Sonic boom rips across Florida

as Space Force plane X-37B returns


Half asleep I heard "something" but not enough to get up to see what it was. I miss the Shuttle coming home, when we would all wait with with anticipation for the boom.

https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida/2022/11/13/sonic-boom-rips-across-florida-space-force-plane-x-37b-returns/



It was just after 5 a.m. when her house rumbled awake. Her hens squawked. Her cats scattered. Her dogs hid under the covers. And Nancy Planeta sat straight up in bed, wondering: What was that sound?

People across Florida were awoken early Saturday morning to the sound of the X-37B returning to Earth after a record-breaking 908 days in orbit.

Reports of a sonic boom were widespread, from Titusville to Tampa, as the U.S. Space Force autonomous vehicle touched down at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Brevard County at 5:22 a.m.

Planeta, who is 52 and lives in northern Pasco County, scoured Facebook and local news sites for answers in an early morning haze. Garbage dumpster collection? Gunshots? Exercises at MacDill? Her father worked with the Air Force, she said, so once she had recovered from the initial shock, she was quick to recognize the boom as sonic. Her animals took longer to gather themselves.

This country can't prosper without "wage suppression" to near slavery levels

Migrant workers already leaving Florida’s Hurricane Ian cleanup. They came to work after the disaster. But many are struggling to make ends meet.

CAPE CORAL — Joel Lopez was prepared to spend another year sleeping in his car. His family was back in southeast Mexico. The work was here, in the waterside homes thick with the smell of mold begging to be torn off walls and backyards where uprooted lanai screens wilted into swimming pools.

Lopez, who does not have permanent legal status, had driven to Fort Myers from Houston. It was the latest stop on a career of chasing natural disasters across the United States.

In his experience, he could make far more money cleaning the destruction wrought by Hurricane Ian than he could in a regular construction job in Arkansas, where he’d first landed in the country 10 years ago. The payoff would be worth another 12 months of back pain.

https://www.tampabay.com/hurricane/2022/11/11/migrant-workers-leave-florida-ian-cleanup/

Cruise ship with 800 Covid cases docks in Sydney

The Majestic Princess cruise ship arrived at Circular Quay, having sailed from New Zealand.

About 4,600 passengers and crew were aboard the ship when it docked - meaning around one in five had Covid.

The outbreak is reminiscent of the Ruby Princess cruise ship Covid outbreak of early 2020, where at least 900 people tested positive and 28 died.

Marguerite Fitzgerald, the president of cruise operator Carnival Australia, said a large number of cases started to be detected about halfway through the 12-day voyage.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-63605824

Happy Halloween to all! (INSERT DEMONIC LAUGH HERE)

You are invited to see a small group of photos

My latest obsession I’m calling “ARACHNOAFFECTION”
Mabel Orb Weaver and Spiny Orb Weaver that live in my birdcage screen room. Don't be afraid, they're good guys. Hope you enjoy!

https://jamesdevore.smugmug.com/FEATURED/n-kdkJrJ


The Mabel Orb Weaver is about .5" from tip of front legs to tip of back legs

Spirit Airlines flight to Miami, October 16, 2022 at 7:21 AM, 30,000 ft

good engine heat signature, but no contrail

Frank Luntz is an idiot

Attack of the Mockingbird

Twice last week the Hawk was sitting in this tree late in the evening and a territorial mockingbird began attacking. I took a series of 21 photos of the attack, the first photo being the best of the 21. I gave PS a try stacking the 21 and the second photo shows the chaos but not so clearly.

Finally, to make it understandable, I manually placed the mockingbird from the various photos. The mockingbird would return to a pine on the right for a few minutes before making another bombing run, never touching the Hawk. The Hawk was neither bothered nor impressed, never moving, except for turning his head, which I tried to capture by making a composite of his head turning. See the final here: https://jamesdevore.smugmug.com/60-YEAR-JOURNEY-IN-PHOTOGRAPHY/A-LITTLE-BIT-OF-EVERYTHING/PANORAMA/i-sP7sJmH

Spirit Airlines flight to Miami, October 1, 2022 at 6:15 PM, 30,000 ft

Another near miss

The good news is...........

I have no truly terrifying photos this morning! YAY! Ian kept well to the south of us so we got only about 3 inches of rain and gusts of 50-60 mph. So, I leave you with one still photo of Charley back in 2004 showing 8 hours of sustained 70 mph winds strait out of the north, just like Ian. We sat on the back porch, had a few cocktails, and watched it blow.

In addition, I was able to keep my camera dry long enough to take a couple of quick videos which captured so much better than the few stills, the power of the wind.

https://jamesdevore.smugmug.com/60-YEAR-JOURNEY-IN-PHOTOGRAPHY/HURRICANE-IAN/n-N26CRw