As the skies darken and the car starts making weird noises

Al Denelsbeck

Yes, it’s coming – on Sunday, to be precise. National Grouch Day rears its ugly head on October 15th, the one day of the year some sonofabitch isn’t allowed to rain on our raining on parades. But they will anyway, because if there’s one thing bright, optimistic people cannot do is put a cork in it.

I doubt you’ve noticed, but nobody seems to even try to recognize our own special holiday. Did you get a cake that someone ‘accidentally’ dropped on the floor last year? I know I didn’t. I tried stealing someone’s office chair for the day and I got reprimanded for it. The one time that I came closest to seeing someone try to get into the spirit was when I complained about being marginalized as the most unrecognized and discriminated-against class of people in the country, and I was told ‘grouch’ wasn’t either a racial or ethnic distinction. I was nicely annoyed with them for a while, until I realized they probably hadn’t done it intentionally.

In years past, I provided numerous helpful tips to foster the proper mindset for the day, but as far as I can tell, nobody bothered with them in the slightest – figures. This year I’m going to pass, mostly because I’m too irritated at the various things that have happened recently* to put the effort into it. Oh, maybe I’ll be back in a day or so to contribute, if I’m nice.**

But until that happens, you’re on your own. You’ll probably screw it up anyway, give up being grouchy about halfway through the day when someone smiles at you or something meaningless and superficial like that. We dedicated grouches have no use for such fair-weather fiends, and if you really had it going on, you wouldn’t need my assistance – you could crank out the crankiness without batting an eye, and could spread it to everyone you contact too. So you’re on your own.

* This is perfectly true
** Fat chance
*** This is also perfectly true: When I mentioned the upcoming holiday to Jim of the infamous Daily-And-Not Jim Pics, he said, “When is that, Sunday? I could go to church!” At least he gets the idea…

Sunday slide 41

Al Denelsbeck1 Comment

Lower Cascade Falls, Hanging Rock State Park NC with but not by James L. Kramer
I figured, as I ended the run of Jim’s pics, that I would feature this particular image of Lower Cascade Falls in Hanging Rock State Park in North Carolina, because this was a trip that Jim and I took together back before he abandoned the state. If you wanted to know what Jim looks like, well, here you go.

Whaddya mean, “Where is he?” He’s right there! On the bank, over to the right, crouched by his tripod. Well, of course he’s wearing camo, because you can’t spook the falls if you want the really primo shots. No, there wasn’t any particular reason for camo on this trip, other than he found it the most comfortable – hey, ask him, not me. I purposefully shot the frame a little wider on this one to include him, and since it was a waterfall image, the shutter speed was intentionally slow, and Mr Fidget wasn’t holding still enough.

Curiously, Upper and Lower Cascade Falls are the closest waterfalls to my location here, and I haven’t visited since – it’s been over 10 years. I really need to plan another trip out there. While I would also like to see a waterfall in freezing weather, I am quite certain that the trails to the falls would be extremely hazardous in such conditions, and the park is almost certainly closed when that happens. Looks like I’d have to get out the ice cleats, grappling hook, and black turtleneck…

Jim pic 48

Al Denelsbeck1 Comment

storm clouds through haze during solar eclipse
And so we come to the last of the Jim pics, at least for a little while. This one wasn’t among the stack that he sent me following his trip further out west, but one of the stack that he sent me following the total solar eclipse. He’d been clouded out during totality, but still got a few worthwhile shots, and I considered this one rather enigmatic. Since he didn’t provide any details, I’m winging it here, and he may be in to correct me.

