Random picture thread for Friday

Jimsokay

@Creg said:

Excellent photo!

Creg

Thank you—excellent repair shop!

justindan

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1northcoin

1630Boston

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Twobitcollector

1630Boston

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1630Boston

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Watched some these folks as a kid

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Steven59

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This Week Anchorage Alaska’s Winter Festival known as Fur Rondy begins with a Snow Sculpture competition

Captured in this first video are a team of snow sculpture artists beginning the transformation of their block of compacted snow into a sculpture of North America’s tallest mountain, Mount McKinley formerly known as Denali.

Midway in the video is a close-up view of the small plaster model they are attempting to magnify and replicate in snow.

Link to Video of Snow Sculpturers Beginning to Create Mountain Sculpture:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kp0CqxpnU-E

Competing for the right to go to the Nationals these Snow Sculpture competitors each begin with an 8x8x8 block of compressed snow.

Watch in this second Video as the sculpture artists begin to transform the blocks of snow into works of art.

Link to Video of Huge Blocks of Compacted Snow Beginning to be Transformed into Snow Sculptures:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1k61o9VHJ0

To watch the carvers at work with their efforts set to lively music, enjoy this combined playlist. (After clicking on the below link the series of videos will either play one after the other or if the Playlist Menu appears then click on "Play All.")

LINK TO PLAYLIST OF WHIMSICAL YOUTUBE VIDEO SHORTS WITH MUSIC HIGHLIGHTING THE SNOW SCULPTURE ARTISTS AS THEY BEGIN CRAFTING THEIR SNOW SCULPTURES FROM MAMMOTH BLOCKS OF SNOW

https://www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?list=PLtb5zi734BfYnOHW1VvIHjYMCm6n4cgnZ

Concurrently taken Photos:

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Twobitcollector

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The workers are taking a break from picking

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1630Boston

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1northcoin

IS Mount Spurr, THE VOLCANO CLOSEST TO Anchorage Alaska AT SOME 80 MILES DISTANT, ERUPTING RIGHT NOW?

It is currently 9 PM Alaska Standard Time and outside is dark. However, I just pulled this image taken two hours ago by a webcam located near Mount Spurr. Two hours prior to that the sun was beginning to set while the sky was clear allowing views of Mount Spurr from Anchorage. Today was the first day this week that we had clear skies and the mountain could be seen.

If in fact Mount Spurr is currently erupting, the photos below taken today would be among the last to have been taken prior to the eruption. (FWIW there is no internet reporting that I can locate of a current eruption.)

Last Mount Spurr Webcam Photo time stamped 03:04:00 UTC on date of 2025-02-21 from which 8 hours is subtracted to equate to 7:04 PM Alaska Standard Time on today's date of the 20th:

This is a photo of Mount Spurr's most recent prior eruption on August 18, 1992 courtesy of the Alaska Volcano Observatory:

And here are my photos from late in the day today. Note in the first photo what appears to be steam or ash rising from the top of Mount Spurr connecting to the clouds above:

And in this concurrently taken photo it may be noteworthy that dark clouds appear to be streaking upward:

Earlier in the day there was a clear view of Mount Spurr as I photographed it from my Anchorage Office location:

Finally, here are a pair of obligatory videos taken today which include views of the Volcano Mount Spurr. The first concludes with a sunset view of the Volcano Mount Spurr, and the second taken earlier in the day fortuitously includes a flock of birds flying over Mount Spurr just after a train is heard blaring its horn.

Volcano experts this past week have predicted that Alaska Volcano Mount Spurr could erupt at any moment now. Located 80 miles from Alaska’s largest city of Anchorage it will likely cover the city in ash as it has several times in the last 70 some years. Odds are at least 50-50 that an eruption is imminent, if it hasn't already erupted during the night.

This video begins with the departure of an Alaska Railroad passenger train as it leaves Anchorage headed to Whittier.

The camera then captures the scenic sunset over the waters of Cook Inlet and its surrounding mountains to include first nearby Mount Susitna at some 35 miles distant followed by a portion of the Alaska Range in which Mount Spurr as the tallest is most prominent.

Link to Video of Mount Spurr Coming into View:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBT_xAOoHZU

And here is a YouTube Video short taken earlier in the day which fortuitously captured a flock of birds flying over Mount Spurr - an omen of an eruption to come?

Link to Video of ominous birds flocking over Mount Spurr immediately preceded by a Blaring Train horn just as camera pans over the Volcano:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Ppz3G8Lt6T0

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ALASKA SNOW CARVERS CONFRONT LARGE BLOCK OF FALLING ICED SNOW

Link to Video of Falling Block of Snow:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/XJ8UZFkou7I

Concurrently taken photo:

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FIGHTER JET MAKES DRAMATIC DESCENT UNDER PARALLEL VAPOR TRAIL

Link to Video of Descending Fighter Jet:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/KpKxDaOQ2LU

Concurrently taken photo:

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Final two photos taken Yesterday:

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1630Boston

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@1northcoin said:

@1northcoin said:
This video captures a rare winter Alaska Railroad passenger train. It is seen fronting a winter ice fog rising above the frozen mud flats and Cook Inlet waters bordering Anchorage Alaska.

Watch as the train disappears into the frosted foliage amid the ice fog.

Link to Alaska Railroad Train Disappearing into Winter Ice Fog:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAoYe-hNn2E

Link to Winter Passenger Train Creeping Along Accompanied by Music:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/lm0SnMQ8IHE

Thanks to all who have taken the time to watch my linked videos.

FWIW, this above video posted 4 days ago now has 23 thousand views and during that time period the number of my YouTube Channel subscribers has increased to 3,740.

My leading YouTube Short was also recently first posted (approximately week ago) and now has 13 thousand views with 2,000 likes which is notable for its high ratio of likes to views.

The "gone viral" YouTube Short is titled, "Accompany Flying Jet as it Soars Over Mirage Magnified Volcanoes of the Alaska Range."

Here is a Link to it:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/I0NJgRPKBLo

Today reached another milestone as my 400th YouTube Video posted..

In addition, in the 12 days since the above quoted posting the number of my YouTube Channel Subscribers has increased from 3,740 to 9,359.

Thanks again to all who have taken the time to view my YouTube Videos.

Here is the 400th Video that just posted hours ago and already has 175 views:

Link to the 400th Video titled, "Animated Anime-like Alaska Moose Kneels to Sounds of Anime:"

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/laY-ezMQRQI

Concurrently taken photos from this morning:

1northcoin

Today, Friday, was also the day the Prize Winners were announced for the annual Winter Carnival (Fur Rendezvous) Photo Competition.

This year there were 495 entries and 250 were selected for exhibition. All photos had to be taken in Alaska within the past year.

Here was my prize-winning entry along with several of my other photos that got selected for exhibition.

FWIW, here its the competing photo that beat out my above 2nd Place photo of the upside down horse rider for 1st Place in the Black & White Sports Category:

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skier07

1630Boston