Category Archives: Photography

Dusty Desk-Drawer Find – Guam Marathon

A back-of-a-desk-drawer find tonight.

Guam Marathon 1989

I do not recall doing a marathon in Guam.

I do remember running an event there, but it was more likely a 10K.

I also remember two other things while I was there:

1) I bought a nice Hawaiian-style shirt. The saleswoman in the hotel shop quided me to a more subdued one than my initial choice. I remember she said “you don’t want to go back to Japan looking like a Yakuza!” 🙂

2) I badly sunburned the tops of my feet while relaxing for a day or two after the race — the only area I forgot to slather with sunscreen. . .

Burnaby Fraser Foreshore Birds

Despite the cold, windy weather, I got lots of bird photos at Fraser Foreshore Park in south Burnaby, BC, today.

anna's hummingbird fraser foreshore park burnaby bc
Anna’s Hummingbird

bald eagles nest fraser foreshore park burnaby bc
Nice to see Bald Eagles hanging out at last year’s nest.

Girls are attracting a lot of attention at the Fraser Foreshore Park ponds. Two Wood Duck males and a female, and two Ring-necked Duck males and a female.

Tow male wood ducks and a female Fraser Foreshore Park Burnaby BC

Two male Ring-necked Ducks and a female Fraser Foreshore Park Burnaby BC

Hooded Merganser Fraser Foreshore Park Burnaby BC
Hooded Merganser

Adding Nikon D500 To Photo Arsenal

My first ramble with my new (to me) Nikon D500 DSLR body.

I’ve always wanted one of these tanks that are great for wildlife/action photography. Yes, the D500 is old, but it’s still a superb performer that got a Gold rating from DP Review.

Got the body, two batteries, charger, manual, and original strap for less than half of what a D500 body cost new at its introduction.

Oh, yes, and  81,000 shutter activations, with a rating of 200,000, so lots of life in it yet. . .

Buds on Byrne Creek in Burnaby BC
Byrne Creek blossoms

Varied Thrush in Byrne Creek Ravine Park in Burnaby BC
Varied Thrush in Byrne Creek Ravine Park

Kinglet in Taylor Park in Burnaby BC
Kinglet in Taylor Park

Wind-blown clouds as seen from Taylor Park Burnaby BC
Wind-blown clouds viewed from Taylor Park

Sora the CAt
And later. . . Sora the Cat asking if I’m ready for cuddly/sleep yet . . .

Stoked Photographer Paul Ready to Roll!

Ran across this photo tonight. My partner Yumi captured me getting ready to roll to document a community event that I’d been hired to shoot in the Edmonds area of Burnaby, BC, back in 2018.

I love this shot because I look so stoked and ready to put my heart into this gig. . .

Not to mention my Samurai Photographer T, eh? 🙂

Paul loaded for photography

And here’s a link to some of the photos I shot that day.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/cipywnyk/albums/72157671261331878/

Sad That TV Japan is Leaving Cable & Doubling in Price

We’re sad that TV Japan will no longer be available via cable. We’ve had a subscription here in Canada for many years at around C$18/month.

It’s the channel we watch together the most (my partner is Japanese),  and it likely takes up the most PVR recordings.

It’s got amazingly photographed documentaries and nature shows.

Heart-warming family shows like Kazoku ni Kampai with Tsurube, and travel/history/geography/geology fave Tamori.

Morning talk show Asaichi that explores interesting places in Japan, good food, and social and health issues.

The quirky Instruction Manual Theatre.

Natural Grandeur of the East with its mind-blowing nature videos.

Somewhere Street that travels the world to document cities and their historical sites and local food. . .

Kokoro no Tabi in which we follow a crusty old dude who cycles around Japan to visit sites suggested by letters from viewers for sentimental reasons. . .

“My late mother loved walking a path to a beach near . . . .”

“The best years of my life were in elementary school in . . . where we’d climb a hill . . .  ”

They are moving to an online streaming service — at US$25/month, or nearly C$40/month. Sigh. That’s over double. . .

We’ll probably cough it up, but sometimes “progress” sucks, eh?

Cats Adding Character to Desks

This is the corner of my desk next to my computer stand, where I spend most of my time in my home office.

desk corner cats rubbing on

That’s cat rub. Two generations of cat rub.

Our beloved late Choco, and our current Sora, both like(d) to sit on my lap when I’m on my computer, and reach out and rub their gums and teeth on the corner of the desk to my left.

This does not upset me. I just love them more.

This was my late mother’s desk, at which she was incredibly productive over a long professional career.

She loved cats, too. I can imagine her smiling, looking at this, eh?