First off, I just liked the overall effect, as if the trees where throwing shadows against the back wall (instead of, you know, there being a collection of storm clouds in the distance behind them.) And I think this was during totality, or close to it – the exposure time seems pretty close to the mark, though I have no idea when totality occurred for where he was since he never told me where he’d traveled to for the shoot. You see, there’s this little effect that occurs at totality that I only heard about in passing, and where I was (deep in a mountain valley,) I didn’t have the opportunity to see it. But at that time, you get a hint of sunset colors all around you, the dividing line between the shadow that you’re in and the sunlit areas outside that nonetheless reflect from the atmosphere – remember, the actual shadow thrown by the moon was some 110 kilometers (70 miles) in width, so the sunlit portions may be as much as half that away if you were centered right in the path (I wasn’t, though close enough for a decent length of totality.) So I think he captured evidence of this unique effect, though to be really compelling it would need to be a 360° panoramic.

I could be wrong of course, and it would still be a neat shot, almost ominous.

A million untold stories in the big wilderness

Al Denelsbeck

This is just a silly anecdote. I mean, even sillier than normal.

little toy orangutan with bindi
I found this little toy in the backyard – specifically, in the space under the raised and screened porch, alongside the lower deck. It’s not very big, essentially a keychain charm. I just don’t know exactly how it got there. Nobody here owned it, and it wasn’t there when we moved in, and doesn’t even show signs of having been in the yard for an extended period – just the corrosion on the chain itself, but the fur is pretty clean.

So, something carried it in here – through or over the backyard fence, and from where I couldn’t even guess. Nor exactly why. It was found near the compost bin, which does receive visits from wildlife – I’ve seen both raccoons and opossums checking it out for tasty tidbits, so I’m supposing one of them carried it over and then left it behind. But I’m not even sure why they would be carrying it around with them in the first place. Neither is so stupid as to believe it’s really edible, or was even once alive – the scent and structure is all wrong. Just having a toy, like cats do, is possible I suppose – it just seems odd that it would be brought along on their foraging expedition. Nothing else of the sort has ever appeared either.

I have to admit that while I’d noticed the gnawed-off toes almost immediately upon discovery, it wasn’t until I shot the pic that I realized it was sporting a little red bindi on the forehead. It looks deliberate, but I’m not sure if this is really intended to relate to hinduism or not…

Still creeping on the frogs

Al Denelsbeck

juvenile Copes grey treefrog Hyla chrysoscelis and juvenile pale green assassin bug Zelus luridus ignoring one another
The initial pics in this post I took just to illustrate something, but we’re going to flesh it out a little more than that. Some time back, I found a pale green assassin bug (Zelus luridus) on my butterfly bush and moved it over onto the nearby ornamental sweet potato, potentially trying to interest one of the tiny frogs there in the meal; I had tried to place it within easy sight of a frog that was basking out in the open, but my close approach spooked the amphibian deeper into hiding, so no luck there. A few days later, however, I came out onto the porch to see the view in the image above, with the frog sharing the same leaf as an assassin and showing no interest in it. While I could potentially credit this to the frog remaining unaware of the stealthy assassin behind it (look out!) I have since seen a few more assassins on the same plant, so the three frogs living there aren’t exactly keeping them off. I’m guessing the assassins are unpalatable to the frogs.

I took the pic in this manner to show the differences in approach. Given that both subjects were little better than ankle-height to a human, too many people seeking photos would take the above perspective. It illustrates well enough, but it’s pretty boring – the straight-down view doesn’t provide a lot of personality, and we get just a voyeuristic impression. Contrast that against my next frame, shot immediately afterward:

juvenile Copes grey treefrog Hyla chrysoscelis and juvenile pale green assassin bug Zelus luridus from portrait angle
I think it’s hard to argue which view is better; not only does this one eradicate the flat perspective of the original and provide some depth, it gives a more portrait-angle to both subjects, and makes the frog much cuter. And another aspect: it shows the expanding grey coloration of the frog, especially when compared with previously. And so, I went in a little closer, though it served to blur out the assassin more and lost the effect of showing them off together.

juvenile Copes grey treefrog Hyla chrysoscelis and juvenile pale green assassin bug Zelus luridus from closer portrait angle
There is little doubt in my mind now that these are juvenile Copes grey treefrogs (Hyla chrysoscelis,) with a high likelihood of being among the tadpole brood featured here, and very likely to offspring of the pair atop the fence post seen here. I like being able to illustrate a life cycle in this manner.

