Bathtime For James

I TOOK THIS in April as James was getting ready for his bath. Cute kid, no?

M42

SOME NEW PHOTOS at TAGD, including this shot of M42 / Orion Nebula from a week ago (which has a slight camera bump, but is a starting point as I learn to shoot deep sky objects).

 

NYC Photos

I'VE POSTED some new photos, these taken in New York City. The Koenig Sculpture was especially impressive in person. Having walked by it often in its prior location, the scarring of the piece produces a visceral reaction.

Freedom Rising

I've been spending a lot of time in New York recently, much of it in the financial district. I took these photos of Ground Zero last week. The first is of the first several girders that will ultimately become the Freedom Tower; the still-shuttered Deutsche Bank building is in the background (location of continued recovery of 9/11 remains). The second is of the World Financial Center and Ground Zero as seen from the East looking West. The third is of Ground Zero itself and the American flag that flies there, with construction continuing even at night and in the snow. In both of these photos you can see the Freedom Tower girders and the upper right of the pit. Click all for larger views.

I PUT UP A NEW header image, replacing the B&W shot of the Arno that I've had up for a long while. This is of a surfer catching the morning break off Laguna Niguel.

THERE'S A NEW photo up on the Current Photo page. I like this one a lot. Kate and I were in Laguna Niguel on business over the weekend, and we spent a good part of Saturday morning watching folks surf. The big boys were surfing the break just past the rocks, joined from time to time by dolphins riding the pressure wave of the curl just under the surface.

We don't see such things in Philadelphia.

AN EQUALLY EXTRAORDINARY collection of severe thunderstorm images. I vividly remember being a child and asking my grandmother May, who was from Ohio, what tornadoes were like (a reasonable question for a boy from the wind-calmed land of Utah). Over anything else, she'd talk about the color of the clouds, and these images perfectly capture my childhood minds-eye landscape.

THERE'S A NEW current photo up. This one comes from Philly's Kimmel Center.

Mexico

I DIDN'T POST MUCH last week because I spent Monday through Thursday working with clients in Mexico City. Remarkable place if you've not been there. 23 million people. I spent all four days in the hotel, but did manage to get out for 90 minutes or so over lunch on Wednesday.

I used the time to walk to the Museo Nacional de Antropologia, which is an amazing place. I took some photos along the way with my Treo 650 phone, and here are some of the better snaps (which I've also cross-posted on the photoblog).

Along the street that runs into the park by the hotel, there are many, many painted cows. Apparently Chicago has a similar display.

This is a statue of the revolutionary Tito with a Painted Cow in the foreground.

There are many old things in the park. Those that aren't old are made to appear old.

Now for some objects from the Museo Nacional de Antroplogia. Only $3.80 to get in. Imagine: In Mexico they have the treasures of the ancient world available for less than the cost of a Coca Cola in Manayunk, PA. This tells us not so much about Mexico as it does about Manayunk. There are many amazing things to see at the museo. One is its large collection of artifacts from Mexico's medieval period, like this Catholic fresco.

Another amazing thing at the museo is this giant column water fountain, which holds up a massive, free-standing roof the size of one, if not two, football fields. Note the puny people in the lower right-hand corner of the photo. This is "para la escala" meaning "for scale."

Now for a series of artifacts, most of which are 1,500+ years old. For North America, this is old indeed. This is the head of a Mayan snake god.

This is a Mayan fertility statue. Given the 23 million people in Mexico City, this god is very busy.

These are the ancient Mexican equivalents of basketball hoops. A benefit of today's game: the loser doesn't face sacrifice.

I don't know which god this is, but it's from the Toltec culture. It clearly has something to do with death, and was as creepy in person as in image. Also, given the Toltecian penchant for human sacrifice, I presume there's nothing at all funny about this particular god. You are free, however, to be impressed by my clever use of lighting and contrast.

A monkey god, I presume. Ancient Mexica culture (before the Cortezian conquest).

Turtle

A WONDERFUL PHOTO to start your day:

Click the photo and follow a link to the photographer's Flickr photostream. There are some amazing shots. (Found via b2blog.)

It strikes me that I've not recently pointed to the Seat 1A photoblog,  Out The Window (there's also a link in the right-hand column). I've recently uploaded some new shots, including this one, taken of the central Utah badlands from 35,000 feet.