See the Sea

I just had a hankering to see some July pics as we go thru a cold blast n burst of snow with a front.

Taken at my fave Beach in July 2010, it faces south into the Gulf Stream fed waters of Buzzards Bay n follows the line of Hog Island Channel, the shipping lanes toward the New Bedford area of the state, (channel located at the center of the horison).

Yep, it works- I feel warm just looking at it for a few minutes.

Most folks just see a ton of open water, but I can pick out bits of familiar lands, spits, rocks, n lighthouses across the way, n also vessels way out there. When I was a teen I got to traverse that entire zone in a small Boston Whaler boat with my water pals. Even that open space holds dear memories for me.


I'll try to remember those warm fuzzies as I trudge back to another night of work in the crusty ice crystals before I finally end my work week. I hope to get back to that wonderful place soon, even in the cold. It's been too long-

Tracking

Where was I going with this?







Does anyone know?
(Note: Don't feel obligated to answer, this is a rhetorical joke)
Perhaps a rat in a cat?


How many were there, n how fast did this occur? What critters paw prints are descernable? Maybe it was one hyper-active squirrel, or as many as eight... But the evidence is clear-


They know where I throw the food off the porch now, even after a snow fall, n also- They have alot more energy than I do!

Snow Dreams

If I hadn't been in such a hurry to get to work the other day, I could've had some better, nifty shots of the tall, fluffy snow. I didn't take the cam out there because shoveling to get out on the road was priority n was alot of work to do. The news said we got about a foot here. It was light-weight to shovel at least. The two bottom stairs were completely buried, so it was blown deeper than that out front.

This is a window shot of MapleBeard's branches with the boatramp beach way in the background, from my kitchen during the storm, (so was the pic in the previous post).

Here's my Day Off finally, but it's too late for snow pics now... The weather warmed up again with a heavy rain n thick foggy drizzle to ride home in, n so most of the snow is melted already! As I watch the early am Boston news, the Temp stamp is 52F on the bottom of the screen! Just crazy, roller-coaster January weather for this place!

I'll prob bemoan not getting those pics for awhile!

Been a wild football week for New Englanders with the Patriots beating the Ravens by default to get in the SuperBowl, just to face the Giants again! 2008 didn't go so well the last time, but reporters keep reminding us that alot of the players have changed. I'll bemoan having to work without TV, radio, or VCR during the SuperBowl too... Madonna has the half-time gig this year, should be a good show. But I'll prob miss the whole thing... Rats!

Well, at least the window pics aren't half bad...
Time for shower n sleep again-

Frosting

N-Ice

After work I had to make the second drive home this week in the hieght of a snow storm- Luckily it was only a few inches deep. Most of the ride is on state roads, which were sanded.

I haven't been outside in daylight to get any pics in it. I've observed some ice around the beaches while driving n from the windows the past few days. Saturday we're expecting a larger snowstorm here. I get to work for that one too... Another joyful, slippery drive to look forward to...

Really tho- I'd rather stay home n avoid all the snow cleaning with sore arms. Some of that is definately in store for me before leaving for work again. I'd better go rest up...

Yep, it's a pic of ice on that same window two mornings ago in the frigid temps.

................................................................................

My brain immediately recognized the eyes of a retriever-mix dog looking straight at me, with red nostrils, holding a blanket in it's mouth- then my mind filled in the rest.

I'm surprized that folks saw different critters! (cat, bear).

In dream interpretation, dogs stand for friends. Maybe happiness is a warm puppy with a warm blanket...

Washed-Out Window

In the winter-time, I'm always trying to get out the window pics to do with the weather condition effects. This was an old shot taken of the sunrise in November 2010, thru waterey ice. there's just no telling how these experiments will come out, or what they'll produce with my originaly concocted Paintshop Pro Effects regimen....

I've been keeping this result secret over a year now- one of my fave surprizes... Do you see what I see?

More strange window stuff on the way soon...

Warmer Thoughts

I just took a most serene pic from years ago, n made myself laugh at it... (Dog Face?)

The surprize factor is definately what entertains me with these projects. Without my VHS working, I'm alot more entertainment challenged lately. I've read more novels in the past year than in the whole preceeding decade, I think.


My main challenge today is trying to sit here without the 3 blankets I'd prob need to feel warmish in here. We're doing about 6F degrees outside now without windchill. The kitchen is way warmer, about 65F, n it's 10 degrees cooler where I'm sitting. But the floors are the worst part even with slippers. Time for double socks, too!

I've been unsystematically going thu old files the past few weeks , reading old jokes n looking for play pics.

