Journey with John Stokes

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

The Patriotic house on Hernando and St Johns

Today I came upon my friend Noah Lindsey on Church Street, cutting weeds from his hedges. We talked awhile and he shared that he likes living in yellow houses on corners. I inquired as to why and he said while growing up, he lived in a yellow house on a corner. The house on Church Street once belonged to a church member friend of his, a lady we used to call the walking lady, who in her later years went blind.
Noah, who used to live on Brown Street in a yellow house, on the corner, purchased her home when she went into a nursing home. Noah said that he wrote a series of poems about different aspects of his boyhood home, but misplaced the poems. The series was titled The Yellow House on the Corner.

I hope that next month when I pass Noah's house, he shall share that he located the poems.

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Sabbath Star Gaze

2:05AM Perseid

Of over a hundred photographs taken, deleted immediately when no meteorite appeared, this was the only frame that captured a faint meteorite trail, in the lower left. It was an exercise in patience. Sitting and hoping during the 15 second interval, one would appear. What occurred was, during the interval, when the camera was processing, the meteorite would appear.
I gave up after the battery died around 2:30AM.

Perseid Problems

Determined to capture a meteorite with my little point and shoot Canon S95, I dutifully sat in the back yard for two hours, from 1am to after 2am, pointing the camera upon the tripod to the Southern heavens.
I had the camera set for 15 second time exposures, with a two delay on the shutter. I would then hope, like lightening, that a meteorite would appear during this interval. After the 15 seconds were up, the camera would take another 30 seconds to process the shot before allowing another.
It was during this interval that the meteorites would appear! I did see around a dozen, with one dazzling, which would have made a good photograph. I determined to keep doing this 15 second and wait process until the battery died in the camera. In all, I probably took nearly a hundred frames, deleting them when no meteorite appeared, which was all but one I captured. It was a faint trail in the lower part of the frame.
This photograph is not that one. This was just a photo of the awesome heavens.

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Still Road Ride

After a long neglect of the Basso Road bike, today I got the pump, aired the flat Continental Gatorskin tires up to 100psi, wiped the cobwebs off the handlebars, cleaned the dust, reset the Cateye speedometer and clipped in. The breeze was brisk as up Rossi road I headed. My destination was Gateway College. It felt good to be in the road bike saddle again, even though the lycra shorts felt a bit loose. I could not get the rear view mirror adjusted and had to stop in order to bend the wire holding the little mirror on my glasses so I could see. It was acceptable and on I went. To Pounds Hammock and North to 100A. Across 100 and onto the college entrance road, repaving delaying due to tropical storm Debbie.
I wove my way through the college, coming to the new Wilson Rivers library and onto the North College entrance road. Made it to US90, crossed and entered McColsky Avenue, renamed from Still Road, next to the Cold Storage facility. Rode a mile further, turning around at the 10K point. Stopped at about 11K and took this photograph of the black-eyed Susans with a storm passing to the South.
Upon entering 100A, instead of going over to Pounds, I went down 100A west to 245A for a change of scenery. Stopped for a shot of Bethlehem Baptist and then onward toward home.
All in all a nice 20K, 12.2mile ride. Home to see Nathaniel and family arriving. Swam with Nathaniel while Landon and Amber cleaned their car for selling. Melanie and I then got ready and went to David and Kaleah Desmartins wedding at the Horse Pavilion on Tuskeenugee, a very nice place. Nice wedding though we did not stay for the reception in the stables. We instead went to Porter House and had a sirloin steak, then ordered the chicken from Harvey's for tomorrow after church dinner, then by Winn Dixie for a few items.
Home to watch Olympics but the sink in the kitchen stopped up. Had to don boots and a shovel and dig the drain out back. A messy, hot, mucky job. Finally got the pipe unclogged of the grease.
Melanie sleeps, worn out. I tried to sit outside awhile in hopes of seeing some meteorites, but no such sightings. I am not too keen on waiting until to the 2am peak.