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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!
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!
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.
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 36 seconds in BULB mode @ f/20 and ISO 100. 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!
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.
A series of shots I got during our passage through The Big Ditch!
FIESTA (IMO 9607813) is a Dry bulk/Kamsarmax ship built in 2013 and is sailing under the flag of Liberia. She has an overall length (LOA) of 225 meters and a width (beam) of 32 meters. Her summer deadweight capacity is 80,554 tonnes..
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
That's right, even ol' St. NIck has to take on a side gig to get by today!
On our first night in Williams we were out for a walk when we saw the train coming into town. We went to the station with the hopes of getting some sort of shot and this is one that I got.
Evidently during the Winter months they have a special run they call the "Polar Express", named after the childrens book. It's a trip to the "North Pole" that gives kids a chance to meet Santa and experience the magic of Christmas. I believe that there's also a reading of the story as the train chugs toward it's destination.
According to Niccy (who was inside our car and listened to what the tour guide had to say) they make 2 runs a day through the season which starts in mid November and runs through the end of December. The average passenger load for each trip is 1000 souls so if you do the math you'll see it's a pretty profitable operation!
I got a glimpse of this fellow who was a tour guide on one of the other cars (not ours). I don't know for sure but just by looking at him I can guess what part he plays on the "Polar Express".
If you've got kids (grandkids, nieces, nephews, etc) and you're interested:
Sorry, these aren't The Rockers (or Midnight Rockers) of WWF fame but if you happen to be visiting Puerto Vallarta and see these guys just give them a tip and they'll create an art piece for you as well!
Niccy and I have been to Puerto Vallarta before so we knew the lay of the land fairly well. We caught a city bus down to The Malecón a 12-block, mile-long esplanade in Puerto Vallarta's Centro and Zona Romántica. It's the place where all the tourists go to see the "Real" Puerto Vallarta. There's a restaurant down there that we like that is off a side street so there's no real tourists but a great view of the ocean.
As we were walking to the restaurant Niccy decided to stop and look at some of the tourist traps along the way. I had no interest in this so I wandered down to the waterfront and came across these two.
As I was sitting there the guy in the striped shirt came up and asked if I spoke Spanish. I told him a little so he told me how he and his friend like to create "art" for the tourists and they gladly accepted tips for their effort. I asked him how much "tip" was appropriate and he said anything would be appreciated. I had some peso coins in my pocket that I didn't feel like lugging around so I gave them to him. He ran over to his friend and they started in on creating this "art piece" as a token of their appreciation.
I probably gave him about $1 US so I considered that to be payment for snapping off a couple of quick shots while they worked.
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!
I risked the possibility of a long jail sentence just to bring you this shot!
When I was in the Navy I was told something that has stuck with me in all my years of travel (except for that one time in France when I almost got shot). We were in Hong Kong and our division chief had us gathered up for a little talk before we hit the beach and from that talk I took the following part:
"Remember guys, this is NOT the United States, our laws mean nothing here. It's their country and you need to play by their rules". Oh, how right he was.
Mexico is a funny place, what's OK in some parts of the country will get you arrested in other parts. Most of the tourist places we've been the cops were pretty friendly and didn't mind you catching a shot or two of them, sometimes they'll even pose for you. A couple of spots though the cops were pretty adamant that photography of them and their vehicles was not something they appreciated and they certainly let me know about their feelings!
We were in Puerto Vallarta, walking down the Malecon when I saw this. Since the cops were no where to be seen I took a chance and took the shot!
This one is for Alex's Time Flying By, I know you\'re a fan of the coppers!
Pinnacle Grill is the ultimate steakhouse at sea
Holland America is well known for the Pinnacle Grill, a specialty restaurant aboard some of their ships. From the HAL website:
Pinnacle Grill is the ultimate steakhouse at sea, where an exceptional menu and impeccable service make for one of finest meals you’ll ever have. The refined menu features a selection of 28-day wet-aged USDA Prime steaks — meticulously chosen to guarantee the finest quality — as well as classic steakhouse dishes and innovative recipes from James Beard Award-winning chef and Culinary Council® member, David Burke. Every dish is exquisitely prepared, beautifully plated and complemented by a vast collection of award-winning wines. Here, your meal is an event unto itself, a celebration of fine dining and a triumph of flavor.
