I have not really drawn anything in a long while. Personal and ministry schedules have eased December into a nice blur.

I did get the opportunity to make something for our Youth Ministry Christmas party. What better gift to get for a white elephant than something hand-painted? 

The little gnomes, animals and mushrooms are actually stickers. (From the Martha Stuart collection).

I’m glad someone cool got stuck with this gift too.

Tyler's first bird house

This is another story of simple things bringing the best experiences.  One of the many wonderful presents that Tyler received for his sixth birthday came from Grandma Florida.  The REAL tool set that she gave him was instantly coveted by all.  I went to bed last night thinking of the perfect first project for him.  A birdhouse….I awoke remembering that I had never build a birdhouse.  Over the course of a summer woodshop class my lone project was a rough wooden letter R.  Luckily, there is the Internet and in no time I knew enough about making bird houses to impress someone else who had never made a bird house.  One miracle followed another and I had the right size piece of scavenged wood in the pile.

Tyler enthusiastically marked off the board and then measured.

Then he hammered and drilled vent holes.  I was impressed by the whole thing but he really handled the drill with a good deal of confidence.  His attention span was good and only wavered at the very end.

Then we climbed our slope and nailed the new bird house to a fencepost.

The last shot is the bird’s view, should a bird be wise enough to occupy.

The hole is an inch and a quarter should you be curious.

Need a gift idea for this year’s office secret santa? According to the Metro paper this morning, ‘Roadkill’ calendars are predicted to be popular this Christmas. No, that’s not a play on words, these calendars actually feature pictures of a different animal carcass on the road for each month of the year. According to creator Kevin Beresford, the images are meant to be ‘artistic’. DO YOU SEE WHAT YOU’VE DONE DAMIEN HIRST?  Luckily the mydeco team are on hand to alert you of more pleasant endeavors, with today’s selection of design news.

mydeco’s pick of the top three news stories:

1. Inhabitat: Chrome Hotel’s Swiss cheese facade saves energy

Image credit: Inhabitat

There is something aquatic about the design of this hotel in Kolkata, India. Perhaps it the porthole style windows or the blue backlighting…of course it could always be the giant ‘fins’ on the side of the building. Apparently these concrete structures protect guest’s privacy whilst blocking out heat and therefore cutting down on air-con. I have examined it from all the available photographic angles and still can’t see how it works, but maybe the design buffs amongst you can. Nevertheless, hats off to Sanjay Puri Architects for doing their bit for the polar bears whilst maintaining a sleek aesthetic.

2. Design Milk: Cube Birdhouse

Image credit: Design Milk

Apparently it’s not just humans that enjoy modern living. This cubic bird house, ‘designed by humans with birds in mind’, is available in a variety of colours – perfect for attracting only birds with the best taste. The company who masterminded the product claim it is built for longevity. Good job really, as it will probably take at least 5 more years of evolution for birds to realise what it is.

3. Design Observer: Five ways to change the world

image Credit: Design Observer

In this online essay, Professor Jonathan Massey examines how activism through architecture can change the world. It’s not exactly light bedtime reading, but the author offers some interesting perspectives on how buildings have shaped our past and will continue to transform society in the future. I should warn you that his views are extremely partial and not always pc, but if you’re interested in architecture this is definitely worth a look.

The best of the rest:

Design Milk : Twitter’s New Headquarters

Design Milk: Cloud Seating Collection

dornob : Open and hidden

Daily mail: How Trisha Goddard found sanctuary it the wilds of Maine

Daily Mail: Bobby Davro: My houses are not just bricks and mortar… they are the foundations of my new life

Daily Mail: Ruby Wax is selling in Capetown

Daily Mail: Why I live where I live: Hove gives me something, says James Morrison

Cool hunting: Equinox Fitness Clubs: Design matters

That’s all folks, but we’ll be back on the morrow with more design news to keep you entertained. Oh, and if you really are struggling with secret santa worries, make sure you check out our gift guides – I promise dead animals do not feature anywhere.

Actually, there is really nothing much to update.  As far as I know there has been no progress on this project since our last meeting.  I don’t know what the holdup is as I haven’t talked to Kurt Kemp since.  I and Ruth Jordan received, by e-mail, a booklet of different plans for bird blinds.  It was sent by Jim Miller who is currently at Wright-Patterson AFB attending some classes.  Some of them looked pretty neat, from square ones to round ones that are set so birders can look out on all sides.  That would be great for bird photography also, because of the changing light directions.  Ruth said she would send a copy to Kurt for him to look it.

I haven’t been birding since we returned from our trip to Lake Ivie.  But yesterday, as I was driving down College Hill Blvd, we spotted a Great Blue Heron in that little creek by the empty gas station.  I had accidently left my

Great Blue Heron

 camera with my 100-400mm lens on it at home.  But I still had my other set-up with my 500mm on it, so I managed to hand-hold it out the van window.  I caught this picture as he flew off.  I think I distracted him when I was adjusting that heavy camera through the window.

