Verna and Bob's Weblog

Bob

Solar Imaging Experiments

sol.jpgVerna and I are planning an excursion to Northern Arizona in late May to observe the Annular Solar Eclipse on May 20, 2012. We already have reservations to stay in Page, AZ, which is along the centerline of the eclipse path.

Image: The solar disk taken today with my Canon SX110IS camera. Click on the image to enlarge.

I bought several pairs of cardboard eclipse shades for us to be able to safely watch the event. Today, I taped one of the shades to my little camera and took a couple of photos of the solar disk. I took this image while holding the camera in my hands. I expect that image quality will improve by using a tripod. I will be experimenting with both cameras over the next few weeks to ensure that we get some good images when the time comes.

March 19, 2012 by Nerdliness Retirement

What’s For Dinner?

stpaddy.gifSince Verna and I both have some Irish heritage, we seldom fail to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a traditional Irish-style corned beef and cabbage dinner. Verna makes a delicious horseradish sauce to compliment the meat. We didn’t have any Irish beer, so I enjoyed my meal with a Samuel Adams Alpine Spring beer.

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March 17, 2012 by Culture Food and Dining Holidays

Scenic Panoramic View from US60/BNSF Railroad

It’s a real shame that only freight moves along this section of BNSF’s rail between Surprise and Morristown, AZ. A dome car on a passenger train traveling along this route would be treated to this scenic panorama of desert vegetation (Teddy Bear Cholla, Saguaro Cacti, Palo Verde and others) with jagged Arizona mountains in the distance.

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If the hypothetical passengers were to continue along the BNSF route to Las Vegas, they would also be treated to scenes along the Hassayampa River and then on into the Joshua tree forests of northwest Arizona. If you don’t like the scenery (who wouldn’t?), just wait five or ten minutes and one kind of beautiful scenery will be replaced by another.

I can’t take credit for the panoramic image since I cropped it from one of Verna’s photos from yesterday. Click the thumbnail above to see the full-sized panorama.

March 15, 2012 by Arizona Panoramas Retirement

Cow’s Tongue Cactus

lawyers-tongue.jpgLast spring, I rescued a leaf of Cow’s Tongue Cactus (Opuntia engelmannii var. linguiformis) from the wash behind McClure Park here in town. I planted it in native soil in a pot and within a few weeks it had grown two new leaves. As winter approached, it seemed to go dormant, producing no new growth. Just the other day, I saw that the long-dormant cactus has started to grow three new leaves (red arrows in photo).

As soon as the new leaves grow large enough to be covered with the spines that protect them from the rabbits and squirrels eating them, we will try and return this cactus to the ground along the west fence of the property. This variety of opuntia does very well in the Sonoran Desert providing they are protected from the critters. Click on the image to enlarge.

March 12, 2012 by Arizona Home & Garden

Planetary Conjunction

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Planets Jupiter and Venus are currently gathered in the western sky as they do from time to time. This evening, I went out with the new camera on a tripod and played around with some of the settings and modes to get this image of the conjunction in the twilight. I took this image using the AV or “aperture priority” mode on the camera. You can see the two brightest objects are Jupiter (left) and Venus. Our neighbor’s illuminated flagpole is visible near the bottom of the frame. Click on the image to enlarge.

March 10, 2012 by Nerdliness Photography

New Camera Preliminary Evaluation

composite.jpgAbout a week and a half ago, I blogged about a new camera I ordered. Yesterday, the post office delivered my new Canon SX40 HS.

I unpacked the box last night and followed the getting started instructions this morning.

Image: composite of four photos I took today – click to enlarge.

As soon as I finalized the order last week, I downloaded the users manuals from the Canon website. I browsed through the manual to get familiar with the camera’s controls and specifications which gave me a head start on operations.

So, several times today, I took the camera outside and shot some sample photos. The top left image above is a bird perched in a mesquite tree about fifty feet away. At top right is a view of the home taken this morning. Bottom left is a neighbors flagpole taken at a range of about 400 feet. Finally, bottom right is a Cleveland sage flower I took in the courtyard this afternoon.

I am reasonably pleased with the performance, notably the telephoto images. The image stabilizer works much better on this camera than the old one. Close up photos aren’t usually my thing, but I think the camera performed well on those as well.

Speaking of the bird in the photo above, you may be able to help me identify the species. It is black with white stripes on the bottom of its wings, has a topknot like a jay or cardinal, jumps into the sir like a mocking bird dancing and has a whistle-like call ascending in pitch like a human whistling for a dog to come. You can click here for a large view of this bird. We can’t find it in any of our bird reference books.

March 9, 2012 by Critters Photography Retirement

Avalon 1998

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