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I imagine things got pretty heated up!
The storm that blew through last night (30 July) was a real nice one. Came from the East, headed West, and stayed South of the city so no rain for us but plenty of show!
Started out real slow but once it decided to kick in it certainly had some flair to it. Bolts were hitting regularly, some brighter than others. The only bad thing was that i started to smell smoke, hopefully it was just a bush getting vaporized and not a fire.
This is a combination of 2 shots, both @ f/8 with 36 combined seconds on the clock, ISO 100 and 44mm zoom. The bolts seemed to linger right over the prison so I took a chance with the zoom and it payed off.
I had a debate with myself over whether or not this needed "oldifying" (Thanks to Jim Frazier for a new word) or not. I came to the conclusion that bits are cheap so I've uploaded a sepia toned version as well as the original:
www.flickr.com/photos/nyalr/52685563833/in/dateposted-pub...
I personally like them both but I thought I would see what a jury of my peers had to say!
Apologies to The Piano Man Billy Joel
The song "Piano Man" is the first thing that popped into my head when I saw this gentleman sitting at the Lido Bar on the Zaandam.
The way he was looking at his drink, like a man would look at his lover, slowly stirring it in anticipation of the joy it would bring him was a story unto itself.
Now I don't think this was a gin and tonic but I don't think I've ever heard any songs about making love to a Bloody Mary!
Avreste mai pensato che dentro Roma potesse esistere un luogo del genere'
Have you ever thought to find a place like this in Rome?
Tied up at the Curacao Cruise Ship Terminal
BRITANNIA (IMO: 9614036) is a Passenger Ship that was built in 2015 (8 years ago) and is sailing under the flag of United Kingdom.
Her carrying capacity is 143730 Gross Tonnage and her current draught is reported to be 8.5 meters. Her length overall (LOA) is 329 meters and her width is 45 meters.
She has a capacity of 3,647 passengers and 1,398 crew members.
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!
Everywhere a line,
Blockin' out the scenery, breakin' my mind,
Do this, don't do that, can't you see the lines?
With apologies to the Five Man Electrical Band:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeT5otk2R1g
Niccy and I packed up the family (Tater Tot and Mushi-Mushi) and headed out on our first adventure! This was a part of our view across the bay.
At first I was bugged by all the lines and masts, thought they were blocking the scenery. Took a second look and started noticing all the verticals, not just the masts but the buildings behind, the stanchions on the pier, etc, and decided to take a shot of them. This is the cropped (a bit) end result.
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 pass us by. Exactly the kind of experience we were looking for.
Just remember, Carnival has the FUN ships, Holland America has the Old People's ships!
Since Carnival Corp. is the parent company of Holland America I figured I'd give them a little publicity. From the Carnival Website:
There just isn’t enough vacation time to do everything, so we go for the widest variety, make the most of the moments... and above all, try to have the most fun whenever possible. All of you with the heads nodding, hands raised, folks who just stood up and cheered at the office — you’re Carnival Panorama’s people!
Now my reason for posting this isn't altruistic at all. I figure that if people see how much FUN they can have with Carnival they'll stay away from Holland America, which definitely isn't a FUN ship but is definitely a CRUISE SHIP, just the way we like it!
PS: Ignore the junker off to the right, she'll be shown in her full glory in another shot!
If you're represent Prince's Estate please don't sue me, I can't afford it!
Sometimes it pays to wait the storm out!
Once the storm from the previous shot had decided to blow over the light show started. Kind of surprising since the majority of the lightning I've seen has usually been at the leading edge of a storm, not in the middle of it. What happened is that two different cloud banks came together on the far side of town and I'm guessing they didn't like each other and started to rumble!
This was shot at my old stomping grounds, not far from the house. I've found a couple of other great spots but they were getting hammered with rain last night so I decided to stay close to home. Glad I did, the show was fantastic!
This was 30 seconds in BULB mode @ f/7.1 and ISO 100. I had a discussion with a friend about using a lightning trigger VS 30 seconds on Manual. I said that a lightning trigger felt like cheating to me, he said what about 30 seconds, isn't that cheating? I don't know, what do you think?
