Ashe's Eye on the World

Mustard gone wild

2010-06-06T21:27:00.006-04:00

A field splashed with the bright yellow of mustard is sure sign of spring, which I am posting about a month and a half late.

Although beautiful, this area is normally a kind of a no-mans land - the banks of the Codorus Creek where I-83 and U.S. 30 cross on tandem bridges. We were there looking for falcons, but came away with a broad-tailed hawk instead. The blooming mustard under dramatic skies was an unexpected bonus.

Holy Hail!

2010-06-06T21:06:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago, we had a storm with only a little thunder and lighting, but some mighty big hail. I don't think I've ever seen any larger. As you can see, the largest ones were around an inch in diameter. Luckily, we had no damage from it.

The back yard looked like someone went a little mad with a box of mothballs.

Windy with a chance of wind

2010-03-31T20:39:00.003-04:00

We thought our first few days here were windy - until we experienced the last two days! The wind was constantly blowing between 15-20 mph and gusts were to 30 mph and above.

That being said, we did spend time in one place where the wind could not reach: Carlsbad Caverns. Cave pictures are hard to take without a lot of gear I don't have, but I managed a few that are ok. Its also hard to get a sense of scale in the caverns - below you can can see the handrail to the paved trail. The columns are pretty big!

But this little area is no more than 3 or 4 feet high, and packed full of delicate formations. If memory serves, it was called the Doll's Theater.

After the cave, we returned to our sojourn in the winds of west Texas. We spent two nights at Guadalupe Mountains National Park's campground at Pine Springs. Last night, I had a dream that we were part of a military experiment to see how tents withstand winds!

Thankfully, ours held up well and we were able to take a morning hike. In the distance you can see the signature landmark of the Guadalupe Mts, the large rock outcrop called El Capitan.

Lastly, our entire trip has been under the light of a more or less full moon. We have been able to operate outside at night without any other source of light, and the moonlit landscape is eerie and awesome, to boot.

White World

2010-03-28T23:53:00.004-04:00

When you're in White Sands on a cloudy day, there's not much color left but white. At least at the Big Dune Nature Trail, some vegetation provides relief.

Out in the Heart of the Dunes, the distant mountains provide more blue than the sky.

This last photo is not a black and white shot, but could pass for one pretty well.

Middle Creek morning

2010-03-19T20:18:00.006-04:00

I met up with my Dad and my Uncle at Middle Creek on Thursday morning for a beautiful few hours with the waterfowl.

Ironically, though, my best photos were not of ducks, swans, or geese at all. Tree swallows, bluebirds and red-wing blackbirds all tend to hang out on the wire fencing prevalent in Middle Creek. This time we were able to roll up to a swallow and get a few shots before it spooked.

And during that tremendous sunrise, with honking all around, one song sparrow grabbed a high perch and kept its song up against all the bigger bird noises.

And finally ...

**** Caution: Men at Work ****

Tern Time on Cumberland Island

2010-03-11T21:07:00.004-04:00

While we were traipsing around Cumberland Island last month, we found two types of terns. This is a royal tern:

And this is a Forster's tern:

Here's cedar waxwings on palm trees. Kind of funny, for a bird I'm used to seeing in the dead of winter, usually eating holly berries or something similar. There were quite a few waxwings around.

Here's one of the trails in the "Sea Camp" area of the island. Just a little down the trail is an actual campground. As we walked through the campground, we noticed many birds: numerous cedar waxwings, a common yellowthroat, some type of wren, and a very close encounter with what was probably a ruby-crowned kinglet.

The trail marker wasn't upright, but it was still picturesque, earlier hikers had decorated it with shells.

Scoter suite and a bonus duck

2010-03-06T12:15:00.004-04:00

On a recent trip to Barnegat, New Jersey, we were fortunate to see all three types of scoters, plus plenty of other sea ducks. The scoters, as a group, are a really unusual-looking set of birds. One of the people we were with said that since we'd seen all three types, it made the "suite."

The surf scoter is probably the oddest of all of them, with an oversized bill and dots of contrasting colors on its head. But even the plain plumage of the black scoter comes with a big orange, oddly shaped bill. These two scoters are in the above picture, and that's about as close as they came in to the jetty's rocks. A friendly white-winged scoter, though, sidled right up and posed for a group of photographers, most of them shooting with cameras and lenses right out of what my Dad would have. The ice blue eye was really striking when seen this closely.

And here's the bonus, a long-tailed duck drake. You can just make out the two extra-long tail feathers in the photo. One of my favorite birds of the day!

More from Georgia

2010-03-04T21:24:00.003-04:00

A picturesque cat in St. Mary's, where the ferry leaves to go to Cumberland Island. While waiting for the boat, I saw this cat and also a Eurasian collared dove, which are an introduced dove that is apparently common in the South. A few live in Pennsylvania, including a small colony in Franklin County, relatively close to where I grew up. Who knew??? Had to go all the way to Georgia to see one!

Fort Frederica is on St. Simons Island. Its a partially excavated colonial-era fort. The original settlers grew oranges, and some trees have been restored. With no one to eat them, they lay on the ground. I thought the picture looked almost like a selective color shot.

The old streets are marked, too, making a nice perch for this Eastern phoebe. At least that's what I think it is.

Lastly, I wanted to get a nice shot of the stereotypical "look" of the coastal South - a live oak awash with ferns and spanish moss.

This was at Ft. Frederica, too. This little park was a nice surprise - we visited it simply from seeing its name on the map. The open parkland is studded with oaks and oranges and overlooks the river. I thought that it must've been an idyllic place to live, even in past centuries, until I realized that we were there in February, which is well before all the itching, biting, annoying insects come out to play.

New Jersey Birds

2010-02-28T22:16:00.004-04:00

I'm trying to break out of winter blogging hibernation, and birds seem like a good way to do it. Last weekend, we went to Barnegat Lighthouse in New Jersey. There's a jetty almost a mile long that stabilizes the northern end of Long Beach Island. You can see it here. For all intents and purposes, this area appears to be a duck magnet:

Ok, ok, this isn't a duck, its a dunlin. Shorebirds seem to like Barnegat just fine, too. The ducks are coming right up - below is a group of six or so Harlequin ducks.

These guys have spectacular plumage. I saw a harlequin duck back in 2005 - I turned around, and there it was, and then it was gone. We got much better looks at them this time. In fact, none of the birds seemed at all concerned about human presence, making for some nice photographic opportunities. I'll post some more soon, maybe :)

Live on Location - Cumberland Island, GA

2010-02-05T22:32:00.006-04:00

Northern states - I know where all of our robins went! This small clearing on Cumberland Island easily held 300 or more robins. Also in the area were about 100 yellow-rumped warblers and 100 or more cedar waxwings. I got a shot of bluebirds and cedar waxwings sitting side by side in a tree - a first for me!

Cumberland Island borders Kings Bay's Naval Submarine Base, whose specialty is ... submarines, of course! Here's one leaving the base and heading towards points unknown. At one point its hatch opened and people emerged and walked to and fro on its top as it continued its journey.

Armadillos are a common sight on the island, and aren't scared of humans. Nonetheless, they look like something straight out of prehistory or science fiction, but something still vaguely cute.

A walk on the beach side of the island revealed some great birds, including American oystercatchers ...

... and royal terns, among others that might show up in future posts.

Look what the storm blew in ...

2009-12-19T23:44:00.004-04:00

Despite the blustery weather, or perhaps because of it, our incredibly small urban backyard was graced by a palm warbler today.

I first noticed this bird fluttering through a half-snow covered chrysanthemum. It wasn't leery of human presence at all, and approached within six feet of me several times. It flipped and flitted through the snow while I watched and snapped pictures, for a total of about 20 minutes over two or three different sessions.

As an aside, this wild nor'easter weather also failed to discourage the presence of Pennsylvania's first recorded Allen's hummingbird, which is still feeding happily away at a feeder in a suburban Lancaster County townhouse development. Us Easterners are familiar with the ruby-throated hummers, who are not particularly cold hardy. However, each year, more and more reports of rufous, and now Allen's hummers are turning up in the east. These birds are well equipped to deal with temperatures into the teens and may stay in a northern area where feeders are available until late December and even January. Quite an interesting development!

Street light, moon light

2009-11-08T20:12:00.001-04:00

Taken on the front steps to our house, as the moon provided a backlight for the American flag at the post office:

Vegas, Baby

2009-11-01T15:29:00.003-04:00

Nothing says you're in denial of cold weather coming like heading out to the desert in October. And while Vegas has any number of attractions and distractions, one of the things I really enjoy about it is the almost unlimited variety of color and texture.