They can say it much better than I can! You can see their menu here:
www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/dining/pinnacle-grill.html
One of the things we've always enjoyed when dining on Holland America is their holding on to some of the old traditions of cruising. Little things like tablecloths, a full set of cutlery, cloth serviets, and after dinner mints. For a redneck like me they were a new experience, for Niccy they are how dinner should be served. She's a bit classier than me!
You should note that this is not the Main Dining Room, the Pinnacle Grill is an upcharge restaurant on board but if you're one that enjoys fine dining with impeccable service you should make a reservation. Not to say that the Main Dining Room food and service is any less because it's certainly not.
BTW, I got this shot before the place was open, didn't want to interfere with someone's meal!
For US Navy Ships that is!
On January 12, General Dynamics NASSCO launched the future USNS John Lewis (T-AO 205), the first of six vessels in the John Lewis-class fleet oiler program designed to support the U.S. Navy.
Construction of the USNS John Lewis (T-AO 205) began in the fall of 2018 and utilized more than 18, 575 tons of steel to complete. The 742- foot long vessel is designed to transfer fuel to U.S. Navy carrier strike group ships operating at sea, the oilers will feature the capacity to carry 157,000 barrels of oil, a significant dry cargo capacity, aviation capability and up to a speed of 20 knots.
From their website:
nassco.com/press-releases/general-dynamics-nassco-launche...
I can remember watching us take on fuel while at sea. Our guys (Navy) would be holding the lines as we took on fuel, the USNS guy on the other ship was sitting in a lawn chair operating a winch that controlled the fuel hose. I really wanted to be that guy!
She does look pretty sleek though the bright orange lifeboats really clash with the haze grey, You would think that someone would've seen that and provided a cover of some sort.
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...
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!
Maybe this is how they plan on charging all the electric cars?
This is a shot from the storm we had last Thursday. Everything was moving toward the Northwest (as usual) so I was pointed in that direction when I got this.
This is a shot looking toward Exit 270 on the East bound side of I-10. Using a map and some landmarks in the shot I've got a feeling that this bolt actually hit on the West bound frontage road or in the desert right next to the road. This would be approximately 4000 feet or 1.2KM as the Crow flies from where I was at. One of those see the flash, hear the boom moments!
Unfortunately, the upcoming week is supposed to be nothing but hot with little to no chance of storms coming through. The season is getting shorter and shorter by the day, I hope we'll get in at least one or two more good nights!
Busking at it's best, considering the location!
As we were walking through the village of Copala we came across this fellow, playing his guitar and harmonica with a lot of passion.
Was he the best guitarist ever? Was he the best harmonica player ever? The answer would be no on both accounts but he was doing the best that he could and I certainly appreciated his effort to serenade us while we explored.
When I photograph someone like this I always make sure to throw something into their tip jar. They're providing entertainment and since I'm getting a shot out of the deal I feel they need to get paid their modeling fee.
Niccy and I just got back from a transatlantic cruise so I've finally got some shots to post!
Niccy and I were on our way to do something or other when we came across our good friends Barb and Carol trying their luck in the casino.
Looking at the screen I can see that Carol had a winner with this go but in the end we all know why they're called One Armed Bandits! BTW, this is NOT how they were paying for their trip although it did eventually lead them to a good deal!
This was a spur of the moment happened to be walking by no planning sort of shot. I went with B/W for this shot since the lighting in the casino was lousy at best. Casino ad shots are always slick and processed, I'm more of an on the fly kind of guy!
Niccy and I just got back from a transatlantic cruise so I've finally got some shots to post!
RHAPSODY (IMO: 9104835) is a Ro-Ro/Passenger Ship and is sailing under the flag of Italy. Her length overall (LOA) is 172 meters and her width is 30.4 meters.
MS Rhapsody, is an Italian cruiseferry operated by Grandi Navi Veloci. She was built at Chantiers de l'Atlantique in Saint-Nazaire, France for the French ferry operator SNCM as Napoleon Bonaparte.[1] In 1996, she was put on the Marseille–Corsica route,[1] replacing the old ferry Napoleon which was moved to the Marseille–Algeria–Tunisia route. On October 27, 2012, the ship broke its moorings in the port of Marseille due to strong winds, violently struck the dock, and sunk in the harbour.[2] Due to its financial difficulties, SNCM was unable to repair the ferry, and sold it to the Italian shipowner MSC in 2014.[3] Refloated, the ship was renamed Rhapsody and transferred to Grandi Navi Veloci to sail first between Italy and Albania, and then from 2017 on the Genoa-Porto Torres route.[1]
From their website:
"What sets us apart is our boats. We have the fastest tour boats in San Diego with the ability to reach speeds of over 50 mph. Moving fast means that we can cover more ground and see more of what we love!