It's possible you'll find a hot pixel or two, I tried to get rid of most of them. Since the T7 isn't a high end camera I guess I've got to expect them, along with a bit of grain even at ISO 100.
For those who are curious the lights you're seeing are coming from the prison complexes we have south of town. The facilities contain the Arizona Department of Corrections facility, the Southern Arizona Law Enforcement Training Center, the Tucson Police Department Academy, the Police Academy Driving Course, the United States Penitentiary - Tucson, and the Federal Correctional Institution - Tucson (Women's Prison). Yep, we're neighbors with some bad MoFos!
One of the highest licensing standards in the US (and I would imagine Barbados as well!
Here comes the pilot to guide us to our safe berth in Barbados. 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!
Apologies to Otis Redding!
As we came back into San Diego we sailed past the Submarine Base located at Naval Base Point Loma.
The six installations that make up Naval Base Point Loma are the Naval Submarine Base; Naval Mine and Anti-submarine Warfare Command; Commander Third Fleet Headquarters complex; Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command Headquarters; SPAWAR Systems Center and Fleet Intelligence Training Command Pacific, forming a highly technical hub of naval activity. Kind of sounds like the Navy's answer to Silicon Valley!
mybaseguide.com/installation/nb-point-loma/community/nava...
This was shot at 7:12 AM and the early morning light was just beautiful!
They say it never rains in California...but it sure does get foggy!
Early morning shot of San Diego bay. I was up and outside having my tea when I saw these guys come cruising by. No idea who the boat belongs to but I'm awful glad that they're on our side!
Really foggy, something we don't ever see in Arizona. When we lived in Oregon it was a regular thing, didn't think twice about it.
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 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! This lens tends to vignette when you get out to the end of it and in this case I don't mind!
A small series of photos that I took while driving down the road in Mexico.
Now I'm not a gearhead but I'm pretty sure that CHEVROLET never called any of their cars a CHEVY. For some reason CHEVY and CHEVROLET is ingrained into the Hispanic culture much like COCA COLA is. I have to attribute this to a brilliant marketing campaign. Good on this Genius for keeping up the tradition while driving something that is most likely a foreign import.
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!
I like big boats and I cannot lie...
We spent the day with my daughter and her boyfriend in Port Townsend Washington which is where I got to see this beauty.
MV Kennewick is a Kwa-di Tabil-class ferry operated by Washington State Ferries. She entered service on the Port Townsend–Coupeville ferry route on February 14, 2012.
Sure, it's nice to spend time with family but seeing a big ship makes it even better, at least for me!
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!
What else would you you expect from a "Floating Gin Joint"!
As we left Cabo San Lucas the bartenders set up an impromptu Margarita mixing station on the back deck. Another one of those things that they don't normally do on Holland America.
I don't know if it was the thought of a cool tropical drink to celebrate Mexico or the 25% off price sign but people flocked to the station. Hopefully they read the fine print that talked about the 18% gratuity!
Either way they were quite busy and it was certainly a good training experience for the apprentice!
The party didn't go on forever though, the weather was changing and not for the best.
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.
This is all the zoom I had with me!
Had a storm blow through yesterday evening but it stayed well to the South and was headed West. There was nothing going on here at the ranch but I headed up to my shooting spot just in case something strayed our way.
Well, true to form the storm stayed South and headed West, put on a pretty good show that I was able to catch a little of. Very weird set of clouds, they were real flat and real spread out.
This is a combo of 4 shots with a combined total of 120 seconds on the clock, f/6.3, ISO 100 and 200mm worth of zoom! I had my Tamron 18-200mm glass on and had it sticking out as far as it would go. Rough measurements in Google Maps say these bolts were about 10 miles away (as the crow flies) so I'm pretty happy with the results!
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!
The community in the foreground is where I live!
