April 2007-Part 2

Two more calendar pictures for this month, this time from the CD-sized calendar that was a give-away for another company I work for. The shot above is a Guardian Of Traffic on the Hope Memorial Bridge in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. This particular shot is a rerun from a calendar last year, as are most of the pictures used on these CD calendars. And below is a great sunset I shot a few years ago on the causeway leading to Sanibel Island here in Florida. I remember I was talking on the phone when I shot this picture. Perhaps I should talk and shoot more often.

April 2007-Part 1

It's the first day of a new month, and that means calendar pictures!!! These are from the wall-hung calendars I do for work, where they are printed out at 11x14" and put into individual frames, then hung up on the wall in a 2 x 6 matrix. I should get a picture of them hanging some day for you. In the meantime, what you are looking at above is a shot of the lighthouse at St. Augustine, Florida. I took this picture three or four years ago, but it didn't make it into the calendar until now. I really need to get back up there sometime. The shot below is the infamous FREE stamp in Cleveland, Ohio. It was commissioned by come big company, who then decided they didn't want it. So they gave it to the city of Cleveland, who probably didn't want it either. It's in a park near downtown, where I suppose it's a harmless bit of fluff.

AirFest 2007-Part Nine

It's not all airplanes at the AirFest. This year featured a performer that I hadn't seen before, an anthropomorphous helicopter named Otto. Just look at that big happy face! Who could resist the charms of the little helicopter than can do tricks. Otto flew in with a big American flag in tow, only he was flying backwards. I didn't see any planes do that all day. After a few mid-air tricks, he did some barrel racing, again, something no planes did. And near the end, he even picked up a giant yo-yo, wrapped the rope around it, then pulled it into the air and worked it for a few seconds, up and down, up and down. Pretty impressive for a rotary-winged aircraft!

AirFest 2007-Part Eight

Here are some nice views of a T-6 trainer, flown by Bill Leff. I guess this is the type of aircraft that most pilots trained on in WWII and Korea. It was doing some pretty amazing stunts at the airshow.

AirFest 2007-Part Seven

Here you get to see one of the main functions of Macdill Air Force Base. They run these refueling tankers, the KC-135 Stratotanker. I guess it's not practical to put gas stations on every corner up in the sky, so these guys have to go to where the other planes need fuel. The shot above shows the fuel boom in the active position. The other plane would fly up behind it and get topped off with a few thousand gallons of premium. The shot below is actually a model of the jet above that sits on top of the 'Welcome To Macdill' sign out front of the main hangers.

AirFest 2007-Part Six

They had plenty of stuff for the kids to see and do at AirFest, just in case they weren't impressed with all the air power. This giant inflatable space shuttle seemed to be a popular thing. You climbed up inside it, then slid down the exit ramp. What I thought was interesting was the fact that it didn't seem to be licensed. Notice the logo below. It doesn't say NASA, it says NA2A. Hmmmm...

AirFest 2007-Part Five

I guess I was a little confused for a while. I had thought the Thunderbirds were going to be the stars of AirFest, but then the day before the show, I realized it was the Blue Angels. That fact became painfully obvious on arriving at the show itself, since they were parked on the flightline all day, waiting for the big finale. You can't tell from this picture, but Blue Angel #5 was missing most of the day. I'm not sure when it showed up, but by three pm, it had found it's way out to the airstrip and was in formation with the rest of the planes awaiting the start of the show.

Gotta Be The Shoes

I promised myself that this was going to be the first picture I posted from AirFest, but then I forgot about it until now. Some guy was actually wearing these shoes today. I think these were what let the planes find the crowd whenever they lost their bearings... Does Nike actually make shoes like this in this color scheme, or did this guy have them custom-made to go with a Marvin Martian costume at Halloween?

Almost Full

We interrupt this plethora of AirFest posts to show you this picture of the moon. It's almost full, so I'm going out tomorrow night to try and get some serious shots of it when it actually is full. I also hope to get it when it's just up above the horizon, so it's still got that beautiful color to it. But here's a little teaser from tonight. I need a new tripod, mine is too wobbly...

AirFest 2007-Part Four

See, they had civilian aircraft at AirFest in addition to all the military hardware. Here is the well-known Skyfighter, an all-styrofoam glider designed to infiltrate enemy territory without a sound and entertain their children.

