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A series of shots I got during our passage through The Big Ditch!
ADEBOWALE (IMO 7518977) is a Oil service/PSV ship built in 1978 and is sailing under the flag of Tanzania. She has an overall length (LOA) of 66 meters and a width (beam) of 13 meters. Her summer deadweight capacity is 2,646 tonnes. From the looks of her she seems to have lived a very hard life!
Going through the complete Panama Canal was definitely a bucket list item for me. I spent the entire day (8 hours) outside on the deck along with a bunch of other folks, my shutter happily clicking away!
We had a Canal Guide onboard who pointed out all the interesting locations, couldn't tell you one thing he said because I wasn't listening I was too busy shooting!
Have to commend Princess Cruises, they were really nice to us outside in that they had stewards coming aro
"In 2010, Charles "Skip" W. Bowen, who was then the United States Coast Guard's most senior non-commissioned officer, proposed that all 58 cutters in the Sentinel class should be named after enlisted sailors in the Coast Guard, or one of its precursor services, who were recognized for their heroism."!
Good job for recognizing the enlisted guys!
Parked outside of the U.S. Coast Guard Base Los Angeles / Long Beach you see 3 of their Sentinel Class cutters with the USCGC Robert Ward (WPC-1130)in the lead, the USCGC Forrest Rednour (WPC-1129)sitting middle of the pack, and bringing up the rear is the USCGC Benjamin Bottoms (WPC-1132)!
All three are good looking ladies and all three are doing a great job of protecting our coastal waters from all the baddies.
My birthday is on the 7th so this is an early present!
Finished watching the local news and it didn't look good. Weatherman said there's only a 10 percent chance of any storms so it looks like another dry night. Oh well, there's always tomorrow.
Took the trash out and saw a couple of clouds and flashes to the South. Hmm, maybe that will turn into something so I packed up and headed to my regular spot, just in case.
Ran into a guy named Mike who was packing up and heading out. He said it didn't look like a good night, clouds were falling apart as quick as the formed so he was heading home. I told him I was going to stick around for awhile in case something developed, he said Good Luck but the storms just aren't there today. Mike, it looks like you missed the mark on this one!
Set up my camera and waited, waited, waited with little to no luck. Thinking about calling it a night when a huge bolt announced it's welcome with a thundering CRACK!!! Well, thank you very much, may I have another? CRACK!!! Your wish is my command. Wound up being a pretty good show, a perfect present for me that I know my Dad arranged for me.
This is a combo of three shots that just happened to fall in the right place. with a combined total of 130 seconds between the three. These were shot @ f/7.1 with ISO 100 and 52mm worth of zoom. The bolts seemed to be hitting in the same general area so I thought I'd chance the zoom, probably would have been a great place to use my Nifty Fifty!
The lights in the background are a bit blurry since I was fighting with outflow winds and trying to handhold the tripod steady. I can live with a little blur!
Who didn't want to take a ride on this baby when you were a kid?
Our first stop on this adventure was to visit the Kennedy Space Center. Pretty cool place to visit if you're into all things space related. There is an included bus tour of the facility that I would highly recommend. If you do go and decide you want to do the tour, be sure to get in line early as possible since it fills up real quick!
Next stop on the tour was to the Apollo/Saturn V Center where there was plenty to see. I really would've liked to get the complete rocket in one shot but that just wasn't happening so I took it one piece at a time.
This was a good trip in that I really stepped up and out when it came to taking control of my camera. The majority of the shots I got were done in manual (M) and I'm trying to keep any editing down to just a crop or two. This shot for example is sort of SOOC, converted RAW from the camera to B/W because the color version was bleh and a little crop.
This is a real photograph taken with a real camera, and not created by AI.
No worries young lady, we'll more than likely be seeing them again....
We were in Antigua, along with the Celebrity Equinox and a couple of ferries. It was early evening, Niccy and I were back from our tour and sitting on the back deck when I saw this scene.
The Equinox was departing, on her way to her next destination. People were milling about, waiting for our departure time when this young lady stepped up to the back rail and fired of a couple of shots with her phone. The light was really pretty so instead of a ship shot I decided to focus a bit closer to home and came up with this. She doesn't know she was my model but I thank her for her services.