The storm that blew in last night came from the Southeast and was a real slow mover. Moving slow is a benefit for me since it gives me time to figure out where the next strike might be but it's bad for the folks who are underneath it and getting all the downpour.
I was watching the progress and noticed that it was hitting in the same general area so I took a chance with a little bit of zoom, trying to get a little closer to the action. What I should have done was check my camera settings before I started firing away. Had I done that I would have noticed that my ISO was set to AUTO instead of the 100 I've been using. I really love this little camera but the sensor leaves something to be desired, especially in a dark situation. The AUTO decided that 800 was the appropriate setting so I wound up with a very noisy shot! I tried a little denoise in post but if you push it to far things start to look pretty fake and this bolt wasn't fake!
This was shot towards the Southeast, the community in the foreground is where I live. I would like to have included more but had I dropped the camera down I would have had lights from the cars going by and I wanted to avoid that.
This was shot @ f/13 with 26 seconds, Auto ISO and 32mm zoom. Yeah, I just turned the Auto off and set the ISO manually. Not planning on making that mistake again!
Since the monsoons (and the lightning) have taken a hiatus I present for your enjoyment a nice yacht that I could never afford!
AMIXTLI is a 31.46 m Motor Yacht, built in the United States of America by Broward Marine and delivered in 1990.
Her top speed is 25.0 kn, her cruising speed is 21.0 kn, and she boasts a maximum cruising range of 2000.0 nm at 12.0 kn, with power coming from two Detroit Diesel diesel engines. She can accommodate up to 6 guests in 3 staterooms, with 4 crew members waiting on their every need. She has a gross tonnage of 157.0 GT and a 6.1 m beam.
Caught a glimpse of this beautiful lady down in Puerto Vallarta. As you can see on her bow it says "The Best Day" along with what appears to be a phone number which is probably the number for Seaside Pacific Yacht Group, her current owner. If you'd like to hire her for a week the current price is $99,840 a week which is only $16,640 per person USD when you split the cost between 6 guests.
BTW, I'm available to photographically document your fantastic week aboard her in exchange for my passage!
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.
Where the sky is blue, the pool is open, and the snow is only temporary!
Another shot from our "snowstorm" on the 2nd of March. The pool and hot tub is definitely open and warm, the snow is only on the roof!
Yeah, we do get a bit warm in the summer but for the rest of the year it's not a bad place to live. If you want to ski in the winter you could head up to Mt. Lemmon:
or up north to Flagstaff:
Or just enjoy the great weather the rest of the year!
I should've planned this out better and got the whole pool in the shot but that's the way I roll!
Don't push don't shove there's enough to go around for every house to have their own!
The rains passed through quickly but the lightning persisted. I'm used to seeing it out in front and leading the storm, not following behind like this set.Little did I know there was something much bigger going on!
According to the National Weather Service we had a small tornado (F1) touch down to the North of the house, about a mile away. It supposedly traveled several Easterly before dissipating.
www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/national-weather-ser...
Now I know that those of you who live in Tornado Alley are thinking "F1? We don't even bother to use the sirens for an F1!..." but for us this is a pretty big deal since these things don't happen here and we're glad of it. Guess it's got to be part of that "Global Climate Change" thing people talk about. Personally, I get the feeling that it's just Mother Nature doing a little house cleaning, something that we all do every so often.
BTW, this IS a blurry shot and I know it. Unfortunately my camera doesn't have an infinity focus and it's really not the best when it comes to finding focus at night.
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!
You'll do anything to get your fix, even shooting from inside of the back of a Honda CR-V!
Well, it finally happened. Mother Nature decided to grace us with a proper monsoon storm last night. I'm talking sheets of rain, howling winds, and a lot of lightning.
Niccy came home from work and I asked her what the sky looked like on her drive home. She said there had been a good storm at her work but nothing spectacular in the neighborhood and she was going to go and have a shower. I'd just finished watching the local weather forecast and saw she was right so I figured it was another bust night.
Right about then my lightning app went off which means there were strikes within 10 miles so I decided to go out and have a look for myself. I walked out, looked at the sky to the North, walked back in, told her I was heading out and took off for my shooting spot. Nothing in the neighborhood my ass!
