Moondog's Blog

D. LEE BRUCE REUNION UPDATE

2011-07-30T10:04:00.000-07:00

Well, as it turned out, the 2nd annual D. Lee Bruce Reunion was a family reunion for our guitar player's family. There were lots of people there I didn't know, but we all had a great time, anyway.
Because the weather was on-again-off-again drizzle and fog, we set up and played in the garage at the Yachats beach house. We set up around 3 p.m. and finished around 11 p.m.!
We spent two nights at the Beachcomber Motel, just 1/4 mile away.
Below, are some shots of the event, including the house and huge firepit in the back.......

2nd Annual D. Lee Bruce Reunion

2011-06-27T06:04:00.000-07:00

Last year around this time, I was getting ready for our 1st Annual D. Lee Bruce band reunion, which was held in Oakridge, Oregon. It was a 2-day music festival and the first time in 30 years that we had played together on stage!
This year, the reunion will be a small get-together with close friends and family in Yahchats (pronounced "Yaw-hots"), Oregon on July 15-17. Special thanks to Kurt's cousin for opening his beach house to us. Looking forward to lots of wonderful friends, great food and playing some classic rock on the deck!
I will be posting pics (and hopefully some video) on my Facebook page throughout the week leading up to the reunion.

2011-05-19T06:01:00.001-07:00

Moonrise on Wednesday night. Also visible is the 4-foot loop antenna for my SID monitor.

Hugs and Kisses

2011-04-25T13:10:00.000-07:00

These are my two Daschunds, Boone and Sadie.
Boone will be 13 later this year and Sadie will turn 11.
This is one of our favorite times together, right after a big meal.
Boone gets a little upset when he doesn't get ALL the attention, but we work it out....

Kona Dolphins

2011-02-23T20:54:00.000-08:00

My best friend and his wife are in Kona, Hawaii for a month. Dwight's favorite activity is snorkeling in the ocean, just in front of their condo.
This video shows some of the "locals" swimming along with him.
You can actually hear them talking, too!
(He and I have the same basic camera, but his is an upgraded version of mine)
This is especially cool for me, because I've been snorkeling with Dwight at this same spot!

Cold Week

2011-02-22T07:12:00.000-08:00

It's going to be a cold week here in the northwest. A strong cold front is moving south from British Columbia, and low pressure is moving in from the Pacific. Lots of snow in the mountains.
This video shows my backyard at 7 a.m. Tuesday...a light dusting of snow fell overnight.....

MOONSHADOWS

2011-02-20T14:12:00.001-08:00

We just had a few days of very clear (but cold) days and nights here in the northwest.
I took advantage of one clear night, and set up my long-exposure camera, facing north. (This is the camera I use to photograph the northern lights).
This time-lapse video reveals the shadows cast by the Moon as it rises and crosses the sky:

D. LEE BRUCE at Splitz Bar and Grill

2011-01-31T19:26:00.000-08:00

I played with my band in Roseburg, Oregon at Splitz Bar and Grill on Saturday January 29.
From the far end: Toby Bates (keyboards), Jeff Durta (guitar), Jim Tegerdine (guitar), Dwight Marburger (drums), Dusty (guitar) and Frank Wambolt (bass guitar). Dusty was filling in for our regular guitarist, Kurt Jarvis, as Kurt lives in Hawaii and wasn't going to make it. Unfortunately, Kurt's stepfather passed away a week earlier, and he was in town for the funeral. So he got up and played a few songs with us later in the night. Good friends, good music, good times!!!!!!

Rock N Roll

2011-01-23T07:44:00.000-08:00

Last summer, I went to Roseburg, Oregon for a 30-year reunion with the band that I played in back in the 70's/80's. This week, I'm going back to Roseburg for a gig at Splitz Bar and Grill on Saturday, the 29th. There will be 2 bands playing...a "swamp-rock" band called Etoufee, and us. Etoufee plays a unique style of southern/cajun rock. They will play first, then we will do 2 sets of our classic 70's/80's country rock/southern rock.
It will be extra fun for us, because our guitarist, Kurt will be there from Hawaii. (He wasn't planning to be there, but his step-dad recently passed away and he will be there for his service, anyway). We had another guitarist lined up to fill Kurt's spot, so now we will be a 7-piece band!!!! Drums, bass guitar, keyboards, and 4 guitars. WOO-HOO !!!!! Rock on.

FEEDING BOONE

2011-01-09T13:36:00.000-08:00

I have 2 Daschunds... Sadie, who is 10 years old and Boone. He is 12. In January of 2010, Boone was diagnosed with a condition called Mega-esophagus. The muscles in the esophagus don't function properly to push the food and water down into the stomach. As a result, it just sits in the esophagus and he will regurgitate it up. (The esophagus will stretch, and act as a kind of pouch...hence the name, Mega-esophagus) Nothing gets into his little belly. Another serious side effect is that he could actually inhale some food or water into his lungs. Then, it's pneumonia! (That has happened once)

The key to treating this, is to feed him vertically, so that gravity pulls the food down into the stomach. This video shows how I feed my buddy, Boone. We've done this 3 times a day for the past year.......

***Whenever I go out of town for several days, I will board both dogs at my vet. I had to "train" him and his staff on how to feed Boone, as they had never seen it done this way before. I am going to Oregon at the end of this month for 4 days, and they are excited to have him there....chair and all! (I blend up enough food for however long I will be gone).

