My Blog

Full Moon Over Broad Sound

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 09:13:17 -0400

Last evening’s Full Moon was perfect. I took this photo about 10:30 PM and had the camera set to ISO 400, F11, and had the lens stopped down 1.33 F-stops. The camera calculated the exposure time at 10.0 seconds.

We’re getting into the mid-term election season and fireworks will begin to explode all over the country soon. Promises will be made, mud will the thrown, and there will be enough lies and half-truths floating around to keep us all confused and dazed. But, make no mistake; if the Republicans are able to gain control of the house or the senate they will be no better than the current group of senators.

They have no ideas beyond cutting taxes and dismantling the regulation processes that are supposed to protect the American public from abuse and corruption. Those are the strategies that got us where we are today and I, for one, don’t want to re-institute those ideas.

This last week I overheard a conversation between two men at my yacht club talking about how the “Democrats are going to raise their taxes” by letting the Bush tax cuts expire at the end of 2011 and they should vote Republican. I didn’t have the heart to point out that if they weren’t making more than $250K (they were both married) they won’t get a tax break.

But that’s the point; The Republicans have convinced the middle class that those taxes will effect them. And they won’t. Such liars! Every one of them. And such fools are we!

Memorial Day...

Wed, 2 Jun 2010 16:33:45 -0400

A couple of weeks ago a a friend of ours called and asked Taryn if she would deliver the principal address at Winthrop’s Memorial Day Observance. It was the first time she has ever given a public address. For two weeks she said nothing and then last Friday she sent me a copy of her address and asked me to read it. I was blown away. Other than a couple of typos there was nothing that I could add.

Taryn served in the Navy for 28 years and retired two years ago at the rank of Captain in the Navy Nurse Corps. For her address she took the motto of each of the five services and told a story about a service member that best exemplified that motto. She took those stories from the Medal of Honor citations for each of those American heros who gave the “last full measure of devotion”. She delivered a moving and fitting tribute to all of those men and women who have given their life in the defense of Liberty.

The photo above was taken at the end of the ceremony. As we were leaving the cemetery this gentleman stopped Taryn to thank her. He is a WW II Navy veteran who served on an LST and was involved in the invasion of North Africa, Sicily, Salerno, and Normandy. What an honor to have met him.

Taryn and I are getting married in Oklahoma in just over two weeks. We go to the OK Mozart Festival in Bartlesville, Oklahoma every year in June. This year we decided to make it special so my younger brother Bill is performing the ceremony at my brother David’s home on Friday, June 18th. What a lucky man I am!

A Shift in the wind...

Tue, 25 May 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Except for refinishing a portion of the ceiling and installing the tile backsplash our new kitchen is done and it has been a thrill to cook again. Taryn and I went to Hanscom Air Force Base on Saturday for a shopping spree to complete the task. This week I will begin the process of painting the hallway and my office.

Is it just me or does it feel like Armageddon right now? Everywhere you look there is violent conflict, corruption and strife. In this country our politicians are betraying the public trust at every turn with little or no accountability. The largest church in the world has betrayed it’s followers and is now devoted to protecting itself instead of serving it’s faithful. Even as I write this ecological disasters are unfolding at a frightening rate. And, no one is responsible because Some Other Dude Did It!

This past weekend the Boston Globe published a Spotlight piece detailing the patronage laden corruption within the Massachusetts Probation Department where jobs are awarded based on your political connections and how much money you donate. Yesterday the Commissioner of Probation was suspended with pay pending an investigation. If Massachusetts politics holds true to form the Commissioner will resign and get his full pension. You just have to love Massachusetts politics.

Today, BP will attempt a Top Kill procedure to stop the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico. It’s never been tried at 5,000 feet down in the ocean and they say it has a 60% to 70% chance of success. We can only hope that this works. Even if it does it will still take months and perhaps years to repair the damage.

