FIREBALL!!!!

A huge, bright fireball crossed the sky tonight. The software I use for this captures actual video of the event and also creates a jpeg (still) image from the video. I added the caption, and taa-daa!!! An extraordinary catch.....You can actually see it explode just before fading out!

2008: A Good Year

Well, 2008 was a good year. A trip to Hawaii in February, backyard shrubbery and tomato garden put in, the dogs and family are in good health and my car still runs great! I hit the 10 year mark at Everett Transit...boy, time sure flies when you're having fun...
Kept in touch with old friends...
We had a very white Christmas...over 2 weeks of snow here in Washington state!! The photo above is a panorama of my neighborhood, taken on Dec 23 (click the photo for a larger version).
I'm looking forward to more projects next year...some fence repair, more garden work, and hopefully lots of clear nights to enjoy the stars.
May you and yours be blessed with health, happiness, joy, peace and love in the New Year!

The Happy Farmer

Knowing that the weather would deteriorate soon, I pulled some of the remaining tomatoes that were close to ripening and put them in the window sill. Sure enough....within a couple of days, an arctic front moved in and the nighttime temps dropped to around 30 degrees!

This was my biggest harvest. A quart measuring cup, almost full.

Yellow Tomatoes

Found out the other day that I also have yellow "Pear" tomatoes in my garden...I had noticed that several of the 'maters were larger and sort of pear-shaped. I had no idea what they were....possibly mutant fruit???? Anyway, alot of them have since turned yellow and plump. One of my neighbors said that I have yellow Pear tomatoes! I picked one and ate it...very tasty...actually, just like the red ones.
So far, I've gotten 3 crops of the red cherry tomatoes (a handful each). Alot of them have split because of the recent rain, so I have a tarp to protect them from future showers. I think, however, that the season is coming to a close...the forecast calls for nice weather until Thursday, then more rain and cooler. Hopefully, I'll get at least one more crop....

TOMATOES: First Harvest

This is my "first harvest" of tomatoes! Still lots of green ones and some that are changing from orange to red. It's been getting down into the 40's at night lately, so I hope the rest of the 'maters survive until I can pick them. The temperatures have been in the upper 70's to lower 80's during the day, but the forecast shows the daytime temps dropping into the upper 60's-70.

Boy....this farming thing can be stressful!!! (Ha ha).

What A Meteor "Bounce" Looks Like

This is an audio wave graph, showing (highlighted) 10-seconds of an audio recording. The spike in the middle is the signal from a distant FM radio station being briefly reflected off a meteor tail. Everything else on the graph is simply static. This "bounce" occured on the morning of August 27 at 3:03 a.m.

Can You Hear Them???!!!

Well, I've ventured into yet another realm of astronomy....radio astronomy. Specifically, using an FM radio to detect meteors. Huhhh???? Actually, it's a pretty simple concept. When you see a shooting star (meteor) many times you can see a brief tail behind it as it streaks across the sky. When the meteor enters Earth's atmosphere, it is going so fast, that it heats up the air around it, and the result is a tail of ionized gas. This ionized gas can reflect radio waves...specifically FM frequencies.

The trick is to find a radio station that is far enough away to be below my horizon (200-500 miles is ideal). Because the station's transmitter is shooting it's signal in a straight line, eventually, the signal continues into space. At my end, I just point the antenna in the direction of the transmitter and tilt it 45 degrees up. When a meteor passes between the station's transmitter and my receiver, the radio signal is reflected off the meteor's ionized tail and bounced back to the ground in my direction. In this photo, the antenna is pointed toward a Portland, Oregon FM station...101.9 KINK, about 180 miles south of me.

What I hear before a meteor is just white noise (static) from the station's frequency. When a "bounce" occurs, the station will briefly come in clear...maybe for only a second or two. I have a program that records audio to digital format. The program also shows a "wave" graph. This way, I can set up the program to record for any length of time, and I can go to bed. In the morning, I look at the graph and look for "peaks". These peaks indicate a boost in the radio signal. I then go to that point in the graph and listen to the static. If I then hear the station, I know I detected a meteor.

I know you are probably asking, "Why???"

Why not???

Tomato Update

After thinning out my cherry tomato plants a few days ago, I was thrilled to find lots of small green 'maters hiding among the vines! A few were already red/orange, but most were still just babies. Looks like I'm going to be swimming in tomatoes before long!!!!! Yeahhhhhh!

Stargazer

The annual opening of the Japanese Stargazer Lily here at Meadowcreek Park Observatory is always an exciting event! It's fun to watch as the buds change from small and green, to the beautiful pink, then one by one, they open up to display their full glory. Ah....life is good...

Backyard Project Update

Well, it's been 2 weeks since my last post and I've gotten the shrubbery and ground cover planted. Today, I bought a dozen small Boxwood plants for hedging...hopefully to keep Boone and Sadie out of this side of the yard. At $10.00 each, it will be a little while before I get the rest put in (blue arrow). It is about 40 feet from the back of the house to the back fence, and the Boxwoods are about 14 inches apart....need about 24 more. A small gate near the house will allow access from the south side of the yard.

The brick outline represents the border between the shrubbery and the vegetable garden. The tomatoes are doing great....no fruit, yet, but the plants are big and healthy. Just waiting to see how they do this year, then next year I will try radishes, potatoes and maybe cucumbers.

Now the REAL fun begins!!!

Finally got all the old sod and dirt out, and tilled it all at least 3 times! Now the real fun begins...I went to the local Plant Farm and picked up the first of several types of shrubbery today. These are shown still in their pots. At the time of this posting, they are all in the ground and well watered. The tomatoes are doing great, too. Lots of flowers and no sign of any disease or pests.

Tomato Update

The first day of summer was mostly clear and warm....mid-70's to 80. My weather station in the backyard registered 86 at 1:00 p.m.! I spaced out the tomatoes a little bit, as they are starting to thicken up. I hope the transplant doesn't affect them too much. Boone and Sadie keep a pretty good eye on them for me while I'm at work....

As you can see, the on-going "prep-work" is still on-going (background). I'm getting a pretty good sized pile of clean dirt, though. My "stimulus check" will be used for the shrubbery and whatever else I may need. That should come sometime in July.

As of this posting, it is 77 degrees at 11:00 a.m.

Good Day For Dirt

After about a week and a half of cloudy, rainy weather, I finally got back to my yard project. Today, I tilled the rest of the garden plot, about 3 times, down to about 4-5 inches. The tomatoes are doing great after much rain and lots of sun these past couple of days. Almost time to stake them up. I took a 3 day weekend, and it's been beautiful all three days! I've been trying to catch up on the other yard work (weeds, mowing, pressure washing) as well as taking advantage of the clear night skies for astronomy. Whew.

A Summer Project

Today started out very rainy in the morning, but it finally let up in the afternoon. I took advantage of the dry spell to screen some more soil in the veggie garden plot. This view shows the north half of my backyard, with the (planned) vegetable garden next to the lawn. A small row of cherry tomato plants can be seen. The smooth, dark, square patch of soil is what I just finished screening. Over by the fence, where the pile of dirt is, will be shrubbery. I might put a rhoddy bush in the corner, with some kind of privacy trees spaced along the fence, and some low-lying shrubs between the fence and vegetable plot. Underneath the tarp is more screened soil for that part of the garden.

The small fence at the bottom is to keep my dogs out of that half of the yard, but Sadie has figured out how to jump the fence! (They are both Daschunds!)

Never a dull moment at Meadowcreek Park Observatory!!!

Spring Has Sprung....finally!!!

Well, it's been quite a while since I last posted. Let's see....I think I had returned from Kona, and it was snowing here in the Northwest. I've pretty much been staying around the house, trying to get my backyard "remodeled"....doing alot of prep work for new shrubbery. There was sod in the back, but because I have 2 small dogs, I never put anything on the grass for weed control....needless to say, it all eventually went to pot (weed)....uh.....you know what I mean!

The sod has thin nylon netting in it that prevents me from rototilling, so I have to manually dig it all up, screen out the dead sod and dirt clods, then get ready to put in the greenery. While all this is going on in the back, the front yard is holding it's own very nicely...one of the Rhoddy bushes has "popped". The second one will start to display color soon, and the Lilac tree in front of the porch has already begun to bloom! My favorite pasttime is sitting on the front porch in the evening and just soaking in the quiet beauty....

Back To Reality!!!

