Alligators and Old IPhones Prove Problematic

We're on day two of our lovely full-family Kiawah Island vacation, and I still haven't been able to take a good alligator picture for my readers.

It's not that I haven't seen any gators. Gator visibility isn't the problem here. The actual problem is my iPhone.

Notice the clarity of this yellow-petaled, short, long leafied plant. Basically, plants don't move and are easy to photograph. Gators, however, do and are a bit more difficult. (Note, if you will, my amazing botanical knowledge of Kiawah Island.) My iPhone doesn't take very good photos of things that move.

Plants, like this short, green leafied, pink flowery plant, don't shy away from people. I don't have to use my zoom function, which blurs everything to the point where it looks like a UFO. Or Bigfoot. Take your pick.

Thus far, I've had to use my zoom for all my gator pics. Note, in the photo above, Bigfoot peeking out of the water at me.

Also, because I'm utilizing an iPhone 3, I don't seem to have an autofocus feature available. That means I have a set distance I need to be in order for my pics to be in sharp focus. Notice, above, how well I shot this purple, short, feathery-fuzzy flowering plant with narrow leaves.

With all that being said, in order for me to get a good gator photo, I'm going to have to get up close and personal with one of the great reptiles. The distances I go for my awesome readers!

So keep reading Fuzzy, Black Dogs. I will soon be posting (hopefully) a spectacular photograph of a Kiawah Island alligator for my fans. Look for the post titled "High Point Man Harasses Alligator, Kicked Off Resort Island" or "High Point Man Eaten by Alligator."

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year from us and all our fuzzy, black dogs in all their glory!

Watch Out, Dr. Seuss!

I gave up searching for an illustrator for some of my other writing projects that I have done. Instead, I've decided to take matters into my own hands. I found one of my son's books on how to draw cartoons and will be trying my hand at illustrating those nearly completed projects!



I forgot that really cool teacher's assistant in the grapes.



This is my bunch o' grapes. Notice, if you will, that there are 18 grapes in my bunch. That number just happens to coincide with average number of students in a first grade class at the school in which I work.

Each grape has a name. No. I won't tell them to you, or whose class they represent. I suspect my teachers, however, will figure out which class they represent.

Neither the teacher nor the assistant is depicted in my drawing. The reason for this is simple. I'm not yet good enough to depict wisdomly beauty or total nerdiness yet. Give me time... Give me time.

An interesting mix of abstract, surrealist and post modern.

I must say that my cartoon frog has improved dramatically from  his previous bubble body. There is a reason I didn't show a depiction of my original frog.

Here are but a few more of my recent creations. I will be working on bodies soon. Hopefully, they will go as well as the heads have gone. Hmmm...

No comment necessary...

Ironically, the top right drawing, which I got directly from my sketch book, looks remarkably like my own father when I nearly ran him over with his own truck. But that's another story and one we have delved into before.

Regardless, I will be attempting to infuse more visuals into these posts, whether they be drawings or photos.

As my "talents" progress, I may be attempting a cartoon portrait of my entire family! I can just feel their excitement mounting now!