July 28, 2021

Ron DeSatan may lose his mind

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/28/ford-reinstates-mask-mandates-at-facilities-in-missouri-and-florida.html

Ford is reinstating mask requirements for workers and visitors at facilities in Missouri and Florida, both of which are considered emerging hot spots for a new Delta variant of the coronavirus.

The company also will require U.S. employees planning international business travel to be vaccinated against Covid-19, Ford spokeswoman Kelli Felker confirmed Wednesday.

“The health and safety of our workforce continues to be our top priority. With a data-driven approach to our global COVID-19 protocols and the increase in cases in specific U.S. regions, Ford is reinstating face mask protocols in select states,” Felker said in an emailed statement. “We will continue to evaluate COVID-19 case data to make further protocol changes.”

June 22, 2021

IR photographers!

What do you use for IR photography? I read an article with instructions for removing the filter covering the sensor, of a purposely purchased, relatively cheap camera to be dedicated to the purpose.

Are there other options? TIA!

June 22, 2021

In line at Home Depot

garden center and an old couple is ahead of us, maskless, which is now optional, purchasing several items which included two very thin 6' trim pieces of what I think was pine. They get into it with the cashier, seems they thought each was $1.19, and find out each are $1.19 a foot, so they no longer want them. Old guy says to the cashier, "It's all Biden's fault, he stopped the lumber!" His wife says, "Shut up, no one wants to hear that stuff".

#1, what does "Biden stopped the lumber!" even mean?
#2. If I wasn't so chicken I would have asked her if she knew he was an asshole when she married him.
#3. If I wasn't so chicken, I would have asked him how he liked my new pair of Joe Biden Commemorative Aviators I was wearing.

#4. I'm so chicken because anyone so un-selfaware as to be yammering like that at the register probably is packing as overcompensation for low self esteem anyway. 😁

June 9, 2021

Here in west central Florida (edit to add Turkey Vulture)

the summer routine is heat builds over the center of the state and forms huge thunderstorms every afternoon that move to the west. So the return of daily afternoon showers bring a variety of birds riding the wind currents in front of the storm. They rarely have to flap their wings, just soaring in circles, pushing west.

I would not claim these to be of the highest quality photos, they are cropped quite a bit, sharpened and de-noised. The birds are very high and all were taken with 1000-1200 mm lenses with 10lbs of camera and lens pressed against my nose, looking straight up!

Love this Heron out in front of the storm, sky still blue, almost an X-Ray of the wings


Heron just before the rain and sky has darkened


Swallow-tailed Kite


Anhinga, from the Tupi Indians in Brazil, meaning "devil bird" or "evil spirit of the woods."


Hawk


Wood Stork


Turkey vulture

May 31, 2021

Just a salute

to those of my old unit that did not return

Contemporary period (when I served on the DMZ, 1970-71)

Reorganized in the spring of 1958 in Fort Benning, Georgia, the division improved its training before returning permanently to Korea in July 1965 to ensure security in the region. On November 2, 1966, soldiers belonging to the 21st Regiment of the 2nd Infantry Division were killed by North Koreans in an ambush. The following year, 16 US soldiers were killed in the demilitarized zone. In 1969, four additional soldiers were killed. On August 18, 1976, two officers of the division were beheaded by North Korean guards.



https://www.dday-overlord.com/en/battle-of-normandy/forces/usa/2nd-infantry-division

May 28, 2021

A few photos to share

There was a Hawk nest across the street and the parents have been frequent visitors to my yard. Apparently, the young are out of the nest now and my yard is being used as a flight and hunt training ground. What I assume are the young have been in a couple of my trees for the last few weeks, on low perches, screaming their heads off. I have slowly approached them daily, and now they allow me to get as close as I wish. Estimate I have 100 close ups of these beautiful birds!

In this one, I imagine he is contemplating how edible I might be, lol.


Enjoy!

May 19, 2021

Another spectacular sky three days ago

My wife calls this the angel, I think it may be an alien spaceship with tentacles (considering recent topics on GD)


Look closely for the moon and airplane to Miami, I missed the better alignment nearer the moon


A little closer now


Another part of the sky the same evening, vertical


Another part of the sky the same evening, horizontal

March 27, 2021

Just common Crows

I have found it extremely difficult to photograph my crows. They are so wary and skittish. Now we placed our birdbath where I can see it from inside the house and finally captured these beautiful birds! They come late every afternoon for a drink and often to wet some small bit of food they have.

February 12, 2021

Feeling exceptionally pretty after my bath

February 10, 2021

The best laid schemes of mice and men - Go often askew

After scouting several locations, I settled on the parking garage of a mall 6300 ft from the stadium. We secured our preferred parking spot a little before 4PM and waited.

This was your classic, two hours of boredom and literally 30 seconds of pure terror, no second chances, no do overs. Sunset was at 6:14 and the anthem was scheduled for 6, perfect for catching the last ray of sunlight on the planes at 1000 to 3000 ft altitude. We had the broadcast on CBS in the van but there was no time stamp so we were unsure of the time delay, we just knew the anthem was running late, so just had to be on pins and needles until the noise from the south. We also had ADSB up, but only the B52 squawked and only while it was off the coast, when it came ashore, it went silent. B1/B2 no squawkey at all, so no help. I estimate he anthem finally happened a little after 6:30 and it was dark. I was lucky to get much of anything, not much detail in the low light, and that B2 is like a crow I tried to photograph last year, it doesn't reflect any light and looks like a black hole light sink. Had I known it would be past sundown, we would not have attempted it, so I guess it was good we were ignorant 😁

I am taken by how different this flyby would have been to me, had we not had a new president.
Here are a few samples.