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With most sincere apologies to Lynyrd Skynyrd.....
www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJZrXhMBG1E
Just a shot of 3 tugs doing what tugs do when they're not out tugging.
I've always liked tugboats, they're the workingman's boat in the nautical hierarchy of seagoing vessels. They're not pretty, they're not sporty, they're not quick, they're not luxurious but when you need something big pushed around they're ready and willing to help!
Also in this shot is the Maria Soledad Primera, not exactly sure what kind of a boat she is. Looked on Marine Traffic but there was no listing for her.
If you don't live here you probably won't understand.
The season is changing here in Arizona, going from our blazing hot to pretty comfortable. Niccy and I decided to take a Sunday Drive on a Saturday to find a nice place for a picnic lunch on a beautiful day.
We wound up at Calabasas Park in Rio Rico AZ, kind of close to Nogales. We've been to this park before and it was the perfect place for a nice picnic lunch! The temperature was 76° F. the sky was a beautiful blue and pretty much cloudless.
If you're looking out the window right now and seeing grey, snow, rain, ice, cold, and clouds you might be tempted to pack up and head down to the Southwest of the USA. Before you do though you've got to remember that in the Summer the temps here make it feel like you're 6' from the surface of the Sun so don't forget to pack your sunscreen!
We caught our limit, now comes the not so fun part!
It was the end of the day and these guys were headed home from a day of fishing. Hopefully they caught a lot, now all they've got to do is clean them.
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 is SOOC except for a small crop. Not as sharp as I would like but I'm sure it had to do with my settings, something I'll eventually figure out! Using all 200mm of my lens doesn't help the clarity either.
This is a real photograph taken with a real camera, and not created by AI.
The Grand Canyon really is Grand, this shot doesn't do it justice.
NIccy and I took a long weekend trip up to Williams Arizona to ride the Grand Canyon Railway. We\'ve always been fans of train trips and getting to see the big hole in the ground was a bonus!
If you\'ve never been to the Grand Canyon the train trip is a great way to see the place. You\'ve got a 2 1/2 hour trip each way on the train and about 3 1/2 hours for exploring at the Canyon, more than enough time to take in the sights. We took the advice of Jim Frazier and booked the Luxury Parlor car which offers plenty of luxurious seating and amenities (for Niccy) and an outside observation platform (for me).
This is a combination of 4 shots, stitched into a panorama. To be quite honest it would really be a challenge to truly show just how massive the Canyon really is, hopefully this gives you a bit of an idea but the best way to truly experience it is in person.
BTW, this shot is SOOC other than the stitching!
A series of shots I got during our passage through The Big Ditch!
Princess had a couple of the onboard photographers out on the canal deck taking shots of everyone who was manning the rails. Of course, these photos were up for sale in the ship's photo gallery, proof that you were really there.
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 with sandwiches and cool drinks for everyone.
Yes, the same Southampton Dock that Pink Floyd sang about on their album The Final Cut
After a bunch of sea days (with a couple of stops) we finally made landfall. Southampton is the UK's number one vehicle handling port, processing 900,000 vehicles per year. As Europe's leading turnaround cruise port, Southampton welcomes around two million passengers annually to its five cruise terminals, including the new Horizon Cruise Terminal, and is home to the UK’s first shore power facility for cruise ships. The port is also home to the UK’s second largest container terminal.
www.southamptonvts.co.uk/port_information
If you're curious about the striations in the horizon they're reflections from a curtain. It was cold and damp outside so I shot this through the stateroom sliding door.
Apologies to anyone from Britain, it was pretty much what I expected it to look like and that's not very pretty.
To be brutally honest I wouldn't have known this was a heron if Jim Frazier and toddkeith533 hadn't clued me in!
A Great Blue Heron in his native habitat a.k.a. San Diego bay. He was hanging around for both of the days we were there, did a little fishing and a little dancing. The sun was headed down and he decided to pose on a rock close by so I obliged his posing by taking a shot.
As a side note we had a common skunk come walking through the ice plant on the left that evening. He didn't bother us, we didn't bother him and it was a bit too dark to get a shot of him. I also wasn't quite sure how a skunk would react to flash but I'm pretty sure it wouldn't have been good.
PS:
For those in the Show Your EXIF group (and anyone else with a technical curiousity) 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. One thing I've noticed is this lens has a lot of vignette to it at a distance!
