Fire On The Mountain!

This week we took our annual vacation to Jellystone Park in Luray, VA. The first night there arose a fierce thunderstorm with strong winds. In the morning we noticed smoke rising from the mountain in front of us (called Neighbor Mountain). Fire on the mountain! Run, boy, run!

[Newsleader.com] Dozens of firefighters hiked up steep mountain trails in triple-degree heat Friday, as efforts continued to contain a pair of unusual summer wildfires burning over hundreds of acres in the Shenandoah Valley.

Drivers headed into downtown Luray could see a white haze enveloping the top of Neighbor Mountain in Shenandoah National Park.


The fire on Neighbor Mountain was first reported Tuesday morning. The cause is under investigation. As of Friday afternoon, the blaze was not contained and had spread from 200 to 800 acres, said Shenandoah National Park spokeswoman Karen Beck-Herzog.

From what we could see only the underbrush is burning and not the tree canopy itself. If it stays an underbrush fire, it will be much easier to contain and will ultimately be "healthy" for the forest. If it becomes a canopy fire, then the trees themselves will die and it will become dangerous and difficult to contain.

It burned all week and is still burning as of this writing. At night there was an orange glow and you could see the fires burning. We had to reassure the Nodlings that we were in no immediate danger.

 It sure made for some interesting counterpoint to our vacation. What did you do this summer? Oh, the usual: went swimming, made s'mores, watched a forest fire ...

Chasing Tail

This black snake got his tail literally chased by an angry jay bird across my driveway and down two houses. The bird is unfortunately out of frame, but this snake was in a hurry.

The snake couldn't get away fast enough. It looked like it was running on its elbows. Funniest thing I saw all day.

Vintage Army Jeep

Saw this cool vintage army Jeep at the grocery store the other day. It's the real McCoy, probably circa-Korean war.  Which means, this is one really, really uncomfortable vehicle.

Cool though.

Great Span

There is tons of construction going on the Interstate I drive to work every day. (Yes, sadly, I've been going downtown again for the last several months.)

The other day I passed by this 18-wheeler with a 30-foot (40? 50?) steel span for a bridge or overpass on its bed. Don't try to pass this guy in a narrow spot!

Sopwith Camel

I followed a guy on my way home the other day who had this picture on the back of his car. Made me laugh, made my day. I'm so getting one of these for my "Sopwith Camel".

Zebra Barcodes

This just makes me laugh. Or is it too obvious?

A team of computer scientists and biologists have developed a barcode-like scanning system called Stripespotter that automatically identifies individual zebras from a single photograph. [source]

Apparently this works with giraffes and tigers as well. Yes, but the big question is: do they come up as on sale?

Literal Signs #3: Ben Hur?

You tell me what this sign is saying ... chariot race ahead?

Literal Signs #2

If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times ...

Literal Sign #1

Signs must be obeyed. You have been warned.

I Know What It Is But ...

For some reason I looked at this and thought: Cool. The Pope has a light saber.

Road Hog

Almost got ran off the road by this oversize load on the highway. You don't realize it, but boats are BIG. The truck is taking up more than one lane, as you can see.

Ze Trike

Not sure what to call it, but these 3-wheeled motorcycles are popping up all over. The odd part is they have two wheels in front, one in back. More stable? Maybe ...

Papal Windows

Still Life With Cameraphone: Horse Trailer

Despite all the rampant development in and around Washington DC, the sight of a horse trailer is still not unheard of. City to my right, country to my left - interesting place.

Ecce Homo XVI

Papal Picture Of The Day

Our Holy Father, Benedict XVI

Spy Hunter Roadster

Now I don't claim to be a car buff, but I do know when I see something different.

I was behind this guy at a traffic light and noticed this little square panel with an arrow pointing to it on the back of the car. It's not a gas cap, I could see that on the side. It's not for getting in the trunk. I've never seen anything like this before - so I took a picture with my phone.

I took note of the make and model: a Honda S2000 Roadster -- apparently quite the sports car. So what in the world is this panel and why does it have an arrow pointing to it?

Well, Professor Google knows it all, so I finally found an owner's manual (like I'm ever going to own this car, yeah, right). Turns out this unique aperture is -- are you ready for this? -- a tow line.

Well, if you're gonna blow $35K on a two-seater, you can afford to have your own tow hook built in. Shades of Spy Hunter and Peter Gunn! Does it have smoke screen, oil slick, and machine guns too? 'Cause then I think I might be interested.

Still Life With Camera: Helicopter Formation

It's not every day that you see helicopters flying in formation ten feet off the ground. I only caught one of them with my camera phone (while driving!), but it was a sight to behold.

Let Them Eat Cake

In this case, a white rose cake on a silver plate on the stage of the Morris Performing Arts Center. The cake matched my cousin's wedding gown which was also covered in white roses.  The reception was held literally "on stage" at the Morris (originally called the Palace Theater), since my cousin is a performer and professional dancer (when she is not using her architectural degree from Notre Dame).

[Morris Center] The Palace Theatre was built in 1921 as a vaudeville house and part of the Orpheum theatre chain. In its early days, vaudeville shows ran continuously with a new act every ten minutes. Patrons could obtain admission for just 22 cents and enjoy the day’s new acts as they made their way on and off the stage.

At its inception, the interiors of the theater were glorious. Old roses, blues and creams predominated and not one singular architectural style could define the whole of the structure. The architect, J.S. Aroner from Chicago envisioned the theater as a little palace; a place in which theatergoers could feel as if they were royalty. A trip through the theater was intended to make a patron feel as if she had just made a trip through Europe. With many different architectural styles including Baroque, Spanish Renaissance, Greco-Roman and even a little Art Deco, patrons entered intricately detailed and carefully planned interiors when they entered “The Palace.” 

The cocktail hour was held in the Grand Lobby. My brothers and I got to play doormen in our tuxes and white gloves. You went to the box office to get your "ticket" and then mingled with the other "patrons" at the bar. At the appropriate time, the chimes were rung, my brother and I opened the main doors to the theater, and the "audience" was seated.

Grand Lobby (Photo: MorrisCenter.org)

The inside of the theater is just as grand. After the curtain went up and the bridal party was announced, the bride and groom enjoyed their first dance under the spotlight on stage. After that the guests were invited up on stage for "dinner and dancing".  It was quite the production.

Arch and Stage (Photo: MorrisCenter.org)

It's amazing what people will do if you just don a tuxedo and some white gloves - they just follow your every direction. I may have to take these to work -- or better yet, wear them at home for the Nodlings.

Notre Dame Road Trip

Just got back from my cousin's wedding at Notre Dame. The Cathedral is awesomely beautiful. Here are a couple of quick pictures from inside. This doesn't begin to capture the beauty of this church dedicated to Our Lady.

The first one is a long shot from the back of the church looking towards the altar. The church extends for a fair bit behind the altar. In fact that was where we heard Mass from for the Feast of the Assumption today (televised, no less).

Notre Dame Cathedral

The second picture is the Notre Dame choir loft from which my brother and I sang for my cousin's wedding. My, but the sound carries from there - great view too. Nobody can see if you're counting on your fingers from there. I guess I can cross this off my bucket list.

Notre Dame Choir Loft

Finally, I was entranced by the holy oils ensconced in their own place of honor at the entrance of the church near the baptismal font (which is 80+ degrees!). From the left you can see the Oil of Catechumens, Holy Chrism, and Oil of the Sick.

Notre Dame Holy Oils

I'll elaborate after I've gotten some rest. Ciao!