Category: New Jersey

Escaping the Wrong Way from New Jersey in WINTER

On By mvschulzeIn 1990's, Airplanes, Career, concern, Daytrip, driving, New Jersey, New York, Observation, Perspectives, Photography, Planes, Pondering, snow, Winter2 Comments

Newark Airport – Terminal ‘C.’     Early morning, quite a few years ago. “Florida?”  “Hawaii?” …I could only dream!  

Retired now, but a glimpse back to years of employment often revealed necessary travel. How nice!  But mid-winter?  It meant up early in the cold, managing the slippery roads to the airport, and shuffle off to …Buffalo, or Detroit, or some other frozen landascape.Renting a car was the norm. Bringing it back in one piece was the expectation.

Yeah, there was work to be done, and yes, often pretty landscapes in between.

But, at the end of some of those days, there was always a little nervous anticipation, often by the windows of the waiting room, pretending to read “USA Today” while supressing the notion of helplessly skidding or sliding down the runway in that plane out there. I would maybe think: Is this the fun part yet?

Thanks for viewing, and comments are always welcome. Zoom in for a closer look.

M 🙂

 

 

 

 

Some Like It Hot!

On By mvschulzeIn Christmas, Covid -19, Family, Grand Children, Greetings, Holiday, isolation, New Jersey, Pandemic, Photography, Pondering, safety, Winter6 Comments

Celebrating this year’s Christmas holiday, socially distancing with our family, (plus one dog,) in a pleasantly warm and COVID-19 devoid tent, set flush against an open garage, …as gifts and good cheer, (despite masks) were shared, defying the chilly air around and about.

Thanks for viewing. Stay safe as we continue to fight off the evil pathogen, and …comments are always welcome. M 🙂

12:53 AM

On By mvschulzeIn 2020, Ambiance, Astronomy, I-Phone 8, Jersey Shore, New Jersey, Photography1 Comment

For the second late night in a row, battery problems interrupted a chance to photograph the waning moon’s rise over quiet, and peaceful Barnegat Bay, on New Jersey’s Atlantic Coast. So, it was my I-phone put to the test, …to the capture, without having to manage a myriad of options with the comparativily heavy and awkward SLR camera and attached lenses. Instead, it was a few rare moments, out there in the silent night, simply taking in and savoring the tranquility.

Thanks for Viewing. Click on the image for a closer look. 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 🙂

Resilience in the wake of Hurricane Isaias

On By mvschulzeIn 1950's, 1990's, 2020, Automobile, Car, Color, Flower, Garden, MGB, New Jersey, Photography, Pondering, Storm, Trees, Weather7 Comments

About one month ago Hurricane Isaias brushed our area with 70 mph wind gusts carrying an abundance of salt water onto vulnerable trees and shrubs. Our Red Maple Tree suffered a significant loss of foliage facing the east side.

BELOW: One week after storm, 8/4/2000

                       BELOW: Five weeks after storm, 9/8/2000 

Below: Normal view at this time of year, (from a previous year.) Original leaves would already have been losing color saturation.


Thanks for viewing.  Comments are always welcome. Zoom in for a closer look.  M 🙂 (The old car was included to show something more interesting than an old tree!)