The Wednesday Wetness

 From Asia Byrnne:

Asia Brynne@asiabrynne

Artist Commercial & Fine Art photographer at OpenWater Productions

Flotsam and Jetsam - Trump Bloodied but Unbowed - Documents Case Dismissed!

From Althouse, About that photograph... David Altizer@dvdaltizer "Not only is this moment historical, but the photo that @evanvucci took is also perfect. The level of compositional mastery comes from over two decades of experience in the field and a sharpness that only comes from thousands and thousands of "reps."

Stacy McCain opines on the man who attempted to assassinate Donald Trump, Trump Rally Gunman ID’d as 20-Year-Old Math Geek Thomas Matthew Crooks "A loner math geek — of course. It all makes sense now. It’s never the gregarious English majors who commit these atrocities." OSINTdefender @sentdefender "Footage showing the Moment that the Shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks had Opened Fire on the Trump Rally in Butler County, Pennsylvania as well as him being Killed seconds later by a Secret Service Counter-Sniper."   Sauron's Eye, Trump rally shooter identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20-year-old Pennsylvania man. Here's what we know so far. Registered Republican, but Democrat donor. You might remember there was a movement to have Democrats register Republican in the Pennsylvania primaries to "influence" the election.  His gun, an AR style rifle, was legally purchased by his father. Fox, Former President Trump survives assassination attempt, FBI IDs shooter as Thomas Matthew Crooks and Who was Thomas Matthew Crooks? What we know about Trump’s attempted assassin. Althouse, "The gunman who fired shots at former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Saturday night has been identified by the FBI as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks." Da Caller, FBI Identifies Gunman Who Allegedly Tried To Kill Donald Trump. It's also been reported that a local cop attempted to climb a ladder to reach Crooks, was confronted with a rifle and retreated seconds before the shots were fired. NRO, Explosives Found in Car of Would-Be Trump Assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks. Edward Teach at Not The Bee, Here is everything we know about the shooter who tried to take out Donald Trump: "The only 20 year old on Earth without social media". Selwyn Duke at Am Think, 'Scvmlord made me do it'? Screen shots from the strange social media world of Thomas Matthew Crooks. Take this one with a grain or two of salt:

While seeking evidence last night of the motivations and ideology of President Trump’s would-be assassin, Thomas Matthew Crooks, I came across his Instagram page. It has now been deleted (of course!), but I took a screen shot, which is presented below the next few paragraphs. Aside from his identifying himself as an “Anti-fascist” (Antifa sympathies), his introduction page included this odd statement:

It says: “@skvmlord made me do it.”

Well, I did a web search and found little relating to “skvmlord” — that is, aside from this X account for it. Here is what’s weird, too: At 8:22pm on Saturday, a couple of hours after the assassination attempt, @skvmlord tweeted the following:

"You can’t send an Antifa p***y to do the CIA’s job."

Fuzzy Slippers at LI, Retired Fire Chief Corey Comperatore Slain By Assassin’s Bullet Aimed At President Trump. “The 50-year-old died a hero as his family revealed he was shielding his young daughter and wife from the gunfire when he was killed.” Sundance at CTH, Butler Shooting Victim Killed During Trump Assassination Attempt Identified as Corey Comperatore (50) – Retired Fire Chief Who Died Shielding His Daughters. At Da Caller, ‘He Was Bleeding’: Rep. Ronny Jackson Says Nephew ‘Grazed In The Neck’ During Trump Assassination Attempt. Salena Zito at Freep, ‘I Was Four Feet Away When I Heard the Bullets’. Hat Hair's Jazz Shaw evaluates the  Assassination Attempt Aftermath. The Babylon Bee@TheBabylonBee. "Trump Safe, Leaving Only One Dead Candidate https://buff.ly/462Bt3W"

There are, of course, and probably will continue to be for a long time, questions about the Secret Service's coverage of and actions during this event. Insty, TRUMP SHOOTING IS SECRET SERVICE NIGHTMARE but here’s the key bit:

Typically, the Secret Service has an advance team assess a location ahead of a campaign event to make a security plan, Mihalek said. Agents will take physical measures of the area, determine the necessary personnel and work with counter snipers to examine nearby buildings and their distances to where the president or the presidential candidate will be. . . .

