Can You Guess?

Can you guess what is going on here? We have been talking about the best title for this, and I wanted it to be a "blind hed" which is an old newspaper term for a headline that doesn't tell you what the story is about. So the photograph is of Liz and Amy and Sarah in the side yard at dusk. What could they possible be doing. Any guesses? OK, the answer is "fireflies." The side yard was filled with them tonight, and the girls were reaching out for them, and sometimes they would sit on their hands. The really cool thing is that Sarah is from Utah, and they don't HAVE fireflies out there, so this was a pretty exciting event for her.

The Solstice

The Solstice was 10 days ago. What it means in terms of my photography, is that the sun is as far north as it will be this season. It doesn't set in the west, but in the northwest. And that means that the sunlight, for a few weeks, shines in through the front door of the house, as it did today, and illuminated this lamp and table and small bowl of artificial flowers. But the subject of this photo, of course, is the sun itself. It's wonderful light at this time of day, isn't it? It seems impossible, but from now on, the days only get shorter and shorter.

A Thrill Ride

So I was sitting on the front porch, having coffee and a sandwich. Suddenly I heard this loud kind of whirring sound coming down the hill. The next thing I know, three guys come down the hill, doing at least 25 MPH, riding on skateboards - on their BACKS! Whaaaaaa? I couldn't believe it, because I could not imagine how they would stop, for instance if they discovered a car coming UP the hill! Yikes. It gets better... 5 minutes later, a jeep comes up the hill, with the three guys riding upright on their boards and clinging to the car. So then I went and got my camera, and ran out to the street, looked up, and saw that two of the guys were getting ready for their second run. I was ready. Does this look like fun to you? Uhhh... It does not look like fun to me.

The Astronomy Lecture

We had a terrific speaker tonight from Stonybrook University, speaking on Supernovae. Type 1a, to be specific, and he covered a lot of ground in a lot of detail. These three members of my astronomy club were completely absorbed. Howard, at right is an engineer, and "The Lurkers" in the background are studying engineering and physics, so they were able to understand it all. I love the intensity with which they are watching the presentation. That's where the power of this photograph comes from, I think. And the lighting is pretty nice too - it is just the lighting in the room during the presentation.

My Airplane Window Rant

OK, so I have been thinking about this for a month, and I may get into a rant here. An airplane is a magnificent magical machine - it takes us out of our world here on the ground and lifts us among the clouds. When I fly, I do so with my nose glued to the window, from takeoff until landing. There are so many wonderful things to see in our world, as seen from the air, and I have taken photographs to show you. I can't imagine people not wanting to see this. Well, on my last flight, I had a center seat, and the woman on the window side, closed the window shade, and went to sleep - sometimes with her head back, and sometimes bent over like this. What a waste of an airplane flight! And I noticed one other feeling - how uncomfortable I felt on takeoff, not beging able to look out the window and watch the takeoff progress. That was a surprise.

Some Assembly required

I have driven by this place and walked by it for a couple of years now. What I haven't done is to pay close attention to what is going on there. I have seen half-finished sculptures of a horse or two, but I never noticed whether or not one was ever completed. So it gets worse... I did stop and take this photo, finally, but I have no idea what material the horse and statue are made from. I *should* have walked right up to it to see for myself, but I didn't. Bad reporting on my part. I think the material is not marble, though. I really should stop and ask, but actually I have never seen anyone working on this.

Guitar Man

I was photographing those buildings in Sea Cliff, and when I turned around, I saw this man approaching, with a guitar over his shoulder. I was interested, because the guitar was not in a case, and I never saw anyone carry a guitar like that. So I did a couple of shots from the side, but the background was distracting, so I fell in step behind him and started shooting. He and the guitar stood out better against the background as seen from this angle. Why WOULD anyone carry a guitar like this?