Lunar Eclipse 2018

Dennis and I made a point to view the recently touted Super Blue Blood Moon Lunar Eclipse, which took place this morning, January 31, 2018. We were not on the west coast where viewing was to be ideal, so we were not sure how much of it we'd be able to see on the West Bay of Galveston Island, Texas. Nonetheless, we gave it a go.

As we stepped out of HaRVee at 5:45 a.m. CT, we could see the lunar eclipse part had already started. Dennis did some surveillance yesterday afternoon to find a good viewing spot. We drove

to this spot about 1.5 miles away so we could view the moon over the bay with minimal disruption from nearby homes and businesses. We were hoping to photograph the blood moon as it set behind the bay. This spot would have offered a delightful reflection of the large red-orange moon on the water. However, NASA was correct. Galveston was not ideal for the average person to view this phenomenon in totality.

The moon disappeared from view as the last sliver was covered in the eclipse. We waited, hoping it would reappear, but no such luck. So here are a few of the photos I took, handheld, because we didn't pack a tripod for our journey.

Best shot of eclipsing moon reflecting on bay

The sunrise was quite colorful behind us and gave way to an amazing view of the surrounding marshlands.

Early dawn colors

After sunrise, fog begins rolling in over the marsh

Rosy pink sunrise reflecting on the bayou

Flocks coming in to feed

Looks like we were near the Ganges Bayou. Here we saw many birds, some species for the first time, like the spoonbill crane, great white egret, ibis, white egret and the great blue heron. We even saw pelicans, sandpipers and a white owl in flight, but they moved too quickly for good photos.

Roseate Spoonbill

Roseate Spoonbill

Close-up Roseate Spoonbill

Great Blue Heron taking flight

Great Blue Heron preening

Great Egret (R)

Ibis

Spoonbill (L) White Egret (L)

Bayou bird restaurant

Hope you enjoy these lunar eclipse photos for what they are and don't mind seeing a few more of our feather friends.

Industrial Light & Magic

Thanks to one of Maureen's lovely cousins, Monica, and her talented, very generous husband, whom we'll only identify as Mr. B, just before Christmas, 2017 we were given a tour of the Industrial Light & Magic / LucasFilm facilities, Letterman Digital Arts Center, inside the Presidio in San Francisco. After a bit, I felt guilty being given the tour. I'd needed more time to prep. I needed to watch a dozen more movies, a couple I'd seen again,. I needed to read some blogs, I really needed to talk to our son-in-law, Joe. I didn't know enough. In truth, I wasn't worthy.

In case ILM or even LucasFilm doesn't ring a bell for you, they are the CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) or VFX  (Visual Effects) wizards who made the original Star Wars trilogy, the Indiana Jones movies, Jurassic Park, Pirates of the Caribbean, Transformers, Avengers, Iron Man, Captain America, etc., etc., etc.  In some cases they built the equipment to make the effects possible. They are artists, technicians, sculptors and imaginators on the highest international level.

Maureen with Monica

Mr. B would show us a maquette (I had to look it up) and ask if we recognized it. Too often we would not know. He was very gracious, but it was like lifting the edge of the tent of magic for a guy with cataracts in very dark glasses.

So, with only a few comments, because I know how pure many true fans want their information, here are the snapshots I took with my phone as we walked through the temple.
Forgive me. I was not worthy.

This bronze Yoda stands guard at the door.
Rightfully, up on a pedestal

The original ILM logo

More talent than you can shake a light saber at.

Rogue One Death Trooper in the lobby

Close up of the weapon

Mr. B said the Vader armor in the lobby was not "real" in that it wasn't from a particular episode and was instead assembled from parts. I think Lord Vader's life support control panel here is most like Episode 1.

Dangerous lobby. Here I was stopped by Boba Fett in his Mandalorian armor.
Luckily Mr. B vouched for me. 

The real, original R2D2 and C3PO. (Sorry for the Christmas light contamination.)

The real Yoda, from Episode IV

This is a large framed print in a hallway. It shows some of the early Star Wars concept sketches

Storm Troopers are tall. "Real" ST armor.

Elements of a single frame composited for the Speeder sequence

The original Compositor the team at ILM assembled from other equipment to create Star Wars' effects.

Mr. B, M and me, in his office. Kickass Capt. America shield on the wall.

Ray Harryhaussen was one of the original stop-motion wizards of movies.
He was SFX royalty and often visited ILM. Every time he did he would sign this famous still from one of his films; 1958's The 7th Voyage of Sinbad.

Hans Solo's modified TL-44 Heavy Blaster

You have chosen wisely, Pilgrim. The Holy Grail sits in a glass case in ILM.

The real boy's bike from E.T.

The VFX crew for E.T.

The VFX crew for Captain America, The Winter Soldier. Complexity has grown.

For Jurassic Park they tried this animatronic. It was too jerky in the tests so they went CG.

It's amazing what you find in their halls.

And what will find you. Clever girl. Came right up beside us.

A large (6 ft across?) matte painting. 

This was the exterior door of the original ILM | LucasFilms on an industrial looking building.
This is now in a hallway inside the Presidio.
There's a story about this, but it's going to cost you a glass of wine to hear it.

It was a fascinating tour, lavish in the time we were given. Like so many very talented people the folks we met at ILM were charming, witty, modest and gracious. It was wonderful. 

We were in awe.

Our Feathered Friends

Along our journey, Dennis and I had the pleasure of seeing many birds. Some of our feathered friends have moved too quickly for a photo. Here are a few photos of the ones that paused long enough for a pose or didn't see us right away.

Red hawk watching River Reflections RV Park, CA

 San Diego was a great place to see a variety of birds large and small.

Resting seagull and pelican

Preening pelican post-flight

Sea gull in flight at La Jolla Cove

Bright blue under-beak of the Brandt's Cormorant

Silhouette of hummingbird with tongue out

Blue heron going for the little fish, San Diego Harbor

Hummingbirds always delight the eye.

Female rufous hummingbird at Paddy's feeder

Rufous hummingbird at Paddy's feeder in San Diego

Hummingbird with thick or damaged beak at Paddy's feeder

There were more hummingbirds at Joshua Tree National Park in California.

This Anna's Hummingbird has irridescent purple neck feathers

In flight feeding

Shimmering green feathers - Anna's hummingbird, I believe

Forgot the name of this bird!

Can't forget the roadrunner and quail!

At Monterey Wharf, this gull posed for a postcard shot!

In Redwood City south of San Francisco, the back end of the RV park backed up to Greco Island in the San Francisco Bay. Here we heard and saw egrets, herons, mallards, and geese round the clock.

White egret searching for food

Dinner time for this pair

Sunday stroll for the Canadian Geese

These are just some of the many birds we've seen this trip. As I find more images of our feathered friends, I will update this post or create a new one.