Mountain Biking Saturday Morning

We went to Pocahontas Park on Saturday morning and we rode The Red and Blue Trails. It was very humid but we got there early enough so it was not that hot. We had a 9 mile ride when it was all over with.

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Mack: When in Doubt, Blame the Soldiers

 

Thanks to Mack Hall for letting me publish this story. 

When in Doubt, Blame the Soldiers

 

"War hath no fury like a non-combatant"

 

-- Charles Edward Montague

 

On the night of 6 June 1944 my father was on a ship in the English Channel with his armored car and crew and a few thousand of their closest friends, waiting for their turn to land in Normandy on the second day of the invasion.  He said "it looked like all Europe was on fire."  He landed on 7 June, and was told by the beachmaster to "drive inland as far as you can go; drive like *&##; nothing is secure."

 

"As far as you can go" turned out to be Zwickau some ten months later, with leisurely stops at Bastogne and Dachau.

 

Imagine a soldier in World War II landing on a beach in Normandy or anywhere else and being sent home for saying something rude about Hitler or the Emperor of Japan: "Sergeant Hall, stop that; mass-murderers have their feelings too, you know.  We have to understand Hitler's special needs.  After all, he had a rough childhood.  Didn't you pay attention during the group therapy sessions that replaced lifeboat drill?  We're pulling you out of the invasion and sending you home for sensitivity training."

 

Perhaps a journalist from, oh, Princess magazine heard about that exchange, and published it.  In a few days Hitler could have read the sad story in the Washington Zeitgeist or the San Francisco Morning Screed and wept into his morning injection of weird drugs before filing a complaint with the United Nations.

 

Recently an American soldier was sent home from Iraq because he was accused of using a copy of the Koran for target practice.  This was said to be offensive to the sort of people who strap bombs to their own children.

 

More recently a Marine was removed from checkpoint duty for handing out coins which bore the quotation from Saint John 3:16 on them instead of quotations from the Koran about how lovely it is to kill Jews.

 

Okay, okay, a soldier surely has better things to do than pot at a book, and a Marine at a checkpoint should be watching carefully for the little girl whose father packed her school bomb that morning so she can kill and die for his god.

 

Somewhere nearby there is a cranky old sergeant whose job is to growl "Private Ponsonby, if you want to discharge that firearm you find an Al Queda," or "Corporal Snortborger, you ain't no missionary."  And that should be the end of it.  The United Nations, whose craven peacekeeping forces are a terror only to women and children, doesn't get a say.  Neither should the sort of people whose experience of war is limited to John Wayne movies and pose-for-the-camera protest marches.

 

A soldier who gives someone a token or religious medal with a few words about divine love on it may be a little off-task (or maybe not), but he's the one who was sent in to clean up the mess the politicians made, and he appears to have a better idea than most politicians about how to do it.

 

Could we at least pause for a moment to say something at least slightly disapproving of an ideology that tortures and murders the few prisoners it manages to take?  Dare we suggest that strapping bombs to one's own child is not good parenting?  Is it beastly to infer that cutting the throat of a diminutive stewardess is not nice?  Is one boorish to notice that the previous Iraqi regime actually built a concentration camp for the children whose parents it had imprisoned or murdered?

 

Could we at least pause for a moment to say something at least slightly approving of the American soldiers we have sent into combat and, worse, "peace-keeping?"

 

Giving a Christian blessing to a civilian is not a soldier's duty, but neither is it a war crime.

 

-30-

 

Chairman: "We deplore your spirit of disharmony."
No.6: "That's a common complaint around here, isn't it?"

-- The Prisoner

 

---

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Rain Storm...

We have had a chance of Thunder Storms for the last 2 days. It did not rain here yesterday when we had the greatest chance but it rained this evening. I saw it rolling in and wanted to get a few photos of the clouds. I took the first one in Black and White and the rest in color. All were shot in 16:9 HD Aspect Ratio.


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Our Cat, Another Pose!

Our Cat, Another Pose!, originally uploaded by RMStringer.

I just happened to have my camera handy yesterday afternoon while the cat was looking at me. She is in a comfortable sitting position on the couch and she sits there often. She has a very big attitude and is very playful even at 5+ years old.

Exposure: 0.333 sec (1/3)
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 40 mm
ISO Speed: 400

Panorama Creations...

Well folks, i have been doing some reorganizing of my Flickr Account and i made a new set called Panorama Creations. It is all the Panoramas that i have made over the last 3-4 years using Panorama Maker 3.0. Here is the link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rmstringer/sets/72157605360343797/

Please go and take a look at them.


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Facing West in Downtown St Louis

West Facing St Louis, originally uploaded by RMStringer.

This is another series that i took while on Spring Break in St Louis. I took all the photos freehand with no tripod I was standing in front of the Old Courthouse when i took this 5 photo series. I took all of the photos with my Sony a200 10.2Megapixel DSLR.

Unopened Bloom... Magnolia Tree 1

Unopened Bloom... Magnolia Tree 1, originally uploaded by RMStringer.

This is a Magnolia Tree bloom that has not opened yet. I have been waiting for it to bloom for about 2 weeks. It is in a house in our neighborhood. The blooms are very pretty and smell wonderful. I love how the sun's light is surrounding the bloom and glistening on the leafs.

Exposure: 0.001 sec (1/1600)
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 35 mm
ISO Speed: 100

B/W Wheat Field and Clouds

B/W Wheat Field and Clouds, originally uploaded by RMStringer.

This was also taken off of 481 West on Sunday. I took this in B/W to get a neat contrast of the wheat, trees, and sky all at the same time and I shot it in 16:9 Aspect to get more of the surroundings in the photo. I took this around the same time that I took the close up photo of the wheat.

Exposure: 0.001 sec (1/1000)
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 18 mm
ISO Speed: 100

Grave Rows 1

Grave Rows 1, originally uploaded by RMStringer.

I took all of these on the weekend trip to DC. It was on 5.10.2008
I don't know their names but only that they died for our country in some form or fashion during some war that was fought...

Exposure: 1/2500 sec
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 22 mm
ISO Speed: 400

Hill Close-up

Hill Close-up, originally uploaded by RMStringer.

I took all of these on the weekend trip to DC. It was on 5.10.2008
I don't know their names but only that they died for our country in some form of fashion during some war that was fought...

Exposure: 1/4000 sec
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 40 mm
ISO Speed: 400

Citronella Fire

I took this while in North Carolina at the KOA. It is burning Citronella to help keep the bugs away. We filled it up during that afternoon and it burnt for over 8 hours. We have these at our house and brought them with us for the weekend.

Exposure: 0.5 sec (1/2)
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 70 mm
ISO Speed: 400

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gas1

gas1, originally uploaded by NENA_OTTO.

i saw this on Flickr and i had to post it to the blog. I do not have a gas stove like this but i want to find one to try a shot like this.

Rust...

Rust..., originally uploaded by RMStringer.

This was on the side of an old barn on 481 East that i rode by and on my mountain bike and then the next day, i drove to and took this photo. I think that the metal is galvanized metal. I liked the colors that are in the photo. I think that the wood grain is a nice touch to the metal(LOL)

Exposure: 0.004 sec (1/250)
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 70 mm
ISO Speed: 100

Another Old Building...

Another Old Building..., originally uploaded by RMStringer.

While i was taking photos of the general store, i turned around and found this building on the opposite corner. It stood out to me by the way that it was all alone, no home near it. You can tell that it is very old due to the unevenness and the slanting of the structure. Perhaps it was a gas station or a post office or some other business. I say that because of the bars on the front windows and the way that the drive comes in front of it. I took it in 16:9 Aspect Ratio to get all of it and the surrounding trees.

Exposure: 0.004 sec (1/250)
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 45 mm
ISO Speed: 100

KOA Camping...

I-95 Exit 154 at Enfield, 0.5 mile west on Highway 481. Right on Bell Acres at KOA sign.

From Highway 301 take Highway 481 west Bypass in Enfield and follow 7 miles (cross over I-95). Right on Bell Acres.

From Highway 48 turn east on Highway 481. Just after bridge, turn left onto Bell Acres.

Enfield / Rocky Mount KOA
101 Bell Acres
Enfield, NC 27823

This is where we stayed for the Memorial Day Weekend.

Technorati Tags: KOA, North Carolina, Camping, Vacation

Camera Update.

Over the three day weekend i took over 2 gigs of photos. I went to North Carolina on a full charge an shot over 400 photos on one 2 gig card. I can get over 440+ normaly on a 2 giger, but i did lots of RAW format photos and they take lots of room. When i switched cards, i still had over 60% better life left! I was ready for another 400+ but time ran out on us...


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KOA Memorial Day Weekend Vacation!

We went to a KOA Campground in Enfield North Carolina for the Memorial Day Weekend. We did "tent" camping. It was our first attempt at this. We had a good time! They had swimming and other activities for the campers. We got the tent set up on Friday evening and during that night, it rained on us. Were kind of freaked out about this and hoped that we would not be trapped in the tent all the next day. It reined from about 2am till 9.30am and then it cleared off. We were really happy about that. We had a good camp neighbors and did several camp fire sittings with them.

