One of my favourite black bears images from this year. I have had the luxury of meeting up with more than 30 bears so far this year. Not bad for living on the prairies where there are no bears.
If you occasionally wander by Krahnpix to see what’s happening on the old blog, you will typically find photos and words. There may be descriptions, stories or even the odd poem to make the real poets shudder. What you won’t find is numbers. That is not an accident.
Words naturally gather in my brain, find friends and make it a happy place. Numbers usually come crashing in and wreck something.
In a previous era, I judiciously studied in preparation for the final exam to pass the Canadian Securities Course. To my total shock, I actually memorized 30 mathematical formulas. So while it’s theoretically possible for numbers to temporarily (very temporarily) hang around my brain, there is no elegance, flow or joy in the process. Just a forgotten piece of paper to prove I passed.
Still if you treat numbers carefully, and add a few words, they can occasionally shed some light or confuse the issue in your favour. I’ve compiled some random numbers that popped in my head recently. Maybe it’s my way of purging …
- I’ve driven about 8,000 km so far this year looking for wild creatures and often encountering amazing landscapes.
Cute Coots. The smallest creature I photographed this year. The jury is often split on whether they are cute but I’m all in.
- I have photographed 17 different kinds of mammals and, despite not being much of a birder, 29 different kinds of birds caught my eye in 2013. The smallest creature was a baby coot, the largest was a moose.
- This is the 151st post on this blog. I’m shocked I haven’t run out of photos, ideas or enthusiasm though I have bumped into all three at times.
- Apparently every 25 years we go to Yellowstone National Park – this was our year to do it again.
- Back in January I was determined to find more bears and I’ve seen more than 30 individuals in four different regions. That translated into hours of viewing pleasure.
Eye of the Elk. It’s always a pleasant surprise to find wildlife. I’m sure the feeling is shared.
- My blog stats tell me I have 1,095 followers which sounds exciting except that yesterday I had 5 visitors and 16 views. I suspect the folks that were trying to sell me something gave up and many others have quit blogging, checking blogs or left Krahnpix for greener pastures.
- It took only 2 weeks to get my camera fixed by Canon this summer after they said it could be 4-6 weeks. I love it when companies under promise and over deliver! Though I still haven’t quite forgotten waiting a year and half for a new Canon lens.
- Despite deleting thousands of photos, I still have 8,982 photos in my 2013 file. Any responsible photographer would have deleted thousands more but sentimentality and lack of disciple allow average photos to clog my hard drive arteries.
- I asked the folks at Canon how many activations I had compiled on my camera and they said the shutter had been tripped 31,000 times. I actually thot there would be more over the last couple of years.
- During one glorious day in Banff National Park, I saw 7 bears – a new personal best.
- Christmas is 85 days away and I have no idea what to get my wife.
Now that I’ve got those numbers out of my system, I will happily return to words and photos again.
Gorgeous Goat. Just another beautiful scene that makes me want to go back to the Rockies.
Krahnpix 
Always love your words and photos… Sometimes life has a way of preventing reading blogs or blogging… We had so many outsiders and events it was running from one to the next… Sorry have not visited in a month. Also been busy at work and on Instagram tracking my kids!!! A must these days to keep them safe!
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I’m pleased to hear that you value the blog enough to keep coming back when you have time. And sometimes life can be particularly busy. Hope it settles down for you.
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31000 shutter releases and still inspired – i recall the quote possibly Ansel Adams – the first 20000 shots you take you may as well get rid of – interestingly I am starting to find that the older shots I rated just don’t stand up against the recent past. So maybe there is something in it 🙂
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I’ve enjoyed your posts 100% of the time. There’s today’s number for you. 🙂
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That’s a great one. Thanks.
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Numbers don’t stick to me, either, so I totally ‘get’ this one. Had to chuckle at the 85 days til Christmas and wife gift thing – I get that, too! 🙂 Love the shot of that goat – so crisp and alive, it’s almost as if I were there.
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And I got to be there! Loved it. Glad you get the post. I was watching a webinar last week and the presenter indicated our brain processes the information it receives in the forms of pictures and emotions. That made sense.
