About Us
Married for over thirty years, my wife (Diana) and I have spent over
three decades in the restaurant hospitality business. Twenty one years
ago we bought
our
own
place where we were both successful, and got to have the
time of our lives.
A short history.
As newlyweds and young restaurateurs we used to spend most of our vacations
and free time dining out and researching cuisines from around the world.
But our focus has changed and we find ourselves spending most all our
free time in wide open country chasing and photographing anything and
everything that moves. I sort of feel as though I'm returning to my
childhood for my passion growing up was biology and the study of living
things. As you'll see in The Raven Diaries,
years back we took care of a wounded crow, and then shortly after we
raised a baby raven that was successfully returned to the wild. These
encounters
helped to rekindled my love for nature and The Raven Diaries was born
to encourage others to get involved also.
What we're not.
We think you'll enjoy using our photos but understand we are not professional
photographers. Although some of our products will be available for sale
from outside sources (books, DVD's etc.) we don't charge for any of the
pictures, movies or stories that are available on
our
sites. Use the photos as if you took them yourself. Just remember any
people in the photo (rare) and the law says you need a model release.
A similar regulation can apply to photos with recognizable buildings,
landmarks, trademarks etc. We will also have a few special pages where
you will need to get copyright releases
for
any public display
and we will supply the copyright holder's name and contact info
for you. But for the most part, all our photos are usable for personal,
non-professional
purposes. All our photos are JPEG's just the way the camera took them.
That way there's no overwriting on them and you are free to change and
play with them just about any way you want!
What we are.
We are a grassroots, on fire for life couple, looking for creative ways
to give back to our community!
Why a member fee?
Although we'll have a great number of photos, stories and videos available
at no charge on the free site, we
charge a small fee in a "members area" with the bulk of our downloads
for a number of reasons;
To cover web and upkeep costs. The storing of information on the net,
especially larger files like movies, costs money. In time we will have
quite a collection of
short films and clips available. Also included in your Raven Diaries
subscription is both our
Just
Good Fun
and In
His
Image
sections.
There you will be able to see and use our food and wine materials from
our restaurant, The Black Sheep
Bistro, and Diana's still photography work.
Please understand we are not selling any of our recipes, photos and
or videos, they are for personal demonstration, educational and private
"end use" purposes only. You do
not have permission to re-sell or re-distribute ("share")
them in any manner or
form.
They are for your personal use only.
Last but not least, for the purpose of partnership
giving. We believe we all have a responsibility to take care of what
we have. After much research I found a great deal of the money
given
to most parks goes into a "general fund," and much of it
may never find it's way to the
park
itself. As one ranger put it, "That money you put in the little
box can
go for bolts on a bridge somewhere on Interstate 5!"
That's why it's our
goal, to put ourselves in the position to be able to partner with
the heads of specific parks
and
wildlife
reserves
to
help meet specific
needs inside those areas. That way all the money we give will
go to that specific project
and nothing
else.
It's our future, and we call it our Raven Diaries "Earth Stewardship."
The greater the number.
The need is great, and obviously as a couple we can't do all that much.
But with your participation, and the help of others like
you
from all
over the
world,
who
knows
what
we
can
do.
Your membership includes the ability to participate in 3 unique web sites;
justgoodfun.net - Let's start with fun with food &
wine. My goal is to show you how to cook! In 2008, we started shooting
every dish we serve at our restaurant, The Black Sheep Bistro in Tustin
California,
and
using
that as a starting point we will have hundreds of "phantom chef" videos
where you see exactly how
a dish
is
put together
from start
to finish. It's not a show, there's no eye contact and stupid jokes,
it's a from my eyes view of exactly how a dish is put together.
It shows the close ups of the products, not me. It's how I learned to
cook, by watching professionals prepare and cook
the actual dishes as they were being served, not just watching someone
do it on a TV set or a staged kitchen. I think it's the best way for
most people to
learn
how
to cook.
Other hobbies
and fun
will include; surfing with old style wood boards and how to make them
by hand, fencing and more. Eventually I hope to get Diana
involved with
a number
of her
skills!
inhisimage.us.com - Here's an area where my wife
really shines. When I first met Diana, even before we were married, I
was impressed
with
her skills
with a camera. On this site you will have at your fingertip thousands
of photographs free for your personal use. Travel, nature, animals, flowers
and so much more. One of my favorite sections is her "Beach Art" department
where she
has
let the ocean waves make thousands of unique designs using all the
shells, sea weed, and rocks naturally found there.
theravendiaries.com - Our love for all things living
portrayed through the relationships and lives of ravens and all the
different kinds of animals he shares his territory
with.
If you like what you see, please join us and tell others.
Together maybe we can make a difference.
Thank you,
Rick and Diana Boufford