Verna and Bob's Weblog

Bob

Planet Pluto in 3D

Planet Pluto in 3D

Astronomy Picture of the Day posted a stereo card (like for old-time stereoscopes) of the planet Pluto as seen by the New Horizons mission spacecraft. I took the stereo card image and combined the left and right-eye images into the anaglyph (red-cyan) image above.

This is the original text from APOD:

Explanation: These two detailed, true color images of Pluto were captured during the historic New Horizons flyby last month. With slightly different perspectives on the now recognizeable surface features they are presented in this first high quality stereo pair intended for viewing by denizens of planet Earth. The left hand image (left eye) is a mosaic recorded when the spacecraft was about 450,000 kilometers from Pluto. The right single image was acquired earlier, a last full look before the spacecraft’s closest approach. Despite a difference in resolution, the pair combine for a stunning 3D perception of the distant, underworldly terrain.

You will need your free pair of 3D glasses to view the image (click image to enlarge). If you don’t have a pair, I have posted the original stereo card here.

August 6, 2015 by Bob's 3D Stuff Nerdliness

Queen of the Morning

Queen of the Morning

The Arizona Queen of the Night Cactus on the east side of our house had two open flowers last night. If you catch them early enough the morning after, these flowers are still quite beautiful before they fade away in the sunlight.

Last evening was good for night-blooming cacti in the area; the flowers above (two of them) opened east of the house and the Argentine Giant had three flowers still open this morning. It’s a one-night-stand with both of these flower types. Click on the image to enlarge.

July 26, 2015 by Arizona Flowers Home & Garden Photography

Casandro Dam Basin

Casandro Dam Basin

The afternoon after our big monsoon thunderstorm and record-breaking rainfall, Verna and I drove up the road to a vantage point near US 60 where the Casandro Dam catch basin can be seen. I caught this panoramic image of the basin with the water level at just about the ten percent full point. If you click on the image to enlarge, you can see the high water mark came up to the top of the spillway. There was a LOT of water that fell on our desert town.

We were OK since our house is protected by retention walls that divert the runoff around the house, but there were a couple of places where the muddy mess piled up on the concrete. That was easily fixed with a shovel, wheelbarrow and hose.

In the panoramic view above, the red arrow points to the approximate place where our house is located below the houses beyond. Click on the image to enlarge.

July 22, 2015 by Arizona Climate Panoramas

Casandro Wash Flowing

Casandro Wash

Perhaps twice a year the Casandro wash just to the southeast of our house, will flow after a monsoon rainstorm deposits a considerable amount of rainfall behind the Casandro Dam. This morning, Verna and I walked the 500 feet or so down the road to look at the wash after torrential rainfall last night.

Much of the town experienced floods, but we were high and dry with the exception of a small amount of flooding into the patio, on the order of less than a tenth of an inch runoff from the driveway in back. We, and the dogs, stayed warm, dry and comfortable for the duration of the storm.

July 19, 2015 by Arizona Weirdness

VERNABOB.COM Ninth Blogiversary

pointvicente.jpg

We posted this photo on the blog on July 17, 2006, shortly after converting our website to the WordPress blogging format, hence our first blog post. We posed for the robot camera at Point Vicente Interpretive Center in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA.

That was exactly nine years ago. At that time, I was still working in the aerospace business and Verna was a full-time home maker. Less than a week after this photo was taken, we would be in Arizona visiting The Grand Canyon.

nine.png

July 17, 2015 by Blogosphere Nostalgia

Protecting the Orange Tree

Orange Tree Screen

Verna’s little orange tree sapling has been doing fairly well since being almost completely destroyed last summer. There is a lot of new growth coming out, but lately, the little squirrels and rabbits have been helping themselves to the tender new leaves.

I went on-line last week looking for screened enclosures that would keep critters away from the little orange tree. I found this ‘kit’ of tubes, plastic joints and a net for sale, so I bought it.

This afternoon, I put it together and with Verna’s help we covered the tree. The netting has some shortcomings since it fails to cover the frame, but we stretched it in places and used some of the many rocks on the property to shore up the places that needed to be reinforced.

If I were to give up to five stars approval of the product, it would only get three. When the netting fails (and it will) I plan to use some wire mesh to cover the sides and top in place of the netting. I’ll post on that eventuality when it occurs.

July 16, 2015 by Arizona Critters Home & Garden

Avalon 1998

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