AirFest 2007-Part Three

Ah, here are the paratroopers I mentioned in my first post for AirFest. They're streaming out of the back of this, umm, KC-135 maybe? I'm terrible with the names of these planes. I'm sure someone will chime in and tell me what's what. I'm too tired at the moment to look it up and see what it was. There's a better picture of just the plane below if anyone really wants to try and ID it. I know they had one of these on the ground that you could walk through. But this post is about the guys falling out the back there. Pretty cool, eh?

AirFest 2007-Part Two

I mentioned paratroopers in my last post, but these aren't the same guys. These folks are fancy hi-precision parachutists, which you probably can tell because of their fancy parachutes. Plus, most ordinary paratroopers don't fly flags... These were actually the very first act to go on at AirFest. Well, there were some radio-controlled airplanes flying around at the same time, but they flew off and on all day. These parachutists were actually on so early that they brought them back later in the day for all the people who missed them the first time around. So I've got more pictures of them that I haven't even seen yet. (The light was a little better later on, so I'm hoping those pics look better.) What else can I tell you about these guys? I don't know much. I think they are part of Special Operations Command, thus the USSOCOM on their chutes. I've got the pictures reversed, since the US flag guy came down first, and then the tandem pair with the Florida flag. After that they had flags for each of the 4 branches of the armed forces, one guy with a POW-MIA flag, and then I think the last guy down had a special USSOCOM flag. After a while, they all started to blur together. Oh, they trailed pink smoke for a while, but I didn't like most of the pictures that showed the smoke...

AirFest 2007-Part One

As promised, I went to AirFest at Macdill AFB today. It's going to take me several days to get up all the pictures I want to share, as well as several hours to get them on the PC from all the memory cards I used... But before I get to the planes, I just wanted to remind you what it's all about. It's about the men and women who are fighting to keep this country free. You may or may not agree with what's going on overseas with our armed forces right now, but we have to stand behind those men and women and make sure they are taken care of, because they are taking care of us. These fellows were waiting their turn to do a parachute jump, well, actually, first, they were going to demonstrate what they were going to do in the plane for the people on the ground to see, then they were going to jump. They were on the flatbed so that they could get to the demo area quicker. I happened to catch them during the playing of the National Anthem.

Oodles Of Doodles CCXIX

In honor of the NCAA Final Four basketball championship this weekend, which the Gators are sure to walk away with, here's a collegiate doodle. I couldn't find anything basketball related, but at least I got college and sports in there. This furry banjo picker hails from the flipside of East-West Collegiate Singers-College Songs (Spinorama MK 3014). I like it because it's simple and to the point. Nothing fancy about this one.

Goin' Back To Cali

Well, I guess I'm committed now. I bought my plane tickets today. I'm going back to California in June. Berkeley to be exact. I'm going to visit my friend who lives out there and who has been trying to get me to come out for years. My first trip was about four years ago for his wedding, which was when I took the picture above. Well, not actually at the wedding, but a couple of days after it. I'll be out there for a week, which should give me plenty of time to get around and take a couple of pictures. I hope it's as beautiful as I remember it.

Oodles Of Doodles CCXVIII

I came across this LP today, and I loved these little doodles. They're from the front of the record, which is odd, and it's a classical LP, which is even odder. I think it's also the first record I've shared a doodle from that happens to be classical, and on the Vanguard label. So it's a whole collection of firsts. These are all from Anton Paulik Conducting The Vienna State Opera Orchestra-Hi-Fi Hi-Jinks With Strauss (Vanguard SRV-104). The front cover claims this was a demonstration record showing the great sound produced by Vanguard Quality Control. No mention is made of Stereo, so I'm going to go out on a limb and say that this predates 1958 and the introduction of the mainstream stereo record.

See Spot Run

You may remember last week when I showed you some images of my CMOS sensor down inside my digital camera. It was covered in spots that were showing up on my images as little shadows. Well, I got my cleaning kit today, and Voila! No more spots! Or at least not as many. I can still see a few along the top edge, but nothing like I was shooting through before. Now I can shoot the Airfest this weekend, and not worry about having to touch up each and every one of my photos afterwards.

Airfest Is Coming

Airfest is this weekend at MacDill AFB! I'm so excited. They haven't had one since 2005, so I need to get my fix of air hardware. There're few things more heart-stirring and patriotic than seeing these jets in action. The shot above is from the 2004 show, featuring the Blue Angels. I'm still not sure why they had the Navy precision flying team at an air force base, but whatever. The 2005 show featured the Thunderbirds, and I believe they are back for this year as well.

