Newsletter August 28 2016

I hope everyone is having a great weekend. Frankly, I am recuperating from a rather hectic week--one with lots of ups and downs. On Tuesday I wrapped up a nearly month-long project for a Chinese Christian media studio. that served to really help my financial situation, and now I am poised to FINALLY make my 3D printer purchase. Now I just need to make the final decision as to which model!

Then on Friday I decided to make yet another attempt to get fog photographs in San Francisco at night. The fog had been lingering near the ground, which is what I wanted. A week ago yesterday I made a drive to SF at around 4am and got there only to find the fog was there but about 1000 feet above the ground. So this Friday I left for SF at 3am, only to arrive and find the very same thing. So I drove to a few different places in SF, but mostly ended up back out at Land's End park, where I took more photos of the Sutro Bath ruins. Then I decided to drive across town and get some pictures of the interior of an old dance hall that is now an art supply store. But on the way across town I got in an accident. A girl driving an SUV in front of me stopped for some strange reason, and I rear-ended her. I couldn't see any damage on her car, but my bumper was impaled on her trailer hitch. I could have cried--this is the first real fender bender I have been in for about 20 years. And the first with my PT Cruiser--which I still think of as my "new car." Oh well, at least nobody was hurt. Though it remains to be seen if she decides to make some claim for her insurance...this could still come back to bite me.

So after all that, I felt like I needed an escape, so yesterday I took Mary out to see the new Streep movie about Florence Foster Jenkins. Oh man, that was a beautiful thing! It was just what I needed--a chance to escape back to the 20th century.

Last Sunday Mary and I also went to the Yolo County Fair, to attend what will most likely be our last of the fairs for this year. And imagine my surprise when I went into the photography exhibit hall to find that of my six photo entries, I got four blue ribbons and one of those also had a "Best Over All" ribbon! I was truly excited--that was the last ribbon I got in the 2016 fair season, so I feel like I really ended on a high note. So now I'm taking photo safaris to try to get out there and get the photos that I will try to enter in 2017!

Well, I have a ton of things on my to-do list for today, and a lot of that is processing photos and posting things...so I had better get back to it! Hope to see you all a couple of weeks from now in the Chat! (Next weekend is the Labor Day holiday.)


	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!" Today we have a family photo from Disney World and a photo of a giant spidey.

	ChatterChopz	CC wanted to share a couple of photos with you. We found this free on the side of the road on the way home from church. Most folks would call it a toddler chair. We brought it in and Scruffy knew immediately that it was his! That's his "Lovey" in the chair. (Scruffy is the young feral cat that we spent a year trying to socialize. He is now a very happy indoor cat.) PS. The chair's not dirty like the photos make it seem.

	*Elsalynda*	Elsalynda's latest column entitled Nature in the City: Summer Moments, is available online here: http://waltham.wickedlocal.com/news/20160826/nature-in-city-summer-moments

	Littleguys	*Update as of August 2016:* Great news. Both her mammogram and her oncologist have declared her to be cancer free for the second year in a row. She sends thank yous to all the people that have given her moral support. Also thank you to those of you who sent well wishes and congratulations on her Facebook page.

	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.)


	*DotRot*	I'm going to go out on a limb here and ask everyone worldwide for some special prayers. Please pray for the fostering and healing of relationships between races and ethnicities, between citizens and law enforcement and other officials, and between differing faiths. This madness must stop!

	*Jes*	Jes has requested prayers. She has lost a close friend and is also facing some rather daunting medical tests and procedures. She is, of course, worried and stressed, and in need of all our prayers and healing vibes.

	*KSBorn*	UPDATE: (as of 6/19/2016) KSBorn writes: My Cancer has now Spread to my Upper Spine. So we are changing my Chemo and Hormone Blocker. Please continue the Prayers. I will keep you up-dated.

	*Marilyn Crabb*	UPDATE: Hi! I survived six months of chemotherapy. I'll have my breast tumor and left axillary nodes removed on Friday, Feb. 13. Radiation will be next. Please pray that the surgeon does a good job and all my cancer is removed! My screen name was/is MarilynLA on UStream. (Marilyn from Los Angeles)

	*Elsalynda*	(as of 3/27) Keep Elsalynda in your prayers. Elsa was recently in Mexico and had a great time until she was hospitalized there! Keep her in your prayers for continued good health for herself and her bird Nupi.

	*GentleDoe*	Has anyone heard from GentleDoe lately? The latest update we have from GentleDoe is from 1/10/2016. GentleDoe gives us much more information on her situation and struggles. To read her entire post, click here.

	Shari in Memphis	UPDATE!!! We heard from Shari recently. She is now on the VacaNews mailing list, so we'll be able to keep in touch with her more easily. She tells us, "Hi guys! Shari in Memphis is alive. I've been having tons of health problems, so that's tons of doc appointments! I have moved to northern Arkansas, for health reasons, and looking forward to hub moving up here in a couple of years, when he retires. It's gorgeous in the country, and I love that we were able to find a place on a stream. Lots of wild animals around! I miss you all. Shari (no longer in Memphis) (Shari Sides on FB)"
	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.

	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! (No recent updates)
	http://vacadude.wordpress.com/



	Vaca YouTube
	Be sure to check out the Dude's YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/splinesmith/videos NEW VIDEOS ADDED!!!


	A Message From Zorro		StoryTime News		StoryTime Archive		Recipe of the Week


	Hello Vriends,
	I hope everyone is having a great weekend. Frankly, I am recuperating from a rather hectic week--one with lots of ups and downs. On Tuesday I wrapped up a nearly month-long project for a Chinese Christian media studio. that served to really help my financial situation, and now I am poised to FINALLY make my 3D printer purchase. Now I just need to make the final decision as to which model! Then on Friday I decided to make yet another attempt to get fog photographs in San Francisco at night. The fog had been lingering near the ground, which is what I wanted. A week ago yesterday I made a drive to SF at around 4am and got there only to find the fog was there but about 1000 feet above the ground. So this Friday I left for SF at 3am, only to arrive and find the very same thing. So I drove to a few different places in SF, but mostly ended up back out at Land's End park, where I took more photos of the Sutro Bath ruins. Then I decided to drive across town and get some pictures of the interior of an old dance hall that is now an art supply store. But on the way across town I got in an accident. A girl driving an SUV in front of me stopped for some strange reason, and I rear-ended her. I couldn't see any damage on her car, but my bumper was impaled on her trailer hitch. I could have cried--this is the first real fender bender I have been in for about 20 years. And the first with my PT Cruiser--which I still think of as my "new car." Oh well, at least nobody was hurt. Though it remains to be seen if she decides to make some claim for her insurance...this could still come back to bite me. So after all that, I felt like I needed an escape, so yesterday I took Mary out to see the new Streep movie about Florence Foster Jenkins. Oh man, that was a beautiful thing! It was just what I needed--a chance to escape back to the 20th century. Last Sunday Mary and I also went to the Yolo County Fair, to attend what will most likely be our last of the fairs for this year. And imagine my surprise when I went into the photography exhibit hall to find that of my six photo entries, I got four blue ribbons and one of those also had a "Best Over All" ribbon! I was truly excited--that was the last ribbon I got in the 2016 fair season, so I feel like I really ended on a high note. So now I'm taking photo safaris to try to get out there and get the photos that I will try to enter in 2017! Well, I have a ton of things on my to-do list for today, and a lot of that is processing photos and posting things...so I had better get back to it! Hope to see you all a couple of weeks from now in the Chat! (Next weekend is the Labor Day holiday.)
	Cheers, VacaDude


	Hello there, Everbuddy!
	Zorro the Mouse here. Last weekend was vun--going to the last of the county fairs. Though I was looking for some roasted corn wrapped in bacon, but they did not have any there! I had seen them at the State Fair and a couple of the others. There was one booth that sold roasted corn, and lots who served bacon. I thought about getting a roasted corn and then walking over to another booth to see if they would wrap some bacon around it--but it didn't happen. Instead, I settled for a tasty spicy sausage sandwich. There will always be next year to go for the corn! It was too bad about the Dude's car. He was pretty bummed about that. But the critters and I will do our best to cheer him up, and then we can do a vun StoryTime in a couple of weeks! Well, I hear a slice of Monterey Jack calling my name. So I'll talk with all you guyz soon!!
	Yours Most Whiskerly, Zorro


	*Next StoryTime*	Sunday, September 11, 2016 3:00 PM PST/6:00 PM EST

	*Title*	TBA

	*Invitation*	We REALLY 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*

	Easy Homemade Creamy Tomato Soup

	Ingredients:
	1 carrot - finely shredded ½ onion - very finely diced 1 rib celery - very finely diced ½ tablespoon minced garlic with juice 2 tablespoons butter 1 large can crushed tomatoes or 2 cans diced tomatoes 2 cans tomato paste 1 can evaporated milk 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese Salt and pepper to taste Chicken, beef or vegetable broth (optional)

	Directions:
	Sauté carrots, onions, celery and garlic in the butter until tender. Place vegetables (and diced tomatoes—undrained—if using) in a blender or food processor and blitz until the mixture reaches your desired level of smoothness. Pour into a saucepan. Add crushed tomatoes (if using), tomato paste, evaporated milk and Parmesan cheese. Heat through. Season to taste. If you want a thinner soup, add some broth or stock (or more tomato juice). Serve garnished with parsley, thinly slice green onions or a swirl of sour cream.

