Views like this have been few and far between, it seems. This summer has been cloudy. cool, windy...not exactly what one would expect from June on the plains. I've made a trip or two to Double Ditch in vain already this year, and the short term forecast doesn't look good.
I always joke that I single-handedly extinguished the sun by purchasing a camera for astrophotography; when I got my first camera, I had a very short run of Northern Lights before the sun went dormant. Scientists have been scratching their heads, wondering why there haven't been any sunspots! I think I know why.
Now that I have another new camera, I can joke that the skies have conspired against me...this time with clouds and cold temperatures. NASA is predicting the sun is going to awaken from its solar minimum in spectacular fashion, creating some amazing aurora borealis I presume, but will the clouds even let us see them? Only time will tell. If not, just call me a jinx!
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( 3.4 / 40 )
I was a little bummed tonight when clouds rolled in and blocked the sunset. I had envisioned a trip north, perhaps to Double Ditch, but soon realized that such a journey would be all for naught. As I nosed the truck eastward on Highway 1804, however, I did see something worth a quick photo: these rays.
These are really bizarre when you consider that the sun was behind me. The only explanation I can come up with is that they were caused by the sun breaking through the clouds behind me, really really high, and the apparent convergence of the rays of light is only due to the distance involved. The technical term for this is "vanishing point", the point at which parallel lines seem to converge. Any other theories, since we know there wasn't a second massive light source over the eastern horizon?
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( 3 / 41 )
The thing about Buggies and Blues is that there are so many cool cars, old and new, that it just doesn't work to try to feature them all. And while there are a lot of respectable classics in the show, I'm really there just to see the unique ones. Cars for the most part don't really do it for me, since I'm a motorcycle fanatic and recovering roadracer. I knew my toddlers would love it though, so we took a trek through most of the show before their little legs tired out. Here's some of what we saw.
This rock crawler looked like a blast...the boys both wanted to get into it, but of course I had to explain that these cars were not for us to drive...just to appreciate.
We didn't sample any of the homemade ice cream generated by this antique contraption, since we'd all three be in trouble with Mommy if we came back sans appetit.
I complemented the owner of this classic Jaguar roadster, since it definitely falls into the "unique" category for me.
My boys and I are big Jeep fans, even though we don't own one (yet), and this Army jeep with matching trailer caught everybody's eye right away. Notice all the different accessories strapped to it, ready for duty!
This car always wins my award for "most stuff that opens."
My "Best in Show" award, if I awarded one, would go to this awesome Trans Am with matching trailer! It's way too cool. The trailer even has working doors. I was always partial to these cars as a kid.
While I admired this simple Mustang ragtop, my boys were busy sweet-talking their way into getting permission to play in its toy counterpart. My boys are VERY well behaved and polite, traits that help them worm their way into a lot of fun places.
They had to check out Vince & Larry's cousin Chip, of course.
Part of the antique John Deere collection. There were machines in this area that I never knew John Deere made, all in amazing condition.
Yes, my kids asked if we could buy it. They also liked the stuffed Taz on the front. Think of the wheelies I could do with this beast!
We also got to sit in a couple of the fire engines parked in the garage at the fire station and took in a lot of fine classic automobiles. We had to cut things short because of tired little legs and the sun began to beat down pretty hard on blond heads. The boys had a blast and had plenty of things to tell Mommy about. They also had a really fun time at the morning Fly-In at the Mandan Municipal Airport...and photos of that excursion are coming soon, too!
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( 3.7 / 76 )
From my "There's something you don't see every day" department comes this photo of Dan on his late-1800s style bicycle! I spotted him while driving down River Road and knew I had to get a few shots.
Isn't this cool? It looks just like a blast back to the late 19th century. The high center of gravity along with that really short wheelbase and large wheel probably make this an activity unsuitable for the faint of heart.
By the way, I got a TON of Buggies & Blues photos this weekend with my family. Once I've sorted through some of the coolest ones, they'll appear here. Stay tuned!
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( 3.3 / 47 )Wielding all that "clout and seniority," Conrad and Dorgan vote the Democrat party line against North Dakota interests (AGAIN)
Those wacky North Dakota Democrats...they've gone and done it again. They postured themselves in the media as being for the Murkowski Amendment (PDF here), which would restrict the EPA from heavy-handedly going after any industry they felt generated too much carbon dioxide. In other words, North Dakota's burgeoning energy industry.
This is "health care reform" all over again. They make sure they're on TV, radio, and newspaper pages indicating that they'll vote against something North Dakotans don't want. Then they whisk themselves back to Washington, remove the plaid shirts, and vote whichever way the national Democrat Party wants them to.
Once again, you can view the Murkowski Amendment here (PDF). For the vote tally, click here.
How much do you want to bet you won't see accurate mention of this on KFYR, KXMB, WDAY...or in any of the Forum newspapers or the Bismarck Tribune?
Rob Port over at Say Anything tipped me to this article which describes Dorgan as "liberated by his pending retirement..." which was my biggest fear after hearing of his decision not to run again. He basically has a license to do what he's always done (vote as a liberal Democrat) with no repercussions. It looks like he's going to end his too-long political career by going out with a liberal bang.
How's that Hope™ and Change™ working out for everybody? When North Dakota's energy industry gets flattened by government regulation and we join the long list of states in economic woe, thank everyone who voted Democrat.
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( 3.5 / 45 )
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