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The other day when I was driving around Hollywood, FL, where I live, I came upon this greeting painted on a local business's windows. It looked "funny" to me, and then I realized why. Click on the photo to enlarge it and then read it.......and then read it again. Do you see anything wrong? If not, read it again. If you didn't see it, then I'll expose it for you: Fall IS is in the air! Now, this has been up for a couple of weeks and I don't think anyone has told the owner of the business that his greeting is botched up. I've seen a few other windows with the same general greeting, apparently done by the some company, so I KNOW they can get it right. :-) I guess it's hard to get good COMPETENT help to paint ads these days. Happy Halloween everyone!

PICTURE PERFECT

Trying to come up with acceptable shots is sometimes a challenge. I'm always looking at what I can use to "frame" a shot and make it more pleasing to the eye. Other than being a bit dark, I thought this shot of an Airbus A340 landing in St Maarten (SXM), came out pretty nice. It gives a pretty good idea of just how close to the beach and our hotel these planes land. Certainly an airplane lovers paradise!!!!!

WATERFALL

When I went cherry picking this past summer, my buddy Bill took me to see some beautiful waterfalls in the Portland, Oregon, area. Here's a waterfall that may look "small", but the drop is actually around 300 feet or so. It has a HUGE cave behind it which kind of gives it an eerie feel. It was a damp, rainy day when I took this photo. One of the nice things about the Portland area is that it is ALWAYS green (although the reason it's green is because of all the rain), and you can see from the photo just how lush and green everything really is.

FOG

One of the "normal" weather phenomena we face every time we fly into San Francisco (SFO), is the fog banks that develop with NO notice. It's amazing how the sky can be clear for miles and a few minutes later a thick fog bank has rolled in and dropped the visibility to a few yards. When I was recently in SFO, I observed this thick fog bank rolling across the bay. You could hear the large ships horns blowing in the distance, and then see them as they "ghostly" appeared from the fog. It was so eerie!!!

GOBBLE GOBBLE

A couple of years ago when I went to visit my mom in Roswell, NM, we went on a drive to Ruidoso, NM, to go play some slots. (My mom LOVES to play slot machines, espceially JACKPOT PARTY!!!) We were enjoying the scenery during the drive when we came upon a nice flock of wild turkeys out looking for food. Their must have been around thirty or so of them. It's quite a thrill to see a wild bird like this out foraging for food. Having a camera available made this a memorable sight. Hope everyone has a wonderful upcoming Thanksgiving!

A NEAT SIGHT

A couple of months ago when I was in Los Angeles (LAX), I noticed John Travolta's private B-707 parked across the field. He keeps it painted in Qantas colors since they've made him an "honorary" captain at their airline. It's really great to see that he keeps this plane in such immaculate condition since it's around 50 years old!!!! I'd hate to see the gas bill on this baby though, especially with FOUR inefficient engines doing all the work................... ;-)

INCREDIBLE CAMERA!!!

I continue to be amazed at the quality of photos that digital cameras produce. My Nikon D200 (digital SLR) snaps some of the most incredible shots I've ever taken. Although I have to take a lot of photos to get ONE good one, it's worth it to see the results that come about. Here's a photo I took of a seagull passing by. This guy was probably 20 feet (approximately 6.5 meters) or so from me, but from the picture, you'd never know it. The thing I like most about my Nikon D200 is the speed at which it is ready to shoot after turning it on (almost simultaneously), and how quick the shutter response is when snapping shots (shutter lag is completely NON EXISTENT!). Hope you like this shot.

www.photosbykarl.net

UNACCEPTABLE BEACHWEAR

As many of you know from visiting my blog, I love to go to the beach. But every now and then, I wish I'd stayed home. Usually the sites are pretty nice, but then again, sometimes something catches your attention and leaves "a bad taste in your mouth" ---so to speak. Here's a photo I took of a lady who apparently "believes" she looks great in a bikini. I beg to differ. I may not be the best looking middle-aged guy at the beach, but I do wear a swimsuit that "works" for my age. What do you think???? ;-)

PELICAN!!

I always try to take interesting photos when birds are flying in front of the sun. Here's a shot I took at the beach in Hollywood that came out with weird "sun lines" in the photo. Pelicans are an amazing bird. They dive with such force into seemingly shallow water and never seem to get hurt. Guess they've done the "fly and dive" routine so many times they know what they can get away with. ;-)

MY OFFICE

I guess I have to be one of the luckiest people in the world to have an office like this! This is a shot (albeit not a very good one.....but I'm working on getting a better one!) of one of Continental's new Boeing 737-900ER's. This is one incredible machine!!! We were flying it from Houston Intercontinental (IAH), to Portland, Oregon (PDX). It is so stable and such a joy to fly. The autopilot's on these airplanes are something else. After being programmed, they will fly the airplane all the way to the runway, land, and put the brakes on for us. The only thing we have to do is click the autopilot off after touchdown, and keep the airplane on the center line. Technology is amazing and to watch an airplane do this is even MORE amazing. Yep, I'm one lucky guy to have such a great office!

ORCHID!!!

I sincerely think orchids are one of natures most beautiful flowers. There are so many varieties, sizes, shapes, and colors, and they are great to photograph. Here's a shot I took of an orchid that a vendor was selling on the Hollywood broad walk (they don't call it a board walk for whatever reason) a couple of months ago. Beautiful, isn't it?

DARKNESS ON THE HORIZON

One of the more spectacular views we get in the cockpit is when darkness looms over the horizon. Here's a shot I took when flying from the west coast to the north east Newark, NJ (EWR). From the time darkness starts to ascend in front of us till it is over us and totally dark behind us is about an hour. It's quite a sight to see.