	Sausage Sliders with Cran-Apple Slaw

	Ingredients:
	Slaw: 1½ cup broccoli slaw mix or shredded cabbage ¾ cup chopped apple 6 tablespoons dried cranberries 6 tablespoons chopped pecans, toasted 3 tablespoons mayonnaise 3 tablespoons barbecue sauce Sliders: 2 pound bulk pork sausage 8 slices sharp cheddar cheese, halved 16 dinner rolls, halved and toasted 3 tablespoons mild brown mustard 3 tablespoons mayonnaise 16 lettuce leaves

	Directions:
	In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Chill until serving. Shape sausage into eight patties. In a large skillet, cook patties over medium heat for 3-4 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 160° and juices run clear, adding cheese slices during the last 1-2 minutes of cooking time. Mix mustard and mayonnaise. Spread rolls with mustard mixture. Place a lettuce leaf on each of the roll bottoms. Top each with a sausage patty and 2 tablespoons coleslaw mixture. Replace roll tops.


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

Barn Owls

	CARRI Colorado Avian Research and Rehabilitation Institute		http://www.carriep.org/ http://www.carriep.org/nest-cams/ The cam is back online with eggs

	Starr Ranch	http://starrranch.org/blog/ Mama sitting on five eggs, hatch due soon

	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/ First Owlet hatching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MimLJZYHkXY&feature=youtu.be

Other Owls

	OwlGuy Lake Okeechobee, Florida	OwlGuy is now broadcasting again as Mrs. Barred Owl laid her first egg of the season on January 18. http://www.ustream.tv/channel/owlguy

	Savannah Bird Cam @ The Landings	http://landingsbirdcam.com/ https://www.facebook.com/LandingsBirdCam?fref=nf

	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 Three owlets: Java, Malaya and Caspian have all fledged. 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
	Hummingbird University of Arizona	Marmou (Marilyn) sent this from her new home town in Arizona. This little lady built a nest on the end of a data cable for a future wireless access point. http://www.pdc.arizona.edu/webcam/ENR2_HummingBird.aspx

	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 puppies have gone to their forever homes. The cam is now offline.

	San Diego Zoo and Safari Park	http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/

	Wild Earth Safari Cam	http://www.ustream.tv/channel/wildearth-safaris

	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

	Fascinating Information about the Jeweled City
John has talked about the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition (PPIE). Tzunamie found us this link:
http://home.comcast.net/~sgsanders/index.html

Mother Owl Takes On Snake—and Wins
Ketaki sent this in. She says, "I saw it live when it happened and it was so fast. It's too bad she didn't kill it and feed to the owlets. They could have used the food, and the snake, a rat snake, is non-venomous. But she was intent on protection. They run it in slow motion at the end so you can see her, and the inset window shows the snake coming down from the top."
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/05/150514-owl-snake-video-animals-fight/

This Bird Song Collection Will Get You In Tune With Nature
http://www.ba-bamail.com/content.aspx?emailid=15112

Help in Identifying Birds
Try www.whatbird.com It's helps identify lots of birds.

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


	Just for the Fun of It		Fun Animations		Photo of the Week		Kyle's Jokes of the Week		Zorro's Word 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 get when you cross a wolf with a ceramicist? A hairy potter.

	What does the gorilla call his girlfriend? His prime mate

	Knock knock. Who's there? To. To who? No, no, to whom.

	The teacher of the earth science class was lecturing on map reading. After explaining about latitude, longitude, degrees and minutes the teacher asked, "Suppose I asked you to meet me for lunch at 23 degrees, 4 minutes north latitude and 45 degrees, 15 minutes east longitude . . .?" After a confused silence, a voice volunteered, "I guess you'd be eating alone."

	When your toddlers are teenagers, don't forget to wake them up at 2:45am to tell them your socks came off.

	A teenage boy is getting ready to take his girlfriend to the prom. First he goes to rent a tux, but there's a long tux line at the shop and it takes forever. Next, he has to get some flowers, so he heads over to the florist and there's a huge flower line there. He waits forever but eventually gets the flowers. Then he heads out to rent a limo. Unfortunately, there's a large limo line at the rental office, but he's patient and gets the job done. Finally, the day of the prom comes. The two are dancing happily and his girlfriend is having a great time. When the song is over, she asks him to get her some punch, so he heads over to the punch table and there's no punchline.


	Upcoming Holidaze!
	August 28 World Sauntering Day National Cherry Turnover Day Race Your Mouse Around the Icons Day August 29 More Herbs, Less Salt Day Lemon Juice Day August 30 National Toasted Marshmallow Day Frankenstein Day August 31 National Trail Mix Day Eat Outside Day September ADHD Month Baby Safety Month Better Breakfast Month Chicken Month Classical Music Month Fall Hat Month Hispanic Heritage Month	September (cont.) Honey Month International Square Dancing Month Little League Month National Blueberry Popsicle Month National Courtesy Month National Piano Month Self Improvement Month Saturday before Labor Day - International Bacon Day 1st Monday in September - Labor Day September 1 Emma M. Nutt Day (the first woman telephone operator) Calendar Adjustment Day National No Rhyme (Nor Reason) Day September 2 National Beheading Day V-J Day (signing of the surrender document) September 3 National Skyscraper Day US Bowling League Day

Southwest Florida Eagles