The peak of today’s solar eclipse. Turned our pine tree into a multiple-lens pinhole camera!


An inquisitive old fart with a camera
General observations, generally during dog walks
The peak of today’s solar eclipse. Turned our pine tree into a multiple-lens pinhole camera!
Couldn’t do the regular dog walk today, so took Mocha around the neighborhood. I especially appreciate the evening light and colors, which aren’t quite as rampant where we normally walk.
[wpvideo DYRFckkx]
An unimpressive clip of an unimpressive encounter. On our first exploratory visit to Uruguay in2009, we rented a car to drive from Colonia to the Atlantic coast. Along the way, we were amazed to see huge tarantulas crossing the road. We wondered what exactly we were getting into….
First tomatoes ready to pick (6 December).
Between a small cactus and tarragon, a brief appearance of volunteer mushrooms.
Concrete stepping-stone in local park.
Artichoke flowers. I would rather have seen artichokes on sale, but since I’d never seen an artichoke flower before, this was a sort of compensation.
At a beach entrance in Marindia, you can find one of the ubiquitous mud Hornero nests. Hornero means baker, and they are so named because their nests look like traditional mud ovens.
You know, like this. (Photo source)
But if some humans want to help and provide a ready-made solar-panel roof, well, so much the better.
The entrance to the nest faces the beach (ESE). I was told once that the birds build their nests with the opening facing east for the morning sun, but I have seen them facing several directions. The same person told me that was because they have become disoriented since the advent of cell towers.
The immense pine tree that I’ve been expecting to fall in every storm of the past eleven years. Not one, but two hornero nests – bottom branch and stub of a branch below it.
Southern Lapwings (Tero Comun, Vanellus chilensis)
The beach as the weather turned this afternoon. Alántida, Uruguay.
Beginnings of rain as we left.