Where Eagles Fly

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I couldn’t get the Sammy Hagar tune out of my head Saturday as a friend and I hiked our way up to an eagle’s nest…thus the title of this post. It was COLD, too! We stood nearby as a pair of eagles nervously checked us out. We kept our distance in an effort to minimize our disruption of their routine, and took lots of photos of them perching in the trees and circling overhead. Sadly, it was a very gray day…so I blued up the sky a bit in Photoshop. Now that my friend has clued me in on the location of this nest, I hope to be able to visit them often! Maybe I’ll come away with some cool eagle photos, and if I’m lucky they’ll grow accustomed to being photographed.

Rocket, baby…yeah

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I couldn’t resist dropping a Def Leppard lyric into the title of this post! I had some time on my hands Monday, so I geeked out and perused the National Atomic Museum, also known as the National Museum of Nuclear Science and Technology. What can I say…I’m a nerd! While there were large sections of the museum devoted to nuclear medicine, nuclear power, and even nuclear weirdness, I of course focused on the fireworks. If it’s space-based or makes a very big explosion, I’m there!

Ever wonder what a GPS satellite looks like? Wonder no more. There was also a display highlighting the different types of satellites used to detect other nations’ nuclear tests and stuff, such as the Vela and DSP (Defense Support Program) satellites. They even had sample payloads on display.

These are the three stages of rocket motors of an ICBM. Note that the fourth stage has cones where the warheads would go. I didn’t see anything resembling Boston hanging around the third stage, probably because I would make an 80s music reference if they did. Oops, I did it anyway!

The portable, or “suitcase” nuke. Designed to be humped into enemy territory by SEALs or other special forces. Doesn’t look very light… I’m not sure I’d want to have to lug that thing into a hostile area!

Cones. These are nose cones from missiles, the left having been tested to see the effects of reentry from space. I can’t believe I actually touched something that’s been in outer space! Hey, there weren’t any signs…

I won’t bore you with all the rocket, missile, bomb, and warhead photos I took. This is just a sample. The one in the back is released from a plane and parachutes down. That wicker-looking bundle in the background is the chute. The chute decelerates the 2,500 pound bomb from 920mph to 50mph in about two seconds!

Fat Man, right. Little Boy, left. Just like the ones that stopped World War Two. Thankfully it only took two, since there were some extras left to put in the museum I guess we probably had some more queued up and ready to drop.

The Titan rocket. This was my last stop before the gift store. I somehow resisted the urge to buy all kinds of positively geeky things there! That left just enough room in my carryon bag to bring home some toys for my little boys.

The museum is working toward building a new facility and expanding quite a bit. They also have a lot of science classes and special activities there, something that would be really cool for the kids. So if you’re in the mood to fly to New Mexico, stop on in! The geek in you will be pleased.

Home Depot closure leaves dozens homeless

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Upon hearing the announcement of Home Depot’s impending closure, my thoughts immediately jumped to two things: first, where do I get my Cable Cuffs? That one was easy: here! Second, what happens to the birds?

These little birdies make their nests in the bottom of the pallets on which much of the merchandise is shipped and stored. At one point I saw three little fledgelings poking their heads out of one of the pallets… what’s going to happen to such feathered fellows once Home Depot goes away?

They’re also going to lose a good source of valuable nutrition, as nobody will be leaving bags of seed around or spilling it on the concrete floor. Sadly, these little birdies will have to go back into the harshness of the wild world.

Many employees are going to be impacted by the closure of our beloved Home Depot. We loyal customers (I hate Lowe’s) are going to feel the effects as well. But who thinks of the birds? I do.

By the way, Home Depot claims it is closing fifteen or so of its stores because they’re underperforming. Could I possibly have been a little clairvoyant when I banged out this joking blog post a couple years back?

Best. Movie. Ever. (with ties to Bismarck-Mandan, even)

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Some coworkers and I took the afternoon off today and went to the opening matinee of Iron Man at the luxurious Grand Theater in north Bismarck. Wow.

