Newsletter 09/14/2014

I hope y'all are having a nice weekend. It has been pretty hot here this weekend, and it looks like we will be flirting with the century mark yet again today.

This has been a working weekend. This last week was crazy--more so than it had been for a while. I got a call from one of my clients early in the week, and she said they had some artists drop out of a project that is due very soon. She asked if I could step in as her "fire chief." Well, translated that means "can I step into a project I know nothing about and crank out a whole bunch of graphics in just a few days?" Well, it was intense, but I am pleased with the work I did. It is for a promotional piece for HP, so this will be a nice addition to my sample reel.

I got an interesting e-mail today--a final update on the SkyCube project. This was the Kickstarter campaign that I donated money to, with the promise of being able to take some snapshots from space and to send a bunch of Twitter tweets from orbit. Well, they had some problems along the way, and it failed to fully deploy. So I never got to take my orbital photos. Well, they explained that the wire cutter that was supposed to burn through the nylon ties that held the package together until it was time to deploy--apparently did not work. They listed a number of suspected faults, but at least they were nice enough to give use supporters a post-mortem report.

One requirement of the SkyCube project is that you have to include a giant mylar balloon that is supposed to deploy at the end of your mission. The balloon produces more drag, more friction with the thin atmosphere, and it causes the satellite to fall out of orbit and burn up--thereby not contributing further to the clutter of space junk floating around up there. Unfortunately, the same glitch that prohibited the solar panels from deploying also meant that the balloon did not deploy. So they are hoping it will fall out of orbit eventually, but it will be nowhere near as quickly as it was supposed to.

Oh well--I guess I would have been more disappointed in the program failure if it had not been for the NASA experiment of the HD camera on the space station. I got a lot of chances to take photos from orbit, as well as amazing video!

Well, I am having to generate all my final video files and get them to the client in Mill Valley today. So I need to get back to that. I'll be talking to y'all next week!

			Chatter News
	A Note from the Dude		Chatter News		Prayer Requests		Vaca Blog

	Sharoot	Sharoot's featured pictures can be found at the end of each newsletter, under Photos of the Week. She says that since they are located at the end, then "Sharoot's the Caboose!" Sharoot's Caboose today features a photo of a another pretty little lady

	Jes63	Jes has been trying for quite some time to get a glimpse of the International Space Station as it crosses the sky above her home. This week we got this message from her: *I actually timed it right, working with two web sites, to see the International Space Station pass over.It does go really fast and even at 9:20 pm the sun was still hitting it to view though it was dark here.* Took me forever to time it right. About a month.**

	TwoClubs	Twoclubs shares with us the story of a little guy she has rescued twice recently. She writes: I think his girl friend lives across the street. My guess is that he weighs about 50-60 lbs and yes, I picked him up, Very Carefully! He was thrashing and snapping and not easy to hold but I was able to move him onto the grass only to have him turn around and head back out towards the street. I asked a woman to call Animal Control and when Frank showed up (swooning here!) we got TurtleWax into a bin and moved him to the retention pond behind our houses. Off he went, swimming away, no wave of thanks. Just like a turtle. The other day I was driving along and there he was again. This snapping turtle sure has a big territory and a hunger for his girl friend. This time I got some yard workers to pick him up and move him to a nearby stream. Bye Bye TurtleWax...til we meet again!


		Twoclubs also sends us a picture of a street obviously named after Vobble's Dutch Cousin. :)


	ChatterChopz	CC has celebrated her one year anniversary at the library. She's still loving volunteering there. They really seem to appreciate her help (and her cheerful spirit). She's been invited to a BIG reception honoring library volunteers.

	Amb15229	Amb shared this as her reason for not helping write storytime last week. "I will miss you all! I'm at the beach... Here's a photo!"
		(If she can email the picture from the beach, why can't write a story from the beach? )

	*Elsalynda*	Elsalynda's latest column entitled Nature in the City: The Healing Power of Nature, is available online here: http://waltham.wickedlocal.com/article/20140903/NEWS/140909908

	We'd love to include more news of VacaChatters. If you have something you'd like to share (something about you or your family) or if you know of exciting news about another chatter that they're just too shy to share, please send it to us! (We won’t run it without that chatter’s permission, however.)

