THE SONGS OF A NIGHTINGAIL

  Bald Eagles aren't short when it comes to birds, but they're shorter than a lot of other things. This is "Shadow" the male eagle sitting on a nest containing two eggs nearing hatching state.  The female, "Jackie", is off hunting for food she'll bring back to the nest.  Shadow will sit on the nest till late morning or early afternoon when Jackie will take over.  I've been watching them now for five & a half days.  They've been weathering through continual snowstorms with small breaks in between like this one with even a little sunshine.  Every time I see them I send warm thoughts to them.  Who knows?  There are countless other people watching them & if we all send warm thoughts their way, maybe it helps?  I'd like to think so, anyway.  I totally believe in the power of multiple thoughts all going in the same direction!  If you want to try watching them, key in on your computer: Big Bear Bald Eagle Live Nest - Cam 1  ...

  This is a Tardigrade aka a ‘Water Bear’.  It is only 0.020” long & lives for approximately 3-4 months. Some species, however, can live up to 2 years but that includes inert periods.  It has 40,000 brain cells (humans have 100 billion), & a well-developed nervous system. Another shot of the Tardigrade ‘Water Bear’. Hello?  I have no idea what this little critter is, but it’s kind’a cute. The tiny Zunzuncito bird is found only in Cuba.  As small as it is, it is perfect in every detail.  I mean, how adorable is this?!! A sweet little baby porcupine. A wee little lion cub – with its Mum & Auntie, perhaps. A newborn baby giraffe.  It isn’t short though – at birth it's 6 feet long – or tall as soon as it can stand up. A newborn human baby – in this case, 1 foot, 7 inches stretched out. That newborn human baby with his Dad on his wedding day at 6 feet 1 inch! My Bonsai Oak tree On to non-living offerings: My mini typewriter.  I’m using a ...

  The long way to Tipperary. A long gorgeous way to a deer.  I found this picture online & couldn’t resist using it. The walkway off the ferry from Oban to Craignure on the Isle of Mull, Scotland.     On Scotland’s Isle of Mull - the long road from Craignure to Fionnphort where we caught the ferry to Iona. Walking down the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, Scotland. The long walk through Prince’s Street Gardens in Edinburgh, Scotland. The battlefield at Culloden, Scotland – the long path past the mass grave markers of those clan members who fought in vain to restore Bonnie Prince Charlie to Scotland’s throne.  The battle was over in 40 minutes with terrible consequences for the Jacobites. A long walk down the aisle of St. Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall, Orkney, Scotland. An interesting alleyway between St. Magnus Cathedral & the church cemetery in Kirkwall, Orkney, Scotland. No actual walkway, path, or road here, but the miles on the sign post speak of long treks –...

  I really did find a couple of cars with smokestacks. Did having a smokestack make the cars go faster?  I could find no evidence supporting it, so who knows? Then there were these babies driving around with gas bags on top of them.  Yikes. Fill ‘er up! This one appears to be full up & bursting at the seams! I’m not sure this would be a safe way to travel?  Apparently it was somewhat popular during WWII when gasoline was scarce. It just looks a little scary to me. It seemed to work well enough, though.  And if it was really dangerous I think I would have seen pictures of some gastly (‘scuse the pun) accidents, but I didn’t. This one wins the prize, however, with a brick chimney.  A not too shabby early version of an RV.  I wonder if there really is a small fireplace or wood stove inside?  The father was a traveling musician. :-> La Nightingail

  An engraving of William S. Henson’s & John Stringfellow’s Aerial Steam Carriage in 1842. The following year Jules Henri Giffard invented a steam powered airship. The only steam powered aircraft that ever amounted to anything at all was designed by the Besler Brothers, George & William.  It first flew at California’s Oakland Airport in 1933.  The biggest drawback to steam powered aircraft was the weight.  The engine, boilers & condensers added about 400 lbs to the small biplane.  The aircraft could, however, commit to short landings because of its reversible engine which could propel the plane backwards in the blink of an eye.  At the time it was thought steam would revolutionize the aircraft world, but it was not to be. The Besler Brothers’ steam engine plane getting ready for takeoff in a cloud of its own steam. Leaving steam powered aerials now and moving on to gas powered planes which smoke for deliberate reasons such as this crop dusting p...