Orange tiger moth

 

Fuzzy and scurry

 

A tiger moth caterpillar scurries across the street, looking for a place to overwinter.  There are many species of tiger moths (Arctiinae).  Some of their caterpillars are also called "woolly bear" caterpillars; we can call this a "yellow bear"?

 

Rain drain

 

Sixty one holes 

 

This multi-hole drain cover features the venerable 1 x 6 x 12 x 18 x 24 hole pattern, resulting in 61 holes to drain rain.  Set in the sidewalk and out of the path of foot traffic, it has acquired a rusty patina.

 

The more unusual 1 x 5 x 12 x 18 x 24 x 30 pattern can be seen here.  

 

Do you have '5' or '6' second ring drain covers?

 

 

 

 

Covey of clouds

 

Clowd of clouds

Clouds are clouds  - these have iridescence and crepuscular rays, both in one formation. 

 

 

Rocky drain

 

Poking out of the ground

A mound of river rocks and crushed stone surrounds the newly installed 1 x 12 x 20 round drain cover.  The drain cover is massive and thick, with huge openings, appropriate for the weight of the drainage rocks and the expected water flow.

Hole in the floor

 

Danger hole!

The message

 

DANGER

 ! ! ! ! ! !

  HOLE 

 

hand-written on the tape on the floor tells anyone strolling through an area under construction that they should be wary as there is an uncovered hole beneath that tape.

 

 

 

 

 

Sidewalk cutout

 

 

A piece of this sidewalk was neatly cut out and removed, then in-filled with an asphalt mix.  

 

What was there?  why was it removed?  was anything removed?  why asphalt mix and not concrete?  was something supposed to be added?  the blue markings - was that a water utility?  

 

 So many questions...  no answers.  

 

 

 

One water

 

Is there a No. 2 Water?

 

This "NO. 1 WATER" utility cover was seen in the street beneath our feet.  It has a horseshoe ("U") protecting the pentagon shaped bolt head, known as a "penta bolt" or "penta screw".  

 

 

Sidewalk circle

 

What were you used for?

It is not clear what this metal ring is for or from.  When the new sidewalk was put in, it was left in place.  Filling in the center makes makes it no longer usable; protruding out of the street makes it foot catching. 

 

Any comments on this scene in the street beneath our feet? 

 

Electric basket weave

 

LECT  C  cover

The 15 x 15 basket weave pattern of this ding-ed up and asphalted-over electric utility manhole cover is a scene in the street beneath our feet. 

 

 

 

Sidewalk circles

 

6 or 7 x 9 or 10 layout

These cast iron sidewalk panels are seen in the street beneath our feet.  The panels have many dings and damages and some edges are sealed with mastic tape.  There is no indication of their original use:  the cover of a sidewalk vault, a coal chute cover, a cover for a stairwell, or to provide a non-slip surface in front of the doorway.

 

 

A closer look reveals some of the details.

 

Screwed in to place

Each rondel is surrounded by six pointy ovals; those interlock with the ovals of the neighboring rondels.   The panels have alternating columns of 6 or 7 rondels and alternating rows of 9 or 10 rondels, the total being 123.   Screws along the edges hold the panels to the framework.

 

A mysterioso SB CL CO is inscribed in the concrete next to these panels.

 

 

 

Yellow corner

 

Spreay awaey!

When the parking lot was repaved, it included repainting the lamp post bases yellow.  

 

In the past, that would have been done using a paint brush.  Today, it is done with a sprayer.  Where there once were paint drips, now there is overspray.

Cloudy iridescence

 

Thin clouds of ice crystals

Thin clouds with small and uniformly-shaped ice crystals passing close to the sun diffract the sunlight and produce iridescence.  

 

 

A train of clouds

The intensity of the irisation increases as the clouds get nearer to the sun.  The clouds on the left are about 10 degrees away from the sun.  As this formation moves to the left, the clouds on the right will soon get to show off their pastel colors.

 

 

Three setting suns

The cold clouds of a passing weather front afford the sight of three suns setting.

 

Close to the horizon

The sun dogs on either side of the sun are caused by the refraction of the sunlight through the ice crystals in the clouds.   These parhelia are approximately 22 degrees to either side of the sun.  The red is closest to the sun with the blue to the outside.

 

For the stereogrammers,

 

At sunset in 3d

 

this sundog scene is presented as a relaxed view stereograph.

  

Contrail in the front

 

There is an airplane there

This twin jet engine aircraft is transiting from the clear skies of a cold front for the cloudier ones of the warm front. 

 

 

Visible in silhouette

Having entered the warm front, the contrail from the jet plane began getting longer.

 

 

Two bees in a blossom

 

. . . munch munch munch . . . 

Two bumblebees banqueting in a rose blossom.   

 

These bumble bees may be Bombus auricomus (black and gold bumblebee); they are so bunched up it is hard tell.

 

 

 

Tiny diamonds

 

44x44 diamonds

This 44 x 44 diamond pattern manhole cover was seen in the street beneath our feet.  It shows that it was made by the LeBaron Foundry.  That foundry was founded in 1855; it was last located on East Union Street in Brockton, Massachusetts.  In 2008, it was bought by the East Jordan Iron Works (EJIW) of East Jordan, Michigan, and subsequently closed.

