Here Comes the Sun

And now for something completely different.

Astronomy is one of my hobbies. And while I haven't gotten into the sub-culture of astrophotography all that much, like some do, I have been known to occasionally take very basic moon and solar photos through my telescopes. So I thought I'd share a few solar photos with you from a couple of years ago, on the theory that most of you have probably never seen the sun in quite this manner before.

Believe me - these photos aren't that good, and I'm not just being modest. Really good astrophotographers take *amazing* photos, with so much surface and other detail. But they're still kinda cool. I recommend clicking on them for the larger version, to see the flares coming off the surface...

WARNING: Special solar filters or solar telescopes are needed to view the sun; please don't use a telescope or binoculars without special equipment or you risk not only burning out the 'scope, but also your eyes...and we wouldn't want that.

Hawaii, Part 3

I'm back! Those of you who read my other blog (and that's pretty much all 5 or 6 of you ) know I had computer problems the first couple of weeks of November, and then after that I just kept running out of time to do posts over here in addition to everything else going on. Anyhoo, I'm hoping to get into a regular twice-weekly posting schedule. We'll see...

Now that it's getting cold pretty much everywhere in the Northern hemisphere, how about some more Hawaii photos? If you've ever been to Maui -- more than just passing through the airport -- you may have done or at least heard of The Road to Hana. It's a fairly well-known thing to do, an all day drive along the coast on a somewhat dangerous twisting turning road. One of the mottos for it is "It's the drive, not the destination." Or something like that. But it is indeed a beautiful drive, with lots of hidden and not-so-hidden turn-offs and pull-offs to see pretty flowers, gorgeous waterfalls, grottos tucked away from prying eyes, and other gems.

To whet your appetite and warm you up on what may be a chilly day, here are just a few photos from the drive along The Road to Hana: