Info Burung Kicauan

First - to anyone who cannot view my pictures I just don't know what to tell you.  I've not changed any settings (I don't even know what that means) and I put a question up at the blogger/google forum so someone there said they're looking into it.  I've had 5 or 6 of you report you can't see the pictures and it makes me sad!  Click on each one and it will blow up in a separate window.  Other than that I'm stumped!

Okay.  Now I'm so curious as to what your weather is like right now.  Is anyone else having crazy weather?  It was 95 degrees yesterday in SoCal.  (In fact as I type this it's still 80 degrees and it's almost 10pm.)  Now this is not entirely uncustomary for this time of year, however after the very cool spring and summer we experienced I really did expect to see the outline of a true fall season.  Well scrap that idea.  And scrap trying to put together an outfit post in this weather, too.  Fur?  Uh no, that's not hap'ning! (said like Kelly aka Liam Sullivan).  I seriously think I might have had a hot flash in the afternoon while trying to don a pair of jeans!!  I don't want to leave my fur behind!

All I could think about was ice cream, weeeeeeekend, ice cream, weeeeeekend, ice cream.  Is it the weekend??  The heat's gone to my head.  Or has it? 

Dean Davidson is a Canadian jewelry designer that has been an absolute fave of mine for about 4 years.  I first saw his designs in a magazine and was so excited to learn that he was Canadian, too.  When I headed home for the holidays that year I made a pit stop at Holt Renfrew to try on a couple pieces, and ended up using my Christmas money (thanks Dad!) to buy one of Dean's necklaces.  Suffice it to say it sparked a fire in me to own more.

When my jewelry was stolen from the hotel over my birthday, one of the pieces was a Dean Davidson ring (seen here).  It broke my heart because my Dad got it for me and it was the very last one at Holt Renfrew.   I never thought I'd see that ring again - unless I happened to spot it on some fool's finger in LA and stop, drop and roll 'em to get it back.  After a few torturous weeks I got desperate and sent an email to Dean's office in Toronto explaining what had happened.  Almost immediately he personally emailed me back and asked that I call him.  Can you imagine?  I stared at the computer speechless for a good 3 minutes (that's a lot for me).  We ended up talking for some time about all kinds of things - how I got to Southern Cal, where he grew up, where I grew up, how he got to do what he's doing, and so the story goes.

Brief Bio:
Before he designed jewelry, Dean spent several years as an Agricultural Consultant to Farmers.  Crazy, huh?  On a trip to Cape Town he became inspired by the culture and beauty of South Africa, and ultimately by the wonderful beads and jewels he discovered in their marketplaces.  Flash forward and he lived in Calgary, Alberta designing jewelry for Paul Hardy (swoon) for 6 years before launching his own line and moving operations to Toronto.  His designs have been worn by Jennifer Hudson, Tilda Swinton and Lara Spencer just to name a few.  I found his story so inspirational - it is a fine example of a person who totally allowed his life's course to be changed by what he knew to be true about himself in his heart.  I just love the whole thing - and his jewelry too, of course.

Check out some of my current faves:

Let's make one thing perfectly clear: My pal Dr. Steve Banner (pictured above) was NOT nekkid in this photo, though it certainly looks like he is. He is a good sport for sending in this photo along with a note suggesting it as a caption contest image! I'm proud to have Steve, an accomplished birder/tour leader/photographer/nudist wear a BWD bino-harness , regardless of whatever else he is (or is not) wearing.

We got a laundry-basket-full of great captions for contest #17. You can read all of them via the captions link on the original post.

Our extensive and distinguished panel of judges has chosen a winner and it's: Christoph Lange who wrote this caption:

Please read the manual of your GPS device carefully before using it for navigation!

Congrats to Christopher! Please send me your address via e-mail (editor AT birdwatchersdigest.com) so we can send you your fabulous prize.

Several other captions tickled the ribs of our judges, including:

Birding is Fun! said..."Does this bino harness give me man-boobs?"

Zeke Watkins said...(cue Davis Attenborough Voice) "This is the rare elusive Naked Birder. This male individual is seen here bathing and using a tool to search for the even rarer Female Naked Birder. The female has never been documented in the wild. Note the male's solitary lifestyle."

Connie Kogler said...No Butts, No Lory.

cyberthrush said...The new Swarovski binoculars were absolutely superb, though the free thong strap they threw in pinched a bit...

