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School is out! Summer is here ... sort of. We have been experiencing some cool, wet weather in the Pacific Northwest this spring. Is that unusual? Not really. When I worked for Clallam County road department we wouldn't start our asphalt and chip sealing programs until after the 4th of July. Why? Because of the cool spring rains of course. Just like we are experiencing now. But another week or two and magically the weather will clear up and the sun will shine again! Then everyone who has been whining about the crappy weather will be complaining that it's too hot! Not everyone. I like the sunshine a lot. Makes my garden grow and my photograph's a little more snappy, especially when your shooting a nice landscape or ocean scene. Blue sky looks nicer than gray, washed out sky.
Since getting out of school I have gotten my website up and running. It's not done completely. I want to make it easier for potential buyers of my work to purchase either a print or a digital download. You have to email me with your requests and then I can download an image or send you a paper print. Either way it is a hassle for buyers who want things right now. (and I'm one of those people.)
But in the meantime I want to get the website out there and will be working on the site to improve it throughout the summer.
So here is my website and if you want to leave a comment about it, both positive or negative (I don't mind constructive criticism at all. Just be helpful.) I would appreciate it.

http://cengesphotography.com

Thank you!

Father's Day with my Son

Ah Father's Day! Some Father's days are better than others.
A long time ago my children quit giving me ties for Father's day. I am grateful. I haven't wore a tie in a decade. A card, a nice Thai dinner or even a home cooked T-bone steak on the barby works well for me. I don't want or expect much and I am grateful for being remembered by my son and daughter by a phone call or a simple card. Those that know me, know that I'm the least sentimental dude on the planet. I'd forget my own birthday if I could, but those around me won't let me. Bummer.
With all that said, this Father's Day was exceptional. My son called me up a couple weeks ago and asked me if I wanted to go salmon fishing with him on Father's day. He would reserve a hotel in downtown Forks so I could come and spend the night instead of driving 2 hours at zero dark thirty to be there at dawn.
Matt runs a  fish guide business called Sensei Guide Service out of Forks, Washington and has been doing it for many years now. He can catch fish, period. His love for fishing started at a very young age, running up and down the Dungeness River here in Sequim. He could stand between 10 people fishing on the bank for the fall silver or coho run and take his two fish when no else could. He can sense them. Seriously. I've never seen anything like it.
I love to fish in the salt water and river fishing was never my thing. I've owned several boats over the years, but Matt was never interested in the open water. It could be because of getting seasick every time we went out. So he turned his attention to the river and (of course I'm his father and biased) became one of the west end's premiere fishing guides. But ask his clients. He works his butt off to give you a full day's fishing trip. And catches fish to boot.
I don't get out west as much as I should, and last week was the last week of the spring quarter at Peninsula College so it was a no brainer. Besides, I've been sitting behind a computer screen for months doing school work and I needed to get out of the house. And I'm very fond of fresh king salmon. I eat it for breakfast. Grilled salmon, eggs and hash browns can't be beat. Great way to start your day.
So last Saturday I headed out. Seeing my granddaughter Norah again is always a pleasure. She will be one year old next month. Norah looks a lot like Matt did when he was that old. Mandy my daughter-in-law cooked up a nice seafood chowder and fresh bread. Oh man! Hitting the old man right where it counts .... in the gut. So good. Wonderful start to my trip.
So we visited for a while and then it was off to the Forks Motel for a early bedtime.
Next day we were off and running. Matt launched his drift boat below the Sol Duc River Hatchery and Mandy, with Norah in her car seat took the truck and would pick us up later down river.

As we launched I looked upriver and saw a few fisherman gathering to take advantage of the Chinook salmon's return home.

 

 

Then we were off down the Sol Duc.

 

I live near Sequim, WA, where the Olympic Mountains rise to the south, but I'm surrounded by a prairie. Yep, that's right a prairie. It is in what is called the 'Rain Shadow' or the 'Blue Hole' of the Olympic Mountains. As the storms roll in from the west and hit the Olympic Mountains, the moisture laden clouds rise up and begin to cool, turn to rain, and pour that moisture on the forests below. That's why the Fork's area is called the 'wet' end. Some areas out west get up to 144 inches of rain or 12 FEET of rain a year. Amazing.

