Bert Gildart: Writer and Photographer

©Bert Gildart: For the past two weeks I have been in a quandary.  Someone sent me what appeared to be a brand new 35 to 105mm zoom lens.  In real life a lens of this quality costs about $1,000, so I was astounded.  But then, but when I removed it from the very, very real looking box,  instantly I realized by the weight that it was it was a plastic lookalike.  But that was just as good, for it has turned out to be something with which I’ve been having fun.

My first victim was my sister-in-law, and on Christmas day I removed the “lens” from my camera pack and pretended I was about to attach it to my Nikon camera, but suddenly changed my mind.  The lens needed cleaning, so I tossed it to my sister-in-law, but she couldn’t field my catch — because I’d misdirected the throw.

“So sorry,” she said when it thudded to the floor.  “Hope it’s not damaged.”

“No problem,” I responded, as I headed to the sink.  “I’ll wash off in the sink.”  Which I did.  Then I filled it up with a drink, and only then did she realize something amiss.

Believe it or not, that little stunt has now worked about half a dozen times. And I bet it will work again, perhaps on one or two of my readers.  I can hope.

WHO SENT IT?

Ok.  I’ve had my fun, but who sent it?  Up until yesterday I had no idea and had called several unsavory friends, friends who live as far away as Texas, California and Massachusettes, but all denied knowledge of the lens.  But yesterday, the mystery was solved when Katie, Janie’s daughter, called and said, “Has Bert gotten Kelsey’s Christmas gift?  Tracking says it got to Kalispell.”

Sometimes I’m dense, but this time the comment triggered a thought, and I suddenly realized who the unmarked package was from.  So thank you, Kelsey.  It’s provided lots of laughs, and has allowed me to key off some family gullibility.  Remember the time, we stuffed rocks in Mary’s pack when she left it sitting idle?

What fun we had watching her struggle along the trail to Grinnell Glacier in Glacier National Park.  Well it was that kind of enjoyment I’ve been having with the lens.  Perhaps we can do that again this summer?!?

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NOTE:  With a little luck from the weather we may be able to hitch up our Airstream and begin heading south.  For us, this should make headlines.

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AIRSTREAM TRAVELS THIS TIME LAST YEAR:

*Biking to Font’s Point

4th ed. Autographed by the Authors

Hiking Shenandoah National Park

Hiking Shenandoah National Park is the 4th edition of a favorite guide book, created by Bert & Janie, a professional husband-wife journalism team. Lots of updates including more waterfall trails, updated descriptions of confusing trail junctions, and new color photographs. New text describes more of the park’s compelling natural history. Often the descriptions are personal as the Gildarts have hiked virtually every single park trail, sometimes repeatedly.

$18.95 + Autographed Copy

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• Take a look

Big Sky Country is beautiful

Montana Icons: 50 Classic Symbols of the Treasure State

Montana Icons is a book for lovers of the western vista. Features photographs of fifty famous landmarks from what many call the “Last Best Place.” The book will make you feel homesick for Montana even if you already live here. Bert Gildart’s varied careers in Montana (Bus driver on an Indian reservation, a teacher, backcountry ranger, as well as a newspaper reporter, and photographer) have given him a special view of Montana, which he shares in this book. Share the view; click here.

$16.95 + Autographed Copy

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• Pictures here

What makes Glacier, Glacier?

Glacier Icons: 50 Classic Views of the Crown of the Continent

Glacier Icons: What makes Glacier Park so special? In this book you can discover the story behind fifty of this park’s most amazing features. With this entertaining collection of photos, anecdotes and little known facts, Bert Gildart will be your backcountry guide. A former Glacier backcountry ranger turned writer/photographer, his hundreds of stories and images have appeared in literally dozens of periodicals including Time/Life, Smithsonian, and Field & Stream. Take a look at Glacier Icons

$16.95 + Autographed Copy

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• Look inside

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 9th, 2014 at 3:05 pm and is filed under Photography. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.