Skywatch Friday

It's going to be hot today.  It rained last night, and the ground is wet this morning.  There's not a cloud in the sky and it's one of those days when even the insects are trying to find a break from the sun at 8:00 in the morning.  Hot and humid.  Summer in upstate New York.  I always think of the people who work outside on days like this, the roofers, the lawn people, power company crews, farmers and the one person who's out there in every kind of weather, the postman.

A group of photobloggers post a photo of their skies each Friday - it's called Skywatch Friday. Click the link to see photos from round the world.

 

F Number	6.3
Lens ID	LUMIX G VARIO 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length	14.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 28.0 mm)
Exposure Time	1/400
Exposure Program	Manual
ISO	100
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

Lilies

Another predominantly green photo.  Everything around me is green right now.  Although a week without rain is making the lawns a bit brown...  I don't know the exact species of lily; these are growing wild down in Vale.

F Number	5.3
Lens ID	LUMIX G VARIO 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length	30.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 60.0 mm)
Exposure Time	1/80
Exposure Program	Program AE
ISO	200
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

Blueberries!

My wife decided to try planting blueberries this year, and to my great surprise, they had fruit!  Even though the plants are very small, they had a few berries on each plant - I can't really call them a bush quite yet.  You can see that the blueberry plant isn't much larger than the strawberry, and it isn't yet as big as the wild violets in the foreground.

F Number	5.6
Lens ID	LUMIX G VARIO 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length	45.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 90.0 mm)
Exposure Time	1/160
Exposure Program	Manual
ISO	200
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

Wildflowers

Some wildflowers down by the west pond in Vale.Very delicate blue to my eye; I'm not sure the photo does them justice but I wanted to show them as I found them, nestled in among the green rushes.

F Number	5.6
Lens ID	LUMIX G VARIO 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length	45.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 90.0 mm)
Exposure Time	1/50
Exposure Program	Manual
ISO	200
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

Last day of soccer

No, it's not a typo.  Yesterday was the last day of soccer, and what did the little guy do after his game?  Hunt frogs in the stream behind the field.  Somehow I don't think he'll remember the game, but he'll remember this frog!

F Number	7.1
Lens ID	LUMIX G VARIO 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length	45.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 90.0 mm)
Exposure Time	1/320
Exposure Program	Program AE
ISO	200
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

Garlic scapes

These beauties were photographed downtown at the Greenmarket last Sunday.  Quincy had some lovely spring veggies out but none were quite as photogenic as these garlic scapes.  Garlic scapes are the stems that eventually hold the round flower ball.  Most farmers cut them off in the theory that if the plant doesn't bloom it will put more energy into the bulbs.  The scapes have only a hint of garlic; they're sweet and tender, not fibrous and tough.  I like them sliced thin on a salad, but they go great in soup, sauce or just fried up with a bit of olive oil or butter like fried peppers.

F Number	22.0
Lens ID	LUMIX G VARIO 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length	39.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 78.0 mm)
Exposure Time	1/20
Exposure Program	Manual
ISO	200
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

Ethnic food

I drive past this restaurant almost every day, and only now did it occur to me to snap a photo as I was waiting for the traffic light to change.  Schenectady was noted for her Italian immigrants at the turn of the last century; particularly southern Italy and Sicily.  Even now, Italian surnames are quite commonplace.  Poles and Hungarians had an influx mid-century and today we have Guyanese moving in.  There are small populations of Pakistanis and Chinese too.  We have many interesting faces, sounds and names on our streets.  This take-out restaurant has signs for many of them: halal, kebabs, pizza, gyros, pasta, fried chicken... and they deliver!  The famous Leaning Tower of Pisa is apparently the only Italian illustration the sign maker could find; as an attraction of northern Italy, the famous tower isn't particularly evocative of the many southern Italians.