Our Rigid Inflatable Boats (R.I.B.s) were purchased from the NAVY SEALs and completely customized to make them ideal for San Diego guided boat tours."
adventurewhalewatchingsandiego.com/
Nothing better than setting out to sea in a rubber raft put together by a government contractor who put in the lowest bid! Nah, I'm pretty sure that the SpecWar folks get the best equipment available, at least I'd like to think so.
If you're into seeing marine life in the wild this would probably be a great way to do it. Just make sure your camera gear is in a dry bag and your waterproof camera housing really is waterproof!
Just a nice shot of our traveling hotel!
We'd been to St Lucia before so we headed out to a local craft market, the idea being that Niccy might find some nice fabric there. We found no fabric but we did see a lady who was doing some sewing so we asked if there was a fabric store nearby. She said "Wait here, don't leave" and took off into the bowels of the market. She came back a couple of minutes later and said "Michael will take you to the fabric store, you might get lost on your own. That's how we met Michael.
I'd say Michael is an "entrepreneur" who I'm pretty sure would do (or get) you anything for payment. He came out, said "I'll take you to the store" and took off out into the street with Niccy and I following behind.
It seems that EVERYONE knew who Michael was and greeted him as we made our way. He took us down some side streets (and a couple of dodgy alleys) and we wound up at the fabric store.
Niccy got here fabric, along with a little advice from one of the shop ladies, "Be careful with that man, he's trouble". Well, Michael wasn't any trouble (at least for us) and once Niccy had made her purchase he took us back to the pier after a stop at his "friends" bar for a nice cold local beer. I gave him a fiver for his service and he went off on his merry way.
Should we find ourselves back in St. Lucia again I'll certainly be asking around for Michael and his tour guide services. Now I'm sure that some would have a real issue taking off through the back streets in a new country with a guy that you've never met before but for us, that's part of the adventure of exploring. Had he abandoned us I had been keeping a close eye on landmarks and could have gotten us back with no issue. We weren't worried about anything bad happening since there were plenty of cops around and St. Lucia really doesn't want the publicity that would come from tourists getting mugged.
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!
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:
Repossessing a cruise ship is something I've never thought about before!
In January 2022, a warrant was issued for the arrest of the ship should she reenter US waters. On 4 February 2022, both Crystal Serenity and her sister, Crystal Symphony were arrested while in Bahamian waters. The total amount owed for fuel was reported to be about 4.6 million dollars.
In June 2022 she was sold at auction to CSE Ltd., reported to be a shell corporation for the actual buyer, for $103M USD.
In July 2022, the ship underwent refurbishment in Trieste, Italy. After completion, the ship re-entered service on 31 July 2023.
They say she's back in service and if you look at the website:
www.crystalcruises.com/ship/serenity
you'll see that she's got sailings set for 2024,
She was tied up across from us in St. Lucia and we didn't see any passengers on board but if you zoom in you can spot what appear to be a couple of the crew folks. Looking at MarineTraffic.com:
www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/details/ships/shipid:375062/... she's currently moored in Miami so maybe her owners are just moving her around every now and then, just to keep the machinery oiled up. Don't know and probably won't ever find out, the prices quoted on the website are a bit more than we'd prefer to pay.
PS:
For those in the Show Your EXIF group you should note that the actual lens used is a Tamron AF 18-200mm F/3.5-6.3 Di-II VC All-in-One Zoom for Canon APS-C Digital SLR. For some crazy reason it always shows up as a Canon TS-E 90mm f/2.8, a lens I've never owned or used!
If you're looking to live a pirtate's life then Mexico is where you should be!
From their website:
Cabo Legend is a 100 ft twin masted brig wooden sailing ship authorized by the Mexican authorities to sail the high seas with 80 landlubbers like yerself. She is a mighty ship with plenty o deck space to eat drink and be merry. Our grub is prepared below decks in our galley. Landlubberrs looking for the head (bathroom) will find both male and female heads below deck.
www.wildcabotours.com/cabo-legend-tours/
Pirate ships seem to abound in Mexico and the Cabo Legend is no exception. From the deck is where all guests enjoy the cruise, close to the grog, lots o space to keep watch for pirates and enjoy the fresh salt air and warm sun to the grub prepared below decks the our galley they promise a fun time for one and all.
