My granddaughter, Cora, is jetting around these days, having mastered walking–she’s 20 months old.We went to a cupcake store this past weekend–she likes her sweets. I tried to take some photos but she wasn’t about to pose. But she did give us one big smile!
I had to settle for a photo of a telescope projection of a partial solar eclipse as viewed in Sacramento. The straight-on shots were dramatic, but the moon was not to be captured by me. It was great to see so many people looking–with special glasses–and cheering.
A practice eclipse photo taken yesterday.
Today a 67 mile wide path of daytime darkness–a total solar eclipse– will cut across the United States. I’ll be in California, south of the path, and will only get a 78 percent eclipse–my sister in Southern Illinois will get the full package, in fact, she’ll have more darkness time-wise than in any other part of the country.
I have several nearby friends who have driven hundreds of miles to get a better view of an event that hasn’t happened since 1918. To clarify, the last total solar eclipse to travel across the entire country was 99 years ago. I witnessed one in 1979 that could only be seen in a northwest area of the United States. It was a memorable moment, enough so that 78 percent today will suffice.
I practiced taking TSE shots yesterday. Don’t expect I’ll do that well today, but I will be out there with my tripod in the middle of a field, hoping to get a partial without ruining my camera or my eyesight.
We were driving on a country road in Southern Illinois when we stopped to watch a deer grazing in a field. I took this shot from the car–included the mirror in the frame to show that this was a roadside photo opp. Note in the enlarged photo that the deer is watching us while still chewing hay. And, by the way, this is one large deer.
While I usually photograph honey bees, I occasionally come across a yellowjacket which resembles a bee but is considered a wasp. Took this shot last month at Green Earth’s Chautauqua Bottoms in Carbondale, Illinois.
Was it the dried up river bed? The barren landscape of rocks? Or, maybe it was simply this constant thought I have that people are at war with each other around the world, that hate and anger are winning. Yes, at first glance, I believed I’d found an army helmet in the middle of a dense forest. Okay, it was a turtle. But Charlottesville and Barcelona are the newest additions to this endless list of tragedies and so, a month after I took this photo, I still see a helmet of war…like one I used to wear. Peace.
Last moth I sat near a butterfly bush at my sister’s backyard in Carbondale, Illinois. It was difficult not to look at the incoming giant black swallowtails flitting around. Here is one of favorite captures. The orange, yellow and blue markings look as though they were painted on.
