Comments on: A Wet Posting http://olduvaigeorge.com/2006/11/12/a-wet-posting/ Sun, 06 Jul 2008 19:40:29 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Monado http://olduvaigeorge.com/2006/11/12/a-wet-posting/#comment-54103 Monado Sat, 01 Dec 2007 17:32:56 +0000 http://olduvaigeorge.com/2006/11/12/a-wet-posting/#comment-54103 Your <i>Gambusia</i> look like wild-type guppies to me, give or take a spot or two on the male's tail. When I saw them I thought, "Guppies!" I used to have some and I'm fascinated by the ecological analysis of the evolutionary pressures between Number of Predators in a stream vs. how flashy the males can be to attract females, without getting eaten. Predictably, and I use that word precisely, the fewer predators the brighter the males. OTOH I had a colleague who raised chichlids and she thought of guppies as fish food. Your Gambusia look like wild-type guppies to me, give or take a spot or two on the male’s tail. When I saw them I thought, “Guppies!” I used to have some and I’m fascinated by the ecological analysis of the evolutionary pressures between Number of Predators in a stream vs. how flashy the males can be to attract females, without getting eaten. Predictably, and I use that word precisely, the fewer predators the brighter the males.

OTOH I had a colleague who raised chichlids and she thought of guppies as fish food.

]]> By: Lisa A. http://olduvaigeorge.com/2006/11/12/a-wet-posting/#comment-14049 Lisa A. Fri, 29 Dec 2006 07:44:35 +0000 http://olduvaigeorge.com/2006/11/12/a-wet-posting/#comment-14049 Wow...Ron and Hank, you've made me really want to go and sit in a hot spring now. Are any of them open to the public the way they used to be for you guys? I wasn't even born until 1979, and knowing today's sue-happy enviroment, I probably won't be able to go within a hundred yards of a hot spring, much less sit in it in the middle of the night. :( Anyway, let me know, and I'll add it to my 'must travel to' list. Wow…Ron and Hank, you’ve made me really want to go and sit in a hot spring now. Are any of them open to the public the way they used to be for you guys? I wasn’t even born until 1979, and knowing today’s sue-happy enviroment, I probably won’t be able to go within a hundred yards of a hot spring, much less sit in it in the middle of the night. :( Anyway, let me know, and I’ll add it to my ‘must travel to’ list.

]]> By: Ron Sullivan http://olduvaigeorge.com/2006/11/12/a-wet-posting/#comment-9982 Ron Sullivan Thu, 16 Nov 2006 18:50:36 +0000 http://olduvaigeorge.com/2006/11/12/a-wet-posting/#comment-9982 Go Hank! Besides, I've always thought those stories were so much less interesting, so much more flat, that what we know of the real actual measureable stuff. And damn but some people don't know when to STFU and listen to the world around them. We didn't make it over there this fall, but I think we'll save our nickles for a room at the Virginia Settlement motel next year. I want a rematch with Bodie, for one thing, after I've polished my camera skills some. And I want to sit in the sage on a sunny day and smell it. Also pinyon jays, I want some pinyon jays. And yes, that sky. Another of the things we've lost to "civilization" and don't know it's missing. Go Hank! Besides, I’ve always thought those stories were so much less interesting, so much more flat, that what we know of the real actual measureable stuff. And damn but some people don’t know when to STFU and listen to the world around them.

We didn’t make it over there this fall, but I think we’ll save our nickles for a room at the Virginia Settlement motel next year. I want a rematch with Bodie, for one thing, after I’ve polished my camera skills some. And I want to sit in the sage on a sunny day and smell it. Also pinyon jays, I want some pinyon jays.

And yes, that sky. Another of the things we’ve lost to “civilization” and don’t know it’s missing.

