; heck, he had to ring the doorbell of the courthouse repeatedly until a jailer came down! But once he did find someone, he had all the ammunition he needed. He got the name of the jailers he talked to and went home to go to bed.

Patrick could best tell the rest of the story in detail, but I do remember the Clerk of Court trying to get him to appear when he called them to request a dismissal. He politely declined, quoted the law and cited his meeting with the representatives of the Burleigh County Sheriff’s Department. The case was, in fact, dropped, and once the article you see above hit the wires, he was even getting calls from radio talk shows. He had to decline an on-air interview in some big city because it was time for him to put on his apron and bow tie and get up to Dan’s, bagging groceries. Ah, what a situation.

I don’t know if the law’s been changed; perhaps one of my curious readers will look into it. Of course, it’s only valid for traffic offenses, not criminal ones. If you’re considering trying such an escape from a ticket, just remember: you need a summons with a typo first. Somehow I doubt the Burleigh County Clerk of Court staff will let another one slip through.

I made those arrows

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My friend Lance says that some things are funny simply because they’re repeated often enough. That’s certainly the case in our house with the phrase “I made those arrows.”

I got the idea for this impromptu post because I heard *ahem* from my wife in the living room a couple of times during Kevin’s weather. Being a video guy, I’ve naturally got my editing/graphics machine hooked to my entertainment center in the other room…so I grabbed an example.

The story behind these arrows is that…well, I made them. Whoopee, right? There are actually a few things still airing on KFYR that I made before I left there three years ago. It’s just that I annoy my wife with these. Accuweather had just shown up to install their brand new top-of-the line weather system, the Galileo. KFYR has two of them now, by the way. Anyway, the Accuweather guy was dismayed to find out that wind arrows were missing from among all the graphics in the machine. Kevin and I had already made sure that all the “First Warn” stuff had been made, so I dashed into my office and belted out some quick & simple arrows. The rest is history.

Now that I think of it, the Accuweather guy took the CD with those arrows on it, probably to use for future Galileo installs. Funny, I never saw a royalty check…

Monday = Sun Day

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One of the characteristics of a North Dakota autumn is the variation in the sun. Not only does it cause temperature swings during this time of year, but it also puts on many faces. Gone are the evenly lit afternoons of the summer, replaced with long, stark shadows even on the clearest of days. Today we were shown a nice range of color, too!

I had sauntered down to Fox Island to get some river shots, which I may post down the road…but then the sky caught my eye and I snapped this one. It was nice to have clear skies, having had nothing but clouds for the Orionid meteor shower this weekend. But the sky wasn’t done with color just yet…

I had grabbed a bag of tacos and headed to my secret sunset spot high atop a hill north of Bismarck, when the sky began to change colors. Before long, those blues had turned to vivid reds. I got a few like this while shoveling tacos into my head. This is actually the MANDAN hill on the east side of town, as zoomed in from quite a ways away. In fact, KNDR’s tower is dead-center in the photo, but is only clearly visible in the full size version.

The temps may be a little low for my liking, but I’ll take those dramatic autumn skies. Soon they’ll be replaced with the dreary gray of winter, and it’ll be interesting to see what we shutterbugs do then!

Geocaching

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Yep, my wife and I have a new hobby. It’s called Geocaching, and it’s a blast…in a nerdy sort of way. It goes a little something like this:

You go to the Geocaching website and find a cache near your location. Then you grab your trusty GPS receiver and head out to find the cache. But for many of the caches, that’s just the start.

Many of the hunts on the site are “multi” caches, involving multiple stages. For instance, you may find a cache at the first set of coordinates that contains a clue for the second location. It may be a “virtual” cache, which means you need to look for visual clues at the coordinates and use them to find the next location. In any case, it’s fun.

Once you’ve found a cache, there’s a written log inside each one as well as some miscellaneous trinket items. It’s customary to leave something of your own and perhaps take something from the cache as well. There are little items called “Travel Bugs” that you take and place in the next cache you find. Then you go back to geocaching.com and mark the cache as found, report on the bug if you found or placed one, and discuss the cache. You can also report a missing or damaged cache and read comments by other people who’ve found it.

I’ve always wanted a nice GPS unit and this was a major reason why. Even better, it’s something my wife and I can enjoy together. There’s a guy with the handle “Agent 6” who has written some really entertaining caches involving North Dakota history. We’ve done a couple of them and they’re really neat…especially if you love this area like I do.

