Monthly Archives: January 2011

A couple of cool postcard finds

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Poking around the other day I found a couple of new postcards. As you know, I’ve got a fondness for the old Liberty Memorial Bridge. This card features the bridge from way back…even before it connected to west Main Street! I’m too young to remember this, but I sure can appreciate it.

This incredibly blown-out and oversaturated post card is very important to me. Look at the top of the tower to see why: it’s got lights hanging from the top edge of the capitol tower! It actually wasn’t until I discovered an older postcard of the capitol that I discovered this interesting tidbit. I thought the tower had always been lit from below. I was wrong.

Here’s a postcard I bought last year, the one through which I made my illuminative discovery. I’m so glad they light the tower from below now; those lights on the top look really cluttered! I bet it was no picnic changing bulbs, too!

I’ve got a couple more interesting old Bismarck postcards to share soon. Stay tuned!

I can’t believe I took this long for legislature photos

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But here they are! I spent some time breaking in my press badge while perusing the legislature last week. This photo is from the House…

and this is the Senate. This was during a normal day’s business, but I’m hoping that the legislature decides to participate in an event I’ve enjoyed during the past two sessions: Citizens Night at the legislature.

Curious? Check this link and this link for more.

Watching the watchers

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While working in the Joint Operations Center a while back I couldn’t help but notice the large wooden Samurai standing in the far corner next to the monitors. Once we wrapped up I was given permission to take a couple of quick cell phone pics so I could do some background checking later. This particular statue is very important.

The Samurai portrayed here is Kusunoki Masashige, a warrior who was a legend and an inspiration to Kamikaze pilots during World War II. This particular statue originally stood in a Tokyo military school and was claimed by a North Dakota unit, the 164h Infantry Regiment, as a war souvenir. Given to the State Historical Society, it spent nearly forty years in their care and adorned the Liberty Memorial building on the capitol grounds. In 1986 it returned to the National Guard and now sits in a very high-tech setting at the JOC, one suitable for such a revered warrior.

One more tool for emergency awareness in Bismarck

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If you’re like me or many of my friends, you cancelled your landline long ago (years, in my case) in favor of cellular. There are some drawbacks to going cellular-only, though, mostly in emergency situations. This should be of keen interest to all “cellular-only” residents of Bismarck.

A coworker emailed me the link to Bismarck’s “Wireless Notification” form yesterday. This allows use of the “reverse-911” system, used to notify residents of a certain geographic area, to reach people who don’t have a land line. It can also be useful if you’d like to receive notifications while away from home.

This could be extremely useful in cases such as the standoff in a south Bismarck trailer park earlier this month. With spring flooding around the corner, this can also be a critical tool in getting timely information out to people in an affected area.

You can check out the form by clicking here. It’s one tool in the arsenal, not a failsafe, but it’s certainly a good way to help stay informed for those times when you need reliable information in a timely manner.

Something REALLY BIG happened this time last year

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One thing I love about this business is being able to go where few are able. That was the case last January as I was on site for the move of the Falkirk Mine’s dragline “Chief Ironsides” from the west side of Highway 83 to the east side.

Weather delayed things a bit, but we finally got going just before sunset. That made for some challenges with shooting video. Stills are one thing in low light, but HD video is another. The main shot I was set up for was a time lapse of the roadway crossing, and the light was changing on me very quickly.

It was quite dark by the time the thirteen million pound behemoth, controlled by a woman named Melody, crossed the road. There was a thick dirt road constructed across Highway 83 just for this purpose, since the dragline needs a level deck for moving. It also protected the highway from the immense weight of the machine.

I froze myself silly, but I got the shots. I had one HD camera doing the 1080p time lapse while I ran around getting other angles and video footage with a second HD camera. Of course I kept my trusty still camera bag with me at all times. It was something I’d looked forward to seeing for a long, long time…but I was also quite glad to be out of that wind and cold!

My money’s on the Bulldogs to win

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Something caught my eye at tonight’s basketball jamboree, held at the Bismarck Civic Center. Did you catch it?

Bowman County and Flasher were paired, making it a dogfight. I have to admit I was confused as to which Bulldogs were which on the scoreboard! I think Bowman County came away with the W, but the only thing of which I’m certain is that the Bulldogs won.

This billboard is truly 3D

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My friend Amy clued me in to this billboard Friday so I had to take a look. It’s pretty eye catching and at a killer location. At first you’d feel really sorry for the poor individual who got stuck up there to put up a sign in this bitter cold!

Of course, closer inspection reveals that this worker is either milking the clock, frozen solid, or something else entirely. That something else? A mannikin. Clever! It certainly draws the eye, anyway.

Looking back at the first photo, I think this is a good eye catcher for rolling out a new image. I just hope that when it’s revealed, it doesn’t contain another doggone leaf!

Once more unto the bridge

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One thing about that whole “diamond dust” phenomenon is that it looks best with really bright light. Where are the brightest lights in town? Typically along the Interstate and at car dealerships and gas stations. While there are a few “hot spots” around Bismarck for this, it seems like the most reliable cluster of light spikes is always on the other side of the river. That makes River Road a prime location for putting the lights in the background.

Between Memorial Highway, I-94, the Tesoro refinery, and Heskett Station, Mandan has a large grouping of very bright lights perfect for an ice crystal light display. The most notable prominent feature available for a foreground object is, of course, the Northern Pacific railroad bridge. Since the 1800s it’s been a landmark, and it happens to be in the perfect place to make it a staple in local photography. Remember the phrase, “Location is everything”?

There’s truly only one perfect vantage point for this phenomenon, and I’ve only nailed it once: on the river. The curve of the river bank makes it look like I’m way out there, but I’m not. I’m actually standing near some weeds poking out of the snow behind me! The greatest risk was getting my boots wet should the ice give way under my feet. Even so, it took me several minutes to cautiously poke my way out just far enough, even though it was only several feet from the shore. This is the area where everybody goes to sunbathe and play in the shallow water in the summer.

The complication: that was when the water level was low. This year, however, the Missouri River has been extremely high for WEEKS. That means there is no safe place to even venture along the shore of the river in search of a shot. Don’t try it. If you don’t believe me, go to the boat landing by the Lewis & Clark Lego statues. You’ll see that the water level is extremely high, and not to be trifled with. Always be aware of your conditions when going out on a photography expedition.

Keep an eye out: diamond dust needs these cold temperatures to form. It’s a form of condensation which, unlike fog, condenses straight to solid ice form in the air. Fog is liquid. I’d guess it’s most likely to form when a pocket of warm air comes through and meets the cold, turning its moisture into those ice crystals we know and love. Once again, this phenomenon only allows a fleeting window of opportunity, so be vigilant! It’s a fun thing to pursue…even in the cold.