Riding [a PORTiON] of the Erie Canal

 Recently during a not misty smoky day, our eBikes took us to the Erie Canal near Pendleton, New York for a short ride. We have always wanted to ride alongside the Erie Canal but to do so takes determination. It's a looong ride. Even on a short ride as we did, there isn't much to see of the canal but Trees bushes and clouds! Really!

The best views of the canal are while in canal cities and towns, or by the small bridges that cross the canal.

If riding the canal for a short distance as we did, there's not much of the canal to see. But the Erie Canal remains an important landmark of New York State history, and a part of western New York's history also, as it begins just north of Buffalo in the Tonawandas!

Here's a memory of our folding 16" eBikes parked next to a very tiny portion of the Erie Canal. 

Not seen in this image are the many mosquitos

 

IF a rider stops their bikes!

The Beauty of WNY Wildlife

 We were out again to escape the constant updates to our new home, and decided to go to a very popular and busy nature preserve in Buffalo where a Roseate Spoonbill had been sighted. We departed early and spent the better part of the day there....  over five hours there in the light rain, clouds and finally the sun broke through. Saw a bunch of birds which were the normal, but no spoonbill. Many others seemed to be out with long lenses and binoculars, so guessing we weren't the only ones interested in seeing the spoonbill. We have already seen spoonbills in the wild in SW Spain and in Florida, but spoonbills are a rare occurrence in western New York. Last year there was a wayward Limpkin in the area, and the year before it was a Virginia Rail. 

I kept joking that once we decide to leave, the spoonbill will make its appearance, and we will have missed it. That's exactly how it went: we were actually departing and out of the corner of my eye, saw something of a pinkish color fly in fast and low, then landed not even 42 feet away!

The one thing that always bothers me is that it seems human is such a controlling species. The humans really are the true invasive species of the planet, who have, for centuries and more, just gone any and everywhere, seemingly to explore new lands, but in reality we are now discovering that the true intent was to conquer and enslave other people, steal their treasures, their lands, and if that wasn't enough, humans just wanted to remove others from the planet. 

In addition to that goal, which they've done quite well through the centuries, is their desire to trash and pollute this planet everyone calls home. I haven't been everywhere, but I've been to a few countries, and the one thing I have discovered is the vast amount of trash left by humans everywhere! What is most disturbing is the amount of trash left everywhere, and seemingly, even in the most scenic, beautiful, natural and popular areas will be trashed and polluted the most! Even with plenty of trash bins and signs, humans do as they wish, and their main objective is always the same: to trash the area no matter how beautiful the area is. That doesn't mean that for some area not considered to be the best, should be trashed. THiS is our home: the Earth. There is only one Earth and it's already gone through centuries of pollution on a grand scale. While it's less now, it's still a lot more considering the trashing and pollution of our HOME affects eventually everyone, and all species. 

I have even seen people throw trash on the ground though there's a trash receptacle just a few feet away. It's not the responsibility of others to advise you of your trashing the area; WE should be able to remember that the ground we transit each day is not a garbage pit we think it is no matter where we are. We need to, and should have the common sense and personal responsibility to hold the trash till it can be disposed of properly.

Enjoy your day, week and season, and please remember to not trash our home nor our planet. It reflects on us as a species, and shows everyone what little regard we have for our own home, let alone for other people and species.

FogBow seen in my Past

 So the other day while working on moving my trillion and five image files from older external Hard Drives [eHDs] to smaller faster eHDs that fit within my folded hand, I've also been looking through some of the files for lost and great memories! Last night while Sheila was looking through her social media feed, she saw someone's post that displayed a rainbow, and that one rainbow post lead to another, so I searched online for how many types of rainbows exist and was shocked by the result! Soon enough my eyes stumbled upon the rare occurrence of a fogbow, which is a colorless bow usually seen during a foggy day. This got me thinking because I have seen a fogbow, and many times while in my foggy San Francisco, and waaay back in 2016 [below]while visiting friends in Norway! 

Have YOU seen a fogBow?  

Still Alive after all these [UNpacked] Boxes

So, we are still alive, just barely in this blistering humidity of New York state. A few weeks ago I saw a bulldozer moving an almost intact wooden shipping crate over to the side of the road to be taken off as trash. I mentioned this to Sheila, and we went over to check it out. Seems it was trash that had been sitting around for some time, with a lot of dirt and webs on it. 