Niccy and I just got back from a 2 week cruise down in the Caribbean, a trip that was supposed to be in the UK but thanks to the whole covid fiasco that was not meant to be. We were on the P&O Britannia and as we quickly found out we were the only Americans aboard! We had a good time, got to see some new ports and enjoyed the weather.
Looking at the EXIF I see I had the camera set on f/8, must've been using the Aperture Mode. I guess it also may have been in P Mode and I set the aperture myself? That's something I fooled around with a bit on this trip, slowly working my way out of my comfort zone of just P Mode, trying to branch out a bit to get more of the shots that I want to get.
One thing I did notice on this trip is a distinct lack of people with actual cameras. Lots and lots of cellphones though, along with the occasional IPad.
I guess I should thank the sunset for the pink(ish) bolt!
This storm blew in last night (26 July 23) as we were out to dinner in town. It really dumped the water up in the Speedway/Wilmot part of town but nothing out at the house. I was seeing little flashes off to the West on the drive home so I decided to grab the gear and head out once we got back. This is one of the shots that I got.
The lightning was popping all around, not focused in any one spot at all. The clouds were just one huge bank with no real definition to them so I wasn't really sure where to shoot, I just took a chance! This was shot looking toward the Northwest which is the direction the storm seemed to be headed in.
Had to do a weird crop on this since the storm was pretty much just a big monocloud and I didn't want an acre of grey above the lightning. This was shot with 35 seconds in BULB at f/9 with 29mm. I zoomed a bit, hoping to get a little tighter shot but its a pretty futile exercise to be honest. Mother Nature doesn't seem to care where your focus is!
Learned new way to macro, tried at home.
Use 3dead mosquitoes(?). I have a SIGMA 18-200mm lens. Remove lens from camera, set it at 200mm, turned lens180degree, re-connect the lens' object side to camera's lens connector (just tried my best to hold lens stay with camera). Added sufficient light. Pointing the lens' observing side to the objects. Adjusting camera itself (distance) to focus.
The results showed that macro effect was quite dramatic, Bokeh effect also strong and the resolution was great, when consider that hand held taken. Mosquitoes were compared with the reference object in the picture: a red 10mm in diameter button. Foto was not PSed, uncropped.
I will upload the 18-200mm's macro picture, show that it suppose to be as reference.
Kugira means "Whale" in Japanese. To me, it sounds like it should be pronounced in the same tone and manner in which you would pronounce "GODZILLA"!
One of the largest caisson-building docks in the world is the Kugira (‘whale’ in Japanese). This herculean machine from ACCIONA measures the equivalent of an 18-floor building (56 metres tall, 74 metres long and 49 metres wide). A team of between 140 and 200 high specialised professionals work on the Kugira around the clock seven days a week, and it can manufacture concrete caissons weighing up to 24,000 tonnes. This means that it can create a seawall or a berthing dock 200 metres long from scratch in just one month.
Once a caisson is completed, it is launched by being partially sunk until the caisson can float, and then it is taken by tugboats to the place where it will be placed over the platform on the sea floor, where tonnes of material has previously been laid to create a uniform base. Once it is in its exact position, the caisson is secured in place by filling the cells with water, and later they are filled with sand to make them completely stable. Although this procedure may sound cumbersome, it does not interfere with port activity.
www.acciona.com/updates/articles/worlds-largest-caisson-d...
When you're walking down a large dock you don't normally think about the way the dock was built or who it was that built it. Reading about the Kugira gave me a whole new appreciation of the things that go into building a dock!
At first I thought this was just a Jackup Rig for deep sea oil eploration. Boy, was I wrong on that.
A gratuitous tourist shot, I'd be remiss if I didn't include it!
Got the tourist trifecta here, Victoria Tower on the left, Parliament in the middle, and BIg Ben on the right! Damn, I'm good and I know it! (M)anual BTW.
The Palace of Westminster is the meeting place of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is located in London, England. It is commonly called the Houses of Parliament after the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two legislative chambers which occupy the building. The palace is one of the centres of political life in the United Kingdom; "Westminster" has become a metonym for the UK Parliament and the British Government, and the Westminster system of government commemorates the name of the palace. The Elizabeth Tower of the palace houses the bell nicknamed Big Ben and is a landmark of London and the United Kingdom in general. The palace has been a Grade I listed building since 1970 and part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987.