SPLITZ

2011-01-08T08:58:00.000-08:00

Getting excited to go back down to Roseburg, Oregon at the end of the month to play with my band, "D. Lee Bruce" at Splitz Bar and Grill on the 29th. Our drummer, Dwight, plays there on a regular basis with his band. The 29th marks their 1-year anniversary of playing there. Dwight wanted to do something special for that weekend, so he suggested that we get together and play.
All of the other members of the band live down there, so I will be the only one "commuting". It's a 6 1/2 hour drive, but very much worth it.
Our last event was in August of last year. It was our 30 year reunion at the Oakridge "Just Us" music festival. That will be an annual event for us. Can't wait for that one, too...

Update

2011-01-06T06:58:00.000-08:00

Had a wonderful Christmas and New Years. My middle daughter, Heather and I spent Christmas with my oldest daughter, Mandy and her family. Her husband, Roosevelt, cooked a fantastic Prime Rib dinner. I enjoyed the time with the kids and Roxy, their 70 lb. Boxer. (She's a hoot to wrestle with)
The New Year was brought in quietly with my Daschunds, Boone and Sadie. We always sit and watch the fireworks around the neighborhood. They do great when they can actually see what is making all the loud noises. We spend July 4th the same way.
I'm getting ready (and psyched) to go to Oregon at the end of the month to play with my band again. This time, it will be at Splitz Bar and Grill in Roseburg. (a different venue than in August at the Oakridge "Just Us" music festival). This time, instead of our guitarist, Kurt coming from Hawaii, we will have a very talented picker named Dusty sitting in with us). Along with Toby on keyboards, Jeff on guitar, Frank on bass, Dwight on drums and myself on guitar, we will have a great time playing 2 hours of classic rock and southern rock.

Honu Blu

2011-01-04T23:10:00.001-08:00

I had the opportunity to spend some time in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii in 2007 and 2008. This video is dedicated to the love and spirit of Hawaii, and the friends who helped me feel it.
The video was recorded during an afternoon of snorkeling at Kahaluu.
("Honu" is the Hawaiian word for Sea Turtle)

30 Year Reunion

2010-05-20T08:16:00.000-07:00

I played music back in my 20's. I lived in Roseburg, Oregon for about 9 years and had played country/country-rock/southern-rock in clubs around the Northwest for most of that time, playing 5-6 nights a week. The original name of the band was "Homegrown", but at one point, we wanted to cut a record. We were told that we had to change the name of the band because there were several bands in the region with the same name. After many weeks of soliciting ideas from friends, family and fans, we finally came up with the name, "D. Lee Bruce". It was a combination of middle names of the band members. The band soon went through some changes, morphing into a 5-piece, including a keyboard player. It was in 1984 that I left the music scene, moved north to Washington and went another direction in my life. Then, in 2006, I had the opportunity to re-connect with dear friends in Roseburg. Since that time, we have all stayed in contact with each other and re-kindled wonderful friendships. This coming August, we will be getting together again to play at a rock festival (of sorts) in Oakridge, Oregon. It will be the first time in 30 years that the whole band has played on stage together!!!! (The end result will be a 6-piece band, consisting of drums, bass guitar, rhythm guitar, 2 lead guitars and keyboards...and EVERYONE sings,too!). This is a video of some practice time we had over the weekend of May 16, 2010 down in Roseburg. It shows only 4 songs out of about a 2-hour set that we will be playing at Oakridge. The only member missing at this practice was our original lead guitarist, who lives in Hawaii. He will be here, though, in August with his family. I hope you enjoy this little tidbit of DLB revisited.....

It's Been Awhile....

2010-05-07T06:15:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I last posted, so here's an update on life around here...

I have most of my vegetable garden in...radishes, strawberries and cherry tomatoes on the deck, and Walla-Walla sweet onions and garlic in the ground. The only thing left is 3 rows of carrots. The weather since planting has been "iffy" at best, so I'll have to watch the tomatoes closely. (As of this post, though, it is sunny and the forecast calls for nice days over the weekend).

Several other projects on tap for the summer, too. Some picket fence repair is needed in the front yard, bathroom painting, hopefully an addition to the patio, roof repair (several shingles lost during the past few wind storms). Plus, normal yard/garden maintenance.

All that, PLUS I have a 30-year band reunion coming up in August. Back in my 20's, I played in a band, professionally. We played country/country-rock/southern-rock/originals in clubs around the Northwest for about 9 years. I left music in 1985, then had the opportunity to reconnect with the rest of the band in 2008. The drummer has stayed in music the whole time, having played in several different bands. About 5 years ago, he helped organize a rock festival in Oakridge, Oregon, and every August since then, he has played with his current band, and several other bands have been asked to play. It is called the "Just Us" Festival....meaning that the event is primarily designed for musicians to gather together and just have alot of fun playing and jamming with each other. Over the years, the festival has attracted a larger and larger audience, too.
Anyway, on top of all the household chores and projects I have lined up, I have also been practicing for the festival. I had to buy some new equipment, as I sold most all of it back in '85.
Each of us has a set of CD's with the songs we will play in August (taken from past live recordings of the band). So, we are all practicing on our own, until we can spend a few days prior to the festival to rehearse. In the meantime, I am going down to Oregon for a few days this month to jam a little bit with the guys. (all, except one of the guitarists who lives in Hawaii....he will be there in August).

