New Moon Shine

Despite the title, this is not a moon. Nor is it a space station. It is actually sunset from the shores of Tilghman Island. I did some work in post-processing to give it an entirely different fee. Perhaps I should post the original for comparison.

Glass Flower

As I get further away from the photo-a-day lifestyle in seems that more and more of my photographs are concentrated on those lucky occasions when the Mrs. and I get to go a weekend jaunt. This shot was taken on such a getaway to St. Mary's, MD, in what the local may call the Eastern Shore. It is the kind of place with many colorful yet overpriced things.

Night Falls on Toronto

It was worth the lugging and the odd looks to take my tripod to the top of the CN Tower in Toronto, Ontario to take some long exposure shots as the sun went down. The tripod did not help with tourists and the reflections and smudges on the glass. Those took some creative MacGuyverism and patience to overcome.

Can't Help Falling

From the outside, the super tall hotels that ring the Canadian side of Niagara Falls are something of an eyesore. From the inside, however, they provide a wonderful view of the falls. Especially when your wife gets you a 15 floor upgrade because your original room "smelled like smoke".

Hail to the Lion

(click through to view it large)

The Nittany Lion Shrine has got to be one of the most photographed mountain lion statues in all of Central Pennsylvania. Didn't stop me from taking a few shots when I visited the Holy Land last summer. A great shrine of a great mascot for a great school. We are!

Jason

Portraits are the type of photography at which I feel most weak. I don't like taking them, and when I do, I am usually not happy with the results. If you look through this blog or my photostream, you'll notice there are more pictures of Lego people than there are of actual people.

Because of this, I need to take more portraits. Also because of this, when I do get one that I think is decent, I'm happy to share. And so I bring you Jason. He is one of the regular cast of characters that I see yearly at my brother's pig pickin'

Final Exit

On the other side of this door is New York City - East Broadway at the Manhattan Bridge - right in the chaotic heart of a Chinatown morning. People are hurrying in all directions as vendors unload truckfuls of mysterious produce and other unknown wonders while cars and trains pass by noisily on the bridge. This side of the door holds quiet and calm, but that all changes as you pass through, and there is no going back.

Greenwich Fountain

Another shot from my last NY trip - this time from Greenwich Village, which I wandered through in search of some dinner. Unlike most of the time I'm New York, I was able to leave the office before dark which of course gives the city an entirely different look.

Outside the Inn

Day 364



This building, the Inn at St. Peters, is the location of my very first job. Many, many years ago, my friend Craig and I were hired to pull weeds in the beds surrounding the patio. We were paid in burgers and french fries. It did not take us long to figure out that if we did not remove the roots, we would have more steady employment.

Union Station Christmas Tree

Day 331



So they say the day before Thanksgiving is supposed to be some really busy travel day. I took the NYC subway to New York Penn Station, then Amtrak to Union Station in DC, then DC Metro to Shady Grove, and it really was not that bad. In fact, I had enough energy left at the end to take a few pictures, including this one. I also wanted another try at this photo of tables in Union Station which I felt was very close to being a great shot. Unfortunately, I couldn't do any better.

Tomorrow You'll Be Five

Day 301



One of my most favorite parts of the day is checking in on the kids before I go to bed. Maybe because it is the only time I get to see them when they are quiet, but it is something I always look forward to (and will go do tonight as soon as I finish writing this). This particular night was something special for my daughter, because she fell asleep as a four year old, and would wake up as a five year old. 1,827 nights is a long time, but even after 18,000 more, she'll still be my baby

Power to the People

Day 293



The second night sleeping in a tent is always better than the first one. Even so, I was up before the sun so decided to try to capture the sunrise over the mountains. Unfortunately, power-lines obscured every good view. Instead of being defeated and frustrated, I decided to embrace the obstacle. Not literally, because that would have been cold, and lets face it, odd even for me.

My Eye On You

Day 292



While we were camping, he headed over to a small aviary that is part of Cunningham Falls/Gambrill State Park. We got there right at feeding time, so we got to see hawks and other birds of prey enjoy some tasty dead mouses. This eagle seemed above it all. Despite being injured and captive, he still managed to look quite regal. Make me glad the Ben Franklin did not get his way when he wanted the turkey named as our national bird.

Flame On

Day 291



I did not learn back in June that on the opening day of a camping trip, by the time everything is setup, it will be too dark to photograph much. Luckily where there is fire, there is also light. And, since it was getting chillier by the moment, it is also good that where there is fire, there is also heat.

Festive

Day 263



My favorite style of beer is definitely Oktoberfest. I'd like to thank Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen for getting married back on 12 October 1810, and starting the tradition of Oktoberfest, which has since led to this delicious style of beer. Along with Spiced Wafers, it is one of my favorite parts of Autumn. Though this glass was a bit less than a Maß, it was followed by a couple more to make up the difference.

elppAApple

Day 261



Since at home the nearest Apple store is an hour drive away, being able to walk to one in a few minutes while in New York was kind of a big deal. At least it was until I got there. It was nice enough, I suppose, but very underwhelming. I was expecting more, especially since I am recent convert. Ironically, the windows were very shiny though.

AA

Day 260



On the advice of colleague, I decided to have dinner at Katz's Deli. Those of you that remember the "I'll have what she's having." scene from When Harry Met Sally will be familiar with this establishment. It was definitely very touristy - the kind of place where the wall is covered of pictures of the owner (who looks a bit like Rob Reiner, ironically) and more celebrities than anyone could recognize (I sat next to the pictures of Danny DeVito and some German rock band).

Anyway, the food was good, and the waitress was the hardest working person I've ever met. What any of this has to do with this picture is that this a close up of the sign out front.

Take Me Up

Day 236



The Mrs and I stayed in DC and visited some museums we may or may not have ever visited before. This shot was taken in the National Gallery of Art, and features a sculpture by Martin Puryear. What I like about this shot is that you totally can't tell that is this a fairly big sculpture of a ladder that is hanging in the large rotunda. I took the shot, and I can't even tell.

Castle

Day 235



The Mrs. and I travelled to DC for a photowalk organized by Trevor Carpenter. We had shot many of the same sites last September, but it was a whole different experience photowalking with over 50 fellow photographers. One thing about a group that size is that it is hard to keep together, especially after dark, so by the time I took this shot, it was just Shelley and me. That was even better.

See all of Shelley's shots starting here and the rest of mine here and the big set of many of the photowalkers here.

Me So Hornworm

Day 233



The kids brought some new friends home with them from Grammy's house. These hornworms, aka big tomato bugs, soon found a home in the butterfly/mantis/firefly habitat. This guy, whom they've named "Grandpa" was quite cooperative, and did not mind posing on peaches rather than his native fruit.

I'm pleased with how this shot came came out, and expect I will love it for a long time.