Category Archives: Background

Do you want book #1,000?!

Background, Year 8
My goal in writing about birds and photographing them for children’s books has always been to increase the joy and enjoyment of nature for families. It has never been to make money. This morning I paid the sales tax bill for last year, and closed the account on last year’s sales. While certainly not required, I wanted to update folks on my children’s book sales financial results.
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Net financial gain over the past two years … 2019 and 2020 (Snowy’s Search for Color and Do You Hoot?): $180.
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I have taken ZERO money out of my book account for myself. All proceeds have been used to pay for publishing, shipping and taxes. I am certain the $180 gain will be put towards future book expenses.
  • Books Given Away at no charge (PDF copies): 633 copies
  • Printed versions of books sold: 366 copies
  • Total books sold or given away: 999 copies

Thus, you can see this effort is not a “get rich scheme”. If you would like to download a free PDF copy of any of my birding children’s books and perhaps obtain the 1,000th copy, please follow this url. Thank you. (direct link: Snowy’s Search for Color)

Cheating Death … Embracing Life!

Background, Year 7
Yesterday afternoon I ran two miles. I was scared silly before taking my run, but last Friday medical staff removed my medical restrictions. This was my first workout where I was outside, by myself and not wearing a heart monitor. The physical rehab staff want me to restart my normal active lifestyle. While two miles is not a long distance, it felt like a marathon to me. Yesterday’s run even had 130 feet of elevation climb (and fall) … the equivalent of running up an eleven story building.
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While that may not seem an impressive distance, for me the run was HUGE … a full marathon while fighting off fear. It was a bit less than two months ago I collapsed while trail running and cheated death. While I knew I had a genetically misshapen heart valve, no one realized that valve had recently deteriorated. Most folks with similar valve issues live their entire lives without any problems.
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The graphic shown at the bottom of this post is from my Garmin which I was wearing while running that fateful day. Apparently I lay on the ground for 30 minutes before my body and heart reset enough to allow me to hike to the trailhead (with assistance) to meet the ambulance. The new “Richard Hoeg” has a new heart valve and a pacemaker. My medical tests did not reveal any heart disease.
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Only today was I willing for the first time to look at my Garmin data. Yesterday’s data was much, much, much less eventful! I am not considered fully recovered yet from my open heart surgery, but the Rehab Staff say I am “knocking it out of the park” in terms of recovery. The nurses all say the fact that I was in excellent shape before my troubles is now helping me recover quicker.
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Still … weird to look at the map and timeline of when I cheated death. I intend to run again today. Thus, an update on my health status … I am doing very well and have even gained back 3 of the 16 pounds I lost over the past two months.
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I hope folks don’t mind the “non bird related post”. My recent journey has given me a much great appreciation for family, friends and nature.
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Click / press upon graphic if you wish to read details.

Normally I do not post photographs of myself, but for this post it seems appropriate. This image was taken two weeks ago at Thanksgiving dinner … only Molly and me given the Pandemic, but I had a HUGE amount for which to be thankful. I am also enjoying a glass of Chardonnay with my dinner … approved by my doctor!

Milky Way Photoshoot Results

Background, Year 7

And the envelope please …

If you remember, in yesterday’s post I talked about my advanced planning process (and tools) which goes into a photoshoot. I promised today I would post the results of that planning and last night’s photos. Before revealing the images, let me comment that it is EXTREMELY rare that I go somewhere at night where I have never been to that location during the daytime. Quite frankly, it is not a good idea to stumble around in the dark at a spot you have never seen during the day. However, Google Maps Satellite View indicated both a boat launch and a bridge at my desired location … plus no hiking in the woods was required. I was comfortable with my unusual decision.

I had hoped to photograph the Milky Way around 10:15 pm, but clouds prevented that action. Skies cleared by 12:30 am, and it was still before moonrise. My only unforeseen issue was the cold air temperature (41F) resulted in fog and mist starting to form. By morning we would be socked in with fog, but at 12:30 am the skies were clear. Fog was already forming over the Cross River as I took my photographs. I expect by 1:30 am my desired photographs would have been impossible.

Milky Way over the Cross River (I light painted the scene / river with my small flashlight for about 1 second)

Post update … three nights later the air cleared … no moisture or forest fire smoke. This image resulted!!!

Northern Lights (very mild) over Gunflint Lake (I literally just turned around in place from where I was photographing the Milky Way! The Big Dipper may be seen just above the horizon and Aurora)

I was pleasantly surprised when I got up this morning to learn / read that the magazine Outdoor Photographer has a large article in the current issue speaking to the exact same planning process. I actually read this magazine (downloaded copy) via my local public library. They send me an email when the current virtual copy is available. Thus, even though I am only a mile south of the Canadian border in deep wilderness, I visited my public library this morning. You can use the same digital tools!

Here are three screenshots from Outdoor Photographer … specifically the cover, navigation, and the first page of the article on this blog post’s topic (Visualize, Plan, Shoot).