Another Lowell Fire Timelapse

Tonight on Twitter I found another timelapse sequence from yesterday's initial blow-up of the Lowell Fire in Nevada County. This one is longer and a bit better. It covers the period of 4 p.m. to 6:40 p.m. PDT.

Lowell Fire Day One Timelapse

Today while I was at work the Lowell Fire in Nevada County exploded into existence and immediately behaved like an enfant terrible. The storm clouds atop the smoke column are known to science as pyrocumulus clouds. At last check it had burned 3-4000 acres but no structures yet. *NOTE: as of Sunday evening, July 26, 2015, the fire size has been downgraded to 1500 acres.

Pharoah's Fury In Paso

Last night following the David Crowder concert at the California Mid-State Fair, me and some of my church family messed around for a little while at the fair itself. A few of them wanted to ride the ferris wheel so we headed over to that part of the fairgrounds. I don't do such rides so I shot these images instead. One of the rides there, a giant swing, was christened "Pharaoh's Fury" and featured at both ends the likeness of a pharoah's head adorned with a Nemes headdress. Its supports were lit in such a way as to emphasize a pyramid-like profile. It struck me the pervasiveness of Egyptian pharaonic culture across time and space. Here I was in Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo County, California, United States of America, North America, in the year 2015, thousands of years since the last pharaoh and here I encountered last night a likeness of and reference to that culture, albeit highly-stylized.

Both images by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved).

I Did Done Da David Crowder Concert

Earlier this evening I had the honor and privilege of being invited to attend the David Crowder concert at the California Mid-State Fair here in Paso Robles. It was hosted by Cantinas. I had not attended a fair concert since 1990 when I watched a free The Guess Who concert. During my youth I had come to hate the fair and avoided it my entire adult life until tonight. Well, to be honest I have been to it the past three years including last night, but that was for the Artist's Reception the night before it officially opens and that has been free to me. Tonight, I had to pay $10 to get in the door but the concert was free. The reason I went is because some of my church home group family members were going and one of them had an in with an employee of the fairgrounds to get bracelets that got us priority seating. Anywho, I loved the concert. The band was great both in presentation and stage presence as well as in substance of their music and the musicality of their music. I had never heard of David Crowder before given that I tend to shun Christian music. I do this for either or both of two reasons in most cases. One, the Christian music is often of inferior quality to the secular music and in some cases even tries to imitate it in style instead of the artists just being themselves they are trying too hard to be a Christian version of secular product. Two, the Christian artist comes across as trite and superficial and religiousy and there is a general lack of spiritual gravitas. None of these concerns were revealed in this David Crowder performance which I found both surprising and delightful. I highly recommend this artist and his wonderful band.

This was my first time in this particular concert stadium (southwest corner of fairgrounds).

David Crowder and his band employee an eclectic mix of instruments from conventional to quirky.

Their violinist is both highly skillful and rather comely-looking.

David Crowder is from Texas and sports a Duck Dynasty look but it precedes Duck Dynasty.

At this point David Crowder & Co. headed to the middle causeway of the stadium to perform in the crowd home-style.

All photos by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved).

Picture of the Day - Blood Wine

Last night I attended the 2015 California Mid-State Fair's Artist Reception. This annual event reveals the voting results of the fair's art contest across a variety of art media, competency levels, and age groups. It is an invitation-only event wherein submitters and their entourages are welcome. For the third consecutive year I was in attendance by way of my friendship with local artist and photographer Susie Christian of Morro Bay. This year I was less excited by the entries than last year's crop or that of the year before.

This painting by Jim Alberter was the only one that really got my attention. Perhaps I am misinterpreting what it means but I see it as containing a negative impression of the local wine industry. The center bottom shows a newer vineyard which is a rather ubiquitous sight in these parts nowadays. Adjacent to it on both flanking sides is the old landscape the vineyards are replacing. As such the vineyard which is the insurgent landscape is stabbing into and penetrating and violating the old landscape that preceded it. The vineyard appears to go on forever into the distant horizon as if the vineyard never ends.

The wine glass is inverted which brings to mind an inverted cross and/or an inverted flag. The former is symbolic in the modern popular culture of blasphemy which around here would be any sort of criticism of the wine industry. An inverted flag represents a distress signal whcih suggests distress regarding the invasion and occupation of the Paso Robles region by the insurgent wine industry.

The red fluid roiling and rolling down the inner surface of the wine glass appear both ominous-looking and is highly symbolic in one or two ways. Since ancient times wine has often symbolized blood which it potentially does here while also representing itself. Representing wine the painting suggests the wine is descending and covering everything as if to suggest the wine industry and its interests are becoming ever more dominant in the area. Representing blood the painting suggests there is a heavy price to be paid locally for the wine industry here and the idea of blood as a cost for something (ex: blood, sweet, and tears) is a common metaphor.

My personal views on the local wine industry are highly complex and nuanced and internally contradictory. I see it as both good and bad depending upon the context. Water-wise and land zoning-wise it is bad. Revenue-wise and employment-wise it is good. In any case I really like this painting!

Picture of the Day - Model A In My Alley

Guess what blocked my alley this afternoon? That's right: a Model A Ford classic. So cool!
Photo by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved).

Picture of the Day - Dragonfly Encounter

A short time ago I was in my kitchen and something outside my window grabbed my attention. There was a large dragonfly hugging the end of my Volvo's radio antenna. The creature continued to maintain that position long enough for me to get out my camera, switch to my telephoto lens, and snap several images through my somewhat dirty kitchen window. Note the wing structure details visible here. Photo by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved).