Category: 1960’s

HURRICANE ONCE AGAIN – Grand Isle, Louisanna

On By mvschulzeIn 1960's, Adventure, Beach, driving, Exploring, History, Hurricane, Photo, Photography, Pondering, Remembering, Road trip, Storm, Summer, Travel, Weather11 Comments

Yesterday, 8/29/21 – It is likely a small barrier island on the Gulf of Mexico, some miles south of New Orleans, was devastated one more time. Two friends and I were there (a driving vacation from NJ to New Orleans) slightly less than a year after Hurricane Betsy (1965) nearly wiped Grand Isle off the map. The images below were taken on August 21, 1966.

A year after the gulf beach road was pretty much wiped away, we were there (in the foreground) trying to cool off, (not happening!) and recuperate from the previous night on Bourbon Street.

Thanks for viewing, and comments are always welcome. M 🙂

In Search of Pluto

On By mvschulzeIn 1960's, Astronomy, Back Yard, Corvid-19, Curiosities, Exploring, Home, New Jersey, Observation, Pandemic, Perspectives, Pondering, Remembering, Science, telescope, Uncategorized, Weather5 Comments

A tale from over fifty years ago!

Using this 10″ (255mm) reflector telescope, and a simplistic chart published in Sky and Telescope magazine, I would try to confirm seeing Pluto, …a difficult star-like pinpoint at the edge of visibility. Observing from my suburban town only twenty miles (32 km) N.W. from the brightness of New York City, proved challenging.

A second observation from a considerably darker location was planned as Pluto would have slightly changed position amongst the same stars. But it didn’t happen as unfavorable weather conditions persisted for several weeks.

ABOVE: As seen in the eyepiece, …a rough drawing of visible stars in the area of where I believed Pluto was located. The arrows, particularly “G,” indicated possible candidates. I estimated magnitude 14, (the published approximate magnitude, or brightness of Pluto,) was about the faintest I could see at the time.
ABOVE: Compare the sketch to this same very small area in the constellation Leo, as shown from “Google Sky,” a searchable photographic atlas available free on-line, and certainly not available back then!

Did I see Pluto? Maybe, or maybe not. I recently concluded there was not sufficient evidence for me to comfortably confirm a sighting.  But re-visiting this event from an “armchair viewpoint” so many years later, was …an interesting way to pass the time during this pandemic year.

Special thanks to “Cosmic Focus,” an advanced amateur astronomer/imager from Australia, for providing the incentive to re-visit this quest, …and guiding me to to the current charting resources available today. His wonderful captures of Pluto and a keyway to a remarkable WordPress site can be found here or https://cosmicfocus.wordpress.com/2017/09/18/pluto-the-previous-planet.

Thanks also for viewing. Comments are always welcome, and you can zoom in for a closer look. M 🙂

Palisades Amusement Park – End of an Era

On By mvschulzeIn 1940's, 1950's, 1960's, 1970's, Automobile, Car, Curiosities, Daytrip, History, Hudson River, New Jersey, New York City, Photography, Pondering, Remembering12 Comments

Retrospective Series – January 1972

          Forty-eight years ago this month, the wrecking ball had begun its work marking the end of decades of fun and amusement at this iconic park perched high atop the New Jersey Palisades overlooking New York City.

Thanks for viewing. Comments are always welcome and zoom in for a closer look. M 🙂

 

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Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, 55 Years Ago Today – Part Two

On By mvschulzeIn 1960's, Adventure, New York City, Photography20 Comments

Arriving very early this day, we all parked our cars in the growing line behind the barricades on an entrance ramp to the toll plaza, …under the overhead sign in the second image below.  Finally, down by the booths, and after “Mr. First,”  the lights turned green and we were on our way.

The view was spectacular, with Manhattan off to the left; Coney Island, Lower N.Y Bay and The Atlantic Ocean to the right. The car toll was $.50 each way.  Today, 2019, tolls are collected westbound only ranging between $19 to $12.24 with E-ZPass!

(More information on the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, can be found on Wikipedia, which we support with donations.)

Thanks for viewing, zoom in for a closer look, and comments are always welcome. M 🙂

 

Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, 55 Years Ago Today – Part One

On By mvschulzeIn 1960's, History, Photography7 Comments
October 21, 1964, I was fortunate to be there, …in New York City, walking around the Staten Island side of this brand new and, at that time, longest suspension bridge in the world. In an hour or two the ribbon cutting would facilitate the official opening, and we would be among the first to cross.

“New York’s Finest” on foot, and on motorcycle, as the latter start one final sweep of the roadway just prior to the official opening.

See Part Two, as we prepare to cross the new bridge, which after 2018 became correctly and officially named as the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge with two z’s, finally conforming to the explorer’s actual name.  Giovanni va Verrazzano was the first documented European explorer to sail through this waterway, in 1524! 

Thanks for viewing, zoom in for a closer look on these original 35mm film images, and comments are always welcome. M 🙂

 

Look Through My Window, To the Street(s) Below

On By mvschulzeIn 1960's, Explore, Home, New Jersey, Photography, snow, Telephoto, Trees5 Comments

Still “Winter Isolated” here in northern New Jersey, this morning I captured this image from our window, reminding me (obliquely?) of the classic Mamas and Papas song of forlorn love in the 1960s, here. And yes …those are still our trees in the foreground!

Thanks for viewing, and maybe even listening. Comments are always welcome. M 🙂

 

 

 

More Marginal Doodles

On By mvschulzeIn 1960's, 1970's, History, Nuclear War1 Comment

Again, from the pages of higher (?) education notebooks -or- what to post when you temporarily run out of material! Epoch: 1960’s – 70’s!

Devine Intervention: Quashing  Nuclear War – 1960’s

 

 

CONVERSATIONS

 

Apologies for posting, but thanks for viewing anyway. Comments are always welcome, sometimes feared!  M 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

Higher Education: The Marginal Takeaway

On By mvschulzeIn 1960's, 1970's, History, humor, Pondering3 Comments

Above: “Bounce,” an early envisioned form of nuclear deterrent.

 We’ve been busy cleaning out our attic, including boxes and boxes of old high school and college workbooks and paraphernalia. Lurking in the margins and edges of these otherwise “academic” journals are the innermost and most provocative thoughts and revelations of higher education …the DOODLES!

 

The Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam, Woodstock, Social Pressures and Change – Doodles.

Thanks for viewing. Zoom in for a closer look, and comments are always welcomed. M 🙂

 

 

 

50 Years Ago – Earth from the Moon

On By mvschulzeIn 1960's, Uncategorized7 Comments

The crew of Apollo 8, on this very evening (Christmas Eve) exactly 50 years ago, were the first humans to orbit the moon and take the iconic photograph above as they looked back at Earth. It was one of the most emotional moments of my life, as we watched on television, mesmerized by a feat which is still hard to comprehend today.  For years I would have a 2 x 3-foot poster of this image above my desk at my place of work, and for the past 4 or 5 years, it has often been the banner of these WordPress posts.

William Anders, James Lovell, Frank Borman,

 

As usual, thanks for viewing.  Merry Christmas and/or Happy Holidays to all. M 🙂