Day 59: February 28, 2010

Something Old, Something New

Today's photo shoot was at the Law Quadrangle at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI.  The buildings are very cool - I suspect I will be mining today's shots for much of the upcoming week!  Most of the architecture is designed to mimic Ivy League schools - lots of Gothic details and stonework.  They are working on a new addition to the Law Library that is ultra-modern.  It's connected directly to the original Law Library building and has a lot of steel and glass.  

This shot is of part of the new addition - a huge sloping wall of windows that you can look down on from the sidewalk outside the old part of the building.  I love how the old is reflected in the new in this shot.  You can even see part of the interior of the new part in the bottom panes - lots of wood and open spaces inside.

Today's post was inspired by Weekend Reflections.

Day 58: February 27, 2010

U of M in Monochrome

This is an administration building on the campus of the University of Michigan.  I spent the weekend up in Ann Arbor, hence the lateness of this post - but it was taken on 2/27 - honest!  I liked the stark, 60's architecture of the building - the rumor persists that the narrow windows (and no office windows on the first floor which you can't see in this shot) were to cut down on student protests in the open area outside the building - if nobody can see you protest, what's the point?  I doubt that was the reason for the architecture, but it makes for an interesting story.

In the open area between this building and some others, is the abstract cube sculpture below.  The cube is solid black, so it really worked in monochrome.  It rests on a pivot which allows passers-by to spin it with a push.  It continues to spin for quite a while after one pushes it, thanks to physics - center of gravity and balance!

Today's post is part of Monochrome Weekend.

Day 57: February 26, 2010

Snowfall at Dusk

Are you sick of snow pictures? Tough.  If I have to see snow falling every day - you do too!

I'd been struggling with trying to capture falling snowflakes adequately - they either became snow bokeh or just disappeared into the background.  I got minimal success the other day with the big fat flakes that drifted down slowly, but tonight..... I had unexpected success!

I went out at dusk - it seemed lighter to my eyes than it appears in the photo above, but a flash was definitely needed.  Guess what? Snowflakes reflect light!  As in light from a flash.  Yes, I know it should have been obvious, but I was pleasantly surprised.  The snow looks like stars in an inky sky.  Now I want to experiment MORE!

Day 56: February 25, 2010

Stripes and Spheres

This is another one of my kaleidoscopes.  I really like the contrasts of the different woods in the handmade body of the kaleidoscope, and they seem to look richer in monochrome.  It has five different glass marbles that can be swapped out for different effects when looking through it.  I really need to learn more about lighting and invest in different lights, flashes, etc...

Day 55: February 24, 2010

Flawed Curves

Today was a 13-hour day at work.  Not much time or energy left for photography at the end of it.  This is a close-up of an incense burner I've had for ages.  I did not desaturate this photo, though I did tweak the color balance a little in post processing.  I was attracted to the line of the piece - the curves.   The flaws only became apparent when I uploaded the pic to my computer.  There's probably something symbolic or deep I could write about the metaphor of beauty despite - or because of - flaws, but I'm just too tired today.

Day 54: February 23, 2010

When Frogs Fly

Today was another long day with very little time to take any photos at all.  I looked around the interior of my house for something of interest to shoot today and settled on my flying frog.  He's made of wood and his wings are always falling out of their slots, but I've always liked him.  I can't remember who gave him to me or where he comes from, but it's quirky and kind of cute, so I've kept him hanging around.  The vast majority of my frog stuff is at school, but this is one thing I keep at home - in my bedroom!

Day 53: February 22, 2010

More Snow...Maybe Prayer Will Help?

Yup. More snow today.  Ended up with a 2-hour delay for school.  This statue of Mary is right outside my classroom.  There's a large grassy area surrounded by trees beyond the statue and a brick patio in front of it.  Today the flakes were huge and drifted down slowly to cover everything in sight.  I do like winter and snow - honest! But this year, I'm more than ready for Spring!

Day 52: February 21, 2010

Grandma's 94th Birthday

Today we celebrated my Grandma's 94th Birthday!  She still lives in her own apartment, as does her 98 year old sister in California.  She has an aide and two daughters that live locally (my mom included) help out daily as well.  Despite Alzheimer's, she still knows who I am.  She raised seven children through the Great Depression, World War II, and beyond.  