A group of palm trees backlit by the marquee of the Flamingo casino.

An elaborate light fixture in the Golden Nugget casino.

Dusted with Snow

2009-10-21T20:41:00.005-04:00

A few fall items covered with an early coat of snow ...

ornamental cabbage and chrysanthemums

Fulton Fall (Winter???) Folk Festival

2009-10-20T20:14:00.005-04:00

A blast of winter greeted the FFFF this year and made for some trying conditions.

These little gourds can be had for 3 or 4 for a dollar and are a fall staple of the festival's sales spots, along with mums, pumpkins, apples, whoopie pies, and ham & bean soup. Not to mention that everything under the sun can be found at the yard sales and impromptu flea markets that sprout up across the county for this four-day festival.

The FFFF parade on Saturday also faced miserable weather conditions: cold rain interspersed with spitting snow. Nonetheless, even the little guys came out to see the tractors ride through town.

Power on the move

2009-09-26T23:24:00.003-04:00

Our little town had quite the carnival atmosphere this weekend, because visitors were here.

Several weeks ago, two enormous steam generators destined for the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant arrived in the United States. A French company called AREVA constructed the generators, which were shipped by boat across the Atlantic, north through the Chesapeake Bay, and as far along the Susquehanna River as the water depth would allow. Then, the generators were boarded onto specialized carriers to make their way across Lancaster County at 3-4 mph. They arrived in town Friday, and were parked along a side street for the weekend.

These behemoths are 74 feet long, 25 feet high, and weigh in at over 1,000,000 pounds each. The logistics of moving them safely are apparently tremendous, as the sheer weight is a threat to local roads and bridges that were not designed to handle such loads. To help alleviate the strain, each generator is loaded onto a carrier with 24 axles. Each axle supposedly carries weight equivalent to a fire truck. The generators appear to be accompanied by a large fleet of State Police Officers at all times, and local newspapers report that the convoy is over a mile in length when on the move.

On Sunday night, these generators are slated to leave town. They must cross Route 30 to reach TMI, but they are too heavy for the bridge that would take them across the U.S. Highway. So, the plan is to close Rt. 30 in the wee hours of the morning and have the equipment to cross 30 at grade by going up an off-ramp, removing the guardrails that make up the center median, and then exiting by the off-ramp for the westbound lanes.

One of the policemen on duty said they take a corner much better than you would think!

A banner day

2009-09-24T09:03:00.003-04:00

I carpool with a coworker most days, and we've been seeing a bald eagle very occaisionally, in a particular area where a small stream joins with the larger Codorus Creek. There's a large concrete box on the creek bank where the two streams meet. Its an industrial area and very near to the city of York, not your typical wildlife viewing habitat. Twice we've seen it sitting on the box, one time using the box as a dinner table to eat a fish.

Yesterday, however, the birds upped it a notch. As we were crossing the Susquehanna River at the start of our commute, we saw a large bird fly over the bridge. I couldn't confirm it was a bald eagle, but when I looked to the right, I saw a second bird with the distinctive white head and tail flying low and fast over the water. This eagle eventually landed on a rock in the river, next to another large bird. But they were too far away at this point to ID the third bird.

As we arrived in York, we figured it would be too great a coincidence to see our "regular" eagle. But, we kept our eyes peeled, and sure enough, the eagle was perched on the concrete box. This time he had a friend, a second eagle sitting on a small stone in the stream. We turned the car around to get a better look, and took a picture with the only camera available to us, my coworker's iPhone. Today, with my camera in my lunch sack, we saw no eagles at all ... go figure!

Honeymoon Catch-up

2009-09-20T22:11:00.005-04:00

I guess now is as good a time as any to dig into my massive pile of photos from our honeymoon this July.

This is Summit Lake in Lassen Volcanic Park, with Lassen Peak in the background. Our first night of camping was spent in the edge of the trees to the right. Lets just say that this was a bad time to discover that we'd forgotten to pick up any bug spray. As the sun went down, I walked out along the lake and found this hidden view - you had no idea the mountain was back there from the campsite.

Harvest

2009-09-13T20:49:00.005-04:00

As the middle of September approaches, a Pennsylvanian knows that the first frost is uncomfortably close to hand. But even so, the garden is still producing plenty of tomatoes, and I wanted to get some photographic evidence before the cold ultimately destroys the vines. Late last winter, I decided to focus on tomatoes after happening upon a book called Heirloom, which followed a farmer who specialized in heirloom varieties of tomatoes.

I hopped on E-bay and had soon purchased seeds for "Aunt Ruby's German Green," "Cherokee Purple," "Yellow Pear," & "Mexican Midget." I also planted a hybrid "Early Girl" as insurance. After much worry and trepidation over the future of my little seedlings, we were fortunate to have the most perfect tomato-growing summer possible here in central PA. Temperatures were reasonable, rain was plentiful, and the tomatoes darn near took over the yard. Here's a pie plate full of them, including two oddball varieties that volunteered on their own, with no aid whatsoever from me. I guess they're a gift from the people that owned the house before we did!

Getting my feet wet again ...

2009-09-10T22:39:00.005-04:00

After many moons without a new post - moons that encompassed a wedding and a honeymoon and various other smaller-scale adventures - I am dipping my toes back into the blogging water.

Towards the end of August, our weather switched abruptly from high summer to early fall, and this clear warm evening on the river was just the ticket. I actually wore out the batteries in my camera taking multiple pictures of golden sunset interplaying with river and bridge.

April was ...

2009-05-03T21:42:00.006-04:00

... a month of baseball in Ohio ....

... continued improvement projects ....

... blankets of spring wildflowers ...

... backyard blooms ...

... and canoeing in the Jersey Pinelands ...

... maybe now that its over, I can get back to blogging more often!

A Morning at Middle Creek

2009-04-06T20:09:00.004-04:00

My parents came up for the weekend on Saturday, and Dad and I took the opportunity to run up to Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area for sunrise on Sunday morning.

While the large flocks of snow geese and tundra swans have moved on, a few individual geese were still to be found. A group of three were foraging within a few yards of the road for most of the morning. This is one of the three. Two of the three were noticeably holding a wing at an unnatural angle; they will not be making the migration this year.

Dad and I were exchanging lenses and equipment, and I am not 100% sure if he or I took this picture of a flying cormorant. I think it was Dad, but I enjoy the cormorant's unique silhouette, and since I took the liberty of cropping and otherwise adjusting the photo, I am posting it here :)

And lastly, the song of the red-winged blackbird could be heard throughout the morning. Many were perched at various intervals along the wire fencing used in the park. Here, a blackbird breaks into his call.

What I Did Last Weekend

2009-04-03T20:24:00.003-04:00

I found some colts foot, just unfurling, in Mont Alto State Park. We were there for our friend's Pennsylvania wedding reception and I wasn't really expecting to find any spring flowers. But I did manage to catch a few colts foot (colts feet?), which are usually the first ones out.

Then, on Sunday, my Aunt & Uncle (Salty) came for a visit. Salty explains the situation and history of the bridge very well in his latest post, but I thought you might appreciate a "behind-the-scenes" picture of his totally incredible shot of the bridge.

And then, the storm hit and we got hail. Probably the largest hail I have seen since I was a small girl, but we were fortunate as just a few miles north of us golf ball sized hail stones were reported.

We were very lucky in that we only received high winds and heavy rain, many nearby areas suffered damage and it was later confirmed that a tornado touched down in the northern part of the county. And all this, in March!

More News from the Backyard

2009-03-27T20:20:00.002-04:00

The snow drops are finishing up now, but this picture was taken in their prime just over a week ago.

These crocus are ones that I planted in the fall. I am pleased with their "up and at 'em" attitude this spring.

More Wedding Fun in Garden of the Gods

2009-03-23T18:57:00.005-04:00

Part of the ceremony involved seven colorful ribbons. Prior to the start of the wedding, the happy couple had given members of their family one of the ribbons. At the beginning of the vows, the officiant had the couple place their palms face to face, and during the ceremony, each family member placed their ribbon in a loose loop around their hands. At the end, the couple took the loop and "tied the knot" together.

Here Sandy is letting the wind play with the ribbons from the ceremony. They are to remain with the couple as a memento and reminder of the vows taken.

This is the wedding party, including moi. Sandy was the most easy-going bride imaginable - just told me to go find whatever dress I wanted, in hunter green.

And this was the passing of the torch, so to speak. Sandy gave me her bouquet (no tossing involved) at the end of the day, as I am the next to be headed to the altar. While the flowers themselves will eventually pass on, the bouquet contains a hand painted orange butterfly crafted from dyed feathers that will proudly take a place in my bouquet come July.