The only thing I find a bit disturbing is that on the website it says if you book during this season every adult gets 1 Child under 12 for free.
I don't know about you but this is an offer we'd definitely pass on! Having two dogs is enough for us, much less taking on the responsibility of a child!
Maybe they should hire me to make some grammatical adjustments to their website?
According to the Google El Camino Español translates to The Spanish Way
The Camino Español (A-07) is a Ro-Ro type logistics supply ship of the Spanish Army operated by the Spanish Navy. It was acquired second-hand at the end of 2023 from the Balearia shipping company.
The ship was built in 1998 under the name Cadena 4 at the Fosen shipyards in Rissa, Norway, and was in service with several shipping companies: from 1998 to 2002 with United Carrier, from 2002 to 2013 with Birka Carrier, from 2013 to 2016 with Carrier Eckero, from 2016 to 2019 with Finncarrier Finnlines, from 2019 to 2022 with Color Carrier. 5 In 2022 it was acquired by Balearia. 1 In 2023 Balearia sold it to the Spanish Army.
I got this shot in the early morning as we were pulling into Cartageña Spain which should not be confused with Cartageña Columbia which we might get to visit in April. This totally depends on whether there is a travel ban in place or not!
This is MY story and MY story all alone!
I got this shot during the Discount Margarita hour they were having on the back deck. I'm not sure what was going on but it was easy to put a story to the picture!
Employee:
Hey boss, the mangoes smell like they've gone off.
Boss:
Let me give them the smell test.
Sniff, sniff, sniff.
They smell like strawberries to me, go ahead and use them.
Employee:
Ok, you're the boss!
Maybe that's why the margaritas were discounted?
Now, I'm just telling you the story I made up in my head, there's no truth to it at all. Holland America is well known in the cruising community as having some of the best food and drinks on the ocean and they would never put out any dish or drink that isn't top shelf. I also should add that this shot is embellished with a replacement sky. The original sky is is totally blank and totally boring!
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 people both in the front and back of the house that make things happen for your dream vacation. 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.
$53.70 per person for 3 Hours on a Sunday cruise featuring our new Surf & Turf Duet, taxes and gratuities extra!
At 158 feet in length the California Spirit is the perfect venue for any occasion that requires space for hosting large numbers of guests in a welcoming setting. Popular for large events and special celebrations, this expansive vessel accommodates up to 600 guests and seats up to 300 diners.
www.flagshipsd.com/flagship-fleet/california-spirit
I had no idea what she was when I shot her, all I saw was a nice looking yacht. They say they can seat 300 for dinner but to me it looked like it might be a bit of a squeeze.
I've heard of Gen X, Y, and Z but I think they should all be called Gen ME, ME, ME!
A random shot from down on the waterfront in San Diego.
The way folks are today you could probably fill up your camera card with shots like this. The younger generation seems to think that everyone wants to see them and live their lives vicariously through them.
Back in the days we had things like Polio, Tuberculosis, Chicken Pox, and the Mumps. Today's youth seem to be afflicted by a disorder called Narcissistic Personality Disorder.
Narcissistic personality disorder is a mental health condition in which people have an unreasonably high sense of their own importance and need and seek too much attention and admiration from others. They may lack the ability to understand or care about the feelings of others.
Niccy tells me I'm an old curmudgeon. I tell her I just call things as I see them. You decide for yourself. Oh, by the way I have donuts and I'm willing to share!
When the right dog comes along...
Yes, we've adopted a new dog. Please allow me to introduce you to Meisha!
As you may (or may not) know we had to remand Poppy, turns out she didn't like men at all:
www.flickr.com/photos/nyalr/53454097258/in/dateposted-pub...
After turning her back in I sent a text to my daughter (who lives in Washington State) to tell her what had happened and she texted back with "How about this dog" and sent a picture of Meisha.
My daughter was dogsitting for her neighbors who were fostering Meisha and were looking to find her a forever home. I texted back and said she would be great if she was in Arizona and we'd sure take her in. I then showed Meisha's picture to NIccy and said "How about this dog" and told Niccy her story, repeating that if she was down here in Arizona and not up in Washington...
