The sun has its shine back.

We were treated to sun shine today. It was windy and cool, but sunny. The lettuce and snap peas I planted in the garden have broken ground, so has the sunflowers. There's no sign of the string beans. Last year I had to plant string bean seeds a second time. I might be a bit too early again.

Today's photo is of dead Goldenrod against a greening background. I think it's Goldenrod, but it could be Mugwort. I made the photo last Saturday at the Elwood Nature Preserve.

A bloom in the sun

I made this picture last Saturday. I was sent to a nature preserve where volunteers were gathering to eradicate mugwort; an invasive weed. I was early, and took a walk and found this backlit bloom along one of the paths.

It was an interesting morning. I learned what mugwort was, how its roots contain a poison that harms other plants, and how it spreads. The volunteers needed to bag all of what they picked so the town could dispose of it properly.

Saturday was the last day we saw sunlight. It's also been very cold here on Long Island. Brian told his mother it snowed in Potsdam NY today. I am done with winter.

Tulip in the rain

I had some fun yesterday walking around Hampton Bays photographing the tulips. Lucky the rain let up for a bit. It would have been easier with a macro lens on the the SLR, but the Canon G10 worked ok. It's hard to hold the focus with me holding the camera away from my face. With an SLR, I can steady the camera with both of my arms while holding the camera against my face. The advantage of digital photography is that you can see your results and keep making images till you get what you want. Film had to come back from the lab before you knew if you got what you were after.

Comercial Kitchen

I made these two photos today while waiting for an event to start. This kitchen is in a senior center and Brenda runs the place. She always make me carrot cake muffins whenever she knows I'm coming there. Today the kitchen was closed. I was amazed at how clean everything was; usually the place is so busy you can't focus on the small stuff. Today, I was able to roam around and look at things and make a couple of photos.

Both are HDR photos processed with Photomatix Pro. Both were made with the Canon 5dmkII.

Flowers in the yard.

The yard is in bloom, tulips are up, the bleeding hearts are opened and the grass is green. So, I thought I'd get some low angles of some of the flowers in the yard. I used the Canon G10 and the macro mode for these.

I could live in Holland

 

Tulips are among my favorite flowers. I especially love all the colors you can get them in.

These are growing in a highway median. I was assigned to photograph the beautification efforts of a town trying to cut down on highway litter. A study was done that says people are less likely to litter landscaped roadways. Not New Yorkers, they don't seem to care, planted or not, there is litter.

In-flight photos

Pick a color

Well the visit is over. I'm home. The visit was nice. It's great to see my brothers, my sister and my parents. My parents are looking good even though they are getting older. It breaks my heart to see my father so immobile.

I can't see myself ever living in Florida. Just too well manicured for my taste. And I like the four seasons. Today's post is the development my sister lives in. This is not all of Florida. I couldn't include my sisters house because she had a garden hose hanging on the wall under the house number... damn New Yorkers!

Moss

Well, it time, ten of five and I need to catch my flight to Florida. I don't care for flying. A bunch a people in a long tube with wings. Scary. I'll try to post from my parents home, if not I'll be back Monday.

Spring Blossoms

 

Spring blooms

 the aroma of worked soil

 a setting sun

colors for another day.

Inspired by Hillary and Jinksy’s collaboration Poetography, I decided to try a poem to go with one of my images. I’m not a poet by any stretch of the imagination. 

One of the first blogs I ever posted on Pictures Poetry & Prose, published by Laura Jayne was always one of my favorites. I thought it was so cool how she found a photo or other image and enticed viewers to pen a story or poem about the image. Unfortunately she closed her site after the loss of her job. I still think about her and keep her and her family in my prays. 

I used the Canon 5dmkII and Photoshop for this image.

Peconic River

 

I stopped by the Peconic River yesterday after getting an oil change for my car. There was a man fishing who seemed to mind me being there. Camera shy fish can't be caught I guess. Anyway, I saw the signs of spring in the river and along the banks. I made this photo in the still part, where the reed grass grows. New green spouts are breaking the surface and soon will be a thick haven for dragonflies, mosquitoes, redwing blackbirds and the rest of summer life.

I'm getting all packed and ready for a three day trip to Florida to visit my family. I leave Friday morning for my parents home in Lakeland Florida. My sister and her family also live in Lakeland. The youngster of the family, John will come up from Fort Lauderdale sometime Friday and the last of the clan, Dan and his girlfriend, Shelly will be there Saturday. I'm looking forward to the visit.