Sandy & Alan - March 21, 2009

2009-03-22T21:40:00.003-04:00

On Saturday, we attended the wedding of a dear friend of mine. She is a very smart chica, and chose a great man to be married to and a beautiful location to be married in. The outdoor ceremony was in the garden of an inn at the base of Pikes Peak, and the reception was in the Garden of the Gods park in Colorado Springs.

Personalized, color-coordinated m&m's ... yum! While the natural scenery was beautiful, I also wanted to capture some of the details of the day, things that people might not think to aim a camera at, like candy :)

A close-up of the bride's bouquet and the beadwork and embroidery on her dress.

The informal photo shoot in the Garden of the Gods after the reception was so much fun. The park gets a steady stream of traffic, and lots of people were honking their horns and yelling congratulations while we were taking pictures. A great way to end a great day :)

Backyard Surprises

2009-03-11T21:02:00.007-04:00

We bought this house in September of last year, at the very end of the growing season. The yard hadn't been maintained in probably a year, and was looking pretty rough. After cutting out a lot of the yucky stuff, I took the opportunity to plant some fall bulbs. But while I was digging, I kept hitting existing bulbs. So, I knew I was in for some surprises this spring.

These snowdrops were a surprise. There are quite a few popping up. True to their name, they were covered in snow shortly after the first one bloomed. I've also got hyacinths, lots of daffodils, and some things I don't recognize coming up - so more surprises are in store.

Now this one, I think I am responsible for. But, I don't remember what it is. I was thinking grape hyacinth (that's what I remember planting, anyways) but it just doesn't look right. Oh well, a flower is a flower, and these little spring bulbs are so sweet to see after the dreary winter months.

Gulls & Swans

2009-03-08T20:42:00.006-04:00

Not too long ago, Salty posted a picture of a ring-billed gull he saw in Florida. Since then, I've been meaning to take a closer look at the group of gulls that hangs out in the parking lot of the local grocery store.

Lo and behold, they're ring-billed gulls. I believe we are just about as far inland as these guys go in winter.

This evening, as we were working in the yard, I noticed a long dispersed column of gulls flying overhead. They were moving from the northeast to the southwest. I kept an eye on the birds for more than 15 minutes, and there stream of gulls still had no end in sight. I imagine several thousand were in the group, ultimately.

Over the last week, I've noticed small and large groups of tundra swans taking the same flight path, sometimes in the morning and always in the hour or so before dusk. This last shot was taken from our backyard.

Looking out of Lucy

2009-02-24T21:23:00.005-04:00

Here's the view that Lucy gets of the Atlantic from her perch just west of the beach. Literally, the "porthole" is her eye.

I am amazed by how attracted humans are to waves and sand- even on a cool windy day, plenty of bundled-up families were enjoying the beach while I was huddled up inside an elephant.

Lucy and a New Look

2009-02-21T21:16:00.004-04:00

As I bet you've noticed, Ash's Eye is getting something of a facelift. The solid gray background finally just bored me all the way over the edge into hunting for something pre-made and a little "froofier."

Cosmetics aside, meet Lucy the Elephant! She is the largest elephant in the world, so big you can tour her insides. Lucy lives in the oceanside town of Margate, New Jersey. Around the turn of the century, she was built as a gimmick, to attract homebuyers to the growing streets of Margate. Lucy really didn't convince people to buy homes, but she did eventually become the mascot for the town. Soon wooden elephants were all the rage in the beach towns of the mid-Atlantic, and Coney Island had one, as did Cape May, New Jersey.

These copycat elephants were soon lost to history and now only Lucy remains. She sadly fell into disrepair in the 1960s, and was threatened with demolition to make way for condominiums. Townspeople rallied together to raise funds to refurbish Lucy and move her to city-owned property. Lucy is now well-loved and taken care of primarily through the labor of volunteers and the admission fees gathered from those who wish to climb the spiral staircases located in her hind legs. Lucy is now a designated National Historic Landmark. Her story is recapped in a short but interesting movie you get to watch in the room located in her belly.

More photos from Lucy will be forthcoming shortly ...

Anudder mudder ...

2009-02-18T21:50:00.005-04:00

A Northern Pintail looking for grub at Forsythe Wildlife Refuge.

Mud on your face ...

2009-02-16T22:16:00.005-04:00

Hungry? Then dive on in! It's not the best look, but a goose's gotta do what a goose's gotta do to put food on the table :) This is a snow goose in Forsythe Wildlife Refuge in New Jersey. In the next three to four weeks, tens of thousands of snow geese and smaller numbers of tundra swans and Canada geese will group at Middle Creek here in Lancaster County, and at other bird-friendly habitats across the mid-Atlantic, to gain strength to begin their northward journey to their summer nesting grounds.

A cat can dream ...

2009-02-04T22:00:00.004-04:00

... of a pine siskin snack.

Smoky Sky

2009-01-25T21:21:00.001-04:00

A picture I've been meaning to post for a while, I believe its from last winter.

I'm not sure if the swirls are the result of a jet contrail dispersing, or the mixing of two types of clouds, or some other odd conditions. I've never seen anything else quite like it.

All Eyes on Washington

2009-01-20T20:18:00.002-04:00

Just over a year ago, we were in D.C. for some blustery sightseeing, and this photo is one of the results.

Today, many more people were freezing on the National Mall to be witness to a historic event, and many more were watching from their homes or offices. It seems like this will be one of those moments when, years from now, people will ask, "Where were you when ... ?"

Looking back, the first national news item that really left an impression on me was the explosion of the Challenger in 1986. There were plenty of other important news headlines from that era, but as a six year old, I couldn't really grasp politics. But I did understand what happened to that space shuttle and how sad it was. Of course many other headlines have affected our lives since then, good ones and bad. Which ones really stick with you?

River Ice

2009-01-19T22:23:00.001-04:00

We had flurries most of the day, which amounted to a foggy atmosphere and about two inches of really fluffy snow. Down at river level, the ice was fractured and heaving, and the lovely little coating of snow was just icing. It's only been in the last week or so that the cold has sustained itself long enough to freeze the river completely.

Breath of Summer

2009-01-18T21:31:00.000-04:00

In the midst of this cold cold cold, I had to dig into my summer photos for some mental relief.

This is a dandelion-style poof of seeds, but I'm not sure if is actually a dandelion or not. It might be goatsbeard or something similar. In any case, its a memory of a warmer time. Tomorrow I'm facing reality and heading down to the frozen river, to see what winter images might present themselves ...

My Collection of Domes, Large & Small

2009-01-12T21:56:00.003-04:00

Over the last two years, I have been under a number of round things. While most are pretty local, one is nationally known ... any ideas?

For identification, see the comments to this post. The locations are posted as the first comment.

Winter Blahs

2009-01-11T23:01:00.000-04:00

For whatever reason, the winter blahs have captured my photographic mind. But I wanted to do a post before everyone becomes convinced I'm never coming back. This one is from deep in the archives, a geranium blooming in front of vertical blinds.

Be prepared for more random shots to come ...

Teton Beach

2008-12-07T23:31:00.006-04:00

Here, many weeks and one day late, is an SPS post: on the shore of Jackson Lake, taken down at surf level.

The wind whipped up some strong waves as it cruised down the mountains and over the open water.

Taking Our Turkey on the Road

2008-11-27T21:09:00.006-04:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

This year, we took our turkey on the road - to Detroit for some sightseeing and the Thanksgiving Day football game between the Lions and the Titans. In the morning we visited Belle Isle, a park on an island in the Detroit River, which separates the USA from Canada. Downtown Detroit is on the right, Windsor, Canada, is on the left.

Canada geese were everywhere, but I just had to stop here and take a picture of Canada geese with Canada itself in the background.

Then, on to the football game. The Lions have not been having a good season, and they were playing a very good team, the Titans. So the result was as to be expected, but, this was my first pro football game experience, and we still had a great time!

Some play action with the ball - go Lions go!

Fall Farmland

2008-11-09T14:01:00.002-04:00

I couldn't let it go one full month without a post, although I'm cutting it close! Suffice it to say, I'd be happy if I never had to paint another, well, anything, again in my life (nevermind that there's still a good bit of painting to be done ... grrrrr) :)

In any case, I was able to ditch my chores and sneak back to my parents' house a few weekends ago, where I got to slink around a few real backcountry areas with Dad, and look for some prime fall photos.

Although the sunny early morning sky quickly changed over to clouds, we were still able to find some good opportunities.

Even the Smallest of Observers ...

