. Poom! Many thanks to commentor SiubhanDuinne, demonstrating once again why she is so universally beloved here. (She posted this in the comments last night, but I know not everybody gets to read all the comments.) *********** Apart from dealing with That One Person In Your Life, what’s on the agenda for the evening?
Balloon Juice
On the Road and In Your Backyard
by Alain Chamot (1971-2020)| 20 Comments
This post is in: Albatrossity, On The Road, Open Threads, Readership Capture
Good Morning All, This weekday feature is for Juicers who are are on the road, traveling, or just want to share a little bit of their world via stories and pictures. So many of us rise each morning, eager for something beautiful, inspiring, amazing, subtle, of note, and our community delivers – a view into …
On the Road and In Your BackyardPost + Comments (20)
Today, pictures from valued commenter Albatrossity.
My in-laws live in New Zealand, which means that we have a good reason to go visit them occasionally over our Christmas break (which is high summer there). Here are some pics from various trips. Before the Maori arrived there, NZ was a bird paradise. No land mammals other than three species of bats, so birds filled all the ecological niches. The arrival of Maori (with accompanying rats) and Europeans (who deliberately introduced rabbits, possums, cats, dogs, and even stoats) meant that many ground-nesting, unwary, flightless bird species disappeared, often quite rapidly. But it is still a bird paradise for us northerners; seabirds are abundant, and the conservation efforts to maintain populations of the endangered landbirds are working in many cases.
The Southern Alps.
Taken on 2015-12-01
On the way from Christchurch, via Arthur’s Pass, to the west coast of the South Island. Someone once joked that you can drop your camera and it would take a great scenery pic on the South Island, and that’s not far from the truth. Stunning vistas are abundant
Buller’s Albatross
Taken on 2015-12-27
Near Stewart Island, south of the South Island.
Long boat trips are usually needed in order to see albatrosses, like this Buller’s Albatross; they hang out in deep water and nest on remote islands. In NZ, the deep water is often very close to shore, and you are closer to those remote islands, so sightings of albatrosses (and petrels and penguins and other pelagic birds) are possible with just s short boat trip from many of the ports.
North Island Saddleback
Taken on 2016-01-09
Tiritiri Matangi Island, accessible via a short boat trip from Auckland (North Island)
The two species of saddlebacks (North Island and South Island) were pretty much decimated by nest predators and habitat loss. They hung on in some of the smaller pest-free islands, and are now coming back under strong protection and management.
Royal Spoonbills
Taken on 2016-01-02
Okarito Lagoon (west coast of South Island)
These large wading birds are also found in Australia. One of them was having a bad hair day. From a boat in the Okarito Lagoon, a large estuary near the very small and picturesque village of Okarito. This is the only breeding site for the Kotuku, or Great White Heron.
Kotuku
Taken on 2016-01-02
Okarito Lagoon (west coast of South Island)
Great White Heron, probably the same species that we have here in North America, but there are some plumage and other differences, so the NZ ornithologists prefer to split this one out and call it a separate species
Fantail
Taken on 2016-01-07
Neara Auckland (North Island)
A small active forest bird, the Fantail is found throughout the country. It flashes its tail to startle insects so that it can eat them, and it is indeed startling to see!
Kaka (yes, that’s its real name)
Taken on 2015-12-26
Stewart Island
A medium-sized parrot formerly found throughout NZ, the Kaka went through a significant population decline after the Europeans arrived. Now making a comeback.
Thank you so much Albatrossity, do send us more when you can.
Travel safely everybody, and do share some stories in the comments, even if you’re joining the conversation late. Many folks confide that they go back and read old threads, one reason these are available on the Quick Links menu.
One again, to submit pictures: Use the Form or Send an Email
On the Road and In Your Backyard
by Alain Chamot (1971-2020)| 24 Comments
This post is in: On The Road, Open Threads, Readership Capture
Good Morning All, This weekday feature is for Juicers who are are on the road, traveling, or just want to share a little bit of their world via stories and pictures. So many of us rise each morning, eager for something beautiful, inspiring, amazing, subtle, of note, and our community delivers – a view into …
On the Road and In Your BackyardPost + Comments (24)
I missed this last week when I ran p.a.’s pics of the hawk:
Can’t remember if I included this one in my ‘yahd shots’ submission, so here it is.
8 Spot Forrester Moth
S5 phonecam. The caterpillar feeds on grape leaves.
So pretty! I love moths; when living in Colorado, we were inundated twice a year (worse in the spring!) with Miller moths. Imagine a week where every morning, there are moths hiding in every crevice in your car, home, porch, etc. They’re harmless, and only passing through as they migrate from the fields in the plains to the mountains. They spend all summer feasting on wildflowers, etc., then the survivors go back to the plains to lay their eggs in the newly-harvested fields. I found that aggressively jingling keys made them skedaddle – by accident the first time, and my then-truck cab was suddenly filled with a dozen flying, panicked moths. They aren’t nearly as pretty as the one above, but in learning more about them, I saw them less as a pest and more of a wonder.
Next, pictures from valued commenter PlaneCrazy.
