Category Archives: Photography

November 6, 2023 · 23:31

Not NaNoWriMo, 11/06/2023

Yet another day of a zero word count. Again, I knew this was coming. The deadlines of this week have been there like Gandalf’s Balrog for weeks now – “You Shall Not Pass!”

The good news is that I’m starting to think I’m going to make it. The “to-do” list that looked like the NYC phone book is starting to look like a Post-It Note. Okay, it’s one of those BIG Post-It Notes, but you get the idea.

But on that priority list, writing for NaNoWriMo is “later!”

Plus, I had a commitment to go down a pint.

I know my name, so why do they put this sticker on me? Is it so that they know what name to shout as they’re slapping me to wake me up after I pass out? 🤣😎

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Filed under Health, Paul, Photography, Writing

November 5, 2023 · 21:49

Not NaNoWriMo, 11/05/2023

I knew that this day would come in my NaNoWriMo 2023 quest, and I’m not that surprised that it came this early.

No new words today – other priorities sucked all of the time out of the day. It’s not the end of the world, it just means that I’m going to have to make up some word count over some days later in the month.

I knew what the deadlines were when I started this. The rest of this week might be bad for NaNoWriMo. We’ll see.

In the meantime, we’re all enduring the joys of yet another Daylight Saving Time shift. And a Chiefs game in Germany that started at 06:30 AM. (At least we won!)

We’ll see what tomorrow brings. (Oh, yeah, I’m donating blood at the Red Cross tomorrow night after work. Another conflicting priority!)

Tonight’s sunset, crystal clear, no clouds, extra servings of that gradient from red to ultraviolet.

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Filed under Photography, Sunsets, Writing

November 4, 2023 · 22:22

Not NaNoWriMo, 11/04/2023

2011 Picnic Day at UC Davis, the Battle of the Bands. UC Davis, Cal State Sacramento, the legendary Stanford Marching Band, UC Irvine ZotBand, a couple more that I’ve forgotten. So freakin’ much fun!

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Filed under Photography, Travel

November 3, 2023 · 21:21

Not NaNoWriMo 11/03/2023

From 2012, the Kinkaku-Ji (Golden) Temple in Kyoto, Japan.

 

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Filed under Photography, Travel

November 2, 2023 · 21:26

NaNoWriMo 11/02/2023

Doing the NaNoWriMo thing messes with my sense of time and my actual performance in racing against the clock. Last night when I had my “ah-ha!” moment I probably had another 45 minutes to an hour of writing to get down what was suddenly pouring out of my brain, but I also have to post by midnight to keep the streak of consecutive posting days going. (Currently at 633 days.)

So maybe every day I’ll just share a quick picture from travel, an airshow, a NASA Social, or something to game the system, stroke my ego, and have something to show I’m still alive to those of you who couldn’t care less about my NaNoWriMo story.

It’s my website, I can be as neurotic as I want to be!

P-51 from the Military Aviation Museum in Pungo, Virginia, just outside of Virginia Beach.

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Filed under Flying, Photography, Travel

October 30, 2023 · 22:51

Which Way The Wind Blows

Gee, can you figure out which way the 40-50 mph winds are blowing?

I wish I could get frequent flier miles for the BBQ, lawn chairs, and empty trash cans out in the back yard.

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Filed under Photography, Weather

October 28, 2023 · 23:13

The Moon & Jupiter – 27 Days Later

On October 1st I had pictures from when the Moon was very close to Jupiter in the sky. It’s now 27 days later and Jupiter has moved a little bit toward the west. Meanwhile the Moon has gone all the way around, getting  in front of the sun two weeks ago in an annualar eclipse (partial here in LA) and now being back near Jupiter.

As before, the Moon is so bright that even at my DSLR’s fastest shutter speed (1/4000th second) it’s slightly washed out and overexposed. Meanwhile, Jupiter, in the lower right corner, can barely be seen at that exposure, despite being the fourth brightest object in the sky right now, behind the Sun, Moon,  and Venus.