Well, it's back to reality here in the Great Northwest!!! Clouds, rain and even some snow late in March! Can't wait for the temperatures to rise above 40, so I can get some yard work done! (That's my observatory in the corner of the yard). WHERE'S GLOBAL WARMING WHEN YOU NEED IT???!!!

KONA: In Pics

After some fun in the surf.
Dwight, Kurt, Me
("50-somethings...")


One afternoon, we all went to an outdoor marketplace and had shaved ice, which is just like a snowcone, except the ice is "shaved" very fine, like snow! While we were enjoying this refreshing treat, a gecko wandered down the umbrella pole at our table. Curious as to whether geckos like shaved ice, I offered it some. Yes....geckos like shaved ice. He came back several more times for refills!!!!!
Did lots of snorkeling and took lots of underwater video. But....STAY AWAY FROM THE CORAL!!!!
Ouch.
Yes...I did pick up a guitar briefly while in Hawaii!!!! This was at a BBQ at Kurt and Serena's house in Kona.

Buds for life!

At the BBQ.

This is the view of Paul Mitchell's house from the beach. (He is the hair products guy...remember?)

KONA day 8

This is my last day here in paradise. So sad....too bad.....
Dwight, Doug, Frank, Cindy and I drove south from Kona to do some sightseeing around the coffee country and the area where alot of the "locals" live. We stopped at the "Painted Church", then Doug, Frank and Cindy wanted to pick up some genuine Kona coffee.
Went to Place of Refuge and then did some snorkeling at a spot that I hadn't been to. Saw lots of corral and even a moray eel (Video to be posted later). I also took some hide off my leg on some corral coming back to shore. Oh, well....no pain, no gain!
On the way back to the condo, we stopped and got some Donkey Balls (chocolate covered Macadamia nuts). Then the whole group met at "Lulu's" and had dinner. Went back to Frank and Cindy's condo and visited for a couple of hours. Dwight, Frank and Doug drove me to the airport for a 10:25 p.m. flight. Sure was hard to leave, especially after spending the past several days with old friends.
Thanks, guys for the wonderful time and the great memories!!! Hope to do it again soon..........

KONA day 7: The Dolphins

Swimming with dolphins at the Waikoloa Hilton

These animals are very smooth feeling...almost like a wet volleyball.

And when they look you right in the eye from this close, it's like you just gained a new best-friend!!!

Click HERE for a short video

On the grounds at Waikoloa Hilton.

This place was unbelievable!!!!!

Later in the evening, we had pizza at the Kona Brewery. Yummmmm.

KONA day 6

A very laid-back day...just hung around the condo all morning, then walked about a block to where Frank, Cindy and Doug are staying and had lunch with them. Hung around some more, then watched the sunset. Kurt came by and wanted to get a picture of us in the same pose as an early promo photo......

KONA day 5

Did some more snorkeling this morning with Dwight and Doug. Got some great underwater video of a sea turtle. Go to the following link for a short sample of the video: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1573738911893353097

Spent most of the afternoon just sitting around on the beach, then went to Bubba Gump Shrimp Company for dinner, then walked around Kona. Tough day...

Doug, Frank and Cindy at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.

Angelina, our server at Bubba Gump

Sunset from Bubba Gump

KONA day 4: THE REUNION

As you may recall, on my last trip to Kona, Dwight, Noreen and I completely blind-sided Kurt with my arrival. Well, last night (Friday), Kurt and I were completely blind-sided by the arrival of our former bass player, Frank Wambolt and his wife, Cyndy, and another old friend, Doug McKenzie.

I just wanted to spend the day doing nothing at all, so Kurt and I took his son and some friends to the beach, then went into town and had lunch. After awhile, Dwight called Kurt on his cell phone to find out where we were. About 20 minutes later, they all showed up. WOW!!!

So now, the whole band is here in Kona....a wonderful reunion after about 26 years!!!!!! (no reunion concert planned......yet)

My hat is off to Dwight and Noreen for being able to keep it so quiet for so long! Good one, bruddah!!!!!!!!!

KONA day 3

The day began early, with the birds singing at 6:30. I got up around 6:45 and went down by the pool to sit and watch the ocean....hoping to spot some whales. I did see a couple, way off in the distance...this time of year, they are often seen breaching (or jumping) out of the water, leaving a huge splash as they fall back into the water. Other times, they will simply come to the surface, with only their backs showing, then those huge tail fins will clear the water and stick up in the air. Very cool!!!!
After a small, late breakfast, Dwight, Noreen and I met up with Kurt and his wife, Serena. (Kurt is a good friend and old music buddy who lives over here).
The five of us drove north from Kona to a very nice beach called Kua Bay. Great for body surfing or body-board surfing. It's not a real big beach, but the water is beautiful and the waves are perfect. On the way to Kua Bay, we stopped at a stretch of beach where Paul Mitchell owns a home (the hair products guru), and also the man who invented the pacemaker owns a home. Paul Mitchell's house was built in Bali, taken apart, then shipped to Hawaii and reconstructed.

After a wonderful day of body surfing and just sitting in the sun, I went to Kurt and Serena's for dinner. I am staying with them for 2 nights, then on Saturday Dwight and Noreen are coming over for a BBQ.

Me, Kurt, Serena and Dwight near Paul Mitchell's home.

This is the Bali house (Paul Mitchell).There were no big fences around the property and we were able to walk right up to one of the gates from the beach.

After a long day of body-boarding at Kua Bay

This "graffiti" alongside the road on our way to the beach is actually dead corral on black lava. The locals fill up buckets of the corral which has washed up on shore put it to good use.

Sunset Over Kua Bay

There were a couple of hammocks on the beach in front of Paul Mitchell's house, so I figured...what the heck!

KONA day 2

A good night's sleep last night and ready for another day of decisions.....which beach to go to, and what to eat....hmmmmm.....decisions, decisions!!!
Went to Kahalu'u for some snorkeling and just plain "hanging in the sun"!
Kahalu'u is often referred to as "Turtle Beach" because of the several large sea turtles which can be seen in the water. I took my waterproof video camera snorkeling with me, mounted onto my snorkel tube. Being that this was my first effort at underwater video, the technique needs a little work, but the result was fascinating. I will post the video on Google Video in the next day or so.....
Aloha.

KONA Day 1

Spent the night on Monday with my daughter Mandy and her family. Tuesday morning she drove me to the airport for an 8:40 flight to Honolulu. Had a very smooth and comfortable flight on an Airbus A-330.

After a 3 hour layover in HNL, caught a 45 minute flight to Kona. Arrived at 4:40 local time.

After Dwight and Noreen picked me up at the airport, we visited for awhile at their condo, then went to the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner.

Another few hours of visiting and my long, but enjoyable day was done.

Dwight and Noreen at the Hard Rock Cafe

It's the middle of January, and I can't recall our last day of sunshine. But, last night was clear as a bell, (albeit pretty darn cold, too). Today was absolutely beautiful and the clear skies are supposed to last until Thursday. In honor of the appearance of the Sun, I drove to Mukilteo (here in the Puget Sound area) and simply watched the sunset. There were several people on the beach, all enjoying the view. The glare of the sun over the Olympic Mountains and the reflection across Puget Sound made for an almost hypnotic evening. Although the temperatures didn't get much above 40 all day, sunset was definately a happy time.....

I was browsing through some recent photographs I had taken, and found this one of the Moon rising over Meadowcreek Park Observatory. Notice the pinkish haze near the horizon? That is called the Belt of Venus. This view is looking east, as the Moon is rising. The Sun is setting in the west. As the Sun sinks lower below the horizon in the west, Earth's shadow rises higher in the east. The Belt of Venus is a band of pink between the sky and Earth's shadow seen above the eastern horizon during and just after sunset.

As I mentioned in a previous post, astronomy here in the Northwest is a hit-and-miss proposition....especially this time of year. Well, last night (New Year's Eve) was no different. Fortunately, the skies cleared for about 4 hours, and I was able to get out and get some great video of Mars.

Using a software program, I combined the individual frames from one of the video sequences to create this photo....

The north Polar Cap can be seen at the top, while several darker features are clearly visible.

Mars reached it's closest distance to Earth on December 18th, and was at "opposition" on December 24 (meaning it was directly opposite the Sun from Earth, just like a Full Moon).

As Mars' orbit continues around the Sun, it will increase in distance from Earth. This is because Earth is on the "inside track", and is traveling faster around the Sun than Mars. As our line of sight to Mars changes, the Red Planet will appear smaller (increasing distance) and it will begin "phasing". As the Sun-Earth-Mars angle changes, a shadow will slowly creep across the planet, just like on the Moon after being "full".