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PHOENIX Unidentified Lights Part II (con't)

I'm not calling this Part III until I actually shot some video footage. My video camera seems to work now. I'm keeping my fingers crossed! Will post something if I see something; however, am not sure when that will be yet, a lot of times there are planes flying etc.; the lights though that I've seen in the past and sometimes now seem to appear and disappear; will see what I come up with; will keep you posted though.

PHOENIX Unidentified Lights Part II

This was a video taken in 1997 of the Phoenix lights that someone took at the time. Many people in this area saw strange lights, especially around the mountains. I also have seen some strange lights (see my posting below).

NASA footage of unidentified object in space

More on unidentified lights. This is real NASA footage; what is that thing???? I also see lightning strikes underneath???

Phoenix Unidentified Lights

Here, in the Phoenix, Fountain Hills, AZ and surrounding areas, I sometimes see lights at night that look like they shoot straight up in the sky or dance around the mountains. They disappear, and sometimes go around in a zig zag motion. Once in a while they come out of nowhere, then get brighter like a great ball of light and then the light completely disappears leaving a dim shadowy shape that glides silently across the night sky. They seem to come down lower in the sky and sometimes glide across the lake and also lower in the sky in the valley near the city lights.

Summer Fireworks and Storms

You can a pic here from the fireworks display that I took in the Phoenix area; it was challenging in the respect that I was trying to walk around with a tripod in the dark in the middle of a crowd!

Some of the things we have to fight against as photographers: crowds, bad weather, cramped spaces and our filters or other photographic equipment that gets scratched or smashed in the process. I've ruined several filters during a sand storm, and then accidentally scratching the surface. I love to photograph, and have photographed sunsets, seals, lakes, woods, dunes, the Grand Canyon, a few weddings, some closeups of anything, and also, storms. When I've chased storms, getting close to the storm was scary and exciting to me at the same time, especially when I would see lowering clouds all around. It makes you want to run away and stare all at the same time. Some of the supercell clouds that produce tornados I call wedding cake clouds; they look like wedding cakes because there is a lot of circulation in the cloud that causes it to expand upwards. In the cloud picture here, you can see a lowering cloud, which is also called a supercell. You can see a lowering right in the middle of it, which is the start of a wall cloud, which is the part of the supercell that contains possible tornados. It was taken in Kansas and it produced some tornados but not when I was there.

I'm in absolute awe and amazement at some of the storm chasers that actually get right in front of the tornado with a triangular contraption that will try to record the inside of a tornado when the tornado rides on top of it. It's very dangerous work, but if they can find out more about how tornados work, it is very valuable information. Most experienced storm chasers know what position to be in to be as safe as possible from the tornadic storms. The most dangerous time to chase storms is at night. You can't hardly see the tornados at night and many times they're rain wrapped.

Phoenix, Arizona gets a lot of lightning storms, especially during the monsoon season, which is in August. I've also photographed lightning but not often, since you still need a tripod at night and metal attracts electricity. Last year, we had an uncanny amount of lightning during the storms, that you could hear for about two hours at a time nonstop. In Phoenix, during the monsoon season, we get sand storms, lightning, strong winds at times and a little rain at times. Right now, it's very hot at around 113 degrees or so every day. Hopefully, it will cool off soon.

Movies into the looking glass

Messages from movies. I see a lot of movies. Looking into a small looking glass into other lives, other splices of time, other worlds in general. Think maybe I've seen enough over the years to become a movie critic. (kind of joking but not really) Anyway, one thing strikes me about many movies is this, and of course this is my opinion. A common message in movies is: if you don't finish something you're a loser. If you don't have a good job you're a loser. If you're not where you're supposed to be, with a house, kids, etc. by a certain age you're a loser. Or if you're not one of those, you're an aberration of some sort (referring to how movies portray people). In order to be acceptable to others (in the movies) you need to be somewhere in life with either a good job or a great home or a big family. And if you're not, then in the movies it's still acceptable if maybe the person is an artist. Having a special talent that will get discovered but since it was undiscovered thus far, the person is messed up emotionally or otherwise. Being a writer and hoping for an agent and publisher for a book. Being a musician and hoping for that record label contract. Being a dancer and hoping for that big break. Being beautiful and exploited by everyone until you find that kind person to take you away from it all. Or that you make that big break into movies or modeling.

The movies make it magical and all so easy in the movies that yes, someone gets discovered. Yes, someone has that big job and makes lots of money. Yes, someone does something monumental. Yes, the big time cold career person straightens out and becomes totally humanitarian and kind. Things can be magical and wished for and they suddenly appear.
Or another scenario: maybe the person is a lonely lawyer or otherwise a full time career person that makes a lot of money and shields themselves from others. Male and or female. And then they find the love of their life that touches them emotionally and the two of them wander off into the sunset happily ever after, and they become warm, kind and sincere.

The reason we love movies is that most of us don't have the same lives as the movies project. These are the lives that we wish for; that we want. Money, fame, recognition, to be loved and adored by all. Having the perfect family that gets along. Of course, there are lots of movie topics that are not addressed here. But one thing in common with all of these is this: in my opinion a lot of movies give you the message that you have to be exceptional in some way to be accepted. You have to have that special talent or that special job, or those special looks, or a big family that needs looking after and is successfully looked after. Or you have to do something unusual or monumental for others. Or maybe you are the sensitive artist that hasn't been discovered yet, but guess what, you get that big break. Yet, many times movies say outwardly that yes, it's ok not to have anything going for oneself. But underneath it all, the message is still the same. Everything goes into the looking glass.

Watching or listening to movies are like looking through the looking glass into other worlds. Similar to dreaming. Like when we dream, we might dream about some great accomplishment that we made, or great place to visit, if we remember our dreams. Looking into other worlds. Having special powers to fly or to command a spaceship. Having that big break into fame or fortune that comes to them so easily.

What I don't think movies address enough is the average person. What I mean by that is someone that has a regular life that doesn't get the big break, that doesn't get the big job or big house, or get adored by everyone. What about the artist or writer that never gets that big break? Or people that are not adored by all, and never are adored by all. The people that really never finish what they start. What's wrong with that? Nothing. What's wrong with having a family that doesn't get along? Nothing. Most everyone has a family that has challenges of some sort. Of course the movies may portray families that are dysfunctional but usually somehow that resolves and miraculously things straighten out. What about the person that blends into the background? The almost invisible to society person. This person is not of interest to the movies in a leading role unless this invisible person etc. gets into some kind of unusual situation that changes them, and suddenly, they finish what they start, they land that great job, etc. Or the movies will portray this person in a less than flattering light.

Real life is on this side of the looking glass. Real life has a lot of averageness or mundaneness to it. Real life doesn't mean that we get discovered or get that big break. There are many talented people that never get discovered at all. There's many of us that don't finish what we start. There's many of us that don't look like supermodels. Of course some movies nowadays will address the subject of looks. But then in the movies the person still accomplishes something unusual or monumental. It's human nature to dream about traveling to exotic places, having that great job or big break. Or having that unusual experience whatever it is. It's exciting. Or we come into great riches, wealth or fame. In the movies, everything goes into the looking glass. The movies draw you in and when you get to the other side, it's sparkling and another universe altogether. There's nothing wrong with dreaming about being on the other side of the looking glass. Real life is what it is: on this side of the looking glass. We don't need to land that incredible job, be a supermodel or change the entire world. We don't need to get that recording contract or have our book published to be respected. We just are what we are.

Hollywood Star Boulevard

I went to Hollywood, California not too long ago. Of course, if you want sight seeing, you can have sight seeing. Take a bus tour of the stars' homes. I happened to take a bus tour in which they drove past certain stars homes, and also gave us a tour of Hollywood Boulevard. You can take a minibus tour for about 2 hours, fully narrated. Or you could take a grand tour of LA, for about 5 or 6 hours. Of course there's a lot more tours.

There's Universal Studios. You can find out how sound effects are created for movies. Do you know that when a person gets punched in the movies, that squishing sound is not from an actual hit, but a sound effect, like something being hit against a chair. You also can take tours of Universal Studios and look at the film sets; the buildings and also you might get to see the creepy and scary looking house that was created for the original old time classic thriller, Psycho. You can take a splashy ride through Jurassic Park. And the list goes on.

I think one of the best ways to see Hollywood is to walk around Hollywood Boulevard. Yes, walk around and look at the sights, the buildings, and the stars on the sidewalk. The stars are immortalized here with their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The stars go down Hollywood Boulevard and also on Vine Street.

I've got a star pic of Jackie Chan here, folks. Of course, I could talk about Jackie Chan in a whole other blog, I love his movies! I especially like his movie with the tux that had a mind of its own; it's like a bionic or robotic suit. And yes, it's named The Tuxedo.

Also, there are tours in the Hollywood Wax Museum and Hollywood Guinness Museum, which, yes, I took while I was there. When I went to Hollywood, I was struck with how compact and efficient the buildings looked on the street and how the streets were well manicured and lined with trees.

