Today Oneida Lake

A short drive this morning - literally a couple of miles down the road - in search of the ever-elusive Great Blue Heron. Didn't see any. I might have had more luck had I set out a few hours earlier. But I did get a great picture of this Northern Flicker and an interesting shot of the lake.




P.S. If you want to see a really great shot of a Great Blue, check this out.

Mr. Obama and My Change

(Max's blog today comments on the reasons and needs for Barak Obama as our next president. I started this as a comment on his blogsite but decided to expand on it here)

I was raised Republican. More than that, my dad was a true believer in the political process and in the ability of the Republican Party to serve the needs of the American farmer. I loved my dad. In my adoring eyes what he said was law. He went on to be a local JP, county legislator, head of the county Civil Service Commission, and a member/advocate of the Office for the Aging and a national Hazardous Waste Task Force. He should have - probably would have - made a career of politics and serving his country had circumstances been different. In my home "democrat" was synonymous with "alien." It was rare to have a Democratic candidate on any ballot much less having one elected. In my early twenties I was outraged when a co-worker slammed Republicans as caring only for the wealthy elite. I knew better: the Republican party was for the humble farmer. I say all this as a brief background to my political foundations.

As I grew older I became more disillusioned with the Republicans. I think Reagan was the final straw. But even then I couldn't go Democrat. Now here we are after almost 8 years of King Dubya. He is arrogant. He is hypocritical. He is manipulative. He seeks to steal our basic freedoms in the name of American values. Is his Alfred E. Neumann "What - Me Worry?" approach to running the country a joke or is he really that stupid? He assumes that his way is the only way. That we need a "Marriage and Family Act" to tell us who to love. That we need a war in Iraq to remind us who to kill. Republicans want to impose their moral and - more importantly - religious values on the entire country and Dubya plays Mortimer Snerd while Cheney pulls the strings.

Enter Senators Clinton and Obama. When my son-in-law first mentioned Obama a few months ago I had never heard of him. I worried that his lack of public exposure and experience would cause him to be an ineffective leader. I was rooting for Clinton. I wanted to like her. But she left me feeling that she is just another arrogant, manipulative politician and in the end I couldn't bring myself to trust her. I'm somewhat relieved that Obama will get the nomination so I don't have to again be in the uncomfortable position of voting for the lesser of the evils.

So what do I really know about Obama? I'm embarrassed to say that I know precious little about his position on most issues. But I think he is a bright light at the end of a long dark tunnel. I think he could turn us around if it isn't already too late. If he can get the legislature and the judiciary to support him. If he can get his senatorial and congressional children to stop bickering and start working together. Obama is smart. But is he strong enough? It's going to take someone who has strength of character and the strength to get others to stand behind him. Max is right. We need Obama.

I will admit to a nagging conscience that feels suspiciously like my father tsk-tsking at me for deserting my Republican farmer roots....But Dad, I cannot morally, ethically, or intelligently vote for more of the same. King George is dead. May he rest in more peace than he gave his country. Perhaps one day the Republican party will lose their arrogance but until then I will be voting for Obama and others who have a chance and a desire to bring us back to where we belong.

More from Beaver Lake

More birds at the observation area

- a goldfinch and a black-capped chickadee...

a really unusual above-ground root system - kind of looks like some kind of camping structure with a little campfire in the middle...






and some fern fronds - I was trying to get real close and see how fractal they really are.

Spiders and Birdies and Frogs, OH MY!

Today's destination - Beaver Lake Nature Center. I took the Lake Loop Trail, 3 miles around the lake. The day was mostly overcast and very muggy. Much to my disappointment I saw very little wildlife. A spider web and a bunch of bullfrogs, but otherwise pretty quiet (except for the dueling squirrels which were a hoot to watch). When I got back to the lodge I sat and watched the birds at the feeders and took photos just so I wouldn't be completely skunked. I did have fun experimenting with the camera. What do you think?

After Beaver Lake I took a quick side trip to Three Rivers to check out the eagle family. Their nest is too far away to get good shots but I caught Papa (or Mama?) Eagle fishing for dinner. Not a bad day after all.

Are you SURE Dubya didn't say that?

"Humanity is a parade of fools, and I am at the front of it twirling a baton."

spoken by Odd Thomas in Brother Odd by Dean Koontz

Fractal Lives

My plan was to write about fractals. Since I first learned about them I was fascinated by the concept: Symmetry in nature. Objects that appear to be asymmetrical or randomly constructed have a symmetry – what is referred to as self-similarity, a characteristic in which the component parts resemble the structure as a whole. A fern frond, tree bark, snowflakes, ice crystals, coastlines…the list goes on and on. Fractals were first described in the 1980’s by a man named Mandelbrot. The key characteristic of a fractal is the way it is constructed: With most geometric forms, the closer you look the more they resemble a straight line, but in the case of a fractal, the closer you look the more complexity you see. A simple shape is repeated within the fractal, each iteration increases the number but decreases the size so as you examine the shape more closely you see it repeated over and over and over….getting smaller and smaller and smaller…theoretically into infinity. Computer-generated fractals, like the one shown here, are fascinating and beautiful.

What else could I say about fractals? I had some ideas but I decided I’d better do a little research first. I got to wondering if humans might fit the fractal mold – a person may seem uncomplicated at first glance but on closer inspection we are complex creatures. Hmmm...it makes me think about a previous post discussing the inner depth of the human self that is often unrevealed to those around us. I wonder….how fractal are humans? Physically I supposed that if plants could be fractal, so can animals. If I understand what I’ve read, even DNA has fractal characteristics.

The article Noisy Nucleotides (Scientific American Sept 92 puts it this way: “Commuter traffic, earthquakes and the selection of presidential candidates usually seem to take place in random ways. But investigators of chaos theory who turn to patterns called fractals manage to find order in the midst of such unpredictable events. Now add DNA to the catalogue of things fractal-like.”

In Ecology and the Fractal Mind in the New Architecture: a Conversation Professor Nikos A. Salingaros relates the history of fractals in architecture: “Fractals have two related characteristics: they show complexity at every magnification; and their edges and interfaces are not smooth, but are either perforated or crinkled. A fractal has some connective structure at different scales. Historical cities are richly structured at every magnification, whereas contemporary cities enhance the largest scale but suppress everything else. There are no straight lines in fractals.”

Interesting…..apparently fractals abound everywhere in nature, perhaps even being a key element in the formation of both animate and inanimate natural objects. Many man-made objects as well seem to take on a fractal form. My mind wants to take it one step further: Can our inner selves – our psyches – be said to have a fractal design? In the article referenced above, Professor Victor Padrón says, “It is not difficult to concede that our psyche, which has its assumptions built into the brain, has an essentially fractal structure as well.”

Okay, so after all that research and thought (and reading for those of you who have made it this far) here’s my question: Is this fractal design of nature pure coincidence? Can it be scientifically explained? Is it just another characteristic that can be explained by evolution – change over time? Do fractals support the idea of a supreme hand in the creation of the universe or do they refute it?

Are you listening Freddy?

Today was the annual AIDS Walk/Run at Beaver Lake Nature Center. Amelia and I volunteered and checked in the 10K run participants. My daughter Sarah, her husband Jeff and several friends and co-workers were a team in the 5K walk. Amelia and Sarah have participated before but this was my first year. It was fun and rewarding. They had over 1000 participants and raised almost $186,000 - $35K more than last year! Next year I think Amelia and I will head up a team and Amelia has a great idea for a team name: We will be the Fat-Bottomed Girls.....I think Freddy Mercury would approve.