Chalky auto detailing

Posted on June 22, 2009 by Clint

I don’t know what to think of this station wagon. Either someone’s getting ready to road trip to Burning Man, or the kids need a spanking! If you’re into the whole car-chalk-drawing thing, I suppose a station wagon is one of the better cars due to increased surface area. A van without windows would be even better!

This car has been parked along 4th Street for a while. If you’re in the area, swing by and have a look! Someone obviously put a lot of work into it.

42000: Under the Milky Way Tonight

Posted on June 21, 2009 by Clint

Not only does this post about tonight’s photography esperience get the title of my favorite song by The Church, it also marks a milestone: photo number 42,000 with this camera. Pretty cool, huh? This is one of the many hilly buttes and features northwest of Mandan on Highway 1806.

I’d been running around with my camera and a friend, a trip that took us all over the area. We even got to stop and talk with another photo pal who’s a member of local law enforcement. We visited the newly opened Harmon Lake, and then decided to head north to see what the sky might provide.

Obviously the clouds gave us a little bit of a break; I’d been fearful that they would blanket the sky and kill any sort of photographic opportunity. After dumping lots and lots of rain on us early in the week, the skies have since turned remarkably cooperative. Tonight was no exception. This is a shot back toward Bismarck-Mandan, as you can tell by the light on the horizon. The sky had a different color toward the south because of all the scattered light from the cities.

Here’s to late nights, good friends, beautiful skies, cameras, and Bismarck-Mandan! All combined, they make for a very memorable experience.

Respite

Posted on June 19, 2009 by Clint

I had originally considered writing something more along the lines of prose, something like “Ode to My Shop Vac” after the battle against Tuesday’s surge of water. We escaped without any major damage (wet carpet remnants in the laundry room), but it was a hard fought battle. Combine that with gutters full of those stupid little elm seeds, and I’ve had a busy week fighting water. So tonight I thought I’d photograph it instead.

My wife was tired and went to bed when the boys did, and she instructed me to go ride motorcycle or go out with my camera or something. I did both. After a great photo jaunt west of Mandan, I came home and got the big Suzuki out for some carving. Most of the time I wear one of my full leather racing suits when I’m out, because I’ve lost enough skin since I started riding at age 5 or 6. Wow, it’s been a long time. Anyway, tonight was absolutely comfortable in leathers. I had a fantastic time. Now for some shut-eye before putting a wrap on the work week!

I got a lot of fantastic pics, but I’m only posting this one before bed. I was out in the middle of nowhere for much of my photo trip (and picked up my first wood tick too!) but caught this sight along Highway 25, north of Roby’s Supper Club. Home of the best Filet Mignon I’ve ever had, by the way. Mmmmmmm….steak. I know what I’m grillin’ for dinner Friday!

Thankfully the ring of storms threatening Bismarck tonight were miraculously whisked away, leaving instead an awesome night for a guy to take out his camera and motorcycle. I’m so glad I have a wife with such good ideas!

Update: got my first wood tick from this excursion too, and I”m not surprised. I spent a lot of time in the tall grass. Also, have you noticed that “respite” is one of Kevin Lawrence’s favorite words during the weather? You will now…

Digital ain’t always everything it’s cracked up to be…like when it cracks up

Posted on June 16, 2009 by Clint

Ah…remember the good old days of analog cell phones, when you only got 45 minutes of battery but you could still hear somebody talking when the signal was weak? Maybe you could even make out what they were saying through the static. Then came digital. Long battery times, fun games, text messaging…and dropouts. So it goes with television, too.

There are actually three weak links in a digital television transmission here in Bismarck, if you don’t count the operator:

First, if the station is on network programming, the satellite signal can be rained out. That happened to me a lot when I was a master control operator. Sometimes you can get a backup feed on a different frequency, but not always. At KFYR we could route ourselves a satellite feed from Minot, Williston, or Dickinson if needed.

