StuckInTheSixties Offline

71 • Single • Male • from Napa • 150

Blog

Around My Place IX

These are photos that I took on my property between February 14 and April 21, 2010. They were originally posted in my Picture Gallery, and then as space ran out, I moved then over here to this blog rather than simply deleting them to make space for new pictures. The comments shown below originally were attached to those photos. In some cases, the comments are disjointed. This is because as people delete their Wireclub accounts, their comments leave with them.

Picture #01: Walnut tree branches silhouetted against the sky
> antonov3andahalf says February 22: Thank you captain obvious! but really i like it!! *highfive*
> StuckInTheSixties says February 22: Smart ass ... (laughs) You didn't know it was a Walnut tree, didja?
> barnestorming_girl says February 23: lmfao @ ant comment
> StuckInTheSixties says February 23: "Captain Obvious" ... Why do I put up with her anyway? ... Jeesh ...

Picture #02: Blossoms on a Silver Ash tree after a rain (#1 of two)
(no comments)

Picture #03: Blossoms on a Silver Ash tree after a rain (#2 of two)
(no comments)

Picture #04: My neighbor Gordon's Angus cows grazing on his hillside (#1 of two)
> SABLES says March 29: future steaks

Picture #05: My neighbor Gordon's Angus cows grazing on his hillside (#2 of two)
> barnestorming_girl says March 29: beautiful photo darling

love this one
> StuckInTheSixties says March 29: Thanks, Honey Bunny! Some months back I posted a picture of this same hillside when it was all dry and brown ...
http://www.wireclub.com/Galleries/ViewImage.aspx?ImageId=1781873
... and you asked me if I had a picture of it when it was green. Here ya go!

Picture #06: Fading afternoon light reflects off the vine-support wires in my neighbor Rugierro's vineyard
> Karma says March 29: Very cool.
> barnestorming_girl says March 29: awesome darling

> StuckInTheSixties says March 29: Thanks, ladies!
> chevy_man84 says April 15: that is so cool

Picture #07: Vineyards being tended
> StuckInTheSixties says April 05: A crew of migrant vineyard workers a couple properties away over can be seen to the right, and Shelly, the owner of the vineyard next door can be seen to the left.

Picture #08: My neighbors' cat
> nekromancer07 says April 05: was thinking there was to be a third in a series, #3, cat with crow in mouth
> StuckInTheSixties says April 05: I've actually seen this cat trying to sneak up on a big Turkey Vulture, as big or bigger than that cat herself! She's a hunter.
> Karma says April 05:

Picture #09: A crow in a pine tree
> SABLES says April 05: cool pic Sits!
> Raven says April 05: Caw! ^_^
> barnestorming_girl says April 06: beautiful darling

Picture #10: A pair of last years walnuts hang on as new growth spurts (#1 of three)
> Karma says April 05: From this close they look like coconuts.

Picture #11: The newly emerging flower that will become a walnut (#2 of three)
> Karma says April 05: That cluster becomes one walnut?
> StuckInTheSixties says April 06: Yep.

Picture #12: Close-up of a walnut flower (#3 of three)
> barnestorming_girl says April 06: beautiful darling again

Picture #13: Shelly, the owner of the vineyard next door, mows the weeds between rows of vines
(no caption)

Picture #14: New growth on a fig tree
> Karma says April 10: Excellent
> antonov3andahalf says April 10: pretty!!!
> antonov3andahalf says April 11: schnazy!
> antonov3andahalf says April 11: my!!!
> antonov3andahalf says April 11: favourite!!!!!
> StuckInTheSixties says April 11: I think when it stops raining I'll try a re-shoot of this with the flash on, see if I can light up the underside of that little fig.

Picture #15: Apple Blossoms (#1 of seven)
(no comments)

Picture #16: Apple Blossoms (#2 of seven)
(no comments)

Picture #17: Apple Blossoms (#3 of seven)
(no comments)

Picture #18: Apple Blossoms (#4 of seven)
> gigilf says April 10: beautiful!!!!!!!!
> Karma says April 10: Great

Picture #19: Apple Blossoms (#5 of seven)
> antonov3andahalf says April 10: o.O i like the contrast of this one makes me smile!
> StuckInTheSixties says April 10: I sort of cheated on this picture by bending the branch down with one hand away from other branches in order to place that blossom against the blue sky, and shooting the pic with the other hand.
> antonov3andahalf says April 10: sits! no! bad! your not supposed to give away you photographing secrets yeesh!! but i do appreciate the honesty, either way it looks good, shows you have a keen eye for the artistic!

> Picture #20: Apple Blossoms (#6 of seven)
Karma says April 10:

Picture #21: Apple Blossoms (#7 of seven)
> Raven says April 10: Pretty
> StuckInTheSixties says April 10: Yeah, it is. I like all those little deeliebob parts and veiny things. I took a bunch of photos of apple blossoms yesterday, and Pam insisted I post one now.
> SABLES says April 10: nice one Sits!
> Serpentine says April 10: *Giggle* Pam feels special, oh yes she does. It's gorgeous though. <3
> StuckInTheSixties says April 10: I told you. Pretty like you! And you are special!
> gigilf says April 10: omg love it!
> Karma says April 10: Wonderful!
> Serpentine says April 19: Pretty like me? Pshhh. I will hit you with a shoe! But thank you, you're sweet.

Picture #22: Interesting weather ...
(no comments)

Picture #23: At least five varieties of lichen on a branch section about an inch long
> badgirl___72 says April 18: wow this looks way cool
> Karma says April 18:

> StuckInTheSixties says April 18: I'm happy with this picture. I've been experimenting with using a flash even in the sunshine. This is one of the results of that.
> SABLES says April 18: nice colors

Picture #24: Fig tree
> SABLES says April 24: lol almost looks fake
> Karma says April 24: Excellent
> StuckInTheSixties says April 24: This is one of the pictures I've made experimenting with using a flash in daylight. It's the same fig, albeit grown a little bit, as shown in a nother fig picture in this gallery. Compare the two ...

Picture #25: Some sort of insect eggs
> Karma says April 24: I want follow-up photos.
> StuckInTheSixties says April 24: They already hatched. I have no idea what resulted.
> 1calmstorm says May 23 (3 days ago): Cool. My nephew would love to see those.

Picture #26: A photo, shot at dusk, from my porch showing some cool clouds
> SABLES says April 25: nice shot

Picture #27: More groovy clouds in yet another photo from my porch
(no comments)

Picture #28: Alternate "weekly photo": more dramatic, less focus and clarity
> Karma says April 24:

Picture #29: Walnut flowers
> StuckInTheSixties says May 04: Indeed they will, unless they're eaten first by squirrels, who like both the flowers and the walnuts.

Picture #30: Walnut flower
> Karma says May 04: Very good photo
> StuckInTheSixties says May 04: This is the exact same walnut flower shown earlier, when it was new and all compressed, in these pictures: (see pictures #11 & #12 in this blog)

Around Napa Valley IX, Part One

These are photos that I took around Napa Valley, where I live. They were originally posted in my Picture Gallery, and then as space ran out, I moved them over here to this blog rather than simply deleting them in lieu of new pictures. There were enough photos in this category for me to split this into two separate blogs of thirty photos each. This is Part One, and the photos were taken during a period from February 5 to March 19, 2010. The comments shown below originally were attached when they were posted in the gallery. In some cases, the comments are disjointed. This is because as people delete their Wireclub accounts, their comments leave with them.

Picture #01: Muddy duck pond with all sorts of domesticated fowl (#1 of five)
> StuckInTheSixties says March 07: I was driving around taking photos and came across this funky, muddy duck pond in an enclosure with all sorts of fowl: ducks, geese, turkeys, and chickens.
> barnestorming_girl says March 07: darling that is what our murry river looks like! muddy etc

Picture #02: A bunch of Mallards (#2 of five)
(no comments)

Picture #03: Check out those big ol' turkeys! (#3 of five)
> livefromKazakstan says March 07: Dayum.........where's ma gun?
> SABLES says March 07: they are as ugly as turkey vultures lol
> StuckInTheSixties says March 07: Good on a sandwich with cheese, lettuce, and a slice of tomato.

Picture #04: This gander kept jumping the goose and humping her every time she stopped moving (#4 of five)
> daceys_back says March 07: these pics r totally amusing me lol
> StuckInTheSixties says March 07: I'm always happy to provide a little amusement!

Picture #05: He's still following her trying to get some of that hot goose nookie! (#5 of five)
(no comments)

Picture #06: View from a rise on a country road outside of Napa
(no comments)

Picture #07: One of the buildings in a small, private winery and vineyard
> barnestorming_girl says March 07: I love buildings like them. around in the Barossa Valley here in SA there is lots of them, but they are ruins now, but still look beautiful.. off the dirt roads are the great ones
> StuckInTheSixties says March 15: This one will probably be used to store oak barrels of wine while it ages and ferments.

Picture #08: California Buckeye tree with leaves emerging and interesting orange lichen
(no comments)

Picture #09: Hillside Oak tree and vineyard a short distance from where I live
> SABLES says March 07: spooky
> barnestorming_girl says March 08: awesome
> nekromancer07 says March 09: very cool

Picture #10: Man-made hillside pond in the outskirts of Napa (#1 of two)
> barnestorming_girl says March 08: beautiful photo darling

Picture #11: Man-made hillside pond in the outskirts of Napa (#2 of two)
(no comments)

Picture #12: Hillside panorama in the outskirts of Napa
> StuckInTheSixties says March 07: Note: My cheezy little camera has a feature where it can "stitch" together three seperate exposures into one single panoramic picture. The camera is less than perfect, and you can see how the center section was exposed a bit differently than the two outside sections. Even with this flaw, I decided to show this pretty view.
> SABLES says March 07: very nice stuck, it just looks like a wierd shaped cloud is blocking the sun, either that or a space ship will reveal itself in minutes.....
> StuckInTheSixties says March 07: Yeah, I think there were clouds in front of the sun, and I was shooting into the sun. My crappy little camera performs badly when shooting into the sun.

Picture #13: Migrant vineyard workers prune dormant vines (#1 of three)
(no comments)

Picture #14: Migrant vineyard workers prune dormant vines (#2 of three)
(no comments)

Picture #15: Migrant vineyard workers prune dormant vines (#3 of three)
(no comments)

Picture #16: Newly emerging Fennel plants
> barnestorming_girl says March 16: so nice and green.. we have more brown here. need rain *does rain

* lol

Picture #17: Seed pods hanging in a dormant Sycamore tree
> jenine59 says March 15:

Incredible

> SABLES says March 15: it's a neutered dog tree

Picture #18: Dormant vineyard southeast of Napa
> barnestorming_girl says March 16:

well not yet! when they grow lol

Picture #19: Migrant vineyard workers (#1 of three)
(no comments)

Picture #20: Migrant vineyard workers (#2 of three)
(no comments)

Picture #21: Migrant vineyard workers (#3 of three)
> jenine59 says March 15:

COOL

> barnestorming_girl says March 16: awesome photo darling

Picture #22: I don't know the name of this pretty tree (#1 of four)
> SABLES says March 15: magnolia tree tulip magnolia to be exact
> barnestorming_girl says March 16: beautiful I really like this :heart