If you're not from the UK but you'd like to know more you can take a peek at Wikipedia:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palace_of_Westminster
I'd liken it to our Capitol building here in the US, but much older. We didn't take a tour there, we've no interest in seeing UK politicians pontificating. To be fair though we've no interest in seeing US politicians pontificating so don't expect to see any shots from the District of Columbia any time soon.
Yes, this is a real photograph taken with a real camera, not a Computer Rendered Artificial Picture!
A really pleasant find on our Thursday drive!
Yeah, I took a LOT of Artistic Liberty with this shot. B/W, Sepia, Fuzzy Border, etc. Working toward that Old West feel.
NIccy had the day off so we had made plans to go down to the Tubac, AZ Festival of the Arts. We'd gone once before Covid reared it's ugly head and thought it would make for a nice relaxing day. Boy, were we wrong.
I knew that it was going to be a problem when I saw a sign on the interstate saying Festival Goers USE THIS EXIT. The exit is about 2.5 miles from where the festival was being held. Well, we took the exit, went about 1/2 mile and abruptly stopped thanks to the traffic jam on the siding road we were on. We slowly creeped our way down to where the parking area was and once we saw the sea of cars Niccy said "Oh hell no, I'm not paying to park in that mess!" so we went right on by.
We got down past the mess and decided to get back on the freeway, head north and go check out the Historic Canoa Ranch, a place we hadn't (and haven't) been yet.
About that time we came up on the Tumacacori Historic National Park, another place we hadn't been before. Since it's a national part and I've got a national park veterans pass we decided to stop there instead.
They have docent led tours but we decided just to wander on our own. It wound up being pretty interesting looking at the old mission church and outbuildings. There weren't many people when we got there but it did get a bit busy as we were leaving.
I'm glad that Tubac was such a mess, it gave us a chance to check out the mission and have ourselves a really nice picnic lunch!
If you'd like to learn about the park:
If you'd like to learn a bit more about the church:
www.nps.gov/tuma/learn/historyculture/the-church.htm
As a side note the weather was fantastic today, 65 degrees and sunny with a slight breeze!
Better than any 4th or July show!
Talk about light up your life!
Another shot from the storm that blew in on 3 August 2024. The action really was hot and heavy with bolts popping up all over!
This is a SOOC shot other than a small crop in GIMP to lose some extraneous bits on the side and bottom.
This was shot @ f/10 and ISO 100 with 30 seconds on the clock.
PS:
For those in the Show Your EXIF group you should note that the actual lens used is a Tamron AF 18-200mm F/3.5-6.3 Di-II VC All-in-One Zoom for Canon APS-C Digital SLR. For some crazy reason it always shows up as a Canon TS-E 90mm f/2.8, a lens I've never owned or used!
If you're a Civil War buff you probably know about Andersonville. If you're not, read on....
Andersonville is home to the Drummer Boy Civil War Museum which has authentic uniforms, both Union and Confederate, and an extensive collection of Union Gen. Thomas T. Eckert. Lincoln conspirator, Mary Surratt’s bonnet and other rarities make this a national gem. Close by is the Andersonville National Historic Site which houses the Andersonville National Cemetery Rostrum and the National Prisoner Of War Museum.
www.nps.gov/ande/planyourvisit/natl_pow_museum.htm
Pioneer Farm (the location of this shot) is a five-acre park that is open daily to the public that offers views of what life was like during the late 1800s with an operating Grist Mill, a 167-year-old log cabin, and a blacksmith shop.
We spent a couple of damp days in Andersonville Georgia, population 237. The county has a nice little RV park there that's right next to a cemetery. Super quiet place, Niccy and I were the only people camped out there. She said it felt creepy to her, I personally thought it was very peaceful. One of those places we'll definitely be going back to visit again!
There's no discrimination down around Trafalgar Square.
During our walkabout we came across a different sort of crossing light, this is one of them.
I'm guessing that at some point someone decided that having a generic stick figure walking was racist, sexist, bigoted, homophobic, etc, etc so the city decided they would spend the money to have these lights installed. Seems like a silly way to be spending the public funds in my opinion but then I'm an old traditionalist!
This was shot in (M)anual, I did give the light a little color boost because it looked pretty faded in the original. I think it might have something to do with it being LED and the frequency they operate at. May be something the camera had a hard time catching.
