Seems that I need to re-introduce myself to some newbies (vis-a-vis my lookout posts)

I guess I have taken it for granted that the 2009/2010 fire season posts have had the same readership. Not so, obviously. And that brews trouble.

Hi, new DUers and lurkers. I am DemoTex (aka Mac), a staunch Democrat that lived in Dallas, Texas, when DU was launched in 2001. I joined the board the same week in May 2001 as the legendary William Pitt, my old DU friend to whom I owe a visit and a beer or three. Since then I have moved to the Carolinas.

I am a retired airline captain (MD-80s, Boeing 737s) and a former ALPA (AFL-CIO) airline accident investigator. I flew 250+ air combat missions in Viet Nam, Laos, and Cambodia and came back to join the Vietnam Veterans Against the War. I have been an editor at two major aviation magazines, and editor-in-chief at another.

In 2008 I got a wild hair up my arse and applied for a job in a US Forest Service fire lookout tower. I landed a job in Central Oregon in a tower in the high desert wilderness. The rest is history, as documented in my DU Journal (check it out: http://journals.democraticunderground.com/DemoTex ).

But photography is the main subject. The colors here are vivid, perhaps exceeding your ideas of normal. I try not to screw with them. My high desert photography is award-winning. Somes likes it; somes don't. But I have a platform that few have and I feel an obligation to share it. Fortunately, the great DU Administrators agree and have given me a fantastic forum to share what I see with those I think are capable of most enjoying it, DUers.


Me and the lookout tower a couple of weeks ago

You hearing what, negative stuff here??? GREAT to see you, doing the peoples work and sharing again.
:hi:

How's Nick doing?

and family is still there. Should be one hot season but the winter and spring were cool and wet. Best wishes. I envy you the quiet and solitude and look forward to your pictures.

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:thumbsdown:

Thanks, mods.

Love your photos.

I often tell my girl, Sally, about Sirius' escapades in Highland Park, and she laughs with joy only the way a dog can. Sirius was da bomb in her eyes.

That rainbow over the highway is a stunner, along with the sunrises and so many others. Gorgeous - what a great job!

...and greatly appreciate what you do for all of us!

I'm not a noob and I'm very well acquainted with your adventures in the fire tower. I'm putting my two cents in to thank you for your ongoing service and for sharing your breathtaking photos.

thanks for the re-introduction. i'm in raleigh nc right now - hot as.. well none of your fires but pretty hot! keep up the awesome posts and stay safe man!

All by my self, just me and Mother Earth!

That lookout tower would be an awesome meditation spot!

Thanks for introducing yrself!. I hope you find some DUers who like lookout towers coz I can't say it's something I find particularly interesting.

:loveya:

I also enjoy your work. Thanks for the great pics; the photo of you and your tower is great too. What's on the bookshelf for this summer?

aloha

You've taken some awesome photo's in that tower....have a great season!

:kick:

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via handytalky HAM radio when I used to go back country back packing.

They were great at getting a message out if need be . . .

that's got to be the most awesome job...

:)

THE DEMOCRATIC UNDERGROUND MOVIE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUiEd0IHaDs

:thumbsup:

You are definitely one of my favorites here on DU!!

I look forward to your beautiful photos this season. :hi:

...and thanks for your service.

and look forward to your posts. Thank you!!

I envy you- I wish I could afford to tear-ass off into the wild like you. Maybe once I retire :)

...to shoot their pictures from. :)

--imm

I do programming and systems administration. We were on a field trip to check systems and were invited up to one of the lookout tower camps. I convinced a colleague to climb the tower with me to "see the data". I thought nothing of it (I've climbed radio transmissions towers) but he told me after he was scared out of his wits.

And a REAL American patriot.

how did Nick hold the camera steady? <grin>

looking forward to a lot of great stories/views of your world to come

another DU bonus.

Americans seem to be OCD about forest fires which are a crucial part of the natural ecosystem. They keep the brush and combustible litter low and kill diseased trees and bad bugs. In the last 100 years we have been very aggressively declaring wars on these fires. The result? Huge explosive fires that kill everything in their paths including the biggest trees.

So why do we keep on with this war on nature?

The native Americans (Indians) realized the importance of a Rx burn every now and then. BUT! BUT! Now there is the ubiquitous Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI). A small fire can devestate a small farmer, etc., etc. The fire threatens a timber sale area, etc. etc! I smell drift smoke in my backyard .. where is the frigging USFS?

Thanks for the Gary Snyder tip.
If somebody lives in a flood plain you are expected to build your house on a hill or on stilts. Why dont they require people building in forests to take the same precautions when the natural cleansing Rx fires come through? And they could concentrate their firefighting just at vulnerable interfaces.

:)

Always enjoy your photos and your posts. It's good to look at life from a higher perspective....

;-)

Do I have a choice? I have tasted wealth, indeed.

mac

:hi: