Month: January 2017

Catching Bass at Clearlake, CA

January 27, 2017

One of my favorite places to fish was on my friend’s pier in Lakeport, CA.  I have probably caught more fish there than anywhere else on earth. Though I would often go in the evenings and sit under the stars while fishing for catfish, another fish species was active during the daytime. This was the Largemouth Bass. Sometimes I would use a purple plastic worm and cast it up against the tules and jerk it back toward the dock. The Bass would dart out and strike the worm and I would pull back and set the hook and have a fun battle reeling it in. On other days, like the day when I caught these Bass, they were hungry for night crawlers. There was a Bass tournament going on at the lake that day with a lot of Bass boats buzzing around the perimeter of the lake working the docks and tules. I just sat out on the pier and cast out the worm and waited for a  strike. This was in early spring when the fish are active.

It helps to have a net to land them or you often lose the fish when they shake the hook. With a limit of five fish, you can catch a yummy dinner. Bass meat is white and flakey and has a mild taste. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and it’s hard to beat.

 

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Origami Bookmarks

January 27, 2017

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Some Origami folds can be very useful. One of these is the triangle unit from which you can construct bookmarks.

Here are a couple of the ones I have made from this unit. If you glue two together you can make a Star of David. Using smaller units glued to larger units, you can make any number of patterns.

The triangle fold begins with a triangle. You fold the three points of the triangle to the top middle above. Next, you fold the top layer point down to the right corner and crease it. Do this on all three corners. Next, you lock these three tabs together like you would a cardboard box. Each of the three sides has a pocket which will slip over the corner of a book page to mark your spot.

 

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Unit Origami Forms

January 27, 2017
  • These are a couple unit Origami folds that I have folded from models in books. The largest is composed of 30 units, all folded the in the same manner. These units can be combined into other forms like a 60 unit module. The two smaller spheres are made with different units. Each of these has 12 units. Using the same units you can make a variety of shapes. Using 6 units you can make a box. Many other forms are possible. This particular unit is one of the most sturdy units for construction. When you push on the outside of the spheres, once combined, they tighten almost like when you press on the outside of a snow ball. They hold together so tightly that you can play catch with them. The other units usually need a tiny dab of glue to keep them together for a more permanent display. There are many different units you can fold to make a wide variety of forms. Why not check out some of the unit Origami books at your library and give it a try?
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Milkweed Beetles

January 23, 2017

When walking along the creek and ditches in Idaho I came across these amazing insects. They are so beautiful glistening in the sun. As I researched to find out more about them and watched them for quite some time I learned a lot. I hope you enjoy learning about them too. While reading, consider how they came to have all of these behaviors and characteristics. Looks like design to me. How about you?

Click below to watch this presentation. You can also open it in Keynote, if you have that app.

 

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Leaping Leopard Frogs

January 23, 2017

One day at school, the high school Biology teacher came over and said, “Do you want some frogs for your Creature Feature?” Apparently he had purchased frogs for dissection and they were supposed to be dead and preserved. I decided it would be fun to learn more about the Leopard Frogs and watch how they behaved compared to the Bullfrogs I was most familiar. There were a lot of fun things to learn. In this presentation I will share a few of the things I learned and show you several pictures of these unique creations.

 

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Catching a Limit of Trout

January 20, 2017

Just came back from fishing in the creek. Caught a limit of trout (7) in 45 minutes. I was in the right spot at the right time. Just after I arrived and claimed my spot on the shore, in rode the fish and game truck. The officer on the bank told me that they had placed 350 trout in the creek in this planting. Worms seemed to do the trick. Only lost one due to slippy skin. Right after this loss I caught a replacement and that made a limit.

What a beautiful fish species. They have so much color when they first emerge from the water. God used a great color pallet when designing the trout. One of the best tasting fish, it is also easy to clean. All you do is cut a slit up the belly from the vent to the head. Cut off the head and pull out the guts. After this, run your finger inside the body cavity up along the inside of the backbone to remove the blood line there. Rinse out the inside and outside of the fish and you have a fish ready to cook.  Some people like to leave the head on to make the fish look bigger. Either way, the fish will taste good fried up.

Check out the planting schedules from the Department of Fish and Game in your area. Prepare all the gear ahead of time including bait. Find out which baits work best in your locale by asking other fishermen on the bank or just watch and see what they are using.img_4083

Dissolving Mushrooms: The Shaggy Mane Mushrooms

January 19, 2017

One of my favorite hobbies is hunting for mushrooms. I developed this interest while taking a field biology class when teaching in Redwood Valley, Ca. Though mushrooms can be very tasty, I do not recommend that you eat them unless you know for sure what they are. This usually requires an expert who has harvested them before. Even if you don’t eat them, mushrooms can be very interesting and are an important part of the environment. They help us in many ways. Some, however, can be harmful. Why not do some research and find out more about these amazing creations of God?

Click below to open presentation.  If you have the Keynote app. you can open it in it and see the progression of slides.

 

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Amazing Microbes

January 17, 2017

In this presentation you will learn about some extremely small creatures that God has designed to live where other creatures could not. How are they helpful to us? Where can you find them?

These pictures were taken in Yellowstone National Park. Enjoy!amazing-microbes

 

You can also open the above presentation in Keynote if you have that app. It will allow you to hear the sound effects and see the progression of the slides.

Insect Galls

January 16, 2017

Have you ever seen an oak ball? Is it a fruit of the oak tree or something else? Have you ever seen leaves with a bunch of swelled bubble on their edges. What causes these? Let’s take a few minutes to learn about insect galls.

 

Click below to see the presentation.

 

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Flamingo Lessons

January 11, 2017

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Have you ever watched a flamingo? These strange birds have several unusual behaviors. They can teach us lessons about how to live our lives in a manner to please the LORD. Check out these pictures I took at the Sacramento Zoo in California.

What Can We Learn From the Sea Anemones?

January 6, 2017

What Can We Learn From the Sea Anemones?

Have you ever been at the seaside and played in a tide pool? If so you have probably encountered some of these amazing animals, the sea anemones. This Power-Point presentation was a chapel I presented to several elementary students at a school in Carmichael, California. Hope you enjoy it too.

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If you have a Keynote App you can open this presentation with progressive motions.

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