Day 118 - Partial Lunar Eclipse

I took this image at 5:48 CST this morning. You can clearly see the partial eclipse which is the earth's shadow.  I checked around midnight and it was a full moon last night. This was low on the western horizon this morning and I had to shoot between a tree just to the left of the moon and a neighbors roof line just to the right of the moon.You don't see them because they are too dark in this image. I also had to shoot from the middle of the street with my tripod. Gladly no one was out this morning...

Just for reference, this is my post back from March 28, 2010. I had more time to get the settings right back then. This is what the moon would have looked like in the above picture without the eclipse.

I'm thinking I need a good telescope with a T-mount to attach my Nikon D200. Yikes! This could become an even more expensive hobby. Angel has some contacts with the McDonald Observatory -- maybe we can get some time on one of those telescopes? They have amatures nights and more likely we can talk our cameras onto one of those telescopes.

-tom

Day 117

Day 116

So, I got to hold my beautiful granddaughter tonight for a long while. What a treasure!  I'm sure she will be perfect like this always... OK, let's just enjoy the moment.

So here's a few more images from today.

Now that's a loving grandmother.

And this image taken with my Blackberry.

Day 115

Day 114

Olivia Michelle Brown

Yes, I'm a proud Grandpa.

Day 113

I passed by the Cig forest on the way home from work. Remember that only you can prevent forest fires.

Olivia Michelle Brown

Thought I'd throw in an extra post tonight with some images I took yesterday of my new granddaughter. Here is Heather with Olivia just hours after her birth. Fortunately they arrived in time at the Nativiti Birthing facility. As I understand it they almost qualified for a drive-thru delivery.

This image taken about 30 minutes after birth.

Proud papa. Andrew had a wonderful Father's day gift.

New Grandmother...

Aunt Sherylin

Uncle Sean

Aunt Jenn

More proud grandparents -- Howard and Paula.

And now for some more images of Olivia...

(Jenn took this image with my D200)

In the car and ready to go home. This is about 3-4 hours after birth.

I wrote this poem just before lunch back in 1994. I was trying to capture a moment in time when all seemed right in the world. Now seems an appropriate time to share.

Just a Moment

A warm remembrance of gleeful chuckles
Wafts gently, inspiring a playful dose of stifled giggles.
Aglow with wonderment, foretelling a gentleness
Known and reborn, is that next precious moment
When inspiration, full and enraptured
Radiates the warm knowledge of all that is good.
How uncommon that Fountain of Youth, intimate to all,
As espied over walls of self-doubt.
The trifling act of seeing what's there
Compels another chuckle as pure, honest simplicity
Overpowers the most futile self doubt.
The bubbling lift of heart swells eye to joy
And soul to soft, cloud like buoyancy.

-tom mcmurtrey

Day 112

Father's day today. Took this of Jenn and I at dinner tonight with Sean, Jenn, and Collette. I am so blessed with 4 great kids, 2 great son-in-laws and now a grand daughter. Life is good today.

Day 111

My new grand daughter!

-tom

Day 110

My baby.  Meet my Nikon D200 that I prefer to use. I have the 50 mm 1.8D lens attached for this image. I used my Canon SD950 to take this image, which is my favorite travel camera when I want to be more discrete. It's an interesting phenomenon, but when I pull out the D200 everyone gets self conscious. No one cares if you pull out a small point and click. I have a Heliopan UV filter. I like this one as it is thinner than most of the others. A filter is also good to prevent scratches on the lens. I learned that one when I dropped by D80 with a 18-200 lens attached. It crushed the glass in the filter and only a tiny minor nick in the lens that doesn't show up in images. That cheap $35 filter protected the $750 lens. However, I did drop that lens when I was in the Alkmaar cheese market in the Netherlands. The lens was fully extended and hit the brick surface. Repair cost: $150. It worked fine, but I bought a new one and gifted that one to Jenn. She now uses it on my old D70 that I gifted her as well. It still takes great images. And yes, I've learned my lesson and hang on to my camera.




-tom mcmurtrey

Day 109

A small statue at dinner tonight with Angel at Pho Miss Saigon.

Day 108

The occupants of this nest left and are in South Africa attending the World Cup. If you listen to any of the games you can hear them.

Day 107

Dunno, but my salt and pepper have always gotten along just well.

Day 106

Stray. This little guy greeted me when I arrived home today. Took one look at me and left...

Day 105

Yep, that's the needle, presser feet, and feed dog of a Bernina sewing machine. OK, the needle is obvious. The presser feet look like feet, but what's a feed dog?  That's what sneaks up out of the slots in the round plate at the bottom. It grabs the material as you sew. The feet are in the up position. When sewing, the lever at top left is thrown and the feet come down against the material. The needle moves up and down, the feed dog grabs and controls the material, and the bobbin turns. The magic is that the bobbin grabs thread from the needle (there is no thread in the needle in this image) and interlocks it with thread from the bobbin. Quite an ingenious invention. The bobbin (which you can't see in this picture) sits beneath the round plate. You can just make out some white thread coming out from the bobbin.

Day 104

At dinner tonight. I like the reflection of the "Drinks" sign on the table and in the window.

Day 103

Two good friends -- Crystal and Angel.

I've know Angel for about 10 years and Crystal just a bit less than that. They are both really good friends -- friends to each other and mine as well. And the really neat thing is that my wife is good friends with both as well. They are almost like family. I've written about unconditional love. These are two wonderful people who make that easy.

Day 102

Ever feel like the only light shining in a dark void? I've felt that way many times, especially at work. Always wondering, "Is is just me or do other  people really don't see the possibilities?" I fully appreciate there are many angles and different ways of viewing anything. I try very hard to be understanding and accommodating. But sometimes I just can help myself and the sarcasm and cynicism just sneaks out. I really need to stay quiet in staff meetings...

Just couldn't help myself with this one.

Day 101

I think this is the first time I've been mooned by a bug. This little guy kept turning away from the camera. I'm sure it wasn't because of this huge eye staring down at him.

And just because...

Day 100

You can't tell from this angle, but this is a napkin holder sitting on its side.

So, what's so special about that? -- I don't know, just liked the image.