Cheatle returned to the Secret Service after working as a senior director at PepsiCo North America overseeing facilities, personnel and business continuity.

In her previous stint at the Secret Service, she was the first woman to serve as assistant director of protective operations. Her appointment to lead the Secret Service made her the agency’s second female director. When he appointed her director, Biden said he and first lady Jill Biden got to know Cheatle while she served on his security detail during his vice presidency. “She has my complete trust,” said the president in 2022.

Also, a FLASHBACK: The Secret Service has had problems for a long time. Related: “If the federal government can’t keep the President’s bodyguards from drinking and whoring on duty, how likely is it to be able to run anything competently?” Double flashback: Senior Secret Service agent suggests she wouldn’t take ‘a bullet’ for Trump. Happily, the agents around him showed no such reluctance." Brandon Morse at RedState, About Those Female Secret Service Agents Protecting Trump "As one clip showed, the women protecting Trump looked jittery and slightly unsure of themselves. One of them tried to holster her side arm but kept missing the holster, eventually just placing it close to her until it was easier to do so. This resulted in many people questioning why there were female Secret Service agents in the first place." DEI hires? Erik Prince at Am Great thinks Near-Trump Assassination Product of ‘Malice or Massive Incompetence’ by U.S. Secret Service. "Donald J. Trump is alive today solely due to a bad wind estimate by an evil would be assasin (sic). As the graphics show the full value wind of just 5mph was enough to displace the unconfirmed but likely light 55 grain bullet two inches from DJT’s intended forehead to his ear. DJT was not saved by USSS brilliance. The fact that USSS allowed a rifle armed shooter within 150yds to a preplanned event is either malice or massive incompetence. Clearly there was adequate uncontrolled dead space for a shooter to move into position and take multiple aimed shots." At the Center Square, House Oversight to call Secret Service chief before Congress after Trump shooting. Beege Welborn at Hat Hair, "Her 30% DEI hires are not acquitting themselves admirably, to begin with. That's before we even get to why there was no one on a line-of-sight roof." Ryan King at NYPo, Trump ‘saved his own life’ during shooting, ex-Secret Service agent Dan Bongino says. Sean Davis@seanmdav "That is THE question." Quote John Linder@linderje Replying to @seanmdav, "To not cover obvious rooftops was a conscious decision. Who made it?" Matt Vespa at TownHall, Only One Question Remains Concerning Trump's Assassination Attempt. At Maggies Farm, A close call "An inch further, and that would have been very bad. The shooter was skilled. The victim was lucky." I disagree, the shooter wasn't that good, it wasn't that long a shot. Thanks to the Secret Service. 

PJM's Vicky Taft, Don't Worry if You Missed FBI Presser on Trump Assassination Attempt. You Didn't Miss a Thing. I saw it. She's right. Sundance, Joe Biden Delivers Remarks to Nation after Failed Assassination Attempt on President Donald Trump. Sarah Arnold at TownHall, Did Biden Just Say He Is Going to 'Make America Great Again' Following Trump Attack? Steve Guest@SteveGuest, "WATCH: Awkward gaffe from Joe Biden: “We resolve our differences at the battle box.”  At Althouse, "I really believe she wrote that" — I exclaimed when I read Melania's letter. "There are numerous signs of her authorship:" Also, "We will FEAR NOT, but instead remain resilient in our Faith and Defiant in the face of Wickedness." "Wrote Donald Trump, in Biblical prose, this morning, on Truth Social." Capt. Ed at Hat Hair, Trump: 'FEAR NOT ... God Alone Prevented the Unthinkable'; Update: Melania Calls for Unity, Love. Fuzzy Slippers at LI, President Trump: “We will FEAR NOT” And “Stand United” Against Evil. "Melania Trump also issues a statement: “A monster who recognized my husband as an inhuman political machine attempted to ring out Donald’s passion”" 