Nobody wanted it but we took it to our new home and thought we might use it as a shell and a helping start for a shed, though small. That was weeks ago. We finished the move but the unpacking and organization is taking time, especially on my end. I hate boxes, but they hate ME more and I have the cuts and scars of many years on my shins to prove it!

So we've been working on this shed even before we even finished moving our stuff from the old to new. We had called a small local company to move the piano, a small upright that Sheila's had for decades. Our biggest items were still in the house also: bed frame and mattress, three big and awkward heavy dressers, portable air conditioning unit, a refrigerator we were going to swap between one left at the old and new home, and a few big heavy bulky boxes of miscellaneous items. The local Buffalo moving company did so well, the piano didn't even have to be tuned, but that in itself isn't a problem, since Sheila knows how to tune her piano also!

Is there ANYthang my Sheila does NOT know how to do? Nooooo, I've learned over our many years that Sheila has a vast knowledge, plus the power tools to build every and anything!

So we are up to our last few major steps in this shed. No blueprints. No downloaded online plans. Not even a scribbled plan on a torn sheet of paper. We are working completely out of our minds [really!] and without a script or plan of any sort, with our limits being the sides of the crate we salvaged! Really!

I estimate about a week has been lost in finishing this shed due to the high humidity. We will go out after the sun is much lower in the sky, to avoid the heat. Then the other problem was the rain, which has been extreme in the last weeks! We might work for two days, with three days off due to rains all day!

We had the roof of our little shed lower than the current wooden hand-built shed we inherited with our new home. It's a bigger shed but obviously handmade as ours is, but just more worn....  a lot more worn. We had already nailed down the roof, BUT slowly but surely, raised it to the same height of the older shed. In addition, we left a gap between the old and new sheds of about two feet wide. Within this narrow space will go our trash and recycle bins, plus yard tools with long handles. 

Today we put the finishing touches to our doors for the shed, and placed the two uprights on either side to hold the doors. Sheila nor I have never mounted a door hinge before, so that will be a first. Even the hinges we are using will be second-hand, as these were saved from an older door that was removed! Sheila calculated today that we have spent less than $25 on this 4x4-foot shed as we are constantly using old wood she's had or purchased for other projects, and had wood left over! 

I am just hoping that the coming days will NOT be as immensely humid as it's been for several days along with hours of rain recently, so we can actually spend a whole day to finish it! 

I might even post a picture of it when it's completed!

I still haven't had the time to get my portable folding solar panels mounted on the roof yet! Actually, we have NO idea where it will be mounted, but hopefully within the next week, it will be mounted, and start anew in charging our three 300w solar batteries!

Otherwise, I have also updated my online portfolio gallery, revamped the site menu, added more pictures, along with a few new galleries:

  ~ On the Road:: Travel imagery

  ~ Panoramas

  ~ Faces People and Sports

  ~ Architecture Churches and Bridges

  ~ Western New York - Upper Niagara Areas

Of course YOU are invited to visit/reVisit my portfolio, which was most likely created while I was still living permanently in Spain before I booted meself out due to the high cost of living due to the monetary change from pesetas to the gawd-awful euro....  a lot of people I know have departed the premises.

If you do visit to see my galleries, por favor drop me a line please to advise me you did visit, and if you didn't like the changes!

I thank YOU in advance, and hoping you and yours stay safe and well! 

Rain Showers means Rainbow Sightings!

We are tired and wanted to escape from moving and getting reorganized again. Whoever thinks moving is fun and reorganzing your Life possessions again is easy, is very welcome to join us! We escaped to Old Fort Niagara on the southern shores of Lake Ontario yesterday, and it turned out to be a good idea as we no sooner than arrive when we saw a rainbow. After that were the fabulous clouds - when aren't clouds fabulous? We look UP often - do you look too?

 

The End of an Era

I have finally decided to end an era of my life in photography, and of so many years of viewing the world through viewfinders. The fototaker name I had used on and offline, had been created while I still lived permanently in España. Since then, fototaker.net has been my virtual store, name, and my couch. Now for the first time since the last century [I've always wanted to say that!], I am no longer using my domain of fototaker.net! 

