The First of Many

Happiness is, of course, a function of relationships, personal fulfillment, and many other intangibles. However, small collections of material goods don't hurt.

I got a rather nice toy for a graduation present. I'm no photographer yet, but I've spent some time acquainting myself with the camera and doing a little practice. And you, my poor...er, lucky readers, get to witness the results. (I'm afraid I don't know how to do a "below-the-fold" trick, so this might take a while to load if you've got a slow connection.)

First, some Random Scenery:


Next, some photos taken at Diamond Valley Lake, a rather nice reservoir/recreational locale out in the So-Cal desert. Unfortunately, I can't post the panoramic videos I took (did I mention it's a rather nice toy?), but hopefully you'll like the photos.


The Lake


One of the dams that keeps The Lake together.


A pier ("Sven...Ja, Olie?...")


A friendly warning. I'm sorry to say we didn't see any rattlers, though.


A "mini lake" next to a water-treatment facility.


Stairs going up one of the dams


See? They really are stairs


One of our small, slithery friends.


Another. Pretty cute, eh?


And now, an experiment involving a truck, a parking lot, and a digital camera with 57x zoom:
Unzoomed:


10x optical zoom (the optical limit for this camera):


Full Zoom!


And finally:
More happiness came when I got two brand-new bookcases in which to stash my ever-growing collection of books.

These two are my old bookshelves; I've had them for several years.


New Bookshelf #1:


New Bookshelf #2:


I call this shelf "The Queue": as you might suspect, it's my immediate lineup of books-to-read:


Notable titles: The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester, The Once and Future King by T.H. White (a nearly-new hardcover acquired for $7 at Borders), Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton, The Partner by John Grisham, and Ovid's Metamorphoses.

(Incidentally, uploading photos with Blogger is a bit of a pain. If you enjoyed today's slide-show, I'll be happy to repeat it as I get worthwhile photos. Otherwise, let me know, and I'll save myself some effort.)