A Walk Through Croton-On-Hudson – Overview

We’d often driven through Croton-on-Hudson on our way up to the lake, but it wasn’t until we went to dinner there with a couple of friends that I realized that I’d never actually been to the main town center. It was quite quaint and I determined to go back there some day to take some pictures – and then promptly forgot to do so.

Then my wife decided to change doctors. Her previous doctor had moved farther south and it was just a little inconvenient for us to continue with her. We sought recommendations from friends and eventually found a doctor in, of all places, Croton-on-Hudson. When she went for her first visit I went along with our dog and while waiting for her took a walk around.

Above, Tagine the excellent French/Moroccan bistro style restaurant that brought us to the center of Croton-on-Hudson in the first place.

Taken with a Sony RX-100 M3.

Another picture taken in Croton-on-Hudson can be found in Croton-on-Hudson – Fire Department, Hook and Ladder Company No. 1. Chemical Engine Company No. 1

A friend visits

Not too long ago a friend of ours came to visit. We had a very pleasant lunch outside on the patio overlooking the lake. I don’t recall why we came indoors (maybe it was getting cold? Maybe it was starting to rain?), but indoors we certainly came, and had our dessert in the dining room.

While there I was able to take a picture of her with our dog, Harley.

Taken with a Sony A77 II and Minolta Maxxum AF 50mm f1.7 lens.

Independence Day 2017 Fireworks on the Ossining Waterfront

Better late than never!

I’d tried taking photographs of fireworks before, but I’d never really prepared properly (merely using whatever camera I had with me). Predictably the results were not particularly good. This time I took a bit more care, bringing along a tripod and a shutter release cord. I’m much happier with these.

Picnic while waiting for the show to start.

Additional Fireworks pictures below. Click on a thumbnail to see a larger image.

Taken with a Sony Alpha 500 and Tamron A18 AF 18-250mm f3.5-6.3

New York Air Show 2017 – Heritage Flight

From top to bottom: F35 Lightning II; P-51 Mustang; F-16 Viper.

According to Wikipedia:

The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is a family of single-seat, single-engine, all-weather stealth multirole fighters. The fifth-generation combat aircraft is designed to perform ground attack and air superiority missions. It has three main models: the F-35A conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) variant, the F-35B short take-off and vertical-landing (STOVL) variant, and the F-35C carrier-based Catapult Assisted Take-Off But Arrested Recovery (CATOBAR) variant. On 31 July 2015, the United States Marines declared ready for deployment the first squadron of F-35B fighters after intensive testing. On 2 August 2016, the U.S. Air Force declared its first squadron of F-35A fighters combat-ready.

The F-35 descends from the X-35, the winning design of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program. An aerospace industry team led by Lockheed Martin designed and manufactures it. Other major F-35 industry partners include Northrop Grumman, Pratt & Whitney and BAE Systems. The F-35 first flew on 15 December 2006. The United States plans to buy 2,663 aircraft. Its variants are to provide the bulk of the crewed tactical airpower of the U.S. Air Force, Navy and the Marine Corps over the coming decades. Deliveries of the F-35 for the U.S. military are scheduled until 2037 with a projected service life up to 2070.

The United States principally funds the F-35 JSF development, with additional funding from partners. The partner nations are either NATO members or close U.S. allies. The United Kingdom, Italy, Australia, Canada, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Turkey are part of the active development program; several additional countries have ordered, or are considering ordering, the F-35.

The program is the most expensive military weapons system in history, and has been much criticized inside and outside government, in the U.S. and in allied countries. Critics argue that the plane is “plagued with design flaws”, with many blaming the procurement process in which Lockheed was allowed “to design, test, and produce the F-35 all at the same time, instead of… [identifying and fixing] defects before firing up its production line”. By 2014, the program was “$163 billion over budget [and] seven years behind schedule”. Critics also contend that the program’s high sunk costs and political momentum make it “too big to kill”.

New York Air Show 2017 – Blue Angels

F/A 18 Hornets of the Blue Angels demonstration team. It must be about 50 years since I’ve seen a jet demonstration team (I think the last one I saw was the Royal Air Force Red Arrows when I was in my teens. In those days they were flying the Folland Gnat).

According to Wikipedia:

The Blue Angels is the United States Navy’s flight demonstration squadron, with aviators from the Navy and Marines. The Blue Angels team was formed in 1946, making it the second oldest formal flying aerobatic team (under the same name) in the world, after the French Patrouille de France formed in 1931.

The Blue Angels’ six demonstration pilots currently fly the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet, typically in more than 70 shows at 34 locations throughout the United States each year, where they still employ many of the same practices and techniques used in their aerial displays in their inaugural 1946 season. An estimated 11 million spectators view the squadron during air shows each full year. The Blue Angels also visit more than 50,000 people in a standard show season (March through November) in schools and hospitals. Since 1946, the Blue Angels have flown for more than 260 million spectators.