Cap'n Bob & the Damsel

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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 0

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 0

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 0

Garage Door Opener Repair

After fifteen or sixteen years or so since we built the house, the original garage door opener (pictured, clickable) developed a quirk such that if the sun was shining in the door, the obstruction detector would “think” that there was an object blocking the door and would refuse to close the door. This condition progressively got worse and eventually wouldn’t close regardless of the amount of sunlight. We had to press and hold the indoor control to get the door to close. This was very inconvenient, especially if we were departing, since one of us would have to close the door manually and come out the side door to get into the truck.

Yesterday, enough being enough, I called a repair facility to come out and fix the problem. The technician offered to clean and align the sensors, or to replace them both at our option. We opted for the latter, assuming that zero-time sensors would last longer.

To make a long story short, the tech replaced the sensors in ten minutes or less, and the door worked fine. Same-day service call, reasonable rates and problem solved.

Click on the links below to see the new sensors:

Sensor Transmitter Unit

Sensor Receiver Unit

Bottom line (literally) — stuff is going to wear out in the desert. We already need new exterior paint after only nine years or so. More on that later.

09 Jun 2026 by Arizona Home & Garden Notions Technobabble 0

Chicken Fried Steak

I may have said something in yesterday’s post about a feast. Well, the plate above says it all about a good ol’ Southern tradition of Chicken Fried Steak with all the trimmings.

The steak is actually a butterflied Filet Mignon breaded and fried. The Green beans are just that with a little bacon added. The mashed fauxtatoes are fake – steamed and puréed cauliflower with butter and gravy.

The plated meal is very Keto and Low Sodium diet friendly. It is also very tasty and reminiscent of the good ol’ Southern tradition referenced. Clickable image.

07 Jun 2026 by Classics Food & Dining Notions Retirement 0

82nd Anniversary of D-Day

Today marks the 82nd anniversary of Operation Overlord, also popularly known as “D-Day.” Thousands of Allied troops and equipment were dispatched to the shores of Normandy to begin the invasion of occupied France and then on into Germany thereafter. Take a moment to reflect on the efforts and to pray for their sacrifices in the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi occupation.

Now, in the 21st century, all the sacrifices and successes in the Second World War seem for naught, as the weak-willed governments of several European countries seem to have forgotten the freedoms established by the Allies and have fallen into the trap of invasion by immigration of millions of undesirable Islamics whom the governments seem to want to protect. Pray for Europe and the resumption of freedom there.

We are relaxing in our tranquil and protected desert retreat today and will be celebrating the victory, however brief, by preparing a feast on the Day of Sabbath here. We hope you all will be secure in your places as well. God Bless.

06 Jun 2026 by Islamic Terrorism Military Nostalgia Notions Patriotism 0

Rare Sighting — Caterham R400


The Damsel took this (clickable) photo of a Caterham Seven Superlight R400 (or simply “Caterham R400”), a lightweight, high-performance British sports car. We were pulling out of the parking lot at our local Basha’s and saw this beauty parked on the street in front of St. Anthony’s Church.

It seems that there are only a few hundred of these in the entire United States, so it is extremely rare (a.k.a. Sasquatch sighting) to see one of these in Wickenburg, a town known for it’s Cowboy and retirement cultures and not too many sports cars, let alone this rare beast.

About this car:

The Caterham Seven is a modern evolution of the classic Lotus 7 from the 1950s. It’s an ultra-minimalist, open-top, two-seater roadster designed for pure driving thrills—think raw handling, minimal weight, and maximum engagement. The “R400” (or Superlight R400) is a performance-oriented variant from the mid-to-late 2000s, known for its excellent power-to-weight ratio. The “400” name comes from its ~400 bhp per ton power-to-weight figure, which gives it supercar-like acceleration despite modest horsepower.

Caterhams like the R400 are legendary for telepathic steering, razor-sharp handling, and go-kart-like agility. They’re track weapons that are (barely) road-legal. Expect wind-in-the-face excitement, a loud exhaust note, and a firm ride. They’re not for commuting or comfort—getting in/out is a gymnastic exercise—but they’re addictive on twisty roads or circuits.

More at this SuperGrok link.

03 Jun 2026 by Arizona Classics Notions Photography Something Shiny 0

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