I spent yesterday afternoon at the airport.   Jodie Wolslager, who I am coaching on her photography,  has her office at their hangar where her airplane is kept.  She is new to Photoshop Elements and I am helping her on that.  She has some very good photographs.  Both birds and landscapes.  I guess maybe I can teach after all.  She is getting great results.

Today I have to start framing some more pictures.  I sold two more yesterday.  Both were framed 16×20 photos.  One of a Red-tailed Hawk, the other of a Snowy Egret.  They both had been hanging at Kenny Blanek’s Village Cafe.  I really appreciate him letting me show my work there.  Since I don’t have a studio, it gives me an option to tell folks where they can view my images.  And, by the way, I did replace those that were sold, so there are some very nice new ones in their place.  Go have a look.  If you haven’t been to the restaurant before, I have three pictures hanging immediately when you come in the door, then there are four more hanging in the far back corner.

Happy Birding!!

more photos at www.zellertexasphotos.com

This week  I used a photo I took  last winter to create some Items for Christmas and other occasions on zazzle.  It is of a little rustic wooden birdhouse my son made when he was in cub scouts that was hanging from the limb of a barren apple tree in our back yard , covered in freshly fallen snow.

Dawna’s Gallery of greeting cards, Matted Prints. and T shirts

Dawna’s Fine Art Prints at

Dawna’s Zazzle Gallery of items featuring her Art and Photography

My very first picture… Hopefully of many…

A small bear figurine inside a decorative birdhouse. On a shelve in my main hallway.

Today being overcast for the most part this morning, we decided to go do a little clean-up around the Bird Blind at the SA State Park.  I worked the trimmer, Ann done a little weeding.  After that we put feed out, but there wasn’t action after that.  The birds weren’t interested in entertaining us, I guess.

Speaking of an entertaining adventure, you might want to consider a birding trip to Cedar Gap Farm.  To get there from San Angelo, take Hwy 67 north to Ballinger, Hwy 83 to Tascola.  Join Hwy 84, go north about 5 miles or so, watch for Hwy CR150.  I’m not entirely sure about that distance so watch the signs.  Turn right on CR150, then take a left on dirt road Hwy CR563 and follow the signs to Cedar Gap Farm.

There you will find the Bird House, a rather large building.  It is climate-controlled, seats probably up to 75  people if necessary, although the number never reaches that high, unless there is a special tour group or special occasion. Large windows surround the building for easy viewing.  It is open from dawn ’til dusk everyday.  There is no charge, but there is a donation box inside the door, if you care to contribute.

Juvenile Mississippi Kite

There is a variety of both western and eastern species that hang out there year round.  Eastern and Spotted Towhee, Scrub Jay,Red-breasted Nuthatch, Indigo, Painted, and Lazuli Buntings to name  just a few.  A nearby pond invites shorebirds.  There are also various trails looping through the Juniper and Mesquite to invite views of the vegetation and wildlife.

On a recent trip there I was fortunate to see a juvenile Mississippi Kite atop a

Mississippi Kite feeding young

 utility pole.  He was crying for his mother who was circling high overhead.  Periodically it would swoop down to feed a little insect or tidbit.  I set up my tripod with my camera and 500mm super-tele lens.  I focused on the youngster, and waited for mama to begin her approach.  When she did, I rattled off several exposures at 6.5 frames per second, and got some nice images of lunch being served.  You can see those photographs here.

Cedar Gap Farm is owned by Homer and Earline Hutto.  Contact them at 325-572-4738 or 325-669-2879 or e-mail: cedargapfarm@aol.com.

By the way, Ann and I did see approximately 250 American White Pelicans at O. C. Fisher Lake today.  I hope they’ll hang around for awhile.

Happy Birding!!

See more photos at www.zellertexasphotos.com.

I have all these pictures and updates that relate to nothing but themselves, so I figured I’d just do one big post about them all.

Dancing
Remember last week? Marjorie wanted a skirt for dance class? Well, mom that I am…I couldn’t say “no”

(Yes, she has crocks on…we’re still in the car here )

Grapes
Remember the grapes we found in our back yard? They’re now ripe!

And Jessica – my nanny – peeled and seeded them and then had Marjorie help her bake a grape pie! Holy cow. It’s delicious!!

(I also learned something…if your fruit pie looks like it will be runny, just add an egg and it will firm right up while cooking. Who knew??)

And a little story. Marjorie had a few blueberries in her hand and told Daddy that she wanted to make a blueberry pie. He kept telling her that we didn’t have enough blueberries for a pie, so she became thoughtful … apparently she remembered the bucket full of grapes we had picked earlier in the day and said, “Grape pie!” We’d never heard of grape pie before…

Birds
Remember Marjorie’s birdhouse? I finally got around to taking a picture of it hanging up.

Fish
Remember Fishful Thinking? Logan can’t wait to learn more fun activities either.

Logan Borrowed Mommy's Fishful Thinking Hat

Mel the Emu got a new enclosure to hang out in. The Bird House Staff in collaboration with Wildlife Canyon and “Wings of Wonder” Bird Show Staff helped with Mel’s move. Mel is one big bird!:

Candid Carrie sponsors this one – head over to her blog and find LOTS of links for bloggers who’ve joined in! (You can join in too!)