But in the Sequim area, because the of the blocking action of the mountains, we get only about 16 inches a year. About the same as Los Angeles.  In fact, if it were not for the irrigation ditches that split off the Dungeness river the area would be more like a desert then the lush picture of Washington state you might have, for lack of moisture. (of course you wouldn't believe this at the moment because of all the rain we've had in the last few weeks!)

So when I see the dense vegetation, the spruce and fir trees coated with heavy moss, the near impenetrable undergrowth and that deep emerald green of the Sol Duc, I am awed at the natural beauty of the west end of the Olympic Peninsula. So with my camera at ready our trip begins.

 

 

We anchor down stream and start tossing our offerings to the salmon under a low hanging tree where the evidence of past anglers hang from branches like Christmas tree ornaments during the holidays. We would lose a few ourselves.

Bang! The first fish hits Matt's lure. He is all about his clients or in this case his dad, as he hands off the pole to me. Two shakes of his head and the first fish is gone. Bummer. I look at Matt sheepishly. Hey were just getting warmed up.

Bang! Another is on. I'm going to make sure he doesn't get away. Matt pulls the anchor and down stream we go. He's giving me instructions. 'Left Dad! Look out for the log he's trying to get to.' 'Watch the rock Dad!' I'm trying to keep my balance and as the fish decides it's time to go under the boat I slip and catch my bad knee on the edge of seat rail. Ouch! The pain is sharp, but I'm not letting this one get away. Finally, Matt nets it and the Chinook is in boat. My knee throbbing, I grin widely at the first fish of the day. Yeah!

 

 

 

Matt bleeds the fish and it goes into the fish box. He rows back to the spot. The day is beautiful. Slight overcast, nice and warm and we're catching fish! Awesome!

Bang! Matt looks like a reverse C as he tries setting the hook. Two seconds and the fish is gone. Darn!

Well it doesn't take long and he hooks up again. This time he gets the hook set and again hands it off to me. This one is bigger than the last and takes a few minutes to tire out. Of course Matt is directing me because of all the snags and rocks in the water. The salmon will run under a log or around a rock and break off the lure. Not this time though. We get him as well.

 

 

I like this fishing. I haven't hooked one yet, but brought two in. This is fun. Let's do it again.

Matt rows back to the spot and we start over. My problem is that I don't know what the fish feels like when they hit. When I'm jigging in the Strait or in the ocean I know when a fish hits the lure. There is no doubt about it. But when I'm river fishing, the rocks and snags all feel like a fish to me and I miss them time and again. Very frustrating. It might be obvious to you that I'm not a very good river fisherman. I admit it. But that is why I'm with Matt. My son the guide. And he knows his stuff.

Back to work. The next two hook-ups are quite quick. The fish are gone. Bummer again.

Bang. Again Matt leans back to try and set the hook before the king can spit it out. This time it sticks. Matt hands me the pole. Another nice Chinook. He's feisty though and it takes about ten minutes to get him on board. He's our largest fish. About 18 pounds. We take a break and anchor on a gravel bar and Matt bleeds him out. A lot of folks don't take the time to do that. But I've found that it helps not only to preserve the fish, but I think it tastes better as well. Yeah, it's bloody, but it's worth doing.

 

 

 

About this time another drift boat appears. It is Gary, Matt's brother-in-law, along with Bob a friend of his. They pull up and we take turns tossing our gear into the spot. Bob nails one and it is huge. He fights it awhile and it breaks off under that darn log! We go back to fishing.

Bang! Matt's pole is bent over again. Yeah, he hands it to me again and we chase it down river and get it in the boat within 5 minutes. Except for the 18 pounder, the other three are cookie cutters. That means they are all about the same size and weight. They are between 12-14 pounds. Very nice!

 

 

Meanwhile, Bob nails another and the fight is on. They drift past us and out of sight. Eventually Gary brings the boat back up, while we prepare for our trip to the take out. Bob catches a very nice 25 king salmon, with three other lures in his mouth including the one that Bob broke off before. That was one powerful fish!

While we drift away from Gary's boat, Bob and Gary get ready to go after the other three they need. Bet they get them.

I ponder the beauty of the river. The dark emerald green of the river as you go into deeper water and then a lighter green and yellow as we shallow up and hit our first of several rapids. We hit bottom a couple of times and one that really tightened my backside. Matt quipped, 'Lot of bones in this rivers.' Indeed. A couple more bumps on them bones and I'll be leaving mine here too. But the scenery more than made up for the few bumps we encountered. What an awe inspiring place. Except for the rapids, the river is pretty quiet .. at least on this trip.

