Thanks for stopping by! – Chris
Canon F-1 on Kodak Kodachrome – Yokohama, Japan – 1979
Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.
Copyright © 2015-2019 Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Chris Whelan
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Today’s visitor in our North Florida garden – a colorful imperial moth.
It’s a gorgeous moth, about 6 inches across and so very colorful.
Camera: Fujifilm FinePix S9900W
Thanks for stopping by! – Chris
Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.
Copyright © 2015-2019 Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Chris Whelan
All rights reserved.
I believe this early morning visitor in our garden is a common Florida cottonmouth (water moccasin). Very poisonous.
Water moccasin taking a break in our garden.
To the left of the cypress tree trunk is the part of our backyard that’s essentially a natural bog and wetlands with heavy tree cover. Ideal for snakes. Most of the snakes on our property are common black racers but we have our share of cottonmouth and rattlesnakes too.
Camera – Fujifilm X-A10 with Fujinon Aspherical Super EBC XC 16-50mm f/3.5 Lens
Thanks for stopping by! – Chris
Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.
Copyright © 2015-2019 Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Chris Whelan
All rights reserved.
Our house at 28A Nimitz Drive at the height of the storm. The image was taken by our neighbor from the safety of their house across the street.
Hurricane Hugo thirty years ago today. The eye of powerful Hurricane Hugo swept over the central U.S. Virgin Islands and the eastern coast of Puerto Rico on the morning of September 18, 1989. Here’s our house at the height of the hurricane as the winds whipped to a nearly sustained 100 mph with gusts to 120 mph. The house sat on the highest hill in base housing on the Naval Station Roosevelt Roads (Ceiba, Puerto Rico) overlooking the Carribean Sea. At this point of the storm, our carport roof had blown away (as did the backyard porch roof) and the living room window on the side had blown in. Our tan GMC Jimmy and blue VW bug somehow managed to make it through the storm with only minor paint damage from the sandblasting of the winds. The upstairs front window blew in a little bit after this picture was taken when the winds shifted around as the eye passed.
Of course, many areas of the base were heavily damaged or completely destroyed but the islands of St. Croix, Vieques and Culebra were essentially leveled. Hugo went on to deliver a powerful hit to South Carolina a few days later.
Our daughter had just turned six months old in September so we had evacuated to Florida less than 36 hours prior to landfall (actually the last flight out on American Airlines from San Juan to Miami).
Thanks for stopping by! – Chris
Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.
Copyright © 2015-2019 Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Chris Whelan
All rights reserved.
My vintage 1978 Canon F-1. I’ve owned it since new and it’s pretty much traveled the world with me. From Japan to Australia, Hong Kong, South Korea, The Philippines, Thailand, Africa, Europe, Pakistan, Puerto Rico, The Bahamas, the US and most places in between.
4 pounds 6.2 ounces without film and batteries. That’s 1,991 grams of neck cramping weight!
Have a great day and thank goodness for my “tiny” digital cameras! – Chris
Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.
Copyright © 2015-2019 Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Chris Whelan
All rights reserved.
As of the 1:30 PM radar update, Hurricane Dorian’s center is now just south of due east of Amelia Island and some of the strongest outer bands of precipitation are now just approaching our coastline. The yellow and red areas on the radar more than likely contain 40-50 mph sustained winds with gusts to 65+. This dance between the northward movement of the storm and the movement of these outer bands will be a close call for us.
Power is still on ATM!
Chris
Here’s the lastest snip of the hurricane as seen on enhanced radar. The eye is quite large and the eyewall has maintained its ragged appearance since yesterday. The central pressure is up to 964 mb and the sustained winds are down a bit. The eye will past well east of our island but I’m afraid that we’ll catch the outer squalls from the storm… soon.
Radar view as of 9 AM this morning. The western edge of the strongest convection and winds are now just about 30 or so miles east of Amelia Island. It’s going to be a close brush with the squalls associated with the outer edge of the storm (the yellow and red areas).
I thought I would post a bit earlier today since there’s a real possibility that we may lose power within the next couple of hours. The last time we lost power was for 61 hours with the passage of Hurricane Irma well west of us in 2017. Hopefully nothing like that this time.
You can see my post from yesterday here.
Chris
An update on Hurricane Dorian as of 11 AM
Radar image from Nassau, Bahamas as of 11 AM Tuesday, September 3rd.
Some changes noted since 11 AM yesterday. The eye has expanded but has become a bit ragged as dry air from over Florida has disrupted the appearance of the western eyewall. The precipitation areas have expanded northward and of course, the southern edge of the eye is now north of Grand Bahama Island (barely). The hurricane has also weakened quite a bit from 24 hours ago with the central pressure now at 955 mb up from a low of 910 mb at the height of the storm’s intensity.
Compared to yesterday’s scan of the radar (see below) the changes are obvious.
From the NWS National Hurricane Center the 11 AM prediction of the track of Dorian.
Today as of 11 AM
Yesterday as of 11 AM
Things are looking better for the east coast of Florida as the accuracy of the short term forecast track improves with time. Hoping for the best but always prepared for the worst.
You can view my post about Dorian from yesterday here.
Chris
Radar image out of Nassau, Bahamas at approximately 11 AM Sep 2. The eye of Hurricane Dorian continues to spin just over the central coast of Grand Bahama Island.
I’ve been a professional meteorologist since 1975 and while in the US Navy serving on various ships over twenty-two years I’ve encountered my share of strong hurricanes and typhoons. I’ve tracked and made forecasts for hundreds of tropical systems and have seen first hand just how powerful they are and the destruction they cause. I’ve experienced a few hurricanes that have gone stationary before but this one, Hurricane Dorian is amazing to me for just how long it’s been nearly stationary over the central part of Grand Bahama Island while maintaining its Cat 5 status (now downgraded to Cat 4) as of this post.
This is the latest forecast from the NWS National Hurricane Center as of 11 AM on September 2, 2019. Optimistically the forecast track shows Dorian well northwest of its present location in less than 22 hours and by Tuesday morning at 8 AM it could be about 60 to 80 miles further north-northwest from where it is now. The hope is that a broad trough of low pressure now over the central US will start to influence the storm and take it away from a direct strike on the east coast of Florida over the next 2 to 3 days.
Official position and forecast track of Hurricane Dorian from the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida. 11 AM Sep 2.
I would like to see some slight movement of the center to the north or northwest over the next few hours for the forecast track to verify. Here’s hoping!
Chris
– The spoon is from the 1950s as it has been in our family since at least then.
– From the world-famous Jockey Club in Rio de Janeiro which was founded in 1932
– The overall length of the spoon is 110 mm
The official logo of the original design that appears on the spoon.
Front view of the spoon.
Always very popular throughout its history – a view of the crowds in the stands of a major horse race in the 1940s.
Keeping a close watch on her horse – 1950s (maybe).
The markings on the back of the spoon.
It makes for an interesting conversation piece when you present it to a guest with their coffee or tea. Own a piece of history!
Jockey Club Brasileiro, Rio de Janeiro – Hipódromo da Gávea
It’s available for sale at www.ccstudio2380.com
Thanks for stopping by! – Chris
