Elephant sharks!

Here's a creature I never knew existed!

Source: http://sharks.sharkyc.com/Elephant_Shark.html

 

Elephant Shark aka Australian Ghostshark

The Elephant Shark or Australian ghostshark (Callorhinchus milii) is a cartilaginous fish (Chondrichthyes) belonging to the subclass Holocephali (chimaera). Sharks, rays and skates are the other members of the cartilaginous fish group and are grouped under the subclass Elasmobranchii. Alternative names also include makorepe, whitefish, plownose chimaera, or elephant fish.
The ghost shark is easy to recognize due to the small club-like structure located on the snout. The mouth is located just behind the snout and the eyes which are often green are large and set high on the head. There is a single gill opening immediately in front of the pectoral fin origin on each side of the fish. The pectoral fins are large, providing a primary means of locomotion. There are two widely spaced dorsal fins. There is a spine located just anterior to the first dorsal fin; the first dorsal fin is much taller than the second dorsal fin and the anal fin is taller than the caudal fin. The caudal fin is broadest at the lower lobe origin and lacks a caudal filament. The upper lobe of the caudal fin is much longer than the lower lobe.
The body is silvery white, similar to aluminum foil in color and occasionally has dark markings posterior to the eyes as well as on the fins.
It is found off southern Australia, including Tasmania, and south of East Cape and Kaipara Harbour in New Zealand. This chimaera resides on continental shelves of cool temperate areas to depths to at least 656 feet (200 m). It has also been reported to migrate into estuaries and inshore bays during the spring months to mate.
The maximum reported size of the ghost shark is 49 inches (125 cm) total length. Males reach maturity at 2-3 years of age, corresponding to 19.7 inches (50 cm) total length, while females mature at 4-6 years of age and 27.6 inches (70 cm) total length. The lifespan of the ghost shark is approximately 15 years.
The club-like projection on the snout of the ghost shark is used to search for prey. The end is covered in pores that sense movement and weak electrical fields. Ghost sharks feed primarily on shellfish and molluscs including the clam Maorimactra ordinaria.
The ghost shark is oviparous. Two keratinous egg cases are released during the spring months onto sandy or muddy bottoms in shallow water. The egg cases measure up to 25 cm in length and 10 cm in width and are golden yellow in color. During the following 8 months, the embryos remain in the egg cases feeding solely on yolk. The coloration of the egg case changes through time, from golden yellow when first released by the female to brown and black prior to hatching. When the young hatch, they measure about 15 cm in length. They will move from the shallow water nursery area to deeper water as they grow.
This fish has three cone pigments for colour vision (like humans); its dorsal fin has a very sharp spine. The spine has been reputed to be venomous, but no serious injuries have yet been reported.
Predators of the ghost shark include larger fish including sharks.

Today's funny :o)

Frosty mornings

The days start out chilly here in Coopville:

 But it gets warmer as soon the sun comes up:

 Jack Frost was here:

 Just a pretty cloud.  I liked the way it swirled in the sky:

Not too much going on - it's been quiet - thankfully!

:o)

Easy Listening for a Sunday Afternoon

Doris Day

Again

Again, this couldn't happen again
This is that once in a lifetime
This is the thrill divine
What's more, this never happened before
Though I have prayed for a lifetime
That such as you would suddenly be mine
Mine to hold as I'm holding you now and yet never so near
Mine to have when the now and the here disappear
What matters, dear, for when
This doesn't happen again
We'll have this moment forever
But never, never, again
We'll have this moment forever
But never, never, again

Saturday Night Doo-Wop

Ed Townsend!

For Your Love

 

For your love, oh, I would do anything
I would do anything, fo-o-or your love

For your kiss (Ahh, ahh, ahh)
Oh, I would go anywhere (Ahh, ahh, ahh, ahh)
I would go (Ahh, ahh, ahh)
Anywhere, fo-o-or your kiss

More foolish I grow
With each heart beat
But we all get foolish
That's why I repeat

For your love, (Ahh, ahh, ahh, ahh)
Oh, I would do anything (Ahh, ahh, ahh, ahh)
I would do anything, fo-o-or your kiss
I would do anything
Fo-o-or your love
(Anything, anything, anything)
Fo-o-or your love
(Ahh, ahh, ahh, ahh, ahh, ooh)

Friday Night Steam

Oh, the sweet anticipation when you hear that whistle!!

