Captain's Blog http://capnscott.com World photography adventure with a crusty old Captain... Wed, 07 Jul 2010 02:45:33 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 New inventions and pulling rabbits out of the hat… http://capnscott.com/2010/07/06/new-inventions-and-pulling-rabbits-out-of-the-hat/ http://capnscott.com/2010/07/06/new-inventions-and-pulling-rabbits-out-of-the-hat/#comments Wed, 07 Jul 2010 02:22:17 +0000 Capn Scott stationweather http://capnscott.com/?p=353 Been working on this crazy project for a bit.  Trying to build small autonomous weather stations that don’t need computers and such.  Not only does it report to the internet by itself (long distance wifi and solar powered), but it can be hooked up to relays and such. Let’s say, I use a soil or [...]]]> Been working on this crazy project for a bit.  Trying to build small autonomous weather stations that don’t need computers and such.  Not only does it report to the internet by itself (long distance wifi and solar powered), but it can be hooked up to relays and such. Let’s say, I use a soil or leaf dampness indicator, and if it’s too dry, it intelligently turns on a sprinkler (in accordance with water regulations (day of the week and time)) of course… But, if the barometer is dropping (indicating a rain front) it will hold off a while.  Weather stations should do something as well as report the weather… Been cranking out code till late at night and dealing with weather sensors…

Well finally, I’m seeing some progress…

I have more stuff coming, but this is getting very cool…

Capn Scott

]]> http://capnscott.com/2010/07/06/new-inventions-and-pulling-rabbits-out-of-the-hat/feed/ 0 Dive boat closer to Panama… http://capnscott.com/2010/06/22/dive-boat-closer-to-panama/ http://capnscott.com/2010/06/22/dive-boat-closer-to-panama/#comments Tue, 22 Jun 2010 12:37:30 +0000 Capn Scott Constancedive boatflorida http://capnscott.com/?p=351 Moved the dive boat, and it is so big on a trailer.  As typical, they always seem much larger out of the water than in… I borrowed the truck from my friend Neal at Transmission Power in Jacksonville.  He sold and rebuilt the transmission that is in it. Getting closer to Panama by the day… [...]]]> Moved the dive boat, and it is so big on a trailer.  As typical, they always seem much larger out of the water than in…

I borrowed the truck from my friend Neal at Transmission Power in Jacksonville.  He sold and rebuilt the transmission that is in it.

Getting closer to Panama by the day…

Capn Scott

]]> http://capnscott.com/2010/06/22/dive-boat-closer-to-panama/feed/ 0 Green Cove Springs industrial complex… http://capnscott.com/2010/06/21/green-cove-springs-industrial-complex/ http://capnscott.com/2010/06/21/green-cove-springs-industrial-complex/#comments Mon, 21 Jun 2010 22:27:50 +0000 Capn Scott marinescapephotographyseascapesunrise http://capnscott.com/?p=348 It was time to move the boat a little closer to Panama.  I had it stored in Green Cove Springs.  I purchased a trailer and modified it to fit the boat.  The morning of the move, I got up a little early and got some great sunrise shots. This is an interesting old ship that [...]]]> It was time to move the boat a little closer to Panama.  I had it stored in Green Cove Springs.  I purchased a trailer and modified it to fit the boat.  The morning of the move, I got up a little early and got some great sunrise shots.

This is an interesting old ship that has been there forever.  Eventually, I’d like to pick up something like this and do some liveaboard dive trips.  Or, just have it for my own personal use.  It would be a giant project, but the end result would be more than worth it.  What an amazing expedition vessel it would be…

Such interesting lines, and blends of subtle pastel colors…

Sunrise and sunset are some of the best chances to get those special colors.  And, using the water almost doubles the effect…

Capn Scott

]]> http://capnscott.com/2010/06/21/green-cove-springs-industrial-complex/feed/ 1 The “Big Easy”… and roots… http://capnscott.com/2010/05/22/the-big-easy-and-roots/ http://capnscott.com/2010/05/22/the-big-easy-and-roots/#comments Sat, 22 May 2010 23:48:20 +0000 Capn Scott architecturelandscapelouisiananew orleansphotography http://capnscott.com/?p=345 Got a chance to visit New Orleans.  I grew up there, and it was interesting to see the changes in the last 20 years… This is probably one of the most recognized landmarks in the city… I had to go past the old neighborhood and take a couple of shots of the house I grew [...]]]> Got a chance to visit New Orleans.  I grew up there, and it was interesting to see the changes in the last 20 years…

This is probably one of the most recognized landmarks in the city…

I had to go past the old neighborhood and take a couple of shots of the house I grew up in.

