The Old Mocos

I have no idea how long I have had these moccasins. But they are now perfect - they are not shiny and new - they have that perfect, used look to them. When they are brand new, they are actually maroon in color, with white soles. Sounds ugly, right? But these are Sperry Topsiders - the classic boat shoe, and that's how they look. So the trick is to wear them until they look beat up and used. Mine are now that way, but there is a problem... The soles are now kind of shiny, and very slippery. I have used sandpaper on them, and they are a little less slippery, but the bottom line is that I NEED new moccasins. So I will have to start all over, and it will take a long time for my new ones to get broken in, and look as good as these do.

Heading Into Battle

The Metropolitan Museum of Art really is astounding! I usually go there to see special exhibitions of photography, and painting, and the sculptures on the roof. I have been there so many times, that it is ridiculous that I never knew these two things: 1)There is an entire Frank Lloyd Wright room that has been moved into the museum, and 2) there is a whole room with a collection of metal armour, the type used in combat. Probably the most recognised style of armour in the World became the plate armour associated with the knights of the European Late Middle Ages, but continuing to the early 17th century Age of Enlightenment in all European countries. I started just looking at one or two suits of armor, but then got really caught up in studying it. But what blew me away was when I saw these three soldiers in full suits of armor, riding three horses with their own armor. I mean, this is unbelievable to see. It was just stunning.

Three Minutes!

This is a photograph of the Transit of Venus, 2012, and I got to see it! For three minutes! I set up some big binoculars and a telescope at Memorial Park in Sea Cliff up above Long Island Sound. There were four of us there with either telescopes or binoculars. The transit started at about 6:00 PM and continued until sunset, two and a half hours later. The skies were completely clouded over at 6:00 PM and it had been raining for fifteen minutes! At about 6:30 there was a blue patch of sky that moved to where the sun was, and a number of us got a chance to view the transit. I watched through the telescope for a couple of minutes, and then put my Nikon on the back end of the scope and started shooting. I think I made about a dozen pictures before it clouded up again, and stayed cloudy until after sunset. So it was only three minutes, but I was thrilled I got to see even that much of the transit! There were 20 or 30 people in the park with us, and they were thrilled to have a chance to see the transit with us. The significance of all this is, that the Earth is only slightly larger than Venus. So think of this dot as the size of the Earth! See how small we really are.

The Spaceship Has Landed

One of my favorite things at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is that in the nice weather they have these amazing sculptures in the roof garden. This year the artwork is called: "Tomás Saraceno on the Roof: Cloud City." It is as if a spaceship has landed, and it is an amazing structure. The cool thing is that you can go up inside it via stairs, and walk through these modular structures that are connected together. Some have clear Plexiglass floor panels which is really disconcerting, and mind-bending, and fun. The only disappointing thing was that I was not allowed to use my camera when up in the structure. I put the wrist strap on, but I think they are afraid people would drop their cameras and cellphones from a great height. Please click on this image to see a larger version, and more detail.

Street Musician

I was in the city the other day - I wanted to see some exhibits at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. And of course the museum has those wonderful steps out front. Literally hundreds of people sit there, and consequently there are street performers who entertain the crowds, hoping for donations. On this day there were some hip-hop acrobats on the side of the stairs, and around in the front, this street musician playing a saxaphone and a clarinet. His music was very enjoyable to listen to. But I was taken by the patina on his sax. I guess I thought that brass instruments were supposed to be polished. I asked the musician, whose name is Isaiah, and he said that absolutely you do not polish instruments! So the patina really matters.

Desert Rats

So this is the last post from Chaco. I thought I would show you the cast of characters. This picture was taken in front of a big rock in the campsite where our tent was, and the light was really nice here, so I decided to do a group portrait. That is Stan on the left, and Rush in the center, and me with the beat up old stetson. Desert rats, all of us. But from the photographs I have showed you, you can certainly understand the attraction of this place.

Imagining Things

This is the great kiva of Casa Rinconada, a 66-foot diameter structure that was once used for ceremonial purposes. I photographed this during the day but I had seen a photograph of a structure like this that was done at night, and that had been lit in some way. So I made sure to have a regular two-cell flashlight with me on the trip. After doing some star trails at the big pueblo, we came over to this site. I made a 1 minute exposure of the stars, and while the shutter was open, used the flashlight to illuminate the inside of the structure by "painting" the walls with the flashlight. I had no idea if the flashlight was bright enough to light up the scene. I was hoping that I would get something that looked OK, but this picture was beyond my wildest dreams! It is probably my best photograph from Chaco.