The "Weekend Challenge" over at Digital Photography School was to take a candid of someone.  I was across the room and Grandma heard my camera.  She looked up at me and smiled.  I can't think of a better subject to feature than Grandma on her 94th birthday.

Monochrome Weekend: Budding Trees

 

Spring is one month away, but the trees are starting to bud - yay!  This post is part of Monochrome Weekend.

Day 51: February 20, 2010

Signs of Spring

 

Today was sunny and much warmer (all the way up to 40F!).  So of course, I ventured out to Wildwood Metropark to take advantage of the weather.  Birdsong was everywhere - spring is definitely coming, despite the winter storm watch we are currently under for tomorrow and Monday.  This little guy was making quite a racket trying to get to the emerging insect life.  Wish I'd had my telephoto lens with me, but had to make do with the kit lens.

It's still winter, however, and while trees are starting to show buds, lots of dried leaves and weeds remain, like the one below.

Day 50: February 19, 2010

Words in the Snow

I am almost too angry to write just now.  When I got home last night, it was 8:30 and dark.  My daughter mentioned that she'd seen the words "Welcome Home, I Love You" written in the snow paralleling our driveway when her grandma dropped her off after school.  I thought, "how sweet - must be the neighbor girl's boyfriend or maybe the husband did it for his wife" (we share a driveway).  This morning I got to see the words and also noticed a large heart along the front sidewalk.  

As you can see from the photo above, we have a large double lot with a lot of pristine snow surface.  It must have been too much temptation for someone, because today when I was bringing in the garbage can after work, I saw the REST of the lettering in the snow in my yard.

There is a racial slur and mention of a well-known white-supremacist group as well as references to someone being fat and the word s*x.  I am angry.  Some say it's just bored kids who couldn't resist the canvas that is my snow-covered yard.  I say it's vandalism and a hate crime, regardless of whether I was the target or not (I don't believe it was directed toward me - I do think it was high school aged kids in the neighborhood).  The police agree it is a hate crime and want to come take a statement. 

So I'm waiting for them to show up (could be hours - not exactly a high priority, I realize).

And I realized the only pictures I took today were of the words in the snow (evidence and all that).  So you get the above shot - heavily tweaked on the color balance and contrast sliders.  I kind of identified with the blue cast and the heavy shadows from the trees - mirrors my current mood at the moment.

Day 49: February 18, 2010

Art Museum Exterior

Today was a field trip to the Toledo Museum of Art's Peristyle theater to see a Young People's Concert by the Toledo Symphony Orchestra. We had to wait quite a while outside while the students at the first performance left the building.  I took advantage of the wait to take a few pictures of the front entrance area.  The museum building has a lot of architectural details like this row of gargoyles atop a row of fluted columns.  I love the color of the patina.

In front of the marble steps leading up to this particular entrance (which leads directly into the theater as opposed to the main museum area), there are various sculptures and this sign:

There isn't actually an underground metro stop here (nor anywhere in Toledo!), but the illusion is fun.

Day 48: February 17, 2010

Ash Wednesday

My daughter didn't want her entire face in the picture, so you get a close-up of the ashes on her forehead on Ash Wednesday.  Even after 40 years of being Catholic, I still do a double take when I see myself in the mirror on Ash Wednesday.  I also wonder why people are looking at me weirdly the rest of the day - takes me a moment to remember the ashes are there!

Day 47: February 16, 2010

Pączki Time!

Today's photos have zero photographic merit.  Shooting quickly in a line of hungry people under florescent lighting is not conducive to quality photos.  However, I couldn't resist taking a picture of the happy, Polish-flag-waving pastry advertising that today is Fat Tuesday.  

Pączki (pronounced roughly, POONSCH-KE) are a Polish tradition that Toledo has embraced wholeheartedly.  Today is the last day before Lent, the time of fasting before Easter for Catholics. Toledo has a large Catholic population, as well as a large Polish-American population.  The traditional baking of these lard-laden treats is done down in the Polish Village.  The other source of "authentic" pączki is a bakery right down the street from my house.  The cars line up down the busy street from 6:00 am until they run out.  When we got there today at 4:30, they'd only run out of custard filled, and the line of cars showed no signs of slowing down.