So yeah, Jason…you were right. One of those caches led us up to Grant Marsh’s gravestone. For the rest of you, who might not know what Geocaching is, I hope I’ve been an enlightenment. I also hope to have convinced you to try it for yourself. And just in case the photo above makes you wonder if I always go geocaching at night, wearing a suit…no. Neither. It was just a good opportunity for the photo.

It’s a living

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If someone asked me what we’d be doing on Thursday, I wouldn’t have said we were going to go to Walmart and buy an aquarium. I wouldn’t have said I’d spend a good chunk of my afternoon in a dark studio, sitting in a reasonably comfy chair and clicking the remote shutter release while a friend splashed water in the tank. But that’s what we did…it was pretty cool. It’ll be even cooler to see what the artist does with these splashes!

It’s those little bits of unusual activity that make life, and work, fun. I once got paid very well by ESPN to just sit on the SportsCenter set while they aimed the lights and set the cameras, drinking free Powerade and Red Bull. Or sitting in an isolated room, trying to capture the right sound of someone’s feet being dragged. The hydraulics and air-wrench sound you hear at the end of the Northwest Tire commercials? That was in my garage. I bet I did two dozen takes of that sound!

No matter what the job, there are always cool little deviations from the routine that help break the monotony. If you ever have one of those fleeting moments where you think, “I can’t believe I’m getting paid for this!” go ahead and savor them a little. It makes up for the boring days that are bound to come along in any job.

Happy Birthday!

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This is a happy belated birthday to our fluffy little friend, Scooter. He was hatched on October 16th, nine years ago! He was hand fed for a while and weaned at the Bird House…when he and his brothers and sisters came to the store, they let me pick the first one of the batch! I picked him, waited for him to get old enough, and brought him home in a little paper transporter box tucked into my jacket. The rest is history.

Over nine years, this little guy has become an irreplacable part of our home. He’s been with me longer than I’ve owned the house; longer than I’ve been a Christian; longer than I’ve known my wife; longer than I’ve held my current job. He’s always been there when I’ve been sick or unhappy. He’s got more personality than you’d think a tiny little bird could hold. After some time to adjust, he’s become quite a cuddle buddy for Stacy, too!

The experts who write all the lovebird books say that lovebirds can’t talk. They should meet Scooter. He can say a few words very well, lots of words that only I can understand, and he knows what he hears. If I stay in bed on the weekend I can hear him practicing his words. He’ll say things more and more slowly, with the pitch of his voice getting lower, until he nails it. Then he gets so excited he goes right back to tweeting! I’ve read in multiple places that birds in the parrot family have a comprehension of a two or three year old. In his case I’d believe it.

Don’t misunderstand…having a bird is a lot of work; they require attention similar to a small child as well. You can’t just put them in a cage and treat them as an ornament; it’ll kill them. While lovebirds do not have to be kept in pairs, they do need interaction and stimulation such as new toys frequently, changing their surroundings a bit…things to keep them from getting bored. We also are very aware of open doors and/or windows (as in, there aren’t any) and any other hazards. Air fresheners and scented candles are toxic within minutes, so we don’t have any. Teflon pans, when overheated, will kill a bird in minutes as well. So we are constantly vigilant that nothing happens to our little guy, just as we would a child. With wings. Imagine the trouble they can get into if unsupervised!

Tonight we’ll celebrate with him by bringing home a sesame-seed bun from his favorite fast food restaurant. We’ll get in a good game of peek-a-boo, some of his favorite paper to shred, and then just skritch the feathers on the back of his neck until he falls asleep. A bird couldn’t ask for a better day…we should all be so easy to please.

Hawk a-hunting

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I was on my way from work to pick up a Green Mill pizza last night when…what? Yes, as a matter of fact I *do* take the long way. Okay, let me start over. I was on my way from my office east of Bismarck to the Green Mill by way of the Briardale area, or thereabouts. The sky looked like it was particularly suited for a shot of the blockhouses from Fox Island, so I began to work my way back there when I saw this: a hawk getting ready for dinner.