There is an old story I first heard from comedian Dick Gregory. The story is about a fire supervisor managing a fire crew fighting an out of control forrest fire in the western US. Asked by a reporter what it would take to gain control of the fire he famously said; “Right now we need a shift in the wind”. It holds true today. What we really need is a “Shift in the Wind”. Let’s hope today is the day.

I’m Confused...

Thu, 20 May 2010 07:56:21 -0400

I’ve enjoyed all of the pundits making bold pronouncements about what Tuesday’s primary elections mean about the mid-terms this fall. While I understand the electorate’s displeasure with the congress I don’t think you can identify any real trend at this time. These are party primaries not a general election. The real question is what will the independent voters do in the general election.

Arlan Spector lost because he is an opportunistic politician who switched parties to maintain his job. Did he really think that the people who voted against him for 30 years were going to support him this year? Couple that with the fact that his primary opponent was popular, long time democrat and a retired Navy Admiral and the outcome should be obvious.

The Kentucky GOP primary to replace retiring Senator Jim Bunning is a little different story. Rand Paul, son of congressman Ron Paul, defeated a GOP opponent backed by the Republican establishment led by Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell.

The Tea Party is ecstatic. But Rand Paul is a Libertarian. Does anyone think that he can win the support of independents in November? After listening to some of his positions I wouldn’t bet on it.

Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas was forced into a runoff election by a very popular Attorney General. Defeated because she failed to support a public option in the Health Care bill recently passed by the congress.

I think the American people are smart enough to know that the Wall Street collapse rests at the feet of everyone in the congress. There is more than enough blame to go around; Republicans and Democrats. In November, it could well be that there is a massive turnover in the congress with lots of incumbents defeated.

Meanwhile, the Vatican is saying that the Bishops don’t work for the Holy See. Oh really! The pope appoints them, assigns them, determines the policies they will enforce, disciplines them, and is the only person who can fire them. I might not be the brightest bulb in the house but I would say they work for the Holy See.

Why would the Vatican take this position? Very simple; they do not want to be held accountable for the damage these men have done throughout the world.

I don’t know about you but I hope the courts reject their reasoning and force the Holy See to directly account for the actions of the church in the sexual abuse crisis. That is change I can believe in.

Our kitchen is 98% complete and we are both thrilled. For icing on the cake a friend from our yacht club is installing a new deck for us. By the end of the day all should be right with our world. It’s time to celebrate.

Today’s exposure was taken last May when the Volvo Ocean Race came to Boston. The camera was set to full auto mode and the sensor calculated the exposure at ISO 200, F 6.3, and 1/640 of a second.

Consumed...

Sat, 15 May 2010 09:48:29 -0400

I’ve been consumed for the last ten days with this kitchen project. In my last post I foolishly said that I thought I would be cooking in our new kitchen by the weekend. What in the world was I thinking?

Our new kitchen is still going to be done in the promised eight weeks and the work is very high quality so I can’t complain. That said I’ve had new insight into the construction business. This eight week project has at least four weeks of slack time and I find that extremely unsettling.

The tile floor will be complete by Wednesday and hopefully the appliances installed by the end of the week. Now, if they get the plumber in to do the final connections maybe I can cook by next weekend. Now wouldn’t that be grand.

Cross your fingers, knock on wood, light some incense or any other mythical good luck charm you can bring to bear on our behalf. But pleas don’t pray. I’m pretty sure God has got bigger things to worry about than my kitchen. For sure, this is driving me nuts and my wonderful partner is about ready to commit me.

Last Monday evening Taryn and I went to Fenway park to see the Red Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays play some ball. Today’s photo was taken in full auto (sports) and the sensor calculated the exposure as F 5.6, ISO 1600, 1/250 second.

If one is to believe the recent reports we still don’t know the extent of the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico. Although the “official” estimate is that 5,000 barrels of oil a day are flowing into the gulf a number of reputable scientists are publishing new and staggering estimates. And there is no end in sight.