Picture #23: I don't know the name of this pretty tree (#2 of four)
> jenine59 says March 15:

Wow, this is beautiful

Picture #24: I don't know the name of this pretty tree (#3 of four)
(no comments)

Picture #25: I don't know the name of this pretty tree (#4 of four)
> JennaLily says March 15: it's a magnolia
> StuckInTheSixties says March 15: I'm thinking it might be a Magnolia of some sort, but the typical Magnolia has snowy white blossoms that don't come out this early in the year, and the blossoms look a little bit different.
> SABLES says March 15: that would be a star magnolia that you are speaking of here sits there is also an evergreen magnolia which has beautiful huge white blossoms and that would bloom twice a year one in spring early summer and then late summer early fall
> barnestorming_girl says March 16: beautiful darling

Picture #26: I don't know what these plants are called ... I just think they look nice
> jenine59 says March 15:

Yes,very pretty

> barnestorming_girl says March 16: beautiful C O L O U R S darling lol
> StuckInTheSixties says March 16: Pppfffbbbttt!

Picture #27: Photogenic mushroom
> jenine59 says March 15:

I love mushrooms, but have to be careful which ones you eat

> barnestorming_girl says March 16: ^^ just eat the magic ones!! Lol beautiful photo darling

Picture #28: Panorama of a nearby vineyard with wildflowers
(no comments)

Picture #29: Oak tree on a warm, sunny spring day
(no comments)

Picture #30: Two Palm trees
> Dawn says March 21: beautiful
> and then she said says March 21: Fluffy....balls...sorry, I'll be quiet now.
> StuckInTheSixties says March 21: I'd be upset if you became quiet, Quin!

Around Napa Valley IX, Part Two

> StuckInTheSixties says March 29: Thank you, ladies!

Picture #05: A nearby meadow (#2 of four)
(no comments)

Picture #06: A nearby meadow (#3 of four) (Mt George is in the background)
> Karma says March 29: I like the depth in this one.
> StuckInTheSixties says March 29: Yeah, it has six separate depth references (going from close to far):
~ The branches in the foreground
~ The yellow flower front/center
~ The flowers
~ The tree
~ The trees in the background
~ The horizon

Picture #07: A nearby meadow (#4 of four)
(no comments)

Picture #08: Patriotic paint job
> JennaLily says March 22: wow

Picture #09: Spikey weeds and a newly pruned grapevine
> Karma says March 29: Again, I can only see with one eye, but this seems 3-D to me.
> StuckInTheSixties says March 29: The photo does convey a sense of depth. I struggled with the picture, shooting it several ways trying to get that depth. I'll bore whoever reads this by attempting to describe the situation:

There's a road, and along side the road a narrow ditch about a meter/yard deep. Along side the ditch is a fence to prevent the deer from invading the vineyard. The mesh of the fence is squares about the size of a baby's face, if that makes any sense. Beyond the fence, about a meter/yard and a half away, is a row of grapevines, like the one seen in the picture. The weeds seen in the pic are growing up the side of the ditch, across the ground through the fence and over almost all the way to the row of vines.

In order to get the effect I wanted, I needed to get back a ways from the weeds in the foreground, so that I could try to get the camera to have both the weeds in the foreground and the vine in the background both in focus. The ditch being there helped, as I was able to stand in it, and have my point of view be from down low, angled up slightly in the direction of the vine, with the POV passing through the weeds between the camera lens and the vine.

The problem was that the fence was in the way. If I got up close enough to shoot through one of those squares in the mesh, the vine was very fuzzy and unfocused. If I got back far enough to get the vine in focus, it became very difficult, if not impossible, to have the field of view squeezed within one of those mesh squares, and still have the camera pointed where I wanted for the shot.

The picture you see is the best I could do after trying everything I could to put the shot together. It's not perfect, as the grapevine isn't really in focus, but it's close enough to make a decent picture. Or so I think.
> Karma says March 29: I'm amused by the phrase "the size of a baby's face."

Picture #10: A nearby vineyard (#1 of three) (Mt George is in the background)
(no comment)

Picture #11: A nearby vineyard (#2 of three)
> Karma says March 29: I like this one. It's like a fractal. you could zoom in and still see the same pattern.

Picture #12: A nearby vineyard (#3 of three)
(no comment)

Picture #13: It's just a bunch of golf carts, but I thought they looked cool all lined up like that
> barnestorming_girl says March 29: we could use them as bumper cars?? lol

Picture #14: A roadside view from a spot a few minutes walk from my house
> Ashleigh[3 says April 05: everybody who has a farmville on facebook is envious of you
> StuckInTheSixties says April 05: It does kind of look like that, doesn't it?
> StuckInTheSixties says April 05: Yeah, Napa Valley is a lovely place to live! I'm very fortunate.
> Karma says April 05: Makes me want to climb into the photo, over the fence and sit by the pond and read a book.
> StuckInTheSixties says April 06: If you look closely, you can see a turtle sunning itself on the rock in the pond and a white duck on the water.

Picture #15: Country fence and driveway in a one-point perspective
> Karma says April 05: Love it!
> StuckInTheSixties says April 06: I'm still not sure if I like this picture or not. I either really like it, or I don't. I don't know yet.

Picture #16: Picture #16: Vineyard with wildflowers (#1 of three - panorama)
> Karma says April 05: Great

Picture #17: Vineyard with wildflowers (#2 of three)
> nekromancer07 says April 05: nice

Picture #18: Vineyard with wildflowers (#3 of three)
> StuckInTheSixties says April 06: This is the same vineyard seen in the previous two pictures, but this picture was made six days earlier.

Picture #19: Luna Vineyards (#1 or two)
> Karma says April 05: Great shot. Is that with a wide angle lens?
> StuckInTheSixties says April 06: Nope. Just my crappy little camera.

Picture #20: Luna Vineyards (#2 of two)
> StuckInTheSixties says April 05: If it's sunny tomorrow I'm going to take a stepladder to this same spot and re-do the picture from a higher perspective.
> barnestorming_girl says April 06: I have to say it!!!!! run forest run!! you know i say that to my girls all the time.. beautiful photo darling

Picture #21: Wildflowers and firehouse
(no comments)

Picture #22: Turkey Vulture on the wing (#1 of three)
> Rochy says April 10: I need to hurry up and get my camera fixed. We had a great view 2 days ago of the mountains so clear. *sigh*

California. ...

Picture #23: Turkey Vulture on the wing (#2 of three)
> Karma says April 10:

Picture #24: Turkey Vulture on the wing (#3 of three)
(no comments)

Picture #25: Cactus with wildflowers (#1 of two)
> Karma says April 18: Make up your mind. Is it one OR two?
> StuckInTheSixties says April 18: One OF two. Typo. Fixed.

Picture #26: Cactus with wildflowers (#2 of two)
> Karma says April 18: Are cacti common there?
> StuckInTheSixties says April 18: They're not indigenous, but they're all over the place.

Picture #27: Extreme close-up of a clover blossom
> Karma says April 10: Wow! That's a great photo!
> StuckInTheSixties says April 10: I think this is the best close-up picture I've ever taken. It was luck as much as anything. Just the right light, my crappy camera was working, and I just got the good shot out of it. To give one an idea of the scale, that blossom is about the size of a penny, or your thumbnail.
> antonov3andahalf says April 11: it is pretty cool, but so not my favourite, mine happens to be the figgy tree one you know the one of the stick with a green thing on the end with a big blue background? almost like the sky or something?
> antonov3andahalf says April 11: bah that's an amazing picture
> SABLES says April 11: really nice Sits

Picture #28: Luna Vineyards (#1 of two: low level point of view)
(no comments)

Picture #29: Luna Vineyards (#2 of two: high level point of view)
> Karma says April 18: Great photo. The colors are so sharp.
> StuckInTheSixties says April 18: That's the software, Photoshop Elements, that I started using. My camera is pretty crappy, and I Elements to try to adjust things to get the picture as close to reality as I can. I had taken essentially this same photo a couple times in the past, but in doing that, I realized that if I could get up higher and shoot downward a little bit, I'd get a better picture. So I waited for a nice, clear day, crossing my fingers that the wildflowers wouldn't be mowed in the meantime, and brought a little stepladder with me for this picture, and it definitely improved the point of view of the picture. I'm happy with it.

Picture #30: A sprinkling of wildflowers in a meadow
> Karma says April 18:

Previously Posted PrintScreens IV

Below are PrintScreens that were originally posted in my Picture Gallery between February 1 and April 2, 2010. As space ran out in the gallery, rather than simply deleting pictures to make room for new ones, I’ve moved these over here to this blog. The comments shown below originally were attached to those PrintScreens after they were first posted. These comments, in some cases, may appear disjointed. This is because some of the people who posted them later deleted their accounts and their comments disappeared as a consequence.

Picture #01: Chief misspells her own name as "Cheif"
(no comments)

Picture #02: I amuse easily, I suppose ...
> barnestorming_girl says February 01: lol
> SABLES says February 01: pmpl

Picture #03: Where's my nail clipper ... ?
> Babycool says February 01: lol. Clean them first too! That mental house looks intruguing. Bah, so much to do, so little time.
> barnestorming_girl says February 01: lol
> _Safira_ says February 01: youch! lmao

Picture #04: This ad appears in Wireclub - Is there really a "gay thug" subculture?
> Babycool says February 01: Dang. Such an injustice!
> lois_lane says February 01: Amused you?? It scares the hell outta me!!
> SABLES says February 01: lol he has "puff the magic dragon " tattooed on his stomach

Picture #05: Give to anipower001, and give generously ... yeah ... right ...
> Ashleigh[3 says February 01: bahahahahahaha his family is screwed
> barnestorming_girl says February 01: lol @ ash comment
> SABLES says February 01: oh where do we donate
> hottriplej says February 01: was going to donate to the Haitian relief,,but, now got my priorities straight

Picture #06: Ooops!
(no comments)

Picture #07: Essentially meaningless to anyone but Antonov
> Babycool says February 07: Oooh, I love a good round of synchronicity.
> StuckInTheSixties says February 07: Look at her message to me ...

I swear, the things I put up with ...
> antonov3andahalf says February 07: Oh quit your whining old man!
> SABLES says February 07: omg ↑|
> CYCLONE_FAN says February 07: loooooooool look @ that club ho cyclone fan!
> StuckInTheSixties says February 07: (laughs) Fame at last!

> barnestorming_girl says February 08: lmfao

Picture #08: Results of an extensive study
> StuckInTheSixties says February 17: Countless hours of ... cough ... research were spent in the making of this graph.
> Safira_ says February 17: I'm glad I could contribute to the green bar
> JennaLily says February 24: hahahaha i think so SITS

Picture #09: Hee hee hee!
> SABLES says February 17: lol
> Geoff says February 17: But she is neither a 'friend' (in a wireclub sense) of Karma. Therefore, by the club's rules, she counts as everyone else. :/
> StuckInTheSixties says February 18: I'm sure she'll appreciate that arcane concept.
> barnestorming_girl says February 19: your making our princess wait! lol
> Karma says February 25: I have nothing but time. Well, time and a heat rash that would make Mother Theresa curse.

> StuckInTheSixties says April 12: For the record, on 12 April, 2010, Karma was granted admission into her own club.

Picture #10: Another victim of my "69 Pictures" gag
> lois_lane says February 17: LOLS...
> livefromKazakstan says April 04: Oh my!!!!!!!!!!!! What have I done? How could I let this happen? What are people to think?
> StuckInTheSixties says April 04: Gotcha!

Picture #11: I amuse easily
> SABLES says February 17:
> lois_lane says February 17: Filth!
> StuckInTheSixties says February 17: (laughs) Filth amuses me!
> lois_lane says February 17: Me too but its funny to pretend that it doesnt..!Makes me seem responsible
> antonov3andahalf says February 17: This amuses me also! tee hee... pie!...fingered! ahahahaha

Picture #12: How I spent my entire morning of February 26, 2010 with veronica
> CYCLONE_FAN says February 26: Thats alot of commenting! lol
> veronica says February 26: well veronica hopes you get a better sence of who she is by what she trys to communicate through her blog every entry has a meaning even if its only known to V.
> ~Chloey~x says March 01: haha, now that's a committed commentator!!

Picture #13: Art (in this case) is fleeting!
> lois_lane says February 23: Oh

what was it??
> StuckInTheSixties says February 23: Hahaha! You commented on it about an hour and a half ago! You smokin' a big fattie right now or somethin'?
> arkle says February 23:

> StuckInTheSixties says February 23: I push the envelope a little sometimes. I was pretty sure Holly was going to ask me to take it down! (If any of her friends missed it, I'll arrange private showings.)
> lois_lane says February 23: I wasnt sure if it was the same thing haha Smart ass and yes!!! hahaha
> StuckInTheSixties says February 23: Seriously, I thought it was a pretty cool article! I'm proud of you Holly! xxx
> StuckInTheSixties says February 24: You have every right to proudly cheese! Nice picture, too! Love the cleavage!
> barnestorming_girl says February 24: you are awesome acid darling lmfao lmfao I agree cleavage I want/wish!!! lmfao

Picture #14: I wonder if I can get a slice of the $11.5 M by helping the poor girl out?
> StuckInTheSixties says March 07: This simultaneously amuses and disgusts me. It should be of no surprise that someone would creep in here with this sort of scam.
> veronica says March 07: No comment.
> lois_lane says March 07: HAHAHA its like they seek you out dude!!!
> StuckInTheSixties says March 07: I'm a magnet!
> SABLES says March 07: lol how can you pass her up poor thing

Picture #15: Sickening ...
> StuckInTheSixties says March 10: I have no idea what the point of creating this club was, but it sickens me. It's been reported. I'm usually not one to report things, but I gladly reported this as "offensive." It really pisses me off.
> ~Chloey~x says March 10: Yup could not agree with you more SITS created for the amusement of riling passive people!!!
> StuckInTheSixties says March 10: I guess I'm thin skinned when it comes to Nazis.
> lois_lane says March 10: Ok you know for once I was going to sit back and not say anything, I was just going to see if it was some kind of joke and people I know are joining it I thought too make a comment about it..Thanks for pointing it out Stuck O!!

> _Safira_ says March 10: I've only ever reported one club. It was about Jews. There's stupidity and then there's plain old ignorance. I think the poster of this suffers from both, maongst other words I could but won't say. Countless ppl killed, tortured, maimed and so on wasn't so ppl like him(?) could use it for a cheap thrill or wte? Some people need to growthefuckup.
> Zhya says March 10: It's just a dead person.
> SABLES says March 10:
> PTBO52 says March 10: Zhya...just being only 22 you don't get it at all, do some research and see if you say "its just a dead person" so causually again.
> barnestorming_girl says March 10: i agree with what PT jsut said ^^^

Picture #16: #1 of Two
> barnestorming_girl says March 12: lol darling I remember hearing you telling me on the phone when you got this! lol
> ~Chloey~x says March 12: Got some similar ones, yup!! gave all my banking details! lolxxxxx

Picture #17: #2 of Two
> StuckInTheSixties says March 12: It's "100% risk free".

> barnestorming_girl says March 12: lmfao darling I love you.. I'm 100% risk free! lmfao

> SABLES says March 12: ohh where can we sign up

it's hard to believe that people would actually do this.....by the way how much do I need to hold up my end

> lois_lane says March 12: Why do they always have to bring god into it!!haha SHEESh man these people just find you eh!
> StuckInTheSixties says March 12: Barnsie and I were speculating that these hucksters are probably targeting men above a certain age.

Picture #18: Foamy's up to his old tricks
> barnestorming_girl says March 16: lmfao omg the barrel roll....keep bringing it back foam lol
> jamezzz says March 21: awesome DO A BARREL ROLL!!!!!!!!

Picture #19: I've been working out a little bit
> barnestorming_girl says March 12: lmfao makes me want to get a pin and prick all those veins!!! lmfoa
> Ashleigh[3 says March 12: hahahahahahaha...yer package is distracting..but sweet man thong..*shifty eyes*
> PTBO52 says March 12: I'd say so sits!!

> StuckInTheSixties says March 12: I look a little bit like a balloon.
> arkle says March 12:

x
> lois_lane says March 12: Thats just like ......So gross me out the garage door!! *Horks*
> StuckInTheSixties says March 12: What really stupifies me is that there's actually someone in the world that really looks like this.
> SABLES says March 12: ewwwwwwww
> barnestorming_girl says March 12: and that guy that looks like this! huge body but probably a little pecker!!! lmfao
> StuckInTheSixties says March 12: I dunno ... that pouch seems pretty well stuffed to me. (laughs)
> ~Chloey~x says March 12:

Been working out SITS?? Stay away from sharp objects lol you may deflate!!
> ~Chloey~x says March 12: "Looks Again" Yup!! someone does have that as abody !! Not atractive

> StuckInTheSixties says March 14: I'm guessing that s3x between two people that looked like this would be, at best, awkward ...