HYPER BEACH BIRDS

These little guys have to be the most "hyper" birds I've ever seen. They move around like lightning and even when they're moving "slowly", it's still hard to capture a good shot. It's funny to watch these little birds move in and out with the surf. It's almost like they're afraid of getting their feet wet. ;-)

R AND R AT THE BEACH

Today I went to the beach to get a bit of "rest and relaxation"....which beats sitting at home and watching the stock market drop like a rock. Sooooo, I just happened to come across a few seagulls doing the same thing I was. They sure look peaceful, don't they? Also decided to include a shot I took in St Maarten (SXM) of a little crab digging out a rest spot for the day. It's amazing the amount of sand these fellas move for a temporary home.

ATHLETE IN SXM

Every now and then I see some amazing things at the beach. I took this shot in St. Maarten (SXM) of a guy doing flips. He was getting some real height every time he jumped. Hard to believe he was doing his flips and jumps with NO spotters, and he NEVER missed a beat! Haven't been to St Maarten in three or four months. Hopefully a trip will show up soon so I can get some more good photos.

www.photosbykarl.net

THE HAVES VERSUS THE HAVE NOT'S

The other day when I was out on the beach, I noticed this nice little "luxury yacht" pull up. I was pretty shocked when they opened the "garage door" and out came a couple of jet skis. I guess when so many in this country are barely making ends meet, there's nothing like "showing off" and letting everyone know SOME are still doing well. I think it's neat to see stuff like this, but their comes a point when you just have to be a bit more humble. Guess I'd never comfortable in the "ritzy class".... I just don't think everyone wants to see folks showing off when others are hurting so bad.

CLOWNING AROUND AT THE BEACH

Just when you think you've seen it all, up comes this guy at the beach. I guess he was promoting a "Haunted House" in the Miami, FL. area. All this warpaint HAD to make this guy hot, but the makeup he was wearing was certainly getting every ones attention. By the way, do you know why sharks don't eat clowns????? Because they taste funny! Have a great day.

Check out my other photos at www.photosbykarl.net

MONSTER IN BANGOR

Last winter I was commuting up to Newark when the plane I was riding in had to divert to Bangor, Maine. Talk about cold.............it was FREEZING. After we parked on the ramp, a Russian Antonov came and parked next to us. They fueled it and I took this shot of it departing for an unknown destination. This guy has 24 tires and is HUGE. Pretty neat, eh? Funny thing is though, is that it very closely resembles the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy, so we always call it the C-5ski. ;-)

CRAZY REAL ESTATE PRICES......

Today as I was looking through some of my old photos, I came across this beautiful home I owned in Brunswick, Georgia. It was built in 1890, had over 6500 square feet indoors, on a half acre of land, and made into four apartments: two were two bedroom two bath, and two were two bedroom, one bath. All had beautiful hardwood floors, fireplaces, 14 foot ceilings, french doors, and many more features found in older homes. I spent quite a few hours doing yard work and renovating this place, and yes, it was GORGEOUS. The good thing though, was that when I purchased it in 1997, I only paid $179,900!!! (Up until recently, you couldn't get a STUDIO apartment NEAR Miami beach for under $500,000!!!!) The hard thing to believe though, was that getting someone to rent a 1400 square foot apartment for $500 a month was like pulling teeth. They literally wanted them for free! After holding on to the place for seven years, I finally sold it (sadly). I used to often think of everything that old home must have seen over the years. Too bad they don't build homes like this today. Sturdy, quality, beautiful, and "personality" just don't seem to be the hallmarks of new homes. Sad, isn't it?

CAR AT THE LOCAL CARSHOW

On the first Sunday of each month, we have an antique car show here in Hollywood, FL. Here's an intriguing shot of my car, a 1970 FIAT 500.............. EVERYONE wants to look at it. ;_) It amazes me how small this thing is, and yet still holds FOUR people. The nice thing though, is that it gets great gas mileage since it has only two cylinders and 18 horsepower! It's also quite an attention grabber since it's one of only two or three in the southeastern Florida area (that I know of).

LIZARD CLOSE UP

Every now and then I get a nice shot of a lizard or iguana that gives a great indication of just how good these digital cameras really are. Here's a shot I took a few months ago of a lizard on a tree by my condo. This little guy is probably three to four inches long, but the camera makes you think he's a lot larger. The detail is incredible. The camera? My Nikon 8800 (8 mega pixel). This is one of the best all around cameras I've ever used. I like it so much I have two of them. ;-) Hope you like the photo! (Click on it to make it larger) www.photosbykarl.net

OSPREY FISHING

Here's a shot I keep hoping will happen a bit closer to the beach. Their are a few osprey's that live near the beach and every now and then they fly by to go fishing. Usually they are quite a ways up and out, so getting a closeup is kind of hard. Anyways, this osprey was flying by with a fish and I was able to snap a shot of them. It's pretty neat to watch the osprey kill the fish. Soon after diving into the water and catching the fish, they literally shake it to death. It almost looks like the bird is being shaken out of the sky, but it's actually shaking the fish to kill it. Pretty neat if you've never seen it. Hope you enjoy the shot. Click on the photo to make it larger.

www.photosbykarl.net

CHRISTMAS CARD???

It's such a nice day here in Hollywood, I thought I'd post a shot I took last Christmas while on the Hollywood beach broadwalk. The weather was EXACTLY like today.......abosulutey gorgeous! Yeah, I know it's a bit early to post something like this, but it felt "right". I may use this image for my Christmas card this year...........that is if I SEND any cards. ;-)