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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. I also get the feeling that our cruise was a bit more fun than the one they were on.
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.
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.
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.
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.
What started out as a ritual to Chi’chini (the Sun God), Xipe Totec (God of Spring & Fertility) & to Tlaloc (Rain God) has turned into a sideshow hustle.
We finished up our lunch at the mystery restaurant (previous photo) and were headed out to find a bus stop to get back to the ship when we came across these fellows.
Evidently the show runs every 15 minutes, just enough time in between to get a new crowd in the area. Like everything else you've got to pay to play and the "Tips" men readily work the crowd for "offerings". People with phones out are a prime target and if you've got a real camera you're guaranteed to meet a friendly visitor who won't go away till you drop something in the box, folding money preferred.
I had no intention of shooting this at all, one of those seen it, done it, there's a million snaps on the WWW sort of thing. My visitor was real persistent about getting paid so I relented and dropped a couple of pesos in the box and fired off a couple of quick snaps with this being the best of the best. Enjoy.
To read the story behind this here's a link:
Now I can't be sure but I thought I heard her say "#*%&@ you and the horse you rode in on"!
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.
If you enjoy seeing traditional dance costumes you would certainly enjoy seeing the parade. There are several different dancing groups that participate and the outfits they wear are always quite striking with lots of brightly colored dresses for the ladies and sharp looking suits for the gents.
I would have liked to get her legs in the shot but from where I was shooting they were blocked by the folks sitting on the curb.
No saguaros, but some really pretty rocks!
When people think of Arizona it seems they tend to think about saguaros, deserts, and John Wayne herding cattle amongst and across the previous. As you can clearly see there's more to the state than that, especially when you get up North!
This shot was taken from the North boat ramp on Watson Lake, right outside Prescott Arizona. Spoke to a couple of folks who were hiking the area that told us not to let the dogs get in the water, something about bad bacteria. It did look sort of green and the dogs really aren't into swimming so no worries there.
Really pretty place and easy to get to with a big park and parking lot at the top of the boat ramp.
Niccy and I just got back from a 5 day trip up to Northern Arizona. It's a nice way to get out of the Tucson heat and into the mountains where it's cool, cool, cool. Only a 5-6 hour drive so it's affordable as well.
BTW, I was messing with the camera and came across the LANDSCAPE setting in the menu. Since this is landscape I tried it out and this is the result.
More commonly known as Independence Day or 4th of July here in the US.
Went shooting because there was a real good looking storm headed my way, hoping to get my first of the season bolt. Well, the storm fizzled but the surrounding neighborhoods sizzled with 4th of July fireworks aplenty.
I actually got my first bolt on the 3rd of July and didn't know it till I looked through my shots. Not very impressive but I may post it just because it is the first!
Independence Day, known colloquially as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States which commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, establishing the United States of America.
The delegates to the Second Continental Congress declared that the Thirteen Colonies were no longer subject (and subordinate) to the monarch of Britain, King George III, and were now united, free, and independent states.[1] The Congress voted to approve independence by passing the Lee Resolution on July 2 and adopted the Declaration of Independence two days later, on July 4.
Independence Day is commonly associated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, fairs, picnics, concerts, baseball games, family reunions, political speeches, and ceremonies, in addition to various other public and private events celebrating the history, government, and traditions of the United States. Independence Day is the national day of the United States.
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!
1. and now testing another one, 2. IMG_0164, 3. Xristmas is her fave, 4. Learing by imitation
-
Created with fd's Flickr Toys.
Niccy and I just got back from a transatlantic cruise so I've finally got some shots to post!
The M/S Queen Anne (IMO 9839399) at dock in Cadiz Spain. The M/S Queen Anne is a Pinnacle-class cruise ship operated by Cunard Line, named after Anne, of the Kingdom of Great Britain, who reigned from 1707–1714. She is currently the second largest ship in Cunard's fleet, after RMS Queen Mary 2. She sailed from her homeport of Southampton on 3 May 2024 for her maiden voyage, calling at A Coruña and Lisbon. She can carry up to 2,996 passengers.
She's a good looking lady and I'm glad that I got a glimpse of her!
A really pleasant find on our Thursday drive!
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!
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!
We got the opportunity to see a LOT of tugs on this trip!
According to Marine Traffic theVB ALMERIA (IMO: 9319363) is a Fire Fighting Vessel.
www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/details/ships/shipid:165872/...
According to Vessel Finder the VB ALMERIA (IMO 9319363, MMSI 224215290) is a Tug built in 2007 (18 years old) and currently sailing under the flag of Spain.
www.vesselfinder.com/vessels/details/9319363
I'm not sure which description is right but I am sure she's a pretty good looking lady and I'm glad I got an opportunity to get a shot of her!
