How'd it go today?

1hp per cc with an extra 1000hp going to the supercharger ( whatever the supercharger is for because the fuel is already highly oxygenated).
 
I work with some guys that have drag cars, absolutely amazing what they make those things do. They fabricate a lot of their parts, incredibly skilled guys, and unbelievably knowledgeable and well rounded.
 
My nephew built a Camaro drag car. I was at neighbors at a party. I heard this incredibly loud noise and a blue streak go by. After I thought about it I said I think I know who that was. Yup. My son was with him and he is no scardy-cat, but he told him slow down! He was worried about the rear end getting ripped out and told him you have to do this and that to brace and reinforce the frame-It's all been done he told him. Pretty impressive.
 
Today, I spent an hour talking to my father on the phone about various whatnot. After that, I somehow randomly began retaking interest in my DSLR camera for the first time in four years. I decided that tomorrow I'm going to start doing photography again, and charged my camera batteries, cleaned all of my lenses, and have plans to go to this huge sandstone formation near my house. It's a very large park, and the only place close to me that has no lights on.

I was so inspired that I even re-bought a subscription to Lightroom, which unlocked tens of thousands of photos that I've taken many moons ago. It's a lot of fun to rediscover these photos now that I'm even more skilled at editing. I already know that there's a TON of very impressive, high speed photos of wildlife (mostly birds) waiting to be located and re-edited. I still have thousands of photos to go through and label (I never used to label my folders; they all just have dates; stupid).

Here's one of the better shots I've come across so far. It's a long exposure, nighttime photo of the ISS (International Space Station) passing over my parent's house. Pretty nifty. That isn't easy to do, let me tell you. You basically only have one or two attempts to get the shot before it passes overhead and out of frame.

View attachment ISS Flying Above My Parent's House.jpg
 
I like the way that whole thing's framed, and the moon(?) just out frame makes the trees look cool.
Thanks! I appreciate that! Yes, the moon caused everything in the foreground to light up the way it did. The trees protected the camera, allowing me to capture the stars during the exposure. Can't wait to find more great photos...and better yet, start taking more great photos. I somehow had forgotten how much fun it is. I've sort of been obsessed with tree climbing for the last two years, so I think it sort of pushed photography out of the way for awhile. Who knows, though?
 
Arizona is very photogenic. Lots of designated "Dark Sky Communities" which is why so many of the streetlights are high pressure sodium bulbs, with their orange-red color. Still, if you want good night sky shots, you gotta get out of the cities, like up here, where a clear sky looks like an astronomy poster, the Milky Way a frothing, silver river.
 
I live a couple miles south of the shore of Lake Ontario. Just rural land between me and the lake. Nice unlit area for night sky. The neighbors horse barn is about 3/8 of a mile north of me. They put up an LED light on my end of the barn that looked like the rising sun. I dropped a couple hints about it. Finally it just came up naturally and the mom said she didn't like it either. They put up a motion light. Hallelujah. It comes on randomly once in a while but goes right off.

I enjoy going out a couple times every night to look for Northern Lights and just enjoy the night sky. Best sky I ever saw was on the Big Island of Hawaii, up on the volcano. Absolutely incredible. So much different than 320 feet above sea level.
 
We saw the last Space Shuttle and the ISS orbiting together after it had undocked in preperation for the shuttle to end its flight. You could tell which was which by how bright they were. I remember the first satellite I saw when I was a kid in the 60s. Shortly after sundown and it was nice and bright as it headed east till it just quickly faded out. I was thrilled to have seen it. Common now. Lots of it is probably just space junk.
 
Helped Mike remove a couple hangers from a sawtooth oak on a job we did earlier this year. It wasn't much to do, but he had the trailer hooked up, and everything was ready to go, so he gave me a call. I didn't do much. Just picked up debris, and sent tools up to him. Windy as hell. I've seen sawtooth oak before, and had a little interest in getting one of my own, but not after today. Very weak tree. There isn't much to them. Easy to break limbs, and the insides look rotted, even though the wood's fine. It's like the fibers are barely holding it together. I'm not impressed.
 
Helped Mike remove a couple hangers from a sawtooth oak on a job we did earlier this year. It wasn't much to do, but he had the trailer hooked up, and everything was ready to go, so he gave me a call. I didn't do much. Just picked up debris, and sent tools up to him. Windy as hell. I've seen sawtooth oak before, and had a little interest in getting one of my own, but not after today. Very weak tree. There isn't much to them. Easy to break limbs, and the insides look rotted, even though the wood's fine. It's like the fibers are barely holding it together. I'm not impressed.
Sounds a bit like the gambel oak we have here...

Imma cut that piece of Chinese elm you sent me, someday! Need to address some chain issues before I tackle that glittering piece! The wiki article said "Contains silica". No shit, it looks like it's covered in sand!

I plan on soaking it for a while, then baking it just before I make the smell-good-cut. When we opened the box, everyone sniffed the log as it was lolz, now everyone is waiting for the cut. You're right, it's a "spicy" kinda smell...
 
Today, I spent an hour talking to my father on the phone about various whatnot. After that, I somehow randomly began retaking interest in my DSLR camera for the first time in four years. I decided that tomorrow I'm going to start doing photography again, and charged my camera batteries, cleaned all of my lenses, and have plans to go to this huge sandstone formation near my house. It's a very large park, and the only place close to me that has no lights on.

I was so inspired that I even re-bought a subscription to Lightroom, which unlocked tens of thousands of photos that I've taken many moons ago. It's a lot of fun to rediscover these photos now that I'm even more skilled at editing. I already know that there's a TON of very impressive, high speed photos of wildlife (mostly birds) waiting to be located and re-edited. I still have thousands of photos to go through and label (I never used to label my folders; they all just have dates; stupid).