Picture #20: (no caption)
> JennaLily says March 18: i like it
> Audi says March 18: i love it happy st paddys day to you too
> StuckInTheSixties says March 18: I've changed it temporarily on a number of occasions, Foamy. Last year there was a HUGE drama that occurred in Wireclub, and each time it flared up, I'd change my picture to a big picture of the word "DRAMA!". I've also changed it temporarily a few other times.
> PTBO52 says March 18: Cool, very cool!
> Serpentine says March 18: OH NO! SitS has a gangrenous face!
> SABLES says March 25: morning after

Picture #21: Shar put a splash of color on our Home pages
(no comment)

Picture #22: Psychedelic SITS! (This was my April Fool's Day picture)
> Karma says April 05: Groovy.

Picture #23: My peculiar idea of humor inflicted on the "Limerick" Forum thread
> Raven says April 01: what the heck? LMAO!
> Rochy says April 01: I adore that you use schmuck too

I thought I was the only one lol.
> StuckInTheSixties says April 01: There's a fairly subtle message embedded there. Don't ask. I won't divulge. But the answer to that riddle can be found in the Limerick Forum.
> playa670 says April 01: WTF are you smoking santa??
> lois_lane says April 02: He must have been in my bag or something LOLS

Picture #24: (no caption)
> veronica says March 31: I just peed my self a little.
> jamezzz says March 31: lmao stuck
> StuckInTheSixties says March 31: Another victim of my "69 pictures" gag!
> SABLES says March 31: lol I am going to have to be careful
> SABLES says March 31: whew safe
> StuckInTheSixties says March 31: Safe, but I'll be watchin'! Hee hee hee!
> Karma says April 02: It must take you 15 minutes each day to check everyone's photo count.
> StuckInTheSixties says April 02: Nope. I don't do that. But I keep alert for that number, and if I see it, I pounce!
> livefromKazakstan says April 04: Pounce away SITS!
> StuckInTheSixties says April 04: Dude, it must have escaped you, but I got you in the "69" gag as well! (See Picture #10 in this blog.)

In A Nutshell ...

Things With Wireclub That Need To Be Fixed

~ Preface ~

I’m going to try something here that I’ve never seen done before, and that may very well fail in its intent. This will be a combination blog and Forum thread. There is a reason for this. The drawback with blogs is that the number of people who might read it and comment is limited to those Friends who take the time to read it. It has a relatively small audience. The asset with a blog is that the readers are likely to behave fairly well, and will (hopefully) stick to the subject at hand. A Forum thread, on the other hand, is available to a far greater audience. Any user can click on Forums and read it. But as we all know, Forums are rampant with idiotic troublemakers.

So I will post this as a blog, and as a Forum thread. I will then function as an Editor At Large and do a number of things: First, I will review the comments to the blog, and according to my judgment (whim), I’ll take some of that information and place it within the actual text of the blog, consolidating that information, making it easier to review. I will also review the Forum Thread, and give it the same treatment, reiterating some of the relevant information gathered here within the blog.

The blog will contain some pictures, and the link to those will appear in the Forum thread, along with a link to the blog itself. The blog will also contain a link to the Forum thread, so that blog readers can see the unedited thread easily too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This isn’t a blog about things that I wish would work differently in Wireclub, such as a search function for Forums, the ability to show yourself as “not online” while you actually are, or any sort of design aspects like that.

This is a collection, hopefully which will be added to by readers, of things that are obvious malfunctions, anomalies, things that aren’t functioning correctly. There have always been little weird things that weren’t functioning correctly. Anomalies. Small annoyances. Glitches. Lags. Freezes. But with the recent “innovations” that have been added to Wireclub, such as “Superpowers,” “Wirebucks,” and the Facebook connections, all sorts of things seem to be messed up.

~ Message Alerts ~
I’ve seen someone else complain about this first one: Not so long ago, when communicating via Wireclub Mail, when a new message was sent to me, the Windows Button on my Task Bar would IMMEDIATELY show that, and the “Mail” menu would IMMEDIATELY change to “Mail (1 Unread)”. This meant, of course, that if you were, if your menus were visible to you, you’d know a message was there to answer. And if you were, for instance, reading a lengthy blog, the Windows Button on the Task Bar would alert you. You didn’t need to DO ANYTHING in order to receive an alert.

Now it appears that if you want to receive an alert, you must actually DO SOMETHING to get it. You pretty much have to change from one page to another in some way to make the alert happen. Most people are already becoming habituated to refreshing their Home page constantly as a means to see if someone is messaging them.

If Wireclub has purposefully changed the workings to make it this way, it’s a HUGE step backwards. And if this change is a matter of a Wireclub malfunction, then they really need to fix the problem.

~ Accounts Deleted or User Banned ~
It used to be that if you clicked on the generic question mark with a username at the bottom of it, and that user had either deleted the account, or had been banned by Wireclub Administration, you’d get a page that said one or the other. Now you get this page that says “An error has occurred” etc. and has a box in which you can type a “Tell us what happend” [sic] message to Admin. (see the picture below)

~ Indications a user is online when I know they aren’t ~
I’ll be chatting, via Wireclub mail, with a friend who will tell me they’re about to leave to go somewhere, have dinner, going to bed, etc. We exchange goodbyes, and then even though they have logged out of Wireclub, they still appear to be online. Their picture remains on my Home page under “Online Friends.” If I go to their Profile page, right under their main profile image is the familiar green dot, and the word “Online.” If I come across one of their comments to a picture or a blog, the familiar green dot is there, indicating them to be online. But they’re not. And it stays that way for some indeterminate length of time, leaving me wondering if, indeed, they’re online or not. (I’ve come to assume now that they’re offline and the indication is wrong.)

