New Blog Hangout.

Will be doing my blogging over at the new digs (this place) from now on. Love it here, but it's rejuvenation time. Gotta move on.

Hope all three of you follow me over there! ;^}

Cheers.

Here? A Little Flooding. Could Have Been Much Worse.

Looks like NY and NJ really took the brunt of this storm. Major storm surge, flooded subways, houses burning and water pressure too low to pump fire hoses, 8 million (and counting) without power, and worse. If you're feeling philanthropic and charitable consider the Red Cross. They could always use the help. (funds, blood, volunteer)

Here in my little town just outside DC we've been inconvenienced a bit. I've seen no big trees down and most still have power. Flooding on roadways with more to come, yes... but we're lucky, really.

Soccer field down the street:

Again, comparatively speaking, just an inconvenience.

Climate Change and Frankenstorm...

Just 15 minutes ago, I received two texts from friends in NY. In two different parts of NY. They both had just lost power due to Hurricane Sandy ("Frankenstorm!"). My lights here in the DC area had been flickering around just that time as well. In fact we just heard a transformer blow in the distance, so it's just a matter of time before we lose power... like my friends. In New York.

Now think about that. People 250 some odd miles from each other are experiencing the effects of the same storm... at the same time! That's not usually what happens. Usually, a big storm will start south of here and over time works it way up the eastern seaboard creating difficulties as it goes. First DC, then Baltimore, then Philly, then Jersey, then NY... and so on.

Today, a massive swath of the eastern U.S. is getting hammered by the same monstrous storm at the same time! Remarkable.

Oh, and climate scientists are telling us to get used to it. We've juiced the system so much, extreme events like this are likely to happen more and more. Think about that while you sit in the dark, candles burning, food spoiling.

Things need to change folks. And soon.

Frankenstorm, cont...

OK. 11:30 AM, Monday 29th of October. Hurricane Sandy's outer bands are starting to lash the DC area. Wind picking up. Creek rising. Soccer field flooding. Just the beginning. More to come. (As long as we have power!)

Updated at 4:45 PM, Monday.

DC Aids Walk, 2012

Got up early Saturday morning... made my way downtown... no real plan in mind... just needed to shoot!

Walking up toward Freedom Plaza I noticed people gathering. White tents. Loud speakers on scaffolding. More and more people. 

Turns out I happened upon the Whitman-Walker Annual Aids Walk. I love events like these. Good cause and good crowds. At the end of the day I always leave inspired. This day was no different. 

Before Frankenstorm...

I will post "after" photos in the next 24-36 hours. (Actually, I'll try to post photos. I suspect power will be gone for some time starting tomorrow.) As you can see in the first shot, the culvert is already packed with debris. When tropical storm rains begin to fall and this creek begins to rise the spill over will be quick and massive.

Should be interesting.

Frankenstorm

Three days out from a major, unprecedented, and seriously dangerous storm, likely to hit our area of the mid-Atlantic region, people are wondering whether it can be attributed to climate change. The obvious answer is "of course."

Actually, as explained by climatologists the world over, it's the wrong question.  Like every homerun is affected by steroids, all weather events are affected by climate change. Earth's atmosphere has been "juiced" by carbon emissions over the last century and with so much energy in the atmosphere, so much extra moisture, extreme events are expected. They have been predicted and they are occurring. Only in America do we ignore it, even deny it.  To our great peril.

A concerned David Attenborough offers sage advice.