The neighborhood changed so much, I wouldn’t have been surprised if it were gone.  But it wasn’t, and it was good to bring back some of the old memories…

I even had a chance to have dinner with an old high school friend, Jay.  It was so good remembering the old times…

All in all, a good time, probably a little too much alcohol and food, but worth it…  Now, back to the diet…

Capn Scott

]]> http://capnscott.com/2010/05/22/the-big-easy-and-roots/feed/ 1 More Lighthouses… All from New Jersey… http://capnscott.com/2010/05/16/more-lighthouses-all-from-new-jersey/ http://capnscott.com/2010/05/16/more-lighthouses-all-from-new-jersey/#comments Sun, 16 May 2010 22:18:25 +0000 Capn Scott landscapelighthousemarinescapenew jerseyphotography http://capnscott.com/?p=341 I got a chance to get out shooting with the camera club.  What kind of a seafarer would I be if I wasn’t interested in lighthouses?  So, off to the New Jersey shore we go… This is the lighthouse at Sandy Hook. It’s on an old military base. The sky couldn’t have been any prettier. [...]]]> I got a chance to get out shooting with the camera club.  What kind of a seafarer would I be if I wasn’t interested in lighthouses?  So, off to the New Jersey shore we go…

This is the lighthouse at Sandy Hook.

It’s on an old military base.

The sky couldn’t have been any prettier.

Behind the lightkeepers house…

An antique Cadillac passed by and I couldn’t resist.  And, turning it to black and white was just a given…

There were some areas 0f beach there that were stunning as well…

This is a double lighthouse called Navesink.

Very rustic and interesting architecture…

Got a chance to shoot the fresnel lens…

Barneget Lighthouse…

Shooting the lighthouse next to the Barneget Inlet.  Fitting…  a boat named “Lucky Thirteen” next to Atlantic City…  I’m sure that there is a story behind the name…

Nice contrasting colors…

A very well kept structure…

There were some rose gardens surrounding the lighthouse, and this bee was nice enough to pose for me.  If I would have cranked up the ISO and shutter speed, I could have frozen the wings…  Just not fast enough…

All in all, a nice day for shooting pics.  Again, a great time with the photography meetup group…

Capn Scott

]]> http://capnscott.com/2010/05/16/more-lighthouses-all-from-new-jersey/feed/ 0 Pennsylvania covered bridges of Chester county… http://capnscott.com/2010/05/01/pennsylvania-covered-bridges-of-chester-county/ http://capnscott.com/2010/05/01/pennsylvania-covered-bridges-of-chester-county/#comments Sat, 01 May 2010 23:56:46 +0000 Capn Scott architecturechester countycovered bridgespennsylvaniaphotography http://capnscott.com/?p=323 Got a rare chance to get out shooting today.  The meetup group had an outing in which we visited 7 covered bridges in Chester county and upper Maryland and Delaware. The day was really nice, but it got warm in the afternoon. The spring foliage is so bright green… An HDR shot to show some [...]]]> Got a rare chance to get out shooting today.  The meetup group had an outing in which we visited 7 covered bridges in Chester county and upper Maryland and Delaware.

The day was really nice, but it got warm in the afternoon.

The spring foliage is so bright green…

An HDR shot to show some of the inner structure.

This was near Valley Forge park…

Another HDR shot to show the inner structure.

This bridge was no longer in service and gated on both sides.

Nice little bridge on “Covered Bridge Road”…

Again, the spring foliage is really lush.

None of these bridges are copies of the others…

Another HDR photo to show the inner workings…

This was the longest of the bridges.

It looked like it was recently updated…

Almost like new.

The giant old beams are so interesting…

The HDR photos really show up the inside of the bridges…  Using HDR to lighten the inside of the bridge is so convenient.  It would take an amazing amount of lights to be able to do this normally.

Another great outing with the photo meetup group…

Capn Scott

]]> http://capnscott.com/2010/05/01/pennsylvania-covered-bridges-of-chester-county/feed/ 0 Compressors for the new dive shop in Panama… http://capnscott.com/2010/04/20/compressors-for-the-new-dive-shop-in-panama/ http://capnscott.com/2010/04/20/compressors-for-the-new-dive-shop-in-panama/#comments Tue, 20 Apr 2010 22:22:32 +0000 Capn Scott compressorsdivedive shoppanama http://capnscott.com/?p=320 Okay… just picked up the new compressors for the dive shop in Panama… I have a pair of Worthington 15CFM 5000psi compressors for filling tanks.  I need to adapt them and set them up for the shop.  Wooohoooo…  getting closer… Yep, they were kinda heavy, surprised even me… Capn Scott]]> Okay… just picked up the new compressors for the dive shop in Panama…