F Number	5.6
Lens ID	LUMIX G VARIO 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length	39.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 78.0 mm)
Exposure Time	1/125
Exposure Program	Program AE
ISO	200
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

War memorial

The morning sun behind the War Memorial atop Mt Greylock, Massachusetts.  I spent almost a week up there playing radio.  We drive up Wednesday night, spend Thursday, Friday and most of Saturday morning setting up.  Then we contest Saturday afternoon through Sunday night.  On Monday, we take it all down - 9 towers and all the associated antennas.  The towers are disassembled, stacked on trailers and we drive home.  To do it again in September.

This week had exquisite weather; it rained one night but I can't remember which one!  The 6 meter band was wide open to Europe via F-layer propagation, and on Sunday there was double-E propagation to the west coast!  I work the high microwaves, and I'm pleased to report that all my gear worked, and I helped make 5 grids on 47GHz - the rover who went out was the greater part of the effort, as pointing that dish is no mean feat.

For now, it's time to make repairs (something always needs repair!), make new gadgets, work on my morse code skills and get ready to go back up in September!

F Number	22.0
Lens ID	-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length	23.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 46.0 mm)
Exposure Time	1/4000
Exposure Program	Manual
ISO	1600
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

Salad turnips

And these are the salad turnips I tried.  Don't they look great?  I hope I can get more this week.

F Number	4.8
Lens ID	-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length	24.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 48.0 mm)
Exposure Time	1/30
Exposure Program	Program AE
ISO	200
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	On, Fired

This post is on auto-pilot.

Quincy Farm

This is Cara from Quincy Farm.  She sets up a stand at the Schenectady Greenmarket every Sunday in the summer.  She's passionate about being a farmer, and it shows.  I love talking with her, getting ideas about what to try next.  My latest new thing was salad turnips - I never heard of these before.  They were REALLY good grated and added to a slaw.  Thanks for the idea Cara - it's a winner!

F Number	5.6
Lens ID	LUMIX G VARIO 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length	20.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 40.0 mm)
Exposure Time	1/1000
Exposure Program	Manual
ISO	200
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

This post is on auto-pilot.

Hey, that's salt water!

The eldest was doing a partial water change on his marine aquarium, and Lance the cat thought he'd get a taste of some nice, fresh water.  He wasn't impressed.

F Number	5.6
Lens ID	LUMIX G VARIO 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length	45.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 90.0 mm)
Exposure Time	1/30
Exposure Program	Program AE
ISO	200
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	On, Fired

This post is on auto-pilot.

He likes cats

A lot of people like cats, but this driver is letting the world know about it with this custom licence plate.  And bumper stickers.  Very neat!

F Number	5.6
Lens ID	LUMIX G VARIO 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length	45.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 90.0 mm)
Exposure Time	1/100
Exposure Program	Program AE
ISO	200
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

This post is on auto-pilot.

Transit of Venus sky

The 2012 transit is over - I'm sure there are many fine images and movies of it.  I imagine Capt Cook would be astonished at the modern technology we applied to this event compared to his trip to Tahiti.  But one thing hasn't changed: there's still weather to contend with.  Here in the Schenectady area, we had solid overcast skies all day, with just a bit of a break around 5:00 PM.  This is what that break looked like.  Fortunately, I had two nice openings just as it began and just as the sun was about to sink below the horizon.

A group of photobloggers post a photo of their skies each Friday - it's called Skywatch Friday. Click the link to see photos from round the world.

 

F Number	8.0
Lens ID	LUMIX G VARIO 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length	14.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 28.0 mm)
Exposure Time	1/500
Exposure Program	Program AE
ISO	800
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

This post is on auto-pilot.

Recycle

This man understands the value of recycling!  He's carrying a large bag of cans and plastic bottles.  On his bicycle.  He's a cycling recycler!

F Number	8.0
Lens ID	LUMIX G VARIO 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length	14.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 28.0 mm)
Exposure Time	1/500
Exposure Program	Program AE
ISO	800
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

This post is on auto-pilot.

