Random Photos

[pinball1970]

This hill beat me, I failed to get a decent Manchester skyline behind me. Next time.

 

[Andy Resnick]

Just got back from a vacation at Disneyworld, (IMO) an ideal location to use wide angle lenses; perfect for capturing big things in small spaces:

Zeiss 15/2.8 on Nikon D810. Straight jpg files from the camera.

 

[WWGD]

Maybe not quite random, but good news nonetheless. The restauration of Notre Dame:

 

[morrobay]

Seafood market today

 

[berkeman]

Pretty amazing and inspiring...

 

[jtbell]

I passed this place in Alma, Georgia today.

Could this be where George Jetson does his banking?

 

[jtbell]

Nice view of Venus last night.

 

[WWGD]

Nice view of Venus last night.

View attachment 354145

I love Venus' Hampton Inn !

 

[jtbell]

I re-lived a quintessential coastal Florida experience today: getting stuck in a traffic jam waiting for a drawbridge (far left) to come back down.

 

[jtbell]

North Beach Park in Fernandina Beach FL yesterday:

 

[jtbell]

The Monument of States in Kissimmee FL, today:

 

[berkeman]

The Monument of States in Kissimmee FL, today:

Dat's weird...

 

[jtbell]

Dat's weird...

Dat's Florida for ya...

 

[jtbell]

In DeLand FL, today: the mansion of John B. Stetson, the Western hat guy.

No, that's not me.

I also wanted to visit the university in DeLand that bears his name, but traffic and parking downtown were completely messed up because of the city's Christmas parade today.

 

[jtbell]

Today I did a day-trip to Tampa FL. As I was entering town, heading to the place where I've parked before, I ran into closed streets and detours. Another Christmas parade? No, it was the Ybor City Cigar Festival!

 

[jtbell]

Ybor City is also known for its free-range chickens.

Why didn't the chickens cross the road?

Because they were having too much fun hanging out in the middle of it.

 

[Flyboy]

If you’ve ever seen in flight refueling before, how hard do you think it is?

It’s harder than it looks, that’s for sure.

Lots of fine adjustments needed to stay in position, both in terms of flight control surfaces and throttles. I think the longest I stayed connected was maybe 10 seconds at a stretch, which for a first try isn’t bad. But hey, I spent enough cumulative time on the boom that I left with more fuel than when I started.

 

[jack action]

If you’ve ever seen in flight refueling before, how hard do you think it is?

It’s harder than it looks, that’s for sure.

View attachment 354331

Lots of fine adjustments needed to stay in position, both in terms of flight control surfaces and throttles. I think the longest I stayed connected was maybe 10 seconds at a stretch, which for a first try isn’t bad. But hey, I spent enough cumulative time on the boom that I left with more fuel than when I started.

Seems pretty easy to me:

 

[berkeman]

the longest I stayed connected was maybe 10 seconds at a stretch, which for a first try isn’t bad.

Have you tried other aircraft? That F4 is a flying brick, as you know...

 

[gmax137]

Seems pretty easy to me:

View attachment 354339​

Which way is the flow? Presents to the flyboys or veggies to the reindeer?

 

[Borg]

Which way is the flow? Presents to the flyboys or veggies to the reindeer?

I thought that it was a milk or hot cocoa delivery.

 

[Flyboy]

Have you tried other aircraft? That F4 is a flying brick, as you know...

I have, actually, but only probe and drogue in an A-4E Skyhawk. That’s a whole different critter, especially when you have to raise the seat and put your head to the left or right to actually see the probe (canopy frame blocks it) but at least DCS doesn’t have the basket wiggling around like IRL.

The Skyhawk is a twitchy little thing, too. Light fuel load and no ordinance lets you hit up to 720°/second roll rates. The heavier Phantom is actually noticeably more docile in formation because of it being so heavy. I am expecting much more trouble with the Phantom once I start packing bombs and external fuel tanks… reports from both IRL and DCS indicate that you need to put one engine into afterburner to stay on the boom when fully loaded up and nearly full of fuel.

 

[jtbell]

I thought that it was a milk or hot cocoa delivery.

Maybe eggnog?

 

[phinds]

The Monument of States in Kissimmee FL, today:

Reminds me of the family that went through Kissimmee and, having stopped for lunch, were guessing whether it was KISS-A-ME or KA-SEE-ME.

They didn't really much care but as the dad was paying for the food, he asked the guy at the cash register, "Hey, how DO you pronounce the name of this place?"

Guy gave him SUCH a look and very clearly articulated "BURR GERR KING"

 

[jtbell]

"Hey, how DO you pronounce the name of this place?"

Guy gave him SUCH a look and very clearly articulated "BURR GERR KING"

The version I heard took place in Hawaii, at a TAH KOH BELL.

 

[jtbell]

Need any Florida agricultural products? The "Nuthouse" on US-1 at I-95 south of St. Augustine seems to have most of them.

 

[phinds]

The version I heard took place in Hawaii, at a TAH KOH BELL.

How else do you pronounce Taco Bell ?

OOPS ... never mind

 

[jtbell]

On my way home from Florida, I stopped in Claxton, Georgia, which has been called the "Fruit Cake Capital of the World".

Of course, I had to buy some.

When I was a kid, my mother always bought some as Christmas approached. At the college where my wife and I used to teach, the faculty/staff Christmas luncheon always included handing them out to attendees.

 

[phinds]

Drool. I've been eating that same loaf every Xmas season for decades. No one in my family likes it except me, so I get it all to myself. Since I've been told that I'm one of the only 3 people in North America who actually likes the stuff, you must be one of the other two

 

[Borg]

I thought that people only used it for a door stop.

 

[Flyboy]

Melee weapon and emergency ration all in one convenient package.

 

[jrmichler]

Drool. I've been eating that same loaf every Xmas season for decades. No one in my family likes it except me, so I get it all to myself. Since I've been told that I'm one of the only 3 people in North America who actually likes the stuff, you must be one of the other two

That makes me the third.

 

[Averagesupernova]

What's the shelf life of fruitcake?

Spoiler

Longer than the shelf.

 

[jtbell]

All this just goes to show that I'm probably nutty as a...

 

[nsaspook]

 

[nsaspook]

... roasting on an open fire.

 

[phinds]

Yeah ... that's probably not going to improve its performance.

 

[jtbell]

From my recent Florida trip, a visit to the Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine. Built by the Spanish 1672-1695, handed over to the British in 1763, back to the Spanish in 1793, and finally to the US in 1821.

 

[morrobay]

Are the surroundings funky enough for you at this backwater seafood restaurant? With the best spicy seafood soup (Thai Bouillabaisse) I have seen these days

 

[jtbell]

The menu just says "seafood." Does that mean you get whatever they happen to catch that day?

 

[morrobay]

Yes , seafood on menu denotes any combination of shell fish , squid, shrimp. Other parts of menu are for specific dishes for those as well as fish.

 

[DennisN]

From my recent Florida trip, a visit to the Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine. Built by the Spanish 1672-1695, handed over to the British in 1763, back to the Spanish in 1793, and finally to the US in 1821.

Very cool!
I guess the thingy on the fourth photo is a mortar.

 

[DennisN]

Ultra lazy audio studio:

I'm currently trying using a mini PC (this one) with a portable monitor (this one) to run audio production software... in the bed . It seems to work, but I don't know how well it will handle more demanding projects though... we'll see... the mini PC is so small I can put it behind the monitor or bed if I would want to.

It's really crazy... I remember when I was younger I had to either borrow a four track recorder (often the famous Tascam Portastudio 244) or go to the rehearsal studio, and I/we would be limited to recording on four tracks. If we wanted eight tracks, we would have to rent a bigger recorder and if we wanted even more we needed to go to a studio.

Now I can do similar things... in my bed.

 

[nsaspook]

 

[Ibix]

View attachment 354568

I like it when somebody Eulers the wheels for me.

 

[DennisN]

Three autumn shots...

Red leaves:

Red and green leaves:

An autumn ivy lit by street light:

 

[nsaspook]

 

[berkeman]

@nsaspook -- That doesn't look like Oregon. Vacation?

 

[nsaspook]

@nsaspook -- That doesn't look like Oregon. Vacation?

https://www.yelp.com/biz/sichuan-city-happy-valley-5

It's a local and a good place to eat but let's keep it a secret.

 

[nsaspook]

Clues you live in a Asian cultured house.