]]> By: Hank Fox http://olduvaigeorge.com/2006/11/12/a-wet-posting/#comment-9942 Hank Fox Thu, 16 Nov 2006 05:12:01 +0000 http://olduvaigeorge.com/2006/11/12/a-wet-posting/#comment-9942 Ron, there are several other hot springs in the area. After Hot Creek was closed down (after dark, anyway), I frequented some of the others. Wonderful memories: going out 3 or 4 times a week to sit in the steamy water and watch the sun go down over the mountains, drinking a beer and savoring the moment while my dogs explored out in the brush. Sunset, moonrise, stars wheeling overhead in the dark. (Anyone who's never seen a high altitude night sky, you can't imagine how brilliant it is. On winter nights, the full moon is bright enough to read by. On moonless summer nights, there are so many visible stars it’s hard to pick out the constellations. The mountain sky is STUNNING.) I was just in California on vacation, and suddenly realized I was driving past one of the springs near Bridgeport. I zipped off the road and motored up to it. Still there: Travertine Hot Springs. Still hot, still wonderful. It was even more fun than I remembered, though, because a loud-mouthed mystic showed up and started regaling us with her interpretation of reality, which included “energy” and forces, spirits and reincarnation, even ancient aliens who enslaved and genetically manipulated ancient humans. The fun part was that I'm more assertive these days, and after about 20 minutes came out with "Ahem. Just for a bit of balance, I'd like to tell everybody here that everything you just said is absolute nonsense. There’s a real world, a real reality, and it includes none of the stuff you just described.” She was flabbergasted to hear somebody actually disagree with her, eventually telling me “You’re really annoying, and I don’t like you.” Plane ticket: $314. Rental car: $273. Gasoline: $2.93 a gallon. Sitting in a natural hot spring in beautiful mountain country and being privileged to shut up a blathering New Age airhead: Priceless. Ron, there are several other hot springs in the area. After Hot Creek was closed down (after dark, anyway), I frequented some of the others. Wonderful memories: going out 3 or 4 times a week to sit in the steamy water and watch the sun go down over the mountains, drinking a beer and savoring the moment while my dogs explored out in the brush. Sunset, moonrise, stars wheeling overhead in the dark.

(Anyone who’s never seen a high altitude night sky, you can’t imagine how brilliant it is. On winter nights, the full moon is bright enough to read by. On moonless summer nights, there are so many visible stars it’s hard to pick out the constellations. The mountain sky is STUNNING.)

I was just in California on vacation, and suddenly realized I was driving past one of the springs near Bridgeport. I zipped off the road and motored up to it. Still there: Travertine Hot Springs. Still hot, still wonderful. It was even more fun than I remembered, though, because a loud-mouthed mystic showed up and started regaling us with her interpretation of reality, which included “energy” and forces, spirits and reincarnation, even ancient aliens who enslaved and genetically manipulated ancient humans.

The fun part was that I’m more assertive these days, and after about 20 minutes came out with “Ahem. Just for a bit of balance, I’d like to tell everybody here that everything you just said is absolute nonsense. There’s a real world, a real reality, and it includes none of the stuff you just described.”

She was flabbergasted to hear somebody actually disagree with her, eventually telling me “You’re really annoying, and I don’t like you.”

Plane ticket: $314.
Rental car: $273.
Gasoline: $2.93 a gallon.
Sitting in a natural hot spring in beautiful mountain country and being privileged to shut up a blathering New Age airhead: Priceless.

