Who remembers?
No! ya dumb bunny.
Who sticks their head into the barrel of a big cannon?
It’s rhetorical. And, why did I photograph it? Humor? Not! Is it? Was it? is it now?
Laugh.
What is down the barrel of a cannon?
Everyone had a look. I think there must be some greater ethical question here. Eh? Colleen?
People
I don’t get too many people ops in Delaware. We don’t see too many people to note. But in Washington DC, photo ops are all around. Keep alert. Shoot early and often. There’s lots to see. I’m still a color guy at heart. I see color not black and white. It works for me. Yes, one needs to be vigilant. What? Umbrellas? Umm…why? I haven’t a clue. …just strangers being strange.
No rhyme or reason here. I like this image straight out of the camera. Flaws, sure?! Often I will take multiples to be sure I have captured the moment. Too often exposure or focus is an issue. This time there was one and only. Post production manipulation is always an option but I don’t choose to do much.
Gun Battery
The site of the watchtowers had gun batteries of all sorts. This site gu.arded Cape May and it required guns capable of throwing a projectile more than ten miles. This would guard the harbor in case of invasion by ship. In other words it could hurl a shell from Delaware across the water to New Jersey. As near as I can estimate this took a 16 inch artillery shell.
And of course, this required a very large gun. So we had an opportunity to look at the gun and shell up close. It’s a very large canon. And it shoots a big shell. And the armor it will pierce is quite thick. How thick? As much as David’s forearm thick.
Are you impressed? I am. And to think this all started from a Chinese invention for fireworks and progressed to mass destruction from miles away with truly massive armament. And all of this is antiquated and way out of fashion. I do not believe such a shell or gun would ever be of use nowadays.
It appears that the principle of groves in a rifle barrel to create spin to improve accuracy is applied to large canon as well. Ignore the trash. This is a big gun!
All Along The Watchtower
I’m down in Delaware with the boy. Dave was the first male born to Lisa’s side of the family. Two sisters married to guys who were three brothers and the first grandkids were three daughters. Everyone kindly kidded me and said the fourth would surely be a girl. Nope. Ha! Fooled ‘em all. Dave was a surprise so much that whenever Lisa’s family would call they would ask, “How’s the boy?” Naturally. He’s left handed like his dad. Now that he’s bigger but not older, he abuses the old man when he can.
Or should I say tease? I reference an old Dylan song from the ‘60’s. There really were watchtowers in Delaware during World War II to watch for German naval boats.
These towers were associated with gun batteries and guarded key harbors against invasion. Many towers are still preserved. We took a ride to a site and got to climb the tower and see what the Army saw. I do not think they ever had to fire a shot but the site is still eerie and impressive. The tower is not to photogenic. It’s a curiosity sticking up in the skyline from the road. Warfare has changed such that they will never be relevant. And so a park has sprung up from the site. The military presence seems to have discouraged development of prime beach front. It works for me.
Look Up!
…smell the roses. J said, “Lie down and look up.” Sometimes I feel like life is speeding along and I have to get to the next moment, the next event, the next patient, or the next operation…. It helps to have someone say slow down and smell… This didn’t stop me from cramming four cities and a national meeting into my brief itinerary. Lately I find the kids have been dispensing some pretty good advice. One thing I know is that they don’t hesitate to express their opinions. And if you should happen to listen and look up, well then you just might be rewarded. So we got the ‘forward’ and ‘backward’ camera going. 
City Hall Park
I just love this shot of having a snack surrounded by the petals in a light rain. ‘Nuff said. And then again, I had the good fortune to catch the tulips from high atop a building overlooking the park. It’s a good idea to always have a camera handy. I’m a full time tourist these days and always have a camera close by.
photobackstory 