A very sad decision for me....  

Since May, I've been announcing online that my web domain of "fototaker.net" is no longer, and I've been using "fototaker Tony" instead, all the while trying to quit Network Solutions where my domain name is registered, and remains under my control till 2028. 

The agent at NetSol actually suggested I could personally sell my domain! WoW!! 

With that in mind, would anyone be interested in taking over my domain? It consists of the entire "fototaker.net", and though a fotograf in Germany is using something similar, it's not the exact same. 

Are you a creative soul who loves photography as I once did? YOU can carry on my domain of fototaker net, and once it expires, take it over completely! 

Will YOU be the next fototaker.net?

Serious photographers and inquiries only please por favor, bitte!

OoooH We have been busy!

 Yes, I and WE are still alive - just barely - and now moving too. Not too far, just a few blocks away BUT into a seemingly bigger place. It's been hell. A few problems thanks to the sellers BUT we are in general: HaPPy. Not exactly really content with the mess we were left with but in due time we WiLL be happy with the place, and have a lot of plans in our near future to spruce up the place! Everyone deserves a decent place to live and grow to love, and WE are hoping we are finished searching for that dream.

So, I'm still using my new phone, the Bison GT2 manufactured by UMIDIGI and it IS marvelous! As long as I don't zoom in, the image is fabulous at any of the phone cameras' six resolutions, of which the highest at 64mp gives me a filesize of 9280x6944 while the lowest resolution of 9mp is 4096x2304 is still sharp also, as long as there's NO zooming of course!

The total resolutions are the two mentioned above, along with 10mp/4800x2160, 16mp/4608x3456, 48mp/9216x5184 and 48mp/8000x6000. Very impressive and I am very pleased with the results!

Here's a cropped version of a pix of tonight and still as nice as can be expected. The below image was snapped in the highest 64mp mode, and cropped about 40%. Just click/tap to see this image in its entirety!

Oooh, the Wonders of Winter Stepping on our Solar Panel and more

Well, yet another snowfall has come and gone, with another within a few days coming again to drop more snow in our area! 

We still have a non-weatherproof folding portable solar panel of 220watts upon our roof. It's been there since late July 2022, so it's been there through many thunderstorms, high winds, and pouring buckets of rain, and still functioning! Now in its first Winter, it's withstood the blizzard of December 2022 in western New York, and many other snowfalls of more than two inches to a max of over a foot, and after the snow is either blown off by high winds, bumped off with a broomstick (as I've been doing for the past weeks), or just melted in the few rare warm sunny day[s], but it's basically been freezing in the 32° freezing temps for several months now with the exception of a few sunny days (thank you very much Mr Sun!), BUT no matter the climate, temperatures or snow, it's given us enough sun power to charge our three solar battery units within a few days each, at the very least. For the past few days, the solar panel had four inches of snow covering it, and was still giving us some wattage!!

Our batteries are from Enginstar [two batteries at 300watts each] and our newest one is the Amproad Epic 300watt battery, which at times, has exceeded the in-wattage amount of our older batteries, from our Dokio 220W solar panel Kit which they call lightweight at 9lbs, but you try putting that up alone on a roof awning! I am contemplating buying a larger capacity battery of at least 1000watts to test powering our refrigerator or other high-wattage appliances. In my few years of being in western New York, we have been extremely fortunate to not have experienced any long-lasting power outages too many times during these snow, rain or windstorms that the area seems to experience a few times each year. Typically there are thousands without power for days or more, while we - knock on wood/toca madera - still have electricity. We won't always be so fortunate, so having a battery on standby to power things is always a good thing!

Right now the exterior awning the solar panel sits on is not angled properly to get enough effective sunpower, though in bright sunny days, we only get an input of upwards of 90watts to the newest battery, and only an average of 60watts for the two older batteries. In a few more weeks when we have a very sunny warm day, I'll get back up to the awning, remove the panel and install a mount so the solar panel will be angled more effectively toward the sun. Having this mount will also keep the panel cooler with an empty space below it, which isn't the case currently. I am hoping the angled mount and air space under the solar panel will both help push the input wattage higher than it currently is!