Spokane, Portland and Seattle 700

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Spokane, Portland and Seattle 700

SP&S 700 standing idle waiting to start Christmas excursion December 2005
Type and origin
Power type	Steam
Builder	Baldwin Locomotive Works
Serial number	62171
Build date	May 1938
Specifications
Configuration	4-8-4
UIC classification	2′D2′ h2
Gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Driver diameter	77 in (1,956 mm)
Length	109 ft 2 in (33.27 m)
Weight on drivers	290,200 lb (131,600 kg; 131.6 t)
Locomotive weight	485,500 lb (220,200 kg; 220.2 t)
Locomotive and tender combined weight	871,550 lb (395,330 kg; 395.33 t)
Fuel type	Oil
Fuel capacity	8,800 US gal (33,000 l; 7,300 imp gal)
Water capacity	20,000 US gal (76,000 l; 17,000 imp gal)
Boiler pressure	260 lbf/in2 (1.79 MPa)
Firegrate area	115 sq ft (10.7 m2)
Superheater area	2,095 sq ft (194.6 m2)
Cylinders	Two
Cylinder size	28 in × 31 in (711 mm × 787 mm)
Valve gear	Walschaerts
Valve type	Piston valves
Performance figures
Power output	5,000 hp (3,700 kW)
Tractive effort	69,756 lbf (310.29 kN)
Factor of adhesion	4.16
Career
Operator(s)	Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway
Class	E-1
Number(s)	700
Nicknames	"The Lady" and "The Queen of Steam"
Delivered	June 21, 1938
First run	May 1938
Retired	May 20, 1956
Restored	1990
Current owner	City of Portland, Oregon
Disposition	Runs in occasional excursion service; based in Portland, Oregon, at the Oregon Rail Heritage Center
Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway Steam Locomotive
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Coordinates	45°30′26″N 122°39′43″WCoordinates: 45°30′26″N 122°39′43″W
NRHP Reference #	05001557
Added to NRHP	January 25, 2006

Spokane, Portland & Seattle 700 is the only surviving example of the E-1 class 4-8-4 Northern type steam locomotive. Nearly identical to the A-3 class Northerns built for Northern Pacific Railway, it burns oil instead of coal.
After years of running second-hand equipment, the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway (SP&S) was allowed by its parent companies, Great Northern Railway and Northern Pacific Railway, to purchase its first new locomotives. These included three Northern E-1 class locomotives (700, 701 and 702) for passenger service and 6 Z-6 class Challengers (4-6-6-4s) for freight service.
After retirement from service in 1956, the SP&S 700 was donated to the City of Portland, Oregon, in 1958. It was on static public display at Oaks Amusement Park until 1987, then moved to private quarters for the continuation of work to restore it to operating condition. It began making occasional excursion runs in 1990.^[2] In 2012, the 700 was moved to a new facility where it can again be viewed by the public, the Oregon Rail Heritage Center.

Revenue service years

700 was delivered on June 21, 1938, joining the 702 pulling overnight passenger trains between Spokane and Vancouver, Washington, along the north shore of the Columbia River, with the 701 providing backup and pulling freight. Owing to an undersized turntable, the Northerns didn't reach Portland, Oregon, until 1943.
By 1947, the Great Northern Railway had begun to streamline its premier passenger train, The Empire Builder, and had started adding diesels to the locomotive mix. SP&S also started purchasing diesels at this time, but they arrived after the streamlined cars were brought into service and for a few months, the 700s pulled the Portland section of Great Northern's Empire Builder and Northern Pacific's North Coast Limited.
Through the late 1940s and early 1950s, the E-1s continued to pull secondary passenger trains, but by 1954, the diesels had completely replaced steam for passenger service and the E-1s were relegated to pulling freight trains until 1955.
Finally, on May 20, 1956, a spruced-up 700, with its normally grey smokebox painted silver, pulled its last passenger train. The Farewell To Steam run had a total of 21 cars carrying 1,400 passengers from Portland, Oregon, to Wishram, Washington, in the heart of the Columbia Gorge, and back again.
After the trip, the 700, 701, 702, Challengers and other SP&S locomotives were sent to the scrap line. At the same time, however, Union Pacific Railroad was offering to donate a steam locomotive to the city of Portland, Oregon, and not to be outdone, the SP&S offered the 700. The two locomotives (SP&S 700 and OR&N 197) were moved into Oaks Park along the Willamette River in 1958 and were soon joined by SP 4449 where they sat for nearly 20 years.