 

 

 

There is a peacefulness that pervades the place. I love being here with my son. He has really made for me the best Father's day ever. I'm just lost in the beauty of it all.

 

 

 

 

I ask Matt what the log that had orange plastic marking tape on it is for? He tells me that is where the fish biologists mark the Redd's or nests of the summer run steel head. He starts pointing at the water and is telling me to look at all the fish. Some were steel head. I saw one fish. He sees dozens. My eyes are not what they used to be. Too much time spent behind a computer. Not good.

 

 

 

 

Were getting close to the take out. Mandy and Norah will be waiting for us. It's been a perfect day. The weather was great. I spent some quality time with my son. As you get older you begin to realize that you are closer to the end than you are the beginning. And time is something that you can't buy back. Once it's gone ... it's gone for good. So I'll count today as something special and will remember it for a long time. Oh yeah, and limiting out by noon has to rate right up there with family time! And when you can combine them both you get a perfect day.

The take out is in sight and Norah is sitting on her mommy's lap as she sits on the trailer tongue with the trailer in the water ready for the boat. Man that is a good woman! Mandy is a hunter as well as a fisherman .. ah ... woman. Her dad Jack taught her how to hunt when she was very young. He also guides on the river with Gary and Matt.

 

 

Mandy waves to us. Norah just started to walk and Mandy puts her down and after seeing daddy coming down the river in his boat she gets all excited. Mommy takes her down to the edge of the river and she walks calmly to the very edge of the river in her little black rubber boots and waves to us.We wave back. Matt asks Mandy to hand her to him and we go back out on the river a few feet so Norah can help Matt row. She is about as cute as it gets. She is my granddaughter.

 

 

 

The day is done. Back to Matt's house we go. Unpack his boat. Clean and ice the fish down for the trip back to Carlsborg. It's been one of the most enjoyable trips I've had in a while. Sure catching fish is an absolute gas! I love fishing and crabbing. I don't do enough of it these days. So when I get a chance like this it is pure joy. But spending time with my son on this Father's day was even better. He is a great father and husband. And he is also a great son. I will remember this day for a long time.

 

 

 





 

 I'll be back this fall with both my brothers. We started a family tradition a few years back where the three brothers go fishing with Matt during the fall king run. The spring king's in my opinion are some of the finest eating fish on the planet. The Chinook's are full of oil and do they cook well. They also smoke well. Some of these are destined for the smoker. Yumm. The fall Chinook's or King's are bigger, but don't lack in taste either. Great fish.

Time to go. I say my goodbyes to all. The Coleman is full of iced salmon. I got some good photographs and more importantly I got to spend a moment of time with my son, my daughter-in-law and a very precious granddaughter. This has been the best Father's Day ever! Thanks Matt.



 



More Eagles

Last Sunday found me out in the Dungeness area doing a photo assignment for my digital photography class. It was near sunset and I thought I'd check out the Cline Spit to watch the sun go down and see if I could pick up an image or two. Glad I did.

As I approached from the east on Marine Drive I noticed a couple of cars parked near the eagle's nest that I wrote about in my last post. Obviously they were trying to get a cool sunset image or just enjoying the evening with other birders. I decided to continue to the Cline Spit. As it is only a few hundred yards further west from the nest, I wasn't expecting what I came across. Five eagles were riding the stiff breeze that was pouring into the Strait from the west, hitting the bluffs to create an uplift of air for the eagles to ride. And they were riding the wind and doing aerial acrobatics like crazy! I stopped the car quickly at the intersection of Cline and Marine, jumped out of the car and started shooting. After a little bit they decided to either land in a tree or go harass a bunch of seagulls that were floating together near shore at the boat ramp of Cline Spit.