Niccy and I just got back from a transatlantic cruise so I've finally got some shots to post!
In contrast to the previous shot this is a moon I could shoot all day! The Silver Moon is 40,844 Gross Tons, carries 596 passengers, and is the sister ship to Silver Muse. She belongs to the SilverSea line which is is an ultra-luxury and expedition travel brand headquartered in Monaco.
Founded in 1994 by the Vlasov Group of Monaco and the Lefebvre family of Rome, it pioneered all-inclusive cruising with its first ship, Silver Cloud. Since July 2020, it has been owned by Royal Caribbean Group.
Thanks to Wikipedia for the above commentary:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silversea_Cruises
Just took a look at their website:
www.silversea.com/ships/silver-moon.html
and this is probably the only way I'll be seeing their ships. A little too much Ultra Luxury for my pocketbook!
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!
A series of shots I got during our passage through The Big Ditch!
No smiling and waving here, these guys were all about business. No pool parties or lounging in the hot tub, just let's get through this and get on our way. This ship is the Atlas T.
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.
Your time is up, move on so the next one can take your place.
A shot of the Vega Scorpio:
www.flickr.com/photos/nyalr/53554294950/in/dateposted-pub... getting ready to move out while the Barbados II gets ready to give her a hand.
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!
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!
Had a nice little soaker come through last night.
The storm last night finally brought us a decent amount of rain, at least here at the house. Plenty of lightning but up in the clouds for the most part.
We've got a new Ramada at the upper pool and luckily enough that's where the majority of the lightning was showing up. Can be hard to shoot from since the wind was blowing the rain in under the cover but I didn't get too soaked!
This was shot @ f/6.3 with 25 seconds and ISO 100 at 18mm.
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.
Among the evergreens....
My all time favorite version of this classic song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_WSXXPQYeY
Up at Ft. Tuthill I found this honest to goodness Murder Shack! Solidly built building complete with bars on the windows (to prevent any unwanted escapes), new roof and a rock solid ventilation system to eliminate any potential smells.
This is an old Forest Service building that has been converted into a cell site that blends into it's surroundings. The nice solid tree you see in back is actually a nicely done cell tower, one of the few I've ever seen that didn't look completely faux. Not sure how it would be to climb though....
If you think about it this really is a murder shack since cell phones did sign the death warrant for landlines in America.
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!
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.
to the limits of the camera!
Camera: Canon PowerShot SX1 IS
Exposure: 0.001 sec (1/1000)
Aperture: f/7.1
Focal Length: 5 mm
ISO Speed: 80
AFMode: Single-point AF
Scene Capture Type: Landscape
Canon Image Size: Widescreen
Image Stabilization: On, Shot Only
Auto ISO: 75
Base ISO: 100
Measured EV: 11.00
Target Aperture: 7.1
Target Exposure Time: 1/1002
on explore
6 hours ago: 423
Highest position: #423 on Monday, June 8, 2009
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.
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.
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!
Sloth. Not the birdie, the Sloth!
Our tour was over and we were headed back to the ship when the van driver slammed on the brakes. I'm talking middle of the traffic tire squealing come to a complete halt slam on the brakes. It even caught the tour guide unaware.
Now I'm thinking Ok, this is where the bad guys in bandannas come onboard and snatch everyone's wallets, purses, and phones. Apparently my overactive imagination was wrong.
The van driver must not have been watching the road and/or the flow of traffic because he saw a Sloth up in a tree and wanted everyone else to see it too. If you've ever seen a sloth you know they blend in pretty well to a tree and look more like a branch than a sloth but somehow he spotted one.
Folks piled off the van and went to get a picture of a sloth in a tree, I grabbed my camera out of my case and caught a shot of people taking pictures of a sloth in a tree. To each their own I guess!
Yeah, it's not much of a shot but I truly wasn't ready to catch this since I thought we were on a nonstop back to the ship.
Ho sognato che il vento dell'ovest mi prendeva leggero per mano,
E mi posava alla fine del mondo tra isole e terre lontane
Camminavo al tuo fianco sul molo guardavamo le barche passare,
mi cantavi una musica dolce più dolce del canto del mare
L'orchestra suonava "The blackbird" nel bar sulla strada del porto,
i pescatori gridavano forte fra il vino, la birra e le carte
raccontavi le storie di viaggi, di strade e di amici caduti,
di amori incontrati lontano e di amori che il tempo ha perduto
E i giorni correvano e il tempo nel sogno volava,
stringevo la donna delle isole, ballavamo leggeri nell'aria
e i giorni passavano e l'oceano li stava a cullare
e il vento alla fine del mondo portava un canto del mare
Seduti fra pietre e brughiere guardavamo i gabbiani volare
raccontavi la storia del bimbo che un giorno scappò con le fate
ma il vento dell'ovest chamava ed il cielo d'Irlanda svaniva,
mi svegliai in una stanza deserta ubriaco mentre il sogno finiva
E i giorni che passano sono lunghi e coperti di nero
mi trascino perduto nei vicoli a maledire una terra straniera
e i giorni son secoli aspettando di poter tornare
di nuovo la fine del mondo cullato dal canto del mare
IJZERBORG (IMO: 9456733) is a General Cargo that was built in 2010 (13 years ago) and is sailing under the flag of Netherlands.
