My riding partner, Osa, just got back in town after spending six weeks in Sweden visiting family, so we were both looking for a leisurely ride. We took before dusk to catch the full moon from Palm Beach. We paused just south of the Flagler Museum on the Lake Trail to catch a family watching the sun set over West Palm Beach.
Palm Beach Inlet and Singer Island
We got to the Palm Beach Inlet just in time to see the last rays of sun light up the buildings on Singer Island.
Moon over Drew Barrymore’s house
I have no idea if Drew Barrymore actually has a house directly to the east of the small park at the Palm Beach Inlet, but that’s what I’ve been told. I’ve never seen her there, not that I’d have a clue what she looks like. Anyway, here’s what the moon looked like over SOMEBODY’S house.
The Breakers in the moonlight
Osa and I must not have looked like much of a threat. The security guard at the checkpoint waved us right through to take a photo of the full moon over The Breakers in Palm Beach.
West Palm Beach skyline
We pulled into the small park just west of the bridge over the Intracoastal on Southern Blvd. to shoot this West Palm Beach skyline.
Osa asked how I managed to hold the camera steady for these night shots (The Breakers was 1/15 second and the skyline was 1/4 second). I told her that in my prime, I could get a sharp picture with a 180mm telephoto at half a second (if I shot enough frames). The techniques for shooting a rifle and a camera are about the same: take a deep breath, let it out partially; visualize your heart beat slowing down; squeeeeeeze gently on the shutter release.
How to shoot with slow shutter speeds
I explained that we had pushed kind of hard for the last mile or so, so I needed to let my heart rate drop down before I could shoot. Then, I leaned up against a palm tree to demonstrate that turning a human bipod into a tripod would also let you shoot at a slower shutter speed.
What I didn’t count on was that I was standing on a mound of fire ants. Very unhappy fire ants. Feeling your ankles light up is NOT conducive to good photography. I decided that I was done shooting for the night.
On the way home, Osa said, “THIS is why I live in Florida.” (Not the fire ants – the beautiful night ride.)
Don’t think the moon was quite full tonight. My sources say the moon is full at 0919 on September 23. It coincides with the autumnal equinox this year.
I had three sources that said 9/22 was the full moon. My QuickPhase Pro site, for example:
Target: 9/22/2010
Phase Name: Full Moon
Percent of Full: 100%
It was full enough for me.
I messed up when I made my last comment. I didn’t see who I was replying to. That was my wife.
The correct response should have been, “Yes, dear. The full moon is Sept. 23.”
Lila is correct.
Your three sources are suspect.
Here is my source: http://moonphases.info/full_moon_calendar_dates.html
2010 Sep 23 09:19 Thursday
Great stuff. Keep it comin’ Ken…cbh
Sounds like a nice ride. Wish I’d been there. I need to dust off my bike and go for a spin some evening, especially now that it’s cooling off a bit.
Nice photos. Wish I could have been on that ride.
Next time.
Mark, had I noticed who posted the comment questioning my full moon date, I would have responded exactly the way you did:
“Lila is correct.”
Keef,
Osa was impressed last night. Right after I told her that you weren’t going to be able to ride with us because you had messed up your wrist, she made appropriate noises of sympathy.
I told her not to waste her tears, that you probably just came up with an excuse on the fly.
“Wow, but he did it so quickly,” she said, with a bit of awe in her voice.
It’s a good idea to go riding in evening! I’ve never ride when it’s dark in the street. I’ll try it next summer.
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