This is without doubt a great tragedy and we will likely feel it’s impact for some time to come. But big money is at work in Washington DC making all attempts to maintain the status quo. The question remains; will our leaders muster the will to do the right thing or will they bow to the pressure of money! It’s time to stand and be counted.

With all of this happening how would you like to be an incumbent running for re-election? Bill Bennet, a three term conservative Senator from Utah, lost his primary bid last weekend. Driven out by the Tea Party because of his vote for the Stimulus bill.

Arlen Spector of Pennsylvania will likely lose his primary to a liberal Democrat and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas is in danger of losing her primary bid. Bad time for incumbents!

A Sunset Like no Other...

Wed, 5 May 2010 08:52:49 -0400

Last evenings sunset was spectacular. Boston had a series of late afternoon thunder showers which began clearing to the west late in the day. The exposure above was taken just before sundown when there were still very low clouds over Winthrop that were moving to the east and out to sea. The camera was in Aperture priority mode and set to ISO 100 and F11. The sensor calculated the exposure time as 1/2 second.

Out kitchen project is coming along nicely. The electricians are here today to finish all of lighting and electrical fixtures. The granite counter top will be installed on Friday morning followed by the appliances in the afternoon. Hopefully we will be able to cook our first meal this weekend. Worst case is that the appliances will be installed Monday. We are both very excited about getting to the end of this project.

I find it interesting that John McCain and several other Republicans are saying that Faisal Shahzad, who is a US citizen, should not be read his Miranda rights.

The last time I checked, the US Constitution protects everyone equally, regardless of what they have done or where they came from. It is what makes America great. It makes think perhaps they haven’t read the Constitution.

And they are the ones saying that this administration is trampling their Constitutional rights. Hypocrites one and all.

Well Done...

Tue, 4 May 2010 18:05:17 -0400

I don’t know about you but I think the Obama administration and a lot of other folks should be congratulated for a job well done. From the street vendor who told a cop about the smoke coming out of the car all the way up the chain to the President. The mistakes made in December did not happen this time because all of the agencies that were involved were well coordinated and managed. And, if the news is to believed, the authorities are getting a lot of useful information.

I wonder what the right wing will say about this. They couldn’t possibly complement President Obama.

I had thought for quite some time that, with today’s technology, we could safely drill for oil off shore but now I don’t think so. And it looks like public opinion is trending that way too. I hope the oil spill in Louisiana doesn’t end up being as big a disaster as now appears. But it should serve as a wake up call for us all.

As a country we are in dire need of a sensible energy policy. The original purpose of the Department of Energy was to eliminate our dependence on foreign oil. However, the department was gutted by the Reagan Administration and has been ineffective at best since the 80s. Congress should amend their charter back to it’s original purpose.

I took today’s photo last Friday. The camera was in Aperture priority mode and set to F8 and ISO 800. The sensor calculated the exposure time as 1/1600 second.

Out of my Cave...

Sat, 1 May 2010 09:19:57 -0400

The last few days have been extremely stressful. For the last two weeks there has been a dust barrier which sealed off the kitchen construction zone from the rest of our living area. The dust barrier consumed about 20% of my office and came out about 3 feet into the living room. A good bit of kitchen stuff was in my office and most of the opening into the office was taken up by the dust barrier giving it the feel of a cave.

Taryn was ready to buy me an airplane ticket to anywhere to get me out of here but I declined.

Yesterday they cleaned everything up, put hardware on all of the cabinets, removed the dust barrier and told us we could put everything back into the cabinets. I spent the entire afternoon doing just that.  
I can not tell you how much my mood lifted as I put the kitchen back together. The first step, of course, was to empty my office, which had been used to store lots of boxes and kitchen stuff. As soon as that was done I felt like I could breathe again. I was a man on fire for the remainder of the day and didn’t stop until everything was back where it should be.