Otherwise, we really can't complain. For the two older Enginstar 300w batteries, they each have always charged up in hours on a bright summer day, of course longer on overcast days. It's the same with the much newer and very capable Amproad Epic 300watt battery, charging up faster and often at a higher wattage rate than the other two batteries! No matter the weather, we always get some wattage coming in, and as tiny as under ten watts sounds, even that low amount will charge our batteries within 2-3 days! That's still free electricity from the sun!

We are still thinking about buying an electric vehicle (EV) but now it seems current technology will delay our purchase for a number of years, and maybe a decade. It seems there are on-going technology updates that could enable charging an electric vehicle in the same time it would take to charge today's gas cars! That would be incredible of course, as we cannot see ourselves stopping multiple times in a single day of any trip, just to wait for our car to charge in four but likely much more hours while on the road. The technology however will not be available anytime soon, along with a battery solution in the investigative process now, that could possibly power an EV for up to 1000 miles! Imagine having a car battery with enough power to do that! 

Okay, we are waiting, but we aren't young chickens anymore, and we just want our EV before we pass from this world! Maybe in this period of waiting, the technology for an affordable EV would be cost-effective and lower than what the average american EV costs today?

While we are all an "open" society and supporting the car industry of the United States for decades, the car industry is still pricing their cars for million and billionaires! If they want the support of the general public in this race to support the american building and marketing of the electric vehicle of the future in this country, they really need to talk to US: the real true Americans! We - the common people - who work for a living, and still need to have cars of any type at an affordable cost. The car companies need to price cars to sell to us the common folk, not the rich, or you might as well go take your over-priced EVs and try selling them on the Moon, because WE will not buy it. WE supported your industry in the past and you became successful and rich. It's time YOU and your company supported the American people - not the rich only. Give us an electric vehicle we can buy, enjoy, and cherish as we have of all the cars we grew up with, enjoyed, and purchased ourselves.

Price your cars for the working people, the real people of the United States, or YOU will force us to buy from your competing overseas companies producing electric vehicle, that we will purchase....  not because we really want to BUT because you forced us to look at their vehicles instead of American vehicles simply because again, you have priced it out of our budgets, and out of our price range. 

WE never turned our back on you, BUT you are again turning your back on the American people. Now, is that fair? Support us, and the people will support you. Screw us as you have for decades now, and you leave us no choice......  Of course, this is just one person's opinion and words, but don't believe us? Try it, and when your car prices are sky-high, let's see how many you sell in America and see how many WE buy of those brands from outside the USA!

Now, when will my solar battery finish charging on this overcast day?

New Month New Camera

Three weeks ago my newest - and my last - camera finally arrived. Seems everytime there is a huge snow or ice storm affecting the area, I am waiting for a big heavy package to arrive....  hopefully on time.

It's another Sony and is just about the same size as my old A6000 which I picked up several years while still living on the West Coast. 

The A7c at first sight looks like that old camera and I can even use my old lenses that were on that older Sony, though at a lower resolution and with a blacked-out border depending on whether I've zoomed in or not. The best things about this new camera is its small size, and very much lighter than all the cameras I've had in the last year. Having a built-in digital teleconverter is very nice too, and am discovering that it's quite sharp! I've mentioned I'm using my older e-mount lenses with this camera, and no matter that I lose a bit of resolution, the images are sharp. Last and not least, I am using my 65w Baseus power bank to power the A7c while on the streets, and when it goes to sleep due to inactivity, it charges the battery too!

Now into my third week of using the A7c, and it really is a fabulous camera BUT used to heavy camera bodies, I am really finding out how light this camera is and NOT  heavy! I know I'll adjust as I have done in the past, through so many camera of film and digital!

Melting Ice fm recent Ice Storm

NO pictures BUT our folding non-waterproof 220w solar panel now has survived lots of snow storms and now thick ice from the recent western New York (WNY) ice storm! It's been on our front awning at the wrong slant to the sun [hoping to fix this angle in Spring if  that ever arrives], but there's a tiny bit of freezing water dripping from above, and the wattage input to the solar battery has increased from yesterday's 2watts to now even springing UP to 8watts even under a mostly cloudy sky with outside temps of freezing and less at night for some months!