This one's from my first trip ever to Florida in April 1997. I remember the ride from Tampa toward the Clearwater area, because it was so balmy I had to start stripping off some clothing layers I'd needed at home. This Sunset over the Gulf of Mexico pic was taken on film thru a window screen from my hotel room the first evening there, n scanned into the machine well before I started ESR.
Florida is a way warmer thought about now...

Happy Martin Luther King Day

Lucky Day

When I was a few decades younger I used to get really nervous bad stuff would happen on Friday the 13th. I was very superstitious, n tried not to go anywhere or do major things on those days for many years.

A few bad things actually happened to me on those days years later, n I blamed the date for those... Somebody once convinced me nothing was wrong with that number. So it was ok to get married that day (The only free date the preacher had open). Altho it wasn't a Friday, That whole part of my life turned out very bad for me. The divorce was final on a 13 too!

Then some one I loved very much died on the Friday the 13th. That got me hiding in the house when that day rolled around again for alot of years. I'd even called in for work due to being paraniod of getting in the car those days.


The past decade or so I've convinced myself it's not the number or dates fault, even if stuff sometimes goes wrong then. I've had no choice but to ignore the foreboding thoughts associated with Friday the 13th, n get to work n do what needs to get done. Definately tho, I'm more comfortable staying home for it.

Anyone one else feel foreboding evil on this day?
Perhaps it's just caused by watching the Jason films as a teen... the Heebee-Geebee, crawly feeling- Of course reading a good murder mystery book today doesn't help either! (Just finished The Poet by Micheal Connolly) .

Sometimes when I use this number for the "ball", it hits on my lottery ticket for a few bux. Today I have to go out n face the world, n ignore what I used to think like it means nothing to me. It's still there tho- the paranoia.

This pic I got the altered images from today was taken in January 2009 near the boat ramp beach. We don't have snow here now, btw.

Hope every one has a lucky Friday!

Super Shark

Another critter followed with passion here on ESR is the shark. (Shark Tail Soup, Tiger Shark caught off the Vineyard)

Earlier this week while feeling very under the weather which was pretty low... I'd seen another news sound-bite about a newly discovered hybrid shark species. I'm just getting around to checking it out now.

The news never explained which species were mixed, so I had to chase down the info.

57 of the animals were found, n have successfully reproduced several generations of their new line, which also has a new territory.



The new species is a cross between two types of distinct Blacktips off the Australian East coast. One is the smaller sized, tropical Australian Blacktip, the other is the sub-tropical Common Blacktip, which both have different territories separated by water temperature. Hybridization is common in fish, but not sharks.
It's another edu-ma-cational, scientific, recent surprize that wowed me.....

New Buzz

Exciting (kinda) update on a previous subject here:

Back in '08 on ESR I wrote a post discussing different bee species n Colony Collapse Dissorder threatening the survival of Honey Bees worldwide, n the fact that the cause was a complete mystery.

Personally, I'd miss putting honey in my tea n oatmeal, never mind eating all the commercial bee-keeper, pollinated fruit, veggies, n grain products I normally consume.

This early am I saw a WNN (World News Now, abc tv 01/05/12) article on biology Professor John Hafernik at San Francisco State University, who stopped on his way to the office n picked up some confused honeybees he saw on the pavement, placed them in a vial on his desk at work, then a week later found brown, fly pupae in the vial with the bees.

The since studied parasite, phorid fly, or apocephalus borealis, is laying eggs inside bees, n the pupae are popping out other openings, killing them. How disgusting is that? Stuff crawling through my insides would disorient me too... (Yuck! Just like in the film "Alien"...)

It's an interesting discovery n theory connected to the honey bee problem. Here's a few more links if your interested in more of the gory details...

Washington Post

San Fransico State University

What's New?

Already it's the third day of 2012, n I've written the wrong year down three times! Can't seem to stop my hand from the automatic scrolling...

For my first free day of the year, freezing temps are taking over. It's been unbelievably above normal all but a few days since summertime, so I shouldn't complain about the sudden chill in here...

Besides the needed errands n laundry chores, my only big plan is trying to get enough sleep. I'm so glad my work-week is over n I'm not required to be anywhere by a deadline finally.

For so many weeks I've been operating on "TIRED" n it finally caught up to me n smacked me upside the head with a cold turned into a painfull sinus infection. The past few days at work I've said the words "Thank God for Peppermint" more times than I can count. All the mints n candy canes are used up- I need more-

I'm not sure when I'll get out during daylight to get new pics again, so I've been trolling thru the ancient files in search of unused examples to try effects on. Today's offering was found in the May 2007 file, from almost 5 years ago. I like the top the best.