Jeff Bouton said...Thank god for waterproof optics... hope those are Leicas!

Phoebe (: said...What happens when you keep birders out all day without a bathroom.

Rondeau Ric said...Ed Robinson, lead singer for the Canadian band, Bare Naked Ladies, takes up birdwatching.

Thanks to all for playing (or just lurking)! Judging from the traffic that contest #17 received, I need to post more semi-nekkid images here on Bill of the Birds.

While closet diving (apparently several of us really love this term leading me to believe we could form a little closet hoarders anonymous group - except we might not be entirely anonymous, but who's counting?) this past weekend I became reacquainted with more than a few old friends.  It all started when Olivia Palermo showed up in those Sergio Rossi silver brogues 2 summers ago.  I swear it's all her fault (remember my new excuse? olivia palermo made me do it).  Of course I never could find her exact same shoes stateside leading me on a frenzied cat and mouse chase for a similar shoe that consumed my time for months.  Never give up.  

Anyway, while up to my elbows in wardrobe overhaul 2010 I stumbled upon the shoes in their little shoe bag hanging right on the door I open and stare at daily.  Look around much, Carrie?  Thereby proving my point:  if you have too much you don't even know what you've got.  Immediate outfits began springing to mind:  leather leggings, chunky sweaters and the shoes; khaki bubble skirt (seen here), striped t-shirt and the shoes; rolled skinny denim a la my Isabel Marant obsession (seen here and here), striped t-shirt and the shoes.  A glimpse inside the mind:  {Pause.  I said striped t-shirt twice - I need to go buy one.  goes to computer and can't find one for less than $76.  Why didn't I buy that sale one for $19.99 at J.Crew??!? lamentations ensue.  I'm never going to find a striped t-shirt!! wah wah wah as full-on whining breaks out from inside the closet.}
 
Chef:  didn't you buy a striped shirt at J.Crew that time?  
Me:  No *sniff*  
Chef:  remember that time?  they were almost closing
Me:  NO!  Don't you think I'd remember buying a striped shirt since I'm looking for one now?!? *insert exasperated tone in here*

Suddenly I take a denim jacket off a hanger revealing said striped shirt.  Pride's a biznatch and sometimes you've gotta chew on it.  

Me:  Um, you mean this one? *said in sheepish voice*
Met with silence and shaking head.
I'm still trying to live it down without a leg to stand on.


Please let me know in the comments if you can't see the pictures...some people are saying they can't and I just don't understand what the problem could be...technology = enemy!!

One of my favorite things about fall is the marvelous sunsets.  I don't know if it's the crisp breeze in the air or the shortening days, but the colors lighting up the sky recently have been absolutely breathtaking.  A part of my commitment to getting back to a healthy work/life balance is making time either early in the morning or late afternoon to catch the beauty of the sun.  Have you ever noticed how colors look wonderfully warm and faded in the earliest and latest hours of the day?

Aside from the variety of texture and fabric that appears in fashion, my favorite thing about fall is muted colors:  warm greys, taupes, greens, and mauves in particular.  If you were to come over and peek into my closet you would find piles of grey sweaters in varying shades and forms.  As much as I love grey (and I do have a deep love in my heart for it (as evidenced here, here and here) - are you with me ladies?) I have to be careful or it will take over and leave me feeling a little drab, so when I saw these lace shorts at Madewell it was a no-brainer.  They are the perfect shade, add just the right amount of texture and can be dressed up or down to carry me through days and evenings into the Holiday season.

If there's one thing Californians take seriously it's going all out on Halloween.  I remember visiting around this time of year when I was just out of high school - what stood out in my mind were homes decorated more for Halloween than our homes in Canada were at Christmas.  It's a big deal down here!

Confession:  I'm not much of a Halloween-er (more of a Halloween-ie, I guess).  I've got a few strings of pumpkin lights and purple bats, and I give out yummy candy, but the dressing up and/or getting scared part is something we've never gotten into.  My idea of fun on Halloween is mowing down the candies and going to get some contraband a pumpkin spice doughnut at Krispy Kreme.  So while we were on our way to do just that last evening, we happened to drive by a house in my neighborhood that goes off every year.  This family decorates for weeks leading up to the big day and while I've visited during the day, have not gone by their house at night...until this year.  Prepare yourself for a picture frenzy.  It was too good to pass up.

On Thursday we took a walk by and noticed some of the following: