Fri 2007/12/21 16:28 Michael and the girls,Pic taken with my N73 cellphone. Now that we've settled nicely in our new home, my children invited a few friends for the day. From left to right are: Anke, Nina, Marina and Michael :)
Wed 2007/11/28 18:19 Michael sleeps on the table.Pic taken with N73. We have just moved to Humansdorp,a nearby town (15km to the west).While the 2 older girls went to school as usual,Michael 'helped' us.The excitement must have gotten him and although his bed was ready,he was fast to sleep in front of the tv,watching his favorite dvd - Iceage -
Sat 2007/11/03 19:19 Emei and Marina Cut out from Nokia N95 5mp pic.
This is one of the last pictures taken in front of our home in Jeffrey's bay. Shortly (in a few weeks) we will be moving to a nearby town called Humansdorp (approx. 10miles or 16Km to the west).
Sat 29/09/2007 17:32 Mario Golden 2 landing.
This was my second landing ever on my own (not a test model) Golden2 wing. After a 30 min. flight, were I got off the ridge once and managed to get back up again, I've decided to come land close to my buddy,facing the sun, so that he could take a few hasty shots with a small digicam.
Mon 10/09/2007 18:40 Poff Adder 'shot' with my Nokia N73. While driving to the shooting range, I come across this 'baby',right in the middle of the gravel road.And yes,I did rescue it (as I always do),by picking it up (tail handled) and releasing it in the bushes nearby,away from the road.It wasn't that easy thou - it was noon and a warm snake is a fast one.
Sun 30/04/2006 14:10 Stormy See.
Here is a old pic I took last year, while on a short vacation close to our house. The storm was still out to see, but the waves already began pounding the shore. Would you believe - only a few hours before the picture was taken, we all where swimming ! The southern coast of Africa is a very unpredictable place what shipping is concerned. One moment 'everything is just fine' and the next, 'all hell breaks loose'.
Sat 01/09/2007 09:31 The Man in Black picture taken with my Nokia N73.
" " Yesterday I went flying with a old buddies of mine. It wasn't a particularly good day for soaring, nevertheless good enough for a few minutes of 'peace'. Next week my new glider should be here and that, will make this picture even more worth because, it may very well be my last flight on the Bolero.
Fri 10/08/2007 11:49 Michael 3 years old
Today, my son Michael, had his 3-th birthday. I can't believe 3 years have passed so quickly. I keep on thinking he is a baby, althou I very well know, he is a toddler by now and a naughty one at that. I have better pictures but . . . if I only could find the time and will to post/upload them.
Sat 21/07/2007 15:37 Mario and the Eagle at Rondebosh. Nico, a new buddy of mine, asked me during the past week, to fly my paraglider at a nearby hill. He is keen to learn more about the sport and would like to see a 'demo' flight.
The conditions were not 'ideal' but stil safe enough for a 'quicky'. In a moment of inspiration I did hand him over my camera and asked him to take a few pictures. While I regulardly take pictures when I fly, I have very few pics of me flying.
The eagle you see behind my glider is a 'local' and don't get fooled by the apparent proximity. The camera had a 10x zoom and it was fully 'on'.
Sat 07/07/2007 11:59 Marina and Emei at Mandy
Don't they look beautifull? Unfortunately I couldn't be there but nevertheless, my wife has done a nice job with the dresses.
Thu 14/06/2007 16:39 My bud Dirk photographed with the N73 I am not into hang gliding at all, but after meeting Dirk I might just as well give it a try. Take off is about the same dangerous/safe as paragliding. The flying part is definitely safer. The landing on the other hand hmmm . . . Perhaps I would stick with paragliding :-)
Tue 05/08/2006 14:20 Gin Bolero Plus and me. This is a old picture. It is taken by a friend while I was doing my final flight for my paragliding licence (beginner). The flight went well. I did all the tasks as asked by the instructor (radio). A few weeks later I got the licence and went thru the 'initiation' procedure at the club :-) I have decided to post this picture because the glider will be sold and this is the moment I will remember most when talking about my old Gin Bolero Plus wing.
Thu 31/05/2007 19:37 Mario 2-nd flight on Golden2 Hands up Here is a pic my buddy took with his N73 cellphone. I was flying the Golden2 from Gradient and getting ready for the 'final approach' to land. I don't know exactly 'why', but I like this 'clean cut' and responsive wing more and more. Now I am almost certain, I will buy one.
Sun 27/05/2007 17:56 Mario test flying the Golden2 - photographed by a friend with Nokia N73.
Here it comes. After 60+ flights on my old Gin Bolero Plus wing, I have decided to test fly a few more 'advanced' (and less safe) paraglider wings. Golden2 from Gradient was the first one I got from my dealer to keep and test for a few weeks. Impressed? Yes, I am. But lets see what the competition has to 'say'. The Mistral4 from the German company Swing is next in line :-)
Sat 31/03/2007 18:04 Michael at the beach.Picture taken with Nokia N73. I took this pic of my 2year old son just before sundown.It come out rather nicely for a cellphone.And look at the pic's size - only 14kb for jpeg.Should I have used the more recent jp2 codec the picture size should have dropped to just below 10kb while maintaining the quality.Even more amaizing is - the cellphone does support jp2 !
Tue 22/05/2007 16:52 Suspect house.
This was the last aerial picture I had to take for the day. The wind was pretty strong and for the first time in a long time me and Arnold (the pilot) 'exchanged' a few 'harsh' words. The more unsteady the helicopter is the longer I battle to take the pictures at the required resolution. Because of armed organised criminal gangs watching us, a 'certain' distance to the 'target' must be kept at all times. The helicopter's door must be opened for the whole duration of the operation and is very cold. Even if there is not much wind, the rotor 'generates' a huge down 'storm'. Furthermore at least my right hand must not have a glove on in order to properly operate the equipment. But, as I've already said, this was the last 'shot' for the day after which I will be off to my prefered hobby. -Paragliding -
Thu 17/05/2007 13:50 Mario ready to go.Pic taken with Nokia N73,
Once again I've been asked to take a few aerial pictures of suspect premisses in and around my home town. Unfortunately this time around I was too busy to take any pics with my cellphone. Nevertheless,after finishing the 'photo session',I had a great time.
Tue 15/05/2007 12:29.
I felt I had to post this. A paraglider wing split 2/3 after a mid air collision with another paraglider. Miraculously both pilots survived without a scratch. The other glider even without any damage :)
Sun 13/05/2007 20:40 Duiker on Rondebosh hill While waiting for the wind to pick up a bit (flying paragliders), out of the bush a duiker (small antelope) walked right in front of me. I was standing still and quiet on a rock at the top of Rondebosh (my preferred,local flying site) measuring the wind strengt (was close to zero).
Fri 11/05/2007 11:24 Picture taken with Nokia N73. Today our local school had a early morning beach walk. Both my girls went as well as my 33month old son. Of course I had to go too.There were 100's of school children and some parents too. I work in the community for almost 10 years, as a police man and quite a number of people know me. The thing is, after saying 'GOOD MORNING' over 100 times within a few minutes - the morning is not that 'good' anymore. The walk along the beach was about 3 or 4 KM and went without incident. It was surprising to see my son walking that far thru the sand without asking to be picked up :)
Wed 07/05/2007 13:21 Picture taken with Nokia N73 While looking out for a suitable paragliding takeof site, I took this funny looking pic. We where about 270m above the mean ground level and the wind was unsuitable for flying :(
Fri 2007/04/27 16:44 Emi and Michael sleeping in the car. While we drove back from a friend's house, my eldest and youngest child fall asleep next to each other, on the car's back sit. After a few turns, they've ended up as you see them in the above picture, which I took thru the side window after stopping in front of my house. The N73 cellphone is really good when used as a camera. It managed to focus on the kids and not on the dirty window :-)
Fri 2007/04/20 09:27 Durban trip. This Guest-house is really nice.Not only the food is good but also the 50x25m 'on the rocks' swimming pool will be remembered for some time.Definitely a place to come back to :)
Thu 2007/04/19 13:58 picture taken and posted with Nokia N73 And what a day it was. After finishing 15-th overall in the National South African Police table tennis championships, I decided to go to the 'Shaka aquarium'. Unfortunately the weather did not play with as one can see from the above picture. I hope tomorrow afternoon the 'dice' will turn in my favor :)
Mon 2007/04/09 20:05 This is what happens if one leaves a (almost) 3year old and a makeup kit in one room,unattended :)
Sat 2007/04/07 07:52 Michael and the tortoise picture taken with Nokia N73. While waiting for my wife to return from a 2weeks course, I went with the children (and servant) to a nearby sanctuary. What a nice day it was. I don't know who enjoyed more. Me or the kids :)
Wed 2007/04/04 16:47 Rondebosh South East And what a day it was. After yesterday's fiasco (lost/dropped my car keys while 380+metre up), I flew for about half a hour up and down the ridge. At one time I managed to fly with 2 black eagles which nest nearby. I am always perplexed how a 'bird brain' manage to find the thermals (rising bubbles of warm air) without any instrumentation. The picture shows part of the highest peak at Rondebosh. (about 200m above the surrounding plains and 430m asl).
Also earlier in the day I've managed to find the keys I've dropped the day before ! Now that's no mean feat considering the size of the area and the vegetation. Of course the GPS come in very handy (I've back tracked the whole flight - on foot !)
Greetings from South Africa,
Mario
Sat 2007/03/10 pic taken with Nokia N73 Hey, can you see this picture? Is not in .jpeg format but in .jp2 - a newer compression format almost twice as good ! The picture was taken at my friends house while visiting. It was pretty warm and the children enjoyed playing in the watter.
Mon 2007/03/19 14:05 U-Turn Obsession.
ATM I fly a 'older' Gin Bolero Plus. I am looking for a better performing wing and the choice is 'wide & wilde'. The Obsession is on my shortlist (next to the Arcus5.
Sat 2007/03/17 09:23 Picture taken with a Nokia N73 Is this a 'fluffy' toy or a real dog? If you ask me - I wished it was a toy :)
Not even a handfull of sweets got him away from the computer. He is only 2 and a half, but already now seems to be more interested in computers and stuff then in playing with the ball or cars. I just hope he won't end up like me - 6 to 8 hours a day in front of the laptop/pc :(
Picture taken at home no Sat 2007/03/17 09:11 with my cellphone,Nokia N73. Hey, check this pic I took of my youngest daughter Marina with her sister's pet Snuffels. The dog is only 6 weeks old. Is a short legged Jack Russels. I/we already have 2 other dogs, a big (50Kg) Boer Bull called Bruno and another short legged Jack-Russels 'Jessica'.
Here is the kitten my 5year old daughter got after asking/bugging me for the last 5 or so months.
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