My dogs, Boone and Sadie are doing fine. This summer, Boone will turn 12 and Sadie will be 10 years old! (They certainly don't act that old, though!) Boone has a condition called Megaesophagus. Basically, the muscles in his esophagus don't push the food into his stomach like they should, so he eats sitting up vertically (so gravity will pull the food and water down), then he remains upright for another 10 minutes to finish the process. I am in the process of building a special chair for him, called a Bailey's Chair. It is, in essence, a padded vertical box that he can sit in while eating and digesting, so that I won't have to manually hold him up to the kitchen counter, and prop him up with a pillow on the couch (like I am currently doing, and have done 3 times a day since January). When I go to Oregon, I will board the dogs at my vet, so his staff will need a crash-course on how to feed my "special child"!
I am still driving a city bus in Everett, Washington (it will be 12 years in October). Best gig I ever had! I meet lots of interesting people, and work with some of the nicest folks I've known.
My grown children are spread out all over, and I don't get to see them as much as I'd like to, but I try to keep in touch. I have several grandchildren who are busy with sports and school. My son, Joe, is running for Congress in Mississippi. (You can follow his progress at joetegerdine.com)
Life is good. People are wonderful. Time to go to work......

WEATHERSHIFT

2010-03-23T07:50:00.000-07:00

This is a time-lapse video clip consisting of 755 individual frames, each one being a 10-second exposure. The time frame is from 3:30 a.m. - 6:00 a.m. on March 23. The view is looking northeast. Notice how the clouds seem to "turn tail and run" from the approaching sunrise?????

(2-1/2 hours in 10 seconds!!!)

AuroraCam

2010-03-19T07:30:00.000-07:00

Spring and Fall are usually considered Aurora season. For reasons not completely understood, the Northern Lights are active during the equinoxes. I have a camera set up to watch for any aurora activity. This clip is a time-lapse of the northern sky between 11:30 p.m. on March 18 and 6:00 a.m. on March 19. No aurora activity, but an interesting movie, anyway.....

(6 1/2 hours in 18 seconds!)

No Geriatric Invalid Here.....

2010-03-15T16:39:00.000-07:00

For those of you who may have gotten the impression that my (almost) 12 year-old male Daschund, Boone is becoming a geriatric invalid, here's proof that the old guy can still keep up with his younger (10 year old) sister, Sadie....almost.....

Feeding Boone

2010-03-01T18:08:00.000-08:00

Ahhhh, the things we do for our kids!

Back around the first of the year, my male Daschund, Boone was diagnosed with Megaesophagus. It is a condition in which the muscles of the esophagus don't function properly to push the food and water into the stomach. This video gives you an idea what is involved in the process of feeding Boone and why.....(we do this 3 times a day).

Night Moves

2010-02-23T08:00:00.000-08:00

Here is the overnight video sequence from Feb. 22-23. This consists of 2,800 individual 10-second exposures, processed and speeded up (for convenience). The sequence ends as the sky begins to brighten around 6 a.m.. Enjoy....

ISS CHASES ENDEAVOUR

2010-02-21T08:50:00.000-08:00

At 5:52 a.m. on Sunday February 21, the International Space Station and shuttle Endeavour passed over the northwest United States. After Endeavour undocked from ISS, it pulled ahead of the Station in preparation for it's re-entry and landing back on Earth.

This 18-frame sequence shows the two spacecraft in the southeast sky...

INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

2010-02-19T07:44:00.000-08:00

The International Space Station passes over Meadowcreek Park Observatory at 5:04 a.m. on February 19. This image was taken while shuttle Endeavour was still docked to ISS.

Mars!!!!!

2010-02-09T11:14:00.000-08:00

On Monday night, February 8, the weather here in Marysville cooperated long enough for me to fire up the ol' 10-inch telescope and get some great video of Mars (which, by the way, I broadcasted LIVE on USTREAM). Scattered clouds blocked the view periodically, but there were some extended clear skies around 9 p.m., until the fog finally rolled in. The northern polar cap can easily be seen, as well as some of the darker land formations. This video is about 4 minutes long, but don't feel obligated to watch the whole thing.....it's just Mars.....

STS-130 (Endeavour) Launch

2010-02-08T01:32:00.000-08:00

Shuttle Endeavour (STS-130) successfully launched from Kennedy Space Center at 4:14 a.m. EST Monday on it's mission to the International Space Station.

You can follow the progress of the mission from the STS-130 link under the MISSION UPDATES section on my website.....

New WeatherCam

2010-02-07T11:27:00.000-08:00

I have added a new view to my USTREAM arsenal. An extreme wide-angle view, looking east. My USTREAM 24-hour broadcast can be seen at
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/mpocam

I hope you enjoy it.

LIVE Broadcast of the Moon

2010-01-28T21:28:00.000-08:00

Sorry I haven't blogged for quite awhile. Been busy with other stuff. I've been broadcasting LIVE on USTREAM lately....different views from around here, and my dogs, Boone and Sadie occasionally. The other night, I connected my camera to my Meade ETX-125 telescope and broadcasted some views of the Moon. Here is a sample of that little endeavor.....

To view my LIVE broadcasts, go to:

www.ustream.tv/channel/mpocam

FIRST SNOW!

2009-12-13T08:43:00.000-08:00

After a week and a half of clear and very cold days and nights (the lowest temperature here was 8°), the temps started to rise a little, and the clouds rolled in. The result was the first snow of 2009!

December 13, 2009

9:30 a.m. PST.....

Watching For Geminids

2009-12-08T08:20:00.000-08:00

The Geminid meteor shower will peak on December 14, and we've had some very clear (and VERY cold) nights here in the northwest. I've set up my all-sky camera to watch for meteors streaking overhead. Here is a brief, bright meteor passing from west-to-east (with the resulting still-image trail included) at 5:19 a.m. on Tuesday, December 8. The last-quarter Moon shines bright, high in the southern sky.

For the daytime view from this camera, go to my website and click on the WebCam link. Enjoy...

Google Earth Feature (WAY cool)

2009-10-26T09:28:00.001-07:00

Check out Google Earth's new "Street View" feature...

There are 1,000's of panoramic views, taken from steet level, all over the country. These images were created by a high-tech pan camera mounted on a vehicle. This particular view is of a close friend's house in the country. If you don't have Google Earth on your computer, download it! If you already have it, update it! This is very, very cool.......

Next Generation Space Flight

2009-10-20T10:12:00.000-07:00

The next generation space flight program is called "Constellation". It is designed after the Apollo vehicles and the launch rockets are named Ares.
Ares 1-X is the test rocket for the crew vehicle. It was just rolled out from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at Kennedy Space Center to launch pad 39B.

More information about the Constellation program can be found here.

Sunday Drive

2009-10-18T16:48:00.000-07:00

I like to drive. That's one reason I drive a bus for a living. Even with all the city traffic and noise, smelly, obnoxious, barely tolerable people, and sitting for 8 hours a day, it's still the best gig I've ever had.

In fact, driving is very relaxing for me. Especially when I get the chance to hop in my car for a nice, peaceful drive up the river. Fall is a wonderful time to float through all the beautiful colors, listening to relaxing music.....(I hope you enjoy this as much as I did...)

Hurricane Rick

2009-10-18T11:50:00.001-07:00

There hasn't been a whole lot in the news about hurricane Rick, but it is a catagory 5 monster storm off the west coast of southern Mexico. It's maximum sustained winds have been clocked at 175 mph. Fortunately, Rick has been staying out over the water, and looks to start weakening in the next few days.

Chaos

2009-10-18T00:01:00.000-07:00

This weekend, a series of storm systems passed through western Washington from the Pacific Ocean. As the systems pass, the clouds push eastward, "piling up" against the Cascade Mountain Range.

This panoramic image shows one of the systems, after it has passed through, as it encounters the mountains and becomes chaotic and unstable, spawning thunderstorms in the mountains.

(Click on image for larger version)

Dinner Time

2009-10-12T22:45:00.000-07:00

This year, Boone turned 11 and Sadie is 9. Over the years, we have developed some very special "bonding moments". This is one of those.....

(Please excuse the audio quality...this was shot with a Nikon Coolpix digital camera, and the audio capability isn't all that great)

Crashing The Moon

2009-10-05T16:54:00.000-07:00

On Friday morning, Oct. 9 at 4:30 a.m., the Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) will crash into the Moon....on purpose. Scientists believe there is water ice hidden in at least one crater on the south pole of the Moon, where it never get sunlight. LCROSS's rocket stage will plunge into the lunar surface, inside Cabeus crater, sending up a plume of debris and (hopefully) water molecules. Four minutes later, the satellite itself will plunge toward the surface on a crash-course, passing through the plume and sending information back to Earth about it.
I'm hoping to be able to record the event from my location, using my 10" telescope and a high-resolution video camera.
If you don't have a medium-to-large telescope, NASA-TV is going to air the event LIVE from LCROSS, just before it crashes into the Moon!!!
Below, is an image of the Moon, showing the region where the impact will occur.....

The Moon, Jupiter and the Belt of Venus

2009-09-28T07:49:00.000-07:00

This panorama image shows a pinkish haze just above the eastern horizon, shortly after sunset. This haze is call the Belt of Venus. Above it, is blue sky. Below it, is the darkness of Earth's shadow. As the Sun sinks lower and lower below the western horizon, the shadow rises higher in the east until.....ta-da.....nighttime!!!! (The white dot at the right is the Moon)

Our Solar System's largest planet, Jupiter can be seen in this image (center), while the Moon shines at right. The two are getting closer together this week, until, in a couple of nights, Jupiter will be on the right of the Moon.

Panorama

2009-09-26T23:19:00.000-07:00

I recently downloaded a really cool program ("Auto Stitch") that creates a panorama photograph from several individual photos. Below, is my culdesac as seen in a 360° panorama. The 2-story house with the garage door opened is mine..... Click on image for a larger version.....

Boone's Ramp

2009-09-22T10:06:00.000-07:00

Boone, my male 11-year old Daschund has been having some weakness in his back legs, making it hard for him to get up the 3 steps to the deck. I used two 2 x 6's as a ramp for him. It didn't take long for him to figure out it is much easier to use the ramp......

The Perfect Catch

2009-09-10T21:14:00.000-07:00

After the shuttle Discovery undocked from the International Space Station, it performed a "fly-around of the station, before departing ahead of the station. (The shuttles AWAYS do it that way)

As predicted by Heavens Above.com, the ISS passed almost directly over my location. What I DIDN'T expect, was to capture Discovery only 4 minutes ahead of ISS!!!

This video shows the shuttle crossing the sky first, then, 4 minutes later....ISS. (the motion-detection software I use captured only the events, and not the gap in between)

New Radishes

2009-09-10T10:59:00.000-07:00

A new crop of radishes is popping up in the garden plot...

FIRST RADISHES!!

2009-09-04T23:22:00.000-07:00

I decided to pull up the first batch of radishes tonight after work. It's been just under 4 weeks since planting them in small yogurt containers. The tops were pretty large and leafy, so I figured the radishes were almost ready. The largest one was about an inch in diameter. Very tasty.

I have several more crops growing, and more to plant in the near future, giving me a continuous supply for as long as they keep growing. I have about 24 in the ground and more in planters on the deck. Yummmmm.

Moon and Jupiter on Monday Night

2009-08-31T23:22:00.000-07:00

The waxing gibbous Moon and Jupiter can be seen crossing the southern sky, in this 2 hour image. A single exposure was taken every 6 minutes. Jupiter is the faint series of dots just above and to the left of the bright Moon....(click on image for larger version).

Andromeda, Sweet Andromeda....