~ A menu that hangs there after your cursor has left it ~
In the course of moving my cursor around, it will sometimes pass over one of those menus, momentarily dropping it down into view, and then it collapses as my cursor moves on. But for some reason, the “Find People” menu, if it opens up from my cursor passing downward over it, will persist, hanging there, refusing to collapse unless I run my cursor over it again, this time UPWARD. Look at the picture below. The “Find People” menu is hanging there by itself, while I’m using my cursor to also open the “My Profile” menu. Two menus are open at the same time.

~ Advertisements that obscure Wireclub content ~
This is easier to see than to explain (see the picture below).

Here is the link to the Forum thread:

http://www.wireclub.com/Forums/ViewTopic.aspx?ForumId=1&ParentId=869494&Replied=1

What kind of WireWeirdness have you encountered?

How To Photograph, Then Capture, Then Photograph An Alligator Lizard

First, you need an Alligator Lizard.

I was taking out the trash, and after tossing it into the bin, as I returned to my house, I spied a young Alligator Lizard lurking on my porch. He was a young one, with an extremely long, whip-like tail, which appears to have never been broken off. He was under the bottom edge of the house's siding, sort of trying to hide, and he was stretched straight, making his length very easy to see. Because he's a lizard, and therefore, acts like lizards act, when he saw this large thing (me) moving around, he attempted to hide by remaining absolutely still. Too late. I knew he was there.

So I quickly dashed inside, grabbed the camera, and returned. He was still there, still trying to hide by remaining a statue. So I was able to snap off some pictures, and had the opportunity to really take my time, take lots of pictures with various exposures, with and without a flash, etc.

But what I really wanted was to be able to see more of him, without the shelter he had under the siding where he was. Now I don't mind saying that I have a pretty good idea of how lizards act, how they react, and how to catch them. In fact, every now and then, I'll find that one has slipped into my house. They're hard to just grab, because they're small, and fast, and slip under furniture and things. So if you don't want to be turning furniture over, you need to think as they think, and provoke them into making it easy to catch them.

What really works well is to take a paper grocery bag, and put a hole in one corner, cutting three sides of a little square hole so you have a flap of paper you can then fold back down and close the hole. Then you need to VERY SLOWLY place that little trap in the strategic place. If you move VERY SLOWLY, and if you don't get too close, they won't be spooked. Once that little trap is place in the right spot, you then do whatever you can to make then flee in the direction of it. They see that little hole, and instinctively run right into it. Then you've got him, and if he had been running around in your living room, you can take him out and release him. Or if you want to utilize him for a photograph, you can simply hold him there in that bag, and take all the pictures you want.

(He was, of course, released back into "the wild" after I got the pictures I wanted.)

Answer To Quiz Time, Too

I'm bored with this thing, and want to clear the decks, so I'm gonna go ahead and provide the answer here. First, here's the riddle:

You have two vessels, one which holds exactly five gallons, the other which holds exactly three gallons (and a water source). These vessels do not have any sort of lines or other means to indicate any amount of water lesser than the amount you get when you fill them completely.

(If you're more comfortable with metric terminology, just think of this in terms of liters, or litres, however-the-f~^& you wanna spell it.)

Using only these two vessels, how can you ACCURATELY measure exactly four gallons of water?

Bonus question: What is the popular film that this riddle appeared in?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>> Take the five gallon vessel, and fill it.
>> Pour the contents into the three gallon vessel until it's full. There will then be exactly two gallons left in the five gallon vessel.
>> Empty the three gallon vessel.
>> Pour the two gallons into the three gallon vessel. It will then be one gallon short of being filled.
>> Refill the five gallon vessel.
>> Use the five gallon vessel to fill the three gallon vessel. Doing so will require one single gallon, and thus, a perfectly measured four gallons will remain in the five gallon vessel.

Safira actually came up with another way to do this, albeit, needing another step or two:

>> Take the three gallon vessel and fill it.
>> Pour those three gallons into the five gallon vessel.
>> Refill the three gallon vessel.
>> Use the three gallon to add the two gallons necessary to fill the five gallon vessel. This will leave one single gallon in the three gallon vessel.
>> Empty the five gallon vessel.
>> Pour the single gallon in the three gallon vessel into the five gallon vessel.
>> Refill the three gallon vessel.
>> Empty the three gallon vessel into the five gallon vessel, adding three gallons to the single gallon in it, thus having a perfectly measured four gallons.

The movie was "Die Hard With A Vengeance" ( loosely known as "Die Hard 3" ).

Those who answered the riddle correctly: Absurdist, lois_lane, Karma, Safira.

Those who also got the movie title: Absurdist, lois_lane, Safira.

Quiz Time, Too

This riddle is a little bit similar to the last one, but only in the respect that it deals with two vessels. This time it's not any sort of prank or anything, but a genuine riddle with an answer that requires some real thought.

Here's the riddle:

You have two vessels, one which holds exactly five gallons, the other which holds exactly three gallons (and a water source). These vessels do not have any sort of lines or other means to indicate any amount of water lesser than the amount you get when you fill them completely.

(If you're more comfortable with metric terminology, just think of this in terms of liters, or litres, however-the-f@y& you wanna spell it.)