Second, you have the STL, or Studio – Transmitter Link. These are microwave frequency transmissions between a dish at the TV station and one at the transmitter tower south of Mandan. These signals can be rained out too, but you have to be in a VERY heavy thunderstorm for that to happen. Yet it does happen. KFYR had two such links, and if I suspected one was about to fail I could switch to the other. If you miss your opportunity to do that, then you’re out of luck. I don’t know if they still have two such links now that they’re digital, but a rain-out appears to be what was happening in the image above. I had 97% signal from the KFYR transmitter, but I bet the transmitter was getting a very poor signal from the studio.

Third, you have to have this thing called electricity to run your transmitter. KFYR had a generator at the transmitter site capable of starting itself instantly and switching the transmitter to generator power in the event of a power failure. To my recollection, no other Bismarck TV station has this. Which means that if you don’t have cable, you ain’t seeing Too Tall if the power is out in St. Anthony. The transmitter sites are on the MorGranSioux power grid, not MDU like us city folk.

So there you have it…if you, like me, don’t have cable TV, you run the risk of having your local stations yanked out from under you by severe weather. That’s a bummer, because that’s when they’re needed most. But such are the limitations of technology. They do their best to stay on the air, obviously. KXMB has even started putting the radar on channel 12.3, which is really keen for those of us who don’t have the cable TV radar channel. I just hope they either bought a generator or don’t have a power outage!

So what’s next…digital radio?

International Ride to Work Day TODAY

Posted on June 15, 2009 by Clint

If you have a motorcycle, today is the day to fire it up and ride to work. It’s International Ride to Work Day today, which is the third Monday in June.

More information can be found at www.ridetowork.org. Don’t let that purported 50% chance of thunderstorms stop you – get out and ride! I’ll be doing so too! I won’t be racing, like I was in the photo above but I sure do enjoy getting the fresh air on the way to and from the office! And we’ll see about getting back into roadracing again some day. Just don’t tell my wife.

Amen, brother…Amen.

Posted on June 14, 2009 by Clint

I couldn’t help but notice this big rig parked in a most conspicuous location last Thursday afternoon. At work we have a joke with which we heckle each other, “Could you make the font bigger?” In this case, I think it’s just right.

This truck is doing some well-needed evangelism, whether moving or stationary. The trailer had Maine plates and the tractor had California plates. Hopefully this message has been seen in all points in between!

I’ve got my memory verse for this week. See also Psalm 66:16.

Proclaiming the gospel from all angles. I admire this driver’s conviction. I didn’t see anyone inside, and if they were napping in the sleeper I hardly wanted to be the one to interrupt. In fact, I’m going to have a nap of my own once I finish typing this. My two precious little tow-headed boys are already sawing logs, and it’s like sweet music to my ears on the baby monitor.

This is the first thing you see when this truck approaches, you can’t miss it on the side as it goes by, and it’s the big rig’s parting words as well. Amen, brother…Amen.

Wednesday night sunset

Posted on June 10, 2009 by Clint

I don’t get to chase many sunsets anymore these days…but here’s one, taken from a unique vantage point north of Bismarck. I’m not saying where. I was pleased to find the horizon clear this evening when I set out, and the parting clouds made for some interesting beams of light and shadows in the sky above!

Why so many photos? Because it’s big, and it’s busted

Posted on June 9, 2009 by Clint

If this cow could talk, he’d say “at least my windmill works…” and then he’d be given his own daytime talk show.

The reason he’d be cracking wise is because the wind turbine standing behind him has apparently suffered some delamination on one of its blades. Owie.

Too bad they don’t make two-story “Out of Order” signs. You can see this damage all the way from Highway 83. I’d hoped to get a closer photo of this, but the access road is blocked with red DANGER tape and No Trespassing signs. If you’ve read this blog for a while, you know that I honor those signs. It’s not just the law, it’s respectful of other people’s property.

The sky went through a lot of changes while I was up on the wind farm. It went from rain to nasty clouds to deep blue skies to multiple colors as the sun began to approach the horizon.

I used a polarizer to bring out detail in the sky. The results vary depending on your angle from your light source, in my case the sun. Thus I get a lighter shade of blue in the sky in this shot, as the sun was directly behind me.