Yes, this is a real photograph taken with a real camera, not a Computer Rendered Artificial Picture!
We need more places in the world like Ejido Miguel Aleman
Some interesting reading about Ejido Miguel Aleman:
www.milenio.com/estados/ejido-miguel-aleman-el-oasis-de-c...
(you'll have to translate from Spanish to your native tongue.)
We left the school and traveled a short distance to the processing plant to see how bananas are harvested, packaged, and shipped. We've seen this process before down in Guatemala but this place was different. The workers all seemed to be very happy with their work, laughing and joking about the gringos watching the process. I figure it's because they're the owners of the company, not some corporate conglomerate riding shotgun over them.
I found the article referenced above and I have to say I'm very impressed with the people in this town. They live in a beautiful place and they are really working hard to keep it beautiful. I respect them for that and I'm very appreciative of them letting us come in to have a glimpse.
I would also like to extend a hearty handshake and Thank You to Explora Caribe Tours for being an ethical tour company with values I can certainly get behind:
id ? ja Danke,
für den Tipp!
@ tedescos57!
Schlehe, sloe, blackthorn, prunellier, el endrino
de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schlehdorn
Der gleichmäßige Reifebelag wird auch Duftfilm genannt. Er besteht aus natürlichem Wachs. Da sich darin aber auch Umweltschadsftoffe ansammeln können, ist es besser , die Frucht vor dem Verzehr abzureiben oder abzuwaschen.
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A series of shots I got during our passage through The Big Ditch!
AS SAVANNA is a Container ship built in 2009 by CSBC KEELUNG - KEELUNG, TAIWAN. Currently sailing under the flag of Portugal. Formerly also known as MAERSK WARSAW, MAERSK WARSAW. It's gross tonnage is 18123 tons.
Going through the complete Panama Canal was definitely a bucket list item for me. I spent the entire day (8 hours) outside on the deck along with a bunch of other folks, my shutter happily clicking away!
We had a Canal Guide onboard who pointed out all the interesting locations, couldn't tell you one thing he said because I wasn't listening I was too busy shooting!
Have to commend Princess Cruises, they were really nice to us outside in that they had stewards coming around regularly offering up cool drinks, sandwiches, and such.
Just Like Romeo And Juliet:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycCZX-olchU
Two ships (not passing in the night though), one on it's way to exotic ports, one on it's way back to the safe harbor of home.
This was an early (for me) shot outside of the Fort Lauderdale Cruise Terminal.
It seems like anyone with a boat was out on the water this day!
As we were waiting on the dock for the tender back to the ship I took a bit of a wander to see what I could see. Out at the end of the dock I came across this scene, and thought it was picture worthy.
As I said above it seems that everyone with a vessel that could float was out on the water this day. If they weren't ferrying folks between the Carnival Panorama and the shore they were taking people out to see Los Arcos and the associated beaches. Not quite a traffic jam but I did see a couple of close calls.
As I also said before the Zaandam was using the ship's lifeboats to shuttle us back and forth, not relying on the locals to possibly get us back aboard! I think I've got a couple of shots coming up that will really show you the difference!
A series of shots I got during our passage through The Big Ditch!
It's unfortunate but sometimes things happen that cause a ship to sink. Luckily this didn't happen in the locks themselves, that would be a monumental task getting it cleaned up.
Going through the complete Panama Canal was definitely a bucket list item for me. I spent the entire day (8 hours) outside on the deck along with a bunch of other folks, my shutter happily clicking away!
We had a Canal Guide onboard who pointed out all the interesting locations, couldn't tell you one thing he said because I wasn't listening I was too busy shooting!
Have to commend Princess Cruises, they were really nice to us outside in that they had stewards coming aro
I'm sorry if you came here looking for anything related to Disney's Three Caballeros. Thanks for having a look anyway!
It's Rodeo time in Tucson and as we have done in years before we're parking cars in our lodge parking lot.
www.facebook.com/nelsoncbledsoe74/
The money we raise goes out to community projects we have like providing school supplies to South Tucson's community K-12 charter school.
Since it is a rodeo I figured I should post something rodeo related, hence this shot for your enjoyment.
A dispute between the railroad and the city has altered the parade route significantly which means we don't see nearly as many parade entries going past as we did in previous years. Sad for us, sad for the spectators but it is what it is.
Once again, you see a cowboy with his face glued to his little electronic leash, I equate this with Harleys having coffee cup holders, some things should never go together!
Whichever suits your fancy!
A statue of Tommaso d'Aquino/ located inside of The Church of San Jorge in A Coruña (Galicia, Spain).
Thomas Aquinas OP (/əˈkwaɪnəs/ ⓘ ə-KWY-nəs; Italian: Tommaso d'Aquino, lit. 'Thomas of Aquino'; c. 1225 – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican friar and priest, theologian, and philosopher. He is considered one of the most influential thinkers in the history of Catholic theology and Western philosophy.[
The Church of San Jorge is a Baroque-style Christian temple located in A Coruña (Galicia, Spain), designed by the architect Clemente Fernández Sarela. In 1975, it was declared a Property of Cultural Interest.
It is a three-nave church featuring exuberant interior decoration. The façade displays a clear Compostelan influence—characterized by colossal columns—and its design was drafted by the brilliant Baroque architect Fernando de Casas Novoa. A large rectangular opening dominates the composition, while the flanking volutes serve as a reminder of the Jesuit origins of this architectural style.
Once again, the shot looks off kilter but isn't. Some sort of lens distortion maybe? Seems like Jim Frazier has addressed this sort of thing before...or it's possible that the builders didn't have a straightedge and level handy?
This was shot in (M)anual mode but I did do a little edit and a crop.
This is a real photograph taken with a real camera, and not created by AI.
061407
Photoshop Junkies
www.flickr.com/groups/psjunkees/discuss/72157594251968630/
EXPLORE - 06-14-07
A series of shots I got during our passage through The Big Ditch!
The vessel CERRO ANCON (IMO 9669603, MMSI 357160000) is a Tug built in 2014 (11 years old) and currently sailing under the flag of Panama. One of the many, many tugs I saw during this passage.
Going through the complete Panama Canal was definitely a bucket list item for me. I spent the entire day (8 hours) outside on the deck along with a bunch of other folks, my shutter happily clicking away!
We had a Canal Guide onboard who pointed out all the interesting locations, couldn't tell you one thing he said because I wasn't listening I was too busy shooting!
Have to commend Princess Cruises, they were really nice to us outside in that they had stewards coming around regularly offering up cool drinks, sandwiches, and such.
You'll find them all across the state.
At different places across the state you'll see a sign that says Roadside Table and that's exactly what they are.
We've got rest stops on the interstates with full amenities and then on the side roads there's roadside tables. No facilities, sometimes covered sometimes not. A table by the side of the road.
We stopped at one to take a break and a stretch and I decided to document the moment.
I'm sure there's some history behind them but I don't know what it is. I've got a feeling they stretch back to the days when towns were few and far between in Arizona and gave travelers a somewhat civil place to stop and rest.
BTW, if anyone has any information on roadside tables please feel free to comment!
I know NOTHING about fire trucks so I can't get too specific!
I, along with several other lodge brothers and their wives had the opportunity to attend the Retirement Ceremony for our brother Fire Chief Todd Canale out at Davis Monthan today.
Todd retired from the Fire Protection Flight, 355the Civil Engineer Squadron, Davis Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, AZ after many years in the United States Air Force, with his last assignment being the Chief of Fire & Emergency Services (F&ES) Flight at Davis Monthan.
This truck was sitting outside the fire station so I grabbed a quick shot. You can't visit a fire station without shooting a fire truck, can you?
is definitely not like the others...
Saw this scene as we were walking along. Don't know if this was caused by pirates or captain's incompetence?
We walked out of the port of Fuerte Amador Panama for a bit then found out there's no way to make it to town without taking a shuttle. Hmm, another port that's not tourist friendly....
If you do decide to walk you'll run into Calle Amador, which is the main street of the area.. Go left and you'll find a couple of tourist places and a couple of restaurants, go right and you'll find a couple of tourist areas. Looks like this might be the place to book a tour if you really want to see anything!
For some unknown reason I really like this shot. I wish I could distill the Umami in it and add it to all my other photos!
This was definitely not planned out!