But if they are all related, there still seems to be a fair amount of variation that can occur, because this next pic is one of the three (or at least, as certain as I can be,) but it has gone completely grey.

juvenile Copes grey treefrog Hyla chrysoscelis looking depressed on leaf
Naturally, I’m going to talk about false impressions, because while this image illustrates the color nicely, the frog isn’t exactly enthused-looking – it actually appears depressed. I doubt any such state can really be achieved by amphibians, and in this case it’s likely nonsense even if it were possible. The frog is just basking once the sun was now high enough to illuminate the leaves, gaining some heat from the chill of the nights, but it’s not alarmed by my approach and possibly trying to snooze. While it looks like the head is dropping, that’s if we assume the leaf and/or my shooting angle was roughly level, which they were not; the frog is actually facing upslope on the dangling leaf, and I’m shooting downward a bit to get the face shot again. Yet the impression we get alters the entire mood of the image, doesn’t it?

By the way, there’s also a green treefrog (Hyla cinerea,) much older than these, that visits the porch immediately adjacent to these plants from time to time at night, attracted by the bugs that are attracted by the lights. It means we tend to watch our step carefully when going in and out. I certainly appreciate having photo subjects so convenient, but like the mantises, it makes me paranoid just walking around the yard.

Jim pic 47

Al Denelsbeck1 Comment

This is the last of the trip photos of Jim’s that I’m going to feature, though there’s actually one other image that will appear shortly. For now, we’ll take a look at this rather critically.

First off, I doubt that Jim is considering this his strongest composition so I don’t feel bad featuring it in this manner, but let me ask you: What do you think of it? Take your time.

view across pastures and rolling hills, Badlands South Dakota by James L. Kramer
Here’s my take: I kind of like it, especially with the placement of the tree and the distinct feeling of depth, gently rolling hills giving way to distant mesas. Can you hear the wind? While it almost looks like pasturage – I can see some animal trails through the grasses – there are no fences to be seen, perhaps the reason why Jim shot it vertically. The image is almost perfectly bisected, with the entire upper half taken up with only a gradient blue; the few clouds even enhance the feel of great distance. But I think the emphasis on the sky might be overdone, and I know I would have sought after something very close to put into the lower foreground; that’s personal style, however. On top of that, the color is a bit muted, no fault of Jim’s, but it still makes for a somber composition.

The big question is, how much did you agree initially, and how much did my saying all that alter how you were viewing it yourself? We’re pretty bad about being influenced by what we hear from others. What if I’d spoken instead about a “wonderful feeling of isolation and solitude”? What if I’d used the words “desolation and loneliness” instead? Or perhaps said something about hosting the spirits of Native Americans from times past? Did you take that literally, or metaphorically?

I might bring this up again in a later post, when it’s not directly associated with Jim’s images (who, I might add, did not provide any influences at all when sending these over – I know for a fact that he prefers people to define their own impressions.)

Meanwhile, I’m also struck by how much fun it would be to horse around on a dirt bike across that landscape for a few hours…

Podcast: Radio interview

Al Denelsbeck

The slow season has now gotten a firm grip, and it’s only going to go downhill from here for a couple of months – I’ll still be finding things to photograph and post about, but it’ll be a bit harder.

In the meantime, however, I’m succumbing to narcissism (ever so briefly) by featuring my fifteen seconds of fame, at least locally: I was asked in by the nearby radio station to be interviewed on their morning show. WANK 82.4 FM has a short program titled, “All About Our Town,” where they feature local, um, celebrities? Characters? Miscreants? Whatever might apply, since they asked me to come down for a chat. I was exceptionally flattered, and I personally think it went very well, but I’ll let the program speak for itself:

Walkabout podcast – Radio interview

It’s funny – when I was first called, I’m pretty sure they mentioned an honorarium, but after the interview there wasn’t a word about it and they looked at me sidelong when I asked. That’s okay – the exposure is worth more than cash can provide.

Because there’s no WOA

Al Denelsbeck

On one of the new butterfly bushes out front sits a curious resident, not uncommon around here, but certainly challenging to photograph in detail. In fact, some of the images for this post represent the third attempt to get photos. The things I do for you.

adorned web of trashline orbweaver genus Cyclosa spider in bush
No, stop sneering – this wasn’t one of the hard ones. And it’s not exactly subtle about the implied presence of a spider, anyway – not too many things just hover motionless in midair like this, so even without the light catching a few strands, the more astute of us could deduce the presence of a web. But the spider itself is right there too, hidden among the line of trash, and it’s easily the most appropriately-named spider that I’ve come across, at least if you use the common name: it’s a trashline orbweaver – well, okay, one of several species that bear that moniker. It gets slightly trickier from here. If you’re trying to see the spider, know that like every spider, it’s sitting right in the center of the web where the lines and circles converge, because that’s how they can feel prey striking the web the best, so ignore the deceptive bulges and use the light on the strands as a pointer – there is a very faint difference in color visible, a hint of symmetry. But here it is up close.

closeup of trashline orbweaver genus Cyclosa spider in center of web
Now the spider is a bit more obvious, but seeing it this way takes quite a bit of magnification, since it’s tiny – just a couple of millimeters in body length. If it helps, the spider is facing upwards with its legs tucked in tightly. The trash line that it sits within is composed of its victims, which seems a bit macabre even for a spider, but it works awful damn well to camouflage the spider itself, doesn’t it?

There are two species that this might be, either Cyclosa turbinata or Cyclosa conica – as BugGuide.net says, “Females of turbinata differ from conica by being smaller in size and having a pair of anterior dorsal humps.” Should be easy, then: since there are no humps visible on the frontish side of the abdomen, then this is a C. conica. Not so fast, however – it also says that the anterior dorsal humps are “often indistinct.” And the photos they provide to illustrate this indicates that the humps can be subtle indeed. Well, peachy. But I got several images, so among them I should be able to distinguish this little detail.

frontal closeup of trashline orbweaver genus Cyclosa spider in center of web
If you’re seeing the same things that I am, you’re likely saying, “Well, those could be subtle little humps, arachnid A-cups” (okay, maybe that’s not so likely.) But the fun part comes in when you realize that, in photos and even in artwork, the idea of highlights and shadows defining shapes can easily be mimicked by, you know, bright and dark patches. It’s easy to see that there are two light spots on the abdomen with a pattern of darker areas that look like shadows, but are there really shadows? It’s a question for the ages.

I’m going to go with C. conica (no humps) and here’s why. In order to get these photos I had to resort to the ring-flash, because my standard macro lighting unit couldn’t get at an angle that didn’t throw far too much shadow – not with the web itself and the supporting branches in there; again, I had to be close to get these. The ring-flash, however, is known for one specific trait: not throwing shadows, since it produces light from all sides of the lens axis – one of the reasons that I rarely use one, because it takes away the shaping and modeling that helps define the subjects (also that it looks vaguely unnatural, and will produce ring-shaped reflections from shiny surfaces like eyes and water drops.) Given that, I’m going to say that we’re seeing nothing but color patterns on the abdomen of the spider here, but go ahead – prove me wrong, if you dare!

Interesting, though, is how well the trash camouflage seems to work, because this bush sits right alongside a hummingbird feeder, and hummers do indeed eat insects, especially ones that are easy pickings in midair and just the right size – yet this spider has been there for weeks. The trashline orbweaver can only get away with this method of camouflaging itself because spiders are not in the least social, and so there’s no such thing as a Web-Owners Association to get all whiny and foot-stampy because these webs aren’t conforming to the standards of decent spiders.