2009-08-28T23:02:00.001-07:00

I finally finished processing an image of the Andromeda Galaxy (M-31) which I took last Sunday night. This image was created from several 1-minute exposures taken at around 2:00 a.m. on Monday, August 24.

The galaxy is located at a distance of 2.5 million lightyears away from us. (ONE lightyear is about 6 TRILLION miles!!!) All of the stars in this image are foreground stars...meaning that they are all in our own Milky Way Galaxy. We are looking through these stars to Andromeda, far, far away.

Also, the area of sky that the image covers is no bigger than the end of your pinky finger, held out at arm's length!!!! If you take a moment and consider how many stars are visible in that tiny area of sky, then imagine how many more stars there are in the rest of the sky!!!!!! Whoa!!!!!!

It's Hard Work Being A Farmer!

2009-08-25T23:31:00.000-07:00

I pulled all of my carrots out of the ground the other day. They were all pretty strange-looking, but very tasty. I think the reason for the "mutant" carrots is because my plot wasn't tilled deep enough.

I'm in the process of expanding my garden plot, so I am going to focus on tilling double-deep for next season. Also, I think I will plant smaller carrots (4-6"). My onion and carrot plots will be twice as large as they were this year. I'm growing radishes this year on the deck, and hope to put in a large crop next spring. Still getting cherry tomatoes, too. Lots of little "greenies" on the vine!

Radishes Galore

2009-08-17T19:29:00.000-07:00

These are my radishes, 11 days old. I started another batch of seeds today. In about 10 days, I'll start some more. By then, these should be ready to eat! This farmer stuff is kinda fun, y'know?

Pan-BBQ Chicken and Walla-Walla Onions

2009-08-10T15:18:00.000-07:00

Taking an idea from a friend at work, I thought I would try a different kind of BBQ'd chicken......

The onion that I used for this was the largest one so far, weighing in at 18 oz. (1 lb., 2 oz.)!!!!! And I still have 20 in the ground, still growing.....

Cow Dogs

2009-08-02T11:27:00.000-07:00

Let's take a stroll around the veggie garden.....

Summertime Fire Prevention

2009-07-26T14:24:00.000-07:00

There are several great tips on preventing fires during this hot summer season.

This is the best one I've seen....

Jupiter and 4 Moons

2009-07-20T01:03:00.000-07:00

Jupiter and it's 4 brightest moons. Photographed through my 5" Meade ETX-125 telescope, using a Watec 902H2 high-resolution, low-light CCD video camera.

Endeavour Chases ISS

2009-07-17T07:13:00.000-07:00

My automated meteor-detection camera captured the International Space Station as it passed over my location at 10:12 p.m. July 16, followed 12 minutes later by shuttle Endeavour!

Vegetable Garden Update

2009-07-16T10:09:00.000-07:00

Tomatoes, carrots and Walla-Walla onions are doing fine as of mid-July. I'm not sure when the onions will be ready to harvest....whenever the tops flop over and die. The carrots will probably be ready in September-October. The tomatoes have been loving the hot spells we've had. Temps will get into the 80's for a week or so, then cool down for a week. They went from green to bright orange in just a few days this week. Yummmmm.....

Fun With Family

2009-07-13T19:54:00.000-07:00

Today, my son Joe, and his wife, Kerry and their four beautiful children, (l-r) Joseph, London, Grace and Langston spent the day with me. We had a great time playing, talking, BBQing (steaks and chicken) root-beer floats and playing with the robot. It was a pure pleasure having them here. My only regret was that it was cloudy, and Grace wasn't able to look through my telescope.

Maybe next time.

Joe is running for Congress in Mississippi. You can learn all about him here .

Three ISS Passes In One Night!

2009-07-10T08:53:00.000-07:00

The International Space Station passed overhead 3 consecutive times during the night of July 9. Each pass opens with a ground-track map, with Marysville, Washington in the center, and the track of the ISS overlaid, showing the direction of travel. The corresponding video of the flyby and long exposure still shot follow. At the end, is a composite image of all three ground-track maps, as well as a composite image of all three long-exposure images.....

I'm So Happy To Be Home!!!

2009-07-06T17:19:00.000-07:00

Boone spent the day at the Vet's...teeth cleaning, ear cleaning (had a yeast infection in one ear) and removal of a growth on his right-front leg.

He has a few teeth that have deep pockets in the gums, and will probably need to have them pulled in the future. He gets lots of stuff (dirt, food, grass, etc.) up in there and then it creates some infection and he sneezes alot. He is usually fine for awhile after the teeth cleaning, but it starts up again...

Here he is, just after getting home. (The bandage is from the I.V.). He has stitches on his other leg, up near his armpit, which will be removed in 2 weeks. He gets antibiotics 2 times a day for a week or so, and I have to monitor his stitches for any swelling, bleeding or discharge, and he needs to "take it easy" for the next 3 days. Other than that, he's just darn happy to be back home!!!

ISS Pass July 4

2009-07-04T05:56:00.000-07:00

The International Space Station is making multiple passes over my location this month, sometimes 2 or 3 times a night.

This video shows two such passes in the early morning hours of July 4th.

Note that on the 2nd pass, the station seems to speed up briefly. This was caused by a software glitch, and not the Commander's lead foot.....17,500 mph is fast enough, anyway!

("I'm givin' 'er all she's got, Cap'n...")

International Space Station

2009-06-29T07:56:00.000-07:00

The International Space Station flew overhead early this morning. This video sequence was captured by the meteor-detection camera here at Meadowcreek Park Observatory. The view is looking north...