Stacy McCain,  ‘Violence Was Inevitable’ "As I say, I’m hesitant to place blame without clear evidence, but emotionally? Yeah, I’m as angry about this as anyone else, and giving the finger to the media is OK with me." 'Bonchie' at RedState says The Disgusting, Insane Press Reactions to Trump Almost Being Assassinated Will Make Your Skin Crawl. Rachel Bovard@rachelbovard, "Someone tries to assassinate the presumptive GOP candidate for president. And behold, your media: WaPo: “loud noises” CNN: “Trump falls” NBC: “popping noises”" Matt Vespa at TownHall asks Are You Kidding Me With This Headline, NYT? "Trump hurt, but safe, after a shooting." At Twitchy, Compare the NY Times' Front Page to the NY Post's for the Starkest of 'Journalism' Contrasts.  John Ocasio-Rodham Nolte@NolteNC. "@CBSNews said the biggest threat right now is 'retaliatory violence.' You cannot hate these people enough. You can only try." Twitchy, Scott Jennings Just GOES OFF When Wolf Blitzer Tries Playing 'Both Sides' Card and It's GLORIOUS (Watch). From NewsMax, Fmr Gov. Mike Huckabee: CNN Proves 'Enemy of People'. NewsBusters, DISGUSTING: CBS’s Nancy Cordes Echoes Team Biden’s Relief At Shift In Campaign Focus. Matt Vespa, The Media's Latest Spin Covering Trump's Assassination Attempt Shows They Don't Know What to Do. John Ashbrook@JohnAshbrook "LA Times omitted the word assassination from their front page. But they did mention “Project 2025.”" Michael Walsh at Da Pipeline, Trump, Biden, and the Shame of the Corporate Media. The Victory Girls say The Democrat Media Left Built This, They Must Own It. Larry at Hat Hair, I Know We're Supposed to Simmer Down, But Seriously - You Can't Hate Them Enough. 

Libs of TikTok@libsoftiktok, "Here’s 2 and a half minutes straight of Democrats explicitly calling for political violence. Has Biden ever denounced this? They have blood on their hands." Real Mac Report@RealMacReport "Flashback to Lincoln Project cofounder Rick Wilson in 2023: "They're still going to have to go out and put a bullet in Donald Trump." Dapper Detective@Dapper_Det, "NEVER FORGET: these are the nine U.S. Congress members that sponsored HR 8081, the bill aimed to revoke President Donald Trump's Secret Service protection if Joe Biden’s lawfare campaign was successful in obtaining a felony conviction by Soros D.A. Alvin Bragg." At WaEx, Byron York on Rhetoric and the Trump assassination attempt. Adam Smith discusses Donald Trump and America’s dark history of presidential assassinations. From the Free Bacon, Dem Powerbroker Who Suggested Trump Shooting ‘Staged’ Has Visited Biden White House at Least 10 Times. "Dmitri Mehlhorn met frequently with chief of staff Jeff Zients and top adviser Anita Dunn." Is it an "unofficial" White House position? Glenn Greenwald@ggreenwald, "So... the people who spent years claiming Trump conspired with the Kremlin to hack DNC emails, and that Putin controlled the US with blackmail, and that reporting from Hunter Biden's laptop was "Russian disinformation," are drowning in "conspiratorial thinking"?" Victor Davis Hanson@VDHanson "Assassination Porn and the Sickness on the Left. If we were leftists and we were to use leftist tropes to editorialize the recent attempt on Trump’s life, then we would frame the assassination attempt in the following way: We have witnessed for years blatant exceptions to the once common custom that we don’t normalize the imagined killing of any president or presidential candidate and thus lower the bar of violence. But the Left constantly makes Trump an exception. Now, it as if the imagined killing of Trump had been mainstreamed and become acceptable in a way inconceivable of other presidents." Nick Arama at RedState sees Roseanne Barr and Others Dunk All Over Eric Swalwell for His Disgusting Post About Trump Shooter. Roseanne Barr@therealroseanne "I was waiting for them to blame us for this too. The gaslight war is over: these people have no power left. Chinese spy fornicator and fellow pant shitter Swalwell is purposely ignoring an act blue donation and open primaries where Dems were urged to register as republicans to hurt Trump in the primaries. These people are evil." John Lucas at Bravo Blue, Some Further Thoughts on the Attempted Assassination of President Trump, Including Some About What Was Behind it. Noah Pollak@NoahPollak."Biden and Democrats keep saying that political violence is unacceptable, but they're lying. For the past four years, Antifa, Hamas supporters, and other leftist activists have routinely engaged in political violence. They carry out arson, looting, beatings, all kinds of crimes. They make our streets look like Gaza." PJM's Stephen Kruiser thinks An Assassination Attempt on Trump Has Been the Dems' Goal All Along. Mark Steyn says it's What They Wanted. The final word goes to the The Babylon Bee@TheBabylonBee, "Party That Called Trump 'Hitler' For 8 Years Shocked As Someone Tries To Assassinate Him." Also, The Babylon Bee@TheBabylonBee "Trump Indicted For Inciting Assassination Attempt https://buff.ly/462CV6o"