UPDATE: I was mistaken. It is the Blue Angels this year. So once again, we are faced with the odd conundrum of seeing the Navy fliers at an air force base.

Some Art For You

I'm sure I've mentioned before that I'm always finding odd things inside of record sleeves that don't belong there. Here's another case in point. I've already forgotten what record I found this cardboard flexi-disk inside of, but I do remember that it had nothing at all to do with Art Linkletter. The disc in question is Art Linkletter-'Would You Cheat A Child?' (American Seating Promotional Cardboard FlexiDisk 33.3 RPM), and you can download and give it a listen by clicking on the name there. I'm sure many of you are familiar with flexi-disks, but if not, follow this link and educate yourself. I'm not sure what the date is on this record. Art's House Party TV show was on the air forever, from 1952 to '70. And the company he's shilling for here, American Seating, is still around and going strong, so that's no help on a date. This isn't the most exciting recording ever in the history of the world, but I'm sure there are people out there who like this sort of thing. And if you should stumble across this post, I hope you enjoy it.

The Last Week Of March

Here's the calendar page for this, the last week in March. These flowers come from one of my favorite flowering trees, the Bombax. Each year in February, these huge trees explode in red blossoms, each one the size of your hand. It's really quite impressive.

Birds And Their Big White Heads

I got a little closer to the eagles today. I had hoped that would result in a better picture, but instead, it just made the difference in exposure between their white heads and the dark background that much worse. I'm going to have to try and compensate for that next time.

Is That You, Stewie?

Somebody please tell me I'm not the only one who thinks this new bit of 'artwork' in Sarasota looks like Stewie Griffin. I mean, come on...

Oodles Of Doodles CCXVII

Here's a delightful doodle from an LP I found this evening. This harmonica couple hails from the flipside of Danny Welton Plays Harmonica HiJinx In High Fidelity (Spinorama MK 3018). I think the bit I like most is the Carmen Miranda fruit head-dress on the lady harmonica. That's just classic!

Ernie (Not MBert)

For the last time, it's Ernie (Not MBert)! Err, I mean Bert...

Two Down

Today marks the second anniversary of my life as a blogger. I started the blog on this day back in 2005, and it's been going strong ever since. It was started as a way to share the pictures I take, and it has grown with the addition of all sorts of interesting stuff that occupies the space around me. Big thanks go out to all the people who visit my site on both a regular basis and once in a while. Everyone is welcome to come by whenever they like. I hope you always find something that makes it worth your while. For the record, this is post number 1348, which means I'm pretty close to averaging two posts a day for these past two years. Sometimes I feel like I can't keep up that pace, but other times I want to share so much that I make 7 posts in a single sitting. Anyhow, I just want to say thanks for all the support, especially all the comments.

For the curious, I invite you to click through the archives of the blog. All those dates listed on the right side of the page link to week after week of stuff that I've posted in the past. And Google recently added a feature to Picasa that put all of the photos I've ever put on the blog available in a single online photo album. You should be able to access that here. (Unfortunately, the pictures don't link back to the applicable blog post, but nothing is perfect.) Actually, I just checked, and they haven't completed posting all the pictures. Looks like they only go back as far as December of last year. But they promise to get them all up there eventually. So if you're curious, have a look-see over there. And thanks again for looking!

The Goofy Cat

Here's another picture of my silly cat for you. Half an hour of shooting, and this was pretty much the only shot in which she was looking at the camera. It's as if she's trying to be difficult...

Run Spot Run

I've been saying for a while now that I need to clean the image sensor on my camera. And here's the shocking proof. The images above and below are shots taken of a plain white background with the aperture stopped way down, making it a long exposure with just a small amount of light entering the camera. It's also deliberately out of focus and handheld, so anything sharp on the final picture is internal to the camera. The black dots you see are pieces of dust, dirt or some unknown sort of crud on the image sensor in the heart of my camera. I suppose this is the price you pay for having a camera with a removable lens. Every time I change lenses, the interior of the camera is exposed to the elements for a few seconds. Over time, a mess builds up. I need to either learn to clean it myself, or get someone to do it. I'm reading up on the process here. FYI-looking at the image sensor doesn't reveal much of anything. I can't spot anything on the surface. I'm probably exposing it to more dust just by opening it and looking. What's the difference between these two shots? The one above is at a lower ISO setting (100). That means I should get a clearer picture with less noise in it. The shot below is at ISO 800, and I think it's a little rougher. Both shots were processed in Photoshop to highlight the defects. I find the dark corners interesting, too. I guess the better your lens, the less of that you get.