 

Snack advice

Don't bother - fake UPC

This warning is seen on the back of a pre-packaged snack pak: 

 

Warning:  This product is not intended for children under 4 years of age.  To reduce the risk of choking, all children should be seated and supervised while eating. 

Leaky wall

 

 

This leaky pattern is created by water flowing through a  crack in the concrete.  The dissolved calcium hydroxide is brought to the surface where it hardens.

Reflecting on fireworks

Still waters reflect the fireworks in their ripples. 

 

An opening salvo

 

 

A BIG shell

 

 

Midway lower shell

 

During the finale

 

Seen in the middle is the barge from which the fireworks were launched.

 

Wood and brass, marble and glass

 

Southern view

The south entrance of this United States Custom House and Post Office building is presented as  relaxed view 3d stereograph.  

 

The entrances to the building are flanked by bronze lamps.

 

Imposing 

The lamps are almost 6 feet in height.  The big panels of textured "glass" in the lamp are now plastic.  The original glass was curved, as is the plastic that is in there now. When the original glass was damaged, it may have been too costly to repair or replace it with the same curved and textured glass, or to even find a replacement for that style of glass.

 

 

Shined up

 

 

Also shiny

 

The entrance doors have their PULL door plates.  These inform the patrons to "pull on the handle".

 

 

Reflected in the table top

The brass work on the table top shows signs of former accoutrements.

 

 

Table and view without

Patrons can gaze out the window as they use the table.

 

This main post office building was completed in 1931.  It was modeled after the main building of the United States Postal Service in New York City, now known as the James A. Farley Building.

 

Short a cup

 

What seemed like a case of smallification turned out to be a packing error.  

 

Only $1.25 for 45

 

The label shows a "45 COUNT" but there are 30 cups.  And the package is sealed.

 

 

Back of the pack

How did that get past the quality inspections?

 

 

Sunset on the contrail

 

Sunset, a perfectly clear sky, a lone jet streaking overhead...  

 

 

Short contrail

 

As the sun sets and the airplane travels, its trail gets colored.

Contrail colored by the sunset

 

When there is low humidity in the upper atmosphere, contrails tend to be short.  The humidity level seemed to be just right for this overflight.

 

 

 

 

Scene in the sun

 

Sitting at a siding

This 1952 vintage boxcar was originally with the New York Central and more recently known as BCLR 4001.  Now grey-painted, this 40-footer is seen at the Pier siding.  Here it is presented as a relaxed view 3d stereograph.

 

Stairing at a fence

 

... a stairway to ...

Sometimes, no longer used infrastructure is just left in place.  These barely noticeable stairs lead from the railroad tracks at the Piers signal mast up to a ... fence?  

 

Side sliced

 

View from the side

 

Slice, stain, and zoom in - nice.  An orthogonal view of a zone.

Sliced and stained

 

Green - orange - blue zones

 

The transition zones and migration layers are visible in this sliced, stained, and zoomed-in sample.  The colors were slightly tweaked on-post to enhance the visibility of the regions.

  

One hole cover

 

 

This old utility cover is a scene in the street beneath our feet.  Its original usage is now now known.  It may have been a gas shutoff, or a water shutoff, or maybe a fill for a below ground heating oil tank?  

 

 

A in the arrow

 

A is for arrow

 

  

This nicely patina-ed Bingham and Taylor GAS utility cover is seen in the street beneath our feet.  The cover is intended to be aligned so the arrow indicates the direction of the gas flow.

 

Louder than wetter

 

Looks ominous but not

Hot day clouds make a break as they approach cooler bay waters. They passed-by with sustained peals of thunder and heat lightning but very little rain.

 

Produce waste bins

 

Fill 'em up 'n' throw 'em out

At the back of a market, a row just installed and still clean bright orange-red bins stands ready to receive the wasted organic and produce food products.  The chain keeps scavengers from scrounging from the bins.

 

Hexy covers

Hexagon patterns on a manhole cover usually indicate that it is for a telecom or telephone utility.  Here are two:

 

 

Bell in hex

This cover features the bell symbol of a telephone company and various design elements - mostly hexagons - in circles of 12.

 

 

Six hexagon holes

This manhole cover features an outside ring of 12 "teeth" and six "erupting" hexagons, six free floating hexagons, six hexagons with aeration holes, and one central hexagon.

Both of these were seen in the street beneath our feet.

 

Rectangle in blue

 

Just the rectangle

 

A tribute to Mark Rothko concentrates on a blue rectangle with other colorata covering the wide brick canvas.  

 

Looks like a square

 

Not a square

The precise edges of this work foretells an exploration of Mark Rothko; the background re-assures the viewer that the painter's path has not strayed from too far.

 

Sunset at a siding

 

Railroad passenger car

A wooden passenger car sits at a siding at sunset.  The signal light shows red, indicating the switch position up ahead.

 

For stereogrammers, 

 

Railroad passenger car (in 3d)

 the scene is presented as a relaxed view 3d stereograph.