Got tripod set up, grabbed the camera and the sky opened up on me. Like I said above there was howling wind, sheets of rain, and lightning all around. I sat in the car, waiting for the storm to blow over. After about 15 minutes the major part of the storm had passed but it was still raining so I decided to go to my second spot which was under cover, figured I might get something from there.
Got to my second spot and the clouds opened up again! Waited in the car for about 20 minutes then decided that I wasn't getting anything but wet if I went out so I headed home.
Got home and the rain decided to slow down to a drizzle so I headed out again to my original spot. I figured that the drizzle would quit soon and I might get something yet.
The drizzle never stopped and neither did the lightning so I climbed in the back of the CR-V, opened up the hatch, set up my gear, and fired away. This is the end result.
This is a combination of 3 shots that I got. The storm intensity had decreased and along with it the lightning, hence the reason for combining the 3 shots. Tonight is supposed to be a good night so maybe we'll get lucky and get a few more!
I'm sure they do a good job but I don't think the trip they make is really "epic", at least not in my book.
We were back on the ship waiting to sail away and I was out on the deck when I saw this little fellow coming in. Evidently they run a service between the mainland and Klein Bonaire, an uninhabited island. Evidently what they do is run folks out to the island so that they can do a bit of snorkeling or just hang out on the beach there.
Neither of those things are on our bucket list so we didn't partake but if you're ever in Bonaire and you're looking for a place to hang out while looking at fish and sunning on the beach you should look them up:
"On 20 January 1989, during an improperly authorized gunnery experiment off Vieques Island, Iowa fired a 16-inch (406 mm) shell 23.4 nmi (26.9 mi; 43.3 km), setting a record for the longest-ranged 16 in (406 mm) shell ever fired. "!
The USS IOWA represents the largest — and last — class of battleships built by the United States Navy. The IOWA class battleships served in every US conflict from World War II through the Gulf War in 1991.
I knew about the Iowa being a museum and right next door to where we were docked in the port. My plan was to check in on the Coral Princess then jump off and walk over to the Iowa to spend a few hours. Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and men....
In my planning I forgot to factor in one crucial element, that being we were docked in a working port. Evidently the government doesn't exactly like everyday folks just wandering around on the docks and they put up some BIG fences to prevent it so I had to settle for a couple of photographs.
The Iowa is definitely on our (actually my) list of places we need to visit once we get on the road.
I shot this in AP, wasn't quite using Manual Mode yet so there's some motion blur from us sailing by. At least now I know how to fix it!
It's got a motor so it's not a horse!
It's that time again, time for the 98th annual Tucson Rodeo Parade!
Our lodge is directly across from the rodeo grounds which means the parade passes right down the street in front of the building!
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 marching bands and the street sweepers who always end the parade by cleaning up the landmines left by our equine friends.
Now I'm not against progress by any means but if everyone in the parade is either riding horseback or riding in a wagon that's pulled by horses it seems that the PD should go along and have their folks horse mounted as well. As I said in the beginning it's got a motor so it's not a horse, no matter how you try to phrase it!
Something to contrast my shot of the Three Caballleros!
www.flickr.com/photos/nyalr/54367445984/in/dateposted-pub...
Taking a flight brings out the gambler in you. You're betting that the flight is on time, you're betting on the captain to get you to your destination, and you're betting on your luggage arriving at the same time as you do. Now if all these bets pay off you'll make it to your destination on time with your luggage in hand.
From what I've seen the house has an edge when it comes to your luggage since they hire the luggage handlers. Hopefully they hire people who actually care about you getting your dainties in a timely manner and are not just there for a paycheck. In this instance I'm wondering whether or not I made a sucker bet!
Home to the OK Corral, Boot Hill, and the World's Largest Rosebush!
One of the float entries was from the town of Tombstone which is about 1 3/4 hours Southeast of Tucson if you take the backroads, much better than the boring freeway route.
