(Although it was the Fourth of September, not the Fourth of July *)
Just before he realized what I was doing.
Kathy & I met our son Scott and grandson Edison at nearby Tuckaseegee Park in Mount Holly, NC. They have a nice playground there plus several walking paths that run through the woods and along the Catawba River. Edison likes to take “nature walks” so we spent an hour or so there before returning to our house to a lunch of “Tube Steaks.”
Short break on a park bench.He doesn’t know the rules, but always “wins.”
Edison isn’t fond of my taking pictures of him but his complaints fall on (my selectively) deaf ears.
Obligatory sunstar.Water for the soccer pitch.Two of a kind!
* For the kids out there, a reference to a 1972 song by the best music group of all time. Regardless what they say about bands named after bugs or rocks.
Marina on Little Port Brook in Atlantic, North Carolina
I might have just as easily titled this post “A Week of Excuses.”
“Redneck (Y)acht Club”
Kathy & I have returned from our jaunt to the NC coast. I did a little bit of photography, but not nearly as much as I had intended. I came back with a few decent photographs, but since photography wasn’t really the main purpose of the trip, I’m not disappointed.
Fishing boats at a marina on Brooks Creek on Harker’s Island, North Carolina
– It was HOT and HUMID! The kind of humidity that makes your glasses (and camera lenses) steam up when you go outside, even at 7:00 in the morning! The low temperatures at night were in the low 80s, stretching to the upper 80s/low 90s during the day. I’m not a fan of heat, so that made it tough.
Fishing boats at a marina on Brooks Creek on Harker’s Island, North Carolina
– I’ve been battling a recurring sore leg, which was not helped by walking on sand. So we limited our beach walking a bit which limited my photographic opportunities.
Bridge on SR 12 over the Thorofare River on Cedar Island, North CarolinaMarina on Little Port Brook in Atlantic, North Carolina
– Mostly we were spending time with family and friends and generally relaxing, so it was overall a good trip.
Now we have a few weeks to rest up for our next adventure. Coming soon!
Fixer-upper for sale on E Front Street in New Bern, North CarolinaElvis Sighting – New Bern, North Carolina
Bourbon Heritage Center at Heaven Hill Distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky
Our recent travels took us by way of Lexington, Kentucky today. We decided to stay a couple of nights in order to take advantage of being close to several of our favorite distilleries. It isn’t possible to visit all of our favorites in one day, so we visited the newly-opened Bourbon Heritage Center in Bardstown plus our perennial favorite, Maker’s Mark. Needless to say, some liquid souvenirs – and a few photographs – will be accompanying us home.
Bourbon Heritage Center at Heaven Hill Distillery in Bardstown, KentuckyBourbon Heritage Center at Heaven Hill Distillery in Bardstown, KentuckyBourbon Heritage Center at Heaven Hill Distillery in Bardstown, KentuckyBourbon Heritage Center at Heaven Hill Distillery in Bardstown, KentuckyMakers Mark Distillery in Loretto, KentuckyMakers Mark Distillery in Loretto, KentuckyMakers Mark Distillery in Loretto, KentuckyMakers Mark Distillery in Loretto, KentuckyMakers Mark Distillery in Loretto, Kentucky
While Kathy & I were in Wisconsin visiting our friends Jeff & Mary Pat, Jeff, his son Luca and I left the ladies at home and headed to the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Illinois. The museum boasts a huge collection of rolling stock of all varieties, from horse-drawn cars to vintage steam locomotives to more modern diesel-electric engines. It was a great place to make photographs, and while I took some photographs of entire engines and cars, it was the the little details that really appealed to me – in this case what I’ve come to refer to generically as “Rust and Peeling Paint.” It is the details that are “about” a place, taken “at” at place that I love to photograph.
Illinois Railway Museum near Union, Illinois
We spent several hours there and had a chance to take a ride on a vintage electric “Interurban” train car (much like a trolley but larger and faster). It’s the kind of place where you can find something new with as much time as you have. A few hours was plenty for us, but it wouldn’t be a bad place to return to some time in the future.
Illinois Railway Museum near Union, IllinoisIllinois Railway Museum near Union, IllinoisIllinois Railway Museum near Union, IllinoisIllinois Railway Museum near Union, IllinoisAtchison Topeka and Santa Fe Engine 2903. Illinois Railway Museum near Union, IllinoisAtchison Topeka and Santa Fe Engine 2903. Illinois Railway Museum near Union, IllinoisAtchison Topeka and Santa Fe Engine 2903. Illinois Railway Museum near Union, IllinoisIllinois Railway Museum near Union, IllinoisIllinois Railway Museum near Union, IllinoisIllinois Railway Museum near Union, IllinoisIllinois Railway Museum near Union, IllinoisIllinois Railway Museum near Union, IllinoisIllinois Railway Museum near Union, IllinoisIllinois Railway Museum near Union, IllinoisIllinois Railway Museum near Union, IllinoisIllinois Railway Museum near Union, Illinois
Abandoned barn along SR 47 between Dwight and Forrest, Illinois
Kathy & I had some time to kill yesterday on our drive to Wisconsin, so what better way to stretch the 6 hour drive into 8 hours than to look for photos?