Display at Oaks Park

In 1978, No. 700 was still on long-term static display at Oaks Park.

For nearly 20 years the 700, along with the other two locomotives, sat behind chain link fences, slowly fading and rusting away. Only the attention of a single Southern Pacific Railroad employee, Jack Holst, saved the locomotives from complete uselessness. Mr. Holst regularly visited the locomotives and kept the bearings and rods well greased and oiled. Unfortunately, Mr. Holst died in 1972, before the first locomotive (SP 4449) was removed from Oaks Park and restored. In 1975, 15-year-old Chris McLarney started working on the 700, cleaning and oiling various parts. He founded the PRPA (Pacific Railroad Preservation Association) in 1977 to provide support for the preservation work.
In November 1987, the SP&S 700 was moved from Oaks Park to the Southern Pacific's Brooklyn Roundhouse, in southeast Portland, for the continuation of restoration work.^[2] With the support of many individuals and Burlington Northern Railroad, the 700 returned to operation in 1990.

1990 to present

Although it's the third largest steam locomotive still in operation and expensive to run and insure, the 700 has managed a number of excursions since its restoration in 1990, including an historic double header with SP 4449 from Portland, Oregon, to Wishram, Washington, and back during the 2005 National Railway Historical Society national convention, and a 2002 "Steam across Montana" from Sandpoint, Idaho, to Billings, Montana, and back. 

The 700 was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 25, 2006, as the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway Steam Locomotive.

Disposition and maintenance

SP&S 700 on public view at its new home, the Oregon Rail Heritage Center, in 2013

Until June 2012, the 700 and its two companions resided at the Brooklyn Roundhouse. The City of Portland was leasing the roundhouse from its owner, Union Pacific Railroad (UP), but after the railroad announced plans to demolish the roundhouse to allow expansion of the yard, the engines needed to find a new home. The Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation, with significant support from the City of Portland, raised funds for a new restoration and visitor center adjacent to the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, to provide the city's steam locomotives with a permanent and publicly accessible home before the closure of the roundhouse.
Construction of the new Oregon Rail Heritage Center began in October 2011 and the 700 and the other two locomotives were moved to the site of the new enginehouse and heritage center on June 26, 2012. They were moved indoors on July 28, once the enginehouse was enclosed. The ORHC opened to the public on September 22, 2012. Maintenance of the 700 continues to be carried out by the Pacific Railroad Preservation Association and a team of volunteers^.

Today's funny :o)

Gooses... lots of gooses!

Every day the local geese that sleep in a pond down the road from us, wake up and head for another

nearby pond to spend the day. In the evening, they fly right back to to the morning one!

Didn't have the ol' camera handy for the evening flight, but they are just as noisy!

I love the sound of them, but so glad they don't stop by for a visit!

A lot of people feed them through the winter - I guess they'll never go hungry.

Giving thanks to so many...

Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers this and every day!

'Hope your Thanksgiving Day is filled with love, family, friends and good food.

 We really, really do have so much to be thankful for.

:o)

Company is a-coming!

Why I don't ask Hubby to help:

Going to be busy  - will be back on Friday!

Fun with words!

Another gem from Wild River! :o)

Lexophile" is a word used to describe those that have a love for words, such as "you can tune a piano, but you can't tuna fish", or "to write with a broken pencil is pointless." 

A competition to see who can come up with the best lexophiles is held every year in an undisclosed location. 

This year's winning submission is posted at the very end.

... When fish are in schools, they sometimes take debate.  

... A thief who stole a calendar got twelve months.  

... When the smog lifts in Los Angeles U.C.L.A.  

... The batteries were given out free of charge.  

... A dentist and a manicurist married. They fought tooth and nail.  

... A will is a dead giveaway.  

... With her marriage, she got a new name and a dress.  

... A boiled egg is hard to beat.  

... When you've seen one shopping center you've seen a mall.  

... Police were summoned to a daycare center where a three-year-old was    resisting a rest.  

... Did you hear about the fellow whose entire left side was cut off?   He's all right now.  

... A bicycle can't stand alone; it's just two tired.  

... When a clock is hungry it goes back four seconds.  

... The guy who fell onto an upholstery machine is now fully recovered.  