Tombstone has a pretty wild and wooly history and if you're interested you can read more about it here:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tombstone,_Arizona
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.
A series of shots I got during our passage through The Big Ditch!
Thanks to toddkeith533 for reminding me that I had this shot.
Other than the ship's photographers and myself I do believe this was the only other DSLR on the trip. If there were others I certainly didn't see them.
I know he was a birder because I asked him, would've guessed it even if he hadn't said so. His Hubble sized lens kinda gave him away!
He told me he was a bit depressed, thought he'd see more exotic birds than he had. I have to believe that the birds were out there but the foliage was so thick it was easy for them to hide.
I don't know why he was bothering with looking for birds when there were plenty of ships just waiting to be photographed!
No offense but things are definitely different in the Golden State!
Niccy and I were walking down the Liberty Station Esplanade in San Diego when we came across this scene.
There's a place right on the water where you can rent a paddleboard for you and your dog to go out on. It seemed to be pretty popular but I didn't get to talk with any of the fur kids to ask them whether or net they enjoyed it! Nice to see that all the dogs had PFDs.
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 pass us by. Exactly the kind of experience we were looking for.
Because you never know when you might get a hankering for some corn and ice!
Came across this place in Preston Georgia, population 453 more or less. We stopped at a small market to get something cool to drink and give the doggos a stretch and this was across from the store. You may have noticed that we went through A LOT of small towns and that was definitely by design!
Did a little research and found out that deer baiting IS legal in Georgia since 2018 which is something I just don't understand.
Much of my misspent youth was in rural Oregon where hunting deer is a way of life. The mill I worked at actually shut down for maintenance the first week of deer season because they knew everyone would be calling out sick if they didn't. It was just something everybody did.
What we didn't do was lay out bait for the deer. Everyone had their own favorite spot and we'd traipse through the woods till we saw a buck, take him and go on about our day. Sometimes we didn't see a buck so we'd have to go out the next day, until we got our buck or the season ended. If you didn't get yours you'd be ridiculed to no end but you always knew that the season would be back next year.
Thinking about it I don't believe I like the idea of baiting deer, it takes away the hunt in hunting. You may disagree and that's your right. You go ahead and set up your bait stations, I'll take my deer the old fashioned way.
As I said before, sunset dinner cruises seem to be the thing to do in San Diego.
As always, hospitality, fine dining and creative beverage service are on the fore deck of a cruise aboard the newly named “Admiral Hornblower.” However, playing a supporting role is a bevy of innovative technologies and must-have services demanded by a sophisticated and connected contemporary clientele: back lit fiber optic infused bars, Wi-Fi throughout the ship, our hip ‘boutique hotel’ style Captains Lounge and Pilot House view. Add to that three spacious, climate-controlled salons, expansive open-air sun decks offering sweeping panoramic San Diego vistas, three full-service bars, two dance floors and seating for up to 420 guests and the sum is pure memory making at sea.
www.cityexperiences.com/san-diego/city-cruises/our-fleet/...
This sure came out with some funky colors and I'm not sure why. I was using the Sunny 16 rule and the time shows as being 4:36 PM. The sun wasn't setting quite yet so I thought there was enough light but maybe not. Could also have something to do with the focal length on this lens but I just don't know.
I feel bad for those folks who live under the landing path!
If you've ever flown into San Diego then this sight is nothing new. San Diego International’s steep approach path that brings pilots over the city and strong tailwinds in the area create an even bigger landing challenge.” Yep, they come in for landing right over the city. Supposedly it's one of the most difficult airports for pilots in the USA.
This was my attempt at catching a moving plane with my camera hand held in Manual. They seem to land pretty regularly so I had lots of opportunities, this one was probably the clearest one of all I took.
A series of shots I got during our passage through The Big Ditch!
I personally like this shot because it shows that no matter who you are, where you are, or what you look like a wave and a smile always translates to good times for all.
Interesting to see a lady sailor onboard, from what I remember of my old sea lore having women on board would anger the sea gods, leading to rough weather and misfortune.