Transit of Venus 2012

By now, most everyone's heard about the 2012 transit of Venus.  Like most astronomical events, I got clouded out for a large piece. Then of course, the sun set before it was even a third over.  But still, it was fun to watch with my little one.  I have an old telescope called an Edmund Astroscan, and I set it up so that the eyepiece pointed sideways, then focussed the image on a piece of white paper I taped to a bit of cardboard.  The technique is called eyepiece projection, and it's an easy way to let a group of people see the Sun safely.  Venus is the round dot at the upper left side.  Other blotches are sunspots.

F Number	8.0
Lens ID	LUMIX G VARIO 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length	45.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 90.0 mm)
Exposure Time	1/640
Exposure Program	Manual
ISO	125
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

This was the very beginning; I saw a break in the clouds and grabbed the telescope and got a shot off as quickly as I could.

F Number	8.0
Lens ID	LUMIX G VARIO 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length	39.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 78.0 mm)
Exposure Time	1/2000
Exposure Program	Manual
ISO	100
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

The setup looks like this.  The telescope is the tube sticking out of the red bag.  I used the lens case to hold up the cardboard and the eyepiece is pointing at that.  This way, it's virtually impossible for someone to accidentally peek into the eyepiece and get hurt.

I'm off at a ham radio contest - post is on auto-pilot.

Slate roof

This is a slate roof.  The thumbnail doesn't do it justice - click to enlarge it and see the patterns the roofers put in that roof.  he sun was just right for me to get this.  It's the roof of the First United Methodist Church, whose front is on State Street; this is the back.  Amazing work.

I'll be away for a week or so; I hope to set up some posts on auto-pilot, but it's very hectic.  Getting ready for the annual ARRL VHF June ham radio contest...

F Number	8.0
Lens ID	LUMIX G VARIO 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length	45.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 90.0 mm)
Exposure Time	1/1600
Exposure Program	Manual
ISO	200
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

Chicory

I took this on the way to the Sunday Greenmarket.  It's chicory.  Around here, it's considered a weed; tough, hard to kill and grows in places other plants don't.  Like the little crack between the asphalt parking lot and the concrete sidewalk.  What caught my eye wasn't that it was there - it's so common it;s easy to overlook.  No, what caught my eye is that it's flowering now - in June.  That's very early; maybe as much as a month early. This particular plant hasn't many flowers, but it's doing quite well for the spot it's growing in!

F Number	5.6
Lens ID	-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length	34.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 68.0 mm)
Exposure Time	1/1300
Exposure Program	Manual
ISO	200
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

Garden riot

This is a photo of the tiny bit of garden in our side yard.  It's a small strip that runs along the driveway next to the neighbour's fence.  It's no more than 6 feet wide, but it gets most of the afternoon sun, and so we plant things here.  In this photo, there's mint (wild, but I make tea from it), chives (purple flowers), strawberries and violets (also wild).  There;s also a bit of trash, which the wind carries to our yard without fail.  One of the downsides of city life.

F Number	5.6
Lens ID	LUMIX G VARIO 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length	45.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 90.0 mm)
Exposure Time	1/80
Exposure Program	Manual
ISO	100
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

Theme Day - Tranquility

On the first of each new month, the City Daily Photo community choose a theme, and we try to post a photo that we feel realises that theme.  This month's theme is tranquility. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants - the participants are from all over the world, and their ideas are simply marvelous!

This is from the wood next to the soccer field we go to.  The soccer field is on the edge of Central Park, and there is a mountain bike path that runs through here.  There are streams and bridges over those streams, although I think I might have rode my bike over that when I was younger I don;t think I would do so today!  Anyway, soccer practice was over, the kids were all heading for the cars and it was quiet.  The air was still and I could hear the birds in the forest, the slow trickle of the water, the voices of the children, glad to be finished with their workouts.

F Number	5.6
Lens ID	LUMIX G VARIO 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length	31.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 62.0 mm)
Exposure Time	1/30
Exposure Program	Manual
ISO	100
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire