These are stunning

Absolutely worth the time: 10+ Of The Best Shots Of The 2017 Solar Eclipse

What did you do during the eclipse, daddy?

I stood by while my daughter, Elizabeth, took photos today with her Lumix camera. She set the camera to "fireworks" and covered the lens with a cut-to-fit solar lens, securing it with scotch tape. That's all there was to it! These were taken from our front yard.

I am including also one photo of Elizabeth because I am a proud papa. She left home a half hour after the eclipse with bags and baggage to move 35 miles away to begin her new career as a chemical engineer Aug. 22 at Ramboll Environ!

We got a little more than 2-1/2 minutes of totality and a fantastic view of the corona! Simply stunning! I was surprised by a couple of things. First, even in totality it did not get dark, just pretty dim. The horizon skyline was still significantly lit. I would not have needed headlights to drive. Second, when it was over, it was over very fast. Lighting went from dim to daytime almost like snapping your fingers. As I write the sun is still only a sliver as the moon moves away, but looking out my window it seems like full daytime.

Here are Elizabeth's pix:

 

 

Thunderbirds striking photo

This was the Bing.com homepage illustration this morning. The page almost always has amazing photos. See here.

The shot was taken in Smyrna, Tenn., not far from where I live. There is a huge airshow there every year at a former USAF bomber base.

This is not a photograph

This is a pencil drawing.

More amazing photo-realistic artwork here.

Unusual art medium

My daughter made this artwork entirely from nail polish. Why? "I couldn't resist."

Sometimes you do something just because you can.

US forces using human shields

Shocking, photographic proof that US troops in Afghanistan are using human shields.

Artwork break

It's been awhile since I posted an artwork piece by my daughter. (The previous ones are here; I have no idea why the video of the carrier landing comes up in that search.) This original drawing is called "Snow Fox." I told Elizabeth yesterday that I had seen a fox walking down our street this week. At first I thought it was a dog, but when it turned and walked across my field of view it was easy to identify, only about 20 yards away.

So Lizzie got motivated and produced this drawing with her Wacom Bamboo Fun tablet.

Click on image for larger view.
No, there's no snow here. That's just creative license, I guess.

Do Not Try This At Home

All day long, I've been listening to the big birds from Gaza make their turn over Efrat and head back. Of course, no one is talking about what's going on other than the Headhunters are keeping up their bluff over Shalit.

Nevertheless, in honor of those young men in their big birds, I found this clip from LiveLeak.com on the Right Stuff. Just incredible.



Thanks, guys, for doing your jobs.

Artwork break

This is another drawing by my 14-year-old daughter, "Raccoon." (Not a wholly original title, I'll admit, but at least it's descriptive.) She used a Wacom Bamboo Fun tablet to draw. Click on the image for a larger view.

Artwork break

I posted earlier the electronic tablet drawing my daughter made, Snowglobe. Here is another artwork break. This is a detail from a stained-glass window at the former building of Carr United Methodist Church, Durham, NC. This is the church my wife and I married in.


The scene is of Jesus standing with Pilate. The congregation has moved to another location, but the building was passed on to another UM congregation that consists mainly of immigrants from Africa.

Art work break

This is "Snowglobe," an original Photoshop Elements work by my 14-year-old daughter. She used a Wacom Bamboo Fun tablet to draw. Click on the image for a larger view.