I’m not sure what the unfortunate furry creature was, other than dinner. This hawk had caught it just outside of its burrow and made short work of it. It didn’t take long for the razor sharp beak or talons to slice this meal into hastily gobbled strips. Either this was a particularly tasty meal, or a particularly hungry hawk, because he was afraid neither of my truck nor myself approaching on foot. He was already fewer than twenty feet from the road, and it wasn’t a high traffic area, so he felt comfortable sticking around to finish his meal.

I could say that I have a way with birds…but I doubt that’s true for hawks. Every time I get near one and get my camera ready, they bolt. I’ve chased great blue herons, pelicans, and hawks over the year and a half since I bought my camera…and only had marginal success. This gracious hawk gave me my big break as he let me approach. I slowly worked my way closer…

and closer…enough to see that he had some ketchup or something around his beak…

and that was about enough. He’d finished his dinner and I was about six feet away. We sat and looked at each other for several minutes before we’d both had enough. I stood, he hopped over into the bushes along the river, and we parted ways…he across the river by flight, me to the Green Mill by big knobby tires.

Now, if I can just get him to give a reference to the pelicans and herons for me…

Welcome sight in the skies – The 112th

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I was out looking for pheasants this afternoon and saw a different kind of bird overhead. One of the local Blackhawk helicopters was performing maneuvers, so I stopped to observe. When they drop in fast, they’re really cool to watch!

What this reminded me of, though, is that some of our local soldiers are home. They came in on Friday after a tour of duty in Bosnia! It was such a blessing to see them return, get handshakes from Governor Hoeven and hugs & kisses from loved ones. I was there to meet my friend Reed, with whom I’ve been causing mayhem since the *ahem* 80s, and the rest of his unit. There were lots of people there to greet them. See that crazy looking guy with the video camera on the left? That’s “Racer” Brown from KFYR. If you ever see him, tell him I told you to ask him about his nickname.

It’s such a great thing to know someone who serves their country by putting their life on the line! Some are like my friend Reed, who have been serving since high school, knowing that things like a year away from his wife and family might be required of him. Others are like my friend Alex, who signed up last year with the knowledge that he’d likely see combat in someplace hot and sandy. Then there are the husbands and wives who sacrifice too, staying behind while their loved ones go overseas to serve. I can’t even imagine what that takes. Thanks, guys… I just don’t know how else to say it. Thanks.

Grant’s tomb

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This is the monument marking the grave of Grant Marsh. You may recognize his name from the bridge over the Missouri River on I-94. He was a ferry boat captain back in the 1800s, and has accomplished some noteworthy feats. One of them is outlined on this marker.

I want to be more specific about this particular marker, but I can’t. Why? I’ll let you know in a post I plan to write this weekend when I have more time. It’s quite entertaining, especially if you’re a geek.

Spooky Sunday

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This is hardly the image I expected to bring back from the river bottoms this afternoon, but the opportunity was too good to pass up. Yes, that’s right…this image was shot at around 4:30 in the afternoon. With the use of a polarizer and a throttled-down iris, I was able to get this picture to look a little more like an enchanted evening.

Photography is SO cool. If you haven’t tried it, you’re missing out on a whole new perspective on the world. One doesn’t have to start out with an expensive camera; I didn’t. It’s like high-performance motorcycles, really… you should get something you can handle first, get a bunch of experience with it, then trade up to something more capable and grow into it.

Perhaps the greatest tool I’ve ever had available, however, isn’t a fancy camera. It’s the expertise of my friend Kramer, who really ignited my passion for photography. He’s got a ton of experience and an intricate knowledge of the North Dakota wilderness, and he’s helped me to begin to grasp an understanding of both. We’ve actually worked together for 18 years at various television and multimedia companies, but it wasn’t until we got to shoot photos together at our current job that his love of still imagery rubbed off on me.

I’ve got an advantage by having a friend who’s the Encyclopedia Photographica, but it’s not just technical knowledge that one has to pick up. One of the first things I learned was that “being there” is perhaps the most important element of a photograph. The “right place, right time” element of a picture is one that can’t be Photoshopped; either you got the picture, or you didn’t. That’s why I learned to lug my (heavy) camera with me all the time. There have been many cases in which I’m glad I did, and a few times where I’d left it at home where I regret it.

Photography, much like motorcycling, snowboarding, SCUBA diving, mountain biking, karate, or any of the other things I’ve tried to cram into my busy existence, is a way of life. It’s a way that I’d recommend to anyone in a heartbeat…not just on a “spooky” Sunday afternoon.