(The video play-back speed is doubled...the actual pass takes twice as long)

Scouts and Astronomy

2009-06-13T08:42:00.000-07:00

Last night (Friday), I did an astronomy presentation to a small group of Cub Scouts. I always enjoy talking to kids. They can be very inquisitive. Some of these guys are extremely smart, concerning space and astronomy. I brought my small telescope, in case we had the opportunity to look at the sky, but it started clouding up before dark. A fun time was had by all...

Northwest Heat Wave

2009-06-04T10:44:00.000-07:00

At the time of this recording (Thursday, 10:30 a.m.) it was already 82° here. The forecast is for 85-90°!!! Yesterday, the forecast was for 75-80, and it hit 89 here. There is currently a heat advisory in effect until 6 p.m. tonight. It will start cooling off tomorrow......

A Galaxy Not So Far Away

2009-05-30T08:22:00.000-07:00

Moondog's Dog Blog

2009-05-25T16:29:00.000-07:00

Let's take Boone and Sadie for a romp around the "big field"......

It's A Bug's Flight

2009-05-23T07:14:00.000-07:00

Last night, I set up the meteor-detection camera, facing east. It captured a couple of meteors, but what I thought was REALLY interesting was the flight path of a moth flying around my backyard, illuminated by my porch light. These sequences all occurred within 30 seconds......

ISS and a Meteor

2009-05-18T06:43:00.000-07:00

Taking a little break from the Hubble mission, I set up two cameras last night to capture the International Space Station as it passed overhead.
The first photo was taken from the all-sky camera. The ISS always travels from west-to-east, so this image shows it passing from the bottom of the frame to the center.
The 2nd photo was taken from a high-resolution video camera, pointed up 60°, toward the NNE. It captured a video sequence of the pass, and created a still image. Fortunately, there is a website that predicts EXACTLY when and where the ISS will pass overhead, so all I need to do is point the camera and wait!!
I also got a bonus....a bright meteor pierced the skies about an hour later! (see video)

HUBBLE: EVA #3

2009-05-17T05:39:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, John Grunsfeld and "Drew" Feustel performed EVA #3.
Here, John exits the airlock, then prepares the foot-restraint on the end of the Shuttle's robotic arm and assists Drew as he positions himself on the arm.
Drew's reflection is seen in Hubble's shiny outer covering as he is lowered on the robotic arm; he finishes stowing a large component in the Shuttle's cargo bay, then stows his Pistol Grip Tool (PGT) on the "mini workstation" mounted on the robotic arm.

HUBBLE: EVA #2

2009-05-15T11:31:00.000-07:00

Today, Mike Massimino and Michael Good replaced three Rate Sensing Units and some Battery Packs in Hubble. The three RSU's contain 6 gyroscopes which help point and align the telescope.

Michael Good is working from the end of the Shuttle's robotic arm.

Here is a short (2:31) video segment of some of the activities....enjoy.....

HUBBLE: EVA #1

2009-05-14T10:47:00.000-07:00

John Grunsfeld and Andrew "Drew" Feustel performed the first EVA (spacewalk) to begin replacing components on Hubble. Here, John and Drew exit (egress) the airlock, Drew unbolts the Wide Field Planetary Camera-2 (WFC-2), then removes it from Hubble, just like pulling out a drawer, and is lowered down to the Shuttle's cargo bay with the camera in hand. The new WFC-3 is then installed......

***Unbolting the camera was not as easy as it looks....the bolt was tighter than expected, and Drew's torque wrench kept slipping. They decided to let him use his brute-strength to loosen the bolt. Depsite the risk of breaking the bolt and not being able to replace the camera, he was able to loosen it, then use the motorized socket to remove it....whew!!!!! Close one!!!!!

Capturing Hubble

2009-05-13T11:25:00.000-07:00

WEDNESDAY, MAY 13: Ahhhh, the long-awaited "Hubble-Hug"!

It's been 7 years since Hubble's last servicing mission, hence, this is the first time we have seen the telescope in that long...

This video has 3 parts: the first view of Hubble as Atlantis approached, the actual capture (grapple) of Hubble as seen from the camera on the end of the shuttle's robotic arm as Atlantis inches toward it from below, and Hubble finally attached to the end of the arm, flying above Earth. (all video segments are recorded as time-lapse to reduce file size and viewing times)

My next few posts will include video segments from the actual spacewalks as the astronauts replace several components. Stay tuned!

Atlantis Tile Survey

2009-05-12T13:01:00.000-07:00

For the next several days, I will be posting updates and brief video segments covering the current shuttle mission, STS-125. As I mentioned previously, this is the LAST servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.

Today, the crew of Atlantis is doing an extensive survey of the Thermal Protection System, which includes all the protective tiles on the underside of the shuttle, as well as the nosecap and wing leading-edge surfaces. This survey, performed on the first full day in orbit, has been standard protocol on every shuttle mission since the Columbia accident, to ensure that there hasn't been any damage to the shuttle during launch.

This video shows part of that survey. This view is loooking at the port (left) side of Atlantis, just behind the nose, at the thruster ports. The camera, mounted on the orbiter's robotic arm, moves back, toward the crew hatch....

Atlantis and the Hubble Space Telescope

2009-05-11T12:54:00.000-07:00

Space Shuttle Atlantis launched successfully today from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This is a unique mission, as it is the last servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope. Several components and cameras on Hubble will be replaced, as well as some repairs which were not originally designed to be performed in space!

Something else that makes it unique, is that the astronauts will not be anywhere near the International Space Station. That means that if they have problems in orbit, Shuttle Endeavour is on the launch pad, ready for a rescue mission if needed. Needless to say, this is an exceptionally risky mission!

Here are some different camera views of the launch. I recorded them as time-lapse, to save file size and time...enjoy.....

