Sunday

So today's confession is that I jumped the shark and gave into the primal urge to get the new "big" digital camera.  Another Canon.  The EOS D60. These are the first pictures.  Literally.  I had the idea that I would get out and catch some shots of the eagles at the lock/dam by LeClaire.  But it was cold as heck out there, and the eagles were too far away.  This is what you get.

My logic, weak as it may be, is that I want to have a really good camera for #BarcelonaBordeau2015, and the price for this model has come down a couple hundred bucks since Canon brought out an upgrade for this target market a year or so ago. My goal is to get proficient with this thing before the end of Summer.  It is also consistent with my personal goal to get back into photography rather than the point and shoot iPhone or mini-digi.  This thing has so many whistles and bells that I need to find an on-line course to help me wade through the instructions.

This time of year in this geography, colors are not out there in nature.  Maybe there will be some more eye-appealing subjects next weekend in Texas.

Expect more random pics here in the future.

In other unrelated news, I will take a small bow for completing the Saturday NYT crossword yesterday.  I usually don't get that one fully done, let alone on the publishing date.  The moon and stars had to have been aligned.  Several full horizontal and full vertical solutions to clues.  The mind must have been in the groove.  Some days you get the bear.

Props to the 24 for grabbing the pole today for next Sunday's Daytona 500.  Qualifying is now a crap-shoot and the drivers don't like it.  One big wreck took out 3-4 cars who will now have to go to back-up cars for the Thursday qualifying races and next Sunday's real deal.  NASCAR came up with the new qualifying format to get away from the paint-drying boring single-car runs that had been the prior seasons' protocol.  This new way needs work.  Why have them wreck their cars before the actual race?

Just checked the scores.  I see that the Hawks made another statement today to reserve their spot in the NIT.  Unbelievable.

Like, no.  I'm not watching the NBA All-Star game. (I did watch Snedeker win at Pebble Beach today. Impressive scenery.  But I don't think worth the $500+ it takes to play 18.  Great that we didn't have to watch Bill Murray on the telecast...he didn't make the cut in the Pro-Am for Sunday.)

That's it from Maplecrest.  Had to present the news on the camera.  Hope it is a good week in your neighborhood.

BCOT