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.