Mother's Day Sundogs

2009-05-10T22:10:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day started out beautiful and clear.

Rising in the east, the Sun was accompanied by a pair of sundogs....rainbow-colored reflections in the high, thin cirrus clouds, on either side of the Sun. Sundogs can vary in brightness, size and intensity, but these were a wonderful tribute to all the Mothers in our lives........

(Artificial eclipse added)

VideoBlog: Veggies and Dogs

2009-05-03T15:51:00.000-07:00

A short tour of my little corner of the universe...

ISS and the Milky Way

2009-05-01T07:15:00.000-07:00

The all-sky camera here at Meadowcreek Park Observatory captured the International Space Station as it passed overhead last night. Clearly visible, is the Milky Way, stretching across the view, from left to right!!

The ISS travels from west-to-east (top-to-bottom in this view). Click on image for larger view.

More Clear Skies....Whoo-hoo!!!!!

2009-04-30T23:57:00.000-07:00

After a frustrating day behind the wheel of a 40-foot city bus, it was wonderful to come home and enjoy some nice, clear skies.
This is the Moon at 11 p.m. Thursday night.....

ISS Early Thursday Morning

2009-04-30T07:29:00.000-07:00

Last night (Wednesday), my motion detection camera captured the ISS gliding across the sky, traveling in a northeast direction (toward the lower-left of the image)......it was visible only briefly, as it reflected the sunlight from below the eastern horizon......

Exploding Glow

2009-04-28T20:59:00.000-07:00

Today was a cloudy day. I did manage to get in some yard work...mowed the front lawn and pressure-washed about 40 feet of my back fence. This evening, I was looking over the images captured by my northeast-facing webcam, and saw this amazing event occuring in the northeast, as the Sun was setting in the west. The sky seemed to explode in a glow briefly...

Earthshine

2009-04-26T22:15:00.000-07:00

If you were lucky enough to have some clear skies on Sunday night, you may have seen the beautiful crescent Moon in the west, just after sunset. As the evening grew darker, the crescent became more brilliant and the earthshine (sunlight reflecting off the Earth and illuminating the dark portion of the Moon) was evident. To the left of the Moon, is a faint star in the constellation Taurus (the Bull).........

Wide-Field Saturn

2009-04-20T07:35:00.000-07:00

What a great weekend....so far. Sunny days and clear nights. I used the opportunity to do some imaging last night. This is a wide-field image of Saturn, using a 28mm lens on a CCD camera, mounted on a telescope which is "tracking", or following the stars across the sky. It is a 10-minute exposure. I actually enjoy doing wide-field the most...it tends to give more of a perspective of the region of sky being photographed (as opposed to the previous image of Saturn, showing only the planet). Click on photo for larger version.....

Dynamic Hit Map

2009-04-18T08:18:00.000-07:00

Here is a "dynamic" hit-map of visitors from around the world who visit my website....

FOLLOW-UP: Moondog (Worldwide) Astronomy

2009-04-10T22:39:00.000-07:00

So far, the average daily hit count went from 5 to 18! We had 35 first-time visitors to the website just today (Friday).

Thanks to Knit Witch for chiming in from Georgia.

My "hit map", at any given time shows only the 10 most recent hits, so your location may or may not show up when I have a chance to check it. But here is how the site traffic has changed in the past 2 days.....

...and we've only just begun!!!!!!

Moondog (Worldwide) Astronomy

2009-04-09T07:52:00.000-07:00

This is a worldwide map, showing the locations of people who view my website. (The information was taken from a "hit map" included in my hit counter).

Just for kicks, let's all see if we can plaster the map with dots....send my website address (www.moondogastronomy.com) to everyone you know, and see what happens!

***The average number of hits per day, over the past 7 days is 5.

Check back here for continuing results.......

Saturn and the Moon

2009-04-05T06:22:00.000-07:00

We are FINALLY getting some spring weather! This weekend, we are blessed with sunny days and clear, cold nights. I took advantage of the weather and got out with my 10" telescope last night to photograph Saturn (my first Saturn images this year!). The Moon was out, too, so I shot some craters while I was at it.....enjoy.....

Because of the changing orientation of Saturn's orbit around the Sun, the rings are viewed "edge-on", as opposed to years past, when the full glory of

the rings were visible as Saturn was tilted toward us.

This over-exposed image shows 3 of Saturn's moons!

...and speaking of moons, here are some images of prime real-estate on the Moon.....

The large crater, Plato. This crater is about 70 miles in diameter! (Note the long valley at the right...)

The crater, Tycho (center) has a large, prominent central peak.

Copernicus has two central peaks!

Mountains on the Moon!

Dwight's Great Snorkeling Adventure

2009-03-22T07:12:00.000-07:00

My best friend, Dwight, and his wife, Noreen are in Hawaii this month, celebrating her birthday. You may recall that last year about this time, I spent 9 days with them in paradise, relaxing, swimming with dolphins, and snorkeling. I had with me a small underwater digital video camera, and had a great time recording my snorkeling experience.

Dwight coudn't resist buying one, too, and has thoughtfully sent me a little tid-bit of his own adventures in Kona.....(titles and music added). Enjoy....

(HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NOREEN!!!)

***For anyone interested, this video was shot with an Oregon Scientific ATC3K underwater camera. (the compression factor used to upload this video to my blog does not do the actual video quality justice!)

Worm Moon Passeth

2009-03-11T10:33:00.000-07:00

The bright Full "Worm" Moon passes overhead...

2009-03-10T11:02:00.000-07:00

Ok....here is the time-lapse video of the Moon crossing the sky on the night of March 9.....

