CGrindahl wrote:
Peter O, - I've definitely been thinking about you the past month as California recovers from devastatingly fires. I imagine you've seen news reports about the fires in northern California this October. I believe the count of deaths related to the fire is 43. I read that 6,600 structures were destroyed over 5,000 of which were homes. One neighborhood in Santa Rosa lost a thousand homes.
Sue and I are going to make a contribution to the local economy by driving north to Sonoma this afternoon for lunch and a bit of shopping. There have been news stories urging folks who apparently have been avoiding the area because of the fire damage to return to support local businesses.
This has been quite a year with hurricanes in and around Florida during Sue's visit and then massive fires shortly after her return. Imagine, with so many homes destroyed home prices are rising dramatically, that in an already very expensive housing market. Hope recovery is going well in your hometown my friend. ...Show more →
Curtis, the weather patterns have been so unusual the past couple of years that one could almost believe there's something in the "myth of global warming". 5 months on from our fires we're still working on repairing our damage - fortunately we only have a garden to work on now. I can only imagine the strain that those who ;lost everything are living under - thankfully our community and indeed the whole of South Africa came to the aid of people without homes, clothes or food.
The most organised, generous and fastest response was from the "Gift of the Givers'', a Muslim charity which arrived with truckloads of food parcels, blankets, clothing and so on.
Knysna lost about 700 houses. Amazingly there were instances where 3 or 4 brick homes were destroyed while a wooden house in the middle escaped unscathed! Most have now been flattened and rebuilding is happening everywhere. All available accommodation has been booked for the holiday season (early December to mid January) so our local economy should be unaffected.
I recall the photos from Knysna showing exactly what you describe Peter, devastated homes next to homes without the least sign of damage. At Coffee Park in Santa Rosa the same situation was found, though in that case it may have been the result of efforts by fire-fighters rather than the vagaries of time, place and nature.
I'm happy to hear that recovery is happening. We often talk about the resilience of this or that population, but honestly, I believe it is a natural feature of being human. Yes, it is possible to collapse in the face of tragedy, but the possibility always exists that a life-affirming response will arise. I remember the famous book "Man's Search for Meaning" written by Viktor Frankl, a survivor of the Holocaust. I celebrate that resilience. Interesting that Gift of the Givers makes no mention of Islam on their website. I guess they are most interested in being of service. That is truly the highest calling.
The Buddhist Metta Prayer says "May all beings be happy. May all beings be peaceful. May all beings be free from suffering." That is certainly a laudable wish for everyone. Be well Peter.
These guys like to mash the fruit before swallowing it. A 7 seconds sequence.
ISO 560-720 (auto ISO setting), f/8 at 1/1000s. Ridiculously huge crops: 4% (1/24.2Mp).
I really need to get back there next fall and get some shots and go stomping around those hills again. I'll let you drool over the trunk again, too
mp356 wrote:
To follow on Leightons nice series, here are the last of the fall images from Letchworth. These were taken a couple weeks ago and this scene is much more wintry this morning. First two taken with the 25-50 f4 Ais and the third with the 18 f3.5 Ais. Thanks for looking and get the hats and gloves out!
Scott
Went to the Tampa Auto Show which was packed with people around all the new 2018 cars set out for display by local dealers. found it nearly impossible to get a shot with all the on lookers so I'm trying to crop out people and I think I'll be focused on close ups of the interiors and body panels.
Starting with a shot of the walkway from the parking garage that I tried to convert to IR in PP .... What do you think? The second is a body panel. Can you guess what car it is from?
Also, no Mini's on display.
Reagan glad your back but Leighton's door in reality is Rahael's "hatchway."
Curtis welcome back, we all need a break for a time then back with great B&W shots.
Steve ... British humor? I didn't think there was such a thing!
Leighton, wishing Barbara well! My hernia was repaired in that same amount of time. Was out by 2pm the same day ?
Went to the Tampa Auto Show which was packed with people around all the new 2018 cars set out for display by local dealers. found it nearly impossible to get a shot with all the on lookers so I'm trying to crop out people and I think I'll be focused on close ups of the interiors and body panels.
Starting with a shot of the walkway from the parking garage that I tried to convert to IR in PP .... What do you think? The second is a body panel. Can you guess what car it is from?
Also, no Mini's on display.
Reagan glad your back but Leighton's door in reality is Rahael's "hatchway."
Curtis welcome back, we all need a break for a time then back with great B&W shots.
Steve ... British humor? I didn't think there was such a thing!
Leighton, wishing Barbara well! My hernia was repaired in that same amount of time. Was out by 2pm the same day ?
Thanks Jose, Ken H for the welcome. Nice to know some of the usual suspects are still frequenting this thread... the low rent district since it costs nothing to participate in this conversation...
Another from North Beach at Point Reyes National Seashore... a well loved beach. This shot with the 55 f/1.2 S.C. AI.
CGrindahl wrote:
Thanks Jose, Ken H for the welcome. Nice to know some of the usual suspects are still frequenting this thread... the low rent district since it costs nothing to participate in this conversation...
Another from North Beach at Point Reyes National Seashore... a well loved beach. This shot with the 55 f/1.2 S.C. AI.
You're welcome Kevin. Everything about West Marin is a delight. Sue and I head out there often. Amazing such beauty can be found so close to a major metropolitan area with around 7 million people. I think it is about forty five minutes from Sue's home, but you're in the country within fifteen minutes. It is a mix of ranch land and public land, cattle and trails... with the Pacific Ocean close at hand. Stopping at the Station House Cafe definitely adds to the enjoyment...
Haven't kept up in the last week or so, but here's one from this morning during a very brief break from the rain.
Lasted about 5 minutes and the view was gone the rest of the day.
mp356 wrote:
To follow on Leightons nice series, here are the last of the fall images from Letchworth. These were taken a couple weeks ago and this scene is much more wintry this morning. First two taken with the 25-50 f4 Ais and the third with the 18 f3.5 Ais. Thanks for looking and get the hats and gloves out!
Scott
Who's this Curtis from California that everyone's talking about Curtis next time the muse deserts you, do pop in once a while still to say hi, even if its not with pics.
?
