Tecant's Blog

In early June, I accompanied my daughter (one of the Fox6 Web Producers) on a nine day mission trip to The Servant's Heart, a Lutheran mission in Guatemala City, Guatemala.  The mission serves the people who live in shantytowns (known as the Squatters' Area) next to the city dump, which is the largest landfill in Central America.  This was my daughter’s second trip, my first.  The trip changed me and taught me some important lessons. 

After returning, I’ve told my family that if they ever again hear me complaining about anything in my life, they should slap some sense into me and say, “Remember Guatemala.”  Despite skyrocketing gas prices, an unpopular war, the home loan/credit crisis, and an economic slump, we don’t realize just how good we have it here at home in the USA. 

That is, until you meet the poorest of the poor in a third world country.  Until you encounter people living in a one room shack made of rusty corrugated tin, without indoor plumbing or electricity. 

People salvaging recyclables from a stinking city dump, while vultures circle overhead, to sell in order to buy food.

Meat and vegetables for sale in the squatters’ area (shantytown) with flies crawling all over them.  A woman sewing on a pedal powered machine to earn some money for her family. 

Children playing with a wooden top spun up to speed with a string, children with smiles on their faces because life hasn’t yet wiped them off. 

Drug addicts (“huffers”) with vacant stares and filthy clothes coming for a free bowl of soup and bag of juice, their only meal for the day and maybe longer. 

A child’s casket tossed over the edge of the city cemetery into the dump, because the family couldn’t afford to keep up the rental payments on the burial crypt.  If the casket breaks open, vultures "dispose" of the remains.

It makes you want to cry.  …  Then I remembered myself complaining because our airplane for the Miami to Guatemala City flight was delayed for more than two hours.

I’ll remember an old lady whom who pays 100 Quetzales per month ($14) to live in a one room concrete block shack with a tin roof, no electricity, no indoor plumbing.  Except for her bed, a large duffle bag would hold all her possessions.  Although she lives several miles outside the city of Amatitlan she walks into the city every Monday for the Women’s Bible Study service.  And before we can share some Scripture with her she gets out her reading classes and her worn Bible with yellowed pages that has lost its covers, and picks out a passage from Matthew to share with us.  That’s faith. 

I’ll remember the other mission team (from Indiana) telling us about a house visit to a couple who were caring for a man in a wheelchair.  Years before, he had tried to rape their daughter.  Some time later, while drunk, he had fallen into a well and became crippled.  Yet this couple forgave him, took him into their home and have cared for him ever since.  Only Jesus Christ can empower that kind of forgiving love.

I don’t remember anyone complaining about the price of gasoline ($5/gallon), because almost none of the people we met owned a vehicle.  I do remember people who have so much less than I do and yet they seem to be happier.  (We spend our lives accumulating stuff and happiness eludes us.)  And everyone greets you with a warm embrace and hug. 

We went to The Servant’s Heart Mission in Guatemala intending to bring humanitarian aid and testimony about Jesus and we did.  But we never expected that we would be so blessed by the experience. 

If ever in your life you have an opportunity to go on a mission trip, take it.  You will be blessed.

* * *

For more photos, check out my albums on MyFoxMilwaukee, or visit my Flickr galleries.  The photos in these albums and galleries were shot by several different team members besides myself.  For security reasons (lots of crime in poverty stricken areas) we could only use digital cameras on two days.  Many of the photos were shot on disposable cameras. 

There's more to write, but I think I'll save it for another post.

When Summerfest opened last Thursday, some camera club friends and I met for a picnic and to shoot photos of the Big Bang fireworks.

Last year had been my first try at shooting fireworks. I had done some internet research and discovered the essentials of fireworks photography: a sturdy tripod and a slow exposure. This year I was better prepared and my results were improved.

I liked the sailboat in the foreground and wished that I had zoomed wider to include in the picture more sailboats at the South Shore Yacht Club. Next time.



