This started out as a simple idea, but then all projects do I suppose. I wanted to try putting together a slide show using some of the tools I have now. I have lots of tools, lots of ideas, but time? Well…
The photos were edited in LightZone. It is a photo editor that has methods and tools that are at least recognizable to people who have had some darkroom or traditional film and photo experience. I find the workflow for normal manipulation tasks faster and more intuitive for me, but for now, I haven’t used it for the type of photos where it would really shine.
But, the point of this entry is the little slideshow. I started out trying Apple’s Keynote to make it. I found though that while I could put music behind the slides, I couldn’t set the timing unless I recorded an audio, which then removes the music. Without recording a narration, I was limited to one timing choice for all slides and one transition method. That works for simple projects, but it wasn’t what I wanted to try for this one. I played with iDVD but it is very focused on producing DVDs and not on the type of video I needed for YouTube. In the end, I used iMovie. That would have been fine, but to put music on the internet, it needs to be “copyright safe” meaning it has to be available for this type of use. I searched around on the Internet Archive and found a concert with music I could use, but it was part of a longer performance. So, I loaded up GarageBand and edited it down to what I wanted. After several tries at getting the timing right, I finally succeeded in producing a reasonable video for YouTube.
The good thing, I guess, is I learned some simple things about the tools, although the tools were not as simple as they could be. Next time, I’ll be able to spend more time on the “experience” than the mechanics so it will be easier. —>
Bebe – our little survivor, chewing on a serrano chile while waiting for dinner. No, he doesn’t regulary eat chiles. He just likes anything he can carry around, including our shoes (which weigh more than he does) and he doesn’t seem to mind if it is a bit spicy once in a while.
It has been awhile since I have mentioned our little survivor – he is doing well and has now reached three months old. He is very much our little boy, so he has been named, Bebe – Spanish for baby. The name is pronounced like the Spanish nickname Pepe but with a “b” sound instead of a “p.”
He is still small, and it looks as if he will turn out to be a fairly small dog. He loves to play and go outside when it is warm. Chihuahuas don’t like the cold or damp too much and he is no exception. He likes to play most from the comfort of our laps when we are on the floor, preferring to jump on passing socks or a mouse on a string from the vantage point of our folded legs. He has learned his name and comes when called – well, most of the time. He always comes to eat or play. He still has a bowl of condensed milk in the morning and evening, but the rest of the time, he prefers things like chicken from a caldo, or whatever we are eating (of course). He also eats dry dog food when he feels like it.
Are you ready to play?
He has the characteristics of a standard Chihuahua. He probably weighs close to a pound, but we seldom get him standing in one place long enough to weigh him. His ears stick straight up. He has straight, sharp teeth (really sharp!) and he makes a range of sounds including low growls, chirps, trills, with an occasional small bark when he is really excited. His colors have continued to refine and he has a well-defined face and brown edging around much of the black in his coat.
So, Bebe is now a full-fledged member of the family with his own heated condo in the laundry room (a dog carrying crate with a lamp to keep him warm at nights) and two tame humans to keep him company. Such a life
Survivor, looking over the edge of his box in the laundry room. “Where’s my supper? When are we going to play?” he asks.
When I returned from San Miguel de Allende on Sunday this week, I got quite a surprise. “Survivor” had changed considerably since I left and is now a healthy and very active little puppy. He is still mainly black and white, but now he has tan markings above his eyes and around the edges of his face. His ears have taken on the “Yoda” quality of Chihuahuas and his eyes are large and round.
He is starting to eat solid food. He likes to play and to be with us more than we have time for. He is always aware when we are in the house and active, making sure we know he is there and wants to be around us. He loves to explore whenever we give him the chance, which means when we do, we have to be careful because he is likely to be underfoot.
I have already heard from family and friends wanting to see how he looks today, so this entry will have to do for now. I will take more fotos when I can and continue to update his page in my foto gallery so you can see how he is doing as time goes on.
New puppies come to our house in Sacramento – July 28, 2006. It was a tragic story in some ways, but it has a happy ending.
No, this is not a post about the TV show. Last month, we had a bit of drama in the house in Sacramento. I had returned from Mexico and because of some problems in the area where they were living, some of Rey’s family came to stay with us for a few weeks while they looked for a new place. With them came the family dog, who was very pregnant and could not be left alone. She was a small Chihuahua and very near term.
After being at the house a few days, it was obvious the mother to be was in distress. We took her to the vet, but there was nothing that was apparently wrong and the costs of additional tests was prohibitive. So, she came back home. A couple days later, we found her in the morning – she had passed, but the puppies inside her were still moving. I will leave the description of the heroic acts that followed with Abel and Reyes working to save the puppies, but in fact the four puppies were saved.
Survivor sleeps in a box in the laundry room on some fresh tshirts with a couple of tightly-rolled socks for company. Later we put him a larger box with a stuffed rabbit toy which he accepted as a mother to lay against.
The miracle was short-lived however. Over the next few days, they died, one by one, having trouble handling the formula and coping. Only one made it. A male we have called “Survivor” for now, and maybe always. He is small, but he has survived more than a month now and it is clear he is strong and has past serious problems a newborn puppy faces. It has been a challenge. Just like a child, he had to be fed every three hours initially and the formula is expensive. But he steadily ate more and more and continued to thrive so the time was well spent.
I have had to travel to San Miguel de Allende for a month, but I am looking forward to seeing our little survivor again soon and posting some fotos for everyone to see. In the meantime, there are a few more pictures on the bottom row of this page in my gallery.
Survivor sleeping on a towel just after having his bottle. He is about the size of my hand at a couple of weeks old. He loves to cuddle in your hand after eating and just enjoy the warmth and closeness of the moment.
Swan in the Canal - Morelia Zoo