It's a dirty job, but someone has to do it....I
We were parked next to Mein Schiff when I got this shot in St. Martin. I felt bad for this guy since there's a whole lot of fantail for this guy to be cleaning and he was definitely alone in his task.
When you take a cruise holiday your every need is catered to and you've got nothing to worry about.
Sometimes it's easy to forget that there are a LOT of of people both in the front and back of the house that make things happen for your dream vacation to be the best it can be. Folks that aren't on holiday, they're working at their jobs to provide for their families back home.
If you should ever go on a cruise I hope that you won't forget these folks and will let them know that you appreciate the hard work they put in to make things easy for you. They bust their butts so that you don't have to.
A series of shots I got during our passage through The Big Ditch!
Princess had a couple of the onboard photographers out on the canal deck taking shots of everyone who was manning the rails. Of course, these photos were up for sale in the ship's photo gallery, proof that you were really there.
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 with sandwiches and cool drinks for everyone.
I expect it will look something like this.
A Hurricane in the Pacific that was blowing up from the South forced some of the big monsoon storms to come straight up from Mexico instead of veering off to the West and this was an example of one.
I watched the storm clouds coming for a couple of hours with no lightning luck and as this storm approached I though my luck was going to get better. Boy, was I wrong!
When this storm hit my location it came through with a fury that I haven't seen in a long time. It dumped buckets of rain that was for awhile coming in sideways, thanks to the crazy winds. There was lightning all over the place but there was no chance of getting any without getting myself soaked to the bone so I just sat in the car and rode the storm out. Once the front had passed the wind calmed down a bit but the rain stayed which meant no lightning shots. Oh well, maybe tonight will be a better chance.
I don't break them but I'm not above testing their limits...
In You Can't Post That Picture Here! we have rules that we generally follow. One of those rules is Rule 40 and it states:
Stereoscopic pictures (3D using parallax) where you must either cross your eyes, or use special optical gear, are not allowed. Crossing eyes is uncomfortable. And why the heck should we use something unusual just to see your picture? If you want to post something weird in the comments, go ahead on.
Ok, so we know what we can't post but there's nothing about posting the device you need to see the shot!
I saw this in The Rogers House Museum in Madison Georgia and Rule 40 came to me in a flash!
.
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.
It sure felt good to be back by the ocean again!
BBC SINGAPORE (IMO: 9351373) is a Cargo/Containership that was built in 2008 (15 years ago) and is sailing under the flag of Antigua Barbuda.
Her carrying capacity is 11172 t DWT and her current draught is reported to be 6 meters. Her length overall (LOA) is 128.5 meters and her width is 19 meters. In this shot she was being loaded in Bridgetown Harbor.
Thanks to Marinetraffic.com for the information:
www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/details/ships/shipid:704434/...
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.
It's a fairly noisy shot but my camera isn't known to be the best when it comes to a high ISO. Thinking back I suppose I could've fired off the onboard flash to fool the camera since the light wouldn't have made any difference in the shot.
BTW, I do believe this is the first shot I've had to break the 5000 views!
I knew this night was coming, just didn't know when! Why isn't this the shot to get the EXPLODE!!!
Had a great storm pass by last Friday night with bolts aplenty! It was about 9:45 PM when I heard the first rumble. Looked on my lightning app and nothing spectacular was showing up so I figured it was a one off. Boy, was I wrong!
Something said to go out and take a look so that's what I did. Once I got outside I saw the sky was flashing to the North, South, and West so I ran in to grab my camera and let Niccy know I was headed out. She was stone asleep so I headed out to my usual spot, hoping for a couple of shots. That was close to 10 PM and I didn't pack it in until it started raining just after Midnight!
BTW, this is SOOC other than a crop in GIMP and the eradication of a couple of blatant hotspots.
There were bolts everywhere, hard to pick a direction to shoot. I was lucky enough to catch a few which I'll be posting shortly.
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!
"Also known as Coast Guard Craft 1132!"
USCGC Benjamin Bottoms (WPC-1132) is the 32nd Sentinel-class cutter built for the United States Coast Guard. She is the fourth of four Fast Response Cutters homeported in San Pedro, California.
Benjamin Bottoms is named after Benjamin A. Bottoms, who died in November 1942 while attempting to rescue the crew of a crashed USAAF bomber. He was assigned on a Grumman J2F-4 Duck floatplane as the radioman, and after receiving a radio message that a B-17 crashed, and accompanied pilot John A. Pritchard to search for the downed plane.