Meteor March 8

2009-03-09T08:03:00.000-07:00

Take a look near the Moon, about the "10 o'clock" position.....

Surreality

2009-03-04T10:35:00.000-08:00

This brief (:16) time-lapse video was created by combining several 60-second exposures, looking northeast, between around midnight and 6 a.m. Wednesday morning. The star trails peeking out from behind the clouds seem almost surreal.....

Venus, the Moon (and the clouds!)

2009-02-27T20:33:00.000-08:00

I managed to capture Venus and the Moon in their close conjunction tonight...just before the clouds rolled in and ended the show.....

VENUS IN DAYLIGHT!

2009-02-27T15:14:00.000-08:00

Venus, in broad daylight! Taken on Friday, February 27, 2009 at 1:30 p.m. PST. I used a Meade ETX-125 (5" Cassegrain telescope), and my Astrovid PlanetCam color CCD video camera...Enjoy!!

Tuesday Night Skies

2009-02-25T11:04:00.000-08:00

...a time-lapse video looking north from Meadowcreek Park Observatory between 9:30 pm Tuesday and 6:00 a.m. Wednesday (8 1/2 hours in 60 seconds!). When the aurora season kicks in again, this is the camera used to capture the Northern Lights!

Monday Skies

2009-02-23T17:30:00.000-08:00

This view was taken from the all-sky camera here at Meadowcreek Park Observatory. This is the same camera which is used for meteor detection. As you can see, this sequence runs from early morning until around 5 p.m.

SUNDAY SKIES

2009-02-23T00:00:00.000-08:00

Taken from my webcam, facing north-northeast.

My Other Ride

2009-02-08T20:45:00.000-08:00

Last year, Everett Transit arranged with Matchbox to produce several thousand replicas of our buses. This is a one-time production, and no more of the really cool toy buses will be made. Boy, this is sure a fun place to work! (They even let me play with my very own full-sized toy bus)

GRABBING SOME CLEAR SKY

2009-01-19T07:56:00.005-08:00

We finally had clear skies yesterday, and the temps actually hit 50!!!!! I took advantage of the situation and got in some imaging before the fog rolled in around 8:30 last night... No meteors, but a couple of aircraft flew overhead.

This first video shows a helicopter's spotlight glaring into my all-sky camera, and the still image created by the software.

The second video is an airplane. (I had two cameras going at once, so the 2nd still image shows the plane's track just below the constellation Gemini.

MOONDOG MINUTE: January 12

2009-01-12T15:48:00.000-08:00

Snow Pan

2009-01-11T15:00:00.000-08:00

Well, the snow has stopped, then the rains came and the rivers flooded. Now, the rain has let up and the rivers are starting to recede. You have probably seen our situation here in Washington state on the news. Fortunately, my neighborhood seems to survive these kinds of storms pretty well. Here is a brief video panorama taken from my front porch, while the snow was still around.....

Clouds clear, Vega shines!!!

2009-01-04T08:06:00.000-08:00

This is a time-lapse video of the clouds above my location between 3:30 a.m.- 7:00a.m. The bright star at the top after the clouds clear is Vega.

FIREBALL!!!!

2008-12-28T20:39:00.000-08:00

A huge, bright fireball crossed the sky tonight. The software I use for this captures actual video of the event and also creates a jpeg (still) image from the video. I added the caption, and taa-daa!!! An extraordinary catch.....You can actually see it explode just before fading out!

2008: A Good Year

2008-12-27T15:25:00.000-08:00

Well, 2008 was a good year. A trip to Hawaii in February, backyard shrubbery and tomato garden put in, the dogs and family are in good health and my car still runs great! I hit the 10 year mark at Everett Transit...boy, time sure flies when you're having fun...
Kept in touch with old friends...
We had a very white Christmas...over 2 weeks of snow here in Washington state!! The photo above is a panorama of my neighborhood, taken on Dec 23 (click the photo for a larger version).
I'm looking forward to more projects next year...some fence repair, more garden work, and hopefully lots of clear nights to enjoy the stars.
May you and yours be blessed with health, happiness, joy, peace and love in the New Year!

The Happy Farmer

2008-10-10T12:00:00.000-07:00

Knowing that the weather would deteriorate soon, I pulled some of the remaining tomatoes that were close to ripening and put them in the window sill. Sure enough....within a couple of days, an arctic front moved in and the nighttime temps dropped to around 30 degrees!

This was my biggest harvest. A quart measuring cup, almost full.

Yellow Tomatoes

2008-09-30T10:12:00.000-07:00

Found out the other day that I also have yellow "Pear" tomatoes in my garden...I had noticed that several of the 'maters were larger and sort of pear-shaped. I had no idea what they were....possibly mutant fruit???? Anyway, alot of them have since turned yellow and plump. One of my neighbors said that I have yellow Pear tomatoes! I picked one and ate it...very tasty...actually, just like the red ones.
So far, I've gotten 3 crops of the red cherry tomatoes (a handful each). Alot of them have split because of the recent rain, so I have a tarp to protect them from future showers. I think, however, that the season is coming to a close...the forecast calls for nice weather until Thursday, then more rain and cooler. Hopefully, I'll get at least one more crop....

TOMATOES: First Harvest

2008-09-17T10:31:00.000-07:00

This is my "first harvest" of tomatoes! Still lots of green ones and some that are changing from orange to red. It's been getting down into the 40's at night lately, so I hope the rest of the 'maters survive until I can pick them. The temperatures have been in the upper 70's to lower 80's during the day, but the forecast shows the daytime temps dropping into the upper 60's-70.

Boy....this farming thing can be stressful!!! (Ha ha).