If you want to try shooting fireworks photos, you'll find some good tips in these articles from the New York Institute of Photography website:

How To Photograph Fireworks

Shooting Fireworks With A Digital Point & Shoot Camera (a little dated)

Photographing Fireworks In Your Backyard

Here's what worked for me. My friends and I set up a few blocks south of South Shore Park in Bay View, where South Shore Drive comes to a dead end. This spot gives you a view north toward the South Shore Yacht Club, the Hoan Bridge and the downtown skyline. Here's what it looks like just after sunset but before the sky goes completely dark.



Since the fireworks were going to be shot off near the north end of the Summerfest Grounds, I used a 70-300mm telephoto zoom to focus on just that portion of the downtown skyline. I varied my zoom setting from 145 to 200mm. Looking at my pictures later, I wished I had shot at 100-135mm instead to include more sailboats at anchor in the foreground.

Tech Stuff: I switched my DSLR to manual focus and focused the lens at infinity (the US Bank building). I put my camera in Manual exposure mode, set the ISO to ISO 200, and set the Aperture at f16 to f22. I used the "bulb" exposure setting and my wireless remote to vary the exposure time from 3 to 12 seconds. Because of the slow exposure, you absolutely need a sturdy tripod to hold your camera rigidly still. ... When it came to the grand finale, the fireworks bursts were coming so close together that I should have changed my aperture to f32 and a 1 or 2 second exposure. I forgot and here was the result.



The chemicals in fireworks burn very, very hot and caused an over-exposed white blob.

The 4th of July is coming up this Friday and there are lots of festivals that feature their own fireworks shows. Give it a try and post your pics on MyFox. I have more fireworks photos in my Milwaukee At Night album.

P.S. The location I used for the Big Bang Fireworks also works well for Milwaukee night-time skyline photos.

Donkey Ball is basketball played by participants riding donkeys, or at least trying to. I had never been to a donkey ball game and I had a new lens to try out, so I went to a game this past week.



When you meet the donkeys, you may think to yourself, "That looks easy; I could do that." Maybe ...



The donkeys are shod with rubber shoes so their hooves don't damage the gym floor.



The participants wear batting helmets in case they fall off (likely). Even more likely for the "jocks" who were assigned a donkey named "Buckmaster."



The rules are simple: You don't have to dribble but you must be mounted to pass the ball or attempt a basket. You may get off your donkey to go for the ball, but you must not let go of the halter.





There are no fouls or free-throws, but you absolutely may not hit a donkey with a pass. If you do, you must kiss that donkey on the lips.



If you hit a donkey a second time with the ball, you must kiss the other end.

Time outs may only be called by the referee (when "poop happens") so a pair of science teachers can run out to clean up.



Hilarious!

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I have done only a little amateur sports photography. For outdoor, daylight sports any good telephoto zoom lens will do the job. Just set your camera to a shutter speed fast enough to stop action, something like 1/500 second.

For indoor sports, there may not be enough light for your camera to shoot at 1/500 second. What then? Your built in flash may adequate for taking a picture of someone standing eight feet away but it doesn't have the power to light up the whole court. Even if it could, a strong flash from the stands would be distracting to an athlete attempting the winning basket as time runs out. His coach probably wouldn't be too happy with you either. You have to work with the available light. But how?

1. Whether you have a compact point and shoot digital camera or a digital SLR with interchangeable lenses, make sure to set your camera to "Auto ISO" or manually select the highest ISO setting your camera is capable of.

ISO is a measure of how sensitive the digital sensor is to light. When we still used 35mm film we called it 400 speed film (same as ISO 400) or 800 speed film (ISO 800). If your camera can reach ISO 1600 or higher, that should work fine.

Pictures will be a little grainy at these high ISO settings, but still good enough for your scrapbook. You will need the high ISO setting to achieve a shutter speed fast enough to stop action.

2. On your camera mode dial, select "Shutter Priority". On a Nikon this is labeled "S"; on a Canon it is "Tv". If there is enough light for your camera/lens, set the shutter speed to 1/500 second for regular basketball and other fast moving sports. 1/250 second is enough for slower moving sports like donkey ball. Your camera will choose the aperture.

