Come On, Ride The Train, It’s The Choo Choo Train

train tracks

F/5.6, 1/20, ISO 500.

Day 295 / 365

Why is the railroad angry?

Because people are always crossing it!

Interesting Fact: The streets of New York were very crowded in the late 1800s. Inventor Alfred Ely Beach wanted to build a train underground. The government said no. So, he built it in secret, digging out of the rented basement of an apartment store. His subway opened in 1870. ( http://easyscienceforkids.com/all-about-trains/ )

Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!!! Are You Scared Yet?!

halloween mask

F/5.3, 1/13, ISO 64.

Day 294 / 365

A woman whose husband often came home drunk decided to cure him of the habit. One Halloween night, she put on a devil suit and hid behind a tree to intercept him on the way home.
When her husband came by, she jumped out and stood before him with her red horns, long tail, and pitchfork.
“Who are you?” he asked.
“I’m the Devil!” she responded.
“Well, come on home with me,” he said, “I married your sister!”

Interesting Fact:  Halloween costumes are costumes worn on or around Halloween, a festival which falls on October 31. An early reference to wearing costumes at Halloween comes from Scotland in 1585, but they may pre-date this. There are many references to the custom during the 18th and 19th centuries in the Celtic countries of Scotland, Ireland, Mann and Wales. It has been suggested that the custom comes from the Celtic festivals of Samhain and Calan Gaeaf, or from the practise of “souling” at Hallowtide. Wearing costumes and mumming has long been associated with festivals at other times of the year, such as on Christmas.[1] Halloween costumes are traditionally based on frightening supernatural or folkloric beings. However, by the 1930s costumes based on characters in mass media such as film, literature, and radio were popular. Halloween costumes have tended to be worn mainly by young people, but since the mid-20th century they have been increasingly worn by adults also. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween_costume )

Your Escape Cracks Me Up!

egg escape

F/14.0, 1/60, ISO100.

Day 285 / 365

What did the egg do when it saw the frying pan?

It scrambled!

Interesting Fact: Bird eggs have been valuable foodstuffs since prehistory, in both hunting societies and more recent cultures where birds were domesticated. The chicken was probably domesticated for its eggs from jungle fowl native to tropical and subtropical Southeast Asia and India before 7500 BCE. Chickens were brought to Sumer and Egypt by 1500 BCE, and arrived in Greece around 800 BCE, where the quail had been the primary source of eggs.[5] In Thebes, Egypt, the tomb of Haremhab, built about 1420 BCE, shows a depiction of a man carrying bowls of ostrich eggs and other large eggs, presumably those of the pelican, as offerings.[6] In ancient Rome, eggs were preserved using a number of methods, and meals often started with an egg course.[6] The Romans crushed the shells in their plates to prevent evil spirits from hiding there.[7] In the Middle Ages, eggs were forbidden during Lent because of their richness.[7] The word mayonnaise possibly was derived from moyeu, the medieval French word for the yolk, meaning center or hub. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egg_(food)#History )

Having A Lathe Can Really Turn Things Around…

lathe

F/ 5.6, 1/250, ISO320.

Day 283 / 365

My friend applied for a job at a engineering firm to work on a lathe.

They turned him down!

Interesting Fact: In 1887, R. K. LeBlond founded the R. K. LeBlond Machine Tool Company to manufacture metal cutting lathes.[1] As a result of a joint venture with Makino Milling Machine, LeBlond Makino Machine Tool Company was formed in 1981. In 1996, LeBlond Makino Machine Tool Company changed its name to Makino. Then in 1997, LeBlond Lathe Parts was founded to focus on the service and support of all LeBlond lathe equipment manufactured since 1887. In 1998, after acquiring the W. F. & John Barnes Company, the company’s name was changed to LeBlond Ltd to reflect a broader business purpose. LeBlond continued its acquisition strategy by acquiring the Standard Modern lathe service parts business in 1999. The Johnson Press and Deka Drill service parts businesses were acquired from South Bend Lathe in 2001 and the South Bend Lathe and Dynablast parts businesses in March, 2002. LeBlond’s product support team had collectively 160 years of service with LeBlond Machine Tool Company, LeBlond Makino and Makino. ( https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._K._LeBlond_Machine_Tool_Company )

Got Wood?

wooden coaster

F/5.3, 1/60, ISO160.