The other perk about Hollywood Boulevard are the shops. Some wild and crazy shops that have things that you might never have seen before! Check out the picture of these platform shoes. Can you imagine walking down the street in one of those shoes!
Actually, if I had the guts, I would walk around in them, except that I sprained an ankle in high school and ever since, my ankle sometime suddenly gives way, so I don't think wearing one of those platforms would be a good idea! Well, maybe I would consider putting on one of these platforms on only when sitting!

Also, there's other shops that have wild and crazy boots, thigh high, leather, white, red, blue, plastic, you name it. Not something you normally would wear to your company cocktail party, but who knows; you might want to go incognito to a wild party, don a wig and pretend you come from out of state!

To me, looking at the stars on the sidewalk was the best part of the trip; knowing that each star was created with the star there.

Michael Jackson

I will miss Michael Jackson and his music, his larger than life persona, and all the melodrama that comes with being a great musical superstar. Michael Jackson appealed across the board to all age groups. Not only was I was interested in Michael Jackson's music and what I could read about him in the tabloids, but my late grandmother was too. I have fond memories of my grandmother and I sitting at the kitchen table, looking at the tabloids together, and remembering her commenting about what she read in the magazines. She was fascinated with Michael Jackson's friendship with Elizabeth Taylor, and also the hyperbolic chamber, chimpanzee, and other gossip items that were written about Michael Jackson from that time period. Of course, we didn't believe the tabloids, but we loved to read anything about Michael Jackson!

Michael Jackson was an incredible entertainer, dancer and singer. He had a special quality to his voice, and even though there will be Michael Jackson impersonators now, I don't think anyone will ever be able to fully emulate Michael Jackson's unique voice and style of singing.

He is a mysterious and unique legend, along with Marilyn Monroe, James Dean and Elvis Presley.

Alaska revisited

I love to travel throughout the country and there are so many beautiful places that you can go right here in the United States. From the lush vineyards of California to the forests of Colorado, tropical scenery of Florida, and the stark beauty of the mountains in Alaska, there are many, many places to see and enjoy all over the country. I plan on sharing some of my experiences and photos with you as I go. I more recently went to Hollywood, California, to take pictures of Hollywood Boulevard and to Alaska, Texas, Kansas, and other places where I have taken photos. As I continue to write in my blog, I will post pictures from my trips.

This particular piece is dedicated to my trip to Alaska. Sarah Palin just now retired from being Alaska's governor. The media's attention on Alaska has brought back fond memories of the trip that we took to that state not too long ago. I would like to now share some of my impressions of that trip with you.

We traveled by air to Anchorage, Alaska and rented a car for the rest of our trip in Anchorage. Anchorage is a colorful city, with lots of stores that sell clothing, jewelry, and sporting goods. There are furriers that have interesting jackets in seal, raccoon, mink and more.

Our first day was spent shopping in Anchorage. On our second day, we drove to the Kenai peninsula and decided to take an all day boat excursion that traveled through glacial waters and the Kenai Fjord National Park. We started out in Seward, to board the boat for the trip, the Kenai Star. We saw whales in the water, and a large glacier. It got chilly when we got near this glacier, and extremely windy. We had to bundle up even though we took our trip at the end of May.

We also took a trip up to Fairbanks, Alaska. We noted that the trees are thinner, and pointed, looking like needles that go up into the sky. We also went to Denali National Park, and that could be another entire entry, since there is a lot to see there. While we were in Denali National Park, we took a tour of the entire park via a large bus. I remember that it happened to be particularly dusty on that day, and the wind blew debris across the bus, making it harder to see. Also, we did see some mountain goats that were perched elusively up on the higher mounds and hills.

My family likes to watch Ice Road Truckers, which is a show centered around truck drivers that have the special skill of driving up the Dalton highway in Alaska up to the uppermost part of the state, and also on ice. I personally would hate to have to drive a large semi on trecherous ice but there is a certain amount of respect, awe and fascination in watching truck drivers that have the guts to travel on the stark Dalton highway and then on to ice! During our trip, we wanted to travel the Dalton highway, but we did not travel past Fairbanks, and if you are looking to get gas, you need to do it before starting on the highway. We wanted to go up to the Arctic Circle, but that is being saved for another trip, in which we plan to go and view the Aurora Borealis winter lights near the Arctic Circle. We also would like to see the polar bears, and there are places in northern Alaska that we are looking to visit.