Sunday slide 40

Al Denelsbeck

pre-sunrise on old stomping grounds Indian River Lagoon, Florida
I had planned, only a short while ago, to use an entirely different slide up here this morning, but the slide scanning program started getting balky and I haven’t yet determined how to fix it. My suspicion is that this is caused by a Windows 10 automatic update, which if true would be seriously irritating because a) no update should fuck with existing and working programs in any way, shape, or form (are you listening, Microsoft?) and b) I had the automatic update services turned off. During what should have been a routine deletion on a tertiary drive in my computer (yes, three,) the index fucked up and I lost access to that drive until I reinstalled it on a different SATA port. Once it was found and working normally, only a day or so later Windows 10 announced it was ready to install its new update, which I allowed with some concerned frowning, and less than three days later wanted to fucking do it again (which explains why I turn off such utter fucking nonsense.) And now one of my older programs from the Windows XP or 2000 days, which probably won’t reinstall under Windows 10, is not working. This better hadn’t be the cause, but I’m already familiar with the plethora of unnecessary changes that Windows 10 introduced, so I’m more than a little suspicious.

Anyway, back to the pic and away from my general pissyness. This is a shot just a bit before astronomical sunrise, meaning the sun hadn’t yet broken the horizon for my particular location, but it counts as sunrise good enough for our purposes. This is precisely at one of my old stomping grounds in Florida, on the extended shallows of the Indian River Lagoon in Florida – that old tree has featured in a lot of my images (including here, shot from the opposite direction.) When I first moved to Florida, I knew the lagoon/sound was close, but for a while I patrolled the edges looking for easy entry – homeowners possessed most of the waterfront land and there was no ‘public’ access to the water. Eventually I found a spot where the right-of-way for both the road and electrical lines came right up against the water, and I could wade into the sound there without trespassing on anyone’s property. This began my frequent activity in that area, much of which is chronicled in ‘The River’ category of the main site – the header image there is in fact the same photo.

The slide is dated January 2003, but that was when I had it developed, and at that time I’m not sure how promptly I was sending slides in for processing – I tended to send them in batches and during the winter my shooting slowed down a little. Safe to say that it was less than a couple months old at that point though, and in Florida, it was easily possible to be playing around in the water in all but the coldest months; I distinctly remember being out wading as early as February, with the water temperature being brisk but not debilitating. I wasn’t about to go snorkeling, but wading in sandals wasn’t bothering me too much. And this shot was taken from shore anyway. Straight out from this point, so extending towards the left in this image, was where my close encounter with startled manatees occurred.

September heads out

Al Denelsbeck

Okay, this end of the month abstract image was from an outing with the Immaculate Mr Bugg several nights ago, and I gave him every opportunity to post first, because he likes that kind of thing. Ah well, too late!

long exposure at night of landing jetliner
The last time that I had done this kind of thing was close to two decades ago, which surprises even me; it was more recent than this, but not by a lot – in fact, I think the copyright date of that shot was from when I published it to the website, and not when I took it, but I’m not absolutely sure about it. And these were taken in almost the same spot. What you’re looking at, both here and there, are the trails of jetliners landing, the shutter remaining open during final approach – in this particular frame, just shy of three minutes. You can see the glare from where the landing lights were aimed a little more directly at our position, as well as the reflection through the trees from the lake, and there’s even the hint of the approach strobes, the lights that help guide the planes in, along the bottom of the frame – no, not those bright spots, which are road lights, but the faint line of poles more towards the center. The strobes face away from our position here so their presence was barely discernible at night. You can also see some star trails, the amount they moved during the exposure time.

I hadn’t done this since the September 2001 attacks, for obvious reasons, but I finally called the airport to see how they felt about it, and as long as we weren’t on airport property, it was fine; we could even have been shooting from the top of the parking decks within the airport itself, but that wouldn’t have put us in the approach corridor like this one did. We were actually on the roadside where it passed just outside of the fences and the end of runway 5L.

The biggest difference in the intervening time was the ability to determine, through a smutphone app, exactly when a plane was due to approach – takes a lot of the guesswork out of it.

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