Category: Weather

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 🙂

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!)

 

Fly-Over Salute to First Line Heroes

On By mvschulzeIn Airplanes, Buildings, Close Up, Corona Virus, Coronavirus, Corvid-19, Daytrip, Geology, Hiking, Hudson River, New Jersey, New York City, Perspectives, Photography, Planes, Pondering, sadness, Skyline photos, Telephoto, virus, Weather6 Comments

Most of the country, and particularily cities like New York, continue in a state of shut-down due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. Today, a most welcome and meaningful show of support was heralded simultaneously by the Navy’s Blue Angels, and Air Force’s Thunderbirds, seen below flying from just south of the George Washington Bridge, to The Freedom Tower in lower Manhattan.
I joined about 30, mostly masked onlookers atop a basalt outcropping near Goffle Road, Hawthorn, NJ, to witness the event some 15 to 20 miles (24 to 32 km) distant from Manhattan. Close-ups are seen through ground haze, and a 600mm  lens.


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