Well, Niccy immediately jumped on the Internets and started looking at airline prices to get her shipped down to us. She found out that we could get it done but it was expensive and there was a lot of paperwork. That's when Divine Intervention stepped in and saved the day.
It seemed that my ex-wife who also lives in Washington was going to be coming down to Phoenix to visit with some of her relatives and she volunteered to bring Meisha down with her!
Just $125 for a seat ticket and a veterinarian's certificate of health later and Meisha was on her way to Arizona. I drove to Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix and picked her up last Thursday!
Meisha is a 10 year old Pomeranian mix and we're pretty sure she's mixed with Corgi. She has Pom features but her body is stout like a Corgi which means that we don't have to worry about the luxating patella problem that most Poms seem to get. She's probably 20 pounds in weight but she carries it well. Definitely a lovebug and will do almost anything for a scratch which there are plenty of here. She seems to have more of the Corgi temperament so we don't think she's got the Pom craziness that they all seem to have and she hasn't tried to chew my hand off yet so I think she's going to work out just fine!
UPDATE!
We've found out that this little girl does have some bad knees and hips unfortunately. Poms are known for luxating patellas and Corgis suffer with hip dysplasia so long walks for her are out of the question. Our plan is to get a pet pram so that she can still join in on our adventures.
Some people just don't see the forest for the trees....
Walking along the Sacramento River with the doggos when we came upon this scene. There were Canadian Honkers all over the place and this lady didn't notice but was looking out at the river instead. After a couple of river shots she realized she was getting surrounded and started shooting the geese (with her phone).
As I said above, some people just don't see the forest for the trees!
You've spent all your money now go ahead and leave!
We were escorted out of Puerto Chiapas by the fine folks of the Costa Guardia. Guess they wanted to make sure no one decided to stay there and went overboard?
Niccy and I were recently on 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. Since our road trip has been put off the table for a couple of months I'm back to posting ship shots! No worries though, the Monsoons should be starting up quickly here in Tucson so I'll be able to add some lightning shots as well.
We finally bought our RV, thank you to the greedy RV manufacturers, Kung Flu and the Covidiots!
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.
A small series of photos that I took while driving down the road in Mexico.
As we got close to Miguel Aleman we came across this military checkpoint. The van driver saw that I had my camera up and very quickly let me know that taking pictures here guaranteed that EVERYONE in the van would have an up close and personal chat with the Mexican authorities and their machine guns so I fired off a quick snap and put it down. This is the result.
Contrary to popular belief Mexico does guard it's border with Guatemala. I'm not sure how stringent that enforcement is but they are making an effort and I applaud them for that.
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!
They're not for navigation, just decoration!
We were getting ready to leave San Diego when I happened to see these guys pulling down the decorative flags they had put up earlier in the day.
In port they put the flags up to add to the festive atmosphere but once they're ready to set sail they come down. No sense flying them out to sea since nobody would see them!
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 people both in the front and back of the house that make things happen for your dream vacation. 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.
That would be on a cruise, not in front of the camera!
We were wandering the ship when we came across this backdrop set up by the casino. It was formal night and the ship's photographers had everything ready to catch folks at their fancy dress best.
There was no one around so I asked Niccy to step up so I could get a shot and this is what I came away with. Personally I think the Tie Dye slippers add to the shot, not detract from it. They certainly fit her outlook on life!
I had my Nifty Fifty lens on and there was some light available so I don't know why the ISO is at 1250 and so grainy. Knowing myself I probably had the camera set to "P" mode and that's what the software decided I should use. The exposure mode and program in the EXIF says Auto but I know that's not right since I've never used Auto on this camera unless Auto is the same as "P" on the dial? If that's the case then why do they have an "Intelligent Auto" setting on the dial? Doesn't sound too intelligent to me!
First time for us in this part of Costa RIca, not what we expected!
Puntarenas is an interesting place for a cruise ship to stop. If you look on a map you'll see it's exactly the opposite of Puerto Limón which is the country's main port. Puerto Limón is set up and ready for tourists with lots of shopping, restaurants, and bars. Puntarenas, not so much. Just look up Muelle de Cruceros Cruise port on the Google Map.
They've got a real nice long pier that basically drops you on the street. No Diamonds International, no Senor Frogs, but evidently there's a Tourist Office and a true beachside dive bar called "Bar Restaurante La Perla del Pacífico" which has Ok food and very cold beer! Well within walking distance from the pier and very close to the Fuerza Pública or Police Station which is probably a good thing.
