Category Archives: Photography

November 18, 2022 · 23:49

STILL Still Here

With last week’s rain and then a few days of sun…

…our favorite little not-a-weed is back, all colorful and happy.

This corner of the yard has NOT done will with the watering restrictions. Well, except for that ONE shoot of green up there near the top.

Normally I might consider this to be a weed, but around the corner there’s a whole 4’x10′-ish patch of them and they look like they’ve been deliberately planted. You don’t do that with weeds.

Well, maybe with dandilions if you want to make wine – but I digress. For now, just like me, our little not-a-weed is hanging in there. It might be by the last couple of fingernails, but it beats the alternative!

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Filed under Flowers, Photography

November 17, 2022 · 23:25

Nocturnal Cloud Shapes

At the time it was just a picture of the moon through the clouds in the middle of the night. But then I look at the photo on the screen and there are shapes and forms and images. The human brain is good at that…

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Filed under Photography, Weather

November 15, 2022 · 23:36

Artemis

That was freakin’ beautiful!

NASA’s Artemis I mission finally launched tonight, heading off planet to the moon on an uncrewed mission to prove the technology behind the Artemis rocket, the Orion spacecraft, and the ESS service module. There have been delays, hurricanes, cryogenic fuel leaks, and a gazillion other hurdles. Tonight the last of the hurdles were overcome and Artemis flew!

The mission has a long way to go – it has to get to the moon, orbit there for several weeks running tests on hardware and systems, then coming back to test the heat shield in a landing off of San Diego.

I went out to check out the Santa Ana winds in the back yard and see if I could see any sign of a brush fire that’s popped up above Lake View Terrace. No sign of flames, but through that smoke in the distance was the rising moon.

There’s the target! I regret that it’s taken 50+ years to get here, but from here let’s keep going!

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Filed under Photography, Space

November 14, 2022 · 23:42

Skyscapes – November 14th

I wish I were a hawk…

…or a raven…

…or a sparrow…

…or a swallow…

…or an owl…

…or even a turkey vulture…

…so I could just soar up there all day long.

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Filed under Photography, Weather

November 13, 2022 · 23:48

Clouds By Moonlight

A week ago we were hoping for clear skies for the total lunar eclipse, but got rain and a solid overcast. The following night however, after some of the clouds had broken up, we had bright moonlight illuminating the remaining banks of clouds up over the mountains to the north.

Spooky, but beautiful!

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Filed under Photography, Weather

November 12, 2022 · 23:36

Red Leaves In Grey Skies

After this week’s rain, before the sun came back out, the light surrounding our handful of fall-colored leaves was perfect.

Now the wind and sun have returned and the leaves are mostly on the ground.

So fleeting…

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Filed under Photography, Weather

November 11, 2022 · 23:56

Lizard In Fall Sunlight

A few weeks ago there were eight or nine tiny “popcorn” fence lizards out here. But it’s started to get cooler, the days are shorter, we’ve gotten some rain, and now it’s just the one I’ve seen in days.

Assuming it’s one of the same ones, it’s at least 50% bigger than it was, growing fast. But still skittish.

Can I take three or four steps forward, to where I’m maybe seven or eight feet away? Suuuuurrrreee…. Maybe…

Another half a step? Nope, nope, NOPE!!! Through the bushes and up the tree we go!

He’s still in the sun, but he’s not going to stay there if I move forward again. So I leave him be and back away. He needs all of the photons and bugs he can get before starting to hibernate.

Where did the rest of his pals go, the other six or eight or whatever who were hanging out on this garden edging? Maybe into hibernation, maybe they got invited to some critter’s lunch as the main course, probably a little of both.

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Filed under Critters, Photography

November 10, 2022 · 23:42

Planets After The Eclipse

The night after the total lunar eclipse, the Moon was back to being brilliantly bright (fading each night to a new moon in 14 days, of course) and it was accompanied by two bright planets.

Lower right, headed toward setting in the west for the night, is Jupiter. Upper left, just rising in the east, very near Orion, is Mars.

Spectacular!

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Filed under Astronomy, Photography

November 9, 2022 · 23:26

West

The storm is gone and our democracy is still here. -Ish, at least.

As with the election, so with the weather. It can always be so much worse – and it might be any time.

But for now, we’ll take it. “Perfect is the enemy of good,” as they say, and there’s a lot of truth to that.

Tomorrow’s another day.

We fight on.

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Filed under Photography, Politics, Sunsets, Weather

November 8, 2022 · 11:45

Vote!

Early again today with a couple of quick notes and one critically important message for the day:

    1. Critically important message for the day – if you’re in the US and eligible,

      VOTE!

    2. For last night’s total lunar eclipse, the last one until 2025, as expected, I saw exactly diddly squat.
    3. In case you haven’t heard, there’s an incredibly important election in the US today, so make sure you vote if you’re eligible!
    4. About an hour before last night’s total lunar eclipse started there were huge breaks in the clouds and the extremely bright full moon was lovely. You can see Jupiter just above the tree in the lower left.
    5. In many US states, California included, you can sign up and register to vote on the day of the election, so not being registered isn’t an excuse. If you’re in one of those states and you can do this, then vote!
    6. We didn’t win the $2.04B lottery last night, even though they’re reporting that the ticket was sold in LA County. There’s something like ten million plus folks in LA County and about 99% of them bought tickets. Someone’s a megabazillionaire today, but not on our block.
    7. In most states (I’m not an expert, but it’s what I keep seeing repeated) if you’re in line when the polls close, stay there and they have to keep the polls open until everyone votes. So get in line and stand your ground to vote!
    8. This morning, we’re getting some much needed rain. It’s only an inch or so, but given the multi-year drought we’re in, that’s a good thing.
    9. Finally, even if it’s raining or snowing where you are, even if the lines are long (which is actually a good thing!), even if it’s inconvenient, even if it means you’re going to miss some TV show or sportsball event, even if you’re really tired – none of those are legitimate excuses. For probably the most critical threat to our government since the Civil War over 160 years ago, we all need to go out and vote. Bury the fascists and their attempts to drag us back to the 1850’s with an overwhelming vote for democracy, personal rights, and human decency.
    10. With this list format, pictures, and video, the formatting on this is going to be bizarre – whatever. You know what’s important?

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Filed under Astronomy, Photography, Politics, Video, Weather