Stanley Park Owl Release

So our friends mel and jeff rescued an owl a few months ago. they were driving around stanley park, and saw something that just got hit. they went over to investigate, as it looked rather large, and noticed it was an owl! well, mel scooped it up in her jacket, and they drove to the animal clinic all quicklike. well, the animal clinic handed it off to the delta raptor rescue, where it was mended of its broken wing. So to make a long story even longer, the animal rescue called them to tell them it was being released, and if they wanted to come watch, they could.

SOOOOO, this is where we step in. As the local wildlife photographer i was asked to come take some pictures of it as it tastes its newfound freedom once again!

it was a beautiful day last weekend, yet the day had a biting cold to it.
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we met at stanley park, and the gentleman with the Owl was there waiting for us. we met him, and wandered off into the forest to find a good release spot. once found, we were informed that the owl would fly out really quickly, so get ready! well, the girls did…

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all right, all right. lets get to the owl. here is the cute little thing.
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so, after opening the cage, it just kinda of sat there looking at us. like, hey, I’ve had a cushy life, getting fed all the time. why would i want to go back out there? i think that pretty sums up what the owl is thinking in that picture above. anywho, it took some coaxing, and perhaps a little tipping, but eventually she decided it was best to fly away.

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and off we go! a little blurry, but you get the gist
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ohh, much better, sitting on this branch.
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then i ran around and tried to get some good pictures from the front.
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She looks pretty good sitting on that branch! what a fun thing to shoot. i guess i can see why birder’s are so passionate about their craft. its incredibly hard to get good pictures, but very rewarding.

Well, eventually we left the area. and this crazy fog had rolled in.
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and we had a beautiful full moon.
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and the same time… the sun was setting and a great reflection was coming off of the downtown buildings
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and mel and noa had a good time
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probably because of the all the cute ducks flying by, I’m sure of it.
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what a fun outing. thanks to mel and jeff for inviting their photographer out to experience it with them. 😉

All oliver all the time

Continuing on your 24/7 oliver coverage, this weekend while doing some wood working, oliver made himself a nest and did some relaxing.

So Noa got me these cool lenses for the iPhone to try for my birthday. i tried the fisheye one, and got this fun picture of our local “rare and illusive Wooly Cave Chihuahua”.

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and here he is in the nest of wood shavings
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had a great weekend woodworking. i guess ill have to organize a post on that too one of these days.

My birthday ’12

I had a big birthday this year, and as such, noa organized a wonderful party. some people had not been over before, and did not realize what a party at our house meant. too much food. so, when they arrived, our guests were welcomed with a smorgasborg of deliciousness. lets see, where to start.

well, why don’t we start with the puppy dog, oliver. for winter he got a new fuzzy coat!
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okay, there were yam slices
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and tomato soup!
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and omg, these are brie wrapped in filo, with jam inside. AMAZING!
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and meatballs
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and mel, bless her heart, made both these profiteroles by hand, and a pumpkin cheese cake, which, i forgot to take a picture of
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there was more food, which, i didn’t manage to snap a picture of either. as for desserts, there were 2 tart au pomme, the aforementioned profiteroles and pumpkin cheese cake, and one more which will be shown in a bit.

anyways, here are noel and dan giving me a birthday card which lucky made with an embarrassing picture from a previous birthday in rez….
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and then the last dessert, a triple layer chocolate cake, with raspberries in between each layer. SCRUMPTIOUS!
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and then, i sequestered berge to take photos of me with everyone that helped to celebrate. if you want to see them all, go to the flickr, just too many of them.
but here are two of my favourites
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overall, what a great birthday party! thanks to everyone who came over to celebrate and share some hops with me, and to noa, the master planner and cooker of the evening! she worked hard to prepare all the wonderful food and get everyone together on time, while working on a show! amazing.

heres to another great year.