Using only these two vessels, how can you ACCURATELY measure exactly four gallons of water?

Bonus question: What is the popular film that this riddle appeared in?

Again ...

DO NOT POST YOUR ANSWER AS A COMMENT!

DO NOT POST YOUR ANSWER AS A COMMENT!

DO NOT POST YOUR ANSWER AS A COMMENT!

DO NOT POST YOUR ANSWER AS A COMMENT!

DO NOT POST YOUR ANSWER AS A COMMENT!

DO NOT POST YOUR ANSWER AS A COMMENT!

Send your answer to me as a personal message. In a few days, I'll post the answer.

Answer To Quiz Time

Here's the riddle again:

You have two vessels. Both are perfectly cylindrical. One is long and slender, the other is short and squat.

How can you tell which one has the greater volume?

Answer:

Fill one with water, pour it into the other to see what happens.

A simple answer.

Quiz Time

You have two vessels. Both are perfectly cylindrical. One is long and slender, the other is short and squat.

How can you tell which one has the greater volume?

DO NOT ANSWER IN A COMMENT BELOW!

DO NOT ANSWER IN A COMMENT BELOW!

DO NOT ANSWER IN A COMMENT BELOW!

DO NOT ANSWER IN A COMMENT BELOW!

DO NOT ANSWER IN A COMMENT BELOW!

Send your answer to me in a personal message. In a couple days or so I'll post the answer.

Still More Spring Blooms, Blossoms And Flowers (Photo Essay)

These photos were taken between April 14 and May 7, 2010.

Click on the pictures to expand them to full size.

You Know What? I Had A Dream About Wireclub

Night before last. And when I woke up, I could remember it, and it was very funny, and I wanted to share it. But when I managed to log in to Wireclub, suddenly my memory of the dream had vanished. Poof! Gone. I knew it was about Wireclub, and I knew it was amusing, but that was all I could remember.

When I woke up this morning, my first thought was that I wished I could remember what that dream was. Instantly, the memory materialized. It popped into my mind, and I laughed, knowing that now I'd be able to share it.

Here's my dream:

I was in Wireclub, with all of the people I know here, and yet somehow also in the physical presence of everyone.

And every time I would say something, I would preceded it with the words, "You Know What?"

And everyone would chorus, "What?"

And then I would say what I would say.

It was repetitious. Every single thing I would say would be preceded by me saying "You know what?" ... and all of you saying "What?" ...

Over and over and over.

It was funny.

Who Is Pat Metheny, And What Is An Orchestrion? (Text, Pics, And YouTube Vids)

Ever heard of Pat Metheny? Few of you have. He’s a rather unorthodox jazz guitarist and composer. He’s really good. Recently, he embarked on a project of working with the concept of an “orchestrion.”

“What is an orchestrion?” I Googled that phrase, and came up this reasonably workable definition:

“An orchestrion is a generic name for a machine that plays music and is designed to sound like an orchestra or band.”

Conceptually, it’s much like a player piano, although it’s far more sophisticated. A player piano, as most know, is a piano with a long roll of paper with holes punched in it in a specific pattern, with those holes corresponding to the keys on the piano, and when the paper is passed over some sort of mechanical doohickey, the piano is mechanically “played” according to the holes in that roll of paper. It was a device that allowed someone to have their home piano played even though no one was a pianist.

Somewhere along the line, someone came up with the idea of an “orchestrion.” Like the player piano, it was mechanical in nature, but unlike the player piano, it didn’t just work with recordings (the roll of paper with the holes), but it could also be played by a person sitting at the keyboard. In a way, it was like one of those big fancy pipe organs, where the keyboardist can select the pipes and combine them to make the sounds triggered by the keyboard. But it’s more complex. An orchestrion can be used to trigger all sorts of musical instruments, drums, xylophones, anything that is struck or plucked, or anything with pipes that produce pitch when air is passed through them. (I’m not digressing, here. I’m still on subject. It’s just a complicated subject.)

Back to Pat Metheny, the guitarist. He recently delved into the idea of working with a modern, updated version of the orchestrion. He could have, of course, simply gone into a studio, and via samples, recorded any combination of sounds he cared to put together. But doing that produces synthesized sound. He decided to go for something different, something both modern, and antique …

Metheny decided to tour with this orchestrion and on April 25, 2010, came to my town, to the Napa Valley Opera House, a lovely little restored theatre with 450 seats, originally built in 1880). I was accompanied by three of my best friends, Terry, and (married couple) Bill and Jenness. We first went out to dinner at Taqueria Rosita (a nice little Mexican food place a block from the Opera House), and then took in the concert. We had seats in the front row of the balcony, just slightly off center. I smuggled in my miniature DAT audio recorder and microphones, and brought my camera too. Photography and audio recording were prohibited during the show, and while we couldn’t get away with shooting pictures while the music played, I did record the sold-out concert for my own home use.

Pat’s orchestrion was amazing! One thing I really liked was the fact that each of the solenoids used in this contraption had a small, bright LED light attached to it, so as the sounds were emitted from the various instruments included in the orchestrion, a little bluish light would flash on right at the source of the sound. Drums, cymbals, tambourines, and many other various percussion instruments. Two pianos. Vibes and marimbas. A guitar and bass. Bells and shakers. And numerous things that were unidentifiable.

The music was incredible. Completely unique. And of course, Metheny, the consummate guitarist and musician, left the audience in awe, leaping to their feet and applauding madly for every song during the two and a half hour concert. Pat began the show with a few solo guitar works, including his famous custom-made 42 string Pikasso guitar (YouTube clip from a different concert, of course).

An excellent, special concert. Wish you could have been there. (laughs)

Blog Posts

Friends