If you don't know what "ISO" or "Shutter Priority" is, look for a Sports scene mode on your camera. It's a shortcut to a fast shutter speed.

* * * * *

If your indoor sports pictures come out too dark, your camera wasn't set to its highest ISO value, or it's not capable of taking a good picture in weak, indoor light without flash. My wife's two year old Canon A620 only goes up to ISO 400, which isn't enough for indoor sports. However, it takes great pictures outdoors in daylight.

If your pictures turn out blurry, the shutter speed was too slow to stop action. Try a faster shutter speed, if your camera is capable of doing so in the available light. Or your auto-focus couldn't keep up with the action.

A digital SLR has advantages over point & shoot cameras when it comes to shooting sports, especially indoors. (A) Their sensors are much larger, which enables them to catch more photons of light. Result, they can reach higher ISO settings which translates into faster shutter speeds to stop action. (B) Their auto-focus systems are faster and more accurate for tracking action. I set my auto-focus to use just one of my camera's five auto-focus points. This allows me to keep that AF point on the player with the ball, so the AF system does not get confused and lock onto the player behind him. (C) I took off my regular zoom lens and put on my new 50mm f1.8 lens. That "f1.8" refers to the maximum aperture (my regular zoom only goes to f3.5-f4.5). It means that my 50mm lens will enable my camera to take a picture in about 1/4 the light that my zoom requires.

Nikon and Canon make lenses that sell for thousands of dollars. A Nikon 50mm f1.8 lens sells for $110; Canon's 50mm f1.8 is merely $85. I got mine used for $60. These 50mm lenses are small, sharp and weigh about 5oz.. They are great for amateur indoor sports photography and indispensable whenever there isn't enough light for your zoom lens. Get one for your camera.

Now that our 98.9" of snow has melted and the temp has risen above 60 degrees at least once, it's time to be outdoors. The lakefront is an excellent place to go for a walk and has sidewalks to keep your shoes from getting muddy during April showers, but I like going for a walk or hike in a wild place. With camera or binoculars, of course. And an old pair of tennis shoes, because trails may be muddy this time of year.

One of my favorite wild places (because it's close to home) is the Wehr Nature Center in Whitnall Park. Between melted snow and spring rains, there is a lot of water going over the waterfalls.

Actually, the waterfalls are only half that tall. There was a glitch when I uploaded the pic and it got stretched vertically. It looked more majestic, so I left it that way.

Last spring my walks at Wehr taught me that there is a sequence of mini-seasons for wildflowers. In a few weeks we will see early-to-bloom types like Marsh Marigolds in wetland areas and at the edge of ponds and lakes.

About the same time in wooded areas, beneath oak and maple trees that haven’t leafed out yet you can find Virginia Bluebells.

In late May and into early June you can find Jack-In-The-Pulpit in shady areas.

Back in mid-March, I drove out to the Vernon Marsh (north of Mukwonago) and hiked out into the marsh on one of the dikes. Although I am a newbie at bird-watching, on that Saturday afternoon I spotted a Red-Tailed Hawk, Red-wing Blackbirds, Canadian geese, Downy Woodpecker, Black-capped Chickadee, Cardinals, a pair of Sandhill Cranes …

and a White-Breasted Nuthatch.

If you live on the north or east side of Milwaukee, you may want to visit the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center. On Saturdays, they present “Sky Hunters, Birds of Prey” featuring live eagles, hawks and owls. (All of the Center's raptors are injured in some way and are not able to be released back into the wild.) And you can hike trails from the top of the bluffs down to the Lake Michigan shore.

Two wild places I haven’t been to yet, but hope to explore this spring are: the Kettle Moraine State Forest - Southern Unit, (especially the Scuppernong Trail) and the Retzer Nature Center in Waukesha County.

* * * * *
Birder’s World magazine has a web page about Birding Basics and some advice for choosing a pair of affordable binoculars. For bird photography, a pro might use a 600mm lens that costs $10,000 to shoot photos for National Geographic. But an amateur nature photographer can get some scrapbook worthy results with an $500 DSLR camera and a $200 telephoto zoom lens, or even a compact point & shoot camera with a 10X optical zoom like the Canon SX100 IS ($220 at Amazon.com).
* * * * *

If you have a favorite wild place, please post a comment and tell us about it.

