This coming Saturday, May 12, I’m heading to the San Phillipe wilderness area and with the aid of a park ranger, I’ll set up the camera in a location specially selected to capture as many wildlife images as possible in that area of the Imperial Valley.

But before I set out on that hike it was necessesary to first test the camera during a trial run in Julian. Below are a few shots of the day back in April when Bobby Prom (NBC 7 crew member extraordinaire) and I set up the camera.

I’ll shoot a couple of stories this Saturday and keep you posted on when they’ll air.

While working for CBS in Atlanta, I was honored to join the team at Lockheed Martin for a tour of the secretive Raptors’ Nest in Marietta, GA.

My photographer and I were closely monitored in terms of what we were allowed to shoot in this highly classified facility. Most of the F-22 Raptor assembly line was off-limits but I hope the following images give you an idea of the excitement I felt that day.

A few weeks ago Harry Pallenberg (a producer for Huell Howser’s California Gold) asked me to help host a demo segment for PBS highlighting the diverse wildlife found in and around our bustling southern California cities.

I was thrilled and honored to join Johanna Turner (http://www.cougarmagic.com/) in the mountains above Pasadena as we collected video shot on motion sensitive cameras carefully hidden in the Angeles National Forrest.

In the near future, with the help of San Diego rangers, I’ll be placing my own cameras throughout remote regions of this beautiful county in the hopes of recording a few images of the precious creatures living in our own backyard.

Below, enjoy the sights and sounds of a few of the critters we caught on camera in LA county.

We call this healthy guy, Texas.

 California Red Foxes: enjoying the scent of CK1 spritzed on a log to help slow them down long enough for a few minutes of footage. The  scent is much better than leaving food which would interfere with natural foraging habits.

California Ring Tails – relative of the raccoon, native to arid regions of North America.

Learn More About the Ring-Tailed Cat: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring-tailed_cat

Whether it’s a boo-boo on the back of my hand or a blemish on my nose, one of my very favorite skin soothing treatments is fresh Aloe Vera leaf. I buy the whole aloe leaf (organic if possible) and keep them in the fridge. Select firm, plump leaves free of brown discoloration and they should last in cold storage for a couple of months. Then once a day I slice off a 1″ thick piece, cut open the moist, jelly-like center and apply directly to my skin – any part of my choosing:)…both morning and evening. The fresh, raw aloe leaf works so much better than the processed topical solutions you find in stores.

Here’s some more info on the wonders of the Aloe plant from the Sunfood website:

“The gel of raw aloe vera contains vitamins C and E, plus the minerals calcium, magnesium, zinc, selenium, and chromium, as well as antioxidants, fiber, amino acids, enzymes, sterols, and lignins and, most importantly, polysaccharides. It is the polysaccharides in aloe that help it do everything from fighting infections, to boosting the immune system. Aloe has many health giving properties and there is no better way to harness its power than by utilizing the gel straight from the fresh leaves.

• Naturally antiseptic and antibacterial – can be applied to cuts, scrapes and abrasions
• Anti-fungal
• Anti-inflammatory – can ease the pain of poison oak, poison
• Cools and speeds healing of sun burns
• Weight loss, detoxification
• Prebiotic

Aloe has also been used to treat the following conditions:

Eczema, acne, rashes, psoriasis, scarring burns and other skin disorders. Candida, burns, stretch marks, varicose veins, hemorrhoids, athletes foot and many more.”

I like to place Aloe gel in a blender and add it to any smoothie for a richer, creamier texture. And even better, Aloe is known to soothe and help heal a sensitive or stress ulcerated stomach.

Enjoy!

Snapped this picture on my way to work last week.  4 construction workers huddled together, towering over the palm tree lined shores of Del Mar as they worked to prepare metal scaffolding for several layers of Christmas Tree ornamentation.  This shot doesn’t stir up a great deal of holiday spirit, but the ‘tree’ sure does sparkle beautifully now.  It reminds me a bit of the ‘Charlie Brown’ Tree…just needed a little bit of love

This was the shot from beside the basin for the WWII Carrier Midway facing San Diego Bay during the America’s Cup during my first live hit for NBC 7 on November 17th. That’s an America’s Cup catamaran flanked by the USS Vinson to the left and the USS Reagan to the right as the sun sets on another beautiful San Diego evening. What a day…what a shot!!

My Buster

I came across this article on the Huffington Post, and felt compelled to share, in hopes that we all can do something to help:

HuffPost: “Lab Beagles Released In Spain, 40 Dogs See Sunlight For First Time (VIDEO)“

It’s heartbreaking for me to even think about this situation, but if there are people strong and compassionate enough to perform the rescue, then the very least I can do is help draw much needed attention to the plight these creatures face.  I have three rescues of my own including Buster, a soulful Beagle mix (pictured above) so I’ll be donating soon…check out the video link and the website to see if there’s anything you can do to help

Ways to help include donation, sponsoring a beagle, fostering, and adoption: http://www.beaglefreedomproject.org/involved.php

Neither she nor her loving human were willing to surrender the will to, not only survive, but thrive!!

There’s a lesson in her story for each one of us