It would have been interesting to see exactly how and when this blade failed. I bet it was a spectacular sight! If I were to offer a layman’s opinion, I’d guess that it happened while the turbine was stationary; otherwise it looks like the delaminated blade would have likely torn right off. In this case, it merely split. It may not have been pointing up at the time; the weight distribution of the blades was altered when it collapsed, causing the intact blades to balance toward the bottom.

I was really excited to get out tonight. I got to hang out with a friend who went with me, I got to see the clouds roll away and a very nice (albeit chilly) June evening take shape. I even got to do some running around with the camera after leaving the wind farm…but those photos will have to be posted later.

Welcome to my playground

Posted on June 8, 2009 by Clint

Some of my best photos come from poking around obscure gravel roads around Bismarck and Mandan. I grew up near some of these roads, so I’ve always had a fondness of poking around on ’em to see what I can see. That’s how I find some of the neatest old farmsteads, those ubiquitous windmills I like so much, and an occasional wellhead sticking up out in the middle of an otherwise nondescript field. My favorite roads are the ones marked “MINIMUM MAINTENANCE ROAD.” How inviting.

My weapon of choice, once it’s warm out. This is from last Thursday, which was in fact a beautiful day to be on two wheels. Note the GPS mounted on the handlebar, so I can mark interesting photo locations. I was able to mark a couple that will really be neat once the crops get a little taller. Plus I’m able to rip it up a little, and satisfy my urge to ride as well as to play with my camera. I’ve only been exploring photography since 2005, but I’ve been riding since I was four or five years old. To combine the two is joy indeed.

I love shots like this, with the combination of blue and green. I also like charming rural shots. Thus my “Fallen Farms” series of photos, for example. I don’t often have the opportunity (or patience) for many wildlife shots, but I’ve had a knack for finding a variety of scenic opportunities.

This week looks like a wash for photography or motorcycling, with a cold and wet forecast. No matter, I got plenty of neat shots last week. We’ve still got a little bit more summer left…some would jokingly say at least two weeks’ worth! When the weather cooperates, I’ll either be out in my truck or sliding two knobby tires around those gravelly corners, looking for more of those North Dakota scenes I love so much.

“Road to Nowhere” redux

Posted on June 4, 2009 by Clint

While out on the motorcycle the other night I came across Sandy River Drive, which reminded me of this post from July of last year. I hope you enjoy it, and take the opportunity to visit this marker!

While heading down to the Burnt Creek dock with my boys, I took the scenic route down Sandy River Drive. It’s one of my favorite roads because it’s narrow, straight, canopied by trees, and I have several friends who live along it. Just before I headed north to the boat dock, however, I saw this new item.

Marking “The Road to Nowhere”, this marker was obviously put up by someone who got a raw deal. In case you have a bad monitor, let me go ahead and quote it:

“Until 2006 the road to the west of this site contained 22 giant cottonwoods, oaks and ash trees – and two private roads maintained by residents of this area.

This marker is dedicated to the public officials who deemed “we’re from the government and we’re here to help” – even though the residents of the area didn’t want the trees removed, their roads destroyed, and the new road built.”

As usual, I proofread everything I read, and something caught my eye. If I’m right, “Pactas” should actually read “Pacta” as it’s the plural of the Latin word “pactum.” It means an agreement, contract, covenant, or treaty. The full translation of this little dictum is essentially “Agreements should be honored.” If so, all those years of high school and college Latin finally paid off. The dedication itself speaks for itself…just think the Democrats want the government to be in charge of our health care, too!

The road really DOES go nowhere, by the way. I went to the end of the road so I’d have room to turn our carbon-belching SUV around, but not until after I poked my head through the moon roof to take this shot of our tax dollars at work.

If you’d like to find this marker and enjoy the picnic table, you can take River Road north from Pioneer Park, then turn left and head west on Sandy River Drive until you spot the marker on your left. Its GPS coordinates are 46 deg 51.164 minutes North, 100 deg 51.237 minutes West. If you find out who placed the marker here (it ain’t hard to figure out), tell them I sent you.

Bismarck-Mandan Blog

Photography , musings, and a love of North Dakota