Niccy and I were recently on 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.
Looking lean, mean, and ready for action.
The Denebola (PI-1134) is an Interceptor patrol boat belonging to the Guardia Costa which I believe is Mexico's answer to our Coast Guard.
The Denebola a class of fast military assault craft used by several countries after being originally developed for the Swedish Navy by Dockstavarvet. Its name means Combat Boat 90 Half; the 90 refers to the year of acceptance (1990) and Half refers to the fact that it can carry and deploy a half platoon of amphibious infantry (18 men). These are the same craft we here in the US would call a Riverine Command Boat.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CB90-class_fast_assault_craft
Saw her docked in Huatulco Mexico and had to get a shot. Of course, Niccy was worried that I was going to get shot for taking a picture of her.
Her fear comes from a little incident we had in Calais France at the ferry terminal a few years ago. To be honest, I really don't think he was planning to shoot me, just scare me a bit.
As a kid I had a skateboard called "The Sidewalk Surfboard" but I'm pretty sure it couldn't do this.
Niccy and I took another long weekend over to the Point Loma Annex where I was lucky enough to get this shot!
Had to GTS to figure out what this is called. It's a Hydrofoil Surfboard and uses an underwater wing to provide the lift, much like an airplane does. For a somewhat technical explanation you can read more here:
www.surfertoday.com/surfing/how-does-a-hydrofoil-surfboar...
Looked like the guy was enjoying himself and there was plenty of staring and pointing as he zipped by!
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!
A series of shots I got during our passage through The Big Ditch!
We finally came upon the entrance to the Gatun Locks which meant we were getting close to the end of our journey through the Panama Canal. It had been a long trip but one I'd definitely do again, sunburn and all!
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
One thing you can say is that Masons don't discriminate!
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!
Every year we've seen people riding their horses down the street in back of the lodge, I would imagine to get them ready for the parade. We always offer to park them, they always politely refuse. Getting to be somewhat of a tradition!
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.
I'm here, my toy is here.....you know what to do!
Miss Casey (who had decided all on her own to change her name to Tater Tot (still she/her)) patiently waiting for me to do what I'm supposed to do.
Tater Tot has gotten quite comfortable with us since we first brought her home. She started out pretty reserved, trying to figure out her place in the pack I suppose. Now that she knows she's got a forever home she's started showing us her playful side.
Still not quite sure what her heritage is though. We can see a little Chihuahua but she's also showing us some sort of wiry Terrier, especially in her coat. She's quite the lovebug and always wants to be where people are, doesn't like being alone at all. Pretty quiet unless Tiffany gets her started then she's got a really rough and raspy bark
All in all she's a great little girl and I think we got real lucky with her.
Awful grainy shot, I think the camera might have been in the "P" mode when I got this. As has been pointed out to me before my camera does have a noisy sensor, something I just have to live with. The light was also fairly low hence the reason for the High ISO and the grain! Not too bad if you view it small, if you're a pixel peeper though.....
Shopping for intimates in Macy's lingerie department. Full of panties, bras, girdles, waist cinchers, body briefers, and camisoles. A true dream shopping experience!
We sailed on the Equinox back in 2021, our first post covid cruise!
The Celebrity Equinox (IMO: 9372456) is a Passenger Ship that was built in 2009 (15 years ago) and is sailing under the flag of Malta.
Her carrying capacity is 121878 Gross Tonnage and her current draught is reported to be 8.9 meters. Her length overall (LOA) is 317.2 meters and her width is 36.9 meters. Thanks to Marine Traffic for this information:
www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/details/ships/shipid:289375/...
Celebrity Silhouette is the fourth ship in the Solstice class, following her sister ships, Celebrity Solstice, Celebrity Equinox, Celebrity Eclipse, and preceding Celebrity Reflection. Solstice, Equinox, and Eclipse entered service in 2008, 2009, and 2010, respectively. Silhouette debuted in 2011, and Reflection, the final ship in the class, debuted in 2012. Thank you Wikipedia:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celebrity_Silhouette
As I said above she was our first cruise post covid and it was great! We really enjoy sailing with Celebrity and with the right (and itinerary) we'll sail with them again!
I just realized that when I got this photo:
www.flickr.com/photos/nyalr/51936682413/in/photolist-2phx... we were also in Antigua. Hmm....maybe it's a sign?