Newsletter January 11, 2015

Happy Sunday to you, and I hope you are having a good weekend.

Things have been pretty spacy here this last week. First, comet Lovejoy made its closest approach to Earth on Tuesday, and we had pretty clear skies. Unfortunately, my attempt to get my wooden telescope mount done in time fell short. So in desperation, I tried to clamp the existing mount back together enough to allow me to attempt some photos. Well, that didn't go so well. First, it has been a couple of years since I have tried using the scope much, so I was a little rusty. Secondly, my jury-rigging job did not hold very well, so I was fighting to keep it intact in its mount. The ultimate defeat came when the scope (with my camera attached) literally fell out of the mount completely. I actually caught it in my hands and carried the whole mess back into the house. At least I was lucky I caught it, else I might have lost the camera in the fall.

So the next day, I studied the situation and found some better fasteners, so I got the scope stabilized. Unfortunately, clouds moved into the area that evening and have been with us ever since. So now I've got a stable scope, but no chance to use it. It is fairly clear right now (in the daytime)--I just hope it might clear a bit tonight. Eventually I will finish my new mount, and that should make for some fun springtime astrophotography. [Oh, and in case you are not familiar with the telescope mount saga--this is the scope that was dropped from a height of about four feet while we were in New Zealand. The fall caused the scope to completely shear off the base. Luckily, the optics survived just fine. So I am trying to devise a wooden system that should actually be an improvement over the previous mount. It should be more conducive to my photography. It's just that it is a bit of a tricky build. It would probably have gone easier if XYZprinting would have sent me that 3Dprinter! They are now saying it will be mid-February before they ship me that loaner. I'm getting a tad impatient!]

And of course, the other space-oriented event in the last few days has been the launch of the SpaceX resupply mission for the ISS. They launched a Dragon resupply module atop a Falcon 9 booster. The interesting thing about this launch is that they were trying to land the booster after the launch--to soft-land on a barge in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. It has never been done before. Well, it still has never been done. They got close--the booster landed on the ship...just too hard. It did some damage to the ship and the booster was lost. However, I am pretty sure they are going to get that to work eventually. That could be a real game-changer, as we won't have to keep building new rocket motors all the time. The common practice has always been to dump the first stage into the ocean. That's a real waste of hardware in all those engines.

And not much beyond that has been going on here. I've been working on my promotional materials in an effort to secure some more work contracts. It has been a little slim of late.

Anyway, I hope you all have a good week, and we'll chat with you soon!

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

	Jes63	Jes's new furbaby has arrived. We'd like to introduce Miss Bailey, a very timid 4½ year old. She normally has more fur but she was shaved down and her beard cut off before they sent her to Jes. You won't recognize her once her fur grows back in.


	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!" Today Sharoot shares pictures of two little birds visiting the Coughlin Birdie Bistro.

	Ann Savage	Ann earned two first-place awards at the San Diego Press Club Excellence in Journalism awards ceremony Oct. 28, 2014! http://ramonajournal.com/journal-writers-win-at-press-club-awards-ceremony-p6406-1.htm

	ChatterChopz	CC returned to work at the library this week after the holiday break. No one was sure if she'd have any little ones for story time because that day was the coldest day yet this winter. But they had NINE 12-24 month old kids show up to hear and story and sing songs. They crawled all over CC. They love her to pieces.

	*Elsalynda*	Elsalynda's latest column entitled Nature In the City: Thanksgiving Grace in Waltham, is available online here: http://waltham.wickedlocal.com/article/20141209/NEWS/141207720 Make sure you check out the photo accompanying the article!!! Elsa also tells us that she has had a poem selected for publication. She says she is very excited to be a part of this book and feels like a poet in good company, with known authors. Her poem on Great Horned Owls has a page with a beautiful photo opposite. Her writing group helped her with this piece. The book, Secrets of Wisdom by Joyce Gerrish, is now available at Amazon.

	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.)


	*The Royal Family*	Condolences are offered to Carlos and his family in the death of his mother, Norma Noral Royal on December 29, 2014. She was just a few months short of her 100th birthday. Carlos posted a wonderful tribute to his mother on his blog. You can read it here: http://mollysbox.wordpress.com/2015/01/03/norma-noral-royal-april-15-1915-december-29-2014/

	VacaDude's Brother-in-law, Duke	I would ask for prayers and well-wishes for my brother-in-law Richard "Duke" Paiz, who suffered a stroke last week, and is currently in the hospital in Roseville, CA. He was nearly gone on Friday, but seems to have rallied on Saturday. Duke married my oldest sister Beverly in the late 1950s. Because my parents were at an advanced age when they had me (Mom was 41, dad was 46), and my dad had a massive heart attack when I was three, they made arrangements with Bebe and Duke that they would raise me until I was 18. So Duke was only a couple of heartbeats away from being my dad. As it was, we were very close, and I did a lot of camping and road trips with them. They never did have children of their own.

	*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.

	*VacaDude and his cousin, Kevin*	UPDATE: WONDERFUL NEWS!!!!! "Our family got some news this last week from my cousin Kevin, and it was wonderful: the latest tests show that he is in full remission!! So I'd like to thank you all for your thoughts and prayers; it meant a lot to me and to Kevin. If you could extend a few of those prayers to his mother Irene, I would really appreciate it. In a cruel twist of fate, Kevin's mom was diagnosed with lymphoma--very similar to Kevin's--that was located in her abdomen. Last I heard, she was responding well to the chemo. Apparently it made for some lively chemo treatment sessions--mother and son in together! They have always been a fun family, and I really hope Irene pulls through as well."

	*TheDaddyBird,*	TheDaddyBird is also facing hip replacement real soon. We finally got the referral to the orhopedic surgeon who takes our insurance. His surgery will happen after the first of the year.

	*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*	UPDATE: The latest news from Littleguys: Have now finished one week, as in five days, of radiation treatment. Wondering if the upset tummy is a side effect or coming down with something. See the oncologist once each week during the radiation so did tell him about it. Do you or anyone in your family sew? Simple project?

	*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.

		*LATEST UPDATE* on Joey! Caboval writes: “Oh Joey isn't doing good and I'm so worried. He made it through cancer and is in remission and survived liver failure but something has happened to his leg. He had X-rays and there's no break but it looked like his neck had a pinched nerve. So, I'm doing cold laser therapy and no improvement. I'm doing chiropractor sessions, no improvement. Then on Friday he had acupuncture and now Joey can't walk at all on his leg and it's now been 4 weeks and no improvement. I had a prayer group for him on Facebook. I think the acupuncture somehow has hit nerves in his leg and he can't walk at all. I don't have any hope that he will be able to walk again and I'm at the point I may have to make a decision this coming week. I'm heartbroken and I'm praying for a miracle. I'm devastated and he is only 6 years old. I wish I had better news. Can you say a prayer for him?”

	*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*	We've had no new updates from GentleDoe in a while. If anyone has any new news on her, please let us know.

	Shari in Memphis	Has anyone gotten any updates from Shari?
	Shari in Memphis	Has anyone gotten any updates from Shari?


	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, February 1 3:00 PM PST/6:00 PM EST

	*Title*	TBA

	*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*

Southwest Florida Eagles

Knit Snowy Owl

Owly Hand Warmers

Felt and Pinecone Ornaments

http://liagriffith.com/kids-craft-felt-pinecone-owl-ornamants/

Scrap Ribbon Tree Ornaments

http://www.firefliesandmudpies.com/2013/12/14/scrap-ribbon-tree-ornaments/

Owl Quilt

http://www.debbiemumm.com/Projects/QuiltBlocks/2013/Default.aspx

Simple Yarn and Button Owl Ornament

http://www.linesacross.com/2011/12/simple-yarn-and-button-owl-ornament.html

Outa My Way!!

Pushy!

Lock Me In, Will You?

Head Over Heels In Love With This Food

	Hello Vriends,
	Happy Sunday to you, and I hope you are having a good weekend. Things have been pretty spacy here this last week. First, comet Lovejoy made its closest approach to Earth on Tuesday, and we had pretty clear skies. Unfortunately, my attempt to get my wooden telescope mount done in time fell short. So in desperation, I tried to clamp the existing mount back together enough to allow me to attempt some photos. Well, that didn't go so well. First, it has been a couple of years since I have tried using the scope much, so I was a little rusty. Secondly, my jury-rigging job did not hold very well, so I was fighting to keep it intact in its mount. The ultimate defeat came when the scope (with my camera attached) literally fell out of the mount completely. I actually caught it in my hands and carried the whole mess back into the house. At least I was lucky I caught it, else I might have lost the camera in the fall. So the next day, I studied the situation and found some better fasteners, so I got the scope stabilized. Unfortunately, clouds moved into the area that evening and have been with us ever since. So now I've got a stable scope, but no chance to use it. It is fairly clear right now (in the daytime)--I just hope it might clear a bit tonight. Eventually I will finish my new mount, and that should make for some fun springtime astrophotography. [Oh, and in case you are not familiar with the telescope mount saga--this is the scope that was dropped from a height of about four feet while we were in New Zealand. The fall caused the scope to completely shear off the base. Luckily, the optics survived just fine. So I am trying to devise a wooden system that should actually be an improvement over the previous mount. It should be more conducive to my photography. It's just that it is a bit of a tricky build. It would probably have gone easier if XYZprinting would have sent me that 3Dprinter! They are now saying it will be mid-February before they ship me that loaner. I'm getting a tad impatient!] And of course, the other space-oriented event in the last few days has been the launch of the SpaceX resupply mission for the ISS. They launched a Dragon resupply module atop a Falcon 9 booster. The interesting thing about this launch is that they were trying to land the booster after the launch--to soft-land on a barge in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. It has never been done before. Well, it still has never been done. They got close--the booster landed on the ship...just too hard. It did some damage to the ship and the booster was lost. However, I am pretty sure they are going to get that to work eventually. That could be a real game-changer, as we won't have to keep building new rocket motors all the time. The common practice has always been to dump the first stage into the ocean. That's a real waste of hardware in all those engines. And not much beyond that has been going on here. I've been working on my promotional materials in an effort to secure some more work contracts. It has been a little slim of late. Anyway, I hope you all have a good week, and we'll chat with you soon!
	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 the Mouse, here. Well, it has been a very spacy week here indeed! I have been bugging the Dude to see if he can print me a space helmet with his 3D Printer thingie when it arrives. I actually have quite a long list of things I would like him to print for me. I think he is going to need a LOT of filament! The company that he is getting the printer from was at the CES show in Las Vegas last week. That's the "Consumer Electronics Show." That's where all the two-leggers get together and show off their various gadgets and electronic do-dads. I did see that XYZprinting announced that they were coming out with a food printer. This is used a lot for cake decoration, but I would be willing to bet that I could adapt it to making really pretty cheese treats! At least, it would look pretty for the 2.5 seconds before I get a chance to snarf it down! Well, it is almost time to go watch some football. Denver Broncos and the Indianapolis Colts. Or as I like to call it, a good excuse to snack substantially!
	Yours Most Whiskerly, Zorro

