Category Archives: Photography

November 9, 2024 · 23:31

Cloud

For some reason my brain is seeing this as a check mark symbol, even though it’s not quite that right shape at all.

But a check mark is usually an indication that something is correct or has been accomplished on a checklist, and that’s not quite the situation in so many respects, so I guess a shape that’s not quite right is appropriate.

Whatever. It’s just a pretty, wispy, fluff of a small cloud that I thought was interesting. Not seen in this picture, and the thing that drew my eye to it to begin with while I was retrieving trash barrels, were the couple of hawks riding the thermals around and through and above and below. It would be wonderful to be able to do that and daydreaming about the possibility got my train of thought at the time off on a tangent.

Being bound to the ground and everything on it is starting to get old. I need to fly again.

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Filed under Flying, Photography

November 8, 2024 · 23:34

Happy Place Panorama

It would be nice to get back again this year, but that’s unlikely. One trip a year is about all I can get away with.

Enjoy the full-sized file – click on it and blow it up. My son’s truck with the flags is over to the left.

For this weekend, there’s more work, more deadlines (I can sort of see the light at the end of the tunnel? Ish?) and taking down the Halloween decorations.

It’s also getting close to decision time and I know where it’s going, I’m just not happy about it. (Just add it to the list…) I had really hoped to be putting up a ton of Christmas lights at the Forever Home this year and setting the place up to make it easy to put up a ton of lights every year in the future. That’s also very unlikely to happen, so in two weeks it will be time to start decorating here, at the rental house again. I’m also coming up on the end of my current set of weight training lessons, which I was also hoping would be the last one because I would be living elsewhere, but again…

So frustrated. So tired. It’s that whole middle-of-the-marathon feeling and the only way out is through.

One foot in front of the other. You too?

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Filed under Christmas Lights, Forever Home, KC Chiefs, Panorama, Photography

November 7, 2024 · 21:45

You Can’t Take A Bad Picture Here – November 07th

There are places on the planet where it is damn near impossible to take a bad picture, no matter your equipment, skill level, or whatever. I’m sure there are folks who somehow do manage to screw it up, but they’re in a different class from us mere mortals.

For example: London

My first stop has repeatedly been the Thames and the Battle of Britain monument. A favorite, it’s HUGE and wonderful.

A short walk to Parliament and Big Ben. It was grey and raining all day. That happens there a lot.

Some nice person figured that I might like to have proof that I was there. They were correct. Thank you, nice person!

St. James Park, looking toward Buckingham Palace. Not seen are the viscious geese that figured if I was there I just MUST have bread and was holding out on them.

Buckingham Palace.

Picadilly Square. Now getting dark and raining.

Trafalgar Square. Behind me was a guy on a unicycle playing bagpipes with flames shooting out the top. Not something you see every day.

The Albert Memorial in Hyde Park. It would be nice to get to see a concert or organ recital at Royal Albert Hall some day.

One of my favorite London pictures – an ancient, tiny cottage in Hyde Park, with a steel and glass skyscraper  just behind it. That’s London to me. Things hundreds of years old cheek & jowl to things built yesterday.

This was my second (third?) trip to London, in 2016, and all three have been about 18 hours long and a rush of how-much-can-I-cram-into-18-hours and how-little-sleep-can-I-survive-on-I’ll-sleep-on-the-plane-or-when-I’m-dead. It would be nice to go back for a few days or a week and see the city at a more leisurely pace.

Someday…

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Filed under Photography, Travel

November 6, 2024 · 22:59

Signs & Portents

Well, isn’t THIS just a fine fucking little nightmare!

I don’t even have words to start to express my disappointment and disgust with my fellow Americans.

Then I came out to this on the front porch this morning. It might have been an omen. Or is it a portent? Whatever.

Having the US flag ripping loose and hanging upside down seemed to be appropriate, especially with the leftover Halloween skeleton there.

(Image from ForeFlight app)

Probably not quite a sign from the gods – the winds had been pretty viscious all night. Whiteman was reporting winds at 45 knots, gusting to 60 knots, with Van Nuys, Camarillo, and Burbank all reporting similar readings.

If anyone has figured out what the silver lining or bright side to this debacle is, please let me know. I’ve got nothing.

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Filed under Photography, Politics, Weather

November 5, 2024 · 22:14

Just Trying To Get Home

Stuck in traffic

It was so beautiful for about two minutes. And then we moved on.

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Filed under Photography, Sunsets

November 3, 2024 · 23:34

The Next Week

I’ve seen this meme a dozen places in the last 48 hours and it’s ringing so very, VERY true right now. Another one says, “It’s like the whole world is waiting for biopsy results on Tuesday.” That’s true too, although I’ve been feeling more like the characters in “Melancholia” or “Deep Impact” waiting for the comet or rogue planet to hit the Earth.

Let’s keep the faith, keep breathing, keep our sense of humor, and hope for a

over the next 72 hours.

In the meantime, we’ve been experiencing our first good windstorm of the winter, which meant that the roads this morning were littered with palm fronds (which can shred a tire in an instant), small tree branches, tumbleweeds, and the odd, migrating Halloween decoration. In our back yard,

We will rebuild!

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Filed under Memes, Photography, Politics, Weather

November 2, 2024 · 23:31

The Ventura County Gateway To Hell

I just hate it when the Ventura County Gateway to Hell opens up, especially when the wind is blowing from the west.

The smell of sulphur and brimstone can be horrible!

It was, however, a very cool looking effect for about two minutes at sunset. Timing, as always, is everything in life.

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Filed under Photography, Sunsets, Weather

November 1, 2024 · 23:00

Sunset Photons

All week they’ve been promising our first rain of the season for tomorrow – they lied. Or, at a minimum, they’ve reneged. Apparently the remnants of a tropical storm that fell apart off of Hawaii got sucked into the jet stream and sent our way, but it’s going to go more north.

We still get some nice, high, wispy clouds to ogle, but the chance of any actual raindrops is quickly approaching zero.

Of course, those nice, high, wispy clouds turn pink at sunset, so that’s nice also.

Enjoy the weekend! Don’t forget to take a moment to ogle the clouds!

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Filed under Photography, Sunsets, Weather

October 29, 2024 · 23:25

Random Old Photos – October 29th

Twenty years ago, my one and only trip to the tip of Cape Cod.

It was very, very flat and very, very windy and sandy. We did not go swimming, no matter how competent that lifeguard looked.

Does that sign say “Danger” or “Dancer”? Twenty years that’s haunted me…

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Filed under Photography, Travel

October 28, 2024 · 23:16

Maybe It Wants To Rain

Probably not. But it sure looks like it wants to.

There’s more going on than just the coastal low clouds and fog moving in. Through some of the gaps in the clouds it looked like some significant cloud building and cumulus clouds rising up in the afternoon heat. But no rain.

Driving home I could see virga falling from the cloud bases in a couple spots, but nothing was hitting the ground.

Our last measurable rain was in April, which is normal, and the forecast says there’s a 50%+ chance of a third of an inch or so on Saturday. That would be nice.

But I’m not going to hold my breath waiting. We’re not to the rainy season around here yet.

Can’t wait!

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Filed under Photography, Sunsets, Weather