This Is The Threat Against Us. pic.twitter.com/5GDlX8n703

— Matt Bell (@MbGaUSA) July 14, 2024

Matt Vespa says Failed Trump Assassination Attempt Did Two Things for Dems, None of Them Good. John Ekdahl@JohnEkdahl "Not minimizing the seriousness of what happened yesterday, but from a purely political standpoint, one single shot: - Turned Trump into a bonafide American folk hero - Neutralized the Replace Biden campaign - Destroyed the "threat to democracy" talking point Democrats have been running for two straight years." At Chronicles, Donald Trump Is a Legend. The Peacock whines Democrats fret about the political fallout from the Trump rally shooting "“The presidential contest ended last night,” said a veteran Democratic consultant." Scott Pinsker at PJM on How the Trump Assassination Attempt Changes the Presidential Campaign "It changes the trajectory for both candidates: Trump has now cheated death, taken the slings, arrows, lawsuits – and even bullets – of his fiercest critics, and he’s still standing. (If anyone ever wondered why the UFC crowd has such an affinity for the ex-president, this moment answered it.) . . . For Biden, his political calculus has also been permanently altered: When you’re trailing, you’re incentivized to attack. In fact, depending on how much you trail, you need to attack – it’s your shortest path for making up lost ground. And in binary elections – when your choice is either A or B – mobilizing your base to vote against your opponent is just as effective as getting them to vote for you. The more you can demonize your opponent, the better your chances will be. Post-assassination attempt, Biden really can’t attack Trump the way he did before. He can’t use phrases like “target” or “crosshairs.” He can’t use dehumanizing language. He can no longer suggest that the world would be a better place if Trump – and the MAGA movement – didn’t exist." Kurt Schlichter at TownHall, They Tried to Kill Trump – Now We’re Going to Fight Twice As Hard. At L' Hombre de Oliver, Fight, "Thoughts on the attempted assassination." Capt. Ed says “Fight!".

NewsWeek whines  Donald Trump's Chances of Winning Election Soar After Shooting. Capt. Ed, 'It's Over': Dem Panic Over 2024 Curdles Into Despair. Politico, Inside Biden’s sputtering campaign to restore Dems’ confidence. At Hat Hair, Angry Old Man Yells at Congressional Members During Phone Call. At Fox, Peter Doocy: It's notable Biden commented he would drop out if he had 'no chance to win'. Jazz Shaw looks at What Happens to Your Ballot if Biden Drops Out? 'Bonchie' at RedState, thinks The Democrat Campaign to Replace Joe Biden Has Ended, and Not for the Reason You Might Think. "According to NBC News, the replacement campaign has lost steam not because Democrats think the president can seize a moment of unity, but because they think the race is now over." Capt. Ed hears Bernie: Buck Up Bedwetters, Back Biden. Hat Hair says Axios Does Not Think We Can Do the Math If They Say It Backwards  "Former President Trump's recent attempts to court Black and Hispanic voters appear to be unsuccessful so far. The big picture: With the presidential election just months away, 70% of Black voters and half of Latinos say they have a somewhat or very unfavorable view of Trump, according to AP analysis of two AP-NORC polls." Beege Welborn, If Trump comes anywhere CLOSE to 30% of blacks and 50% of Latinos, Democrats are TOAST.

NewsBusters, Debunking the Media's Claim they Were 'Duped' by WH on Biden's Fitness. At the Free Bacon, WATCH: Joe Biden's Senior Moment of the Week (Vol. 102) 'Ladies and gentlemen, President Putin'. Shawn Fleetwood lists 15 Lies Biden Told During His ‘Big Boy’ Press Conference, by now, they're reflexive. Breitbart, Exclusive — House Oversight Chair James Comer on Possible ‘Shadow Government’: We’re Looking into Who Is Really ‘Calling the Shots’ Under Biden. 

From Da Signal, ‘Immediate Termination’: Cotton Calls on Merrick Garland to Fire Kristen Clarke Following Daily Signal Exposé. Won't happen. John Kass, The Silky: The Two Deep State Coups of Barack Obama. 

NYPo, Biden admin set to launch app so migrants can bypass in-person ICE check-ins: ‘Sh-t show’. At WokeSpy, a video, O’Keefe Media Group: Biden State Department Admits the “Great Replacement” Is Real.

Dan Greenfield is incensed that Biden Sends Another $100M to ‘Palestinians.’ "More than $774 million since Oct 7." Money to 'Palestine' is money to Hamas.

The Denver Post, Trump heads to convention as authorities investigate motive, security in assassination attempt. The Peacock, Nikki Haley invited to speak at the Republican convention Da Caller, Jailed Trump Adviser Peter Navarro To Depart Prison, Address RNC: Report. Kelly Jane Torrance @KJTorrance, "Milwaukee approved every RNC protest request—without vetting or checking identities. And they gave protest groups no limits on the number of people allowed." Jazz Shaw wonders Does Trump Face Legal Risks Just for Attending the Convention? "In addition to the alternate electors from Arizona, Nevada, and Georgia, some of Trump's former White House aides who testified to grand juries in Washington and Florida are expected to attend. Even Politico admits that "it’s hard to gauge the likelihood" that simply speaking to someone at a convention could result in criminal charges such as witness tampering. That's putting it mildly. But then again, this is Donald Trump we're talking about. His political adversaries have already proven repeatedly they are willing to drag him into court over anything they can dream up and throw the kitchen sink at him in the hopes that something will eventually stick."

Just as I was about to button this up, Georgia commented to me that her newfeeds said the Trump documents case was dismissed! Fox, Judge dismisses Trump's Florida classified documents case, "Judge rules special counsel Jack Smith was unlawfully appointed." At NewsWeek, Aileen Cannon Dismisses Donald Trump Classified Document Case. NYT whines, Judge Dismisses Classified Documents Case Against Trump. Of course, Judge Shitcan, the Obama judge in the DC J6 case, also prosecuted by Jack Smith, will rule otherwise, setting up another trip to the Supreme Court, where Justice Thomas has already indicated his favorable take on the subject. WarMachineRR/status/1812640278978687150/video/1

Rule 5 Saturday - Darshelle Stevens

A very simple Rule 5 post. Darshelle Stevens, 

Photographer, gamer, and g00ber extraordinaire!
www.twitter.com/darshelle_
www.instagram.com/darshel

www.facebook.com/DarshelleStevensPhotography/

Linked at Pirate's Cove in the weekly Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup and links. The Wombat resurfaces with Late Night With Rule 5 Sunday: Double-Dip Extra Scoop Donna D’Errico Edition and FMJRA 2.0: A Utilitarian View Of The Monitor’s Fight at The Other McCain. Linked at The Right Way in the weekly Rule 5 Saturday LinkOrama.

Beach Report 7/10/21

So I got a new camera (Nikon B500) for my birthday a couple of days ago. The old one Lumix was getting squirrely trying to connect to a computer to download and charge, after a couple of time of hitting the floor. This one has a big zoom too. It seems to have a few advantages (you would hope so after a few years), but generally has the same properties as the old one.

It's cool by July standards, only 82 or so, but pretty humid. A lot of traffic on the beach today. A lot of fossils too, 49 sharks teeth, and some other stuff, but nothing of great note.

One enterprising family has a small jellyfish exclosure. I wonder how well it works?

A few more pics from yesterday (with the new camera) after the jump.

