My New Friends from Chile

I was sitting in the waiting room of the LIRR in Glen Head this morning, having my coffee and one of Kathy's scones.  These two men came in and looked around and seemed puzzled.  They were holding train tickets.  So I asked if they were going to Manhattan, and they said "yes."  I said: "You are on the right side of the tracks for going to New York."  And then I explained how the train would stop in Jamaica and everyone would have to get off and switch trains.  We walked out to the platform for the arriving train, and we started talking.  We got on the train and sat across the aisle from each other and talked all the way to Penn Station!  They are Angel, on the left and Mauricio, on the right, both from Chile.  They arrived here in the US. on October 1 to visit relatives in Manchester, VT and Sea Cliff and were headed to Manhattan to see some sights, including St. Patrick's Cathedral and the New York Public Library.  Here's the traumatic part - right after they arrived in the United States, Chile, which is a very peaceful and prosperous and politically stable country has been rocked by protests and rioting.  Looters are setting fire to churches and subway stations!  They are not sure what they will find when they return home.  We had such a nice talk about their country and our country and about people and how they behave.  I am worried for them and what they will find when they return home.

Leaves in the Rain

I was walking in the rain again the other day, and spotted these leaves, growing on an old chain link fence down near the old boat yard.  The colors jumped out at me - I couldn't believe how brilliant the colors are.  It may be enhanced by the fact that they are wet.  I have no idea what kind of vine this is.  I am just amazed at all the different colors.

Tree in Late Fall

On my bike ride yesterday I went by this golf course, which I always do.  I saw in the distance this solitary tree, but realized that it was too far to get with my iPhone which I always bring on my bike rides, just in case.  So after the ride, I got in the car and got my camera with the 100-400mm telephoto lens and drove back to the scene.  Here's where the story gets amazing...  I assumed my photo was going to be the solitary tree, from top to bottom against the background.  But my zoom lens was zoomed out all the way, and when I looked through the viewfinder, I saw a close-up view like this, and realized that the picture was so much better with just part of the foreground tree in the frame!  So sometimes happenstance plays a part in photography!

The Transit of Mercury

Today there was a rare astronomical event - the transit of the planet Mercury across the face of the sun.  This is an event that is relatively rare.  The last four transits occurred on May 7, 2003, November 8, 2006, May 9, 2016, and November 11, 2019. The next will occur on November 13, 2032.  Fortunately,  the weather was clear enough to see the transit, which lasts seven hours and thirty minutes.  I got to see about one hour of it, before the clouds moved in.  What is all the fuss about?  It is about the tiny black dot in the center of the sun - the large white ball.  The tiny dot is the planet Mercury.  Look how small it is!  Hardly exciting to see a small dot on the sun, is it? Please click on the image to enlarge it, and you will be able to see Mercury more easily.

In contrast, this is my photograph of the transit of Venus, in 2004.  Venus is almost the size of the Earth, and it is much more visible as it crosses the Sun.  I was also lucky that there were clouds, which makes for a pretty spectacular photograph, don't you think?

Cats on the Stairs

When Kathy goes down to the cellar for anything, like getting cat food, or to do ironing, the cats just HAVE to know what she is doing, so they each go part way down the stairs, where they can watch her at work!  She called up to me and told me about them, so I got my camera, and walked to the top of the stairs.  I thought I could catch them in their natural state, but the minute I appeared at the door upstairs, they turned to look at me.  That's OK, they look cute this way!  Click!

Leftovers - Yellowstone

I had a folder of photographs to edit that were from Yellowstone, and I misplaced it somewhere on my busy and cluttered desktop.  I just found it and started going through it to see what photos were there.  I found this one, which I think is a beauty.  I took a whole bunch of photographs of this, the Grotto Geyser, and I think I put off editing because there were so many choices.  I think this is the best of the lot.  This is amazing, isn't it?

A House by the Railroad

I returned from Manhattan on the Long Island Railroad a week ago or so, and it was just after sunset.  I walked to the nearby parking lot where I leave my car.  As I turned the corner, I saw this house with the lights on and it stopped me in my tracks.  So I got out my toy camera and braced it on a nearby fence and took this picture as the sky faded.  I love this shot!