... He had a photographic memory which was never developed.  

... When she saw her first strands of grey hair she thought she'd dye.  

... Acupuncture is a jab well done. That's the point of it.  

    

And the cream of the twisted crop:

... Those who get too big for their pants will be totally exposed in the end.

:o)

Today's funny :o)

HT to Donna!  :o)

A treat for Chickenmom!

Charlie came up on the deck yesterday looking for some goodies:

Laverne, Maude and Sophia joined him. Shirley didn't want to walk up the stairs:

They ate some bread crumbs that I threw out the door:

 Looking for another handout. I didn't give them any more:

So they left me...... a treat!

:o(

On the golf course!

Animals just wanna play golf, too!

:o)

Today's funny :o)

This 'N That

Pics from the last few days:

The gang waiting for me to open the run gate:

 Clear skies and a pretty moon the other night:

Just liked the shadows that the dead leaves made on the trunk of the tree:

 The forsythia started to bloom on this bush,,,,

 ... it gets full sun most of the day:

 Spectacular sunset last night:

 Don't get to see many like this:

 But it was over much too quickly!

:o)

Easy Listening for a Sunday Afternoon

George Shearing and Mel Torme

 "State Fair" (In HD):

Enjoy! :o)

Saturday Night Doo-Wop

Paul Anka

Remember dancing to this one? 

:o)

Friday Night Steam

A big H/T to Wild River for sending me this video!

Grab a cuppa or a cold one, put your feet up and enjoy this logging video and see parts of how steam power played an important part in the early logging industry!

Shays and Steam Donkeys

Today's funny :o)

H/T to Donna  :o)

 

The Husband Store 
A store that sells new husbands has opened in Manchester, just off Deansgate where a woman may go to choose a husband.  Among the instructions at the entrance is a description of how the store operates:

You may visit this store ONLY ONCE!  There are six floors and the value of the products increase as the shopper ascends the flights.  The shopper may choose any item from a particular floor, or may choose to go up to the next floor, but you cannot go back down except to exit the building!

So, a woman goes to the Husband Store to find a husband.  On the first floor the sign on the door reads:

Floor 1 - These men Have Jobs

She is intrigued, but continues to the second floor, where the sign reads:
Floor 2 - These men Have Jobs and Love Kids.

'That's nice,' she thinks, 'but I want more.'

So she continues upward. The third floor sign reads:
Floor 3 - These men Have Jobs, Love Kids, and are Extremely Good Looking.
'Wow,' she thinks, but feels compelled to keep going.

She goes to the fourth floor and the sign reads:
Floor 4 - These men Have Jobs, Love Kids, are Drop-dead Good Looking and Help With Housework.

'Oh, mercy me!' she exclaims, 'I can hardly stand it!'

Still, she goes to the fifth floor and the sign reads:
Floor 5 - These men Have Jobs, Love Kids, are Drop-dead Gorgeous, Help with Housework, and Have a Strong Romantic Streak.
She is so tempted to stay, but she goes to the sixth floor, where the sign reads:
Floor 6 - You are visitor 31,456,012 to this floor. There are no men on this floor.  This floor exists solely as proof that women are impossible to please.  Thank you for shopping at the Husband Store.

PLEASE NOTE: 
To avoid gender bias charges, the store's owner opened a New Wives store just across the street with the same rules.

The first floor has wives that love sex.
The second floor has wives that love sex and have money and like beer.
The third, fourth, fifth and sixth floors have never been visited.

:o)

T-h-e-y a-r-e........

......b-a-c-k:

Damn....

Cameras

As you can probably tell from my blog photos, my camera throws fits all the time.

While searching for new cameras, I came across this:

Used to make them when I was a kid - maybe I should think about one again?

Or maybe I can use this to take pics of Charlie and the girls!

Source: http://www.bhphotovideo.com

(Only in my dreams)

:o)

Today's funny :o)

HT to Terry!  :o)
jterryt.blogspot.com

Poor little feller

This was right in front of the pen gate the other day:

 Looks like a hawk  nabbed a squirrel:

 Looked all around for the rest of it. I don't want the gang eating squirrel innards.

Although I searched all around the coop and the run, there were no body parts laying about.

Now that all the leaves are off the tress, any critter is easy to spot from the sky.  Even though I stay outside in the yard with them, Charley is always vigilant and sounds a warning when he sees something. He listens to the crows, too. When they start up, he chases the girls under the deck.