Rural farmland along SR 47 near Dwight, IllinoisAbandoned farm buildings at the Sibley State Habitat area along SR 47 near Sibley, Illinois
Earlier in the day we had encountered the tail end of some of the soaking rains that passed through central Illinois in previous days and were treated to beautiful skies as the storm clouds broke up into what I call “Ansel Adams Clouds.” It was quite a treat. We detoured down several side roads and came across some interesting scenes, including extensive wind farms and old barns. Quite a nice day to extend a trip on a nice day!
I am trying to shoot exclusively with my prime lenses on this trip, but in a last-minute moment of weakness I tossed my 16-80 zoom into a bag. I’m going to try hard not to use it, but it is with me in case the need should arise. Interestingly, I started off the day with my 23, but at one point realized that I needed to switch to the 35. My first though started out as “oh, I don’t want to bother changing lenses.” But then my sensible side said, “you idiot, if you need to change lenses you change lenses!” So I did. I also remembered to put on my polarizer!
Rural farmland along SR 47 near Dwight, IllinoisRural farmland along SR 47 near Dwight, IllinoisWind farm along SR 47 near Dwight, Illinois
Sunrise on the beach on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
I’ve just finished up processing my photos from our Southwest road trip and from our recent visit to Hilton Head Island, SC. Just in time for our next adventure – we shove off again on Saturday! This will be our annual “Friends and Family Tour” as Kathy likes to call it. Other than our kids, most of what remains of our families is in Ohio or will be there for the Fourth of July. I’ve got a childhood friend who lives in western Pennsylvania, and we have friends in Wisconsin. So off we go!
Sunrise on the beach on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
I mentioned earlier that I only got up early on two mornings at the beach, but I chose them well. I’ve been going to Hilton Head long enough to know when the tides and times coincide to provide the pools I love to use as foreground. An added bonus is when the clouds cooperate too, as they did for me on both occasions. Sweet!
Sunrise on the beach on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
I found it interesting that, even though the conditions were virtually identical both mornings, the overall color cast was radically different – red the first morning and blue the second. I did minimal (for me) processing on this photos and the colors are pretty faithful albeit a bit more saturated than what I saw. I’m sure the difference in color is due to some sort of atmospherical anomaly, but I only know that it made for some purdy pitchers.
Sunrise on the beach on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Mornings are a lovely time on the beach. I could go out there without a camera, sit on one of the storage boxes the lifeguards use and watch the morning unfold. When the sunrise is early – around 6:15 – like it was in May and June, there are very few people out – just me, a few birds and sometimes a few dolphins. Most of the people are walking, so even if they walk through my frame, a slow shutter speed makes them blurry and sometimes invisible. There was one guy with a dog that had a light on its collar which was kind of annoying, but he thankfully stayed out of my view!
Sunrise on the beach on Hilton Head Island, South CarolinaSunrise on the beach on Hilton Head Island, South CarolinaSunrise on the beach on Hilton Head Island, South CarolinaSunrise on the beach on Hilton Head Island, South CarolinaSunrise on the beach on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. The light on the horizon is actually a fishing boat, not the sun!Sunrise on the beach on Hilton Head Island, South CarolinaSunrise on the beach on Hilton Head Island, South CarolinaSunrise on the beach on Hilton Head Island, South CarolinaSunrise on the beach on Hilton Head Island, South CarolinaSunrise on the beach on Hilton Head Island, South CarolinaSunrise on the beach on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
The Old Mill in the T.R. Pugh Memorial Park in Little Rock, Arkansas
I took pictures at more places in Arkansas than this, but it was such a special morning that I wanted to do a separate post.
The Old Mill in the T.R. Pugh Memorial Park in Little Rock, Arkansas
The Old Mill is a historic re-creation of an 1880’s water-powered grist mill located in T.R. Pugh Memorial Park in Little Rock, Arkansas. I didn’t confirm this by watching, but it is reportedly featured in the opening scenes of the classic movie “Gone With The Wind.” In addition to the mill and the beautiful gardens surrounding it, the park features sculptures by Senor Dionicio Rodriguez and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Old Mill in the T.R. Pugh Memorial Park in Little Rock, Arkansas
We lucked into a nearly perfect morning to photograph the mill. It was fairly early on a Sunday, the air was a little misty with a nice overcast and the flowers were blooming nicely. I don’t use a polarizer as much as I should, but as soon as I started composing I realized that I had better put it on. It made all the difference, saturating the colors and cutting the reflections.
The Old Mill in the T.R. Pugh Memorial Park in Little Rock, Arkansas
I had to work around some construction activity that was happening on the hillside to the left (my left) of the mill and a few people that wandered in. The bare hillside and orange construction fencing limited my compositional choices, but I still came away with a few nice photos. I took some photos with the hillside in the background anyway, and may one day soon try my hand at Photoshop to “repair” some of the damage. My skills are pretty basic so we’ll see how that goes.