 

Eagle landing in tree on bluff overlooking Cline Spit near Sequim, Washington

 

I waved to some people in a car who passed me while shooting. The look on their face was not one of friendly appreciation that I had parked the car in half of the lane and they had to go around me. Oops! Back in the car and down the hill I went to see what the eagle that was chasing the seagulls was up to.
He gave me plenty of opportunities for good shots as he cruised with the wind back and forth up the beach and each time he returned to the same spot where all the seagulls had circled the wagons so to speak and would dive down toward the swimming gulls and scatter them. A couple brave seagulls took turns diving on the eagle as it went up the beach and turned back to make another run on the floating gulls. It reminded of a time many years ago when I was fishing in a boat off the Dungeness spit and another eagle was leisurely flying down the beach line when a flock of seagulls came up to meet it and started to do the same thing. Taking turns diving on the eagle and staying just above and behind it. One much braver soul decided to come a bit closer than the others and, well you know what happened, the eagle like the aerial gymnast that they are, did a lightening quick 180 degree turn with his body. Dang, if he didn't grab that gull with his talons and did another 180 and rode that poor gull all the way down to the beach for a quick lunch. Of course this made his friends go berserk! It didn't seem to matter to the eagle as he tore into his lunch.

So remembering what had happened years ago, I was looking for the same kind of reaction from this eagle to his would be tormentors if they got too close. Not this evening though. I did get a couple shots of him diving on the other gulls.
After a while he got tired of playing this game with the seagulls and let the wind pick him up, shooting him high in the air and then took a perch near where the other eagles had landed along the bluff line.
All in all a good trip out to the Dungeness to enjoy one of nature's wonders... the eagle.
                        

 

 



Where are the Eagles?

Several years ago I was doing 'road patrol' in the Dungeness area in my county truck. I noticed a couple of photographers set up along the road with cameras and tripods near a dead snag. Sure enough an eagle was perched high in the branches of the tree. I stopped and traded small talk with them. They came over from the Seattle area to photograph our wildlife, great scenery and had been looking especially for the elusive bald eagle. Fortunately they happened upon one in a snag near the road. Eagles make great subjects for photographers. And we have our fair share of them here on the Peninsula. But where are the eagles when your from out of town and don't have a clue where to find them consistently?

I was watching King 5's, Northwest Backroads, a program that highlights the less traveled areas of the state. This particular show had a clip of the Skagit River and its eagle population. It featured a guide that floats the Skagit and targets the eagles along the bank for photographers and bird watchers.
Cool idea. Unfortunately, unless you travel to the Forks area and book a salmon or steel head fishing trip your unlikely to see eagles from a raft or drift boat in Clallam County. Which I have in the past, as my son is a fishing guide and we have seen many an eagle on the Hoh and Sol duc Rivers. But most people coming to the Peninsula are day travelers looking to score a cool eagle image like the two photographers that I ran into on the road. So where are the eagles in the Dungeness area?

First off, long lenses are must when doing most bird imaging. Eagles are no different. The longer a lens the better. I would recommend a lens no shorter than a 300mm for ideal capture. A 200mm will work if you have a camera that has a high pixel count that one might crop the shot and not lose resolution. I shoot with a Canon 100-400mm lens that gives me the flexibility to change my compositions quickly. A solid tripod is another essential. Hand holding a 400mm lens is not smart, unless the birds are in flight. Higher ISO and image stabilization helps in these cases.


Juvenile eagle in flight.

 



My first spot I would take you to is on the backside of the Olympic Game Farm on the Lotzgesell Road. Which can be accessed by going north on the Sequim-Dungeness Hwy from Sequim, all the way to where it turns into Anderson Road and crosses the Dungeness River heading west. Just about a mile from crossing the Dungeness you'll come to the Lotzgesell Road. You can only turn left as it T's into Anderson. Continue past the Ward Road (Entrance to the Game Farm is on Ward) about 3/4's of a mile till you hit a sharp 90 degree turn on Lotzgesell, you'll be looking at the Olympic Mountains now. You will have been been traveling next to the Game Farm's back fence all this time. Now when you turn south at that 90 on Lotzgesell you'll come to a very small road called Jim Lotzgesell Road. It is before the second 90 degree in the road and just before a cemetery on your left. Pull into Jim Lotzgesell Road, stop and look up. You'll see a very large fir tree that is on the Game Farm property. The chances are there will be a least one eagle if not two hanging out in that tree. They are waiting for a hand out from the Game Farm. Your long lens will come in handy for this shot.

