NJ

Look Up In The Sky!

June 1, 2018 — 8 Comments

F/13.0, 1/640, ISO 250.

MH-53E Sea Dragon

What did the candle say to the other candle?

I’m going out tonight

Interesting Fact: The CH-53 was the product of the U.S. Marines’ “Heavy Helicopter Experimental” (HH(X)) competition begun in 1962. Sikorsky‘s S-65 was selected over Boeing Vertol‘s modified CH-47 Chinook version. The prototype YCH-53A first flew on 14 October 1964.[1] The helicopter was designated “CH-53A Sea Stallion” and delivery of production helicopters began in 1966.[2] The first CH-53As were powered by two General Electric T64-GE-6 turboshaft engines with 2,850 shp (2,125 kW) and had a maximum gross weight of 46,000 lb (20,865 kg) including 20,000 lb (9,072 kg) in payload. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikorsky_CH-53E_Super_Stallion#Specifications_(CH-53E) )

Call Me A Teddy Bear Again!

May 7, 2018 — 14 Comments

F/6.3, 1/50, ISO 2000.

American Black Bear

Why don’t bears like fast food?

Because they can’t catch it!

Interesting Fact: Solitary animals, black bears roam large territories, though they do not protect them from other bears. Males might wander a 15- to 80-square-mile home range. ( https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/a/american-black-bear/ )

I Wanna Go Fast!

February 8, 2018 — 7 Comments

F/6.3, 1/60, ISO 400.

White-throated Sparrow

Two state officials are talking  “I don’t know what people have against us, We haven’t done anything.”

Interesting Fact:  Males are typically dominant over females, but whether an individual is white-striped or tan-striped seems to have no bearing on status. When pairing up, white-striped forms tend to choose tan-striped individuals, and vice versa. Pairs stay together for the summer, but birds often choose new partners the next year.  ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/White-throated_Sparrow/lifehistory )

If You Want To Go Running With Me, You’d Better Be Prepared To Walk A Lot.

January 24, 2018 — 18 Comments

F/6.3, 1/80, ISO 400.

Opossums

A 3 years old boy sits near a pregnant woman.

Boy: Why do you look so fat?

Pregnant woman: I have a baby inside me.

Boy: Is it a good baby?

Pregnant woman: Yes, it is a very good baby.

Boy: Then why did you eat it?!

Interesting Fact:  These animals are most famous for “playing possum.” When threatened by dogs, foxes, or bobcats, opossums sometimes flop onto their sides and lie on the ground with their eyes closed or staring fixedly into space. They extend their tongues and generally appear to be dead. This ploy may put a predator off its guard and allow the opossum an opportunity to make its escape. ( https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/group/opossums/ )

There Have Been Many Times In 2017, When I Have Annoyed You, Distubed You, Irritated You, And Bugged The Hell Out Of You….Today I Just Wanna Tell You I Plan To Continue In 2018!

January 4, 2018 — 20 Comments

F/9.0, 1/320, ISO 320.

Curve-billed Thrasher

How does one snowman greet another snowman?….

Ice to meet you

Interesting Fact: Forages on ground, pokes and probes in plant litter, and digs holes in the soil with its long, down-curved bill. (  https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Curve-billed_Thrasher/lifehistory )

BON VOYAGE! The Rest Of Us Will Envying You While We Work.

November 3, 2017 — 4 Comments

F/11.0, 1/500, ISO 320.

New York City Skyline & Norwegian Cruise Line Ship

A very nervous first time crew member says to the skipper, “Do ships like this sink very often?”

“Not too often,” replied the skipper. “Usually it’s only once.”

Interesting Fact: The cruise line was founded as Norwegian Caribbean Line in 1966 by Knut Kloster and Ted Arison, with the 8,666-ton, 140m cruise ship/car ferry, Sunward,[5] which in 1966 operated as a car-ferry between Southampton UK and Gibraltar, for that one, short season only. Arison soon left to form Carnival Cruise Lines, while Kloster acquired additional ships for Caribbean service. Norwegian pioneered many firsts in the cruise industry like: the first Out Island Cruise, the first combined air-sea program (marketed as “Cloud 9 Cruises”) which combined low cost air fares with the cruise, first shipline to develop new ports in the Caribbean, like Ocho Rios in Jamaica. Like the original Sunward of 1966, Norwegians’s second ship, the Starward had the capability to carry automobiles through a well concealed stern door. Later, this area was turned into cabins and a two deck movie theater, which is now a casino. Norwegian was responsible for many of the cruise innovations that have now become standard throughout the industry. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwegian_Cruise_Line )

Happy 4th Of July

July 4, 2017 — Aside — 6 Comments

F/10.0, 1/250, ISO 250.

New York City Skyline

What did one flag say to the other flag?

Nothing. It just waved.

Interesting Fact: Thomas Jefferson changed the wording of the Declaration of Independence from “the pursuit of property” to “the pursuit of happiness.” ( http://list25.com/25-fun-facts-about-4th-of-july-that-will-make-you-want-to-celebrate/ )

 

Don’t Just Stand There, Summer Is Here!

June 21, 2017 — 18 Comments

F/5.6, 1/500, ISO 200.

Greater Yellowlegs

What did the pig say on a hot summer day?

I’m bacon!

Interesting Fact:  Greater Yellowlegs eats small aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates, small fish, frogs, and occasionally seeds and berries. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Greater_Yellowlegs/lifehistory )

 

When Nothing Makes Sense And The World Seems Upside Down, Flip Over!

June 15, 2017 — 6 Comments

F/14.0, 1/800, ISO 320.

Yakovlev Yak-52

Greenwood Lake Air Show

What do you get when you put a flight stick in an egg?

A yoke.

Interesting Fact:  A descendant of the single-seat competition aerobatic Yakovlev Yak-50, the all-metal Yak-52 is powered by a 268 kW (360 hp) Vedeneyev M14P nine-cylinder radial engine. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakovlev_Yak-52#Design_and_development )

I Put My Phone In Airplane Mode But It’s Not Flying?!

June 13, 2017 — 6 Comments

F/11.0, 1/500, ISO 250.

 AIRCRAFT:

EXTRA 330 LX

MXS-RH

EDGE 540

Greenwood Lake Air Show

What do you call a plane that’s about to crash?

An “Error Plane”

Interesting Fact: The Zivko Edge 540 manufactured by Zivko Aeronautics is a highly aerobatic aircraft. Capable of a 420 degree per second roll rate and a 3,700 foot per minute climb rate, it has been flown to victory on the international Unlimited aerobatics circuit several times since the mid-1990s. A tandem-seat version is sold as the Edge 540T. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zivko_Edge_540 )