2008-10-12T18:36:00.003-04:00

... can enjoy Old Faithful:

Although, I think this guy was way more interested in soliciting crumbs from the human observers of the geyser, than the geyser itself.

"Can I pretty please have some crackers? Please??"

Blink and you'll miss it ...

2008-09-19T07:09:00.002-04:00

Before we left for our Yellowstone adventure, I spent some time photographing hummingbirds on the deck outside Mom & Dad's place.

I managed to take some nicely posed pictures of several hummers, but this photo still has a certain charm, I think :)

SPS: The Opposite of Parks ...

2008-09-13T07:27:00.003-04:00

... is very private space, the home. Last evening, Justin and I signed all the necessary million papers to come into possession of our first place! So, SPS goes out the window just for today and I celebrate our entrance into a long phase of packing, moving, redecorating, coordinating both major and minor repairs, and ultimately, settling in to a new rhythm of life.

The house we chose needs some serious TLC (and possibly even some tough love!). But its bones are great, for being 120 years in service, and we have high expectations for the place. Today begins a weekend of cleaning, cleaning, cleaning, then painting, painting, painting. If my posts are a bit more infrequent over the next two months or so, then just know I'm probably up to my eyeballs in paint/dust/sanding/packing/moving :)

SPS: Now for those pictures I owe you ...

2008-09-06T09:05:00.006-04:00

I think the Tetons must be one of the most stunning things you can lay your eyes upon. Unfortunately, our second foray in the park was spent trying to outrun rain clouds. However, the swirling clouds did provide for some unique photo opportunities.

Here, rain on the mountains is moving up from the south, while dark clouds blow over the range from the northwest, below.

The Rolling Photo Safari

2008-09-04T21:52:00.003-04:00

A new approach to capturing the action!

Yellowstone rocks in all sorts of ways ...

2008-09-03T22:03:00.004-04:00

I have to admit, Yellowstone is one of my favorite places, if not THE favorite place, I have ever been. Because of my feelings, I have managed to finagle trips there AOAP (as often as possible). This recent trip was my 3rd visit, and it was great to share a place I love, with people that I love, people that had not been to visit before. Each time I visit, I leave feeling like a kid again, thrilled that nature has come up with things I could not have begun to imagine, and I think my travel mates felt the same way.

This trip, we had the luxury of more time to explore, and I used this opportunity to visit places a little more off the beaten path in the park, places I hadn't ever gotten to. One of these places was Harlequin Lake, a small body of water that lies on a ledge above the valley of the Madison River.

Here's the sunset from Harlequin Lake. Mom, Justin, and I took the short trek to Harlequin while Dad was busy with elk. The lake was very peaceful, but we were able to observe a number of ducks, and what was most likely a beaver. A great finish to our first foray into the park!

Top of the World

2008-08-29T18:42:00.004-04:00

We're engaged!

Here's the story:

We have been in Yellowstone (we being Justin, myself, and my parents) for the past 6 days. On Wednesday, we hiked up Mount Washburn, a high peak in the middle of park. It is a three mile uphill hike one way, so we planned on hoofing it, with Mom and Dad going at their own pace and returning to the van once they got tired. We lost Dad pretty soon, not because he turned back, but because he found lots of photo opportunities. Mom, however, was determined to keep pace with us, and after much huffing and puffing, the three of us made it to the top.

There is a fire tower at the top of Mt. Washburn, and the public can access two levels of it, one enclosed, and one an open deck. We investigated the tower, and then returned outside to soak in the scenery. Then, shock of all shocks, Dad appears! We assumed that he'd turned back long ago to snooze while we huffed.

Justin connived to get me away from Mom & Dad by saying that he wanted to take pictures from the second deck of the fire tower. From the open deck, we were looking out over all of Yellowstone on a fine clear day, and it seemed like we were on top of the world. He opened up his camera bag, but he pulled out a little velvet box instead of a camera ... and I said yes! Perfect man, perfect place :)

Pretty soon after, we went down to tell Mom & Dad, and Dad took the picture I posted above.

SPS: IOU

2008-08-23T20:31:00.003-04:00

Today, I am away from my own computer and personal warehouse of digital photos, so I'm just gonna have to owe you a Super Park picture or two :)

Fortunately, we'll be leaving for Yellowstone tomorrow, so hopefully I'll be able to capture a really really super picture to share!

Are You Feeling Disgruntled?

2008-08-20T20:12:00.004-04:00

These guys are :)

These shots were taken back in March, at Mom's birdfeeding stations. As this is a busy week, I thought I would catch up on some photos I've been meaning to post, but just have never gotten around to. These aren't the best quality pictures, but the birds are cute even if they are ticked off about something :)

I doubt they really are angry, but they may be alarmed or suspicious of the shadow that keeps moving behind the window nearby (me with my camera).

SPS: Yellowstone Warm-Up

2008-08-17T17:04:00.003-04:00

We'll be heading out West next weekend, to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. I am posting a picture from Yellowstone to get warmed up this weekend. Here's the last one out of a set of black and white photos I took almost three years ago now.

This is the general landscape outside of Gardiner, MT, the northern entrance to the park. I'm also posting the picture in color, because I'm not sure anymore which one I like best!

The twist with this upcoming vacation is that my parents are going to be along for the ride. They have not been out West, so it's going to be an all-around adventure. I am sure you'll see quite a few interesting blog posts from my Dad and me in early September!

Calendar Girl

2008-08-14T08:38:00.000-04:00

Please forgive me for tooting my own horn, but I received some happy photo-related news recently, and wanted to share. I posted the snowy flowers below on my blog April of last year. In May of this year, I entered it in a contest. The contest was held to choose twelve shots for the 2009 calender for Glen Helen, a beautiful nature preserve in Yellow Springs, Ohio.

The picture was taken in Glen Helen in 2007, on the day before Easter, in early April. Snow flurries had been blowing through all day, coating the ground but not sticking for long. The powers-that-be chose this shot to represent the month of March, and I am thrilled.

If any of you are familiar with Glen Helen, you are already aware of what a special place it is. Glen Helen is not municipally-owned and receives no public funding. The preserve is part of the Glen Helen Ecology Institute, which, in turn, is a part of nearby Antioch College. The preserve relies heavily on volunteers, donations, and fundraisers, including the sale of calendars, for its continued operations. Basically, they do a lot with just a little! If you are ever in that neck of the woods, be sure to stop by and visit, it is well worth it.

If you'd like to know more about the glen, here is the website.

The Full Pony Experience

2008-08-10T20:49:00.003-04:00

Our first day out on Assateague, I had a close encounter with a pony in the parking lot. I was getting into the car to pull out my camera because I had seen a group of ponies on the other side of the lot. By the time I made it to the car, the ponies had made their way across the lot and one passed between my barely open car door and the car next to me. He never batted an eye!

Another day, we found traffic brought to a standstill by a pony clopping down the road at a very leisurely pace. A pony jam!

From the campground, we could see ponies grazing in the marshes on the bay side of the island at sunrise.

Now this pony, I felt sure was a pregnant female, because the horse had big, distended, lopsided belly. The pony was communicating deeply with the van, or else it was sleeping, because it held this position for quite a while. Later, we had very obvious confirmation that it was a male horse, so not pregnant! When we were packing up to leave the beach on our last day, we had to hurry, because this horse was slowly working his way down the parking lot, stopping and snoozing in front of each car. We wanted to get in and get going before he got to ours :)

As great as all these daylight run-ins with ponies were, I have no pictures of our hands-down coolest pony experience. We were woken up, in the tent, one night by the most curious set of sounds: chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp, THUMP!, chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp, THUMP!

In fact, I wear earplugs when I camp, so I was really just catching the THUMP part, by feeling the impact through the ground. I pulled my earplugs out to hear Justin say very softly, "I think there's a pony out there!" Sure enough, we could just barely make out the shadowy outline of a pony right in our campsite. The horse was browsing, hence the chomping, and stomping the ground about every fourth chomp, probably to dislodge attacking bugs, hence the thumping.

The pony worked its way around the campsite, eventually mowing the grass right in front of our tent. It came within 2 feet of the tent door, easily. I was slightly worried that it wouldn't see my flip-flops, which I'd left right outside the tent door, and munch those, too!

Later the pony worked its way further away, and also pushed its way through several large clumps of brush that separated the camp sites. I was also slightly worried that he'd work his way back through the clump of brush at the rear of our tent and stumble right into us in the dark. But no such luck, and pretty soon our night was pony-free, leaving us with awesome memories :)

SPS: Bombay Hook

2008-08-09T10:46:00.004-04:00

A lot of times, things aren't black and white, but sometimes they are! Here's a great egret and a glossy ibis, showing that opposites might not attract, but at least they don't mind each other.