The Old Mill in the T.R. Pugh Memorial Park in Little Rock, Arkansas
I haven’t taken the time to make photographs like these too much lately, but it is a good reminder that I still know how and to get out and do more of them!
“Yukon’s Best Flour” mill located on Historic Route 66 in Yukon, Oklahoma
One of the five new states we visited on our Southwest road trip was Oklahoma. I’ll be the first to admit that we didn’t try real hard to find places to stop, but it was getting close to the end of the trip, it had been a long day, and we ended up losing a couple of hours due to their silly “exact change” toll road system (long story!). Otherwise we might have spent a little more time in the Tulsa area, as what we saw from the freeway made it look pretty nice.
Oklahoma Route 66 Museum on Historic Route 66 in Clinton, OklahomaOklahoma Route 66 Museum on Historic Route 66 in Clinton, Oklahoma
We did manage to drive through Yukon, famous for being the birthplace of Garth Brooks. And we spent a little time in Catoosa, primarily to see the Blue Whale, a kitchsy Route 66 icon. And we grabbed shots of a few other places just to prove we were in the state. All in all we only ended up with 53 photos from Oklahoma, and that includes a few of Kathy’s “out the window” pictures. Not exactly our best effort, but it got the job done. We hope to make more trips out west to see more parks and visit our friends out there, so we’ll likely have more opportunity to visit the state. In the mean time, we’ve placed a check mark next to Oklahoma!
Train station and post office in Catoosa, OklahomaTrain station and post office in Catoosa, OklahomaThe Blue Whale of Catoosa, a Route 66 roadside attraction in Catoosa, OklahomaThe Blue Whale of Catoosa, a Route 66 roadside attraction in Catoosa, OklahomaWelcome to Oklahoma
Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument in Arizona
For those sweating out the latest heat wave or monsoon, or someone who just has some time on their hands, I’ve completed posting galleries from our recent Southwest US road trip to my Adobe Portfolio page. There is some stuff there that I haven’t posted here (yet) but a lot of it just expands on photos I’ve already shared. Just be aware that there are 1155 photos over 11 galleries!
The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, ArkansasFrank Lloyd Wright’s Bachman-Wilson House at The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, ArkansasRiding the Sandia Peak Tramway to an elevation of 10,378 feet. Albuquerque, New Mexico
Views from Mohave Point Overlook, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
It’s a bit of a paradox for me – it’s hard to make a bad picture of the Grand Canyon. But yet, it’s hard to make a really good picture of the Grand Canyon. Not because it is one of the most photographed places on Earth and has been done a bazillion times and a bazillion ways, but because it is so darned BIG!
View from Grand Canyon Village near the El Tovar Hotel, Grand Canyon National Park, ArizonaDesert View Watchtower area of Grand Canyon National Park, ArizonaView from Mohave Point Overlook, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
Of course it is impossible to imagine what something like the Grand Canyon will look like in person. I’ve been to Niagara Falls, and it is big. I’ve been to Alaska, and places like Glacier Bay, College Fjord, Denali? Indescribable. But the Grand Canyon? I’ve seen it from the air and didn’t realize what it was, because it is so vast. And down on the ground where you can only see a small part of it, while that part was so big, well. Words fail me although it doesn’t stop me trying.
Views from Maricopa Point Overlook, Grand Canyon National Park, ArizonaHermits Rest, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
We originally weren’t planning to stop at the Grand Canyon, figuring it would be overrun with people, with no place to park, overlooks and shuttle buses crowded with people. But no. We arranged our schedule to get there on a Monday in early May, which turned out to be a great choice. We got a good place to park, never had to wait for the next shuttle, had very few people at the overlooks, and relatively light crowds in the Grand Canyon Village. We even got a reservation for lunch at the El Tovar Hotel and a table with a canyon view. Sweet!
Desert View Watchtower area of Grand Canyon National Park, ArizonaDesert View Watchtower area of Grand Canyon National Park, ArizonaDesert View Watchtower at Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
We only had a day, so we made the most of it. We didn’t try to get there for sunrise or stay until sunset, partly because I knew that early and late in the day, when the canyon is all in shadow, is generally not the best time to photograph it. The middle parts of the day provide good, even lighting, while the hours before and after can provide some dramatic shadows. It’s also important (I think) to have some nice clouds to provide an interesting sky. We sort of lucked out on all those counts.
Desert View Watchtower area of Grand Canyon National Park, ArizonaDesert View Watchtower area of Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
It was a good day and we were both very glad to have made the effort. There are a lot more parks that we want to see, and once we finish up our 50 states project, getting to those parks is going to be one of our priorities. The list is long!
As I’ve been doing, for those who are interested or just bored I’ve added a Grand Canyon gallery to my Adobe Portfolio site.
Desert View Watchtower area of Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
