Friday Night Photos - Minnesota Becomes Siberia edition
Submitted by Bollox Ref on Fri, 01/25/2019 - 6:05pm
And it's only going to get worse. Next week, they're predicting a low of -26F!!! And that's without the wind chill.
I don't think I've taken a photo this week. Outside is not terribly pleasant. However, I came across this shot from an old National Geographic.
Apparently, it's an early colour photo of a location in Middle Earth. The caption reads: "The Crypt of Torment. It was here that the Witch Kings of Angmar were crowned. The Enchanter's Throne used to sit on the vast gypsum slab towards the foreground."
Make of it what you will.....
Now, for some fish and chips.
Comments
evengin bollox
thanks for Friday POT
whoo hoo... photos ops
went drawing today here
caught a bird in this shot
more from the beach
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Cool
The bunches of vertical stalks in the field appear to be soldiers in formation, awaiting orders. Or maybe reshuffling for the next shot.
Nice!
Is that moss covering the water? I like the composition. Thanks for the shot of the ocean. Where is this?
Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.
Nice photos, Magiamma.
That last shot looks like it could be a Ca. version of an Easter Island statue.
I woke up this morning determined to drink less, eat right, and exercise.
But that was four hours ago when I was younger and full of hope.
Hi magiamma
The wood sculptures look perfectly placed there, honouring their environment.
I love the textures and the shapes
Especially the one with the wood sculptures. They almost look like ancient totem poles. Nice shot.
There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier
Minus 18 in Chicago next Wednesday.
With a high of -1
Wind chills of -50, not sure if that is day or night.
Minnesota comes to Illinois. Meanwhile, it's reported to me that Alabama is more like Illinois this winter.
Worrying about my new Harglow Apricot. This is far North for Apricots, but Harglow was bred at the University of Saskatchewan for commercial use in Canada. It's the newly planted rootstock that I worry about. the tree is just a baby.
No worries at all about the Cherry tree. It's also from U of S. A cross between a commercial sour cherry (routinely grow in Northern Michigan) and a wild Siberian cherry. Must be some cold rersitant genes there!
Re -50:
A friend of mine worked as a technician on the DEW line after leaving the Marine Corps after the Korean truce. He once told me that they used to pray for the temperature to go above -40. When I asked why, he said, "Because the airplanes' hydraulic fluid froze at -40, so the planes couldn't land. we were cut off like we were on the Moon. Any disaster, any problem, we were on our own.
I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.
Can you blanket your apricot to keep it warm?
No chance
Just hoping the snow is enough blanket. I have about three inches of shredded cedar bark and there's about eight inches of snow over that. Although the snow and ice are a real problem on driveways, sidewalks, and streets, a deep snow blanket acts as root insulation for grass and other plants. -18 would kill a lot otherwise. Except for native prairie plants (aka weeds) they evolved with this. Which reminds me of an interesting fact, bison give birth in late Spring after the brutal weather is over. Beef cattle which evolved in Europe and the Middle east give birth in November and ranchers in Colorado have to drive around in jeeps, scooping up the newborn calves and taking them back to barns for survival.
I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.
I hope it survives,
and I wish people would use more sense than the cowboys in Colorado.
Evening Bollox, everyone
I ran across this photo from my first trip to New Orleans back in 2010:
The St. Louis Gateway Arch from another trip:
This shit is bananas.
Love the tunnel
leading to the fountain. Think I was there, once upon a time. The background display is new. Thanks D
Is that a statue or a woman sitting by the fountain?
If I didn't have photos of my first trip to NO I would have no memory of it. Daqaris from a slurpee machine? Game over. I went for a conference and only went to one class. The football game was much more important to me than how to measure the eyes better.
Did you go to Pat O'Brians for a hurricane? LoL... oh what a great time. Thanks for bringing back memories. Now it's your turn to spill.
Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.
Pat O'Brien's
Yeah, I did go there but I didn't get a Hurricane, I got some other weird drink that was white. I don't remember the name of it.
Oh boy, stories huh? There's a place called Bacchanal Wine Bar that had live music (I dunno if they do anymore; there was some fight over zoning or noise ordinances a few years back). Went there a couple times, got pretty hammered and could hardly ride my bicycle back to where I was staying. (It was only a few blocks luckily.) That's one that sticks out anyway. I wasn't there during Mardi Gras.
This shit is bananas.
A pay phone. How quaint.
I wonder if it's still there?
I woke up this morning determined to drink less, eat right, and exercise.
But that was four hours ago when I was younger and full of hope.
Was still just a nickel
Last time I dialed one of those ancient talking machines in NOLA. It's your nickel, ya' know how the old saying goes?
