Cap'n Bob & the Damsel

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Pronghorn Leaves Wolf in the Dust

I saw this yesterday on Captain’s Journal. It is truly astounding how fast those Pronghorn Antelope can run.

I did some Grok research on the fastest land animal in the U.S.:

Q. How fast can a pronghorn antelope run?

A. Around 55–60 mph (about 88–97 km/h) at top speed for short bursts, with exceptional endurance at lower high speeds.
Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana), often called pronghorn antelope (though not a true antelope), are the fastest land mammals in North America and the second-fastest overall after the cheetah. Key reported figures include:

  • Top sprint speeds commonly cited around 55 mph (88–89 km/h) for about half a mile (roughly 800 m), with some sources noting up to 60–62 mph under good conditions.
  • Sustained speeds of roughly 40–45 mph for longer distances (e.g., a mile or more) and around 35 mph for several miles (up to 4–5+ miles in some accounts).

They outpace any current North American predator and can maintain high speeds far longer than a cheetah (which is faster in short sprints but tires quickly). Their adaptations include a large heart and lungs, oversized windpipe for oxygen intake, light bones, and cushioned hooves that help absorb impact at speed. This speed likely evolved partly in response to extinct predators like the American cheetah.

I embedded the above article from Instagram®. Click the arrow to view.

It is amazing to behold the wonders of God’s creations.

10 Aug 2026 by Critters Entertainment Notions 0

RV Repairs Upcoming

During the cross-country junket last year, we suffered a few problems with our RV. I’m going to mention only a couple of major problems, but, rest assured, there are many more squawks. The RV is now over ten years old and showing some wear and tear and desert rash (we still don’t have an enclosure (yet) but that will be coming, one of these days.

First and foremost, when connected to city water, the fresh water tank overflows onto the ground periodically, as if there is a valve changing position and flowing water into the fresh tank rather than throughout the water system in the RV (washer, shower, bathroom and kitchen sinks, etc. Next, the water valve that controls the toilet flush leaks and water flows into the toilet bowl and has to be flushed periodically. Both of the above problems required us to turn off the city water valve outside if we weren’t actively using the fresh water in the RV. Next, there are a few little cosmetic things on the outside that need attention.

There are other problems, as I mentioned and we gave a list of concerns to the RV repair shop to address at their shop. They ferried the RV down to the shop yesterday and we will be working with them and the insurance company to assess the problems. The repair crew advises that the adjuster for our insurance company works with them on a regular basis to diagnose and resolve problems.

So, the RV is going to be in the shop for a while. There are a lot of squawks and we don’t expect to have the big guy back anytime real soon.

Meanwhile, we’re happy here in our desert paradise, thanks to Almighty God. We remain assured that things with the RV will be resolved in good time.

02 Aug 2026 by Notions Retirement Travel Wanderlust 0

Hoplophobia

Hoplophobia is defined as the fear of weaponry (in this case guns) as coined by Col. Jeff Cooper in 1962. Although the phobia itself is not classified as an actual mental disorder. Personally, I think it should be.

Colion Noir posted this interesting video on you tube about an actual individual who suffers from hoplophobia:

I had a short conversation with Grok about the disease:

Have there been any actual clinical diagnoses for hoplophobia?

No, “hoplophobia” is not a recognized clinical diagnosis** in mainstream psychiatry or psychology.

Official Status

  • It does **not** appear in the *Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders* (DSM-5 or DSM-5-TR) published by the American Psychiatric Association.
  • It is not listed as a distinct code in the ICD-10 or ICD-11 (the international classification systems used for medical diagnosis and billing).
  • Major psychiatric and psychological organizations do not treat “hoplophobia” as an official diagnostic term.

How Fear of Firearms *Can* Be Diagnosed:

A clinically significant, irrational fear of guns or weapons *could* meet the criteria for a **Specific Phobia** (DSM-5 code 300.29; ICD-10 F40.2). Specific phobia is a real, recognized anxiety disorder. Diagnosis requires:

  • Marked, persistent fear or anxiety about a specific object or situation (here, firearms).
  • The fear is out of proportion to the actual danger.
  • Immediate anxiety response when the object is encountered or anticipated.
  • Active avoidance or endurance with intense distress.
  • Significant impairment in daily functioning.
  • Duration of at least 6 months.
  • Symptoms not better explained by another mental disorder.

In practice, a clinician would diagnose “Specific Phobia, situational type” (or a similar descriptor) and note the fear of firearms in the clinical record. They would not typically write “hoplophobia” as the diagnosis.

Evidence of Clinical Cases

There are **no well-documented, peer-reviewed clinical case studies** in the medical literature that formally diagnose patients with “hoplophobia” as a distinct entity. Searches of medical databases (such as PubMed) turn up essentially nothing under that term. A few non-peer-reviewed sources and opinion pieces (often written from a pro-gun perspective) claim the condition exists and is treatable, but these do not constitute formal clinical recognition or systematic diagnostic evidence.