Sure, it's a tiny input wattage from the sun BUT it IS charging our solar batteries and I'll happily take any wattage instead of no wattage at all, or the alternative of plugging it in to AC power, which is what we purchased these panels and batteries to avoid!!

How are YOU powering your devices and electronics? We know that one of our three 300w solar batteries will power our TV up to almost six hours, and that's about how long we watch the tube in a normal day. The only reason I am still not buying a higher wattage battery is that it'll require double the time to charge via our use of sun-power!

NO images to illustrate the system we use, BUT we are happy we finally quit talking about it, and actually do something about it. Granted, we may not be getting much now BUT something is better than nothing, and we are on our way to sunpowering more devices and appliances. Also, we are learning how to utilize our batteries in powering various household items.

It's just a matter of time! HOW are you planning for your solar-powered future?

Memories of Visitors at the Falls

The ice storm of jst a few days ago really freezed up the Buffalo NY area, as it created a thick floor of ice that was dangerous to drive or walk on. Huge heavy trucks that plow the streets couldn't even clear streets as the ice is too thick, heavy and slick.  

Otherwise, just a few days previous it was a somewhat pleasant day that almost looked, felt and seemed like an early Spring. But even at this early day, we already knew there was going to be an ice storm and followed by snowfall. This is western New York: just wait a few minutes and it'll change - again!

See the squirrel?

An ICE lawn looks strange but reflective as the sun sets on the upper Niagara

 

 

fototaker News and other Events

CBS is again airing the Champions League games so, as you can imagine as I type, I am enjoying watching the Liverpool vs Real Madrid game - and Liverpool has a first goal of the match already - BUT am so happy that CBS is airing these matches! They'll make gobs of dinero in viewers and establishments allowing their patrons to watch also. 

A decades long personal tradition is about to end. I've already shut down my various sites where I exhibit and sell my imagery; the attention I'm getting just does NOT warrant my spending hours sweating in summer, freezing in Winter, running after thieves who have my tripod and camera, etc. and standing many hours in one spot for that perfect sun angle, waiting for that great cloud cover, or that fabulous moment to finally arrive, creating the imagery I love snapping of many creative and natural scenes, plus the time spent in uploading it for your viewing pleasure. I appreciate all the views and viewers over the years via the many websites I've established.

I've also decided to hang up the rights to my digital age storefront name: fototaker.net. It's been my stage name for many years and decades. I thought of the name while living permanently in Spain, thence the "foto" and though a lot of americanos think "photo", it's never been and will never be, as my real love for capturing images got serious while I lived in Spain in the mid-70s and I had my Black and White darkroom, using the small but very capable and efficient Lucky enlarger that was lost in Lenoir, North Carolina last year or earlier, as I have NO idea exactly when Zach Kunkle abandoned my personal stuff he agreed to hold for me years ago. I'd just contacted him less than a year previous and he said then it was still NO problem; I just wish he would have mentioned any hardship he was having instead of just abandoning my stuff, but that's now history.

Liverpool is now 2-0 in the Champions League match!

So, my many current photo websites are gone at 500px, Fine Art America, and I am no longer active at Twitter nor LinkedIN. I just now just maintain a simple gallery for viewing, to remain my only remaining site. What am I doing with all my free time now? Just doing the same thing I've been doing since the late-90s: reviewing big old hard drives, too many other external hard drives and everything else containing my too many image files, in an effort to properly archive all my image files in an effective manner so that I can find an image quickly and effortlessly if needed. 

First Real Madrid goal! Hala Madrid! 2 - 1

If you'd like to view my sole remaining web gallery/portfolio, it's at https://fototakerrota.weebly.com. It's been updated a few times in the past months, revised with either photos or necessary information, so you can rest assured you're not looking at something archived or untouched since the last century. The stormpage website of my artistic nudes that helped put me in contact to find quite a few models who understood my camera's eye and vision while I lived in Spain, to continue my dream of the perfect artnude during my move back to the States at the end of 2006.

So, my fototaker.net remains for a few more months before it will end. I've had this domain for some decades and loved having this unique online name, being very sure someone else will quickly take it into their own use as I thought fototaker was unique, but have seen fototaker in use over the decades, and not under my name!! 