Oh, Lifeboat 13, why are you haunting me? Was it destiny that you and I should come together on so many occasions? What secrets do you hold for me.....?
Definitely not planned but lifeboat 13 once again found it's way into one of my shots. This was shot through a window as we were walking down the passageway. I happened to look out and I liked the way the light was hitting so I took the shot.
I can't tell you how useful it is keeping one, two or a dozen sporks at work for those days you forget to bring cutlery to eat lunch with.
A series of shots I got during our passage through The Big Ditch!
The vessel ESTURION (MMSI 352817000) is a Passenger ship and currently sailing under the flag of Panama.
When I thought of the Panama Canal it was always the big bulk carriers and megafreighters that came to mind, not boats like my little friend here. I now know that it's not just a playground for the big boys, there's a fair amount of small boat traffic as well.
Going through the complete Panama Canal was definitely a bucket list item for me. I spent the entire day (8 hours) outside on the deck along with a bunch of other folks, my shutter happily clicking away!
We had a Canal Guide onboard who pointed out all the interesting locations, couldn't tell you one thing he said because I wasn't listening I was too busy shooting!
Have to commend Princess Cruises, they were really nice to us outside in that they had stewards coming around regularly offering up cool drinks, sandwiches, and such.
Slowly but surely the port started clearing out...
We left Sint Maarten late which gave me a chance to get a shot of MSC Magnifica all lit up before departure. She was pretty quiet when she left, a couple of toots on her horn and she was off. Exactly opposite of the Mein Schiff 3, not at all what I would have expected!
Although they don't use it anymore the Electric Chair still needs to be tested every now and then....
This storm blew in last night (26 July 23) as we were out to dinner in town. It really dumped the water up in the Speedway/Wilmot part of town but nothing out at the house. I was seeing little flashes off to the West on the drive home so I decided to grab the gear and head out once we got back. This is one of the shots that I got.
The lightning was popping all around, not focused in any one spot at all. The clouds were just one huge bank with no real definition to them so I wasn't really sure where to shoot, I just took a chance! This was shot looking toward the Northwest which is the direction the storm seemed to be headed in.
This shot is toward the Southwest, looking out toward all the prison complexes. I don't know what's out there but they do seem to get their fair share when it comes to lightning. I had 35 seconds on the clock @ f/7.1 and 18mm. The orange glow in the foreground is coming from a lone street light.
This was a weird storm with some weird lightning!
Had a storm blow through last Friday night and it was a weird one. Came in with some howling winds and sheets of rain but no thunder/lightning. Once the rain part of the storm had blown by I started seeing little flicks of light out of the window so I went outside and this is what I saw.
All the lightning stayed up in the clouds, no bolts that I could see from where I was. What was interesting is that there were different colors showing up. Blue, pink, even a quick little flash of green. Almost like an electric rainbow!
The monsoon season officially started on June 15 and lasts through September, hopefully we'll get some better storms coming through since we really do need the rain!
This is a combination of two shots, had to do it since the individual flashes really weren't all that interesting. A total of 16 seconds in BULB mode.
Don't know if it's Covid or age but the fair just isn't what it used to be.
Niccy and I went to the Pima county fair here in Tucson a couple of weeks ago. We went on the last day since we could get in for just 3 cans of food apiece and with today's grocery prices I'm not sure that was a bargain!
We always go with high anticipations and every year we get shot down a little more. It seems to get more commercialized every year and less of what we expect from a county fair.
Back in the days (yep, one of those stories) the fair was all about agriculture, things like FFA and 4H, grand prize pies and showing off your handmade quilt. These days it's all about cheap plastic tidbits from China greasy food, and vomit inducing rides, all of which are way overpriced.
I know that times change right along with people's tastes and evidently this is what the people of today want. I'd like to tell you we won't be going back next year but I'd be a liar if I did. We'll be back, hoping against hope that the fair will be the fair we knew once again.
But it's not in a church!
We went and stayed a couple of days in Athens Georgia with some friends there and they gave us a tour of the surrounding area.
This door is located in The Rogers House Museum in Madison Georgia.
visitmadisonga.com/rogers-house/
The house was built circa 1809, and the Piedmont Plain home showcases the standard for middle-class houses of the era. Over 200 years later, the house still sits on the original lot it was built on and has never been moved.
Our guide told us that this is called a Church Door which made no sense to me until she explained why. There's two reasons, can you guess them? Read on to find out more....
If you look at the top 4 panels you'll see that there's the shape of a cross where the panels come together. That's reason number one. The second reason is that the two lower panels give the appearance of an open Bible. Supposedly these were very common in houses from this era. Now you know!
Shooting this door was interesting to me in that it showed me how much lens distortion my Tamron 18-200 has. I had to do a little work in post to get the thing looking like a door.
Okay birder Flickrites, here\'s your chance to show you know your stuff!
Thanks to toddkeith533 and Jim Frazier for the bird ID, it's a Mockingbird!
I'm the first to admit that I know little to nothing about taking bird shots. I just don't have the patience to watch while they preen on a branch, waiting to get the defining shot.
With that being said this is my contribution to the birdiers of the world. This bird landed on a branch just above the picnic table we were sitting at, probably hoping to scrounge a free meal. I was able to get this between bites of my tuna sandwich which he got no part of, didn't get any of the Cheetos either! If you're going to sit right above me and not poop I\'ll give you the courtesy of a photo!
Now the way I understand it Madera Canyon is supposed to be a great place to see many varieties of birds, great for birders but not for me so here\'s my question....What kind of bird was it that was trying to wrangle a free meal from us?
I\'m hoping that toddkeith533 or Jim Frazier chime in since they\'re up on our feathered friends!
They had no interest in becoming Flickr Famous!
NIccy and went out for a Sunday drive (on a Sunday no less!) and wound up taking a trip down South to Madera Canyon. We'd never been there, it was a freebie with my America The Beautiful Vets Pass, and they had several picnic areas! A win-win all the way around.
From all that I've read and been told Madera is a Mecca of sorts for folks that are birders. Supposedly there's hundreds of different species that like to hang out here at different times of the year.
We were walking down one of the many trails when these ladies (now I'm assuming they're ladies, didn't ask them for their pronouns) made their presence known. They were on the move, looking for some tasty morsels and had no desire to pose for the camera.
This is one of those "Oh crap, something I should shoot" moments, the ones where you're not expecting anything and up pops something. I definitely wasn't ready and neither were they, hence the picture you see here.
Niccy and I just got back from a transatlantic cruise so I've finally got some shots to post!
In the foreground you see the VB Cartegena, she's sailing under the flag of Spain. Her length overall (LOA) is 29.5 meters and her width is 11 meters.
In the background you can see the Carnota, a salvage tug belonging to the Spanish Navy.
This was early morning in Cartegena, at the cruise port.
A tank full of DFM (Diesel Fuel Marine) and we were ready to go!
This is the fuel barge I was able to photograph while we were in Cape Canaveral. Not the best shot but we have to take what we can get sometimes. The tug is the Miss Bettye, I've got a little better picture of her coming up next!
This was a good trip in that I really stepped up and out when it came to taking control of my camera. The majority of the shots I got were done in manual (M) and I\'m trying to keep any editing down to just a crop or two. This shot for example is SOOC other than a little crop to remove some extraneous bits.
This is a real photograph taken with a real camera, and not created by AI.
Probably the biggest storm we've had so far this year!
Sitting down watching the news and decided to go outside to peep at the weather. It's something I do pretty regularly this time of year. Well, this time my instincts were definitely right.
Blue sky above us but I saw the clouds coming in the distance. Grabbed my gear, kissed the wife, and out the door I went. I had a feeling this might turn into something good and I wanted to be ready.
The storm rolled in with little to no fanfare but once it got to me it unleashed it's full fury! I'm talking wind rocking the car, dust flying and rain blowing sideways! All I could do is sit there and watch it blow by, no way I was getting out in it.
Once it blew past and things had calmed down I got back out and set up. From my experience the lightning is usually at the leading edge of the storm but I was hoping for a booty shot and I got it!
This is a REAL photograph, taken with a REAL camera. It's not a Computer Rendered Artificial Photo
Farewell, old friend.
We made it through all the hurdles and hoops and found ourselves on the dock. A quick text to the shuttle service and we'd be back on the road and headed home.
Kind of sad when your vacation ends but I'm not worried one bit. I know that Niccy has everything under control and as I shot this she was on her phone, looking at the itinerary for our next big adventure!