You can find more wild places by looking here, here, and there.

When my niece asked me to shoot her high school graduation pictures I was hesitant to say “Yes”. While I think I’ve learned a few things about nature photography, never have I tried to learn how to take great portraits. But it was a good excuse to purchase a new flash for my Nikon.

Since my niece lives in Minnesota, I needed a model to practice on so I borrowed a toddler. Actually, my daughter was already babysitting “Betty” at our house. Her parents are good friends of our daughter and of us, too. Plus, I gave them copies of all the pictures.

Since our dogs were around, a “Kids and Pets” photo op took place.

If Bandit kisses you, you’ll want to keep your mouth shut – or you’ll get some tongue.

Takedown!
This “look” was my favorite.

BLOOPERS:
Reasons why these photos won’t win any awards, but might win a place in the scrapbook.

Cute pose but the background is rather distracting – and (after I took the picture) -- my wife exclaimed, “That’s the dogs’ hairbrush!” Oh, well.

That blue toy also belongs to Bandit. Oops.

Drops of drool on the chin. Note the Aliens DVD’s on the bookshelf. Those critters were nasty droolers, too.

Unplanned extreme close-ups: “I wanta play wit camra!!!” (maybe, in 10 years)

TECH STUFF: For scrapbook worthy pics of kids and pets …

1) Get down to kids-eye level, on your hands and knees or lay on the floor opposite your subject.

2) Set your camera to continuous shooting mode, so that it keeps taking photos as fast as it can for as long as you hold down the shutter button. This gives you better odds at capturing that special moment.

3) If you have an external flash, tilt the flash head upward to bounce the light off the ceiling. With direct flash, you get dark shadows behind your subject like THIS.

With bounce flash, the shadow will be on the floor, where it belongs.



Take lots and lots of pictures while your kids are babies. With digital there’s no reason to economize. There are no re-takes after they have grown up. Now we have to wait for grandchildren.

We had a great time up north last Saturday. Some old friends from when we lived in Appleton organized a sleigh ride party at their tree farm. Naturally, I had to snap a few pictures. Friends of our friends brought the horses, a bob-sled and a sleigh. Everyone brought food and drink to share. And God sent a light snow falling most of the day.

This was my favorite of the day. I think it may be featured on our next Christmas cards.



A close-up of the "2 horsepower" motor pulling the bobsled.



There was also a small sleigh pulled by two Shetland-sized ponies, though they might have been a different breed.



While we were out on the trail, a flock of turkeys flew up ahead of us.



And, the obligatory barn photo. Though the "barn" is actually a cottage styled like a barn.



And we all had fun.



The rest of my sleigh ride pictures are in an album here.

* * * * *
Fresh falling snow makes for pretty pictures, BUT ... it's not good for your camera. The cameras and lenses used by professionals have very good weather seals, one reason why they are so expensive. Cameras and lenses marketed to amateurs (like my gear) usually lack these seals. So I kept wiping snowflakes off my camera and lens. When I wasn't using it I tucked it inside my coat or put it back in my camera bag. I also keep some packets of silica gel in my camera bag to absorb moisture/humidity.

At Bradford Beach on New Year's Day are two kinds of people: The Courageous (who take the Polar Bear Plunge) and the Cowards (who don't). I belong to the latter group.



Or, at 20 degrees with a 15 mph wind, it might be more accurate to label these two kinds of people: The Insane and The Sane.



Some just watch.



Some have fun.



In my heart, I envied these people a little bit for the nerve they have to do this in the chill of winter. Then I took my gloves off to operate my camera and remembered how nice it is to stay warm.

Further south, at Veteran's Park, the Cool Fool Kite Festival was going on.



Some kites flew high.



And some didn't.



But the sun was shining and everyone had fun. You could get a hot chocolate inside the Kite Store. [More Jan. 1st pics here.]