Traditional pączki are either not filled or are filled with a prune filling.  Today, in Toledo, the tradition has expanded to meet more American tastes.  The available fillings are listed in the sign below.  See if you can spot the TWO errors in this sign:

 

 

OK, the first is obvious - the apostrophe has no business being there! The second is obvious only if you know your Polish.  Pączki is already plural! It doesn't need an "s" either!  If you are only indulging in ONE pastry, you would write pączek, and pronounce it POON-check.  This is not something I was aware of until last year when a friend of Polish descent enlightened me!

So what exactly IS a pączek?  Essentially, a large, filled (or not) doughnut.  Here in Toledo, we cover them in powdered sugar.  Another friend of Polish descent tells me her grandmother NEVER covered them in sugar when she made them at home.  Regardless, they are delicious, fattening, and a Fat Tuesday tradition!  Below is a shot of a tray of pączki at the bakery. I think these may have been blueberry.

Day 46: February 15, 2010

Polydactyl Paws

This is a close-up of our other cat, Colby.  He's polydactyl, meaning he has more toes than a normal cat (some people know these cats as Hemingway cats because Ernest Hemingway owned a lot of them).  This results in him having "thumbs" on his front paws - he even has a residual toe with a nail in between the thumb and the rest of his toes!  Thankfully, he hasn't yet figured out how to use his thumbs to open doors, though he has tried!

And a bonus shot of the two cats snuggling on the back of the big chair in the living room, just because it's cute.

Monochrome Weekend: Stream in Winter

The other shots I took this weekend did not really lend themselves to being rendered in monochrome.  The shots I took of the snowy woods earlier this week did, however.  Below is a shot of Ten-Mile Creek as it meanders through Wildwood Park in Toledo, OH. We ended up with nearly a foot of snow on the ground from that storm - made for beautiful scenery!

This post is part of Monochrome Weekend.

Day 45: February 14, 2010

Valentine's Day

Cliche or not, it's always nice to get flowers on Valentine's Day!  This lily opened up this morning and was absolutely beautiful.   Once again, I found myself wishing I had a macro lens.  Had to make do, but opening the blinds to let the natural light in helped.  I took a few shots, but the one above is my favorite.  Another is below.  Happy Valentine's Day!

Day 44: February 13, 2010

Meow is a word!

Because the Scrabble board rotates and because the tiles make all sorts of interesting noises in the bag, Wednesday was very intrigued by our Scrabble game!  She looks like she is contemplating a big play in this shot.

Day 43: February 12, 2010

Irony?

Yet another shot from inside the car while stopped at a red light.  I pass this bench every day on my way to and from work.  It makes me cringe a bit inside each time I see it, but today just made me shake my head and chuckle.  Toledo has been hit especially hard by the recession, we have the highest teen-pregnancy rate in the state, and our former mayor was a laughingstock and embarrassment (he actually wanted to move all the deaf people to the airport area because they wouldn't complain about the noise of the planes).

Don't get me wrong - Toledo does have a lot going for it - we have one of the nation's top ten zoos, top ten art museums (which still has free admission), a vibrant arts community, a symphony orchestra, a great metropark system, and almost no rush-hour traffic jams. (Not to mention a brand-new mayor!)

I'm just not sure how far the sentiment on the bench goes when the city plows snow up to the level of the seat!  Also the word "still" in the slogan just doesn't sit well with me, but maybe that's just me.

Day 42: February 11, 2010

Icicles

Today it warmed up to 32 degrees F - warm enough for some of the snow to start to melt into icicles.  We have a roof with no gutters, so the icicles hang all the way along the edge of the house.  I had some trouble getting these shots - the camera wouldn't stay focused on the icicles.  A couple more attempts are below.

 

 

Day 41: February 10, 2010

Snowy Woods

 

 The snow finally stopped falling after 29 hours and nearly a foot of accumulation on the ground.  I ventured out to Wildwood Metropark to shoot the snow in the woods.  Everything looked frosted in snow.  Very pretty and peaceful - there were not many people there today!  I took more shots of my intended target, 10-Mile Creek (which meanders through the property), but decided this one was better. The others can be seen on my Picasa public page (link in the sidebar).

Day 40: February 9, 2010

Wednesday on a Tuesday

 

Today was a snow day - schools, libraries, stores all closed down for the day.  It was not a day to venture outside at all! I set up the tripod and tried to convince Wednesday the kitten to sit still long enough for a portrait with no flash.  Even the quickest flash results in a picture of her eyes squeezed tightly shut!  She has beautiful eyes and I wanted to capture that.  Wednesday is still very much an energetic kitten and nearly five months old. She's grown a lot since we brought her home in December, but she remains dwarfed by our 16lb, 18 month old cat, Colby!  Luckily they get along and play and sleep together every day.