Trying out the form getting ready for a big trip next week. I have been reading BJ since John first started realizing that perhaps he wasn’t a modern Republican. I don’t comment much, but I love reading everyone else’s when I get a chance.
Lake Annecy in the French Alps
The beautiful tourist town of Annecy in the French Alps from a trip we took five years ago. Absolutely beautiful.
Sidney Opera House
We got the chance to see Cosi Fan Tutte while visiting Sidney. This is the entrance at night
I’ve not managed to see opera while traveling overseas, but I did see kabuki twice while visiting Japan (at the great Kabuki house in Tokyo). Should you ever have the chance to see grand opera or kabuki, GO!
Today, pictures from valued commenter Mnemosyne.
A few photos from our recent trip to Chicago. The first one is of the John Hancock Center from out of the window of our plane. The others are photos in and around the Field Museum. We didn’t have much time for sightseeing on the trip, but ended up having a better time at the Field than we expected.
Chicago Skyline from the Air
Virgin America
A shot of the John Hancock Center and surrounding areas (including Navy Pier).
Tooth and Claw IPA
Field Museum
The Field Museum has a big brewing program with a local brewery, so I made G get one with lunch. He said it was good. We missed the unveiling of their new ancient Chinese beer by one day.
Field Museum Mascots
The new and old-school mascots of the Field Museum: Sue the T-Rex and the Elephants.
View from Museum Steps
Gorgeous view even on a stormy day.
Inside Frank Lloyd Wright’s Studio
I’ve been visiting Oak Park for 15 years and only just got around to touring the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio, which he built early in his career, shortly after his first marriage.
Oak Park House
Oak Park, IL
There are a bunch of Frank Lloyd Wright houses that he built near his home and studio. I’m not sure which one this is, but it’s in the classic Prairie Style.
Thank you so much Mnemosyne, do send us more when you can.
Travel safely everybody, and do share some stories in the comments, even if you’re joining the conversation late. Many folks confide that they go back and read old threads, one reason these are available on the Quick Links menu.
One again, to submit pictures: Use the Form or Send an Email
On the Road and In Your Backyard
by Alain Chamot (1971-2020)| 63 Comments
This post is in: On The Road, Open Threads, Readership Capture
Good Morning All, This weekday feature is for Juicers who are are on the road, traveling, or just want to share a little bit of their world via stories and pictures. So many of us rise each morning, eager for something beautiful, inspiring, amazing, subtle, of note, and our community delivers – a view into …
On the Road and In Your BackyardPost + Comments (63)
Today, pictures from valued commenter ?BillinGlendaleCA.
I’ve been wanting to photograph the Milky Way for a while, but I live in Glendale in the middle of urban Los Angeles and the best I can capture of the Milky Way from outside the cave are some small smudges. I recently joined a local photography meetup group and when the organizer announced a trip Joshua Tree National Park to photograph the Milky Way I jumped at the opportunity. It’s about a 150 mile drive(each way), partly though LA traffic, to the location in the park; I drove there in the afternoon and returned after getting my pictures in the wee hours of the morning. I’ve made the journey twice, in late June and late July since you have to wait for a new moon to avoid the light pollution of the moon. In addition to picture of the Milky Way, I’ve included some sunset pictures to give an idea what the park looks like.
Photographing the Milky Way in these dark conditions presented a couple of problems: focusing and framing. You can focus while it’s light out and then tape the focus ring, but if you change lens you have to do it for the next lens as well. Framing is a problem I’d not anticipated, you can’t see anything on the camera’s live view(my camera doesn’t have a viewfinder); so you have to take a picture and then adjust the camera on the tripod to get the right framing. I like to photograph panoramas and this made it difficult.
The sun setting between two rocks.
Taken on 2017-06-24
Ryan Mountain trailhead, Joshua Tree National Park.
This is an HDR shot(3 exposures at different light levels that have been combined), of the sunset.
The sun and a Joshua Tree.
Taken on 2017-07-22
Near Barker Dam, Joshua Tree National Park.
Sunset with Joshua Trees in the foreground and mountains at the west end of the park in the background.
The Milky Way starts to appear.
Taken on 2017-07-22
Near Barker Dam, Joshua Tree National Park.
About a hour after the sun set, you could begin to see the Milky Way, but since you’re still seeing some light from the sun, the color in the Milky Way is not as pronounced. This shot is a composite(one shot at 20 seconds to capture the Milky Way and the other shot at 60 seconds to capture the foreground).
Milky Way well after sunset.
Taken on 2017-07-22
Near Barker Dam, Joshua Tree National Park.
You can see a bit more color differentiation now that the sun’s light has disappeared. The bright light at the right is light pollution from Palm Springs. There was also some light pollution to the north(29 Palms and the Marine base there) and to the west(LA).
Fisheye!
Taken on 2017-07-22
Near Barker Dam, Joshua Tree National Park.
I had to add one of the pictures that I took with my fisheye lens, cause I luv my fisheye. I didn’t set the aperture completely wide open so it’s not as good as it could be.
The Galactic Center.
Taken on 2017-07-22
Near Barker Dam, Joshua Tree National Park.
A shot showing the color of the Milky Way’s galactic center.
Galactic Center from the first trip.
Taken on 2017-06-25
Ryan Mountain trailhead, Joshua Tree National Park.
A photograph of the Galactic Center just before getting ready to leave.
Thank you so much ?BillinGlendaleCA, do send us more when you can.
Travel safely everybody, and do share some stories in the comments, even if you’re joining the conversation late. Many folks confide that they go back and read old threads, one reason these are available on the Quick Links menu.
One again, to submit pictures: Use the Form or Send an Email
On the Road and In Your Backyard
by Alain Chamot (1971-2020)| 15 Comments
This post is in: On The Road, Open Threads, Readership Capture
Good Morning All, This weekday feature is for Juicers who are are on the road, traveling, or just want to share a little bit of their world via stories and pictures. So many of us rise each morning, eager for something beautiful, inspiring, amazing, subtle, of note, and our community delivers – a view into …
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Today, pictures from valued commenter Sloane Ranger.
Further to my adventures in Norfolk. Here are some more pictures from places we visited when I was staying with my friends in Cromer during week beginning 24th August
Choo! Choo!
Picture taken at Sheringham Station.
No, not our current railway stock. This is one of the engines run by the North Norfolk Heritage Railway which goes from Sheringham to Holt and back again giving tourists a taste of the age of steam.
A close look at the engine with the fire box.
An example of the rolling stock on the North Norfolk Heritage Railway.
The ruins of Creake Abbey owned by English Heritage. Unlike many abbeys it wasn’t destroyed by the Reformation but rather slowly fell into disuse after a series of fires and the plague. The nearby cafe, however, serves very passable food if somewhat pricey.
Blakeney, Norfolk
A shallow estuary off the North Sea. A typical Norfolk scene. You used to be able to take seal watching trips from here but the estuary has become silted up so only really shallow draft boats can get in or out. So now, you buy the tickets here in Blakeney and drive down the coast to another village to pick up the boat.
Brancaster Staithe
Another small port. Locally they are called Staithes, meaning a landing stage.
Thank you so much Sloane Ranger, do send us more when you can.
Travel safely everybody, and do share some stories in the comments, even if you’re joining the conversation late. Many folks confide that they go back and read old threads, one reason these are available on the Quick Links menu.
One again, to submit pictures: Use the Form or Send an Email
On the Road and In Your Backyard
by Alain Chamot (1971-2020)| 33 Comments
This post is in: On The Road, Open Threads, Readership Capture
Good Morning All, This weekday feature is for Juicers who are are on the road, traveling, or just want to share a little bit of their world via stories and pictures. So many of us rise each morning, eager for something beautiful, inspiring, amazing, subtle, of note, and our community delivers – a view into …
On the Road and In Your BackyardPost + Comments (33)
Today, pictures from valued commenter Major Major Major Major.
My husband and I recently went to Denver for a high school reunion and to visit my family. I go back a couple times a year, and this time I decided to take some pictures. It was a series of beautiful summer days, and for whatever reason, it finally felt to me like Denver was growning into its real potential as a modern city. Some of the locals don’t like this viewpoint, but here’s not really the time or place to debate urbanism, is it?
My parents’ backyard
Taken on 2017-08-05
This is the view from my parents’ backyard in Stapleton. It’s a neat little neighborhood, built on and partly from the crumbled remains of the old airport. They filmed Die Hard 2 in that airport, while we lived downtown. Apparently some of the actors stayed in our building, but I was too young to remember.
Bear
Taken on 2017-08-05
This is my mom’s dog, Bear. He’s a rescue, maybe eight or ten years old. They got his genes done and he’s chow-beagle-something-something.
University of Denver
Taken on 2017-08-05
My high school was on DU campus, so I would walk around this area every day. Hasn’t changed a bit.
Stanley
Taken on 2017-08-05
Stanley is an old factory in Stapleton that they turned into a food hall. The inside is all exposed-everything and unrefinished floors, pretty cool.
Union Station
Taken on 2017-08-05
They finally refurbished the old train station downtown at some point. This was my first trek back.
LoDo and the South Platte
Taken on 2017-08-05
A lot of this wasn’t here when I was growing up.
Art museum complex
Taken on 2017-08-05
We spent an afternoon at the art museum. The one on the left is the ‘new’ (15 years?) annex, designed by Daniel Libeskind. They had some issues with hanging the art when they realized that the walls weren’t vertical.
Thank you so much Major Major Major Major, thanks for a little glimpse into your world.
Travel safely everybody, and do share some stories in the comments, even if you’re joining the conversation late. Many folks confide that they go back and read old threads, one reason these are available on the Quick Links menu.
One again, to submit pictures: Use the Form or Send an Email
Bring out your problems: Medicare edition
by David Anderson| 32 Comments
This post is in: Anderson On Health Insurance, Organizing & Resistance, Readership Capture
From last week’s post on common problems that we all have with the health insurance system, it seems that Medicare is a major source of concern. I want to highlight a couple of questions and responses and then fill in as needed. After that, raise your new concerns in comments and we’ll figure things out …
Bring out your problems: Medicare editionPost + Comments (32)
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