The pilot spotted the crashed bomber, and landed it as close to the wreck as possible. They were able to assist two of the injured crew back to their plane and back to the USCGC Northland. On their second trip, the plane encountered bad weather, causing the plane to crash, killing both men.
She's a real sharp looking lady who's very spic and span, and certainly looks squared away.
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 two shots with a combined total of 46 seconds between the two. This was shot @ f/7.1 with ISO 100 and 52mm worth of zoom. 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!
I would imagine that airplane identification is a part of the job description?
Just like my bad bird shot:
www.flickr.com/photos/nyalr/52687074859/in/dateposted-pub...
here's another off the cuff spur of the moment shot of something I know nothing about!
I was walking down the street on Thursday when these two guys decided to do a close in bombing run over the house and I have no idea who's planes they are or why they're attacking us! I was lucky enough to have my camera along but definitely didn't know they were coming till they were right over me. I fired off 3 shots and this was the best of the three.
We've got some vintage airplanes coming in Davis Monthan for the weekend, part of the annual Heritage Flight Training Program:
tucson.com/news/local/2023-heritage-flight-trainings-happ...
If anyone can identify them I'd sure like to know what they are! I'm also open to any suggestions anyone might have for trying to catch plane shots like this from a distance. We've got an airshow coming the end of March and we get some fairly low passes over the house!
Our trip started at the Port of Los Angeles. Man, I could hang out there all day every day!
The vessel WAN HAI A05 (IMO 9935117, MMSI 563201600) is a Container Ship built in 2023 (2 years old) and currently sailing under the flag of Singapore. According to Vessel Finder she is en route to the port of Shekou, China, sailing at a speed of 15.7 knots and expected to arrive there on Apr 16, 02:00.
Niccy and I just got back from a cruise that took us to Puerto Vallarta Mexico, Huatulco Mexico, Puerto Chiapas Mexico, Puntarenas Costa Rica, Puerto Amador Panama, through the Panama Canal, on to Aruba and ending up in Fort Lauderdale.
This trip I decided to actually start learning how to use my camera and to wrap my head around the whole exposure triangle thing. If you're curious I can tell you this was shot following the Sunny 16 rule!
If you like ship shots then I've got a bunch of them to post. If you're looking for vacation snaps then you're going to be disappointed!
Niccy and I just got back from a transatlantic cruise so I've finally got some shots to post!
Thanks go out to Tommy James for the title:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLfO738Ok5Y
We had just pulled into Cartegena when I got this shot. I was hanging over the railing, looking for something interesting to shoot other than the port itself which has been done a million and two times.
Saw these guys below hauling in one of the bow lines and took a chance that I could make them look good or at least Flickr Famous.
I'm guessing this was a Union job, once they had the line hauled over the dockside bollard they jumped in a truck and headed out the gate.
Pretty impressive for a house made of Caliche!
We went to Phoenix yesterday to an RV show, doing a little house shopping. Went up there on the freeway, decided to take the backroads home and came across this.
The Casa Grande Ruins National Monument is a park ran by the National Park Service to preserve and protect an Ancestral Sonoran Desert People's farming community and "Great House"
They've got a real nice museum with some interesting exhibits but the outdoor grounds are the real star of the show.
This "Grand House" was built with mud and caliche and without the help of any modern machinery, just human labor. Not nearly as big as the Pyramids of Giza but still pretty impressive considering what they used to build it!
Many probably don't know what caliche is so I've given you a link if your'e interested:
There's a lot of it in New Mexico and when they say it's like trying to dig through concrete I would have to agree!
Here's a link that tells a bit more about the park:
It was and interesting place to see and they do have some real nice covered benches for your picnic lunch. Add to that the FREE admission and you've got a deal you can't beat!
I was set up in the middle of the street when I got this shot! The things I'll do....
This storm rolled in at around 10 PM last night, followed the pattern of the previous storms. Came in from the North and headed South, pretty much bypassing Tucson.
I really was set up in the street but it was safe. We live in a 55+ gated community with a 10 MPH speed limit. Couple that with the fact that it was 11:15 and most sane people were home asleep and you can understand! There is another spot just down the road that's outside the park that would give me a better view but I choose not to go down there. It's a dead end road with no lighting and I've seen more than one "transaction" take place there and I'm not talking about buying Tupperware!
This is a composite of 2 shots. The first was the main bolt and the second was the peripheral streaks/bolts. I was shooting @ f/5.6 with ISO 100, 32mm of zoom, and a total of 35 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!
