Thursday, September 29, 2011

1968 Bug

A close friend of my sons has a '68 Volkswagen bug.  I have a soft spot for old VWs, as I had a few when I was younger, so lots of memories.  I think my favorite was a cream-colored '64, but I also had a red '66, a light blue 74 (I think?) and a baja bug built from parts.  I even remember my parents driving VWs when I was a child and small enough to climb into the space behind the rear seat.  Anyway, here's a couple photos of the '68... really nicely restored!




Top speed 90mph based on the speedometer (true top speed somewhat less!!).  If you click the photo to enlarge, you can see the little hash marks for maximum speed to shift:  l @ 15mph (maximum speed for first gear), ll @ about 30mph (maximum speed for second gear), and lll @ 45mph (maximum speed for third gear).  Bring back any memories??

Monday, September 26, 2011

Macro Monday!

Here are my favorite macro shots from this week.  Just a dandelion in the back yard.  Thanks Lisa for hosting this great activity!  Happy Macro Monday, and enjoy your week.





MM3

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Sunday, September 25, 2011

Spineology

Spineology:  The study of sharp, spiny objects, esp. as related to cactus spines, and how they adapt to their natural environment.  OK, so I just made that up.  But with my brand new macro lens + being out in the desert last weekend, I couldn't resist getting close and personal with a couple of my cactus friends!  Not much flowering this time of year, so went with the spines!
Purple prickly-pear. The big spines hurt, but the little ones are even worse.  They must be barbed, because they go in and they don't come out!
Another species of prickly pear (Opuntia)... we will call him "fooled you" prickly pear because he's hairy and you don't see the sharp, painful spines underneath!
I think this is a Cereus cactus.  Covered with long, sharp spines.  But he gets severely eaten up by the antelope squirrels during the dry months, so even all these spines aren't enough to protect him!
Macro shot of spines on a Yellow Barrel
Red barrel spines
Ocotillo cactus spines are stiff as nails!
Another Prickly Pear
Ouch!  A little something my wife picked up while gardening!



Friday, September 23, 2011

Skywatch Friday: 30,000' Edition!

Had to travel all week for work, so really didn't see much other than the inside of planes (back and forth to San Jose), airports, and my hotel. I did manage to get a couple pics on my iPhone during my travel, sooooo...  Happy Skywatch Friday!
Seat 10A:  Pacific Ocean from about 30,000', with coastal fog in the foreground.
Sunset at the airport... waiting for my flight.



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Monday, September 19, 2011

Macro Monday

I just bought my first macro lens, and have to say, I'm really enjoying it!  It's so true what one reviewer said when I was shopping online... "when you get it, you will walk around your house or out in your yard and start taking pictures of everything in sight!"... which is exactly what I did.
Not much blooming out in the desert right now, but we have a bush called 'Texas Ranger' which was just starting to bloom this weekend.  Along with the purple flowers, there were honey bees everywhere, so here's my first attempt at macro photography!
You can see the pollen sac on the rear leg.



MM3
Check out other great macro shots at
Macro Monday/Lisa's Chaos

Saturday, September 17, 2011

The PhotoChallenge Word is 'Travel'

Lap Dog Knits mentioned a few posts ago that the weekly photo challenge is 'travel'.  That's like a big fat one that hangs right over the plate since I travel frequently for my job.  My challenge will be to figure out which of many photos to share!
Travel has changed dramatically.  When I used to tell people I travel a lot for work, the common response was "you're so lucky".  Now the most common response is "sorry to hear that"!  Here are some things that come to my mind for travel (perhaps I should qualify... work-related travel, since I am in a totally different frame of mind for vacation travel).


Cramped and confined.
There's an app on my iPhone called '360' which I used for this photo.  Still trying to figure out how to use it, but I like this photo... like being stuck inside a tin can, which is how I often feel!


Hurry up and wait!


I took these on my iPhone while walking to my gate at John Wayne Airport.  Because of camera movement, they came out blurry, which is great for showing motion.  I also did a little work in photoshop to blur the lines between photo and painting.


A sigh of relief (when the plane gets to the gate!)
This photo was taken at the Tucson airport (no, not in August of '81!).  There was a cloudburst off in the distance behind the plane which looked very cool!

Liftoff...deep breath and relax!
Yes, when you finally get to your seat, get your stuff stowed, and get in the air, you can feel at least some of the stress melt away (especially true for an on-time departure).


Rental car
Yup, the fun's not over yet!  Still need to get to the rental car lot, get your car, figure out where you're going (I rely on my Garmin pretty heavily), and find your hotel.  Travel last week was to Houston, so here's the Houston skyline.  Mandatory warning:  Don't take pictures and drive!!


Baggage Claim
Well, to be honest, I try never to check bags, so baggage claim is a non-issue for me.  I just liked the photo!  This is baggage claim at John Wayne Airport, and if you do check bags, one of the last places you will see on your travel adventure before heading home!

Friday, September 16, 2011

Skywatch Friday!



Had to travel to Cheyenne on business recently.  At the last minute, decided to pack my camera.  Rented a car in Denver, and drove north to Cheyenne (normally about a 2 hour drive, but I did a lot of side-road exploring!).  Anyway, lots of photo-opps, so glad I took my camera!
Happy SkyWatch Friday...
Roadside Edition! 



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