So, what effect is this dust having on my final pictures? Plenty. That big chunk at lower right shows up in just about every picture I take of the sky. It's there in all my pictures, but it's often mixed into the image such that it's hard to spot. But it's still making my images less sharp. I really blew the contrast out of the water, but the image below shows the spot. I see it on almost all of my shots, always in the same place. If I want to use the picture, I have to spend a few minutes in Photoshop trying to clone over it. It's a pain.

Living Color

Here is some pretty colored vinyl for your Tuesday enjoyment. I found these two 45's last week over in Holly Hill, which is the next little town north of Daytona Beach. As I mentioned in this earlier post, RCA first introduced the 45 in 1949, and they were color-coded. In the case of these two records, green was for country, and yellow was for kiddie records. The green single on top is one of the very first 45s ever released, Eddy Arnold-Then I Turned And Walked Slowly Away (RCA Victor 7" 45 RPM 48-0025, 1949). That '0025' in the catalog number marks this as the 25th record put out in this format. Prior to this, singles came out on 78. Look close and you'll see the printing on this record is gold. They changed that to silver pretty quickly as the gold tended to fade quickly. The yellow record is part of the Little Nipper series, designed to appeal to children. This particular one is Roy Rogers and The Sons Of The Pioneers-Pecos Bill (RCA Victor 7" 45 RPM 47-0201). I'm not sure if this one came out in '49 or '50, but it's pretty early. People think that colored vinyl came after the black stuff, but that's not true. The black became popular because it could hide a multitude of sins, like recycled records. Well, I suppose there were other reasons, but that sounds good...

More Of March

For your enjoyment this week, the calendar page features one black and two pink birds. Sometimes, you get real lucky when you are shooting. I stopped at a drainage pond on the way home because I saw the roseate spoonbills. The glossy ibis was just a bonus. I think the light was just right, too. I walked around the pond shooting for over an hour that night. I still go by that same pond fairly frequently, but I rarely see any birds there anymore.

Oodles Of Doodles CCXVI

Here's a rare color doodle for you. I think there have only been two or three doodles (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, OK 6) before this one that were in color, and some of them probably don't count for whatever reason. You may not count this one, since it's not really a pen-and-ink drawing, but it fits most of my other, rather loose, requirements. It's on the back of an LP from the right time period and I like it, so what more does it need. This is from a classical LP, which is also a little rare, but it's more on the popular side than most. The LP is Moon, Wind And Stars by Morton Gould And His Orchestra (RCA Victor Red Seal LM-2232, 1958). Look closely and you'll see a signature in the watercolor. It's a name that I've seen twice before (1, 2) on doodles I've shared here, which is another great reason for sharing it. I'm still not exactly sure of the name, and Google is no help for any variation I can come up with. It's either Mayelle Thompson or Mazelle Thompson, take your pick. But either way, it's a great addition to the doodle collection.

March Marches On

I know you've been eagerly awaiting the calendar page for this week, and here it is. It's a great shot of a flock of birds erupting into the air at sunset. I shot this out at North Lido Beach one night last year. A lady had let her dog loose, and it had run into the birds, causing them all to fly into the air at once. Pretty cool shot, eh?

Deer Three

Did I mention I saw some deer in Ohio? Yep, I saw some deer in Ohio.

Another Demilio

I stumbled across another LP cover with artwork my the mysterious Demilio today. The picture above is from the LP Stanley Black And His Orchestra-Dancing In The Dark (London LL 1099). This one actually has a signature, unlike most. But the style is distinctive enough that I'm sure they are all by the same artist.
Previous posts showing other work by Demilio are:
Mantovani And His Orchestra-Waltz Time
Edmundo Ros And His Orchestra-Ros Mambos
Robert Farnon And His Orchestra-Two Cigarettes In The Dark
Stanley Black And His Orchestra-Some Enchanted Evening
And the only other info I've found on the web is here.

Volume 9 For Hi-Fi Living

Here's the ninth installment in the For Hi-Fi Living series, this time featuring the music of Irving Berlin. And if you believe the stuff you read on the back of LP jackets, these tracks were actually chosen by Mr. Berlin himself for inclusion on this record. Take that for whatever it's worth... Here's Jack Say And His Orchestra-The Girl That I Marry-The Music Of Irving Berlin-Vol. 9 For Hi-Fi Living (RCA Custom RAL-1009). Only three more to go, and we'll have the whole series!