Thermodynamix

The man and his baby

2006-08-25T12:11:00.000-07:00

The Golden Gate bridge was the brainchild of Joseph Strauss, an engineer responsible for over 400 drawbridges, though they were far smaller than this project and mostly inland. His first drawings were in 1921 - and were far from approved. Strauss spent more than a decade trying to get support for the bridge in Northern California.

To commemorate Joseph Strauss for his part taken in the construction of the bridge, a statue of him was relocated in 1955 near the structure to remind people how important his work was in the building of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Golden Gate suicide trivia (im sure Strauss never expected his masterpiece to be used like this): The Golden Gate Bridge is notorious as a site for suicide. The official suicide count ended in 1995 when the number approached 1,000. Through the eight years to 2003, on average there was one suicide jump every two weeks, which brought the unofficial total to over 1,300 suicides. The 220-foot (67 m) fall takes four seconds and jumpers hit the water at 75 miles per hour (120 km/h). As of 2006, only 26 people have survived the jump.

Roy Raymond, founder of Victoria's Secret, committed suicide by jumping off the bridge

Jigsaw

2006-01-21T14:03:00.000-08:00

Jigsaw

Tennis trophies for the local tennis league championship last year

Marching column

2006-01-08T18:53:00.000-08:00

Marching column

of canadian geese ...

The wall ...

2006-01-02T22:20:00.000-08:00

Decaying ... with floodlights

More tennis

2006-01-01T21:27:00.000-08:00

More tennis

Another tennis trophy - this one was for winning the singles tournament last summer.

Sunrise

2005-12-28T20:12:00.000-08:00

Sunrise

Sunrise on winter solstice day ... clicked last week at Edgewater

Doubles ....

2005-12-25T21:20:00.000-08:00

Doubles ....

these are a couple of trophies i got for the summer tennis league ...

Gray and bleak ...

2005-12-23T14:31:00.000-08:00

Gray and bleak ...

Another version of the previous picture

Twin Towers

2005-12-21T21:24:00.000-08:00

Twin Towers

Grain silos at a local college campus ...

Floating ....

2005-12-20T07:19:00.000-08:00

Floating ....

or flying?

Abandoned ...

2005-12-17T21:18:00.000-08:00

Abandoned by the railway tracks

2005-10-12T05:50:00.000-07:00

Harper's Ferry National Historic Park is home to the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers - the point where the states of Maryland, West Virginia and Virginia meet. Lots of civil war history and probably spectacular fall colors setting in by now.

2005-10-03T20:19:00.000-07:00

Harpers Ferry National Park

2005-09-26T21:04:00.000-07:00

Collage of Edgewater photos ....

Indian Creek

2005-09-25T21:15:00.000-07:00

More Indian Creek

Picasa collage tricks rock!!

2005-09-21T05:13:00.000-07:00

The 12th Annual Trail of Tears motorcycle ride commences ....

a 100,000 of them - men and women of all ages, and with magnificient bikes of all makes, years and styles ....

2005-09-17T10:36:00.000-07:00

Biker at the 12th Annual Trail of Tears Commemorative Ride

2005-09-15T21:57:00.000-07:00

so thats worth 20

Do the dew ....

2005-09-07T22:56:00.000-07:00

Do the dew ....

Perfect Reflection

2005-09-06T05:33:00.000-07:00

Probably one of the clearest reflection shots i have gotten (clicked this one last spring). This is the scene right behind my apartment.

2005-08-23T21:47:00.000-07:00

one for the road ....

Visitor

2005-08-19T06:59:00.000-07:00

Visitor

Imagine visitors like that on your rooftop!

Pines

2005-08-18T09:06:00.000-07:00

Pines

This tree was bent so low - the pine cones were almost dipping in the water! Pine cones that they were, they were left pining for the water ... ok, that was a lousy joke. will leave it at that!!

Turquoise

2005-08-13T16:23:00.000-07:00

Turquoise

Bare trees line Little River

About Little River:
... The Little River has been slicing through sandstone for thousands of years, creating a canyon with depths of 600 feet ....

... Tucked away in the northeast corner of Alabama near the Georgia border, Little River Canyon is an isolated oasis carved into a mountain. During the spring runoff, a handful of daredevil kayakers descend the canyon's steep walls into a cauldron of class V whitewater ...
Source: Gorp

Pictures of Little River Falls:
Plenty of water
Starved of water
Up close and personal

Little River Canyon National Preserve (NPS Website)

Dry

2005-08-12T19:56:00.000-07:00

The same bare tree - without a leaf even in summer ...

Reflection

2005-08-11T19:15:00.000-07:00

2005-08-10T20:24:00.000-07:00

Mallard town council ... wonder what mallards discuss when they get together!

Oblivious

2005-08-09T18:48:00.000-07:00

The heron sat there for hours, completely unaware of my presence. Unfortunately, the 3X zoom on my camera wouldn't allow me to get any closer, for fear of scaring him away!

2005-08-08T17:21:00.000-07:00

Living on the edge

Winter?

2005-08-08T05:04:00.000-07:00

A completely bare tree in the middle of summer - dunno why, hope to go back and find out!

Serene

2005-08-07T19:01:00.000-07:00

The Canadian goose came into the frame at just the right moment

Waterfowl

2005-08-07T07:18:00.000-07:00

Waterfowl abound at Edgewater, especially Canadian geese and Mallards.

Canadian geese in a triangular pattern

Mallard going about their way on a lazy summer afternoon.

Visitor

2005-08-06T22:36:00.000-07:00

A visitor to our apartment block ...

Morning Glow

2005-08-06T22:18:00.000-07:00

Early morning glow at Edgewater .....

More on the morning sun

2005-08-04T21:16:00.000-07:00

Edgewater has a ghostly look as the sun rises as a pink ball over a morning fog covered Lady Ann Lake.

A few minutes later, it doesn't look as creepy, does it?

2005-08-04T04:44:00.000-07:00

Today's sunrise - it was a very hazy and cloudy day. Normally, sunrise from behind the mountain looks really cool. i need to try my luck again on a clear morning.

Parched ....

2005-07-29T18:00:00.000-07:00

Water water everywhere, not a drop to drink .... !! This was the title of the first graduate seminar I ever attended. It was by Prof. Pablo Debenedetti from Princeton, dealt primarily with statistical thermodynamics (of which I knew nothing at that time not that I know much more now, but slightly better off since then!!), and focused on some of the unique properties of liquid water. I never really cared much for it - except that I was rather amused by the title and never forgot it.

And when I saw this parched plant completely dried up, right at the edge of Lady Ann Lake, the first that came to mind was 'water water everywhere, but not a drop to drink!' Its been a very dry summer, and the past week saw some scorching heat, this poor plant could not survive it looks like! I will try to go and water it .... see if that will help it pull through!! although I have half a mind of letting fate take its natural course, or is that just plain laziness?

Sunset over Rainbow Mountain

2005-07-26T19:44:00.000-07:00

I had noted this spot for several weeks now ... on the way to work - perfect place to catch the sunset behind Rainbow Mountain, but never got the chance. But it was a matter of time .... not the best sunset I have seen from here, but sunsets are sunsets ... always pretty ... and this one will do just fine!

Return to the trees

2005-07-26T19:33:00.000-07:00

I returned to the same place i had clicked this one - had to catch the sun this time, setting behind Rainbow Mountain

2005-07-25T19:36:00.000-07:00

Senior citizens fishing pier - backwaters of the river Tennessee

2005-07-25T19:30:00.000-07:00

The light of the setting sun reflects in the river Tennessee

2005-07-24T08:09:00.000-07:00

Sunset at Lady Ann Lake

2005-07-18T02:11:00.000-07:00

Bridge on the river Tennessee

Early pictures

2005-07-17T06:38:00.000-07:00

Some pictures from early 2004 - when I had just bought my camera, and didn't really know how to use it!

Sunrise at Edgewater over Lady Ann Lake

Twilight hues ....

Twilight visitors to Lady Ann Lake. In the first few months, I had only 16Mb of memory on the camera - so had to click on low resolution so as to get in the maximum number of pictures. This one was clicked at 640 x 480

The fascination of photographing sunrise, sunset and twilight colors is still strong .....

Lokmanya

2005-07-12T06:01:00.000-07:00

स्वराज्य हा माझा जन्मसिद्ध अधिकार आहे, आणी तो मी मिळवणारच!

A bust of Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak in Mahim, Mumbai.

Brace for Dennis

2005-07-09T17:12:00.000-07:00

Twilight at Mobile Bay

Mobile Bay, with the WWII battleship USS Alabama in the background.

Hurricane Dennis is expected to make landfall in Mobile tomorrow afternoon. Evacuations are already underway, and hopefully, folks down there will be able to weather out the storm safely.

2005-07-09T06:14:00.000-07:00

Mumbai - meri jaan!

2005-07-09T06:07:00.000-07:00

Sunsets and sunrises dont seem to be complete these days without a cellular service tower in the view ....

2005-07-08T20:35:00.000-07:00

Visitors to Lady Ann Lake on a gray cloudy morning ....

2005-07-08T04:02:00.000-07:00

Early morning walk ...

2005-07-06T18:34:00.000-07:00

Summer visitors at Edgewater

Gray ...

2005-07-06T04:39:00.000-07:00

Beyond Lady Ann Lake is the swamp ... desolate, gray and creepy - always!

The other side of Lady Ann Lake

2005-07-05T19:56:00.000-07:00

Edgewater ... a different view!

Lost?

2005-07-05T07:13:00.000-07:00

ये कहाँ आ गये हम? EBO lost and wondering where he is ....

Reflecting ...

2005-07-05T07:06:00.000-07:00

AG, EBO and KJ in deep philosophical discussions, ala Dil Chahta Hai ...

कैसा अजब ये सफ़र है, सोचो तो हर इक ही बेखबर है
उसको जाना कीधर है
जो वक्त आये, जाने क्या दिखाए!

Sunrise at Edgewater

2005-07-01T04:37:00.000-07:00

Another older photo dug up - this was more than a year ago. Have a fun time this long weekend!

Silent moments ...

2005-06-30T19:17:00.000-07:00

KJ seems to be 'in a vacant or pensive mood' ... in deep thought at Little River Falls

Back to summertime ....

2005-06-29T19:21:00.000-07:00

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, at the Outer Banks, NC

The view from the top of the lighthouse - the Atlantic Ocean in these parts can get quite rough, especially during hurricane season. Ask the survivors of Hurricane Isabel.

Morning walk ....

2005-06-29T05:08:00.000-07:00

Morning walk ...

Sprinkling of frost on the grass early in the morning ...

No leaves on the trees, winter is quite a desolate sight - but it does make for some really interesting pictures. This will be the last of the winter pics - as you can guess, my ankle is getting better, no jumping around yet - but hey, atleast I can walk now .... !!

If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?
- Percy Bysshe Shelley (Ode to the West Wind)

Winter mania

2005-06-28T21:30:00.000-07:00

For some reason, my fascination with the winter does not seem to end, even though its summer time! I badly injured my ankle a few days ago, and am now nursing it through a painful and slow recovery. Perhaps that is the reason for this winterfest!

More winter moments

2005-06-27T19:13:00.000-07:00

The day dawns dull, foggy and bleak ... with just a hint of morning sun to lift the cold morning mist.

But soon the brilliant sunshine brings a clear day to life, and yet it cannot bring the bare trees back to life!

Shades of winter

2005-06-27T04:36:00.000-07:00

The trees are bare in winter, and there is a bleak feeling in the air. But depending on whether the sun is out or not, the colors can be quite different! They adorn the silhouettes of the bare trees in different ways.Its funny how I am posting winter picture right in the first week of summer.

Winter is on my head, but eternal spring is in my heart.
-Victor Hugo

Gray

Brilliant

Sunlake clubhouse

2005-06-26T09:00:00.000-07:00

Basking in the warm afternoon sun

Singing in the rain

After the storm

Longhorns ..

2005-06-26T08:29:00.000-07:00

This biker dood stayed at our hotel .... every time he drove by, he would shake his head like a buffalo ... it was hilarious! His glasses are cool ....!!

Wooden posts

2005-06-23T19:32:00.000-07:00

Remnants of a pier at Mobile Bay, AL. This one was clicked about 30 minutes or so before the twilight picture posted earlier.

Open

2005-06-22T20:03:00.000-07:00

Mobile Bay, AL - the sign reads 'Welcome to Spanish Fort'. Just like an earlier pic, the causeway and the waterbody give a sort of spherical look to the picture! I think I may added a little too much grain to the picture, it certainly was not intentional

Chowpatty Family

2005-06-22T12:47:00.000-07:00

Mother with kids at Mumbai's rather cluttered Dadar Chowpatty on a warm winter evening.

Dont let the sun go down on me ....

2005-06-20T05:41:00.000-07:00

More sunset hues on Mobile Bay - the Original Oyster House certainly has a great location! It is located off the causeway across Mobile Bay, and overlooks the USS Alabama, at Battleship Park.

Mobile Bay

2005-06-19T19:12:00.000-07:00

Sunset over Mobile Bay, AL

Found this haiku on the web, seems to fit this one perfectly:
cerulean sky
maroon shades evanescing
solar course complete

Fast food

2005-06-15T03:16:00.000-07:00

Life is fast ... and so is the food!

I will be out of town for the next few days, see ya'll next week!

The earth is round!

2005-06-15T03:06:00.000-07:00

Another scene from Edgewater ... somehow the walkway over Lady Ann Lake gives the picture a 'circular' feel! Because the earth is round? Or maybe just because the lens is spherical!

Udyan Ganesh

2005-06-14T13:04:00.000-07:00

Sunrise at Udyan Ganesh temple, Shivaji Park Mumbai

The lights come on after sundown ...

After the fall ...

2005-06-13T05:47:00.000-07:00

After the fall, the leaves lie scattered in the water (Vogel State Park, GA)

Return to Edgewater

2005-06-11T23:17:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time since I posted a picture from Edgewater. Here is one taken right behind my apartment.

Mt. Rainier

2005-06-10T21:45:00.000-07:00

The summit of Mt. Rainier near Seattle, WA. The mountain is 14,410 feet high, and the airplane passes it at an altitude of about 16,000 ft or thereabouts. This info, thanks to the Alaskan Airlines pilot who sat in the seat next to me from the flight out of Seattle.

My seat was supposed to be on the other side of the airplane, but it was accidentally taken by a lady who was in the 'wrong window seat'. I offered to just go ahead and swap (feeling disappointed that I might miss the Mt. Rainier view, thinking it would be on the other side! After all I had missed the view even on the flight into Seattle.) But it turned out to be the best thing that happened on the trip - I got a spectacular close-up view of Mt. Rainier, not to mention some very interesting conversation with the Alaskan Air pilot who flew by that peak 3 times a week!!!

Seattle

2005-06-10T03:46:00.000-07:00

Seattle, WA - another dull gloomy day ... its a way of life out there in the Pacific northwest.

Silhouette

2005-06-09T05:17:00.000-07:00

Silhouette - the wires are quite distracting, dunno how to remove them

Sunset trees

2005-06-07T21:14:00.000-07:00

Come to the sunset tree!
The day is past and gone ...
-Felicia Dorothea Hemans (Tyrolese Evening Song)

सांज़ ये गोकुळी सावळी सावळी, सावळ्याची जणू सावली ...
-सुधीर मोघे

2005-06-07T11:50:00.000-07:00

Another variation of the previous picture, including the suggestion from Ajai, and i quote "first image has lot of negative space.instead of squarish format portarit image would be better."

Up where we belong ....

2005-06-06T21:26:00.000-07:00

I want to fly where no seagull has flown before. I want to know what there is to know about life!
- Jonathan Livingston Seagull

Arches ....

2005-06-06T20:51:00.000-07:00

RRB at NC State University Centennial Campus, Raleigh, NC

To the mountain high ...

2005-06-05T11:41:00.000-07:00

KJ scrambling up the hill during a recent weekend excursion to a local state park.

Mumbai Landmarks

2005-06-03T07:33:00.000-07:00

The Bombay High Court in the foreground and the Rajabhai Tower (University of Mumbai) in the backgroud.

Legend has it that the tower clock stopped when CK Naidu hit a sixer from the oval that landed on it. I'm pretty sure its a tall tale, its mighty hard to hit a ball from the Oval that high onto the tower clock. Unless the batting wickets were located very close to that end of the Oval. In which case, it wouldn't be a six, would it/? And ofcourse, no one has ever confirmed the story.

The tower clock has since been restored and seemed to be functioning ok ...

Phoolan Devi

2005-06-02T09:59:00.000-07:00

Phoolan Devi

The bandit queens of pune are certainly a sight to behold. they wrap their face and neck in a long scarf - leaving just a slit for the eyes - all while trying to beat the incredible pollution from two wheelers in Pune. looks more like a modern day 'झाशीची राणी' !!

Two men and a boat

2005-05-27T05:39:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite pictures - i have posted it before, but thought i would like to post it again! Its completely unedited, and i couldnt think of anything to do with it to make it better.

A treetop or a head ....

2005-05-04T14:03:00.000-07:00

EBO's silhouette as he watches sunrise over Topsail Hill State Park

Height of laziness

2005-05-03T06:56:00.000-07:00

Putting up the fishing rods on the beach hoping to have fish at the end of the line by lunch time!

Sunrise ...

2005-04-29T18:00:00.000-07:00

The sanguine Sunrise, with his meteor eyes,
And his burning plumes outspread,
Leaps on the back of my sailing rack,
When the morning star shines dead;
- Percy Bysshe Shelley (The Cloud)

There is no morning star here ... and its the cloud is avoiding getting the sun on his back ... but wherever you go, you cannot avoid the cellphone tower.

Can you hear me now?

Catching a break ...

2005-04-29T17:53:00.000-07:00

This is what the wilderness does to you ... time to hit the Gulf of Mexico that lies yonder ....

On the fringe ..

2005-04-29T17:50:00.000-07:00

EBO on the edge of the wilderness beyond ...

Black on the beach ....

2005-04-25T16:41:00.000-07:00

More from the beach ..... AG and EBO heading towards the wild side ... with the gulls for company

Sun 'n' Sand

2005-04-25T07:21:00.000-07:00

A nice refreshing weekend on the Florida panhandle - the white sand beaches and the beautiful Gulf of Mexico ... AG making the trip back to civilization after a brief visit to "wilderness" (i.e. a nearby state park)

Bucolic

2005-04-20T20:52:00.000-07:00

As you walk along the Indian Creek greenway, the dense woods give way to beautiful meadows, and cattle grazing idly in the warm late afternoon soon. Its a laidback bucolic scene - yeah, 'bucolic'! thats the word i was looking for to describe the scene

bucolic (adj): Relating to or typical of the countryside or its people; rustic; pastoral

Contrasts ...

2005-04-20T20:43:00.000-07:00

Its completely green by now ... the bare trees have been completely forgotten. but seeing the contrast makes it worth the wait

Mumbai Landmarks

2005-04-20T11:45:00.000-07:00

Mumbai Landmarks

More landmarks of Mumbai - Flora fountain, with the Bombay Stock Exchange and the Central Bank of India in the background

my first blog post using flickr

Allergy Lane ...

2005-04-19T21:41:00.000-07:00

The Indian Creek greenway has some rather pretty wildoflowers, and the pollen levels tempted me to call it 'Allergy Lane'!

Wildflower meadows ... i am not quite sure what that structur protruding out it

A walk through a pollen pit - been suffering big time from allergies last week, and was really pushing my luck wading through a maze of wildflowers

More Indian Creek

2005-04-19T21:38:00.000-07:00

Indian Creek Greenway ...

Reflections ...

Indian Creek in the late afternoon sunlight

2005-04-18T21:01:00.000-07:00

My second visit to Indian Creek this weekend - the start of the Indian Greek greenway, the bridge where I parked and set out on foot ...

The water of Indian Creek looks green because of the reflection of the green trees all around, and has a tinge of blue at places - not sure if i captured it successfully!

The scene looked like it had been brought right out of a Monet .... the water was so still, except in the front, where it suddenly started to break into ripples

The reflection of this tree in the water was so creepy - almost a haunted type of look, again i was not able to do justice to the scene

2005-04-18T05:28:00.000-07:00

The tulips and wildflowers are in full bloom now ... its spring time :)

Wild flowers

2005-04-17T12:13:00.000-07:00

Wild flowers in full bloom - harbingers of a pollen filled spring