	Hot Cocoa Mix

	Ingredients
	8 cups nonfat dry milk powder 3 cup sugar 2 cups unsweetened cocoa* 2 cups mini semisweet chocolate chips 2 cups powdered nondairy creamer*****

	Directions
	Measure all of the ingredients into a mixing bowl and whisk them until they are evenly blended. Store the mix in 4 quart jars at room temperature. Spoon 3 or 4 generous tablespoons of cocoa mix into your cup (depending on the size), add boiling water, and stir well. We use Hershey’s or Ghiardelli DARK cocoa. We used dark chocolate mini chips, if we can find them. **The French Vanilla flavored creamer is really good in this.


	Hot Toddies

	Ingredients:
	1 teaspoon honey 2 fluid ounces boiling water 1½ fluid ounces whiskey* 3 whole cloves 1 cinnamon stick 1 slice lemon 1 pinch ground nutmeg

	Directions:
	Pour the honey, boiling water, and whiskey into a mug. Spice it with the cloves and cinnamon, and put in the slice of lemon. Let the mixture stand for 5 minutes so the flavors can mingle, then sprinkle with a pinch of nutmeg before serving. *To make the toddies non-alcoholic, substitute hot tea or apple cider for the whiskey.


	Hot Buttered Rum

	Ingredients:
	1 small slice soft butter 1 teaspoon brown sugar Optional spices to taste: ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, allspice Vanilla extract 2 ounces dark rum* Hot water
	Directions:
	Place the butter, sugar and spices at the bottom of an Irish coffee glass or mug. Mix well or muddle. Pour in the rum and hot water. Stir. *To make it non-alcoholic, omit the rum, increase the water by 2 ounces and add a teaspoon of rum extract.


	No-Peek Beef Stew
	Ingredients:
	2 pounds beef, stewing or chuck 2-3 large onions, sliced 5 stalks celery, cut in 2" pieces 6 carrots, cut in 2" pieces 3 large potatoes, cut up ¼ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon pepper 4 tablespoons tapioca 4 tablespoons granulated sugar 1 package onion soup mix 1 can cream of celery soup 1 can ginger ale ½-1½ cups tomato juice or V-8 juice

	Directions:
	Don't worry about measurements. Line bottom of 9x12-inch pan or large casserole with meat. Do not brown. Add potatoes, carrots, celery and onions. Combine salt, pepper, sugar, tapioca, soup mix together. Sprinkle all over top. Then mix cream soup and ginger ale and pour over all. Add just enough tomato juice to cover all the ingredients. Cover pan tightly with heavy foil. Bake at 350°F for 3 hours. DO NOT PEEK!


	Mac and Cheese Soup

	Ingredients:
	3 slices of bacon 2 cups of dry elbow macaroni 3 tablespoons of butter ½-1 stalk of celery, minced fine ½-1 medium onion, minced fine ⅓ cup of all purpose flour 2½ cups of chicken broth 2 cups of whole milk 4 cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese ½ teaspoon of dry mustard Pinch of nutmeg 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, or to taste ¼ cup of blue cheese 1 green onion, sliced Salt to taste, only if needed

	Directions:
	Cook the bacon until crisp, cool, chop, and set aside. Prepare pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside. Melt butter in a small soup pot; add the celery and onion and saute until tender but not browned. Sprinkle in the flour and cook over medium to medium high heat, stirring constantly for about a minute. Begin to whisk in the broth about ½ cup at a time, constantly whisking until fully incorporated and smooth. Repeat with the milk. Bring the mixture back up to heat until fully warmed through, but do not allow it to boil! Begin to stir in the cheese, about 1 cup at a time. Allow the cheese to fully melt before adding in the next cup. Add in Worcestershire sauce to taste. In a separate small bowl, stir together the blue cheese, green onion and chopped bacon. Add the dry mustard and a grating of nutmeg - about 4 or 5 passes on a microplane if using whole nutmeg, and heat through until hot. Add the cooked pasta and stir to break up the noodles. Heat through, but do not allow the soup to boil. Taste and add salt, only if needed. Remove soup from the heat and serve immediately, garnished with a pinch of the blue cheese mixture.


	Taco Soup

	Ingredients:
	2 pounds ground beef 2 cups diced onions 2 (15½-ounce) cans pinto beans 1 (15½-ounce) can pink kidney beans 1 (15¼-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained 1 (14½-ounce) can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes 1 (14½-ounce) can diced tomatoes 1 (14½-ounce) can tomatoes with chiles 2 (4½-ounce) cans diced green chiles 1 (4.6-ounce) can black olives, drained and sliced, optional ½ cup green olives, sliced, optional 1 (1¼-ounce) package taco seasoning mix 1 (1-ounce) package ranch salad dressing mix Corn chips, for serving Sour cream, for garnish Grated cheese, for garnish Chopped green onions, for garnish Pickled jalapenos, for garnish

	Directions:
	Brown the ground beef and onions in a large skillet; drain the excess fat, then transfer the browned beef and onions to a large slow cooker or a stockpot. Add the beans, corn, tomatoes, green chiles, black olives, green olives, taco seasoning, and ranch dressing mix, and cook in a slow cooker on low for 6 to 8 hours or simmer over low heat for about 1 hour in a pot on the stove. To serve, place a few corn chips in each bowl and ladle soup over them. Top with sour cream, cheese, green onions and jalapenos.


	Slow-Cooker Buffalo-Barbecue Chicken Wings

	Ingredients:
	3 pounds chicken wingettes and drummettes 1 cup honey barbecue sauce 1 cup Buffalo wing sauce Lime wedges and sliced green onions, if desired
	Ingredients:
	Spray 3½-4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Place chicken in slow cooker. In small bowl, stir together barbecue sauce and Buffalo wing sauce. Pour over chicken wings. Stir to coat. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 3 hours. Set oven control to broil. Spray broiler pan rack with cooking spray. Use slotted spoon or fork to place chicken on rack in pan. Broil with tops of chicken 3 inches from heat 3-4 minutes or until browned, turning halfway through broiling time. Serve with remaining sauce for dipping. Garnish with lime wedges and green onions.

	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


	Athena Eastern Screech Owl Houston, Texas	http://www.ustream.tv/channel/mark-s-owl-cam http://www.facebook.com/groups/AthenaOwlcamFollowers/

	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 Back online with two eggs—so far. Old style chat link: http://www.ustream.tv/channel-room/10626225

	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
	Southwest Florida Eagles		https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mi6DdvVbbi8

	Black Eagle South Africa	http://www.africam.com/wildlife/black_eagle_webcam

	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
	Golden Paw-Prints Classic Golden Retrievers Oshkosh, Wisconsin		http://www.ustream.tv/channel/golden-retriever-puppy-cam All the pups have gone to their forever homes. Camera is shut down until the next litter is born.

	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

Secrets of the Snowy Owl
http://goo.gl/P0trt0

Meet Zeus
http://kittensdaily.com/meet-zeus-blind-owl-gorgeous-eyes/

Some Interesting Information About Someone We All Know Well
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1511369/


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 Swimming Owl
This came to us from windbeneathwing. Swimming owl caught on video http://www.foxnews.com/science/2014/12/05/swimming-owl-caught-on-video/

			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. Now he shares them with VacaFamily. Enjoy!


	What do you call the person who draws portraits of criminals? A con artist

	What sound do porcupines make when they kiss? Ouch!

	What do the letters D.N.A. stand for? National Dyslexics Association.

	A research group on sea mammals captured a rather odd porpoise on one of its trips. Its peculiarity was that it had feet. After they had photographed and measured the poor thing, they prepared to set it free. "Wait a minute," said one of the researchers, "Wouldn't it be a kindness if our ship's doctor here were to amputate the feet so that it would be like other porpoises?" "Not on your life," exclaimed the doctor, "That would be defeeting the porpoise."

	Why did the carrot blush? Because he saw the salad dressing!