Evening daenerys
your New Orleans shot is very beautiful and moody.
Evening all
From my California days.
Point Bonita lighthouse
Pelicans and the PB lighthouse
Birds and SF from Tiburon.
C
I've made myself Cali-sick. Can't wait to get back there.
Good luck with your cold spell. We had it a few weeks back and now it's a heatwave with temps up to 35 today.
Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.
Thanks for Friday Night Photos, BR
I've experienced sub zero weather and can honestly say I really didn't care for it. Staying indoors where it's warm sounds real wise.
Some Brown Pelicans and Heermann's Gulls from La Jolla cove.
I woke up this morning determined to drink less, eat right, and exercise.
But that was four hours ago when I was younger and full of hope.
Your pelicans are more colorful than mine
I think mine are brown ones that hang around at the docks. Love the last one, but all of them are nice. Where did you take them?
Hey Bollox. I found your rooks.
Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.
Thank you, Snoopy
I took these at La Jolla cove. It's about 15-20 minutes north of downtown San Diego. Right now the Brown pelicans are in their breeding colors. When they're not in their breeding colors they look pretty plain.
I woke up this morning determined to drink less, eat right, and exercise.
But that was four hours ago when I was younger and full of hope.
Outstanding pix S.P.
I love yer Pelican shots! The Heermann's Gull is great too. Heermann's Gull is in trouble, most of the population breeds in the Sea of Cortez (Gulf of California). They move
north into CA after breeding and for the winter. About 3 of the last 5 years no juveniles came north with the older immatures and adults. Yours with the pure white head is an adult.
It is a fairly range-restricted species, and one of the most striking gulls of them all.
On the last pic, the bottom gull... That is a juvenile or first winter Western Gull in its first (plumage) cycle. They take four years or more to attain adult plumage.
We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein
Thank you, dystopian
Thanks for all the info on the Heermann's and the ID on the last shot. It's not the first time I've misidentified a critter, and I'm pretty sure it won't be the last.
I woke up this morning determined to drink less, eat right, and exercise.
But that was four hours ago when I was younger and full of hope.
Get the shot, we can name it later... :)
Shoot now, we can ask questions later.
Just keep taking your great photos S.P. Never worry about a mis-ID, its not biggie. I have seen the biggest birders in the country make them. And so have I, we all do. Key is learning from them so as to hopefully avoid repeating them. One thing on these two are young Heermann's always have pinkish bases of the bill. Those adults are most birders in America favorite gull though, and I love yer shot!
We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein
Hi social
It's always such a treat to see your portraits.
Thank you, Janis.
I woke up this morning determined to drink less, eat right, and exercise.
But that was four hours ago when I was younger and full of hope.
@Socialprogressive Nice shots! I like that
Nice shots! I like that crashing wave behind that gull.
All I want is the truth. Just give me some truth. John Lennon
Thank you, burnt out
On that last shot I'd like to say I planned it that way, but I was just a blind squirrel that found a nut.
I woke up this morning determined to drink less, eat right, and exercise.
But that was four hours ago when I was younger and full of hope.
Happy Capybaras
I'm wondering how my dawgs would get along with one of these.
More fun photos here.
Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.
Evening all, and thanks for your photography.
Thanks for posting Bollox. I hope you're keeping cosy in your own nest, the temperatures sound alarmingly dreadful.
A nest of sorts ...
Oh nose
saw that this morning in the mirror when trying to harvest the facial follicles. Scary.
Hi QMS
This nest was made from the remnants of garden trimming.
So you make your own nests in the bush
or is that a bird creation?
It was the result of
plant trimmings that I saved a while back in a pot, and took out today wanting to plant something else in the pot.
Clever
the birds have nothing on you!
Stay inside or triple bundled in that cold...
Hey B.R., I thought your pic was the inside of a geode. Great pix Magi, S.D., and Daenerys.
I have birded in 20-50 below zero chill factors. But not for long. You don't stay out of the car long. I did a couple winters birding Long Island and one birding Mass. Once we had a Snowy Owl with blood on its breast from something it just ate, at point blank, and it was soooooo cold the camera would not fire, frozen up. Places where open water are good because you can scope from the car with heater on. I have heard of birders jumping out of their overly warmed car with the 2K Swarovski scope and the glass shattering in sub-zero. Keep scope and optics away from heat vents in car in coolest parts. You jump out to see or shoot a rare bird and yer stuff fogs up... or worse... oh what fun! Now I complain about the 20's.
We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein
@dystopian Ha! Me too. I thought
Ha! Me too.