I have a pair of Worthington 15CFM 5000psi compressors for filling tanks.  I need to adapt them and set them up for the shop.  Wooohoooo…  getting closer…

Yep, they were kinda heavy, surprised even me…

Capn Scott

]]> http://capnscott.com/2010/04/20/compressors-for-the-new-dive-shop-in-panama/feed/ 0 USCGC Blackthorn WLB-391 http://capnscott.com/2010/04/07/uscgc-blackthorn-wlb-391/ http://capnscott.com/2010/04/07/uscgc-blackthorn-wlb-391/#comments Wed, 07 Apr 2010 23:18:10 +0000 Capn Scott BarnabyblackthornseaUSCG http://capnscott.com/?p=327 It’s hard to believe that it’s been over 30 years since the Blackthorn sank.  They had just arrived at their new home across the dock from the Valiant in Galveston.  And, immediately they were off to the yards in Florida for an update.  I hadn’t seen SNGM Barnaby since we were in boot camp together.  [...]]]> It’s hard to believe that it’s been over 30 years since the Blackthorn sank.  They had just arrived at their new home across the dock from the Valiant in Galveston.  And, immediately they were off to the yards in Florida for an update.  I hadn’t seen SNGM Barnaby since we were in boot camp together.  He had the locker next to me.  I was happy to finally have someone that had spent 13 weeks of hell with me in boot camp to hang with.  We were all devastated when we learned that, as they were returning from the yards, they were hit by a freighter and sank instantly with most hands…

One evening, we were all sitting around in boot camp, and the question of “why did you join” came up.  His answer was, “I’ve got a wife and a couple of kids, I got tired of washing dishes to support my family and joined”.  Little did he know that his real job would kill him.

I remember the burial at sea, the 13 gun salute, and the casket, dropping into the deep.  I saw his pregnant wife crying, along with her two children, as they watched it slip into the sea also…

I passed the memorial in Florida, and stopped to see it.  It brought back old memories…

Via con Dios Randy…

“Mourn not for him, He sails with one more divine”…

Capn Scott

]]> http://capnscott.com/2010/04/07/uscgc-blackthorn-wlb-391/feed/ 0 Rocky Mountains, Elk and Denver… http://capnscott.com/2010/03/29/rocky-mountains-elk-and-denver/ http://capnscott.com/2010/03/29/rocky-mountains-elk-and-denver/#comments Mon, 29 Mar 2010 10:33:00 +0000 Capn Scott coloradoelklandscapemountainsnational parkphotographyrocky mountains http://capnscott.com/?p=317 I got a chance to visit Denver, Colorado. Interesting big blue bear in front of the Colorado Convention Center. I took the opportunity to get up into the mountains and also visit some parks. I didn’t get many pictures, due to the snow storm.  These are 4 pictures stitched together. It was really cold and [...]]]> I got a chance to visit Denver, Colorado.

Interesting big blue bear in front of the Colorado Convention Center.

I took the opportunity to get up into the mountains and also visit some parks.

I didn’t get many pictures, due to the snow storm.  These are 4 pictures stitched together.

It was really cold and snowy.  Down in Denver, it was 51 degrees, but up in the mountains, it was 26 degrees and snowing.  Some of the roads in the Rocky Mountain National Park were closed due to the weather.

But, right before you get into the park, the herd of elk are grazing along the road.  I stopped for a while and shot some pictures.  They didn’t seem to mind the vehicles stopping and taking pictures.

I haven’t had much time lately to shoot pictures.  Hopefully, I’ll be able to get back down to Florida next week and finish up the final touches on the exhaust system and other lagniappe on the dive boat.  Maybe some more great pictures along the water…

Capn Scott

]]> http://capnscott.com/2010/03/29/rocky-mountains-elk-and-denver/feed/ 0 Covered bridges of Montgomery County… http://capnscott.com/2010/02/01/covered-bridges-of-montgomery-county/ http://capnscott.com/2010/02/01/covered-bridges-of-montgomery-county/#comments Mon, 01 Feb 2010 15:08:42 +0000 Capn Scott landscapenaturephotographyseascape http://capnscott.com/?p=315 Got a chance to go out and shoot with the local photography meetup group.  We visited several covered bridges after a night of a dusting of snow. Water reflection and snow just makes this shot… Capn Scott]]> Got a chance to go out and shoot with the local photography meetup group.  We visited several covered bridges after a night of a dusting of snow.

Water reflection and snow just makes this shot…

Capn Scott

]]> http://capnscott.com/2010/02/01/covered-bridges-of-montgomery-county/feed/ 0