Last week, Marjorie got it into her head that she wanted to build a birdhouse. So we headed to A.C. Moore and found a nice (easy) kit for her and Daddy to put together.

Painting, of course, was a necessity.

Southern Screamers Feet

I’m back at the Cincinnati Zoo and settled into Steve and Carol’s Fabulous stone cottage. It reminds me of the house Jackson Pollock and his wife rented out in Long Island right before he became the “new rising artist” of the 20th century.

I had an 18 hour day getting here…I had to get up at 3 a.m. to make it to this shindig, but I had no snags on either flight and steve was at Baggage claim to meet me.

Naturally I am thrilled to be back…so much so, I did a cartwheel in Steve and Carol’s back yard. The Local News in Cincinnati did a story my first morning at the Zoo and here is the link. Just select the video with the photo of the lorikeet:       http://www.fox19.com/Global/category.asp?C=165620

I got to see my old friend Cookie the little penguin again! Here is some video of Cookie hanging with us in the break room. I can now honestly say that I have indeed had lunch with a penguin:

done

It took me a while to get set up on the internet at the Bird House, but Dutch and Dave, the IT Geniuses here at the Zoo got me hooked up.  Thanks guys! And I was so happy to see all of the usual suspects here at the bird house: Kim, Ricky, Fritz, Olivia, and of course Steve. And although the “Major Dude”, Dave Oehler now has a new title, “Director of Animal Collection”, he is still around now and again.

I’m not completely banged up yet but give it a couple days; once I clean the little penguin enclosure, that’ll cripple me up for sure!

Thanks for stopping by and I’ll post again soon.

I’m returning to the Cincinnati Zoo on Monday to work as a keeper in the Bird House. I’ll be there for three weeks doing what I do best: hosing down enclosures, cutting up fruit, feeding the King Penguins, artfully arranging food in a bucket for the fruit bats, and washing mountains of dishes. It’s a lot of work and I am dreading the first week. Last year, after five days my muscles were so sore, I could barely walk. After the first week I was okay, but the pain I was in was shattering.

I’m looking forward to seeing my old friends:Buddy and Me

Steve and Kim

Patricia & Patricia

Val, Keeper of very large creatures

The Keas

Max and Blue

There are many things I want to do that I didn’t get to do last year. You’d think three weeks is a lot of time to spend at a zoo and that it is ample enough to accomplish all you’d like to accomplish, but it’s not. I never got to ride on the Zoo Train:

And I want to work with a couple of the King Penguins to make some “Penguin Paintings” like these that are nice enough to go up for auction at the “Zoofari” fundraising event:

I have lots of great ideas and I’m very idealistic. However, I do know one place I will be spending many hours and it helps out the Keepers in a huge way:

Standing right there at this sink and washing food plates.

It’s the tradeoff you make for getting to do other things. Like this:

I’m leaving Monday for Cincinnati and I’ll be reporting right here on my daily activities. I now have a video camera, so I’ll be incorporating video into “Parrot Nation” as well as photos of what it’s like to work at the Cincinnati Zoo. I’m looking forward to it and I hope you join me as I take on a job that will be having me smell like a mackerel the entire time I’m there.  Please stop in to see what I’m up to. Thanks for stopping by.

Just a Simple Bird Box (1 of 2), originally uploaded by © Don Iannone Photography.

This is bird box in the Mayfield Village Wetlands. I like the simplicity of this photograph, but also the beautiful bokeh background created by the cattails, which are beginning to shift into their fall colors.

Bird House Photo:  John Looser

Even a birdbrain can appreciate this wonder. With 103 compartments, 13 roofs, and 32 dormers, it is more like a bird hotel than a birdhouse. Built by former Canadian homebuilder John Looser, the enormous 8-foot-tall, 9-foot-wide Roxbury Inn is made of reclaimed barn wood, with a steel roof constructed of almost 100 hand-painted pieces. Compartments face in all directions, making checking in and out a breeze (the kitty doorman notwithstanding). This house was built as a Do It Yourself project.

Cat House Photo:  Asahi Kasei

Sometimes when felines and humans live together things can get, well, catty. Japanese home builders Asahi Kasei designed and built the Plus-Nyan House with special features that cater to the needs of cats and their owners, including cat walks and tunnels, climbing steps, and sleeping nooks. All materials in the home resist scratching and are easy to clean, and the house encourages cat/human interactions throughout, even in the bathroom, which has a special alcove for a kitty litter box next to the toilet. When tired of the amenities inside, kitties can explore a fenced-in outdoor area on the roof.

Source:  This Old House magazine

Posted:  Just One More Pet

Or rather a birds’ house, because it was built by people. Either way, it was a birds’ home.
(Photo taken this spring in my parents’ garden.)

See also Qussa.nl: Stories from Afar and Up Close

collecting drunk…

The bird wants a nice home too! And there is plenty to pick from:

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The beach tavern bird house.

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The beach hut bird house. Baywatch anyone?

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The boat house bird house.

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The light house bird house.

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Noah’s Ark bird house.

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I wonder if the birds can find their way in? lol.

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