This superstition stemmed from the idea that women could distract the crew, causing the sea to become treacherous in retaliation. I'm not being sexist I'm just an old salty dog....
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.
Plenty of rain this winter so the flowers are out in full force!
Niccy and I just got back from a week long cruise down Mexico way that left out of San Diego. We drove over a day ahead of time and along the way we were treated to lots and lots of wild flowers blooming!
Sorry I don't know what the different kinds are but I think the orange ones are California Poppies. The yellow ones are probably some kind of weed and no idea about the purple/blue ones dotted about.
Evidently I had the focus set for the tall orange plant instead of using all the focus points.
Since the monsoons (and the lightning) have taken a hiatus I present for your enjoyment a nice shot that I captured aboard the HAL Zaandam!
Seafaring and knots go together like peanut butter and jelly. Some of the old sailors got pretty good at knot tying, no surprise since they were out to sea with not much elst to do but practice! Bowline, Stevedore, Marlinspike, Anchor, the list goes on and on.
No idea why this rope was here since we were out to sea and there was nothing attached to the side!
Guess you should've gotten here earlier!
Once all the parking slots are sold it becomes a waiting game. What happens on parade day is we fill up early with people here to watch the parade. Once it's over we have a mass exodus which gives us spaces to sell to folks who don't really care about the parade but want to see the rodeo itself. On the other days once we fill up we're pretty much full till the rodeo is over, which means we don't have a lot to do. Sure, there's a few that leave during the day but for the most part they stay which means we get to sit around and wait!
A Quickie All-in-one Moleskine Diary/Sketchbook in Leather Cover
The day I decided to use the Moleskine 18 months weekly diary from July I knew I would have problem pulling out what I need from my bag. It has the same size and look as the Moleskine sketch book I'm using. Knowing that I will be using both quite often in this coming half year starting from my trip to Tokyo next week, I did something drastic in 30 minutes.
First I ruined the back of these 2 notebooks by putting 4 snaps on them so that they can stick together yet removable if I want to. Note that the two notebooks are snapped together so that the top of one is aligned with the bottom of the other. There is a good enough space in between because of the height of the snaps, so it works well to put a pen holder there. I just punched and set two eyelets to hold the broad elastic band together, then a metal wire is passed through the two eyelets to make a ring which helps to keep the elastic band in place on the spines, again this is removable if I don't need a pen holder.
Assembling it is easy, just put the pen holder in between the back of these two notebooks, snap the notebooks together and there you go. At this stage leather freak like me couldn't stop but made a cover for this so that the metal ring of the pen holder is concealed and I have the look I want.
Finally, to distinguish which side is which notebook, I stamped on the leather cover "Time" for the diary side and "Note" for the sketchbook side. Whenever I feel like using the other side, I flip the notebook vertically. The original Moleskine elastic bands can be used to enclose the leather cover but I like a clean look so most of the time they are enclosing the pages only.
You are probably wondering why there are some flying pigs on one of the Moleskines, that's a gift sketchbook from Steve Light. What's that pen you asked? Pilot 1979 Murex fountain pen, also a gift from a good friend Kelly.
More on Scription blog: scription.typepad.com/blog/2010/07/a-quickie-allinone-mol...
We finally got out of the Panama Canal!
The RCL Adventure of the Seas was built in 2001 and is a part of the RCL Voyager class of ships. She has a capacity of 3114 guests and carries 1185 crew members. The ship features 13 restaurants, 13 bars, 7 shows, 52 activities, and 12 other features for guest enjoyment.
Once out of the Canal we steamed our way down to Aruba for some sun and fun. We've been there several times so our plan was to just walk off the ship and take a stroll through town since the majority of these Caribbean ports are a lot alike. Lot's of bars, restaurants, and places for tourists to get fleeced!
Can you tell our vet works with horses as well as dogs and cats?
Had to take Miss Tiffany into the vet today for her annual tooth cleaning. I say tooth because she's only got a few left, the folks she lived with before didn't take the best care of her I suppose.