All I want is the truth. Just give me some truth. John Lennon
Life lesson # 6345
Wedged the door open enough to climb inside an igloo on four frozen tires. Darn engine started, shore enough (Honda). Turned on the heater / defrost cycle and proceeded to shovel-off the glaciers. Several shivers later, dug down to the windshield and notice a crack all the way across. Apparently, too much sudden temperature change cracks glass. Won't do that again.
Evening all.
The Middle Earth pic reminds me of the inside of a Geode.
Not Minnesota weather here but still too cold for these old bones so haven't strayed far from the house lately. Get outside to fill the feeders and go to the mail box and that's been about it for the past few days. The only upside to this cold weather is it brings the birds in. If I can remember how to put photos in a comment I'll post a couple that I shot through the window a few days ago.
All I want is the truth. Just give me some truth. John Lennon
Wonderful photos burnt out.
The birds all look quite content and very personable. Especially enjoy the pecking order in the first image.
@janis b Thanks Janus, that
Thanks Janus, that pecking order gets disrupted about every fifteen seconds, but I don't think any go away hungry, except when the occasional Cooper's or Sharp-shinned hawk swoops in. That always breaks up the party for awhile.
All I want is the truth. Just give me some truth. John Lennon
Great assortment of seed feeders
Do the same here. Will brave a snowy gale to keep the flitters fed. Fun to watch.
@QMS yep, gotta keep em
yep, gotta keep em filled, especially important in bad weather.
All I want is the truth. Just give me some truth. John Lennon
The big guys chisel the frozen suet
Most of the intermediates go for the black sunflower. Pull them out and shatter them on the nearby branches. The little twits scatter out the smaller seeds for their less focused cousins. An occasional seeding frenzy between blizzards.
Wonderful descriptions QMS
of imagery.
Very nice, burnt out.
Now you make me want to put up a bird feeder in my back yard.
I woke up this morning determined to drink less, eat right, and exercise.
But that was four hours ago when I was younger and full of hope.
here's a couple
Finally got a couple poor docushots of the Brown Creeper that has been wintering at my local park. I think Tree Creeper is the Euro version, along with a cryptic species that flew under the radar for a hundred years, Short-toed Creeper. They are just over 5" long, and hunt bark crevices for a living.
They use their spiky tail as a prop like woodpeckers. My what big feet you have.
This was my moon shot. Before the eclipse there was enough light for a fast enough exposure and low enough ISO to get an image. But once it got dark and I had to jack the ISO up to 'noisy' levels during the eclipse, exposure was too slow to freeze it.
We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein
Thanks dystopian,
especially for the blood moon looking more like a peach.
That'd be one helluva cobbler
There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier
; ))) zoe
What is that tree with all the little knots?
Spiny Hackberry
Spiny Hackberry - Celtis is the genus. A larval foodplant of the Snout butterfly, and other species, like Hackberry Emperor. The trunks get really well defended with age. The berry is a hack though, very well-named. It is all pit and husk with almost no pulp. However it is one of the most important wildlife forage items there is in winter. Sometimes we get thousands of Robins and Waxwings on them.
We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein
Thank you for that interesting info.
I guess that's how it protects itself to feed others in the dead of winter. Mostly armour.
The thin cloud layer
that provided such great soft light for the Pelican shots I took Sunday morning were still around Sunday evening and ruined any chance of sharp shots of the blood moon.
This soft shot was the best I could get.
I woke up this morning determined to drink less, eat right, and exercise.
But that was four hours ago when I was younger and full of hope.
great moon shot sp!
Yeah we had high thin cirrus here too so milky... but yours are great! I wish mine was half that good.
We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein
Look like tricked out bowling balls
The eclipse here was so cold, eyes teared up right away. No idea how a camera would have handled it. Frosty eyes trying to focus on frozen balls.
The elusive Brown Creeper.
We get them here but only in the winter and although pretty widespread then they're never plentiful anywhere. We had our first of the season in the yard only a few days ago.
You sound like a serious birder, I salute anyone who can age gulls! Do you do ebird?
All I want is the truth. Just give me some truth. John Lennon
yes, I am a bird junkie
No I don't ebird, but do look in sometimes to see what is around. I am past hardcore but am currently sedentary in so.cent. TX. Birded since I could walk. Led tours for L.A. Audubon Soc., co-compiled a Christmas Bird Count, wrote the bird column for a socal Aud. Soc., do some private guiding now on the side. Yeah it takes a special kind of OCD to get into ageing gulls, but living in the cold is what did it for me...where I had nothing else to see lots of the time. It is the last thing most learn. But once you figure it out, it adds a lot to understanding what we are seeing.
We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein
Ginger flowers
But they have to be dug out. They’re considered an environmental ‘pest’ here, while in Hawaii they are revered.
So pretty
Have a fresh baby ginger root in the freezer awaiting the next tonic experiment.