And here's a group of avocets, a wading bird with striking coloration - black, white, olive, and a wash of rusty red.

All these birds were in Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Delaware. I've seen this refuge mentioned a couple of times in bird books and in articles on great places to see migratory birds, so of course I've been itching to get there. We thought we'd swing in and just see what types of activities they had, hiking or scenic drives or whatnot, because it isn't really a time for migratory birds to be on hand. But we were pleased to find all sorts of waterfowl in residence, including many great and snowy egrets, and a large flock of avocets.

I thought Bombay Hook sounded terribly exotic, but the name apparently originates from what the original Dutch and German settlers called the stretch of land: Boompies Hoeck, which means "tree thicket."

Beach & Bay Crabs

2008-08-06T20:11:00.004-04:00

Ghost crabs were pretty common on the beach. Here's a big one:

The crabs emerge from holes in the sand, scuttle sideways very quickly, and then return to their holes in the blink of an eye. Because they're basically sand-colored, we thought we were seeing things at first!

We found some crab "dens" where their scuttling tracks were quite evident. One day on the beach, I had a good time with three or four ghost crabs, watching the very tips of the eyes emerge from a hidey-hole, then seeing the crab make a run for it. I'm not sure what they were after, although I did see one latch on to a piece of seaweed and run back into its lair.

On the bay side, we saw fiddler crabs. On the Chincoteague end of Assateague, the Park Service had built a wooden boardwalk out through the salt marshes. The ground was crawling with these little crabs. Fiddler crabs are identified easily by their lopsided claws ... probably the origin of their name, too.

SPS: Pony Time

2008-08-04T07:37:00.004-04:00

This weekend, we went camping on Assateague Island, which lays across the Maryland/Virginia border. We were on the part owned by the National Park Service, in Maryland. Assateague is a typical barrier island with a twist: a herd of wild horses, affectionately known as ponies, roams the island freely, including the beach!

Of course, seagulls, like this laughing gull, make the beach their home, too.

The beach was not crowded any of the days we were there, so it was much easier to see some of the beach's natural denizens.

Bird Bonanza

2008-07-30T07:37:00.003-04:00

Here's a wide view of the bird haven I was exploring in the last post. There's really no current to the water, its separated from the main river by the stretch of rocks and trees to the right.

When birds have crests, like this Cedar Waxwing, Justin tells me they have "hair-do's." I like how the silhouette put focus on this guy's 'do :)

SPS: More from the Township

2008-07-26T21:38:00.003-04:00

We revisited East Donegal Twp Park Thursday evening. This time I came a little more prepared for birding, but I still managed to take mostly "sasquatch" pictures, where you can only make out something blurry and obscured in the trees, far in the distance :)

But on the way to the bird area (a backwater eddy in the river), I found a lovely reflection in a shallow pool. The presence of, well, pond scum, gave certain areas a watercolor effect.

This bird is blurry, but not obscured, so he makes the blog. Quite a few great blue herons showed up to fish in the shallow water - the first time we visited the park, I counted 10 or 11 that flew by us within the space of about two minutes.

And here's one that's obscured but relatively in focus. The mystery bird of the evening was this fellow, later identified as an immature black-crowned night heron. They are much smaller than the great blues, and this one stuck to the shoreline. So mostly I could see bits and pieces of bird through the heavy vegetation.

Through the course of about an hour, we were able to see several great blues, a group of Canada geese, a mama mallard and her brood, the black-crowned night heron, two green herons, a great egret, a kingfisher, and the normal complement of swallows, finches, etc. This place is definitely on my bird hang-out list now!

Fulton Flora & Fauna

2008-07-24T21:42:00.007-04:00

Some more photos from our last stay at my parent's:

Alert deer heads emerging from a field is a classic Fulton County scene.

This flower probably has an official name, but we always knew it as Butter-and-eggs. I guess that name comes from the colors of the flower. I like the smell of the plant - not the flower, but the foliage.

Chicory could be called a roadside weed, but it is also one of the reasons that blue is my favorite color. I was always frustrated by the fact that chicory blooms only last for about half a day, and fade quickly when cut. I just had to view them in their natural habitat :)

And here's how I took advantage of Mom & Dad's hummingbird portrait studio. These little guys were fascinating to watch!

SPS: Joseph E. Ibberson Natural Area

2008-07-19T12:28:00.002-04:00

We visited Ibberson, which is north of Harrisburg, about this time last summer. There was a small area planted with coneflower and other wildflowers, and I was able to capture a butterfly sampling the wares. I like this photo because both the butterfly and the flower look a little worse for the wear.

Midnight Marauders

2008-07-15T20:30:00.004-04:00

This last weekend, Ansel (the cat) alerted us to some activity outside the dining room window at Mom's house: bandits at the bird feeders!

I have never seen a flying squirrel up close and in person before. They are not shy when peanuts are at stake. We were at the window, talking loudly and shining a flashlight - we even opened it slightly, about two feet away from them - and it didn't slow the thievery at all. The cat was about to burst :) I got the photos by going out on the deck and leaning out around the corner of the house.

Here you can see the extra skin that stretches along their sides, enabling them to glide from perch to perch. I have to admit, the squirrels are the quintessential "cute" animals - fuzzy bodies, gigantic eyes, endearing antics. But, when they started scurrying up and down the chimney at lightning speed, they looked like dark flying shadows and came across as something out of a scary movie :)

SPS: East Donegal Riverfront Park

2008-07-11T18:15:00.004-04:00

Last Saturday, we went for the first time to the Township park three or four miles down the road from us. In the summer, the Susquehanna river runs wide and very low through this area, exposing a lot of rock that is usually under water at other times of the year.

Here's a general view. I am sure that the rocks I am standing on are underwater, or near to it, when the river is high, but now they are far above the water level.

In a cleft in the rocks, a stranded puddle bubbled with bright green algae. It looks like something from another planet.

I think I remember learning, in school, that holes like these form in river bottoms when smaller, rounded rocks become stuck in a depression. The current then agitates the rock, turning it around and around, and slowly a hole is drilled. Some of these are over a foot deep, it must've taken generations to form them!

Lastly, I found a butterfly checking out the clover in the park's picnic area. Anyone know what kind it is? This one's unfamiliar to me.

SPS goes Floral

2008-07-06T10:47:00.008-04:00

I don't know what type of yellow wildflowers these are, but they are entwined with a yucca plant in Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park in Utah. A nearby sign said this type of yucca only grows in a small area in southwestern Utah.

In Zion, shooting stars could be found wherever the waterfalls were. These flowers, and others, cling to walls to take advantage of the moisture seeping out, and form "hanging gardens" on the rock faces.

And here is another yellow wildflower I do not know the name of - must be something about that color :) This one was on the floor of Zion Canyon. Since we were there during spring, we were able to spy quite a collection of blooms.

I wanna know why ...

2008-07-02T07:36:00.004-04:00

... when there is a curb like this, I have to walk along the top of it, even though I tend to gawk too much and lose my balance? I just can't resist :)

SPS: Last Shots from NYC

2008-06-29T21:38:00.006-04:00

Here are a few last images from my recent trip to NYC. This first one shows some of the exotic produce for sale at a street market in the Chinatown area. From one street corner you could look north into the red, white, and green of Little Italy, then turn and look south into Chinatown. If I remember correctly, the bright pink fruit selling for $9 a pound was called dragon fruit.

This sculpture is in Battery Park, at the tip of Manhattan. A sign stated that this sculpture stood in the courtyard of the World Trade Center and was damaged (as you can see) in the events of September 11th. It was moved here to serve as a memorial, as its original purpose was to represent the concept of world peace. There is an eternal flame at the base.

From Battery Park, you can see across the harbor to the Statue of Liberty. We did not have time to take the ferry out to the island to visit the Lady up close, but this is the closest I've made it to her yet. The National Park Service owns the property at the tip of Manhattan, and there is a large fort there called Castle Clinton. The fort was turned into an opera house in the 1800s, but later fell into disrepair, and is now restored to its historic state as a fort.

And lastly, here is a shot taken through a window into the Toys R' Us store in Times Square. Each "car" on this ride had a different theme. There was an M&M car and a Monopoly-themed car, for example. Barbie, Mr. Potato Head, Scooby Doo & the Cabbage Patch Kids got some face time, too.
Makes me want to be a kid again :)

Familiar Places

2008-06-24T07:26:00.006-04:00

While in NYC, one of the things I continually found myself thinking was "Wow ... there's the (insert name of famous building/park/ street/area here) that I've always seen on TV, right here in front of me!" Sometimes I forget that a lot of the things seen on TV actually exist outside the little picture box :)
Here is Rockefeller Center, rising behind a large sculptural piece meant to mimic its shape. Although the artwork is only a small fraction of the size of the original, here it appears just as large. Right next door to this skyscraper is NBC studios, where The Today show broadcasts daily.