	*KSBorn*	KSBorn was in regression for lymphoma and breast cancer. It has since returned and she's going for Chemo now. She and her doctors are attacking it vigorously and she needs our prayers. She needs our prayers for healing, for the Lord to guide her doctors, and for the peace and strength as she undergoes the treatment.

	*Jes63*	Rest in peace Miss Jonesy. November 29, 1997 to August 29,2014 Jes is, of course, hurting and grieving. Please keep her in your prayers.

	*VacaDude and his cousin, Kevin*	Keep VacaDude's cousin, Kevin in your prayers as he battles cancer.

	*BugGirl*	BugGirl is recovering well. She's still not allowed to drive, though.

	*Marilyn Crabb*	We received this message this week from a long-time Molly watcher: I don't join the online chats but I read the newsletter and was a Molly watcher from the beginning. Last week, I was diagnosed with stage 2B (or greater) breast cancer and am undergoing lots of further tests and will begin chemotherapy on Tuesday. Please add me to the prayer list. UPDATE: Thank you for your prayers. I'm doing really well after my first chemotherapy treatment. One week down - nineteen to go. Then surgery and radiation. I have more tests scheduled to see if the cancer has spread beyond my armpit but so far it does not look like it has. My screen name was/is MarilynLA on UStream. (Marilyn from Los Angeles)

	*Littleguys*	LittleGuys had a lumpectomy on Thursday, July 17 and had another procedure performed on July 28. She is still requesting prayers. Her doctor says she will probably do six weeks of radiation. She wants all to know that even when she can't make it to chat, she's thinking of everyone.

	*Caboval*	Caboval is in need of our prayers for her dog, Joey. You can read more about Joey and his struggles here: http://gfwd.at/1n8NU0h.

		UPDATE on Joey! Caboval writes: “Joey is in remission but the chemo almost killed him. He was in liver failure and the Dr gave him a 50/50 chance to live. He made it through that and we have had 3 really good weeks. He was so happy and acting like a puppy, but now he is starting to not eat again and he vomited today so I don't know… It's a rollercoaster. I have a feeling he is having liver issues again. I do really need those prayers!!!”

	*Elsalynda*	We got this message from elsa last week: Hi all, Thanks for all your prayers. This computer is so hard to type on. I dislike it but will have to use it for now. I saw the MGH sleep specialist today for consult and got some scary news. My apnea is severe and REM behavior disorder is rare and correlated with parkinson's disease. There is not much treatment available for the REM but I will try what there is. Please pray for me again. I am worried. Your elsalynda