How amazing is the human eye with its ability to clearly see the major details of the Moon, lava plains and huge craters and mountain ridges, while simultaneously seeing Jupiter clearly as the bright object it is.

Go take a look. Or tomorrow. (Assuming your sky is clear, of course. If you’re getting 12 inches of snow or it’s pouring rain, make snowballs or get inside!)

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Filed under Astronomy, Photography

October 27, 2023 · 23:08

Rainbow Over Southampton

I took advantage of a sort of a spur of the moment opportunity today. I was at the office to take care of an IT thing and only a mile or so from the Kaiser Permanente campus where I get 99% of my medical care. The Long-Suffering Wife had told me that they had a walk-in clinic for flu shots and the new COVID vaccine, so I swung by and found that to be true. I got both.

For the record, aside from the tiniest bit of aching in my arm (mainly only if I touch it, so DON’T TOUCH IT!) there are just about zero side effects. As they say, Your Mileage May Vary, but no fever, no chills, no aches, no nausea, no headache, no anything.

But that spontaneous adjustment to my schedule and the adjustments that I’ve made to free time just in case, on top of the healthy doses of stress and angst from the freakin’ world, plus the usual time pressures from *LIFE*, plus just plain getting old…

It all adds up. I might be a bit verklempt tonight, short a few functioning brain cells. In need of a pick me up.

As is often the case, especially when I’m looking for a prompt or thought for my daily post here, I go flipping at random through old pictures. And also as is often the case, my muse doesn’t let me down.

From a dozen years ago, in Southampton, wandering around town taking pictures in some scattered light showers:

Get your flu shot. Get the updated COVID vaccine. Wear a mask. Look for rainbows. Smile!

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Filed under CoronaVirus, Health, Photography, Travel, Weather

October 26, 2023 · 23:10

No Context For You – October 26th

The things we take for granted…

Something works. Then it doesn’t. And it’s a pain to fix it.

No matter how careful or skilled we are, even “fixed” it’s not quite the same. It’s close, and you’re grateful to not have to deal with the moderate to severe issues from when it was broken.

You probably don’t even notice it at first. Because it was “fixed!” If something were still seriously off, well, then you would keep working on it. Until it’s “fixed!”

But at some point you realize that it’s not the same. Maybe the health app on your phone or watch gives you an odd, totally unexpected notice. Maybe the door that used to swing shut tightly with just a feather touch now needs to have some pressure applied to shut and stay shut.

So you adjust. Or maybe you just realize that you’ve already adjusted, you just didn’t realize how much until your phone gives you an odd, totally unexpected notice.

Aware now, coming into tune with the new reality which you didn’t ask for, you pick up your pace, you learn new habits, you start pushing that door, you try to keep the health app on your watch happy.

Or at least, happier.

And you move on. With the occasional, wistful thought for the way it was before. When the things we took for granted were there, and not replaced with the adjustments and compensating habits.

All of which we’ll soon take for granted.

 

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Filed under Deep Thoughts, Paul, Photography

October 25, 2023 · 22:36

Painted Ladies

It’s not the huge swarm that have hit a couple times in the past two years, but the three or four at a time groups of painted lady butterflies seem to be far more tolerant of folks standing out in the yard with cameras looking for Northern Flickers.

Two in particular were landing on the ground near me while others flittered about. They would only stay put for a few seconds, but every time they landed they were getting closer.

They were landing on the dirt, just before sunset, and didn’t seem to be landing on flowers or plants and eating.

Once on the ground they would spread their wings like this, back to the setting Sun. Warming themselves? Drying their wings?

I think they’re migrating south from the Pacific Northwest toward Mexico and Central America, according to a couple of articles about them in the local papers.

Whatever. It’s still far better to be watching them than to be watching the news and reading social media.

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Filed under Critters, Photography