:o)

No, thank you.....

From: http://www.arizona-leisure.com/

Colossal Cave Mountain Park

An Attention-Grabbing Experience

Artifacts confirm that Colossal Cave was used as shelter by the ancient Hohokam Indians from about 900 through 1450 AD. The peaceful Indians farmed the valley below the cave, which about a thousand years later became known as La Posta Quemada Ranch. Today the cave and ranch are united as Colossal Cave Mountain Park, a historical destination and educational outreach for school children.
A tour through Colossal Cave is by itself an attention-grabbing experience where natural formations were formed over millions of years. The stalactites, stalagmites and majestic columns were created by slow-seeping ground water through the limestone ceilings. As arid conditions evolved, Colossal Cave became totally dry , stopping the growth of new formations. Interestingly, although outside summer temperatures can become quite high in the desert area, the temperature inside Colossal Cave is always a cool 70 degrees Fahrenheit year-round.

Colossal Cave has never been fully explored. Although there are an estimated 39 miles of cave tunnels, it took over two years to map just two miles of passageway where tours penetrate six stories deep into the cave. Visitors can choose from ongoing daily “generic tours” or can arrange more adventurous tours through darkened more narrow passages requiring hardhats and good physical fitness. There are even “candlelight tours” where each visitor is given a lighted candle to experience the cave as the Hohokam did over a thousand years ago without electric-powered lights.
Officially, Colossal Cave was discovered by Soloman Lick in 1879. While searching for stray cows on the vast ranch, he accidentally came upon its narrow opening. That same entrance has been enlarged within a modern setting that overlooks the panoramic views of La Posta Quemada Ranch into over 2,000 acres of Colossal Cave Mountain Park.
There are actually two caves. The first of course is Colossal Cave which visitors tour daily. The other is “Arkenstone”, a “live cave” which continues to grow formations. Arkenstone has been designated a research site and access is limited to only scientific researchers. A collection of photographs by Randy Gruss at the La Posta Quemada Ranch Museum gives the public amazing views of the beauty inside Arkenstone Cave.
The “cowboy days” in the late 1800s spawns stories of train robbers and escaped convicts that used the caves as a hiding place. Perhaps the most famous were John Maier and Josiah “Kid” Smith who were eventually shot by the Wells Fargo Messenger, J. Ernest Smith. A third bandit of the group that had robbed a train near El Paso named George Green was captured and sentenced to five years at the Yuma Arizona Territorial Prison.
La Posta Quemada Ranch has been a working ranch since the mid 1870s. The Southern Pacific Line operated a stagecoach station at the ranch that was burned in 1875. Hence, the Posta Quemada name, which means “burnt station”. Today the ranch includes an active museum to promote public education and cultural history. Visitors will enjoy the artifacts with information on past indigenous cultures.
Visitors to Colossal Cave and the ranch which is just 22 miles southeast of Tucson Arizona offers many ways to explore the park including trail rides, hayrides, cattle drives, cowboy style cookouts and pack trips through unspoiled Sonoran Desert nature. It’s a great way for groups and families who visit the part to experience the Colossal Cave and great outdoor recreation as well. When visiting, make sure to see the Desert Tortoise Exhibit. Also see the Butterfly Garden, a colorful haven of different species that highlights the full lifecycle of butterflies.
There are many motels in Tucson and nearby Benson Arizona that are conveniently located to Colossal Cave. Please visit the Colossal Cave Mountain Park website for more interesting insight into the history of the cave and ranch. There you will find a Colossal Cave online gift shop, detailed directions and contacts to arrange group tours and outdoor recreational enjoyment.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I don't like being closed in - even in elevators.......

Today's funny :o)

Just stuff

Laverne came to the door looking for a treat......

 ,,,,,while Shirley took a dirt bath under the deck.

 For two days in a row there were three eggs in Charlie's stupid nest. Maybe the extra ones were

 from Laverne. Yesterday it was back to the usual one each from Maude and Sophia. 

They are still not using the nest boxes.

Something scraped this tree hard enough to make the sap run out - maybe that big buck that's been hanging around here did it!

 Our land that we will probably never do anything with. 

It looks so different when the leave are off the trees!

 Hubby getting ready to bring wood in for burning!

 Took this a few nights ago - looked so pretty!

:o)