	*GentleDoe*	It was great to see GentleDoe in chat last week. Here is the latest update from her: Dad: My sister has taken him out of the assistive living complex she had put him in. He is now in her home receiving hospice care. My sister is not contacting us or answering my mother's calls so we are only receiving second-hand updates from an aunt. As of last weekend, August 23rd - 25th, my father had a urinary tract infection. There was problems with his medication. They did not get his depression medication ordered before the weekend so he was without his medication the weekend of the 23rd - 25th. Also, since he left the assistive living home, he has been overdosed on his seizure medication. As of last week he still had the UTI & was not lucid. My aunt could not get him to understand who she was on the phone & he kept referring to my sister has his wife. My mother does not know this yet. Mom: She has been doing better with her medication with the latest change of a reduction in her blood pressure medication. Her cardiologist has recommended water aerobics which we are looking into. The lack of communication with my father has her very upset & depressed. Me: I've had some health issues since last Wednesday. My doctor is away until after the Labor day holiday. I'm still experiencing a good bit of pain as well. I'm trying to take care of mom, birds, bunnies & all of the various issues with my father/sister situation. It is so sad that my sister now has complete control over my father & everything in his name. My mother nor I have been able to speak to my father in over two weeks now. I'm concerned that if the lawyer does not get moving that we may not get to spend any time with him or give him our love before he passes. I do not know his medical condition, other than what is told second-hand to me or my mother! Friday, AT&T cut off my mother's phone service. We were told it was an order that the phone service was moving out of the area. I spent several hours Friday evening trying to get it straightened out with AT&T & was told it would be back on within 2 to 4 hours at 8 PM. Saturday morning still no service, called again spent from 9:30 am until after 12:30 PM when we were cut off without it being resolved. Called back & got another customer service person who was no help & could not get a supervisor. Had to rest for a bit & did not get anyone before AT&T was closed for the long Labor day weekend. My phone service has also gotten messed up with AT&T. I had my phone service moved to my mother's since I am now staying with her for now. They installed the Uverse internet & phone service but did not disconnect my home line at my house. Still haven't found out about what is happening with my AT&T cell phone. I may totally stop my AT&T phone services if I can't get this straightened out. Please keep my family in prayer especially that things can be resolved so that my mother & I can have contact with my dad as well as the other issues over my dad's POA (my father put my mother as the person on his POA but somehow my sister has taken over), my mother's health, & me with my health issues, surgery may be in the near future. My big prayer request is that my mother & I get to spend time with my father before we lose him, mentally or physically. Hope to see everyone in chat.

	Shari in Memphis	UPDATE!!! Just received this from Shari: "So kind of you to keep prayers going for me. I was hospitalized in November for an event (that just yesterday my doc said was severe enough that it could have killed me) and have pretty much been sick ever since. I'm trying to be patient as doc said it would take 6 months to a year, to fully recover."
	Shari in Memphis


	Thank you for your prayers and good thoughts for owl our wonderful VacaFamily members! If you have any prayer requests, updates or news of answered prayers, please let us know. Email us with the information so it can be included in the next newsletter.

	A Message from Zorro		StoryTime News		StoryTime Archives
							Recipe of the Week


	*Next StoryTime*	Sunday, October 5 3:00 PM PDT/6:00 PM EDT

	*Title*	*Tauntz and the Intruders!*

	*Invitation*	We need story writers! Please consider dropping in and checking out the fun we have writing the stories. Honestly, it's not at all difficult to join in and you'll surely be glad you did.
	*Invitation*

	Hello Vriends,
	I hope y'all are having a nice weekend. It has been pretty hot here this weekend, and it looks like we will be flirting with the century mark yet again today. This has been a working weekend. This last week was crazy--more so than it had been for a while. I got a call from one of my clients early in the week, and she said they had some artists drop out of a project that is due very soon. She asked if I could step in as her "fire chief." Well, translated that means "can I step into a project I know nothing about and crank out a whole bunch of graphics in just a few days?" Well, it was intense, but I am pleased with the work I did. It is for a promotional piece for HP, so this will be a nice addition to my sample reel. I got an interesting e-mail today--a final update on the SkyCube project. This was the Kickstarter campaign that I donated money to, with the promise of being able to take some snapshots from space and to send a bunch of Twitter tweets from orbit. Well, they had some problems along the way, and it failed to fully deploy. So I never got to take my orbital photos. Well, they explained that the wire cutter that was supposed to burn through the nylon ties that held the package together until it was time to deploy--apparently did not work. They listed a number of suspected faults, but at least they were nice enough to give use supporters a post-mortem report. One requirement of the SkyCube project is that you have to include a giant mylar balloon that is supposed to deploy at the end of your mission. The balloon produces more drag, more friction with the thin atmosphere, and it causes the satellite to fall out of orbit and burn up--thereby not contributing further to the clutter of space junk floating around up there. Unfortunately, the same glitch that prohibited the solar panels from deploying also meant that the balloon did not deploy. So they are hoping it will fall out of orbit eventually, but it will be nowhere near as quickly as it was supposed to. Oh well--I guess I would have been more disappointed in the program failure if it had not been for the NASA experiment of the HD camera on the space station. I got a lot of chances to take photos from orbit, as well as amazing video! Well, I am having to generate all my final video files and get them to the client in Mill Valley today. So I need to get back to that. I'll be talking to y'all next week! Until then--cheers!
	Cheers, VacaDude

	Check out VacaDude's blog! Don't forget to send VacaDude your comments to let him know how much you appreciate him, his time & his talent!
	http://vacadude.wordpress.com/

	Hello there, Everbuddy!
	It is Zorro here. Here I am going to publish my first ever opera review. You see, the Dude didn't know it, but I snuck into the show by hiding in his opera glasses case. Yes, it was a tight fit. I'm not sure how disappointed he was to find that his glasses were not in the case when he needed them, but hey--we all must suffer for our art, right? Well anyway, this was our first opera for the 2014 season, and it was a production of "Susannah." It had a lovely soprano Patricia Racette singing the title role. Now there was a lot of purdy music, but OH--the drama! Boy, you two-leggers can be so mean sometimes. I mean, all these horrible people ganged up on the pretty lady...and she even brought peas to the pot-luck! And peas are one of those veggies that even I like, but the church ladies wouldn't let the others help themselves to the peas 'cuz they said Susannah was in cahoots with the Devil! And so they was thinking that the peas had some kind of sinful, evil witchcraft on them or sumthin. That was so silly. I have never met a dish of evil peas before. I think they must have been thinking of Brussels Sprouts. Now THOSE are evil... Anyway, I came away from the opera convinced that some humans get really funny ideas when it comes to religion. So I give the show three cheese wedges out of five. Now I just need to figure out how I am going to be able to smuggle myself into the Silent Film Festival coming up next week! Until then, I hope y'all have a great week. And don't fear the peas, please!
	Yours Most Whiskerly, Zorro

	Crayon Cookies
	Ingredients
	Cookies: 1 cup (two sticks) unsalted butter (not margarine), softened 1½ cup confectioner’s sugar 1 egg 2-3 teaspoons flavoring (vanilla, almond, lemon, mint, etc.) 2½-2¾ cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt Icing: 2 pounds (one bag) confectioner's sugar 5 tablespoons meringue powder 2-3 teaspoons oil-free extract of your choice ½-¾ cups warm water 1 tube of black gel icing (optional)

	Directions
	Cookies: Cream together softened butter and confectioner’s sugar. Crack the egg into a separate bowl, and add the flavoring. Add that to the butter sugar mixture and mix until the egg is thoroughly incorporated. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt, then add little by little to the mixture. Let the dough rest for about 15 minutes before rolling. Roll out on parchment to about ¼-inch thick, use flour for dusting as necessary. Then, cut and bake at 400 degrees for 7-8 minutes. You can make a template in the shape of a crayon and cut around it or you can purchase an inexpensive crayon shaped cookie cutter here: http://www.karenscookies.net/Crayon-Cookie-Cutter_p_1815.html; or here: http://www.thecookiecuttershop.com/kids/crayon-cookie-cutter.shtml. Notes: The dough can be flavored with any extract you like. If you want to make the decorating easier, you can also tint the dough to the colors you plan to use. Icing: Stir the flavoring into ¼ cup of the water. Using a paddle attachment on a stand mixer, gently mix the sugar and meringue powder. With the mixer on it's lowest setting slowly add the water/flavoring mix to the dry ingredients. As the water is added, the icing will become thick and lumpy. Continue to add the remaining water, a bit at a time until the mixture reaches a thick, honey like consistency. This may not need the entire amount of water. Turn the mixer to medium speed and whip 2-4 minutes until this icing is thick and fluffy and is thick enough to form a soft peak. Divide the icing into several bowls and tint to the desired colors (use gel or paste coloring). You can use a tube of black gel frosting for the details, if you prefer. Outline the edge of the cookie with colored frosting and then fill in with color. Allow to dry completely. Using the black frosting, pipe an oval and then immediately fill in. Pipe two squiggly lines at each end of the cookie. Allow to dry.


	Pretzel Pencils
	Ingredients:
	Pretzel rods Almond bark, White Chocolate or Candy melts Paste food coloring (if not using candy melts) Edible silver glitter (optional)
	Directions:
	Place yellow candy melts (or almond bark, or white chocolate and a few drops of yellow paste coloring) in a bowl and microwave at 15 second intervals until melted and smooth. Transfer to a tall container (a tall drinking glass works well). Dip the pretzel rods almost all the way into the glass, leaving about 1 inch at the top uncoated. Allow all excess to drip off. Lay on parchment or waxed paper and allow to set up. Place gray candy melts (or almond bark, or white chocolate and one or two drops of black paste coloring—to achieve a light gray color) in a bowl and microwave at 15 second intervals until melted and smooth. Dip the uncoated end of the pretzel rod into the gray coating, just enough to touch the yellow. Allow to set. Place pink candy melts (or almond bark, or white chocolate and a few drops of red paste coloring) in a bowl and microwave at 15 second intervals until melted and smooth. Dip the gray end of the pretzel rod into the pink coating, leaving a bit of gray showing. Allow to set. If you desire, you can sprinkle some silver glitter over a small portion of the gray coating while it is still wet.


	Caramel Apples
	Ingredients:
	Firm, crisp apples Homemade caramel* (if you like) or: Caramel bits (Kraft has a good one) or: Wrapped caramel candies (like Brach's) 2 tablespoons water (if using packaged caramel) Chips or candy coating (if you like) assorted flavors like chocolate, vanilla, white chocolate, peanut butter, butterscotch, etc. Nuts, candies, etc. to roll them in: chopped almonds, pecans, walnuts, and/or peanuts chopped Snickers, mini M&Ms, sprinkles, toffee bits, etc. crushed Oreos. *If you want to make your own caramel, here's a good recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/caramel-apples/
	Directions:
	Wash apples, dry thoroughly, remove stems, insert sticks in stem end, and refrigerate. (If your apples are waxed, wash them with baking soda or give them a very quick dip in boiling water to remove the wax.) Put caramel bits or candies in medium microwave-safe bowl (select one that will fit inside your slow cooker), add water, microwave on high for approx. 3 minutes until melted. Stop at 1 minute intervals to stir. Insert bowl into slow cooker. Add hot tap water to the slow cooker filling the area outside of the glass bowl until the water level is even with the caramels in the bowl. To maintain melted consistency for 1-2 hours, lower slower cooker heat to warm setting. If caramel thickens as it sits, you may stir in more water as needed, 1 tablespoon at a time. Place each apple into bowl of melted caramel, swirl around until coated, using a spoon to cover apple. Remove apple from caramel and let excess drip off, scraping excess from bottom with spoon. If desired, roll coated apple in chopped nuts, cookies, or candies. Press in with hands to help them set in the caramel. Place on greased waxed paper or aluminum foil and return to fridge to chill and set. If desired, drizzle chilled apples with melted chocolate. Return to fridge. Or, wrap each caramel apple in an individual bag, tie it, and store at room temperature. They will keep for several days.


	Candied Apples
	Ingredients:
	15 apples 2 cups white sugar 1 cup light corn syrup 1½ cups water 8 drops red food coloring
	Directions:
	Lightly grease cookie sheets. Insert craft sticks into whole, stemmed apples (wash well, making sure there is no wax). In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine sugar, corn syrup and water. Heat to 300-310°F (149-154°C), or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms hard, brittle threads. Remove from heat and stir in food coloring. Holding apple by its stick, dip in syrup and remove and turn to coat evenly. Place on prepared sheets to harden.


	Mystery Meat (aka Swiss Steak)
	Ingredients:
	One 2-2½ pound round or top round steak, about an inch thick, cut into serving sized portions 1-2 tablespoons flour Salt and pepper 3 tablespoons canola oil, or other high smoke point oil for browning 1-2 onions, roughly chopped 1-2 cloves garlic, chopped 2 cups puréed tomatoes (canned or fresh) 2 teaspoons each of fresh thyme, sage, marjoram, or ½ teaspoon each of dried Optional: Vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, or green beans
	Directions:
	You can cook this steak on a stove-top (which is the method described here), or wrap it in foil and place on a cookie sheet and cook it in the oven. Rub flour into both sides of the steak. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat a wide, shallow (3 inches), covered pan to medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of oil to coat the pan. Place the steak in the pan, and cook for approximately 10 minutes on each side, enough to brown the steak. Remove the steak from the pan and set aside. Add onions and garlic to the pan and another tablespoon of oil. Cook the onions and garlic for 3-5 minutes, using a metal spatula to scrape up any steak drippings, mixing them in with the onions. Add half of the herbs to the onions. Return the steak to the pan, placing it on top of the onions. Crowd the onions around and on top of the steak. Sprinkle the rest of the herbs on top of the steak. Add the 2 cups of puréed tomatoes to the pan. Cover the pan with a tight fitting lid. Use a high lid if available. A high lid will help circulate the steam and moisture from the cooking juices and keep the steak moist. Bring the steak in the tomato purée to a simmer and then lower the heat to the lowest heat possible to maintain a low simmer. Cook for 1½ hours. While the steak is cooking, slightly pre-cook vegetables that you want to serve with the steak. After 1½ hours of cooking time for the steak, uncovere the pan, turned the steak over, add the vegetables, cover the pan and cook the steak and vegetables for another 30 minutes. The steak should be done after a total cooking time of 2 hours. To check it, you can poke it with a fork. The meat should be quite tender. Place steak and vegetables on plates and spoon the sauce over the steak.


	Green Soup (aka Pea Soup)
	Ingredients:
	1 teaspoon olive oil 1 large onion, sliced (about 1½ cups) 2½ cups low-sodium chicken broth ¾ teaspoon dried tarragon ½ teaspoon salt Freshly ground black pepper 1 (10-oz) bag frozen peas 4 teaspoons sour cream or plain nonfat yogurt, optional
	Instructions:
	In a large pot, heat the olive oil over moderately-low heat. Add the onion, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the broth, tarragon, salt and a few turns of freshly ground black pepper and bring to a boil. Add the peas and cook just until defrosted. In a blender, puree the soup in 2 batches until very smooth. If serving hot, return the soup to the pot and bring just to a simmer. If serving cold, transfer to the refrigerator to chill. Ladle into bowls. Stir the sour cream or yogurt so that it is smooth and top each serving with a swirl.


	Mushy Vegetables (aka Stir-Fry Vegetables)
	Ingredients:
	2 medium sized carrots 2 medium sized celery stalks 1 medium sized onion 1 medium sized bunch broccoli 1 medium sized zucchini or yellow squash 1 medium red pepper ½ pound large mushrooms ¼ cup salad oil 1¼ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon sugar
	Instructions:
	Slice carrots and celery. Cut onion into thin slices. Cut broccoli into florets. Slice squash lengthwise then slice crosswise. Cut pepper into medium sized pieces. Cut mushrooms into quarters, or cut in half if small. In 5 quart Dutch oven or 12 inch skillet over high heat, in hot salad oil, cook carrots, celery, onion, broccoli, squash and pepper, stirring quickly and constantly, 3-4 minutes. Add mushrooms, salt, sugar and ¼ cup water. Cover and cook 5-6 minutes more, stirring constantly until tender crisp.


	Some Kind of Pie Thingy (aka Faux Apple Crisp) Just don't tell the kids what's really in it!
	Ingredients
	Zucchini Filling 8 cups peeled, chopped zucchini ⅔ cup lemon juice 1 cup granulated sugar ½ cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg Crust 4 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups granulated sugar 1 cup quick oats 2 teaspoons baking powder 1½ cups butter, chilled 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
	Directions
	Zucchini Filling Choose a LARGE zucchini only (preferably 12-24 inches long and very thick). Peel zucchini and using a mandolin, slice the zucchini into thin slices. Make sure all seeds are removed. In a large saucepan over medium heat add zucchini, lemon juice, white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cook for about 20 minutes or until zucchini is very tender. Remove from heat and set aside. Crust* Preheat oven to 375°F. Prepare a 10x15-inch baking dish. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, oats, baking powder and cinnamon. Crumble chilled butter into flour mixture with hands (you can also use a pastry cutter) until mixture resembles coarse crumbs or pea sized butter bits. Stir ½ cup of flour mixture into cooled zucchini mixture. Press half of remaining butter mixture into bottom of prepared pan and bake for 10 minutes. Spread zucchini mixture over top of crust and sprinkle remaining butter mixture over zucchini. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until top is golden brown. *The easiest way to remove the seeds is to cut the zucchini in half length wise then scoop out the seeds with a spoon. After all the seeds are removed, the zucchini should look like a large piece of celery.

	Owl Cams				Other Nature Cams		Video Picks of the Week		Inspiration
			Other Bird Cams

Barn Owls
	Nicassio Owl Box Salt and Pepper	http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nicasio-owl

	HOP - MAGC Barn Owls	http://www.ustream.tv/channel/magc-owls

	Owlceanside Mel and Sydney	http://www.ustream.tv/channel/owlceanside

	Felix Neck Owl Cam Martha’s Vineyard	http://www.ustream.tv/channel/felix-neck-owl-cam

	The Owl Cam	http://www.ustream.tv/owlchannel

	Barn Owls in Minden, Nevada	http://www.ustream.tv/channel/barn-owls-in-minden-nevada

	Port of Stockton Barn Owl Cams	http://www.portofstockton.com/owl-cams

	Hosted by Cornell Lab of Ornithology Located in Texas	http://cams.allaboutbirds.org/channel/42/Barn_Owls/

Other Owls


	The Caring Owl in South Africa	http://www.thecaringowl.co.za/

	PPO (Potted Plant Owl) in South Africa	https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pot-Plant-Owl/148721154229

	Alessondra’s Owl Cam in Oklahoma City	http://ustream.tv/okcowlcam The three owlets have fledged.

	Rusty and Iris in Houston, Minnesota	http://www.internationalowlcenter.org/ourowls/rustyandiris/livecams

	Burrowing Owls Tri-Cities, Washington	http://wdfw.wa.gov/wildwatch/owlcam/video_burrowing2.html

	Project Snow Storm	http://www.projectsnowstorm.org/

Puffins
	Shetland Islands Puffins	http://www.shetland.org/puffincam/

	Sea Island, Maine Puffin Burrow	http://explore.org/live-cams/player/puffin-burrow-cam

	Sea Island, Maine Puffin Loafing Ledge	http://explore.org/live-cams/player/puffin-loafing-ledge-cam These pages also contain links to numerous other nature cams.

Eagles
	Black Eagle South Africa		http://www.africam.com/wildlife/black_eagle_webcam The first egg hatched on June 6!.

	Decorah Eagles Decorah, Iowa	http://www.ustream.tv/decoraheagles

	Berry College Eagle Cam Mt. Berry, Georgia	http://www.ustream.tv/channel/berry-eagle-cam

		http://www.pixcontroller.com/eagles/index.htm

Peregrine Falcons
	PA Falcon Cam Harrisburg, Pennsylvania	http://www.pacast.com/players/falcon.asp

	Commerce Tower Peregrines Kansas City, Missouri	http://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/wildlife-cameras/peregrine-falcon-web-camera Cam not live now but should be returning soon.

	Pitt Peregrine Falcon Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	http://www.aviary.org/PF-NestCam1

	Gulf Tower Peregrine Falcon Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	http://www.aviary.org/PF-NestCam2

	Emily Falcon Cam Caloundra, Australia	http://www.ustream.tv/channel/emily-falcon-cam

	RFalconCam Rochester, New York	http://rfalconcam.com/rfc-main/

Talking Birds
	Watch the Birdie Bibi, the African Gray	http://www.ustream.tv/channel/Watch-the-Birdie

	Disco Talking Parakeet	https://www.youtube.com/user/MsJumpinJude/videos

Other Birds

	California Condor San Diego Zoo Safari Park San Diego, California	http://zoo.sandiegozoo.org/cams/condor-cam

	KC Zoo Penguin Cam Kansas City, MO	http://www.kansascityzoo.org/penguincam

	Whidbey Island Back Porch Whidbey Island, WA Rufous hummingbirds and other assorted birds	http://www.ustream.tv/channel/katersch

	Hellgate Ospreys Missoula, Montana Sponsored by Cornell	http://cams.allaboutbirds.org/channel/27/Hellgate_Ospreys/

	Ostrich Chicks (Live Again! New Chicks!)		http://www.ustream.tv/channel/ostrich-egg-cam-live

	Streaming Bird Cams List of many cams	http://www.beakspeak.com/

Pandas
	San Diego Zoo Pandas	www.sandiegozoo.org (click on live cams) or http://www.ustream.tv/sandiegozoo. Zoo's blogs: http://blognew.sandiegozoo.org/category/animals-and-plants/giant-pandas/

	Twin Pandas at Zoo Atlanta	http://www.zooatlanta.org/1212/panda_cam#ff_s=aDIEl

	Giant Panda Cam National Zoo Washington, DC	http://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/webcams/giant-panda.cfm

Bears
	Kansas City Polar Bears Nikita and Berlin	http://www.kctv5.com/category/244581/nikita-berlin-polar-bear-cam

	Brown Bears and Salmon Katmai National Park Alaska (off season- will return)	http://explore.org/#!/live-cams/player/brown-bear-salmon-cam-brooks-falls (lots of other cams at this site, as well)

	Black Bears Ely, Minnesota	http://www.bear.org/website/live-cameras/live-cameras/holly-bears-den-cam-live.html

Other Animal and Nature Sites
	San Diego Zoo and Safari Park	http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/

	The Pet Collective (many live cams)	http://www.thepetcollective.tv/livestreams/

	Critter Chat Cams Multi-Critter Site with Chat	http://critterchatcams.org/

	Friends of Felines Rescue Center Defiance, Ohio	www.ustream.tv/ffrc

	Little House Prairie Village, Kansas	http://www.tomnliz.com/Livecam/

	CC's Page of Links (scheduled for updating)	http://chatterchopz.com/links/camslinks.htm

Other Sites of Interest

International Space Station Links
During a recent broadcast the Dude talked about the websites where one can view the spacestation and the view that the astronauts have. Here are the links: This one has the map, but no chat. http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/HDEV/ This site has a chat room. http://www.ustream.tv/channel/iss-hdev-payload

A San Francisco Owl
Molly chatter, Owlsome, shares with us this photo taken by Bill Carey via San Francisco Street Photography on FaceBook. This is Post Street in San Francisco.

			Fun Animations and Pictures		Photos of the Week				Zorro's Word of the Week
	Just for the Fun of It						Kyle's Jokes of the Week

	Kyle's well known among his friends for his "triple groaner" riddles and jokes. Today he begins sharing them with VacaFamily. Enjoy!


	"Happy birthday to Los Angeles. The city was founded on this day in 1781 [September 4, 1781]. The land was first discovered by an old prospector who said, 'There's Botox in them thar hills. And kale.'" -Craig Ferguson

	What do you call a referee from Italy? The Roman umpire.

	What type of reference book is best to find information about drug dependency? Addictionary

	A guy goes into the doctor's office. There is a banana stuck in one of his ears, a carrot stuck in one nostril, and a cucumber in the other ear. The man says, "Doc, this is terrible. What's wrong with me?" The doctor says, "Well, first of all, you're not eating right."