Ginger beer?
The experiments with yeast were less than amazing
Present formula involves a watery pressure cooker, cloves, black peppercorns, a bit of nutmeg and dash of lime. Yumm. Could always add it to beer, but also makes a great Moscow mule. Make it by the gallon. Works as a tea too.
Nutmeg and lime!
never thought of that combo, but sounds interesting.
New Zealand has a tradition of non-alcoholic ginger beer ...
http://2outofthree.com/2010/03/new-zealand-ginger-beer-tasting/
Thanks for the links
Reminds me, also add a scoop of brown sugar in the brew. Another good expression is to toss some ice in a cup, a dollop of the ginger and fill up with seltzer. Best ginger ale you can find, by far! Good for the focals and various organs.
Beautiful Flower.
I woke up this morning determined to drink less, eat right, and exercise.
But that was four hours ago when I was younger and full of hope.
Mid-Summer's bounty
Sweet and
mouthwatering. Compared to the roots we now nibble on those look succulent.
I'll save half the papaya for you.
Would you like a squeeze of lime with it, or just pure?
prefer my papaya straight
blended with a bit of coconut milk is fine, with a side of orange sprinkled with red pepper and sea salt. Why is my tongue swelling?
It must be because of the red pepper.
Why am I even considering that combination ; ).
you have roots to nibble?
You have roots to nibble? I just have Spiny Hackberry bark.
We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein
potatoes, turnips, carrots, leeks, onions, yams and the likes
actually do a lot of beans this time of year. Black and white, pinto and red with smoked meats, garlic and onions with peppers saved from the summer. Served with rice or pasta. Some kind of broth sauce. Then bake a bread and read by the fire, watching the birds and snow. Like hibernation without the TV.
Skinny but pure.
Now you're just making me hungry.
I woke up this morning determined to drink less, eat right, and exercise.
But that was four hours ago when I was younger and full of hope.
Rats, edited, hit the wrong button..
All I want is the truth. Just give me some truth. John Lennon
Although I can't claim this photo as my own
I still love how I feel when I look at the San Gabriel mountains. All I would need is a log cabin in the mountains, a fireplace, a pot to cook in, and I would be very happy indeed. Well, except in the winter. That's when I would go to my fantasy beach house in Big Sur.
.
There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier
So succulent looking, no wonder.
What an interesting word choice
Mine were much more conventional...evocative, undulating, majestic. I always enjoy the feedback in these threads. Thanks Janis.
There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier
I think I am programmed to sense succulence when I see
the mixture of moisture and fresh mountain air.
Great word
And it totally fits!
There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier
Great pic!
Is that the San Gabriel Mtns. of L.A. County in socal? Sure looks like them. If so... I spent a couple months worth of days walking around in them, birding and butterflying. Once said to be the fastest growing mountain range in America at 3" per hundred years. The Angeles Crest Hwy. (Rt. 2) along the spine is awesome 7000-8000' with Fir forest complete with Big Cone Spruce. Many Sierra Nevada nesting species nest up there.
We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein
you've got a good eye
The photo you asked about was actually taken in the Angeles National Forest. I have yet to go hiking up there but it's definitely on my list of places to go.
As of now this is the closest I've come to the San Gabriel mountains, and yes, the view from my front door is pretty grand:
There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier
great pic!
I love your palms to pines photo! Outstanding! Is that Baldy on the right? The city side has lots more people, going up from inland empire (south) side. But Hwy. 2 on the north side is way more 'remote' feeling, and some nice campgrounds and day use areas. Mtn. High Ski area at Big Pines on the back side by Wrightwood is a real nice area. It is beautiful up there.
We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein
An interesting feature about living in the foothills here
Is the contrast between the palm trees lining one street...
and the deodars lining another...
For a tree enthusiast like myself, it's like Arbor Day every day.
There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier
January is Zoo photo contest time
Actually all Onondaga County parks this year because of zoo construction.
" In the beginning, the universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry, and is generally considered to have been a bad move. -- Douglas Adams, The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy "
Hi boriscleto
Would like to see your photos, but the links don't take me to them.
I used BBCode instead of HTML
" In the beginning, the universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry, and is generally considered to have been a bad move. -- Douglas Adams, The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy "
great pix!
Wonderful photos BC! What are the ducks, can't think of the name, a foreign job common in waterfowl collections?
We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein
Ringed Teal
" In the beginning, the universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry, and is generally considered to have been a bad move. -- Douglas Adams, The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy "
I am totally besotted
by the winsomeness of the monkey in the 4th portrait.
I'm kinda partial
To the little red and white bear sticking out his tongue.
There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier
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