Annual Baltimore Shoot Out Goes About as Well as Expected

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Cookout and Fireworks

The Harbor had a pot luck cook out this evening, starting at 6 PM. Georgia brought fruit skewers and some of her many Cucamelons. Good food, and much too much dessert.

Afterwards we drifted down to the beach with our chairs, and claimed our viewing seats atop Fox Hole dune.

You can see the first fireworks way down the beach

Fireworks here are, of course, illegal in the hands of mere civilians, but every year, up and down the beach, people set of thousands of dollars worth of fireworks, and the local sheriff's deputies watch to make sure no drunks pick fights.

Is this a great country or what?

Pretty soon it was dark enough for the main show.

I apologize for the poor pictures. I didn't take my Nikon out of mothballs, and relied on my point and shoot Lumix. Actually, the colors seem to be truer, but getting focused shots was much more difficult.

Well, We're Back!

And it was an awful trip home. Leaving a tropical paradise was bad enough, but having flights delayed because of a multi-airline system failure, then squeezing in a quick interview for Global Entry in the middle, losing a boarding pass before stepping into a security line, topped off with a slight medical emergency, which caused Georgia to miss the first flight to Baltimore and come on a later flight (medical emergency all over). We managed to leave the airport some time after 1 AM, and reached home after 2 AM this morning. We're all pretty wasted now. I just picked Skye up from the kennel, and she wants a walk, and she wants it now!

I'd say we'll get back into to the swing of things, in a few days, but that's not likely to happen. Thursday we'll be heading north to attend to the planned birth of a second grand child.

At Least She's an Equal Opportunity Offender

Playboy model Marisa Papen arrested after naked Vatican photo shoot

Controversial Playboy model Marisa Papen has been arrested after doing a nude photo shoot of her being crucified on a cross at the Vatican.

This is the second time the Belgian model has been arrested after being imprisoned for posing naked at the Karnak Temple Complex near the Egyptian city of Luxor.

I blogged that one back in Sept, 2017, and one at the Wailing Wall in Israel in June.

In one image from the model’s photo shoot she is dragging a large wooden crucifix across the street with St Peter’s Basilica clearly visible in the background, The Sun reports.

In another photo, the 26-year-old is tied by rope to a wooden cross as a man appears to mark a cross in red on her forehead.

I really don't have a problem with this. I've been through the Vatican, and it's full of nude art.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Merry Christmas! ready for your digital pleasure.

Friends in High Places

Or more than friends: Outrage in Egypt after Danish photographer posts a picture of himself 'having sex' with a naked woman on top of the Great Pyramid

A Danish photographer sparked outrage in Egypt after posting a picture of himself appearing to have sex with a woman atop the Great Pyramid.

Andreas Hvid posted the explicit snap on his website and it was also featured in a video he posted on YouTube.

It shows him and the unidentified woman in a sexual position at the top of the famous landmark.

Now, authorities in Egypt are investigating after the case was referred to the prosecutor general by the minister for antiquities, state news agency Ahram Online reported.

Many of his photos feature either nudity, high places, industrial scenes, or combinations thereof.

Khaled el Anany said Hvid's actions were a violation of public morality and referred the case for investigation.

The video, which was apparently taken down, was reposted on Hvid's page on Sunday.

It shows Hvid and the woman climbing to the top of the 4,500-year-old pyramid and looking out over Cairo.
Another clip shows the woman removing her top.

In the video's description box, Hvid said he and the woman climbed the pyramid late last month.

These don't offend me (obviously) but it's only polite to not to go out of your way to offend the sensibilities of the people of the country you're visiting.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Eliza Dushku up at The Other McCain.

Rule 5 Saturday - Tuuli Shipster

 An actress or a model this week? How about both.

Tuuli Shipster was born on September 28, 1982 in Finland as Madeleine Tuuli Shipster. She is an actress, known for Love Actually (2003), Pirate Radio (2009) and I Think You Need a Lawyer (2012). She has been married to Rankin since June 2009.

A fashion model with the Storm Agency, Tuuli Shipster appeared on the cover of the 2007 James Bond novel, "Devil May Care", by Sebastian Faulks.

Being a primary subject for her "one name" photographer husband, there are a lot of photographs on the web. Even so, I found it hard to find a good set that were not NSFW.

Linked at Pirate's Cove in the weekly Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup and links. Wombat-socho has Rule 5 Sunday: Oktoberfest and FMJRA 2.0: Constant Bearing, Decreasing Range up and running.

A Fishing Report from Yesterday

Longtime fishing friend Barefoot and I answered one of Pete's calls for a walk-on trip for yesterday. Pete wanted an early start, so we met at the dock on South River at 5 AM, and shortly thereafter were cruising by Thomas Point before sunrise. We didn't stop there because of wind, and another boat.

We made the Bay Bridge by sunrise, and found fish at several of the pilings and abutments, and in fact, caught most of the 11 fish we were allowed to keep there. Each "passenger" can keep two, and 1 for the Captain.

After that, we wandered north; as far north as the approach to Baltimore Harbor, and along the way found the remaining fish for our limit, and then some.

A couple of fluffy Great Black-Backed Gull chicks on one of the rock piles at the Bay Bridge. The world's largest seagull,

Great Black-backed Gulls live along the Atlantic Coast and inland on the Great Lakes. They choose isolated, predator-free sites such as piers or islands for breeding, and then disperse away from the colony for the rest of the year to feed at sea, along coasts, and at landfills.

Afternoon found us back at Thomas Point, which was more scenic than productive, although Wes on the bow did hook a nice one here on a crankbait.

 The black thing in the water here in front of the light house is called the "ice breaker", and it's there to break floating ice before it gets to the lighthouse

 A couple of happy customers.

Barefoot with the fish of the day, a 31 inch striper caught in shallow water near some rocky structure not to be named today.

Tempting

Bay Bridge sunrise

Chesapeake Bay photo contest offers cash prizes

Shutterbugs who love nature can win cash prizes in the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s 13th annual Watershed Photo Contest.

Photographers of all skill levels are encouraged to participate to win cash prizes of from $100 to $500, and to have their photos featured in CBF’s award-winning publications.

Submissions are being accepted between now and April 6.

Images depicting people, wildlife, recreation, and farms within the watershed will all be considered. All photos must include water from the Chesapeake Bay or a river, stream, creek, or other body of water in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Sunset in Mattawoman Creek

All winners will receive a one-year membership to CBF and winning photos may be displayed on CBF’s website, in a CBF e-newsletter, in CBF’s 2019 calendar, and in CBF’s award-winning magazine, Save the Bay.

Judging will be conducted by a panel of CBF employees on the basis of subject matter, composition, focus, lighting, uniqueness, and impact. The public will also be able to vote online for their favorite photo in the Viewers’ Choice Gallery, starting April 16.

Goodness knows I have enough photos to comb through. Some of them must be suitable. Except for the cash, though, I'm not exactly impressed with the prizes.

When Life Gives You Ice . . .

make ice cream? Annapolis photographer stuck on icebound Tangier Island

Annapolis photographer Jay Fleming thought he’d get a few shots on Tangier Island and be on his way back home. Instead, he found himself stuck on the ice-locked 1.2-square-mile Tangier in the middle of a National Guard emergency supply drop and the island’s old ice tradition.

Fleming said he took a charter plane on Jan. 3 into the island 12 miles off the coast of Virginia to see the icy Chesapeake Bay surrounding it. Upon landing, he learned ice had locked the island off from land, making it inaccessible to boats. With no charter planes heading out until the next week, Fleming was stuck with only two things to do: point and shoot.
. . .
On Saturday, Fleming captured the Virginia National Guard picking up and delivering food, mail and medicine to the island via two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters. Six aviation crew soldiers picked up supplies from Crisfield, Maryland, two times to make deliveries to the island, according to National Guard spokesman A.A. "Cotton" Puryear.

The last time the National Guard had to send Black Hawks with supplies to Tangier was February 2015 after the island became ice-locked in the wake of Winter Storm Octavia, according to Puryear.

Fleming captured the silhouette of Tangier Island Mayor James "Ooker" Eskridge being handed supplies from a National Guard officer as the sun set over the ice behind them. He also shot tugboat captain and Tangier native Jeff Crockett unloading supplies from the Black Hawks. Fleming said Crockett came back to the island specifically to be iced-in and hunt waterfowl.