Second spot is also accessed by traveling north on the Sequim-Dungeness Hwy and instead of turning left on Lotzgesell Road, continue another 1/4 mile to Marine Drive. Here you can only make a right turn toward the water. You will pass the entrance to the old Dungeness Oyster House, now made into a county park named the Dungeness Landing Park. Continue around another hard left that takes you along the bluff above the Dungeness Spit and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. There is a couple of tiny turn outs that you will want to stop and shoot the spit and the New Dungeness Lighthouse before your view is gone by a stand of fir trees on the bluff. This is where our next shot is. Just last week I was out with other photographers shooting mama eagle feeding her young eaglets.

Mama eagle feeding youngin's

 

Unfortunately I couldn't see the little ones as yet, but in the weeks to come they will be out of the nest and hanging out for all to see. You will probably see more than one car parked across from the nest. But if you don't, it is between where you enter the wooded section on Marine Drive above the Dungeness Landing Park and the road that leads down to Cline Spit County Park. There is a wide section of shoulder on the south side of the road to park on. But please take care when shooting not to go into the wooded section where the eagles live, as it is private property and the owners get kinda grumpy when you trespass. The people who own property across the street of the nest have been extremely tolerant to photographers and bird watchers so we don't want to give them any reason to change their mind about stopping for an interesting shot of an eagle family do we? Well there you go. You not only have a couple of great spots to look for eagles, but other Peninsula subjects to compose that perfect photograph as well. Good hunting!



Country vs City

I'm very fortunate I live where I live. Some would say I live in the country with dairy farms within an easy drive, the Olympic Mountains almost in my backyard and of course the Olympic National Park just a stone's throw away. Well, maybe they'd be right. And I like that. But it wasn't always that way.

I grew up in Los Angeles during the 50 and 60's. It was the city. City life is much different than country life. At least it was back then. My dad made a decision that when he retired he would move his family away from the city and into the country. He grew up in Lake Stevens, Washington and decided to bring his family back to Washington. The place? Sequim. That was in 1971. He moved the family away from the city into an area that is so different today than it was back then. Those dairy farms were everywhere. Sequim was known for them. A lot has changed though. Sequim has become more like a city than ever before. We have the box stores now, Walmart, Costco, Home Depot and alike. The state is finally getting around to making Hwy 101 four lanes all the way to Port Angeles! I remember when 101 ran through the heart of Sequim. That was before the bypass.
And those dairy farms? Well, some are still here. But most have been sold as their owners passed away and their heirs decided there was more money in the land than in the hard work of raising cows for milk. Now the Dungeness area is dotted with two and three story monuments of success, built by retirees who come from all points of the compass looking to get away from the city and find a place in the country. Do I begrudge them for wanting to find a better place to live? Not at all. I can't really. We came looking for that same thing over 40 years ago. And the real settlers who came in the 1800's and homesteaded the area? They really are no different than those of the 21st century who are looking for a place in the country to call their own. It is just much easier to do these days than it was back then. But the drive to find a place in the country is evident in most of us I think. Not all of course. The city has its draw. Lot's of things to do. Bright lights. Fast pace. Oh yeah, and work. Unfortunately, that is what draws a lot of people to the city in the first place. Work and opportunity.
That is why you see so many retired folks coming to the Peninsula and not so many working types. The retirees come with money and the working folks come looking for work but find little unless it is to service those retirees with money. They will come to take less paying jobs just so their children can live in the country and have a quality of life not found in the city. I'm speaking in general of course. There are always exceptions both ways.
So what's the point of this blog? Well now I'm the retiree. Last year I retired from Clallam County Road Dept. I spent 20 years building and maintaining Clallam County's east end roads. It was a very good job with great people to work with and for. But times do change and now I'm heading in another direction. One that maybe I should have taken many moons ago.

You see I have loved art since sitting in front of the tube watching a program in the early 60's hosted by artist Jon Gnagy. Jon was a bohemian looking dude with a goatee with a love to share his talent with others. I bought his art kit and would sit with it on Saturday mornings, drawing along with Jon. It was my start in art, you might say. Through the decades I never lost my love of art, although it may have been put on a shelf occasionally. Now I find myself back in school 42 years after graduating Westerchester High School in LA. I'm taking an AAS degree in multimedia graphic design at Peninsula College in Port Angeles. Which includes my favorite subject .... photography. I want to get better and that is what aim to do.