Day 280 / 365

What’s the best way to carve wood?

Whittle by whittle.

Interesting Fact: Wood, in the strict sense, is yielded by trees, which increase in diameter by the formation, between the existing wood and the inner bark, of new woody layers which envelop the entire stem, living branches, and roots. This process is known as secondary growth; it is the result of cell division in the vascular cambium, a lateral meristem, and subsequent expansion of the new cells. Where there are clear seasons, growth can occur in a discrete annual or seasonal pattern, leading to growth rings; these can usually be most clearly seen on the end of a log, but are also visible on the other surfaces. If these seasons are annual these growth rings are referred to as annual rings. Where there is no seasonal difference growth rings are likely to be indistinct or absent. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood#History )

Wanna Screw?

screws

F/ 5.0, 1/60, ISO 200.

Day 276 / 365

What did one screw said to other?

One good turn deserves another.

Interesting Fact: Earlier, the screw had been described by the Greek mathematician Archytas of Tarentum (428–350 BC). By the 1st century BC, wooden screws were commonly used throughout the Mediterranean world in screw presses for pressing olive oil from olives and pressing juice from grapes in winemaking. Metal screws used as fasteners were rare in Europe before the 15th century, if known at all. ( https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screw )

I Found Fountain Of Youth, But I Wasn’t Thirsty.

hoboken park

F/10.0, 30.0, ISO 100.

Day 268 / 365

A drunk falls into one of the fountains in Trafalgar Square. Floundering around, he looks up and sees Nelson standing on his column.

“Don’t jump!” he shouts. “This is the shallow end!”

Interesting Fact: The ancient Greeks were apparently the first to use aqueducts and gravity-powered fountains to distribute water. According to ancient historians, fountains existed in Athens, Corinth, and other ancient Greek cities in the 6th century BC as the terminating points of aqueducts which brought water from springs and rivers into the cities. In the 6th century BC the Athenian ruler Peisistratos built the main fountain of Athens, the Enneacrounos, in the Agora, or main square. It had nine large cannons, or spouts, which supplied drinking water to local residents. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fountain )

Mother Nature Has A Big Canvas

clouds 1

F/4.5, 1/2500, ISO 500.

Day 265 / 365

What do you call a sheep with no legs?

A cloud.

Interesting Fact: Ancient cloud studies were not made in isolation, but were observed in combination with other weather elements and even other natural sciences. In about 340 BC the Greek philosopher Aristotle wrote Meteorologica, a work which represented the sum of knowledge of the time about natural science, including weather and climate. For the first time, precipitation and the clouds from which precipitation fell were called meteors, which originate from the Greek word meteoros, meaning ‘high in the sky’. From that word came the modern term meteorology, the study of clouds and weather. Meteorologica was a work of intuitive rather than scientific study. Nevertheless, it was the first known work that attempted to treat a broad range of meteorological topics. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud )

You Make Me Blush!

House Finch

F/ 6.3, 1/640, ISO 800.

House Finch

Day 257 / 365

Why do birds lay eggs?

If they dropped them, they d break!

Interesting Fact: The House Finch was originally a bird of the western United States and Mexico. In 1940 a small number of finches were turned loose on Long Island, New York, after failed attempts to sell them as cage birds (“Hollywood finches”). They quickly started breeding and spread across almost all of the eastern United States and southern Canada within the next 50 years. ( http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/House_Finch/lifehistory )

We Remember!

September 11

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Day 254 / 365

God Bless all who lost their Lives. We Will Never Forget 9/11.

Interesting Fact:  September 11 is now remembered as Patriot Day in the US in memory of those killed. ( http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/top10facts/509590/Top-10-facts-about-9-11 )