Here's one of the better shots I've come across so far. It's a long exposure, nighttime photo of the ISS (International Space Station) passing over my parent's house. Pretty nifty. That isn't easy to do, let me tell you. You basically only have one or two attempts to get the shot before it passes overhead and out of frame.

View attachment 136902
Surely you will remove the photos from Lr before the subscription ends, so they aren't locked in there. I use Exposure, which is similar, but no subscription.

Today, I spent an hour talking to my father on the phone about various whatnot. After that, I somehow randomly began retaking interest in my DSLR camera for the first time in four years. I decided that tomorrow I'm going to start doing photography again, and charged my camera batteries, cleaned all of my lenses, and have plans to go to this huge sandstone formation near my house. It's a very large park, and the only place close to me that has no lights on.

I was so inspired that I even re-bought a subscription to Lightroom, which unlocked tens of thousands of photos that I've taken many moons ago. It's a lot of fun to rediscover these photos now that I'm even more skilled at editing. I already know that there's a TON of very impressive, high speed photos of wildlife (mostly birds) waiting to be located and re-edited. I still have thousands of photos to go through and label (I never used to label my folders; they all just have dates; stupid).

Here's one of the better shots I've come across so far. It's a long exposure, nighttime photo of the ISS (International Space Station) passing over my parent's house. Pretty nifty. That isn't easy to do, let me tell you. You basically only have one or two attempts to get the shot before it passes overhead and out of frame.

View attachment 136902
Nice pic, and house. I'm a little bummed in that I thought you actually got a good pic of the ISS up close, like through a telescope. That's super challenging.
 
Trimmed bushes, small trees, and a pear (fruit- not callary) tree for a nice older gentleman who I met through Marketplace when I sold him some milled cedar posts. I didn’t take many pictures. A holly had a neat graft in it. I don’t seek hedge trimmer work but will do it if asked. Also, removed vines from his trees. A sycamore had a 3-4” dia bittersweet vine growing up it. Too nice of a tree to be destroyed by a dang vine.

Got finished early enough to remove 3 hangers from the top of a 60’+ sawtooth oak. Luckily John was available at the drop of a hat (much gratitude, John!) I’ve never been in a sawtooth but it’s some weak stuff. Of course while at the near top of that tree, 20-30 mph gusts came up blowing snow sideways. My brain said “bail!” but I was on the main leader without defects and it was not in leaf. Just put each of my limbs on a different section of the tree and rode it out- passed quickly. Difference between the brain telling me something vs the gut.
 

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Surely you will remove the photos from Lr before the subscription ends, so they aren't locked in there. I use Exposure, which is similar, but no subscription.


Nice pic, and house. I'm a little bummed in that I thought you actually got a good pic of the ISS up close, like through a telescope. That's super challenging.
Yes, you're definitely right about being able to access photos without a subscription. I meant "unlocked" more in the sense as it basically opened some kind of proverbial door which led me to rediscover my old photos. But yeah, you're right about that. My comment was ambiguous.

Sorry I disappointed you. The biggest lens on my camera is 300mm; it's a telephoto lens that I use to take high speed shot of birds in flight and doing bird things (lolz). I also take pictures of basically any type of wild life, along with scenery/nature. I do some astrophotography every so often, but I would need a powerful telescope that is immensely out of my price range in order to take a close up shot of the ISS.

I'm more interested in doing time lapse of sunsets and sunrises (et cetera), shooting light trails from cars with long exposure, or taking shots of the stars, and various other types of photography, like macro. I definitely hope that someday I'm able to buy a telescope of that caliber. My old neighbor used to have a super intense, massive telescope, and we would drive to where there is less light pollution and take pictures of galaxies, nebulae, comets, asteroids, satellites, and of course planets and their moons. He would have his laptop in the back of his SUV. He could put in coordinates and the telescope had motors that would move it to the exact spot of the celestial object inputted.

Anyways, thanks for your input. It's appreciated!
 
That is a cool graft on that holly. If I were younger, it would be fun making bizarro trees by grafting them into weird shapes. Too long for a payoff to start now.
 
Yes, you're definitely right about being able to access photos without a subscription. I meant "unlocked" more in the sense as it basically opened some kind of proverbial door which led me to rediscover my old photos. But yeah, you're right about that. My comment was ambiguous.

Sorry I disappointed you. The biggest lens on my camera is 300mm; it's a telephoto lens that I use to take high speed shot of birds in flight and doing bird things (lolz). I also take pictures of basically any type of wild life, along with scenery/nature. I do some astrophotography every so often, but I would need a powerful telescope that is immensely out of my price range in order to take a close up shot of the ISS.

I'm more interested in doing time lapse of sunsets and sunrises (et cetera), shooting light trails from cars with long exposure, or taking shots of the stars, and various other types of photography, like macro. I definitely hope that someday I'm able to buy a telescope of that caliber. My old neighbor used to have a super intense, massive telescope, and we would drive to where there is less light pollution and take pictures of galaxies, nebulae, comets, asteroids, satellites, and of course planets and their moons. He would have his laptop in the back of his SUV. He could put in coordinates and the telescope had motors that would move it to the exact spot of the celestial object inputted.

Anyways, thanks for your input. It's appreciated!
 
Broke my box blade, ripping my rocky excuse for a road. Got a lot done before the pin failed. Found the nut and lock washer, which are still serviceable, unfortunately the pin itself ain't. Where the tractor is parked is the end of the cut for today. I'll rob a pin from my trailer hitch adapter to fix the box blade. For now, I'll do what I can with the back blade. Lots of boulders pulled up today, lots left in the road bed... 20240311_141526.jpg 20240311_143701.jpg 20240311_143636.jpg 20240311_143643.jpg 20240311_143418.jpg
 
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