Next photo is looking down across a fountain/wall made of reddish brown granite. This feature is inside the lobby of Trump Tower, which is well known to me by watching many seasons of Trump's show The Apprentice.

The main interest for me, in this photo, is the Chrysler Building, seen in the far distance. To me, the Art Deco design is divine. Tourists are allowed to go about fifteen feet into the Chrysler's lobby, before guards start frowning and asking for identification. However, fifteen feet was far enough for me to nab some photos. Over each door, dramatically lit letters announce the street on which the entrance opens:

And I've still got a few more NYC pics up my sleeve for next post ...

SPS: Jersey Birds

2008-06-22T21:01:00.006-04:00

I will get back to my NYC pictures in the next post, but I figure some New Jersey parks are the next best thing, especially for a Super Park Saturday. Birds were the theme of this last weekend. We camped in the Pinelands, and went to sleep both nights to the sound of whippoorwills. On Saturday, we went to Island Beach State Park, where there are several beaches for swimming, and a trail that leads to a small bird blind on the bay side of the island.

While in the blind, we thought we saw a Canada goose. But closer inspection revealed what I think is a brant. I have no idea what he's doing in New Jersey at this time of year; the information I read says that brants winter in the area but are not year-round residents. This guy missed the memo, I guess, because I'm not sure what other type of bird he could be.

The blind also enabled us to watch a snowy egret stalking along the edges of the water. Later in the day, we visited Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, which has an 8-mile scenic drive through a vast expanse of wetlands and tidal marshes. Here, we saw a flock of black skimmers:

Skimmers feed by flying low along the water, dipping their lower jaw into the surf, and scooping up dinner. I haven't seen a skimmer since an evening in Alabama, when Sandy and I were on our Great Southern Roadtrip of 2005 :)

Also at Forsythe, we saw a Mama swan and three cygnets (I had to look up the word for baby swans) :) These are mute swans, which are an Old World species introduced as decorative birds for parks and farm ponds. But of course some have escaped and live and reproduce in the wild.

Belated Super Parks: Urban Spaces

2008-06-18T07:35:00.007-04:00

Yeah, yeah, I know its Wednesday, not Saturday :) But I owe you all a couple of park posts, and I thought maybe a break from national parks would be refreshing. So here are a few shots I took this last Saturday from public spaces in New York City:

This fountain was tucked away among large planters close to Rockefeller Center. I've only been to NYC once before, and I don't know how I failed to notice the many many artistic details that abound. My excuse is that it was dark outside on my first trip :)

I never thought to get the above picture in NYC, but it was easy in Central Park. A wider angle and a glance upward reveals the office buildings of midtown Manhattan.

There are a few water features in Central Park, and they are creatively named. This is The Pond, and there's also The Lake and The Reservoir :)

I hope to have a few more New York posts here soon, but we're going to the beach this weekend, so I might be distracted :)

Blue Birds

2008-06-05T21:16:00.004-04:00

The last time I was at my parent's house, my Mom told me I should take my camera, go outside, and try to capture a pair of bluebirds nesting in her birdhouse at the end of the driveway. I was up for it, obviously :)

After about ten minutes, I had some shots of small blurry birds. Then, I noticed that Dad had come outside and was getting his tripod out of his truck. "Hmmm, maybe he's going to bring that over here?" I wondered. Yep, here he comes, the tripod attached to his camera, the camera attached to a supermondo lens. But the birds weren't cooperating too well, and it was cold, and Dad grew impatient. I was more than happy to take over the operation from him. This is the only picture I have where both male and female are in the shot at the same time.

Judging by the number of caterpillars going in, and the amount of "waste" carried out, the happy couple's eggs had hatched and hungry mouths were being fed.

SPS: Zion from the Outside

2008-06-01T15:49:00.004-04:00

Zion canyon is beautiful from the inside, but its not too shabby from the outside either :)

One evening we had an hour or two of sunlight left and hated to waste it. So, we decided to go find Grafton, a ghost town about ten miles from our campsite. Grafton turned out to be beautifully situated, and the late evening light was the perfect complement to the red rock surroundings. The tall whitish spires at the top left are the walls of Zion. The land really had the "Old West" feel to it. It's no wonder that western movies are regularly filmed in this area.

This picture is one of my favorites from our stay in Utah.

Funhouse Images

2008-05-26T09:19:00.003-04:00

Distortion sometimes can be as interesting as the subject itself. The first is the spire of the Eiffel Tower in Las Vegas, reflected in another hotel's windows.

The second is Justin, seen through the facets of a crystal hanging in a garden.

SPS: "You Have to Post That One!"

2008-05-23T17:28:00.006-04:00

When Dad saw this picture of a raven, he told me I just had to post it. So here he is, sitting on a rail fence at a parking area along the drive in Bryce Canyon.

Normally, the ravens are most interested in getting food from people, but this one had just started to scope out our potential as crumb-providers. In another park, I have actually seen someone get a fine for offering food to a raven. Rangers are serious about preventing animals from becoming acclimated to human contact, even beggar birds!

Bryce Canyon is known for its otherworldly rock spires. Here is a close up and a far away view of them.
This last picture was taken from an overlook called Bryce Point. I think I could've sat there all day just looking and drinking it in :)

The Trail

2008-05-20T21:33:00.007-04:00

Here are a few shots showing the trail that took us up to Angel's Landing:

I took this picture before we were up very far, but I liked how the trail blended into the natural rock. The view is up across several switchbacks. The people coming down were laughing at those of us just starting out, jokingly saying "You're almost there!"

This next picture is of a section of trail called "Walter's Wiggles." The wiggles are one of the CCC-constructed feats of shear effort, a collection of 22 very short switchbacks that scale a near vertical rock face. Here, you are looking from the top down to the bottom of the wiggles. If you enlarge it, you can make out people at the bottom.

And here is a view of the lower part of the trail, seen from higher up. As an interesting aside, park workers were in the midst of trail maintenance on the day we hiked. They had several ATV-type vehicles outfitted with small truck beds, and a couple of other machines that could haul rock or dirt. On one section of the trail that had been concreted to prevent erosion, I could see the imprints of horseshoes. I imagine mules or donkeys were used for heavy hauling before the advent of the smaller utility vehicles. If mules can work daily in the Grand Canyon, I guess this would be small potatoes for them :)

Here's one of the trail machines, I almost forgot I had taken a picture of it, and picture of the horseshoe imprints:

How About a Super Park Sunday?

2008-05-18T14:11:00.009-04:00

Between one thing and another, I never did my SPS post yesterday. So I am humbly submitting a Super Park Sunday post with lots of pictures to make up for yesterday's blip :) I've got some more Zion pictures for you. These photos follow my trip up to Angel's Landing, one of the more popular but also more strenuous hikes in the park.

I took this shot close to the beginning of the trail, where the going was flat and easy. The large rock promontory in the photo is Angel's Landing, and we're headed to it's top!

Here, we were only part way up the first climb on the trail. The view was already breathtaking, with the sheer wall in front of us framing up the cliffs in the distance. In many places I was amazed that a trail could exist at all. Signs indicated that the Civilian Conservation Corps built the trail through some tremendous feats in engineering during the 1930s.

After the initial climb, a nice stroll through a side canyon, and then another steep climb, you reach an area called Scout's Lookout. From the Lookout, you have an eerie, discouraging, view out and up the spine of Angel's Landing. I say discouraging because I was winded just getting up to the Lookout, and it seemed impossible to make it all way up to the Landing itself, across that narrow rock spine.

You'll notice I don't have any pictures taken on the climb up to Angel's Landing. Frankly, I was too scared to take my camera out - I wanted both hands and feet on the rocks in front of me :) But the views from the Landing itself were well worth the effort.

At the top, we could see the smoke from a prescribed burn on the rim of the canyon. From the floor of the canyon, the angle was too sharp and you couldn't see the smoke plume at all!

I will share a few more Angel's Landing pictures in my next post, including some more of the trail itself.

Easter Seals

2008-05-14T07:19:00.004-04:00

Each year, the office where I work participates in several charity events. One of these is competition in the Office Olympix to benefit the Easter Seals organization. Easter Seals' mission is to help provide exceptional services to ensure that all people with disabilities have equal opportunity to live, learn, work and play.