And because I live on the Peninsula with the Olympic Mountains in my backyard and the Olympic National Park a stone's throw away I find great photo opportunities close to home. And as I have ran to and fro across the Olympic Peninsula and beyond, like Jon Gnagy, I want to share my experiences, photos, and tips that I have acquired in the last 15 years photographing this incredible area. So stay tuned and see what comes up week to week on this blog. I'll try to make it worth your while.

Things to do in May on the Peninsula

So what's up for the rest of May on or around the Peninsula?

On the southeastern part of the Peninsula we have two events that you might be interested in.
First is the Shrimp Fest on May 25th and 26th in Brinnon, along the Hood Canal. Craft and food booths, belt sander races, exhibits and of course lots of awesome, tasty fresh Hood Canal shrimp! Love that stuff!

The second is the 7th annual Olympic Art Festival. It too is held on the 25th of May in Quilcene, which is about another 15-25 minutes from the Shrimp Fest up Highway 101 on your way to Port Townsend. This is a free event that features local artists, photographers and wood workers. So you can make it a day and hit them both.

If your a photgrapher, you'll find an abundance of rich subjects along the Hood Canal. Highway 101 runs like a serpent around the canal and you have many small towns with unusual names like, Hamma Hamma, Potlatch, and Lilliwaup. There are three state parks to check out. And if you like to photograph waterfalls there are two. One is the 229 foot Rocky Brook Falls. It is also just outside of Brinnon. Take the Dosewallips Road and go three miles to the Rocky Brook Bridge, pull over and a short (but sometimes a slippery) hike will take you to the falls.
The other is outside of Eldon at the south end of the canal. I wouldn't recommend this fall's if your not in a 4x4, as the road is horrendous. It is called the Hamma Hamma River waterfall. It is off the Forest Service road #25.

The Hood Canal is the only fjord in the lower 48. Kayakers will love all the spots to explore by water, along with divers and hikers. And of course bring a camera. Check it out!

Elwha Dam Removal and the Elwha River Valley

Have you been following Elwha Dam Removal project? I try to, as it affects many species of fish and wildlife, as well as fresh water to the city of Port Angeles.

The Elwha River Valley in the Olympic National Park is one of the most pristine places on planet earth. The river flows forth from the Elwha Snowfinger, a snowfield high in the Olympic Range where when the snow melts it splits into two rivers, one the Queets to the south and the Elwha to the north and then into the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

For you fellow photographers, this area is one of the must see stops when exploring the Olympic Peninsula and the National park. I have been photographing the area for about 15 years now and watched as seasonal rains and floods have reshaped the river over and over as they have done for millennium.

One of my favorite places to go, especially when I have visitors from out of town is Madison Falls. It is about 50 foot high and right at the entrance to the park's Elwha River Valley. There is a asphalt path that winds about 300 feet from the parking lot to a viewing area at the base of the falls. Easy walk for any age and hiking ability. It is wheel chair accessible.






Madison Falls, Elwha River Valley



 

You can spend a great deal of time exploring the Elwha River Valley. One of my favorite times to visit is in the fall when the leaves start to turn. Maples trees fill the valley with color in October and the weather is crisp. Here is an image that was taken a few years ago near the Altaire campground:

Elwha Maples, Elwha River Valley

So if your visiting the area, it is about 11 miles west of Port Angeles. You turn left onto the Hot Springs road off Highway 101 just before you cross the Elwha River on 101. The Hot Springs road will take you to the entrance of the Olympic National Park and the Elwha River Valley. Of course there is a fee to enter the park. But it is well worth the price of admission. Don't miss it!

So what about the dam removal? Well things are not going too well with the project at the moment. Apparently, someone misjudged the amount of sediment behind the two dams that have come down and the silt has clogged the fresh water treatment plant that will eventually feed Port Angeles with fresh water. Not only that, salmon smolts released from the Elwha hatchery have been killed by the sediment in the water. Not good. We'll be keeping an eye on the project and hope it can cleaned up quickly and those 100 pound King salmon will return to the river.

You can read some of the latest news from the Peninsual Daily News in Port Angeles right here:  Dam Removal News
If you want more information on the dam removal check this National Park Service blog out: Dam Removal Blog.
Pat Neal is a North Olympic Peninsula fishing guide, local historian and humorist. He wrote a column on the history of the Elwha, including the dams and it is quite interesting to read. I include it here: Pat Neal Blog