]]> By: Ron Sullivan http://olduvaigeorge.com/2006/11/12/a-wet-posting/#comment-9857 Ron Sullivan Wed, 15 Nov 2006 01:54:16 +0000 http://olduvaigeorge.com/2006/11/12/a-wet-posting/#comment-9857 Hank, we were probably sitting in Hot Creek around the same time. We went with friends, hmm, I met her in nursing school in '74 or '75, and this would have been before '78 anyway, probably even earlier... Dang. We couldn't have got there after the passes closed, but I do remember some dude who'd just hiked in over the snow for some unlikely distance. We gave him the hottest rock. It would've been September or October, I think. I just asked Joe and he didn't offhand remember cliffies, but did remember rock wren. Oh yeah. And I remember that bright-turquoise pool next to the path. We joked about dipping hotdogs on a string to boil them but never got around to it. I wonder if the Paiutes used it to cook; I wonder where one could find out about that. Hank, we were probably sitting in Hot Creek around the same time. We went with friends, hmm, I met her in nursing school in ‘74 or ‘75, and this would have been before ‘78 anyway, probably even earlier… Dang. We couldn’t have got there after the passes closed, but I do remember some dude who’d just hiked in over the snow for some unlikely distance. We gave him the hottest rock. It would’ve been September or October, I think.

I just asked Joe and he didn’t offhand remember cliffies, but did remember rock wren. Oh yeah. And I remember that bright-turquoise pool next to the path. We joked about dipping hotdogs on a string to boil them but never got around to it. I wonder if the Paiutes used it to cook; I wonder where one could find out about that.

]]> By: Marco Bucci http://olduvaigeorge.com/2006/11/12/a-wet-posting/#comment-9847 Marco Bucci Tue, 14 Nov 2006 22:22:28 +0000 http://olduvaigeorge.com/2006/11/12/a-wet-posting/#comment-9847 Great blog. It's impressive how your traditional work and digital work seem to blend seamlessly. Really good control over your media! Thanks for your kind comments, again. Great blog. It’s impressive how your traditional work and digital work seem to blend seamlessly. Really good control over your media! Thanks for your kind comments, again.

]]> By: Trey Gorden http://olduvaigeorge.com/2006/11/12/a-wet-posting/#comment-9793 Trey Gorden Tue, 14 Nov 2006 08:27:27 +0000 http://olduvaigeorge.com/2006/11/12/a-wet-posting/#comment-9793 coturnix, I just read your post, above. I thought I was the only person whose mouth watered at the site of fish, alive, dead, or represented in two dimensions. I can't take my daughter to the aquarium without going for sushi afterward! I felt so alone! coturnix, I just read your post, above. I thought I was the only person whose mouth watered at the site of fish, alive, dead, or represented in two dimensions. I can’t take my daughter to the aquarium without going for sushi afterward! I felt so alone!

]]> By: Trey Gorden http://olduvaigeorge.com/2006/11/12/a-wet-posting/#comment-9792 Trey Gorden Tue, 14 Nov 2006 08:20:15 +0000 http://olduvaigeorge.com/2006/11/12/a-wet-posting/#comment-9792 I just came from <a href="http://johnmckay.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">archy</a>. What a fascinating site you have. Well done! I just came from archy. What a fascinating site you have. Well done!

]]> By: DouglasG http://olduvaigeorge.com/2006/11/12/a-wet-posting/#comment-9749 DouglasG Mon, 13 Nov 2006 17:37:57 +0000 http://olduvaigeorge.com/2006/11/12/a-wet-posting/#comment-9749 Whether it is once or twice a week, it is good to have you back! I look forward to your future posts. Whether it is once or twice a week, it is good to have you back! I look forward to your future posts.

]]> By: Alon Levy http://olduvaigeorge.com/2006/11/12/a-wet-posting/#comment-9716 Alon Levy Mon, 13 Nov 2006 06:59:43 +0000 http://olduvaigeorge.com/2006/11/12/a-wet-posting/#comment-9716 These are really good pictures, Carl. You say that you have little knowledge of fish, but I find them as magnificent as your pictures of mammals. Is it because I have even less knowledge of fish than you do, or because of some special strategy you've used to be able to draw good fish anyway? These are really good pictures, Carl. You say that you have little knowledge of fish, but I find them as magnificent as your pictures of mammals. Is it because I have even less knowledge of fish than you do, or because of some special strategy you’ve used to be able to draw good fish anyway?

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