First off, this movie was so amazing and so…well, COOL that I was ready to pre-order the DVD before I walked out of the theater. I’d also like to give some props to the Grand Theater. The place is a true movie house, and the way its decorated an operated pay a suitable tribute to movie history. The place is well kept, attractively designed, and those giant curved screens are the only way to see a movie like Iron Man. I know, I like to complain about spending eight bucks for a movie (six for today’s matinee) but if I’m going to spend eight bucks, it’s going to be at the Grand. No place else comes close.

If you haven’t seen this movie yet, and chances are you haven’t since it just opened, GO. The characters are awesome, Jeff Bridges is bald, and I think it holds true to the comic book story. I haven’t collected comics since the 90s; I mostly bought what I liked to read, but I have a lot of extremely valuable comics boarded, bagged, and sealed in a safe place. From what I remember of Iron Man comics, this movie does it justice. I’m sure there will be a comic geek out there to disagree, but I don’t care. This movie is at the top of my list, and I want to see it again.

By the way, did you know that this movie has a tenuous link to Bismarck-Mandan? Yes, it’s true. One of the characters, a reporter who also has a make-out scene with Robert Downey that I won’t let my kids (or myself) watch, is played by Leslie Bibb. While she apparently never lived here, IMDB claims that she was born in Bismarck. What a small world, eh?

Throwing copper

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I couldn’t resist throwing the title of a Live album in for this post’s title. Technically we were throwing lead, too…at high velocity! This isn’t my ammo, I was shooting something a bit more beefy.

I don’t hunt other than with my camera; I’m strictly into recreational target shooting. I’ve shot more this year already than the past couple of years combined, and plan to do a lot more. Thankfully my accuracy with a handgun doesn’t appear to have suffered. There’s no replacement for practice, however…I am getting plenty of that!

I suspect that’s worth a bit of money

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I’m not saying where this bike sits, other than that it’s locked to the side of a house. I don’t now its particular make or model, either, but the handlebars and rear sprocket look a lot like a early 1900s Harley-Davidson® (HD’s lawyers want that ® in there).

This reminds me of a common misconception among cagers (car drivers) about motorcycle reliability. For some reason there’s an idea out there that 10,000 miles is a lot for a motorcycle. Perhaps it’s because North Dakotans don’t get to ride theirs as much, or maybe it was just something that has passed along from one uninformed non-biker to another. Maybe it came from those old AMF Harleys, I don’t know. But it ain’t true, folks.

I know people who have put lots of miles on motorcycles, even surpassing the 100,000 mile mark for some of them. All that’s required is simple maintenance. The fact of the matter is that a properly maintained motorcycle will run nearly forever; however, many motorcycles are simply neglected to death.

If you sat a brand new 2008 motorcycle out in the sun next to your shed and left it there, it would deteriorate just like any mid-70s enduro that you might see decaying in a trailer park along your daily commute. Cars left to sit soon rot as well, and even a house deprived of residents will soon fade and begin to lean. Everything needs reasonable maintenance.

As far as the relic in the picture above goes, I bet it would have some value with the rust buffed off. I can’t help but be really curious as to its make and origin. If I ever have some spare time again in this lifetime, perhaps I’ll compare it to some photos of vintage 1900-1910 motorcycles. Its true identity could be surprising, maybe even to its owner.

Well, it’s official. We need a new slide

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I hope this means we’re getting a new waterpark! I know this is going to be sad news for those who grew up with the water slide at Hillside Park, but it is no longer there. It had aged beyond repair and the kids had figured out how to launch over the side, so it was time for it to go. I guess the pool is staying, though.

This is all that’s left. I have heard talk about people wanting to get an aquatic center like Dickinson has, and that’d be a welcome addition to our list of recreational facilities in this town. For now I guess we’ll have to go to a hotel or the Mandan Community Center and ride the indoor slides, which are much smaller but still fun.

Mandan Art Association 50th Anniversary Spring Show recap

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I forgot to mention that I had a pleasant result from the MAA show at the Community Center. Last year I won the People’s Choice in photography with a large metallic print of the bridge photo you see above in this blog’s header. I also won a gift certificate from a frame shop, for which photo I have already forgotten. Of course I was hoping to repeat this year. This year’s results didn’t equal last year’s, but I didn’t walk away empty handed.

The photo you see above won the Governor’s Selection award, which was awarded by a representative of the Governor’s office. Who that ended up being, I don’t know…maybe it was in the program. It was still a cool distinction, especially for such a novice. I realized early on when I picked up this hobby in 2005 that being in the right place at the right time is a requirement of any good photo, and this photo is the result of such timing. I’m just blessed in that I happen to end up at the right place at the right time a LOT these days, and never go anywhere without my camera!

Identify that facade…just don’t drive while looking up, please

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I sometimes bemoan the fact that many of Bismarck-Mandan’s historic buildings are falling to the wrecking ball and bulldozer (and, in some cases, a skidsteer on the second floor!). That’s why it’s important to appreciate them while we’ve got ’em. I haven’t posted many of the photos I have taken of unique local building features, but perhaps I’ll do more of that in the future. This could be akin to my “identify the statue” posts that I have done until I started running out of statues.

I left the building name intact on this one, so it should be pretty easy to find. Can you identify this building?

North Dakota “Earth Day” Festival hands out mercury bombs, otherwise gets it right

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I had a little extra time tonight despite working late, so I thought I’d stroll through the Earth Day festival at the National Guard armory in northeast Bismarck. I drove my gas guzzling truck up there, of course…I’ve been meaning to ride to work on one of my motorcycles that gets 50 miles per gallon, but so far haven’t done so.

As you can see from the photo above, the event was well attended. I was dreading whether this would be some sort of ridiculous global warming convention, and I was pleasantly surprised to say that it was not. Instead I found lots of folks who want to be good stewards of North Dakota’s resources. There were a few mentions of climate change, but these days I think it’s hard to get funding without pandering to the lunatics a bit. For the most part this festival was all about displays from folks who, in true North Dakota fashion, like to take a sensible approach to safeguarding North Dakota’s treasure of clean land, water, and air.

I will cry foul on one thing before I go on praising this event: they were handing out compact flourescent light bulbs at the front. I didn’t take any pictures of the folks handing them out, and I didn’t walk up and challenge them on handing out those stupid, expensive mercury bombs. These bulbs are an environmental hazard, made in China by factories that couldn’t care less about their impact on the environment. My GE light bulbs in the cupboard say “Assembled in the USA” on the box, by the way. But if you think you’re having a positive impact on the environment by having these weak, headache-inducing compact flourescent bulbs in your house, you’re fooling yourself. Their manufacture is putting mercury into the environment, either by their Chinese manufacturing or when one of them breaks. No thanks, I’ll stay incandescent. Whew…glad I got that off my chest!

Back to the good parts of the festival. There were booths from agencies whose missions are to take care of North Dakota’s natural resources, such as the USDA, Game and Fish, NRCS, Fish & Wildlife Service, and others. I’ve worked with some of these agencies so I can attest to the good that they’re doing.

There was plenty of information on hand, and some demonstrations were given at certain booths. The Dakota Zoo had snakes and bugs on hand, and there were other opportunities for the kids.

This kid did NOT want to get his picture taken with a weed or three. Awwwwww!

This booth came complete with a fiddler. I wonder if it’s a bluegrass thing…get it? *nudge* *nudge* Okay, maybe my wife’s right…I’m not funny.

The Proclamation. It was covered with signatures. Although I had a good time at the festival, I don’t subscribe to the Earth Day thing. I think being responsible is a personal decision, one that is made every day. For instance, I recycle things like batteries, but not every piece of trash that comes from our household. I like to conserve water, buy half-sized paper towels, and turn off unnecessary lights. I do these things because they make sense, not because I’m “saving the planet.” It’s that type of rational sensibility that North Dakotans display in their care for the environment in our state, and I think this festival celebrated that nicely.