Her carrying capacity is 12032 t DWT and her current draught is reported to be 6.1 meters. Her length overall (LOA) is 142.95 meters and her width is 18.9 meters.
Thanks to www.marinetraffic.com
for the above verbiage!
As we were walking down on the beach in Bonaire I saw the IJZERBORG at the dock, making me think of a dog on a long leash. I don't know but it seems to me that the bow line really isn't doing a lot, maybe Alex's Time Flying By can enlighten us a bit more?
Now that I take a second look that's actually a pier for a cruise ship, not a dock for loading and unloading. Maybe there's a fueler on the other side of her, giving her some go juice. I wonder if they offer to wash the windows as well?
The Caribbean sun really isn't a friend to photographers, the light is a lot like it is here in Arizona in the summer. Had I been thinking I would have used the Sunny 16 rule but when you're out and exploring there's no time to think!
A small series of photos that I took while driving down the road in Mexico.
One of the things that kids here in the US don't get to experience anymore is riding in the back of a pickup truck. I'm lucky enough to have grown up in a time when this was an everyday occurrence.
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!
left : outlook south- west ; ->Freiburg , Madrid
right: outlook north- west ;-> Paris, London
2 ___________......... Nature in blue ...
4 _____________________..coming home .....
two sights:
near and far away
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.
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!
The people of Panama were out in the streets...
If you saw the picture previous to this you'll understand, if not then let me explain.
It seems that there has been an influx of "invaders" into Panama and the indigenous folks don't like it. I'd like to point out that the term "invaders" was used by our tour guide and didn't come from me.
Most of the "invaders" come from Asia bringing their wealth and flaunting it, pushing the Panamanian people out to the fringes. Now, the government likes this influx of Asia dollars so they tend to dismiss any grievances the Panamanians have and basically say "Nuts to you"!
The people don't have many other options other to protest and according to our tour guide they protest quite regularly. We happened to come across one of these protests and I managed to fire off a quick shot before we were whisked away. If you're interested in learning a bit more:
newsroompanama.com/2025/02/15/suntracs-confirms-the-closu...
deepnewz.com/panama/panama-raids-suntracs-offices-issues-...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SUNTRACS
Now when I think of protests this is what I think of. A collective of people united behind a common grievance using their voices to peacefully express their displeasure with the current situation. Totally different from the "protests" we have been seeing here in the US.
What we see here in the US seems to come closer to anarchy than protest. Violence is the norm and the only cohesion between the people seems to be the desire to cause chaos and sow discord. Uhh......I need to climb down off my soapbox now, I'm starting to stray away from my shot....
Heritage Flight training out at Davis-Monthan AFB here in Tucson.
www.airforceheritageflight.org/about
The Air Force Heritage Flight Demo Team has been in town for a few days making some practice runs and getting ready for their 2024 season.
They've been buzzing the house all weekend so I decided to get out and (try to) get a couple of shots. Shooting planes really isn't my thing as you may know so any shots I did get weren't all that spectacular. Add pushing my lens out as far as it will go while trying to track a jet and you just have to accept what you get.
A plane silhouetted against the sky can be a bit boring and there just aren't many places where you can get a bit of background to go along with the planes to give them a bit of context.
If you're interested you can check out their website:
www.airforceheritageflight.org/about
to learn more about the foundation, their mission, planes, and pilots.
Must be a planned execution out at the prison tonight, I see they're testing out the electric chair!
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!
This is a composite of two shots but other than a crop in GIMP and the eradication of a couple of blatant hotspots are the only touchups!
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!
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!
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!
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.
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.
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 coloring of the original. You can get close with software but there's something about film that you can't quite capture.
Looks nothing like the ships we had when I served...
This is the USS Canberra (LCS-30) headed out of San Diego and off to some foreign port. Don't know what port but I'm guessing the guys onboard will have some great pictures from the Strait of Hormuz?!
That's the Coronado bridge in the background.
Sounds odd that a US Ship would be named for the Australian Capitol Territory but this might help clear it up a bit:
www.navy.mil/Press-Office/News-Stories/Article/3400496/us...
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!