Author Archives: Dazzling Erin

Moments #35: The Turkey Vulture

Posted on by Dazzling Erin

One day, I stepped outside and discovered a turkey vulture walking through the neighborhood.

Usually, I love birds.  I put out food for them.  I like to take their picture.  I’m sad when they leave for a season and I’m happy when they come back.  I’m never happy to see a buzzard, though.  Buzzards show up when something is dying or has just died.  They’re scavengers and turkey vultures are the worst.  They only show up after something has already died, mostly so they can get whatever the other scavengers left behind.  Their heads are bald so that they can shove their faces into the dead without getting gore on their feathers.

The good thing was that this one appeared to just be visiting.  Nothing had died in the neighborhood so it was just looking for a snack to sustain itself until something dead.  It walked around and ate a few bugs.  The squirrels ignored it.  I don’t blame them.

Eventually, it left.  Hopefully, it will not return soon.

Previous Moments:

  1. My Dolphin by Case Wright
  2. His Name Was Zac by Lisa Marie Bowman
  3. The Neighborhood, This Morning by Erin Nicole
  4. The Neighborhood, This Afternoon by Erin Nicole
  5. Walking In The Rain by Erin Nicole
  6. The Abandoned RV by Erin Nicole
  7. A Visit To The Cemetery by Erin Nicole
  8. The Woman In The Hallway by Lisa Marie Bowman
  9. Visiting Another Cemetery by Erin Nicole
  10. The Alley Series by Erin Nicole
  11. Exploring The Red House by Erin Nicole
  12. The Halloween That Nearly Wasn’t by Erin Nicole
  13. Watchers and Followers by Erin Nicole
  14. Visitors by Erin Nicole
  15. Fighting by Case Wright
  16. Walking In The Fog by Erin Nicole
  17. A Spider Does What It Can by Erin Nicole
  18. Downtown Richardson, In The Rain by Erin Nicole
  19. Me, our kids, and ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD! by Bradley Crain
  20. The Statues of SMU by Erin Nicole
  21. Exploring the Back Yard Of An Abandoned House by Erin Nicole
  22. The Ugly Old Swing by Erin Nicole
  23. The Fourth of July In My Town by Erin Nicole
  24. A 4th of July Tradition: Blurry Firework Pictures! by Erin Nicole
  25. That Doll by Erin Nicole
  26. Invasion of the Dolls by Erin Nicole
  27. The Dollhouse by Erin Nicole
  28. Jake and Max by Erin Nicole
  29. The Morning of October 26th by Erin Nicole
  30. Casper The God by Erin Nicole
  31. Carrying The Flag by Erin Nicole
  32. The First Morning Of 2026 by Erin Nicole
  33. This Squirrel by Erin Nicole
  34. That Duck by Erin Nicole

The Covers of Saturn: The Magazine of Science Fiction

Posted on by Dazzling Erin

Saturn: The Magazine of Science Fiction was a sci-fi/weird tale themed pulp magazine that was published from 1957 to 1958.  In 1958, the magazine’s name was changed to Saturn Web Detective Stories and then it was changed again to Web Detective Stories once it became obvious that people didn’t think “hardboiled fiction” when they saw Saturn.

Here are the five coves of Saturn, back when it was The Magazine of Science Fiction.

by Leo Summers

Unknown Artist

Unknown Artist

Unknown Artist

Unknown Artist

Welcome To October On The Shattered Lens!

Posted on by Dazzling Erin

by Erin Nicole

Welcome to October on the Shattered Lens!

Here’s hoping this month finds you with joy, family, friends, fiends, ghouls, and ghosts!

Today is also the start of the Shattered Lens’s annual horrorthon!  Sit back, enjoy the reviews, the art, and the music videos, and have a great month of ghoulish fun!

by Erin Nicole

Go Team!!!

Posted on by Dazzling Erin

The MLB post-season is starting today and, with my Rangers not in contention, it’s time for me to pick a team to cheer for.

Usually, when the Rangers aren’t in the playoffs, I support the Astros because they’re the other team for Texas.  This year, though, there’s too many hard feelings.  I could justify cheering for the Rangers if they got into the post-season with an 81-81 record but I just can’t do it for the Astros.

When I can’t cheer for either the Astros or the Rangers, I usually cheer for whatever team is representing the South in the playoffs.  This season, that would appear to be the Braves but the Braves are a National League team and I just can’t bring myself to support the NL.

So, who am I supporting this year?

Congratulations, Tampa Bay!  I hope I’ll be cheering for you all the way through the World Series!

Go Rays!

Artist Profile: Gerard C. Delano (1890 — 1972)

Posted on by Dazzling Erin

As a painter, Gerard C. Delano was best-known for his paintings of the Navajo people and their way of life.  Before he took up painting, he worked as an illustrator and cover artist for several pulp publications.  He was educated at the Art Students League of New York and the Grand Central School of Art.  He is often credited as being the first western artist to regularly include cactus in the background of his paintings.

Here’s a small sampling of Delano’s work for the pulps.

It’s Over For The Rangers

Posted on by Dazzling Erin

The Rangers just played their final game of the regular season.  By a score of 4-6, they lost to the Twins.  Even if they had won, they would have still needed the Astros to lose to the Athletics to make it to the post-season.  The Astros are currently leading the Athletics 9-0.

So, it’s over.  Usually, this is when I try to stay positive and look forward to the next season but I’m not in the mood right now.  We came so close to making it to the post-season but then we lost the games that we really needed to win.  It’s such a familiar story.

I love my Rangers but my heart is broken right now.  I’ll still watch the play-offs and I’ll find a team to cheer for.  It won’t be the 81-81 Astros.