Well it seems that our Rhododendron has made it through the Winter just fine. The Winter here in the Northeast was a warm one and there were several occasions that I thought the flowers were going to bloom too early but luckily they held back and now we are going to have a very colorful plant. Check it out.
All week I have been sharing pictures from last weekend's trip to Longwood. Mostly Tulips. Today I thought I would switch gears a bit and focus a little closer to home. When I got in from work this afternoon I had a little time to spend outside to clean the Cafe. Naturally when I was done I filled the feeders and made sure there was plenty of peanuts for the squirrels. And a couple minutes later this guy grabbed one and ran up into our neighbor's tree.
All week I have been sharing photos of Tulips that I shot at Longwood Gardens last Saturday. Kim and I have been members of Longwood for a few years now and by visiting often I have learned a lot about different varieties of flowers, been introduced to flowers I have never seen before and have just gained a new appreciation of nature in general. Today I would like to share one of the different Tulips.
Check out this link to learn about some of the different kinds of Tulips there are. And now...
Moving from leaves back to flowers I would like to share yet another Tulip picture with you today. I know I have been posting a lot of them but this is the only time of year that I can see them in full bloom. Well for the most part at least. So today I have this nice small pink group for your viewing pleasure.
When out shooting in a nature environment , especially in the Springtime I most often find myself lured toward flowers. It just seems normal to me and probably to a good percentage of photographers be they professional or an amateur like myself. But I do try to keep an "open eye' to all of my surroundings. And today's post is a good example.
From any kind of distance this leaf doesn't stick out. It's hidden in plain sight among the other leaves. But when I got up close it showed itself to me. I knew I had to record it for others to see. And I hope I have done my job and you see what I do. In your own way of course :) And now...
In my last couple of posts I have shared Tulips that I shot at Longwood's annual Tulip Exhibit. And as I often do I tried to give you a close up and detailed view. Today I would like to take a step back and show you just a bit of what I saw as a visitor on Saturday.
This is just a small sampling and just one of the many various shape and size of Tulips on display. If you ever have the chance I recommend you visit in person. I promise you will not be disappointed. And now...
Today I am continuing with our trip to Longwood yesterday and sharing another variety of Tulip. There are so many different colors and I captured as many as I could. This one is a little brighter than the one in my last post but every bit as pretty.
Speaking of my last post I meant to share something else with you. When we arrived at Longwood Gardens yesterday and got out of our car it was drizzling a bit. Kim grabbed her umbrella and as usual I didn't take one. Well the people in the car next to us, a man and a woman were also debating whether or not an umbrella was necessary. The man looked toward me and joked that no matter his decision it would be the wrong one. He also commented that the parking lot was packed and wondered why. I told him that the Tulips were at full bloom to which he shrugged and said "big deal". I noticed that he and the woman with him were carrying high end cameras and some lighting equipment and were obviously there to photograph people. Probably a wedding or prom. So I commented back that at least when I was photographing flowers they cooperated unlike people. He actually laughed and kind of agreed. Hence why you don't see too many pictures of people on my blog. Well it made me laugh :) Oh and it didn't rain any more either :) And now...
Well it's finally that time of year when the Tulips at Longwood are at full bloom. And you can bet Kim and I were there to check out this years crop. As usual we were not disappointed. I got some really good stuff to share with you over the next few days or so and today I would like to start with this simple beauty.
Just one of the many varieties of tulip that Longwood has to offer. And one of the many colors too. I am not sure but I would say there is more variety this year. Or maybe not. But no matter, I'll just let the flowers speak or themselves. And now...
When out shooting, no matter the subject of the day, I try to keep an eye out for the small stuff. Many times the small stuff turns out better than what I set out to shoot. Today's view is from last Sunday morning at Pawling's Farm and though it doesn't overshadow my other work of the day I still think it to be significant in it's own small way.
I have to admit there are technical aspects of this shot that I am not 100 % pleased with but I love the composition. And now...
I have lots I could share with you today and as I was going through my choices I thought why not another squirrel? Well actually it's the same squirrel from a recent post but a different picture. So without further delay check her out.
This was from my "close encounter". She is so friendly. For that matter most of our local squirrels seem to be. At least with me. I guess they know where the peanuts come from :) And now...
Yesterday I shared one of my latest views of the Valley Forge "Witness Tree". Today in honor of Spring and the annual renewal of the season I would like to share this with you.
This is a bud on the almost three hundred year old Sycamore. A promise that for at least another season it should flourish and fill itself with leaves. And when it fills you should see the shade it provides :)
During my Sunday morning photo shoot I made my way over to what I call "the other side of Valley Forge". I am talking about Pawling's Farm which I have written about a few times before. I call it the other side because to get to it from the main part of the park I need to make a ten or fifteen minute drive which includes a stretch of Rt 422. Pawling's Farm is the home of a nearly three hundred year old Sycamore tree that many refer to as a "witness tree". The name refers of course to the history the tree has witnessed throughout it's lifetime. I have photographed this beauty many times over the past few years and of course I did so again during my recent visit. Here is one of my many shots.
I shot this in color but the lighting and general aura of the scene screamed black and white to me. And the more I look at it the more I like it. But as I often say, Though I take credit for capturing the scene I cannot take credit for the scene.
In yesterday's post I told you about my adventures in trying to shoot the sunrise and eventually ended up sharing a photo of one of our squirrels with you instead. And although I really didn't get the sunrise I still got some shots of the early morning sun. And today I would like to share this one with you.
By this time the sun's rays were really strong so I used the tree to kind of tone it down a bit. It was even prettier in person :) And now...