Bamboo leaf

It was a beautiful day on Long Island today, Sun shine, warm breeze and clear blue skies, just a perfect spring day.

I came across this patch of back lite bamboo and felt like a kid in a candy store.

I used the Canon 5d mkII and ACR for this image.

47

This is one of the places I like to take my camera and walk. It's land managed by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation as a hunting area. The paths are numbered and those numbers coincide with a license and rules. Hunting is only open in the winter months and depending on the area, limited to what you can hunt for and hunt with. You might only be able to hunt with bows in one area.

I stay out of these areas during hunting season. I've been to this area a dozen or so times and it was only this past week I thought to photograph the sign for my numbers series.

I used the Canon G20 and ACR for this image.

Rainy Day Photography

We has a whole day of spring rain, the light misty kind of rain. The kind of rain that make flowers grow and the green grass sparkle. I had a lot of fun out in the rain today, except for the tick I found crawling up my pant leg.

Colors on the side of the road.

 

I don't know what this is. Possibly a pool liner or an inflatable boat of some kind. It was on the side of the road, dumped by someone. I drove past it and it caught my eye.

It was an exceptionally beautiful day. So I got some of the flowerbeds cleaned up. And put together my tax stuff. And on top of that, Hillary chose my Arrows post as a Post of the Week runner-up again. That's twice in one life time! It doesn't get better than that.

This image was made with the Canon G10 and processed with Photomatix Pro Tone Mapping program and Photoshop.

Ladybug, Ladybug

I found this little ladybug sleeping in the new bud of the Black Cherry tree in the front yard. Spring is a great time of year to look close at things.

Made this with the Canon G10, I couldn't get close enough with my other camera / lens combo.

I processed this in ACR.

The American Dream

I had to drop off a job at eight-thirty this morning in Central Islip. As I walked out of the print shop, I saw this gentleman across the street. He was having a King Cobra which he hid behind the bag. I wondered about him, suit, tie and dress shoes, did he just loose his job?

Recently, I've come across that a lot. People loosing their jobs.

There's an American Flag in the window, it has lost some of its color. Some of the substance that makes up this flag has worn thin and disappeared.

It hangs in that window below the flag of El Salvador or Honduras or Nicaragua, I'm not sure which.

It can't help this man that sits there drowning his sorrows.

Someone I know was let go Friday. 

I was told by a professor in college never to make photos of street people or the less fortunate or whatever you want to call them. She told us, as photographers, we're only a paycheck away from a life on the street.

Sorry Ms. Buttfield, I just never saw so much disappointment in one photograph before.

Photoshop and the Canon 5d mkII were used for this photo.

Lake Champlain

  This is Lake Champlain from the Grand Isle, Vermont side looking towards New York State. I believe the mountain range is the Adirondack Mountains. This photo was made yesterday when we picked Brian up at the ferry. I made another one this morning, a little different. After twelve hours of driving they both look the same.

Northfield VT

As I mentioned previously, we drove up to Northfield Vermont to spend Easter weekend as a family. Our older son, Brian drove across the upper border of New York State with a friend. We met them in Plattsburgh NY and all had lunch together. An Easter lunch a day early.

After lunch, Brian drove back to Northfield with us where Adam showed of his campus and the town to his older brother.

Northfield is a quaint town that is home to Norwich University, America's first Military School. We took a long walk through the campus and the surrounding neighborhood. This was Brian's first time to the campus or town.

On the walk, I noticed many of the houses flew American flags. I saw more than what I normally see back on Long Island. This is the third of April, not Memorial Day or the Fourth of July right? Back home that's the reason to fly an American flag. Back home it seems patriotic to fly a flag on a national holiday. Here people fly the flag all the time. Truly a proud community, a patriotic community and a beautiful community.

Both photos were made with the Canon 5d mkII and processed in Photoshop. A Happy and Blessed Easter to all. We drive back home home tomorrow, Easter Sunday.

Signs of Spring

We leave at 5:30 for Vermont. Brian and Adam both don't have more that the weekend off , so we'll take Easter up to them. Brian is getting a ride across the state and we'll meet him at the Grand Island ferry. Then on Sunday we'll get him back to the ferry.

The weather looks ok, no rain or snow but Sunday it's overcast.

Today's post comes from yesterday's walk in the light rain and the pussy willow is from a few days earlier when we had sunshine.

I made both of these with the Canon 5d mkII and processed them in photoshop.