I have no truly terrifying photos this morning! YAY! Ian kept well to the south of us so we got only about 3 inches of rain and gusts of 50-60 mph. So, I leave you with one still photo of Charley back in 2004 showing 8 hours of sustained 70 mph winds strait out of the north, just like Ian. We sat on the back porch, had a few cocktails, and watched it blow.

In addition, I was able to keep my camera dry long enough to take a couple of quick videos which captured so much better than the few stills, the power of the wind.

https://jamesdevore.smugmug.com/60-YEAR-JOURNEY-IN-PHOTOGRAPHY/HURRICANE-IAN/n-N26CRw

I hope to get some cool hurricane photos to show you the pure terror of it all

I am at 60' above sea level and 30 miles from the coast but the current track is going to SLAM us.

are what I call 'belly shots" having an almost x-ray effect and if the light is well balanced overhead/underneath, it can be magical. The best opportunity is when the birds are migrating and soaring on the wind high above with no wing movement. It isn't easy because they can be thousands of feet above.

National Audubon Society just put up an online resource for tracking migratory birds.

"Created by Audubon and nine founding partners, using migration data contributed by hundreds of researchers and institutions, the Bird Migration Explorer is a first-of-its-kind, free, interactive, digital platform that visualizes the heroic annual journeys of 458 North American migratory species. Available in English and Spanish, you can use the Explorer to see the incredible journeys of migratory birds throughout the year, how they connect us across the hemisphere, and the various challenges they face along the way. By mapping where, when, and how extensively species are exposed to human activities and environmental changes, we can develop more effective solutions that will maximize benefits for birds and people."

If you are interested, check it out! I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of white pelicans in mid to late October, wish me luck!

https://explorer.audubon.org/home?zoom=3

Yesterday, moonshinegnomie demonstrated the application of the new Topaz Photo AI tool with his photo of the ISS. Over the past few months I was lucky to have been part of the beta testing for this new software. One of the most astounding new features is something for the enhancement of faces.

I don't do people photography, but tested it on my Uncle Roy heirloom photo. He was a radioman on the Enterprise during the war, not with the Klingons, someone else. But I digress.

This first photo is the original print, the second, with the software applied. I cleaned up all the surroundings manually, repairing the tear and removing the stain and dirt. I did not touch the face, the software did that.

The third photo is with auto color applied in PS. I need to do a little more cleanup on the neck yet. Which do you like best for framing, the old or the newest? I lean toward leaving it aged.

I will be adding this to my "Reconstruction" gallery at smugmug.

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration last week paid an aviation company $615,000 as part of a new Florida program to relocate immigrants lacking permanent legal status out of the state, according to state records.

Records show the company, Vertol Systems Company Inc., was paid on Sept. 8. A week later, DeSantis took credit for sending a group of 48 migrants — most, if not all, from Venezuela — to Martha’s Vineyard, a summer island destination for the rich and powerful in Massachusetts.

Vertol Systems’ website shows it is based in Hillsboro, Oregon, but has operations in Destin in Florida’s Panhandle.

The payment, which records say was for a “relocation program of unauthorized aliens,” was made by the Florida Department of Transportation, which earlier this year received $12 million to transport “unauthorized aliens from this state” to other parts of the country.

https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2022/09/16/desantis-administration-paid-615000-aviation-company-relocate-unauthorized-aliens/

can't find anything about after the perp walk?

check out the full resolution versions, respectively:
https://jamesdevore.smugmug.com/60-YEAR-JOURNEY-IN-PHOTOGRAPHY/THE-GARDEN-AND-ABOVE/GARDEN-FLORAFAUNA/i-hzCc4mG

https://jamesdevore.smugmug.com/60-YEAR-JOURNEY-IN-PHOTOGRAPHY/THE-GARDEN-AND-ABOVE/GARDEN-FLORAFAUNA/i-WxnNzLT

https://jamesdevore.smugmug.com/60-YEAR-JOURNEY-IN-PHOTOGRAPHY/THE-GARDEN-AND-ABOVE/GARDEN-FLORAFAUNA/i-Ss4JDbS

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