Challenge: Free Sunday - April 14, 2019
Apr 13, 2019 21:31:29 #
No guessing involved here, it is Free Sunday. Come by and post any of your latest, greatest, or just plain what you would like to share with us all here on Free Sunday. I really enjoyed last week’s challenges. Big thanks to Katspangle and JudyJuul for hosting them.
During our 46+ years living in San Antonio I have flown into, over and driven through West Texas, but our trip a couple of weeks ago was our first to spend any time there. The visit to Big Bend NP, Big Bend Ranch State Park, and the McDonald Observatory in the Davis Mountains near Ft. Davis. The Visit to the observatory included a tour of their two largest telescopes of the many they have there. The Harlan J. Smith telescope has a reflecting mirror of 2.72 meters (107 inches) diameter. We were able to go inside the scope room where they kept the temperature at what the night time temps were expected to be, just to avoid temperature differential expansion/contraction when the dome is opened up to view the night sky. It was very cool in the room…
During our 46+ years living in San Antonio I have flown into, over and driven through West Texas, but our trip a couple of weeks ago was our first to spend any time there. The visit to Big Bend NP, Big Bend Ranch State Park, and the McDonald Observatory in the Davis Mountains near Ft. Davis. The Visit to the observatory included a tour of their two largest telescopes of the many they have there. The Harlan J. Smith telescope has a reflecting mirror of 2.72 meters (107 inches) diameter. We were able to go inside the scope room where they kept the temperature at what the night time temps were expected to be, just to avoid temperature differential expansion/contraction when the dome is opened up to view the night sky. It was very cool in the room…
Apr 13, 2019 21:36:45 #
The other scope we toured was the Hobby-Eberley Telescope with one of the largest mirrors in the world at 11 meters diameter and consists of 91 hexagonal mirrors precision ground and placed together to create the larger concave mirror in the scope room. We were only allowed to view through a large glass window into the scope room, and I didn’t really realize what I was seeing until I downloaded the photos and zoomed in on the mirror itself. All of the structural tubing in the room are straight so what were those curved tubes…?
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Turned out they were reflections of the straight tubes on the concave mirror. On the download you can probably makeout the individual hexagons that make up to big mirror.
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meanwhile back here on earth!
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Apr 13, 2019 21:40:54 #
Apr 13, 2019 21:55:45 #
lhammer43 wrote:
The other scope we toured was the Hobby-Eberley Te... (show quote)
impressive work/subject andthanks
Apr 13, 2019 23:10:40 #
lhammer43 wrote:
The other scope we toured was the Hobby-Eberley Te... (show quote)
Fascinating Larry and thanks for hosting another FREEEEEE SUdayYYY
Apr 13, 2019 23:11:38 #
Since the winds were whipping the Daffodils around a couple of days ago....I decided to rescue a few. So offered them some water plus peace and quiet...inside! They appear to be happy and healthy! 
Bob
Bob
Apr 13, 2019 23:27:22 #
I only got to one place to shoot this wee - the beach where an an unusual phenomenon is occurring. Dredging the river bottom as it enters the ocean and with exceptional high tides, driftwood ahs appeared for miles down he beaches. Big pieces have disappeared, but crafters are coming by with bags to select pieces suitable for crafts.
The ocean is that way
A pot pouri of texture
soft feather, smooth and colorful crab shell amidst the monotone driftwood colors
Apr 13, 2019 23:30:46 #
Not ours, but two doors to our left a neighbors "yellows" have jumped over her bricked in area and are now working their way to the lake! We can enjoy them from our sunroom....or from this photo that I walked over to snap! 
Bob
Bob
Apr 13, 2019 23:37:26 #
PAToGraphy wrote:
I only got to one place to shoot this wee - the beach where an an unusual phenomenon is occurring. Dredging the river bottom as it enters the ocean and with exceptional high tides, driftwood ahs appeared for miles down he beaches. Big pieces have disappeared, but crafters are coming by with bags to select pieces suitable for crafts.
Wow! What a find PAT! Hope you had yourself a bag to salvage a couple of pieces. I certainly would be finding some....but then we live in Indiana vs an ocean nearby!
Cool pictures, Bob 
Apr 14, 2019 00:41:47 #
lhammer43 wrote:
The other scope we toured was the Hobby-Eberley Te... (show quote)
Fascinating images, Larry! We'll probably never get to see these in person, so thank you for sharing the images
and the story behind them.
Thank you, too, kind sir, for hosting another "Free Sunday."
The following images were taken in NYC on National Tartan Day. Here's what Google has to say about that:
"National Tartan Day is a US observance on April 6 each year. It commemorates the Scottish Declaration of Independence, from which the American Declaration of Independence was modelled on. It also recognizes achievements of Americans of Scottish descent."
Tim
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Apr 14, 2019 00:42:58 #
Bob I 41 wrote:
Since the winds were whipping the Daffodils around a couple of days ago....I decided to rescue a few. So offered them some water plus peace and quiet...inside! They appear to be happy and healthy! Bob
BobPg 1 - This is a great image, Bob, and I'm glad you
took the time to rescue these beauties!
Apr 14, 2019 01:41:13 #
We are still getting settled back in at home in Washington! Not liking the cooler temperatures though! But photography hasn't changed that much!
Apr 14, 2019 04:11:23 #
littlebiddle wrote:
We are still getting settled back in at home in Washington! Not liking the cooler temperatures though! But photography hasn't changed that much!
some say photo/art is for the birds
and concurred with the some/time
Bill@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Apr 14, 2019 04:12:42 #
Apr 14, 2019 06:00:56 #
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