A series of shots I got during our passage through The Big Ditch!
ST GUADELOUPE (IMO: 9476381) is a Tug registered and sailing under the flag of Panama. ST GUADELOUPE was built in 2009.
ST GUADELOUPE vessel length overall (LOA) is 28.67m, beam is 9.8m. One of the many, many tugs I saw during this passage.
Going through the complete Panama Canal was definitely a bucket list item for me. I spent the entire day (8 hours) outside on the deck along with a bunch of other folks, my shutter happily clicking away!
We had a Canal Guide onboard who pointed out all the interesting locations, couldn't tell you one thing he said because I wasn't listening I was too busy shooting!
Have to commend Princess Cruises, they were really nice to us outside in that they had stewards coming around regularly offering up cool drinks, sandwiches, and such.
A series of shots I got during our passage through The Big Ditch!
From the outset, it was considered an important safety feature that ships be guided through the lock chambers by electric locomotives, known as mulas (mules, named after the animals traditionally used to cross the isthmus of Panama), running on the lock walls. These mules are used for side-to-side and braking control in the locks, which are narrow relative to modern-day ships. Forward motion into and through the locks is actually provided by the ship's engines and not the mules. A ship approaching the locks first pulls up to the guide wall, which is an extension of the center wall of the locks, where it is taken under control by the mules on the wall before proceeding into the lock. As it moves forward, additional lines are taken to mules on the other wall. With large ships, there are two mules on each side at the bow, and two each side at the stern—eight in total, allowing for precise control of the ship. Mules are not used on the new expansion locks.
If you're a Railfan this is the info you're looking for:
The mules themselves run on paired 5 ft (1,524 mm) broad gauge railway tracks. The track closest to the canal is used for towing and has rack tracks for geared operation. The track inland is used to return the mules to their starting point and does not have racks except on the steep inclines (1 in 2 or 50% gradient) between lock chambers. Traction is by electric power, supplied through a third rail laid below surface level on the land side. Each mule has a powerful winch; these are used to take cables in or pay them out to keep the ship centered in the lock while moving it from chamber to chamber. 
A small series of photos that I took while driving down the road in Mexico.
The traffic is light, the air is fresh, and you've got a great view of the countryside. This is the kind of morning commute I wouldn't mind a bit.
In Puerto Chiapas Mexico we signed up to take a tour outside of the port area. We went to a place called Miguel Aleman
GOOGLE MAP COORDINATES:
14.558926371866079, -92.21688314383077
right down on the border of Mexico and Guatemala. Miguel Aleman is a company town but the people who live there own the company. Their main revenue stream comes from growing and packaging bananas for export.
Well, when we went to get on the tour van the driver stopped me and told me to stand back. I wasn't sure why at the time but I'm glad he did. Once everyone was in the van he opened up the passenger side and asked me to sit there. He gave me a front row seat and I let him know I appreciated it.
The next few photos are all taken as we drove to Miguel Aleman. They may be a little blurry because I was shooting through the windshield. There might also be some blur on the bottom of the photo because he had his dash full of papers and I was getting a bit of a reflection off them. I didn't want to move them, might have messed up his filing system!
The things I do to get the shot...and I'm not getting paid to do this!
Last night (Sunday) and there was a storm rolling in. Checked the weather radar and saw that my new shooting spot was getting soaked so I went up the road to my old faithful. OK, lets see what happens....
Started of pretty normal, clouds building to the South and North with clear sky above me. Got the camera set up, now we wait for the show. Clouds building, building, building but no lightning. Waiting, waiting, oh there's a drop of rain. Not worried since the sky above me is pretty clear, couple of scattered clouds. Might be a good night after all. That's when it happened.
The sky opened up and the rain came down. Started dumping by the bucketful out of a fairly clear sky that quickly turned an ominous shade of black, with some lightning going on.
Dumping, dumping, dumping, looks like I'm calling it a night but something told me to hang out for a bit and see what happens. Had the camera on the front seat of the car and decided to see if I could get a shot off through the windshield. This is the result.
This was 5 secs at f/14 and ISO 100. If this was the only shot I got I'd be happy because I got at least one. Lucky for me it wasn't the only one...
For those who are curious that's my tripod sitting out in the storm, I was able to save the camera but not both!