Hence the reason for the street sweepers being the last entry in the parade!
This was one of those lucky catches, heavily cropped to put the focus where it belongs!
New lens with f/16 again, looks like it may work a lot better with indirect light. The only bad thing about our lodge is it's located on the West side of the street which means we catch the morning sun straight on come parade day!
The Tucson Rodeo Parade is believed to be the nation's longest non-motorized parade dating back to 1925. All the parade entries are horse pulled other than the street sweepers who always end the parade by cleaning up the landmines left by our equine friends.
Not what we planned but when life gives you lemons...
It was with a bit of a heavy heart that we bid adieu to the stormy city of Casablanca and the country of Morocco. This was one of those "we'll probably not be back this way again" places that we were looking forward to but it just wasn't meant to be. No worries though, we'll be seeing Hawaii in October and Niccy will be happy to cross that off her bucket list.
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. Surprisingly (or more likely lucky) this is a SOOC shot so I'm pretty pleased.
This is a real photograph taken with a real camera, and not created by AI.
i>LIght traffic, light smog. Not a bad place to spend a Friday evening!
Niccy and I packed up the family (Tater Tot and Mushi-Mushi) and headed out on our first adventure!
We took the RV on a short shakedown cruise over to San Diego, specifically Point Loma Naval Base.
There's a nice camping spot on the base, right on the water. No electric, no water, but since we're self contained it wasn't a problem We spent a couple of days doing absolutely nothing except watching the world (and all the boats) pass us by. Exactly the kind of experience we were looking for.
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. One thing I've noticed is this lens has a lot of vignette to it at a distance!
The following IS NOT a paid advertisement for Madera Canyon!
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.
Stopped at the visitor's information and talked with a couple of really nice folks, they were volunteers from one of the groups that support Madera Canyon. Said we've never been here before so do you have any recommendations on how to tackle this. They said the best way is to go all the way up to the top (since there was a beautiful view) and work your way back down. We told them we weren't going to be hiking (lot's and lot's of hiking and biking trails here) since it was so hot and they said no problem, the great view can be had right from the parking area. Off we went, headed for the top!
Got to a parking area at the end of the road, grabbed a couple of waters and headed off, looking forward to the great view from the top. We went up as far as we could while staying on the pavement and this is the view we got.
Now before becoming information volunteers at Madera Canyon I've got the feeling these folks may have work as script writers for late night informercials. The got us interested, they built on that interest, then set the hook with "the great view can be had right from the parking area". Good thing we didn't have to pay the day use fee (thanks to my pass), otherwise we'd have felt the same way we did when we paid to go and see 4 Corners Monument .....ripped off!
Now, to be honest the area is awfully pretty and we do plan on making a return visit in the cooler months. Niccy told me she wants to go back and have her birthday picnic here and of course her wish is my command!
Nuuk - capital of Greenland. City with many faces, where tradition, modern world and beautiful nature come together. Very impressive!
Part of a storm that wasn't supposed to be!
According to the weather guessers there weren't supposed to be any big storms in the area so I decided to head into town and go to a Lodge meeting. Once the meeting was over I came outside and saw what looked like the remnants of a storm blowing away to the North.
It wasn't very big and was pretty ragged so I guess they were technically right when they said no BIG storms.
Got my camera set up and got a couple of shots off before the clouds disappeared from sight so I can certainly say I didn't get skunked too badly!
This was shot @ f/4.5 with 26 seconds in BULB Mode, ISO 100 and 40mm of zoom. Seems like most of the recent storms have been keeping their distance so I've had to put on a little zoom and hope that I land with the focus in the right area!
I was hoping to get a Rule Of Odds shot but the white guy on the right screwed me up!
Niccy and I took a Sunday Drive on a Friday, something that the government is discouraging but we don't plan on stopping.
Anyhow, we were on State Highway 82 between Patagonia and Nogales when we saw this. I used to drive this road regularly when I was working but because I was working I wasn't able to stop and take a look. There are advantages to being retired.