To be able to compete in the Office Olympix, each team must raise an "entry fee," of which 100% goes to support Easter Seals' programs. We raise money through bake sales, the office snack fund, a pay-to-dress-casual day, and individual donations. Then we go and compete against other teams from across the community in such events as "swivel chair relay."

I am not normally a fan of asking people for money, for my sake or for the sake of others. But I did want to make a post about Easter Seals and Office Olympix, in hopes that perhaps some of you were planning on making a donation to Easter Seals already, and might consider making the donation through my office's website.

If this is the case, or if you would simply like to know more about Easter Seals, please visit this link. I, and all the members of the "YCPC Planning Platoon" are greatly appreciative :)

PS: The picture on the website does not include me, it was taken the year before I started working at YCPC (York Co. Planning Comm.).

Thank you!

SPS: Zion's Court of the Patriarchs

2008-05-10T09:52:00.008-04:00

Thought I'd start out the post-vacation SPS posts with a taste of Zion. I did some internet research for information on the various trails in the park before we left. I read that the trail normally used for horse riding was supposed to have good views whether you were on a horse or not, and since most people without horses never thought to hike it, it was relatively peaceful, too.

Well, my internet directions were a little fuzzy, and we missed the horse trail. We actually ended up on an unmarked trail, with no name, that entered the area known as the Court of the Patriarchs. The area is named for the three large rock spires that tower over the narrow valley. Each spire is named for a Biblical patriarch: Jacob, Abraham, and Isaac. We did not see one other person while we were on this trail, but we did run into some animal friends:

This frog (or toad?) was hanging out by a small stream.

This lizard was extremely patient with us. I took a number of pictures from about 3 feet away, and when he showed no sign of caring about me, I circled in until I had the S2 on supermacro, positioned about an inch from his eye. Still didn't care one bit!

The sky on this day had some interesting clouds, which made for visual interest, and also helped to cut the bright sunlight, allowing for some decent exposures. Justin and I both felt that, even though we'd missed our intended target, we'd still run across something very worthy: solitude in a busy park!

Rocks!

2008-05-09T22:50:00.002-04:00

Allright, I give in, here are some rocks :)

This was actually taken out of the window of the moving car, so forgive the blurry bushes in the foreground. Just focus on all the pretty colors :) This was taken somewhere along the road that goes from I-15 down along Lake Mead and into Henderson, NV. That road had quite the collection of mixed up, strange, jumbled heaps of rock!

Vacation!

2008-05-08T20:47:00.002-04:00

Thank you all for visiting while I was out and about! I've enjoyed catching up through your comments. Vacation was, as always, way too much fun and way too short - and I can say that even though I sat in conference sessions for three and a half days :) But even though we split our time between Las Vegas and southern Utah, I'm gonna kick off my Western pictures with one you maybe would not expect:

No bright lights, no red rocks, just flowers blowing in the evening breeze. It was very windy in Las Vegas for two of the nights we were there. Coming from the non-desert East Coast, it was strange to experience such high winds without any thunderstorm to cause them. I wish I'd had a tripod and some patience, and then maybe I could've gotten the tree trunks in focus with the flowers swishing around them :)

When I get my files in better order, I'll start in and post some of those bright lights and red rocks (heck, I'll probably bombard you all with way too many pics!), but for now the posies are it ...

SPS goes Black and White again

2008-05-02T21:30:00.001-04:00

Last Saturday, I promised I'd share the rest of my b & w Yellowstone pictures, so here they are:

This formation, I think, is known as the buffalo. It does have that shape to it. The buffalo is one of the hot springs in the Mammoth Hot Springs area.

As you drive into the Mammoth Hot Springs area from the south, you look out across a valley to a dramatic rock face.

And finally, a trumpeter swan preening in a small lake. We found two swans and were able to approach quite closely, as long as we took a few steps at a time and gave the birds to become used to our presence.

Like Clockwork

2008-04-29T21:00:00.004-04:00

Columbia, Pennsylvania, has at least one claim to fame: the National Watch and Clock Museum. When Sandy visited me in February, just prior to her great travel nurse adventure, rain was threatening our outdoor activities, so we decided to explore the museum.

Given the museum setting, good photography was difficult. But the subject matter was really interesting, so we took lots of pictures anyway. The museum was surprisingly nice. It had just been redone, and had several displays on loan from the Smithsonian.

This little museum also had examples of mechanical, animated clocks and player pianos. Here is the "code" that a player piano uses, up close:

At least I think that is what it is, I could be wrong :P

Bon Voyage

2008-04-26T23:30:00.000-04:00

Blog friends, I will be out and about for the next 10 days, exploring Las Vegas, Zion, and Bryce Canyon - searching, searching, searching for new blog material!

I am trying out Blogger's new feature, where you can schedule posts to publish whenever you'd like them. Hopefully (keep your fingers crossed!), a couple of posts will pop up over the next week and a half. If not, never fear, I'll be back around May 7th!

SPS goes Black and White

2008-04-25T21:04:00.009-04:00

Sandy has been doing her best to convince you all that Bryce Canyon is the best place ever, so I am feeling the need to lob a few more Yellowstone shots out there :)

A ranger told us that this elk had been fighting fairly heavily the day before, and was probably resting on this day. He was tucked away in the remnants of a marble terrace, out of the sight of other bulls. The ranger told us that many elk like to hang around the hot springs formations in the cooler weather, because of the heat the springs provide.

These three shots were all taken in and around Mammoth Hot Springs, on the northern edge of the park, back in fall of 2005. I remember learning that this area is like an "inside-out" cave, because the hot water seeps out of the ground and deposits marble (travertine, I think?) in terrace-like formations as it evaporates. The entire area is enchanting.

I found that I had five or six shots that, for whatever reason, looked average in color, but really appealed to me in black and white. I will have to share the other three shots next week :)

More flower power ...

2008-04-24T07:33:00.006-04:00

Here are a few more shots from Saturday morning's wildflower shoot with Dad. It was mostly too early for the trout lilies, but we found a solitary bloom by the edge of the creek.

Spring beauties are one of the most common of wildflowers in these parts. The closer up you get to them, the more beautiful details appear.

Rue anemone is another one of the more common wildflowers here. Between the anemone, the spring beauties, and the dutchman's breeches, the forest floor was fairly well covered with pretty spring blooms.

Maybe Sunday's rain brought even more blossoms out!

Birds ....

2008-04-22T09:39:00.002-04:00

This weekend, Mom's birdfeeders were filled with gold and purple finches. I was able to capture a few of them sitting pretty:

The goldfinches have, for the most part, returned to their brilliant yellow summer coloring, but many still had olive-drab patches.

In a few more days, these branches will be obscured by the emerging leaves of the chestnut tree they are perching on. I was lucky to get the shots while I could!

... & Blooms

2008-04-22T07:44:00.005-04:00

Dad and I spent some time Saturday morning, looking for wildflower shots. We stopped over at Salty's place first, taking shots of a few of his ornamental shrubs. This first is my best shot of the cherry blossoms.

This next picture is cardinal bush. I've always been fond of it, due to its color. I'm happy to have a few nice photos of it now :)

And lastly, we went to a little area in the woods were wildflowers were peeping up. We found plenty of rue anemone, dutchman's breeches (shown below), spring beauty, trout lilies, and one small patch of hepatica.

I'll have to post a few more of these, as the week passes.

Western Wildflowers

2008-04-19T13:22:00.007-04:00

Here are some western wildflowers for your Super Park enjoyment. I'm not sure what any of the varieties are, but they were mostly in Mesa Verde and Black Canyon NPs, in Colorado.

I spent some time this morning with the PA Wildlife Photographer, shooting Pennsylvania wildflowers. We'll have some shots to post from that expedition soon, I'm sure :)

Urban Blossoms

2008-04-16T19:53:00.008-04:00

The sunny days have finally arrived. Today, I got a few more shots of the blossoming bradford pear trees that line a few blocks of the main street in York:

This lamp is not on. It is blocking the morning sun and appears to glow a bit.

York City may have its fair share and more of problems, but the blooms really bring out the best of the downtown atmosphere.

Time to Go to Work

2008-04-14T07:32:00.003-04:00

I stuck around for a few minutes after work on Friday, and was able to capture a few shots of the old courthouse in York surrounded by bradford pear blossoms.

I've been taking my camera to work with me daily, in hopes of finding a few sunny free minutes to capture the trees, but so far all I've gotten is overcast/drizzly days. That's April in Pennsylvania! Looks like I'll have a fighting chance today, though.

This one is from our lunchroom, looking out across York's main street. A coworker called me from the lunchroom and told me to get myself and my camera up there to take a picture of the blooms reflecting in the windows. To us, it looked like the trees were inside the building.

SPS: Red Rocks & A Plea for Help :)

2008-04-12T11:43:00.008-04:00

Sandy's got me in the mood to post some red rocks this Saturday!

These are all from Canyon De Chelly in Arizona. Canyon De Chelly (pronounced D'Shay) is a National Monument, but members of the Navajo Nation live in and farm the bottom of the canyon. Visitors are only allowed on the floor of the canyon on one trail, unless they are accompanied by a Navajo guide.

Canyon De Chelly has wonderful red rock walls.

Here you can see how one layer of rock looks like layers of sand.

Geologists probably have field days in this place.

Here's a wider view of the canyon landscape. A truly beautiful place.

And now that I've schnookered you way down here with park pictures, I'd like to ask if anyone has any advice for traveling to and/or taking pictures in Zion or Bryce Canyon, or Las Vegas. I'll be heading there in about two weeks, and any "hot tips" on scenic views, must-see attractions, or beautiful day hikes would be greatly appreciated.

Doggie Day & Other Sights

2008-04-10T20:26:00.008-04:00

It was Fala Day (aka Doggie Day) at Hopewell Furnace, which meant that admission was free and puppies were welcome. The day is in honor of Fala, one of the more famous of presidential pets. Fala was Franklin Delano Roosevelt's beloved scottish terrier. Doggie-oriented activities were the order of the day.

There were a pair of horses in the park. They were extremely even-tempered, and were happy to meet-and-greet with the dogs in the park.

Here's a better shot of one horse by itself. A park ranger was nearby at all times, but the horse was content to stand and be petted. This guy was huge!

Here is a scene from inside one of the reconstructed worker's homes at Hopewell Furnace. The items in this house were reproductions that you could freely handle.

I guess I should've explained that Hopewell Furnace was an early ironworks that produced cannon and stove parts, among other things, before and after the American Revolution. Several of the buildings are still standing and are open to the public.

And I'll leave you with an early spring bloom we found in the woods. I'm not sure what type of flower it is, but it was brave to be out so early!

Warning: Extreme Cuteness Ahead!

2008-04-06T20:07:00.007-04:00

It was lambing season at Hopewell Furnace Historic Park, where we went for a jaunt today. The park ranger on duty said that the lambs were adorable for a few weeks, and then they turn into holy terrors.

These lambs are still on the cute side, but I could see a few holy terror tendencies emerging:

"Wake up!"

"No, really, wake up!!"

"Being ornery makes me itchy!"

A Canyon by Any Other Name is Just as Grand

2008-04-05T10:55:00.008-04:00

While there's still a little nip in the air, I thought I would post a picture from last spring's trip to Colroado, where we ran into some snow in the higher elevations. This shot is from Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.

To get the full sweep of the depth of the canyon, I used the panoramic function to stitch three or four photos together.

I have visited the Grand Canyon before, and I must say that Black Canyon to me was every bit as impressive. The scale of the place, with the narrow but very deep canyon, and near vertical walls, is breathtaking. Here's one more, taken directly behind the Visitor's Center.

It was snowing pretty heavily when we got there, and it was also foggy, so we hung around for a while at the Visitor's Center, hoping for the weather to break and the views to clear. Once the snow cooperated, we had a lovely, if chilly, afternoon to explore the park.

If you would like to join us on our park rambles every Saturday, you can sign up here.

It's Probably Spring by Now, in Knoxville

2008-04-03T07:28:00.006-04:00

These pictures are from my archives, and were taken mid-March of 2006 in Knoxville. I worked in an office there that was across the road from a very large cemetery. The cemetery had beautiful landscaping and many people liked to walk through it on their lunch hour.

Knoxville may have long, dreary, rainy winters, but springtime comes early and absolutely knock your socks off :)

I admit it, I was playing with the "soft focus" function in the above picture.

Most of the spring bulbs are up around here now. Daffodils and hyacinths and crocuses. I love the return of blooms as winter blends into spring and finally passes on.

Tuesday's Walk

2008-04-01T21:10:00.007-04:00

I took my camera out with me this evening, and this is what I found:

A slightly ironic street name ...

some little flags (surely the cables must be buried, cause I don't see them up top anywhere :)

And a buzzard (vulture) floating on an air current. A trick of the lighting took the natural sheen of the feathers and made them appear white.

Piney River

2008-03-28T21:38:00.010-04:00

In honor of springtime and Super Park Saturday, I am digging into my archives. These shots are from spring of two years ago (has it really been that long?!?), when I was living in Knoxville, Tennessee.

We took a hike, based solely on a listing in a guidebook, through this area. I'm not sure that you could technically call it a park, but the public was definitely welcome to follow this trail through lands held by the Bowater Southern Paper Corporation. Many parts of the trail followed one or another of several streams. This one had pleasing falls.

I don't know what type of feathered friend layed these eggs. The nest was at ground level, tucked in a rotting stump. I chanced upon them while looking at some wildflowers blooming nearby.

And lastly, I posted lots of wildflower pictures last April, but I don't believe I ever got around to posting any stonecrop, so I thought I'd throw this in here.

Mad Skills of Goat Girl may not be publishing an SPS post quite yet - but all is forgiven, because she is seeking out tons of new park pictures in the four corners area of the U.S! She'll post as soon as internet access allows :) If you'd like to join us on our parkstravaganza, just sign up right here, and we'll check out your parks, too!

First Shots with Increased Firepower

2008-03-24T20:14:00.009-04:00

This past weekend, my father handed down to me a camera of his that he doesn't use much anymore, a Canon, of course. I immediately put the 10D to use on the short but fierce snowstorm that blew through Saturday morning:

The snow fell furiously for all of about 20 minutes, just enough to coat the grass and trees.

Within two hours, the snow had disappeared and the weather cleared off. I caught the above shot before the snow (hopefully the last of the year!) melted away.

On Sunday, I was able to capture some very close shots of Mom's favorite little red-breasted nuthatch.

Mom regularly sees one red-breasted nuthatch, along with four or five white-breasted nuthatches. I imagine its the very same bird that I posted a picture of back around New Year's, here. I had much better lighting this time :)

Harbingers of Spring

2008-03-24T07:21:00.005-04:00

My grandmother was a dedicated gardener, and her garden always had a healthy percentage devoted to flowers. But the flowers weren't limited to the garden. Over the years, she planted crocus bulbs throughout the yard of the house, mostly at the bases of the large catalpa trees that ring the house.

Much has changed, but still quite a few crocuses were peeping up through the grass this weekend. As a kid, finding these out in the yard was as good as finding easter eggs!

Parks are Super!

2008-03-23T21:39:00.001-04:00

My friend Sandy and I really enjoy the ABC Wednesday and SkyWatch Friday group posts that many of our bloggisphere friends take part in, and it sparked a little idea in our heads.

Now if you've kept up with either one of our blogs, I'm sure you know that we like to get out and about and travel. And that both of us are incurable National Park junkies :)

Something you may not know is that we both have lots and lots of pictures from parks that we've been itching to post, and now, we've decided to give ourselves an excuse to post park pictures every week:

I'm not sure how the other groups are managed, or how everyone keeps up with everyone else who posts, but I'm imagining this as a really informal group. If you want to come and visit and see what parks we have up on a particular Saturday, that's great. If you want to use the emblem and post your own park pictures on Saturday, that's great, too! If you want to make your own emblem and post your own park pictures, why not?!? [NOTE: After some helpful comments from other posters, I am trying out the Mr. Linky system ... look for it at the very end of the post! Big thanks to those who suggested it.]

I'm planning on posting shots from National Parks all the way down to neighborhood parks. As long as its public land, its fair game :)

If you would like to join us, I will keep a "master list" of folks who are posting park pictures, until the point when (if it ever does) it gets complicated enough that we need a better organizational thingamajiggy :)

Since I wanted to start things out with a bang (or maybe I should say, splash!) here's my first park shot:

This is a geyser in Yellowstone National Park, which, to risk sounding 13 years old, is my favorite park EVER :) It isn't Old Faithful, but it was within spitting distance of it. Its name escapes me now.

Trailside Sights

2008-03-21T13:33:00.005-04:00

A last set of pictures from the York Rail Trail hike we took last weekend:

I was surprised to see turtles hanging out on a branch in the stream. One hopped down before I could get this shot off. This was at full zoom, crouched on the ground, shooting under a bush, so it is not the best :)

Some remnants of last autumn's berries. Guess the birds missed these.

And finally, a tree root growing down through a rock outcropping.

Stop by tomorrow for something of a surprise!