Anyhow, our vet is out in the country and this sign is at the end of the driveway, right before you pull out on the road. Stopping before you pull out is not a bad idea but the road they're located on is definitely not an interstate freeway! If you're a map person you can look here and see, you might come across an occasional tractor or two but that's about it!
www.google.com/maps/place/Marana+Veterinary+Clinic/@32.45...
I happened to have my camera with me, wanted to try out the new lens and thought I might get a horse shot or two at the clinic. Unfortunately the horses were nowhere to be seen so this is what I got! I do like that you can get the blurry background real easy with it. We'll see what she can really do in March when I'll have the chance to get some ship shots!
Be on the lookout for pirates!
Inspired by the legendary Tall Ship, Preussen, the new Royal Clipper has the proud distinction of being the largest and only five-masted sailing ship built since her predecessor was launched at the beginning of the last century. With her complement of 42 sails, Royal Clipper is a splendid sight to behold. You might think she was an apparition from the grand age of sail, but Royal Clipper is as new as tomorrow. She boasts state-of-the-art navigation systems and all the comforts of today.
For connoisseurs of sail cruising, the 439 foot Royal Clipper offers the ultimate sea-going experience, balancing the grandeur, adventure and tradition of sailing with the superb service, amenities and accommodations of the finest modern yachts. Royal Clipper carries just 227 guests in luxurious style.
A full 18,940 square feet of open deck and three swimming pools create a wonderfully spacious and expansive outdoor environment. Find your secret hideaway on one of the hidden balconies on either side of the bow.
From the Royal Clipper website:
www.starclippercruises.co.uk/ships/royal-clipper
The Royal Clipper was docked in Barbados, taking on supplies before heading out on her next adventure. Definitely not the kind of cruise that Niccy and I would enjoy but for those who are looking for a true "sailing cruise" she just might be the way to go I do have to admit though that climbing the mast (with safety harness provided) to one of the passenger look-out "crow's-nests", thoughtfully furnished with comfortable settee does sound like fun!
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!
Badges? We don't need no stinking badges!
From what I can tell the parade marshal's main job is to keep things moving along the parade route. As you can see there were no floats on the street so it looks like he was doing his job!
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 marching bands and the street sweepers who always end the parade by cleaning up the landmines left by our equine friends.
BTW the "stinking badges" line originally came from the 1948 film The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. I probably saw that movie as a kid since all the kids loved westerns when I was young but I don't remember it. I knew the paraphrase of the line from the 1974 Mel Brooks classic "Blazing Saddles".
A big THANK YOU! to dennis.gallus for the inspiration behind this shot.
It was Friday evening and Niccy said to me "Let's go for a drive tomorrow". I guess the last trip hadn't quite satisfied her gypsy feet so I said Ok, let's do it.
Saturday morning we packed up to head out. Niccy and myself, a picnic lunch, the Tater Tot, and my camera in the car meant we were ready to find a back road to who knows where.
First stop was Starbucks since Niccy is one of those folks who needs her coffee in the morning. From there we headed out to the fairgrounds, there was an RV show going on and we wanted to see the latest and greatest in escape pods. Once we'd had a real good look it was time to head South and hit the open road.
I'd recently seen this shot:
www.flickr.com/photos/138418484@N03/53350204538/in/datepo...
that was posted by dennis.gallus and thought it would be an interesting place to go so we headed toward Hereford and the bridge.
Other than having to pass through Sierra Vista (just another town) it really was a very pretty drive since we took back roads to get there. As you're driving down you can see the path of the San Pedro River just by looking at all the cottonwood trees that were right in the middle of changing colors, easy to spot, We got to the bridge, pulled off, had a real nice lunch and took the Tater Tot on a bit of a walkabout.
We really enjoy our Sunday drives on Saturdays, they give us just a taste of how things are going to be once we get the RV and get on the road. Yeah, those plans are still a bit in the future but no so far off that we forget to focus on them and it's trips like this that help us stay on track to the goal.