Day 39: February 8, 2010

Frescatron

This is the robot my daughter built from a kit she got last year.  She named it Frescatron.  He's more cute than scary.  I really need a lightbox or something to take pictures like this when I don't want a cluttered background.  Had to improvise tonight with pieces of styrofoam we had laying around.

Day 38: February 7, 2010

Puzzled

 

This is how I spent Super Bowl Sunday. Working on the World's Largest Jigsaw Puzzle.  A friend of mine is really into puzzles.  Her husband buys her one for Christmas every year. This year he splurged on what is literally the world's largest puzzle (see the link above for more information).  It has 24,000 pieces.  It measures 4.28m by 1.57m (that's more than 14 feet by 5 feet) when completed.  It is completely insane.  And very beautiful.

Thankfully it arrives in four bags - each one containing the 6,000 pieces needed to work on a fourth of the puzzle.  They purchased smooth wooden boards large enough for each section (each quarter) of the puzzle and a bunch of us get together to help put it together one section at a time.  My friend does the bulk of it herself, but we all have fun helping out!

This is a very small part of the second section.  The first section is already finished!  We started on New Year's Day - I documented that progress on Picasa.  She has no idea what she will do with the entire thing when it's completed. Right now it's about the journey.  As it should be.

Day 37: February 6, 2010

Monochrome Weekend: Tree Root

 

Saw this tree root while at a park today.  It was interesting in color - parts are actually green from algae (I think), but it is more interesting in monochrome.  Please visit Monochrome Weekend for more monochrome photos from around the world.

Day 36: February 5, 2010

Snowy View

 

It's snowing. Again. Saw a couple of shot possibilities driving home today but it was too cold, windy, and just plain icky to stop.  I shot this from inside my car while stopped at a red light.  Rolled down the window and shot - being sure to keep the camera safely inside the car!  

I've always liked this house. It's kind of sad to see it falling into disrepair, although it does give it more visual interest.  I had no idea I'd captured the fast falling snow as well until I uploaded the pics to my computer.  Not entirely thrilled with the overall result but it does give me some ideas of things to try in the future.

Day 35: Februrary 4, 2010

Texture

Had to stop off at Michael's (a local craft store) to purchase more Origami paper for the Origami class I'm teaching on Fridays this quarter.  (Seems like all I do is shop lately, but that is not the norm for me!)  Saw these decorative balls covered in dried seed pods and liked the mix of textures. 

Day 34: February 3, 2010

Scrabble Night

 

There is (sadly) no Scrabble group at all in Toledo.  The nearest one is in Ann Arbor (which actually has more than one, I think).  They meet every Wednesday at a pub for a few hours of friendly games.  I try to go up about once a month as it's an hour's drive each way for me.  

I intended on setting up my table-top tripod and taking some really neat shots tonight. But I got so wrapped up in my games (I went 2 for 2) that I completely forgot to take a picture until I was ready to leave!  This shot sums up the night pretty well, however - fancy, rotating boards are the norm and everyone (but me) has a well-worn Scrabble dictionary to use when verifying legal words played by their opponents.  The core players in this group are very, very good - some have national rankings and have played in national tournaments.  They are also very welcoming to newcomers and make it a point to share strategy and word lists, which makes for a fun mix.

Next time I will try to take a better photograph.

Day 33: February 2, 2010

A Dusting of Snow

Today it snowed.  All day.  But hardly any stuck.  Just a light dusting on everything.  At least it's warmer - all the way up to 31F!  This is one of the railway ties bordering a flowerbed in my front yard.  I like how light and fluffy the snow looks on the old wood.  Below are some bricks right next to the piece of wood above.

Day 32 February 1, 2010

Lighting Practice

 

Not an overly exciting picture today.  This is the new lampshade purchased yesterday at IKEA to replace the one the kitten destroyed (the old one was rice paper on a wire frame - this one is fabric...fingers crossed).

I got the tripod out today to try to capture the sunset colors through the trees in my yard, but the colors stayed too low on the horizon to be photographed well with all the houses and trees in my line of sight.

I brought the tripod inside and decided to play around with various settings while photographing the new lampshade.  I really need to do this more systematically and take notes.  This is a start.