I did lots of photography and learned some new techniques and settings with the camera. I used the EV Bracketing and did lots of Black and White photographs. I did a lot of RAW photos and 16:9 Aspect Ratios as well. I did lots of nature and clous photos using the Bracketing method. With that method, you can make HDR Photos using special software and i will post a few soon.

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White Easter Lilly...

White Easter Lilly..., originally uploaded by RMStringer.

This was blooming at the entrance to the office of the KOA that we stayed at this Memorial Day weekend. This is as tight as i could get. You can see pollen on the pistil of the bloom. I used a "Back Flash" on the flower. I love using that flash setting.

Exposure: 0.006 sec (1/160)
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 70 mm
ISO Speed: 400

Old Building

481 East & 48 South in North Carolina Taken with my LGVX8600 phone.
From RMStringer

This message was sent using the Picture and Video Messaging service from Verizon Wireless!

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Blue Sky...

Rocky Mnt NC KOA Taken with my LGVX8600 phone.
From RMStringer

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Wheat...

Taken with my LGVX8600 phone.
From RMStringer

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Good Day!

All clear now! we had rain from 2am - 9am. 75 deg now!
From RMStringer

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Set up & done!

Taken with my LGVX8600 phone.
From RMStringer

This message was sent using the Picture and Video Messaging service from Verizon Wireless!

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Getting set up @ KOA

Taken with my LGVX8600 phone.
From RMStringer

This message was sent using the Picture and Video Messaging service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

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The Bee Cropped Photo...

I cropped the original photo to zoom onto the Be better. Here it is! The resolution is just amazing with my A200. No distortion from the original to the cropped photo. look at the clarity of the bee in contrast to the surroundings and notice you cannot see his wings frozen.

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Unopened Rose...

I took this during the afternoon while i did the Bee photos...



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A flying Bee...

I went to take a few pictures today and saw a Bee flying around the rose blooms. I took several photos of it and then watched it fly around and then decided to take a few of that as well. They turned out amazing. This was taken in my backyard.





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Rose at Night...

Rose at Night..., originally uploaded by RMStringer.

I took this the other night using the "Back Flash" It turned out well and did not wash out the color. The color looks so vibrant to me, so deep.

Exposure: 0.008 sec (1/125)
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 70 mm
ISO Speed: 400
Flash: Flash fired

Thought for the day...

The older you get, the stronger the wind gets-and its always in your face: Golfer Jack Nicklaus





From RMStringer

GW Masonic Memorial.

Taken with my LGVX8600 phone.
From RMStringer

One last rose...

Taken with my LGVX8600 phone.
From RMStringer

Amethyst...

Amethyst, originally uploaded by RMStringer.

This was a big piece of Amethyst that was in the Smithsonian National Museum Of Natural History in Washington DC. I thought that it would be a neat photo. They have a great section on Geology as well as many other exibit halls. This rock weighed well over 500 pounds and is one of the few items that can be touched in the museum.

Exposure: 0.017 sec (1/60)
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 35 mm
ISO Speed: 400

Before The Fire...

I took this at 8.46pm. We were going to have a fire in the pit and make Smores. The photo was a 4 second exposure. I like the colors that the deck and the little Citronella flare pots give off onto the side of the house. The fires give off enough light to make the chairs have big shadows on the wall as well. We also have little lights that are bordering the deck that give off neat circular light pattern. I used f/5.6, Iso400 at an 18mm focal length to shoot this photo.

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Fire Pit...

I was just messing around having some fun taking random night pictures. We had a fire in our little burning pit and i wanted to see what it would look like.


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5 Years...

On May 15, 2008 I celebrated my 5th year of continuous Soberity. It was a very strange and reflective day for me while i was at work. Looking back at what i was and then where i am now and where i am going to be soon had a strange effect on me that day.

The blog has taken a new direction in that I am wildly into Photography as many can tell from the posts as of late. Because i am Clean and Sober i can do the things that i love. I still ride my mountain bike and work out, but this is the direction that i need to go now. Please continue to read and i will continue to publish...

Thank you,
RMStringer


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Big Dipper...

Big Dipper..., originally uploaded by RMStringer.

This was my first attempt at shooting the night sky. I was hoping to get some rotational effects but i got a good clear sky shot. At the lower left, you can see a streak that is from a jet. The orange glow is from the fire that we had making Smores tonight. It turned out very good, better than i expected. I bought a tri-pod today so i will be able to take better photos at night due to not having to find a steady surface to place the camera on.

Exposure: 15 sec (15)
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 18 mm
ISO Speed: 400