In short: while an extreme, impairing fear of firearms can be clinically valid and treated under the umbrella of specific phobia, “hoplophobia” itself remains a non-clinical, largely rhetorical term rather than an established medical diagnosis.

There seems to be some room under the diagnosis of “specific phobia” that would enable a clinician of mental disorders to apply treatment for the disorder to the individual in the video and for others of extreme fear.

24 Jul 2026 by Comrades in Arms Firearms Notions Second Amendment Whacko Politics 0

Happy Semiquincentennial!

The Founding of the United States of America
On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, formally declaring the 13 American colonies free from British rule. Drafted primarily by Thomas Jefferson, the document proclaimed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and listed grievances against King George III. This bold act of separation led to the Revolutionary War, which ended with victory at Yorktown in 1781 and formal recognition in the 1783 Treaty of Paris. The foundation was solidified in 1787 with the drafting of the U.S. Constitution, creating a federal republic with a system of checks and balances. These events marked the birth of a new nation dedicated to freedom and limited government ideals that continues to shape the world today.

Happy 250th Anniversary, America!

04 Jul 2026 by Holidays Notions Patriotism

La Bella Luna

Not quite a full moon tonight, but La Bella Luna (Italian for “the beautiful moon”) was shining at 98 percent of full when I took this (clickable) photo. The official “Strawberry” full moon will be tomorrow afternoon at roughly 5 PM Arizona time. At sunset, if you are able, look to the east and the moonrise should put on a pretty good show.

I took this image using my Canon R10 and a recently acquired 100-400mm zoom lens. I cropped the image a bit to allow the moon to fill the frame. The resolution is good enough to see the craters shadows on the left side while all the remaining albedo appears closely to what the naked eye sees. The lens is only a telephoto and not a telescope, so the image needs a little cropping help to get the moon properly centered and prominently sized in the frame. Again, click to view enlarged.

Image details:

  • Camera: Canon EOS R10
  • Artist: Cap’n Bob [C] All rights reserved
  • Shutter: 1/4000sec
  • Aperture: F8.0
  • Program: Manual Control
  • ISO: 6400
  • Focal Length: 400mm
  • Lens: Canon RF 100-400mm F5.6-8 IS USM
28 Jun 2026 by Astronomy Notions Photography Technobabble

R10 Panoramic Mode

Panoramic images have always been an interest of mine. Early on, I used to take a series of adjacent , overlapping images and would “stitch” them together using an old application that did the job. Now, the function has been integrated right into some cameras.

My Kodak PixPro FZ152 has a panoramic function, but it can be kind of picky in the stitching process, and frequently will overlap in the wrong places. Maybe that is due to the way I used it, but regardless, it seemed clumsy to me.

I took the panorama above with my Canon EOS R10 in its panoramic mode. It works much better; all I have to do is press the shutter button and hold while I smoothly pan from left to right (optionally the other way too) to get what my eye perceives as a smooth and seamless image. Click on the image and pan using the image viewer scroll bar at the bottom.

I took the image from our courtyard looking west; the image spans the west leg of the RV drive sweeping from the road across the west cactus and rock garden, mesquite and paloverde trees, the lemon tree to the back gate of the courtyard.

I will try and get some more interesting panoramas as the opportunities arise.

22 Jun 2026 by Arizona Home & Garden Notions Panorama Photography Technobabble

New Camera Toy

I’ve been playing around with the new(ish) Canon EOS R10 camera since getting it last February. This week, I ordered and received a Canon RF100-400mm F5.6-8 IS USM telephoto lens. I tried it out today and got a few shots around the yard including the one above of a Mourning Dove and Cactus Wren perched atop one of the birdseed feeders out back. I was easily 30 feet from the birds when I took the photo. I am intend to use the new lens for wildlife and possibly astronomical photos. More on those as time marches on.

For my older Canon SL3 Camera, I have a good collection of lenses for various purposes, not the least of which is the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L is II USM telephoto lens. Comparing the older telephoto to the new one, there are a couple of things worth noting:

  • Weight: The old lens weighs in at 3 lb 10 oz, while the new lens is only 1 lb 8 oz.
  • Length @ 400mm: old is 10.75 inches and new is 9.5 inches.

Using the old lens on the SL3 makes the camera very front-heavy and, while not absolutely necessary, could use a monopod or some other support for longer periods of use. The bigger lens has its own tripod mount. The new camera and lens aren’t noticeably as front-heavy and the weight doesn’t seem to be an issue when carrying it around.

So, I’ll report on any amazing things I encounter when using the new setup. Stay tuned.

As usual, you may click on the image above to view enlarged in a new tab or window.

Update 20260617 20:29 AZ time: Venus and the Moon in the western sky. Using the R10 and 400mm Lens . . .

17 Jun 2026 by Critters Notions Photography Retirement

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