Fleming also witnessed the revival of a Tangier tradition he says islanders hadn’t seen for at least 40 years. More than 100 people ice skated, sledded and socialized as old boat parts burned in a bonfire atop the ice at Jobs Cove Sunday night.

Fleming reported winds more than 60 miles per hour on Thursday, and shot drifts of dry snow blanketing cars. He also said that watermen’s work boats were “locked in” and unable to get out to dredge oysters, putting those who make Tangier’s main source of income out of work for more than a week. Fellow photographer Carol Pruitt Moore, who housed Fleming, said she remembers the freeze of 2015 that brought in the National Guard, but says the 2018 freeze has been much more intense. She said she walked half a mile on the ice on Monday.

“I don’t think it (2015) was to this extent. The ice is very thick and hard. It’s pretty solid,” Moore said. “I’m ready for this party to end. My grandchildren got to experience something they may never experience again, and they had a blast. But I’m over the snow. I’m over the ice. I’m over it.”

Jay Fleming is the premier photographer of Chesapeake Bay at this time. Go here to get a sense for his work.

Chesapeake Bay Scenes

Pete asked me to go commercial fishing yesterday, and of course I said yes. Pete, Nailer Mike, and Susky Dave shoved off at 5 AM, and found a good bite at the Thomas Pt. light, and I was too busy to take any pictures until we were leaving, and the the sun was well up.

We ran into a pod of dolphins on the way north. There have been a lot of reports of dolphins in the Bay the last few years, and people are starting to notice.

One scientist has begun a website to report your dolphin sightings; I reported ours this morning. However, I do question the reports of dolphins in downtown Washington D.C.

 Sandy Point Lighthouse with the Bay Bridge in the background. Neither proved to be excellent fishing spots on that day, although they have in the past.

Now, this unprepossessing pile of rocks, however, was quite productive. Pete stopped here almost by accident; it was a bit out of his way, but he's sure glad he did. There was a good population of stripers in the rip around it formed by the ebb tide.

 A pound net nearby . . .

 hosted an Osprey.

We tried Thomas Pt. light on the way home, but could only find sub-legals, and we ran home and unload 130 rockfish aka Striped Bass, to be sold for the sea food markets.

Well, We're Back! Did Anything Exciting Happen While We Were Gone?

Say, how is FBI Director Comey's security review investigation into White House leaks going?

It's great to be back home and sleep in our own bed again, after a grueling 24 hour game of hurry up and wait at airports, TSA and Customs lines. We'll pick Skye up from the the doggy spa sometime this morning, and start trying to get onto a normal schedule again.

Things I'm going to miss about Italy:

• Salami, prosciutto, and wonderful pastries for breakfast
• Wine with lunch, often multiple selections
• Good cappuccino nearly everywhere, cheaper than Starbucks. To be fair, if you order it after 10:30 AM, they know you're a foreigner. Espresso, too, for after 10:30
• Amazing dinners, again with multiple wines, and aperitifs
• Gelato
• Outstanding hotels, (for the most part)
• Cute girls everywhere, dressing in style

Things I'm not going to miss about Italy:

• Lines at airports and TSA
• Italian toilets

According to my count, I've taken some 1,367 photographs, so the photos I've posted the past week or so using the IPad only represent a tiny fraction. I'll try to replace those tiny, low-res photos with decent images over the next week or so. Meantime, I'll leave you with this last one I call Salerno Rainbow. Click to enlarge:

California Drought Update

A few days ago, I gave an update on the California drought, which is gone in the north, and going in the south. I promised pictures of New Melones Lake (near where my Father and brother Ted live). Ted was kind enough to send me theses pictures:

August 2015

February 2017

Just The Right Amount of Snow

We woke up this morning to snow on the ground. Just a bit, maybe an inch, maybe a little less. The streets were "warm" from many days above freezing, so the roads stayed clear. It must have been big, wet flakes from the flocked look on the vegetation. Most of it has been blown off the trees, and melted off the lawns already, although we have had several flurries throughout the day.

Here, Take This

I have somewhere to go and something unpleasant to do, so take some pictures from Chesapeake Bay. Five Photographers Focus on the Chesapeake.