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I originally had in my earlier comment said that I don’t think in numbers, I think in emotions – and then erased it. I thought it was a bit hokey. But maybe I’m not in the minority?? Interesting…
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As someone who likes numbers, I enjoyed this post. I am afraid to look at how many photos I’ve taken in 2013, but I am certain you have me beat.
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Glad you liked it – though puzzled why you like numbers:) I”m not sure the number of photos taken is worth that much. A professional photographer mentioned doing a whole day of shooting and saving seven to eight photos. I realized then I was saving far too many. It’s the good ones that make the difference.
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For sure: The feeling IS shared! Stunning pictures! ▲
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Thanks so much.
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Both great shots Lyle.
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Thanks. Appreciate the comment.
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Fun post – I wonder how many times my shutter has tripped? I think I have about 13K photos for 2013 so far, but I think there’s a fair percentage of duplicates that I have cropped for printing. I have yet to log any bears in person, although I have had one tear into my garbage bins.
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Glad you liked it. I think I remember reading that Ansel Adams was happy with 10 good photos in a year. I wonder how many he kept around. Something tells me he saved a lot less than I keep.
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I’m sure he would be one of those film hold outs.
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Your choice of numbers to represent your year to date seems to reflect the same quirky quality that characterizes your prose and your photos. You seem to devote the same loving attention to all of them, with a goal of enlightening, amusing, and enriching your audience–there appears to be little randomness in your approach. There are other blogs with high quality photos and there are other blogs that appeal to my sense of humor, but you provide one-stop shopping–I get them both in one blog. Cute coots? Eye of the elk? Gorgeous goat? You have them all. A Lyle Krahn post with numbers? Who would have figured?
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One-stop shopping always appealed to me so I’m pleased you view my blog in that favourable light. I’m also happy to be able to provide a few surprises now and then. I’d hate to be too predictable. I like your alliteration so much, I might just add them to the captions.
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I suspected you might notice the alliteration. I have to warn you, however, that your tongue may get twisted if you say “cute coot” too many times in a row.
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I think it only takes once for me!
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Numbers are so limiting! I much prefer words or photographs or both. Keep them coming, please. 🙂
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I will have no problem shying away from the numbers in the future. I assure you the words and photos will keep coming. Appreciate the comments.
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Another wow factor to your gorgeous images, the eye is so sharp.PURE EXCELLENCE !!!!!!
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Those elk have such big eyes and it really caught my attention. Thanks so much for the comments.
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I hold Krahnpix up there as one of my favourite blogs and therefore assumed that it must have hundreds of hits per day. It just goes to show that numbers (especially stats) in blogging aren’t what counts – it is the words and comments from people genuinely interested in what you have to say. Thanks for another great post.
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Thank you. That means a lot to me. It’s funny because my blog was featured on WordPress as a good example of the theme I was using and I got more than than 4,000 views in one day. It seemed exciting then but most of the people came and went. I have come to learn what you so accurately described. I now put so much more value on the comments from people who are genuinely interested.
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I’ve discovered that I can’t seem to hang onto numbers in my head these days. I attribute it to advanced age or senility. But it does free me of worrying about them. Agree with Phil that hairy mountain goat sure is a stunner. Perfect background and giving you “the look”! 😉
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Freedom from worry is a good bonus! I suppose this is one time when getting the look is a good thing. I pretty excited when I saw the mountain goat and then realized it was standing in a beautiful spot.
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As far as numbers go…I don’t have an idea of how many images I have stored on the three 2TB external hard drives I’m currently running in addition to the computer’s built in memory, plus a new 1TB drive that recently arrived. (I saw it on a hot deals site and couldn’t resist picking it up). I have concluded that I am for sure an image Hoarder. Oh yes, I delete, quite a lot actually, but still there they all are.
Well that mountain goat in the Rockies is a true stunner! You gotta be thrilled with that, I know I would be.
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My goodness you are true collector. That is a lot of memory – also makes it tricky finding photos unless you have an amazing key wording system or just a good memory.
Glad you liked my mountain goat image. I was pleased to get that background instead of the gravel piles they sometimes stand in.
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Well I back up the back up. 🙂
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Your meandering on numbers was fun. And don’t worry you still have some days left to find that perfect gift for your wife 🙂
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Glad you found it fun. From past experience, I think I have good reason to worry since my ideas don’t seem to get better when it get’s closer:)
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