Otherwise, we are waiting for a Winter Ice Storm to arrive within a day, but it won't be anything like before. I still am however, waiting for a BiG WNY snow storm before April! 

I am so grateful, and sending out so many thanks to everyone who has visited my various websites over the years, and hoping you'll continue to enjoy my digital memories now and into the future as I continue to modify and hone my imagery, and how I display my art. 

I'm selling my EOS R5s with various short to long lenses, so if you're interested, just email me!

Real Madrid just scored another gol and eventually went on to win the match! Hala Madrid! 

BeautYful Textures of Nature

We took a walk today in a not-near favorite park today. Having the new phone along for the ride, I was snapping in hires mode for a few minutes, now surprised some of the images were as big as some of my image files recorded with my full-size digital camera. Right now with an initial two days of having a new phone, I'd like to think the older Galaxy a50  was better. I trigger the a50's camera to shoot by using voice commands, which I like doing not only because it's easier, but also due to the unnecessary action of touching the screen, which can cause motion and of course, results in a blurry image. 

The Bison GT2 doesn't seem to recognize my voice commands which I am so accustomed of speaking to my decades of Galaxy phones when snapping pixs! Thank goodness it's not summer and a few bystanders may be staring at me talking to my phone!

It's always a pain getting accustomed to a new phone, but I'm hoping with more time, I'll find the UMIDIGI Bison GT2 will be just as nice as my Galaxy a50, and maybe just a wee bit better!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Listening to Spanish Sports on my new Phone!

One of the hardest things in this modern technology-filled Life is adjusting to a new phone! Really! I only started with "smartphones" in the 21st century, so it's still quite a new world to me. The advantages are incredibly large, but so are the many wrong calls, spams, and always being tied to the phone! These days, the phone can be actually more important than your wallet! Of course I haven't used a wallet in decades, since it is always being lost, but my phone almost never. Sure there's the occasional misplacing it, so someone needs to call your phone to figure out where it is ~ try that when you live alone!!

I had NO idea my old Galaxy a50 had a FM radio! I saw no app for it when it initially arrived, and just found out now while doing features and specifications comparison between my old and phones I was interested in. I just tried it out on my new UMIDIGI Bison GT2 and it does function and quite well. My wife had a phone that had a FM radio also, but it required a headphone to be plugged in plus wifi to operate. 

On this phone, the headphones are not required - I just tested it and have now downloaded Marca Cadiz to my new phone so I can keep up to date anywhere I can get reception, with my favorite Spanish teams ~ Hala Madrid! As it's February I know the Carnevale has already started in the provincia de Cadiz and now am thinking of adding another app to my phone so I can listen in to the chirigotas online via the radio! 

 

Tonight's Sunset Colors

Went out to enjoy the freezing sunset earlier tonight. Thanks to h2o and ATT and their lack of terrible customer service [IF that's what they want to call it] with NO reply from h2o or ATT in over a week to unlock my Galaxy a50, I was forced to buy a new phone. Thank goodness it's as I thought it would be, putting my old Mint Mobile sim in the new phone, and all is functioning as it should now. h20 and ATT should be ashamed of their policy to LOCK clients' smartphones even if that phone is UNlocked, so I hope you all rot in techno hell. This unexpected need to buy a new phone was expensive, so I know you won't mind my sending you a bill for my new phone. 

Now, back to the sunset!

Memories of the Red and White in my Past

When I lived in San Francisco as a kid, I didn't have any money at all. I used to go down to Fisherman's Wharf to shine shoes in those days when tennis shoes still were a new item. It was also different back then at Pier 43-1/2. The little office of the tour boat company had a ramp and still is there, but back then during the very few days I went to school, I'd be out there at Fisherman's Wharf and run up that ramp which lead to a observation area where I could look out over the piers and boats, toward Alcatraz Island and beyond.....

Those were indeed the Days!

I never had money to ride those tour boats, and eventually, I had moved out of the City I called home. The very few days when I was in my City by the Bay as an adult, one of the very first things I did each and every special time I returned to my City, I'd go down to Fisherman's Wharf to buy a steamed crab, ask them to crack it so I wouldn't cut my fingers bloody later. Then I'd jump on a Cable Car and head to my parents' home which was quite a distance away. 

That poor steamed crab didn't even last 10mins on the cable car ride home!

I didn't return to my City till the late 2000s to live permanently, and what a surprise! Most buildings and streets I remembered well. I felt I never lived my youth in those early days of hippie of the City, and I was busy doing stuff. I was a lost soul and never quite content with my Life....

The City had changed but in reality, like any other place I had lived since departing my City, everything is different but in reality, it hasn't changed at all. Many of the buildings were the same. Now able to drive around, the one way streets with synched traffic lights were still one way and synched. But I really wanted to see the one place that was special to me, and I immediately went to Fisherman's Wharf...

There it was at Pier 43-1/2: The little ticket office of the Red and White Fleet. The huge boat was still above spinning around, and the ramp was still there but now roped off.

At least now I was able to afford a ride on their Red and White tour boats, and finally could get pictures of my City from a viewpoint I couldn't even think of getting when I was that young kid before.

I've heard the company CEO has retired. I'll miss him....  and wish him and his Family well.

If I ever get back to the City, of course I'll stop by. It's something of my childhood that I miss immensely and will never forget!

 

Stay with Me

We just love seeing wildlife in its different species and colors, and at a spot close to the Niagara River, we had seen these ducks swimming against the current and wind. Turned out to be a Mother with her ducklings, and how cute these were! 

Thinking of a Tree not Dancing in the High WNY Winds

Still digging through memories of a past walk, and found yet another portrait of a Tree! I might not be able to hug a Tree [aChooooooo] but I can appreciate their Beauty!

As you walk slowly through my memories, IF you'd like to see something else, please let me know!

 

Reflecting Street & Walkway Ponds

When I'm on the street I am always looking all around me. No matter if it's up toward the sky, down to the pathway and sidewalks below my feet, or left and right to windows, cars and what-not! I love reflections, don't you? One needs to think, have I missed something unique just because I didn't look?

Loving the Beauty of Trees

WHO wouldn't love admiring the Beauty of our lovely Trees that surround us everyday and just about everywhere we venture? All I know is that we get out when we can, and whenever we are out to snap something else, our cameras always eventually turn to see Nature's textures! How can we NOT be awed by Trees and always end up snapping the Trees we love seeing!

 

Those Beautiful Vintage and so Practical Cable Cars of San Francisco

I just love those Cable Cars of San Francisco, and have spent at least half of my life riding them alone, with friends and with newly-made friends! I used to point out the popular scenic spots to those who wanted to know, in those days when I didn't have a camera in my hands everyday! Now one of the most expensive means of riding around my City by the Bay, I try NOT to ride them at all! But I haven't forgotten my days and nights on them as a teen! School? Who went to school in the 60s in the era of hippies in San Francisco?!?

NO exhaust fumes from these cable cars ever, along with the electric buses with their antenas rising off the roofs to the charged electric cables above!

 

White Snow Again in western New York

Well, after a few days of "nice weather" in western New York (WNY), we have snow on the ground again. It's not much...  probably less than an inch, but it's yet another white scene as we are looking out the window. The temperatures however, have been at freezing during the day and colder at night for many weeks!

As discussed after the Buffalo 2022 Winter Blizzard that claimed many lives as power was lost in many areas, if you find yourself without power and don't have a gas heater, you can use a camping tent to stay warm. Use blankets to cover the tent to better insulate the tent for a more efficient warm tent! 

Don't have a tent? 

Use your available furniture to provide support for your blankets to form a makeshift tent! You've seen kids do it to create a fortress, now YOU can do the same to stay warm during power outages in Winter! Even a kitchen or dining room table would provide a thick roof, then hang blankets off the sides then crawl inside and stay warm! It won't be the most comfortable bed but it could see you surviving a winter storm of a few days or till the power grid to your area is restored! 

If your gas heater is still operating well, no matter how cold it is, remember you need ventilation to move the air around to prevent the chances of carbon monoxide building up within the living areas where your gas heater is located. This can be the situation for any type of gas heater!

Just stay safe and always be aware of the cold in your home and while out on the roads! 

Stay safe wherever you are! 

Take a few minutes to make an emergency kit to leave in the car during the Winters. This kit could consist of a thick blanket, a few thick coats, sweaters, thick pants, etc, and a few snack bars, water, a fully charged phone and possibly a power bank with usb cables for your phone, flashlights or what I like better: a headlamp so your hands will be kept available to do other things, a safety marker, flares or safety lights, etc. 

We purchased solar batteries last year which charge using foldable portable solar panels to charge these solar batteries, and we are shocked but pleased to know that even with snowy overcast days, we will get a trickle charge input to our batteries and though it's a tiny amount, it still charges our batteries! Recently we also purchased a small unit that will jumpstart our car battery, and also has an air pump, a bright light, and also usb connections. This is great for using in the car and now anytime we are roadtripping, we ensure this is in the car also.

If you have other tips/advice for others, feel free to comment and describe your best tools, ideas, and things you'd have to keep safe and warm during any emergency situation! Hope this helps and you'll never need to use these tips or items, BUT if you ever do, you're prepared!

Above all, stay safe at home or while out on the road!

Sights and Memories of MY City by the Bay

Right now the winds of western New York are blowing past 30 mpg and while we have experienced in walked in winds past 50mph, it's still interesting to be inside and hear the howling winds! 

I am always remembering my hometown and its sights, colors, events and Beauty! How can I not think of it when I have so many fabulous image files and memories?

What is your favorite city or place in this vast place we call Home?

 

HOW to Be and STAY Slender ALL your Life in San Francisco

Live in area or in a city that has mountains for streets and YOU will be healthy for most of the rest of your Life! 

Walk, run or just get out onto those steep hills of San Francisco everyday as I have in my teen years, and you'll stay well, healthy and slender! Why go to a gym when all you need to do is get outside onto the streets of San Francisco! Really! I only weigh now about 15pounds over what my weight was when I was a young teen living in my City by the Bay!

I have never ever weighed over 130 pounds! Really!

Operation Earnest Will

These days WHO remembers the reflagging of Kuwaiti oil tankers, allowing the United States to provide protection by the US military from attacks upon oil tankers in the Persian Gulf? Later US Navy minesweepers were deployed to the Persian Gulf to sweep those waters for mines. I saw a lot of "mines", later determined to be actually dead livestock in the Persian Gulf with their legs straight up in the waters! Really!

I am shocked to discover that online sources do not mention the many US Navy minesweepers that participated in Earnest Will, along with other minesweepers from other countries. 

Lay Me Down to Sleep

When we die, who speaks for us when WE are gone? Sure, the People of the World cry and moan for those recognized as famous, intelligent, learned and so on, BUT for the Common Folk, WHO mourns for us? Who describes our lives and virtues? We stand against the famous and rich who are in the news and newspapers everyday, BUT who will tell our story? We too have lived, and while we have not the status of many others nor have servants to serving us, who will serve us our rightful few minutes of Fame in our Name when we are No Longer?

WHO speaks for us when we are gone? Who will cry when we are dead? Who fights for our Souls when we cannot speak? 

Who loves us when we cannot Love them in return when we are no more?

Who?

Frozen in Time and Ice

We went out as the sun was setting [the only color we saw was all grey from our location]. With tripods and despite the chilling cold, we decided to stay a bit longer to snap the floating river ice moving north towards the waterfalls of Niagara Falls New York and of Niagara Falls Ontario Canada which are the buildings visible in this freezing shot.color? Anyone interested in seeing this same scene in color? But booooy, we were freezing out there!

The Beauty of Trees

WHO in their right mind who wouldn't or won't love the Beauty of Trees? Whenever we are out to enjoy Nature's textures, we are in awe by the Trees that we see and end up snapping those Trees!

Tour Helicopter Flying UNDER the Golden Gate Bridge!

One day while out and about during my past routines while still on the West Coast, I happened to sight a lone SF tour helo flying near the bridge. To my amazement, it flew UNDER the bridge!! It was incredible to think that an aircraft would and could and DID exactly that!

Is that crazy or what? Then the SF FAA Safety office says "well, they have to make a living too". So that justifies breaking the rules and allowing an unsafe flight under the bridge? 

What is happening to the "civilized world" when stuff like that is not only allowed, but turning the eyes in the other direction to basically allow that?

Crazy!!