Photo Hunters: Birds
Ugh, I am TERRIBLE at photographing live birds. Either I need a better camera, a quicker and steadier hand, or slower moving birds… because they always come out blurry!
So I fudged. 
Here’s a nice bird. HA! Taken at Syracuse Hancock Airport.
I DID try to snap photos of the cute wrens flying around the airport! To no avail…
Here’s a cute new bird hat we got yesterday! We were asked to try out the Tofurkey Soda, which tastes like turkey and gravy. Ummmm…. it was awful! You can read our entertaining review here.
Oh WAIT! I DID photograph a bird, once! Here’s our visit to the Utica Zoo. This is a Whooping Swan. He tried to eat my camera (probably because it takes such lousy photos of his buddies).
Oh I found an old photo of our beloved cockatiel, Pipsqueak (nicknamed Pipi). We taught him to cluck the theme song from SuperChicken. When he sings it, he dances back and forth on his perch, and bobs his head up and down. It is hilarious to watch.
Oh my word- I just remembered I had ANOTHER photo of birds, REAL ones!! Seagulls taking off as we neared a dock on Oneida Lake, in Central Upstate New York. Oneida Lake is New York’s largest inland lake. It’s lovely. Centuries ago, it was once filled with Atlantic Salmon.
Ah, and the ubiquitous presence of the birds…. something we are all familiar with, no matter our location on this earth. YUK!
Well, this week’s Photo Hunters is for the birds! But I guess it turned out all right. I’m going to go gallavanting throughout the blogosphere to see what you have done. I’m sure I’ll find some spectacular photos of some REAL birds! Leave your link in the comments. And Happy Thanksgiving to you!
Springpad Presents Springsgiving
This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Springpad. All opinions are 100% mine.
This is perfect timing! It’s “Springsgiving,” a special contest from Springpad! Ever hear of Springpad? It’s an online organization portal– a very convenient online personal organizer where you can stash your stuff: recipes; restaurants you like or want to visit; receipts; lists; websites; notes; wine lists; everything! It’s a classy website and very intuitive. If you haven’t seen it, and you are an organization freak like me (or even if you’re not a freak!), you should try it. I like it because the stuff you put in Springpad is accessible anytime, anywhere, no matter where you travel, all through your mobile device. I always like to have my email and my organized lists with me wherever I go, so Springpad is perfect. Check out Springpad and enter the contest.
There is a lot to Springpad, but I’ll try to list the basics:
- Springpad is free to register! It only took me seconds. From there, you can start adding stuff– search for restaurants by name and location and save the information for later use; search businesses in like manner; add a recipe from a website or type one in; and there are “Apps” you can use– create a calendar, packing lists, wish lists— the choices are vast and the only limit is your creativity.
- Everything can be saved within your own Springpad account.
- Everything can be accessed from your mobile device! It’s a traveler’s dream.
- There’s lots of stuff for the home organizer, too: weekly meal planners where you can plan menus and make a shopping list at the same time; send pals your recipes via email or Facebook; use Apps for planning gifts, making shopping lists, tracking expenses– it’s just amazing.
OK, now what’s the thing about this “Springsgiving”? It’s part of a promotion, a very nice one! The Springpad food bloggers are promoting their exceptional favorites for Thanksgiving. If you “spring” a recipe to your Springpad recipe box, you’re in the pool for a $100 cash prize! There’s nothing you need to do besides add a recipe; you’re automatically entered. Or, you can enter manually, too: Check out Springpad and enter the contest. I think it’s terrific, because I am in the market for some new (and improved) Thanksgiving recipes. I don’t know about you, but I’m getting pretty tired of the mashed potatoes/green bean casserole thing. Times for some change! I think the Springpad community can help.
It’s really a win-win situation. Springpad is a great community and a great place to organize your plans. Plus, the $100 is a very nice prize at this time of year. Check it out!
US Airways Flight 1549 Hudson River Landing Video
Remember, just about a year ago now, the US Airways Flight 1549? Captain Sullenberger reported that shortly after takeoff a flock of birds hit his plane, causing engine damage. The plane had to make a crash landing into the Hudson River! Captain Sully’s piloting skills were credited for saving the passengers from what could have been a terrible tragedy.
Well, the NTSB recently released a full accounting of the flight, including an animated representation video of the landing. It’s a little long, but it is really amazing! Tip: Watch it in full screen; it’s just awe-inspiring. Whoa!!
Photo Hunters: Music
This is a terrific theme for this week, but I wish I had more energy and was feeling better to devote to it. 
Everyone in the family is a musician, and most of the kids have composed their own music… but I’m too exhausted and congested to muster the energy to snap photos of all their instruments!! So instead, I will treat you with some photos from our archives.
Here’s an interesting musical device: it’s a polyphon. It is very old, and we saw it when we toured the FX Matt Brewery in Utica, NY. There was a fire there a few years ago; I hope the polyphon was not damaged.
The thing looks like a music box, and lo and behold, it is! Kind of… It’s from Germany, judging by the engraving on the metal disk. I think it was considered to have been the German jukebox of the 1800s. I couldn’t tell what song was engraved on the large metal disk, but I strongly suspect it was a rousing rendition of “99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall.” Ha! You can read more about polyphons here.
This is a photo from the Higginbotham home, in Oneida, NY. The Higginbothams were a prominent family in the settlement of the city. The first bank of Oneida was in their pantry room! Julia Higginbotham, an invalid daughter, was an accomplished musician, and she composed several songs that were published in the 1800s. This was her music room. The piano in the corner is still used for a Christmas celebration held here.
This is a tiny piano, constructed especially for Julia when she was bedridden. It is wide enough and tall enough to fit over her legs while she reclined in bed.
Here’s one of my favorite photos, of two of the kids fooling around, as usual, at the Erie Canal Museum in Syracuse. Can you detect their immense musical abilities? Read more
Spectacular Aquariums
I just LOVE aquariums. I’ve only been to three in my whole life, but I could see them all, and spend weeks and weeks in an aquarium! I love sea life and water. Zoos are boring to me, but aquariums are so spectacular!
It’s no surprise that I discovered some very unique aquariums, online. WOW. I have GOT to see some of these places someday.
The largest aquarium in the world is the Georgia Aquarium, in Atlanta, Georgia. It has more than 8 million US gallons of marine and fresh water housing more than 100,000 animals. The aquarium’s notable specimens include four young whale sharks, three beluga whales and two manta rays. Woooooooooooooooooooow! I wanna go I wanna go!! I would do just as these kids are doing.
Then there’s the Aquadom in Berlin, Germany. It’s the, uh, largest aquarium that is a dome. (But I wonder if it is the ONLY aquairum that is a dome?) It has about 2,600 fish of 56 species. Two full-time divers daily clean the tank and feed the fish. Wow, what a job.
This next aquarium is a real one, yes! Read more
