Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: Stuart ( Kevin Sussman ) and friends are transported to a primitive Pasadena, with huts, no technology and a peaceful civilization that shares everything. While Stuart tries to find a piece of red quartz for the machine, Bert ( Brian Posehn ) falls in love with a native (Zoe Cipres) and Barry ( John Ross Bowie ) quickly makes his own negative mark on their society. My Thoughts:  This was the first episode to fly without the cameo safety net.  A true test of a spin-off series is if it can survive without the references to the original series and for the most part, I thought this one did pretty well. Not having the cameos gave more time for the main characters to do their thing. I liked how this episode reversed things a bit. Usually, the gang arrives in a world that is already screwed up in some way. This time, they arrived in what could arguably be a perfect, peaceful world and were the ones responsible for messing it up. I especially liked how it was a combination ...

My walk today came with some sadness because I came across a deceased muskrat. I'm not sure what happened to it other than it possibly was attacked by a hawk or something that was then scared off before it could eat. It seemed fairly recent though because the fur looked like it was still wet. Anyway, despite that, it did turn out to be a decent walk. I wound up skipping some trails because I didn't want to scare some green herons that were perched in the way but still got quite a few photos. Here are some of them: This frog was a bit of a surprise because it was some distance away from any of the ponds. Hopefully, it hopped back before it dried out (or was eaten by a snake). I mentioned the green herons. There were multiple birds hanging out around the largest pond, giving me plenty of opportunities to get photos from far enough away to keep from scaring them. I still haven't been able to photograph the large snapping turtles that have been swimming near the shore but did g...

  The squirrels need to go on a diet It sounds strange, but it’s true. The broken tree limb laying in my back yard proves it. The divots from the previous ones too. Perhaps they are having too many walnuts. Or are spending too much time at my bird feeders. They may get plenty of exercise But they sure are eaters. Today it was a large branch. Two weeks ago, it was literally half a tree. They may not look like they are getting chunky, But they must be carrying weight the naked eye can’t see. I’ll admit that there may be other explanations. Too much rain, too much wind, maybe ants or termites. It could even just be gravity Bringing the branches down both day and night. I’m not convinced though, Especially when those branches come down and aren’t quiet. The explanation, to me at least, seems clear. The squirrels need to go on a diet. ______________________________________________________________________________ Here are some of my other poems: The Night the Wisconsin Badger Tapped Out ...

I wasn't sure how wet the trails would be after the rain we got last night (or how many mosquitos would be out). However, they turned out to be manageable, and I was able to get my walk in today at lunch. I wasn't able to get photos of them because they were underwater, but the snapping turtles were swimming around near the shoreline, which was kind of cool to see. I did manage to get photos without them though. Some of them are below: I haven't had a ton of success with bee photos this year, but this was one of the better ones I've gotten. There were plenty of dragonflies buzzing around while I was watching the snapping turtles swimming, so I got a few photos of them. The snapping turtles stayed underwater but there were plenty of others that were out sunning themselves. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to photograph these two monarchs as they fed. __________________________________________________________________________ Here are some of my previous nature photo...

Synopsis: When convicted robber Charley Gray is released from prison, Texas rangers Dave Wyatt and Panhandle Perkins team up with lawyer Tex Haines to find out where he hid $250,000 in stolen government money by having Panhandle go undercover and befriend the newly released criminal. However, things prove to be more complicated when Charley's partner, Steve, and his new gang plan a double cross. Who's in it? The movie stars Dave O'Brien , Tex Ritter , Guy Wilkerson , Kay Hughes, Charles King and Jack Ingram . Review: I was running behind again this morning (must be the fact it is staying dark later) and, because of that, had to find a shorter alternative to the movie I intended to watch. Since I have enjoyed Tex Ritter/Dave O'Brien films in the past, I chose Enemy of the Law and wasn't disappointed. What really won me over with this movie were the villains. As I've said in the past, films like this are only as good as their bad guy and this one had a solid ...

It was a bit overcast at lunch, but we aren't supposed to get rain until later, so I managed to get a walk in with my camera. There wasn't much activity today, probably because it looked like they just got done mowing some of the grass, but I did capture some of the usual suspects. Here are some of my photos: There was no heron on this rock today, like yesterday, so the turtles returned. This turned out to be an interesting photo, at least in my opinion. The dragonfly was on a stump and the water from the pond was in the background, but it almost looks as though it is a giant dragonfly on top of a mountain with clouds in the background. Two photos of the same dragonfly from different angles. I was surprised it stayed in one place while I moved. I'm not against fall colors. I just am not a fan of seeing them when it is only mid-August. What's up with that? ___________________________________________________________________________ Here are some of my previous nature phot...