MyFOXMilwaukee.com regularly invites us to upload snowstorm pictures. These pictures feature recent snow, not here, but at the Minnesota Zoo where they have one of the best outdoor Amur (Siberian) Tiger exhibits in the country. On Dec. 31 we had a couple of hours to visit the zoo before returning to Milwaukee.

The Tiger Lair section of the exhibit currently features two sisters, born at the zoo three years ago.



Snow was lightly falling as she turned to look at me.





Just before we left, I caught a picture of her sister enjoying a snack.



Amur Tigers are comfortable outside in the winter weather. The tigers at the Milwaukee Zoo also enjoy the snow.

If you have a membership at the Milwaukee County Zoo, you can get into the Minnesota Zoo for free (+ $5 parking) under a reciprocal admissions policy. The Minnesota Zoo is located a few miles south of the Mall of America, in Apple Valley, MN. Unlike the Milwaukee County Zoo, the Minnesota Zoo has no outdoor exhibits for warm weather animals like elephants and giraffes. All their outdoor habitats are devoted to creatures from northern latitudes.

More zoo photos can be seen in my album here.

After turkey and Packer football yesterday I perused the Black Friday ad sections to see if there were any incredible deals on something I couldn't live without. I made my plans and set my alarm clock.

I woke up early, made coffee and put on coat, cap and gloves. Then I drove past Kohl's (which had opened at 4am) and Walmart (had opened at 5am) and kept driving until I reached my favorite Milwaukee County Park.

The sun had not yet risen but the horizon showed the promise of its arrival.



I found some Christmas colors ...



... and an early shopper hiding his finds from the kids.



Some white-tailed does crossed my path, and then ...



... a 10 point buck. I watched him for a while. Later a 6 point buck came around and the two engaged in some pushing and shoving.



(Sorry about the lousy picture; they didn't give me a chance at a clear shot.) I walked some more but it was time to head for home.



On my way back to my car, I encountered Rudolph's Mom who looked at me as if to say, ...



"Now, wasn't that less stressful than pushing through rude crowds at the mall?"

She was right.

... on another season of Wisconsin high school football.



I shot the above picture during the 1st quarter of the Arrowhead vs. Homestead game on Friday at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison. That game was the last of the 7 division championship games played Thursday and Friday and thus the final game of the 2007 high school football season.

My wife and I had come to Madison earlier in the morning for the Division 3 matchup between New London and Wisconsin Lutheran, the team we follow. That game featured Wisco's Chris Echols running through the Bulldogs defense for 213 yards and 2 TD's.



When the Bulldogs had the ball, Damon Campbell and the Vikings defense stuffed the New London running game.



After the game ended in a 49-7 score we went over to Mickies Dairy Bar for lunch.



Mickies is across the street from Camp Randall. This old time diner opened its doors in 1946 and hasn't changed since. The menu is still hand-written on the back wall and they don't accept credit cards.

After a cheddar melt and root beer float, my wife and I decided to walk over to the State Capital (we thought we'd get too cold sitting in the stands for three straight games). That walk turned out to be longer than I figured. We toured the capital building (admission is free for taxpayers) but did not encounter the governor or any legislators. Perhaps they were up north hunting for big campaign donations big bucks.

Back at Camp Randall for the Arrowhead - Homestead rematch, I tried my hand at some more amateur sports photography, but with less light. Jeff Budzien of Arrowhead, who kicked a 55 yard field goal earlier in the season, kicked a 36 yarder to give his team a 10-7 halftime lead.



The second half featured Homestead fighting tooth and nail for every yard but never reaching the end zone. Meanwhile, the Warhawk running backs broke free for long TD runs. The final score in this rematch was Arrowhead 31, Homestead 7. Last year Homestead won 35-0.

I uploaded a few more pictures from Friday to my Madison album.

As the sun set during the Arrowhead - Homestead game I found my thoughts wandering back over the 2007 high school football season. I did not see any games featuring arrogant, whiney and overpaid athletes, just kids playing for the love of the game.

I did not have to take out a home equity loan to pay for good seats, just $3 (in the regular season, $6 at Camp Randall). A hot dog and coke might set me back another $3-4 total (higher at Camp Randall). Youth and high school sports are a terrific entertainment bargain.

It's nice when your team wins big, but the close games are the most exciting. The Hartford-Wisco matchup is always a good game (we lost this year 21-19), but my favorite memory of the season was the hard-fought Wisco-Kewaskum game in the semi-final. My heart alternately sank and raced as the scoring went back and forth. The Vikings had to hold off a furious charge by the Indians in the closing minutes to prevail 24-17.

What's your favorite memory of the fall sports season?

Ever since I successfully shot some fireworks photos this summer, I've been wanting to try shooting the Milwaukee skyline at night. So last Thursday I went down to the lakefront with my camera. It was a clear night with a full moon.

Why did I pick Thursday? Because the Art Museum is open till 8pm on Thursday nights and that means the wings of the Calatrava addition would be up and lit by floodlights. Every other night of the week the museum closes at 5pm and the Calatrava folds its wings. October 25 also featured a full moon.

From the breakwater that curves out into the lake between the Pieces of Eight restaurant and Discovery World, I got this shot.

Unfortunately, the full moon was behind me when I took this pic. But I couldn't resist Photoshopping it into the picture anyway.

From the Pieces of Eight parking lot, I got a different angle on the Calatrava. For fun I decided to do some extreme shifting of the color balance to make it look like an alien spaceship.

If you want to try your hand at shooting the skyline at night, you can use a compact digital camera or a film/digital SLR. But you absolutely must have a sturdy tripod to hold your camera rigidly still during long exposures.

I used a Nikon D50 with an 18-70mm zoom lens. I experimented with different exposures but this one worked best: ISO 200, 8 seconds @ f11. (If I'd been using my wife's Canon A620 I'd have set it to ISO 100, 8 seconds @ f8.) Autofocus worked well on floodlit buildings like the Calatrava but for shooting the whole skyline I switched to manual focus at infinity. I also used the Manual Exposure mode because auto-exposure would have made the image way too bright.

Even if the full moon had been over the skyline I would have had to shoot it separately because it is so much brighter than the city lights. My moon shot was 1/80th of a second at f11, the skyline was 8 seconds at f11. If you try to shoot them together, the moon turns out as a featureless, overexposed white circle.

I admit, this type of photo is just easier to set up with an SLR type of camera. But If you doubt pictures like this can be taken with a point & shoot digital camera, check out these awesome photos by Wilson Toi. He shot the whole gallery page with a (now obselete) $200 Canon A620, the same camera my wife uses.

For 115 days neither side would budge, but we finally have a state budget.

Although I could argue a whole bunch of points about this budget, I think the final, negotiated budget is bi-partisan politics at its best.

That is, neither side got everything they wanted. This happened because the Democrats control the Senate and the Governor's mansion, but the Republicans control the Assembly. When government is divided like this, the citizens are spared from the worst extremes of either party. The worst thing that can happen is for one party (either one) to control all three: Senate, Assembly, Governor.

As you might guess, I am neither Republican or Democrat. Which one I favor depends on the issue.

Now for a picture to illustrate the new budget:

 

That's pork sausage on the right and on the left, taxpayers getting scrambled.

* * * * *

What is the difference between a politician and a lawyer?

A lawyer still knows when he is telling a lie.

 

One might think these have nothing in common, but if you remember your Sunday School lessons, Jesus Christ was born in a barn. And, secondly, old barns and churches furnish good photo opportunities for a Fall Color Report from Door County.

We camped last weekend in Peninsula State Park, but fall color was not yet at its peak. There were a few trees, like this one ...

that had turned color completely and lost some of their leaves.  Most, but not all of the trees around this old barn near Old Stage Road had changed.

I had really hoped the trees surrounding the Bethany Lutheran and Ephraim Moravian Churches in Ephraim would be in all their fall glory and set off the white steeples, but I was disappointed.   They were still 70% green.  Maybe I'll get that picture next time.

The color seemed to be closest to peak in the northeast part of Door County, near Newport State Park and a week or more before peak in the rest of the county. If you are going up there this weekend, take your camera and have fun.

Deep in Minnesota Viking territory, in south-central Minnesota, lives a 6-year old boy named Robert. His Mom and his older sister and brother are Vikings fans. Robert's Dad cheers for the Detroit Lions since he grew up in Michigan, and numerous other relatives are Vikings fans. But Robert is a Green Bay Packer fan. And his favorite Packer is quarterback Brett Favre.

Robert is my nephew. When we learned that Robert had given his loyalty to the Packers, of course we had to encourage that. So we bought him a Brett Favre jersey for his birthday. My sister wished we had bought two, so she could get it off him and into the wash.

Naturally, he was wearing the #4 jersey as we watched the Packers defeat the Vikings at Robert's place last Sunday. After Brett set the record with his 421st touchdown pass, Robert had to celebrate, so he threw a few passes to himself and caught them.

And Robert had to re-enact a few highlight reel moments from Brett's career.

If you want to capture shots of active kids, you'll need a fast shutter speed. I had my Nikon D50 set at 1/320 second. It was a cloudy, rainy day so the light coming in the windows didn't help much. The primary lighting was from the camera's built in flash (note the dark shadows behind Robert). An external flash with a tilt/swivel head (like Nikon's SB600) would have enabled me to bounce the flash off the ceiling and get rid of the dark shadow.

A few of my camera settings were less than optimum. I hate looking at my pictures afterwards and thinking, I shoulda done this, that and the other thing.  The background is distracting, too.  Still, with kids and pets, capturing the moment is what counts. With faster auto-focus and better performance in low indoor light, a digital SLR has an advantage over a compact point & shoot camera for capturing action indoors.

It's that time of year when small, furry creatures try to find a nice heated space for the winter.

I discovered that at least one mouse had gotten in when I was eating my bowl of Honey-Nut Cheerios for breakfast. There were some mouse t****s floating in the milk. Yuck! Very Gross!! So, last night I cleaned out the pantry and set a trap.

But, after work, we discovered that our dogs had killed a mouse in the kitchen. Then while we were at a high school football game, They killed another one and brought it proudly to our daughter, who was working on a project in the dining room. She was not pleased.

When my wife and I got home from the game, we discovered two more dead mice. The dogs had killed them and put them in the corner of their doggie bed under the kitchen table. For a midnight snack?

Needless to say, I went to Walmart for some more traps in the morning. We hesitate to use poison because of the dogs, since we don't want the dogs to eat a mouse that ate poison. And I'll be crawling under our enclosed front porch to try to figure out where they are getting in.

In years past I was successful baiting traps with peanut butter, but I haven't caught any yet this time.

So far, the score is now: Dogs 4, Humans 0

(Oh, ... the high school football team we cheer for won 49-16).

The Mighty Mouse Hunters:

My Anti-Mouse Arsenal:

 

I generally stick with the traditional Vicktor mouse traps (4 for $1.27 at Walmart) but the Mice Cube caught my eye. It is a 1 1/2" square plastic tube with a trapdoor on one end. You put bait inside at the far end. The mouse enters in search of peanut butter and crackers, but he can't get out!  You can then take the trap outdoors and release him (but I wouldn't).

However, note the descriptive words on the Mice Cube packaging: "Safe, Clean, Silent, Re-Useable, HUMANE, and Easy-To-Use. While I am all for the humane treatment of pets and livestock, I am not the least bit concerned with the HUMANE treatment of mice that have invaded my house.

I rather like the way my co-worker modified a mousetrap. He welded a new utility knife blade to the bar on the trap, creating a Guillotine Trap. You must be very careful when setting it because it's the opposite of the Mice Cube: Not Safe around Pets and Small Children, Creates a Bloody Mess, Causes a Quick Death.

The only good mouse ... is one waiting his turn to become lunch for a snake in the Reptile building at the Zoo.