How to properly use a toilet

Experience shouldn't have boundaries, right?

I guess that cultural differences can certainly lead to different perceived and actual experiences--as witnessed in the pit toilets at Antelope Island State Park in northern Utah this weekend.

I sure would have hated being the person who discovered this "UX problem". But sure loved the solution they came up with the help "alleviate the problem".

It seemed to be working from what I could tell ;)

The Elusive Daytime Flammy

In 20+ years of birding, I have seen probably close to 500 Flammulated Owls.  My guiding business has made it possible for me to see 50-100 of these almost every year the past decade.  But in that time I have only ever seen 1 adult away from a nest--and that was in May 2005 in central Colorado.  

Fast forward to yesterday when my buddy Kenny text me a picture of an Owl with the message, "This is a flammy, right?".

My response--"yep".

So, having seen hundreds of Flammy's and photographed dozens, I still am keenly obsessed with this bird--and daytime versions are even more of an addiction.  It wasn't long before I made my way to the park, and the tree where it was roosting.   Daytime Flammy, check.

I'm a sucker for this bird and always will be.

Perhaps the fact it stands just 6" tall is the driving force in my obsession?  Maybe the fact it's only reliably found in a few western states?  Perhaps, its that Utah might be the best place in the world to see them?  And maybe, just maybe it's because I happen to be really good at finding them at night, but have never found one during the day that really drives the daytime obsession?

I think even if I found 100 during the day, I'd still be a sucker for them every time...

Coach Tim

Tonight was interesting--in the eyes of eleven 3-year olds and their parents, I became Coach Tim...

It was Cam's first night of tee ball.  Yes, there are tee ball leagues for 3-year olds.  The concept is simple--learn to throw, catch, field, and hit.  There are no strikes or outs.  The league is designed to keep the focus on basics and keep the attention span of a 3-year old for about as long as you can--which in this case is about 45 minutes.

In any event, when Cam signed up they asked for parent volunteers--so I said I would coach if they needed.  I never heard back.  I was actually pretty bummed.  My dad coached me form the time I was little, through little league.  The memories are great.  I wanted to be able to do the same for Cam, but figured, lots of parents would probably want to be involved, and I was just late to the game.

So, on night one of tee ball, we arrived at the facility and checked in.  They sent us off to his field where a handful of other kids were rolling balls, rolling themselves, and running around in circles.  It was chaos--and no coach was in sight--well-done coach...  Sam and I talked for a minute, then she decided to go see who our coach was--and ask if they ever got my sign up.  A few minutes later I see Sam wandering across the complex with a bag of what looks like shirts, and a bunch of hats--I had a feeling I just became the coach.

As it turns out I was actually assigned to coach the team and they just never told me--I guess maybe I should have asked before tonight--well-done coach.

So I nervously looked through the paperwork they provided to see what I was supposed to do.  I would have liked to have had some time to prepare, but that wasn't really in the cards so I just started.  We started by running around the bases as a team, then everyone got to work on throwing, catching, and hitting.  It was utter chaos--but a lot of fun.  We ended practice with a cheer, and I already felt way more comfortable than I had 45 minutes earlier.  And just like that, Coach Tim was born.

Window Kill

This morning, Cam and I were watching cartoons when we heard a thud on one of the large windows over the living room.  I knew it was a bird impact, but Cam doesn't yet recognize the noise.  So we headed outside to see what we could find.  I was rather surprised when I looked below the window and saw my favorite bird laying lifeless.  A female Western Tanager had hit the window and died on impact.

I explained to Cam that birds hit windows because they see the reflection of the sky and can't tell the difference--it's called a window kill.  He was excited to see a bird so close, even though it was a live bird no more.  I always hate when I hear or see a window kill, but being able to look at a bird in the hand is a great learning experience.

Window kills could make for an interesting product design project...

Motion Design

Some recent motion work...