Now I could have easily moved the candle on the right, got the shot, and moved it back but I didn't want to be disrespectful to whoever put it there in the first place
Three miles south of Patagonia, on the east side of Highway 82, is a highway turnout with steps leading to a shrine in a natural niche in the rock cliff. The shrine, dedicated to the sacred heart of Jesus, was constructed in 1949 by Juan Telles for his wife Juana to fulfill a promise she made when her sons Ralph and Richard left to serve in World War II and the Korean War respectively. Juana had vowed “that, should [her sons] be returned safely, a perpetual shrine would be built to honor the power and glory of right. ‘It wasn’t for me alone,’ said Mrs. Telles in her age-old rock-walled home, ‘that I made the vow. It was for mothers, wives, and families of all men who serve in freedom’s name.’” [Arizona Republic, 11/30/1953]
Pretty sure ABBA wasn't talking about the something that Niccy encountered!
The food served on a cruise ship is pretty rich, lots of fat, sugar, and salt. If you're not used to eating things like duck confit, rack of lamb, cheesecake, etc every night of the week it can really do some drastic things to your digestive system.
We were sitting in one of the lounges aboard the Zaandam, waiting for 5:30 which was early dining in the Main Dining Room when someone's (not Niccy's) bowels decided they'd had enough and were going to express their displeasure in a most silent but aromatic way. Unfortunately the person was in the same vicinity as Niccy making her the main recipient of the mighty wind that ensued!
As the pungent aroma swirled around her head she tried to be polite but the power of the gastric distress finally overwhelmed her. She jumped up and said "We've got to go NOW" in a very quiet but demanding voice, the voice that lets me know she's quite serious about an immediate departure.
I quit laughing like a schoolboy about the time we hit the Main Dining Room.
Looks like Monsoon 2024 is starting to get it's act together!
Not too impressive but there will be more.
First lightning of the season for me, hopefully not the last.
Had a storm blow through last night about a quarter till eleven and I was lucky enough to get this before the rains came. Everything was going cloud to cloud so no strikes. The cloud cover was pretty heavy and they were lighting up real nice but not coming out in the open. No worries though, I'm sure there are more where this one came from! Hopefully the remnants of Hurricane Beryl will push some storms up our way.
When you're on a real sailing ship gender doesn't matter at all.
This is a companion to my previous shot:
Docked in front of us in Ponta Delgada was the Statsraad Lehmkuhl, a three-masted barque rigged sail training vessel owned and operated by the Statsraad Lehmkuhl Foundation. It is based in Bergen, Norway and contracted out for various purposes, including serving as a school ship for the Royal Norwegian Navy (using RNoN's prefix "HNoMS").
It was built in 1914 by Joh. C. Tecklenborg ship yard in Geestemünde as a school training ship for the German merchant marine under the name Grossherzog Friedrich August. After the First World War the ship was taken as a prize by the United Kingdom and in 1921 the ship was bought by former Norwegian cabinet minister Kristofer Lehmkuhl (hence the name, which means "Cabinet Minister Lehmkuhl"). Except during the Second World War, when she was captured and under the name of Westwärts used by German forces, the ship belonged to Bergens Skoleskib from 1921 until donated to the Foundation in 1978.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statsraad_Lehmkuhl
The Statsraad Lehmkuhl is once again on an international voyage to promote ocean sustainability. Over the course of 12 months, the expedition will visit ports in three continents.
This shot is (M)anual but I had to do a bunch of lightening as well as a crop to make it work. It was shot in the late afternoon so ignore the date and time in the EXIF, I forgot to set it!
This is a real photograph taken with a real camera, and not created by AI.
It refers to a situation where things are not as they seem, where reality is distorted or reversed.
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.
This is a shot of a window in the Rogers house that was reflected into a large mirror hung in one of the rooms. I liked the way the imperfections and dust on the window glass and mirror looked so I took a chance that it would work out.
I was definitely in the wrong place but at least I'm on the board for the year!
First lightning bolts of the 2025 Monsoon season for me. Not much to talk about but I'm still going to call it a win.
The storm was rolling past me at a pretty good clip, I cought it in the middle which was dry as a bone. I saw some cloud to cloud in the distance so I took a chance that something might materialize and this was it.
Seems like the season is dragging it's heels this year, so far we've only had one real rain here at the ranch and no light show to go along with it. There's still time though and I'm holding out hope for some better shots.
Niccy and I just got back from a transatlantic cruise so I've finally got some shots to post!
The SEA ROCK (IMO: 9863986) is a Fire Fighting Vessel and is sailing under the flag of Italy. Her length overall (LOA) is 30 meters and her width is 12.6 meters.
The R.RE LAZIALE (IMO: 9822786) is a Tug and is sailing under the flag of Italy. Her length overall (LOA) is 28.2 meters and her width is 13 meters.
These are the two tugs that were helping the Vastaso get the MSC Caterina turned around so that she could dock.