Last evening we had our first meal which didn’t feel like a picnic. We had the best pizza and salad. Cooked and delivered by a great little Pizza store just around the corner, served on real plates with flatware and linen napkins, a good bottle of wine, it was almost civilized.

Our appliances are being installed next Thursday and I hope to recapture the ability to cook a real meal shortly after that. Yes, things really are looking up.

Today’s exposure was taken this morning to show our new kitchen configuration. For those of you who haven’t been in our home. There was a wall in the foreground that separated the kitchen from the living room and there was a doorway and passthrough to my office which you see on the left. It completely opened the living areas of the house into a single space.

It was shocking when I walked out of the bedroom this morning! I think it will take some getting-used-to but we’re both thrilled.

Fireworks on the Harbor...

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 10:46:14 -0400

If you’ve ever been in Boston on the fourth of July you understand that Bostonians love fireworks. What most people don’t know is that we have fireworks events all during the year. Last night was one of those nights. I don’t know what was being celebrated but there was a very nice fireworks show over Boston Harbor at 9:00 PM.

The exposure above was taken in Aperture priority mode and the camera was set at ISO 100 and F5.6. The sensor calculated the exposure time as 3.2 seconds. Not my best effort. The next time I’ll increase the ISO so that I can get shorter exposure times.

Our contractor installed the kitchen Cabinets today and it’s beginning to look like a kitchen. Tomorrow our housekeeper will have the task of cleaning the cabinets and getting them ready to be loaded. The contractor will be back on Thursday to install the hardware and then we can begin to put the kitchen back together.

They will make the template for the granite counters this Friday and we will go to the fabrication company on Saturday to pick our piece of stone. Fabrication and installation will take 7 to 10 days. Appliances will be installed next Wednesday.

We expect the tile work to begin in about 18 days and we’ll finally have a kitchen. So hopefully 3 or 4 more weeks.

The Republicans stopped the financial system reform bill yesterday. They say they want a place at the negotiating table. Makes you wonder where they were for the last 18 months as Chris Dodd and Barney Frank were working on the details of the legislation now before congress.

In fact congressman Frank and Senator Dodd brought their bills to the floor only after the Republican’s refused to negotiate in good faith for over a year. And the Republicans have yet to make any contributions to the legislation. What do you think they are waiting on? The Easter Bunny! Makes me wonder.

The mode of the country seems to be anti-incumbent right now. Wouldn’t it be a gas to see all of them lose. It won’t ever happen but it’s an interesting scenario to ponder. Talk about a disaster movie!

It will be an exciting election season for sure.

Living in a Cave

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 12:58:36 -0400

For the last 8 days I’ve been living in a cave. That is when the construction crew extended the dust barrier about 3 feet into my office. The only way in or out of the office is to slide sideways between the dust barrier and the door to the office. I compounded the problem by having devoted my office to being our interim kitchen. I feel like I’m running an obstacle course every time I come or go! But that begins to change tomorrow morning.

Taryn and I spent the day Saturday sanding, priming, and painting the kitchen getting ready for the construction crew to install the cabinets. I’m very excited because everything will begin to take shape and form. Goodie.

Hopefully the tile guys will attack the floor later in the week and I will be able to take the dust barrier down. I’ll quote Martin Luther King on that day.

Today’s exposure was taken on April 18th. It was a beautiful partly cloudy spring day and then bam! Thunderstorms moved in. This is a very unusual occurrence in New England. It reminds me of Arkansas when I was a kid.

The camera was in Aperture priority mode and was set to F4 and ISO 100. The sensor calculated the exposure time as 1/1250 second.

The Republicans have a dilemma; continue as the party of “NO” or vote “YES” for some very popular Democratic legislation. And in an election year. Damn Democrats painted them into a corner again. Really! I’m pretty sure they did this themselves. The question is what will the American voter do this fall. It’s pretty clear we don’t think too highly of the congress so just how many incumbents will lose their jobs this year?