Residents in Aotearoa

You're back.  I'm pleased.  You are here to find out more about the tower crane that I featured in last week's post.  

Or, maybe you just happened to land here.  Well, that's okay too.  Welcome.  If you have just arrived here for the first time, you might want to scroll down and catch up on what you missed in last week's offering.  

I started off last week by talking about sunrises, so let's continue that theme today and show you a few more.   

If you look down at the previous post, you'll see how the sun was moving northward (to the left) with the passage of each day. (I probably should have mentioned it then.)  

This first picture below will show you how much the sun has moved since last week.  

I ended last week by wondering how far away the crane was and so on. Well, I found out.  I first went to Google Maps, as I intended, and found that their satellite photo of this area is in fact, very current. I used their 'measure distance' choice, and found that the crane is just 1.15 miles from us, as the seagull flies.  Not far at all, and just down the street from a bus stop on Te Atatu Road. Perfect. Easy to get to. I could ride either a 131 or 133 bus. It'll probably take about 10 minutes to get to the corner I need, what with the twisty, turny roads and all the stops the driver has to make.  But come along, see what I see.   

The 133 came along first, so off I went.  The cross street I needed was easy for me to watch for. It had an obvious landmark.  

This next shot shows you that this area is fairly high. 

That's Rangitoto, the dormant volcano, on the left. It's about 2 miles off off shore, but you'd never know it standing here.  

Here's a little closer look at our City of Sails. Those clouds could be the sails.  

We're in New Zealand of course, and the winds, which predominately blow from the west, are also usually brisk. I think that is clear from the way these trees have responded.  

Do you see it? I'm almost there now. 

Success! 

I took this little excursion on March 27th.  

So, now we know. We've studied the crane both from  a distance and close-up. I feel satisfied. 

On the 29th, two days after the above, I once again looked to see if our friend was heading for his high perch.  He was. Let's watch him one more time in these next shots. 

I hope you noticed the bird.  

This one is the perfect last shot. As he disappears onto the platform, all except his foot that is, the birds come into view once again, this time in the foreground. They seem to be heading home, their jobs done. Good work, you feather-heads.  

As I sit and think about how to end today's blogpost , I am struck with how the simple act of taking a sunrise picture, developed for me and for you too, into much more than that, thanks to a coincidence.  

Also coincidentally, I happen to be reading a Jack Reacher novel by Lee Child as I write this. It's called The Hard Way.  

The Reacher series of novels is extremely popular. You've all heard the term that 'Might makes Right', and we've found in the real world that that just isn't so.  All too often, the powerful, but evil seem to win. Well, in Jack (no middle name) Reacher's world, he Is might, as well as right, and it's satisfying to read. 

I think that's why Child's novels are so successful. His character, Reacher, often bends, or even breaks a rule of law, but he does so for the sake of justice. You may not agree with me about these books, but as I watch our world becoming more and more out of control, and that (in my opinion) mainly because of the lust for power by the elite, it is satisfying to read stories about true justice overcoming evil.  

I thought of these books while working on this post, because Reacher stories all start out in a similar way.  Jack just happens to be living his life and coincidences lead him into situations he didn't expect.  Much like my morning photographic attempts coincided with our tower-crane operator's work schedule, and that lead us to an adventure.  As Fred likes to say, "Who knew?"    -djf