Verna and Bob's Weblog

Memorial Day 2023

We spent the early part of this Holiday in remembrance of those who were unable to return from the battles that kept America a Free and Sovereign Republic. We also recognize that all of our battles aren’t necessarily out and out warfare in the classical sense. We have troubles domestically with those wishing to disarm and enslave us. Prepare accordingly.

Now, we will post some of the beautiful flowers that are opening daily in this late spring season in and around our Arizona home. Photo credits are both Verna and Bob. Click on the images to enlarge.

Cherry Red Cactus Flower Cluster:

Cactus flower of unknown species – a gift from our sister, BB:

A Fish Hook Cactus Flower:

A Flower Trio of Argentine Giant Cactus:

We hope you enjoyed your Holiday and our flower photos. Come back soon.

May 29, 2023 by Arizona Flowers Holidays Military Photography

Photo Update — May 22, 2023

It’s been several weeks since we did a photo update. Here we are with Cabela and Tucker in the courtyard enjoying a nice spring day with the temperature up to about 97° which was the expected high.

For lunch, we enjoyed Cheeseburgers today with a cool adult beverage. We took a walk afterwards as well.

Image taken with my ancient Canon Powershot A710 IS using the delayed exposure timer. Click on the image to enlarge.

May 22, 2023 by Arizona Critters Family Photography

Watching the ISS Fly Over

One of our activities is, and has been for quite a while (since living in California) watching the International Space Station fly over when visible. Last Sunday night’s pass was quite a treat in that it had nearly everything going for it: cloudless skies, convenient timing and an almost direct overhead pass.

In the image above, you can see the ground track of the ISS as it passed over the Southwestern US. The maximum predicted elevation for this particular pass was 88° which barely missed our exact location to the southeast, but watching the fly-over, one could not perceive any difference from a direct overhead pass. Image credit Heavens Above.

Another attribute that is not always the case during a pass is that the ISS remained sunlit during the entire pass. We live in a slight hollow below surrounding terrain and saw the ISS rise in the southwest above some local hills and it few over us and set in the northeast behind some other terrain. We always enjoy watching the ISS and other satellites flying over, but this one was unusually spectacular.

May 16, 2023 by Aerospace Arizona Nerdliness Something Shiny

A New Cholla Cactus in 3D

Sometime last year, we noticed a small protrusion of what appeared to be new cactus growth under the red rocks that cover the ground around our house. Eventually, this winter, the cactus had evolved into a two-prong sprout with each prong measuring six to eight inches in length. As of the emergence of spring, the growth has really taken off virtually tripling the size of the little cactus.

I took a side-by-side image of the cactus and made it into the anaglyph seen above. Click on the image to enlarge.

If you don’t happen to have your 3D glasses handy, you may view the 2D image here.

May 10, 2023 by Arizona Bob's 3D Stuff Home & Garden Nerdliness Photography

Solar Astrophotography

In anticipation of the Annular Solar Eclipse on October 14, 2023, I got out the Canon SL1 camera and associated accessories to photograph the solar disk. I used the Canon EF 100-400mm along with a Thousand Oaks Optical threaded SolarLite® filter to get the (clickable) image above. I had to experiment with the camera settings to get the image and further had to adjust it using a photo processing app.

The setup resolved the solar disk and a couple or three sunspots currently visible; the two larger sunspot visible are 3297 and below that 3294. Those numbers are according to SpaceWeather.com.

As I mentioned above, I had to experiment with the camera settings a bit. Using the camera’s Programmed (P) setting, the images were overexposed. I switched to the shutter speed priority setting and tried several exposure times from 1/1000 second, 1/2000 second, and 1/4000 second. The latter, which is the fastest shutter speed on the camera, captured enough of the details needed to produce the image seen above and will certainly be good enough for the annular eclipse. For the total eclipse in April of 2024, it will be necessary to remove the attenuating filter during totality in order to capture the details of the solar limb and the spectacular appearance of the solar corona.

May 6, 2023 by Astronomy Nerdliness Photography Something Shiny

Happy Heavenly Birthday Kate!

Happy Heavenly Birthday to our Mom, Kate, who would have been 103 years old today. Inset is her wedding picture from 1938 and Morro Rock is where her ashes were scattered in accordance with her wishes.

Click on the image to enlarge.

April 23, 2023 by Family Nostalgia

Avalon 1998

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