The nice thing about Holland America ships is that they have an outside Promenade on Deck 3. It gets you closer to the waterline and closer to the action!
I certainly didn't expect to see a Japanese fishing boat in Panama!
KOYO MARU NO.7 is a Fishing vessel built in 1992 by KANASASHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES - SHIZUOKA, JAPAN. Currently sailing under the flag of Japan. Formerly also known as KOYOMARU NO.7, KOYOMAU NO.7, BBAOMARU NO.7, FUKUYOSHI MARU NO.18. It's gross tonnage is 409 tons.
If you zoom in directly above the Koyo Maru you'll see another ship that has succumbed to the perils of Panama!
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
For some reason this reminded me of the Cupid Shuffle.
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,
This is off to the right of the prison complexes and since they seem to get a lot out that way I decided to take a look at the map and see just what was out there. The one thing that stood out to me is a small solar panel farm that has a cooling pond for some reason. Maybe it's the water that's doing it?
This was shot @ f/3.5 with 30 seconds on the clock and ISO 100.
One of those things that help define our country.
Down on the waterfront in San Diego there's a statue commemorating the kiss seen around the world.
As you might expect, the statue and the story behind have become moderately controversial in recent years. The 1940s were a very different time than the 2020s, after all.
Some folks are now uncomfortable due to the fact that the nurse was grabbed without her permission. Now I don't want to be controversial but history is history. You have the right to not like it but you don't have the right to erase it.
You can read more about this at this article:
quirkytravelguy.com/quirky-attraction-kissing-sailor-stat...
This is the best angle I could get, there was a ton of folks there all trying to snap their loved ones in the same pose. Once again, those danged tourists getting in my way! I do like that I was able to get the Midway in the background though.
I looked at photos online and tried to recreate the look of the original. You can get close with software but there's something about film that you can't quite capture.
Funny looking train engine, purpose built for the Pikes Peak railroad!
All around the station there were static displays of different train locomotives and this one was definitely different!
If you'd like to learn more about this crazy contraption I would point you towards the Wikepedia entry on the Pike's Peak Cog Railway:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pikes_Peak_Cog_Railway
I've never been a train buff but I do enjoy looking at interesting engineering feats and this locomotive certainly fits the bill. She's in pretty good shape considering she was built in 1892.
If you happen to be near Pike's Peak and you fancy a train ride up the hill you can get more information about the trip here:
You know what the best thing is about the end of the day? Tomorrow, it starts all over again.
Douglas Coupland
Being a Pilot is one of the toughest jobs around in my opinion since you've got to be a ship's Master first and will have been at sea for 15 to 25 years to satisfy this requirement.
There's a lot of people (cargo, etc) depending on you and your knowledge to get them safely to your destination. Me, I'm barely responsible for myself so I doubt I could take on a job like this!
As a cruiser I certainly am glad they're there to help me reach my destination!
The vignette in this shot isn't added afterwards, I guess it was a combination of the settings and the light. Sometimes things just work out right.
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. It's a well known issue and 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 know Mott The Hoople they you'll know where I swiped the title from!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IqiRY60ZDE
There was a group of teenage boys on this cruise which I thought was unusual owing to the length of the cruise and the fact that it was during a school time. Also, Holland America isn't known as being family oriented. Maybe they were all members of the Billionaire Boys Club?
They were very respectful for being teenaged guys which was a good thing since I do remember my teenage years and all the things we got up to.
I saw them engaged in a traditional cruise ship game, ping-pong. They were across the ship from me and at an angle but i liked the way they were in the shadows and framed in nicely by the windows. I did have to do an oddball crop on this to get rid of a lot of extraneous bits and bobs.
I saw this in B/W when I looked at it so it was shot in RAW and converted over. You know how it is, you see the scene and know it won't work in color but B/W will be just right.
An exact replica of the famous “Santa María” from Columbus maiden voyage to the New World?
Docked near the ship was the Marigante, a Mexican version of the San Diego Harbor Dinner Cruises.
An "authentic Spanish galleon which will transport you to a world fit for pirate-sized fun where your imagination is the only limit"
From their website:
I get the feeling they're using a lot of artistic license with the word Authentic. Live music, fireworks, and a pirate tavern with special effects don't seem like the things that Christopher Columbus would have brought to the New World!
With a price of $135 US (gratuities extra) for adults I would certainly agree with the notion that it's a "Pirate Ship" though.