I set out early this morning to Valley Forge in search of what I hoped would be a beautiful sunrise. It was perfect. I was up early and the sky was crystal clear. A scenario I have played out many, many times before. But today was not so routine. As I approached the park with about five minutes to spare I noticed the main gate was closed and there was a Park Ranger parked in front of the entrance. Oh well, Plan B. I always have a Plan B. I headed to my second spot about two miles away only to find that gate is also closed. So I turn around in a last ditch effort and finally arrive at Washington Memorial Chapel just in time to realize I missed the sunrise. I was however able to grab some decent shots and now have a Plan C. In fact Plan C may be the new Plan B. It's really easy to get to and since it's not technically part of the park it is always open. Well the parking lot at least. I would like to thank my Sister Kathy for filling me in as to why the park was closed. Today was the Annual Valley Forge Revolutionary 5-Mile Run.
So after all of this I would normally be sharing a sunrise with you. Well I will but not today. When I got home from my Sunday morning photo shoot I noticed one of our squirrels enjoying breakfast at the Cafe. So I grabbed my camera and as I approached her she continued eating and was not put off at all by my presence. In fact I was able to sit on the ground right on front of her and snap away. At one point I put my hand out and she sniffed it like a dog or cat would. I guess after all this time she has grown to become comfortable around me. Very cool! So for today's view I would like to share this with you.
This is from about a foot away and with no zoom. I just wish I had some peanuts with me at the time. But it was still very cool.
Today was a long one and I didn't get a chance to shoot much. When we got home this evening however I did go out and tried my luck with the Moon. And I don't know. I don't think I did too bad but I am not 100% satisfied either. Take a look and see what you think.
I was trying some new techniques and this is what I came up with. Maybe I'll try again tomorrow if it's clear out. And now...
Happy Friday everyone! I don't know about you but I had one of those long quick weeks. It was quick now that it's over but it sure seemed long while it was happening. Make sense? To round off the week I would like to share another shot from the Cafe. I believe this is the same bird that was in yesterday's post but in a different pose.
I also have a short video I would like you to see. I shot this before going to work this morning.
Just another normal day around here. A squirrel grabbing some breakfast.
Before I go I would like to try something new. For no particular reason I thought it would be fun if I shared my frame count with you every Friday. That is the number of pictures (frames) that I have shot with my main camera. In this case my Canon T3 DSLR. As of now I am at 53,430 Frames.
Wow! Have you been outside today? What started out as a cold frosty morning turned into a very warm and sunny day. So when I got home this afternoon I thought it would be a good time to do a little cleaning in the Cafe. And two and a half trash bags later I think it looks pretty good. All that was left to do was fill the feeders and change the water in the bird fountain. And then some camera time. So for today's view I would like to share this with you.
Who's ready for Spring?! I know it's actually been Spring for some weeks now but lately it sure hasn't felt like it. But it seems that's going to change and we are due for some warmer weather. Let's hope it stays this time. For the past couple of days I have been sharing some snow pics. Well let's leave that behind and have a look at something a bit more seasonal.
Our Hosta has really taken off and is getting big very quickly. About a week or so ago it was just a few stalks barely pushing through the mulch. And it sure has spread over the years. When first planted it fit in a small flower pot.
I shared this flower in a recent post but at the time I couldn't remember it's name. I have since learned it is a Senetti. No matter the name though it is very pretty and seems to be hardy. And now...
It's been a busy day here at the cafe my friends and I am tired. So let's get right to it shall we? For today's view I am going to share a few more snow pics from our recent trip to Atlantic City. Hopefully this will be it and the snow will stay away until next Winter.
This is a still shot of our drive along the AC Expressway I made while shooting yesterday's video. Snowing and a bit mesmerizing but not really bad.
This is the front of our car while parked at the rest stop along the expressway. I shot this about 15 minutes after the first pic. As you can see the snow and slush was now sticking. And not just to the car but the roads as well.
And this is after we finally arrived at the Flagship Condominiums probably about 45 minutes later. By this point the roads were dangerous. But fortunately about an hour later it all ended and things started to get better. We were able to grab the condo's shuttle to the Boardwalk to grab dinner and a show.
Yesterday I shared a before and after of this past weekends snow event. And man talk about complete opposites! Today I would like to share a couple more photos of the snow. These are from the Atlantic City Boardwalk just outside of Resorts Casino.
Facing South showing Landshark Bar & Grill
Facing North with Steer Pier in the distance
And the very next day the snow was gone and the sky was crystal clear. Check it out in this video I made during a very chilly sunrise.
And it was chilly too. About 28° F (-7° C) chilly! But it was worth it just to get this beautiful scene. You can check out more of my videos at this link that will take you to my YouTube Channel.
What a difference a day makes. Yesterday afternoon Kim and I headed to Atlantic City New Jersey to attend a concert and spend the night at a local resort. It's a nice place and we get decent rates. The service is very good and the views are even better. In fact today I am going to show you the view from the unit we spent the night in. Here are two photos I shot with my camera phone. One is from yesterday afternoon at around 4:30 PM or so and the second from today about 10:00 am.
Saturday April 9, 2016
Sunday April 10, 2016
It was only supposed to rain at the shore but as you can see that rain was a bit solid and a lot white. And you can't tell from the photo but the roads were terrible. On our journey down the AC Expressway we saw a pick up truck that ran off the road into a tree and another small truck that spun out and ended up facing the wrong way. The speed limit was lowered from 65 MPH (105 KPH) to 35 MPH (56 KPH). And seeing as most drivers were obeying the lower limit you know the roads were bad. Here is a video from our drive. It doesn't really show just how hard the snow was and is also before the roads began to freeze over.
And that will do it for today my friends. I have some more snow pics to share but that's for another day. I thank you as always for stopping by and invite you to come back real soon!
