Moon Rise

It was darker out than this photo leads one to believe. Time of this shot was around 1915 local.

For some reason I was excited about the full moon on Friday night. I don't really know why, in my life there have been over 750 full moons. Not that I've seen all of them, clouds and such have obscured more than one full moon, and there were times that I just wasn't paying attention. Probably when I was very little or when I was a teenager. (Now that I think of it, my cognitive skills during both of those periods of my life were very similar.)

At any rate, I was excited about it, and watched the moon come up with something of the awe I had for things "out there" as I did when I was a kid. Though I was pretty young, I do remember Sputnik, one of my earliest memories. Also my paternal grandmother's cat was named Sputnik. He came along a year or so after Sputnik (the satellite), though that event was still a big deal. Everyone was terrified that the Soviets were far ahead of us in rocket, therefore, missile technology. Hard to get worked up too much about current events these days when as a youth we faced the imminent threat of mushroom clouds rising over our cities.

To the right of the moon is a siren, used to warn us of storms. Also nuclear attacks, I'm sure. When I was a kid, my hometown sounded that siren everyday, to mark the noon hour (I think) and to make sure that it actually worked.

I once stayed up to three in the morning to see a total lunar eclipse. It was cold as the grave sitting on the hillside behind the ancestral home, waiting for things to commence. The moon was full, the night was cloudless. Perfect conditions for an eclipse. Other than that cold thing. My telescope was ready and I was bundled up. No doubt my parents thought me somewhat insane. But space was all the rage when I was young. Alan Shepard, the first American to go into space did so when I was eight. The astronauts were my heroes growing up.

So yeah, I get a little excited about the moon, the stars, the planets, and all the other things that are "out there." Would I like to go into space myself? No, while I did think of that in my youth, I realized that being in outer space wasn't my thing. I was content to stay close to the ground. Even if close was 30,000 feet. That was high enough for me, thank you very much. But those who do go into space have my admiration.

The way the camera, sans flash, pulls in the available light makes the moon look as if it is burning, and not merely reflecting the sun's rays.

While waiting for moon rise, I was out and about with the camera. Taking random photos to pass the time. The beauty of digital is that you don't waste film, you can take as many pictures as you like. Also, it's there immediately. Don't like a shot? Erase it and try again. Or keep it and erase it later.

Waiting for the moon.

Chez Sarge in the gloaming.

The pond without flash...

...and with flash. (I'm still learning what this camera can do.)

One of The Missus Herself's many gardening projects. I believe these are called succulents, they are pretty cool plants. Yes, she has a few.

After glow in the west.

The moon, she rises. (No flash BTW.)

With the flash active, the night sky is shown as my eye perceived it. Dark, and somewhat forboding.

Another excellent day, a lazy, relaxing day. The feline staff was happy, nay, ecstatic, to have me home. For some reason they like me, the feeling is mutual.

Saturday I can't goof off, I have big plans. The Missus Herself has informed me that it's off to the barber with me, she can no longer abide my "mad scientist" look. Unlike some military retired folks, I don't feel the need to keep myself shorn as I did during my active duty days. It's shaggy I've become in my dotage. Why some days, I don't even shave!

It would make my old sergeant shudder it would.

I'd like to leave you with this flying video. Got it from Lex I did (via The Lexicans), he liked it, I like it. For some reason watching Swiss jets flying through the Alps is just cool. Most folks don't know just how warlike the Swiss can be, they were feared way back in the day. They're not all watchmakers and bankers, not by a long shot. (Yes, I know Buck, you'd rather there was jet noise, not music. Sorry old chum.)