Ryan Byrd’s Ramblings

Did you know dragonflies are also called mosquito hawks because they hunt down and kill those pesky bloodsuckers? It’s true. It’s also true that today when I took a walk outside, I shortly came upon a field of brown weeds, but when I looked closely, I realized it was full of hundreds of dragonflies. I snapped a quick pic on my iPhone for you. I sure wished I had my DSLR on me…

Here are two more pics:

This is a picture of a leaf on the ground I took with my iPhone. That’s all.

I’m not taking about Utah’s passion, enthusiasm, or sports acumen. I’m talking about a conflagration. Flames. Tongues of fire. An inferno. Herriman Utah was evacuated earlier today because of a HUGE FIRE.

Where, pray tell, did this fire come from? Soldiers. Let me break it down for you:

Fort Williams: A military base in Utah.
Utah: A very dry part of the country, covered with dry sage brush.
Current Weather: Very hot with strong winds.
Question of the day: Should we shoot tracer* rounds on the machine gun range in the face of 95 degree temperatures, surrounded by hundreds of acres of dry brush and strong winds?

I don’t mean to belabor the point, but this is another clear example of people NOT asking the qualified staff here at RBDN for advice before making decisions. Come on, US Military, get your act together!

* What are tracer rounds? They are bullets with magnesium on the tip. Magnesium glows with an intense, white-hot flame. When tracer rounds are shot at night, you can see the path of the bullet. It’s neato. It’s also very dangerous (obviously) to shot tracers in a dry climate because of FIRE!.

We went out to photograph the event:

Here’s an on-location video (shot on the iPhone 4):

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It has been a while since I’ve posted random photos (since June, in fact.) Here are 44 more photos I’ve taken since then for you to enjoy:

The Alaskan mini van…

Brought to you by my iPhone, which is just like your phone only a lot better. Except I can’t take videos. and the iPhone freezes a lot. and apps make my phone crash.

One thing they don’t tell you when you move into a house is the vast amount of spiders and insects which infest the average house and yard. Lots and lots of bugs. I snapped a few pics of my new bug friends for your enjoyment.

More awesome travel pics

Here is the first of the pics, hot off the camera, from the recent trip:

I am becoming way too predictable

For the third Saturday in a row, I have gotten up before seven, run a 5k race, watched a parade and then played indoor soccer.

Clearly, I’ve fallen into a rut. Next weekend I’ll do something different. I promise. Until then, enjoy a few pics I snapped.