2010: A Photo Odyssey

Day 242: August 30, 2010

2010-08-30T20:14:00.000-04:00

Suburban Fountain

While taking a shortcut through an office park near my school today, I spotted this fountain in the middle of a pond. It worked better in monochrome - I especially liked the reflections.

Day 241: August 29, 2010

2010-08-29T21:17:00.000-04:00

Pollination

Visited the Matthei Botanical Gardens in Ann Arbor today. The bees were everywhere and were very busy getting in some end-of-summer pollination. There were also a lot of decorated flamingos but that's another story for another day.

Day 240: August 28, 2010

2010-08-29T21:13:00.000-04:00

Incongruous Garlic

So I ate at a restaurant in Ann Arbor that is called Quarter Bistro. As you might guess from the name, it is a New Orleans-themed restaurant. Upon leaving, I looked up and above the door I saw this giant clove of garlic. Now, I like garlic as much as the next person (I even ate at an all-garlic restaurant once in San Francisco called The Stinking Rose), but I don't really associate garlic with New Orleans. The building formerly housed a restaurant called Rio Bravo.....nope....no connection between Mexico and garlic either that I can think of. Odd. But very good food!

Day 239: August 27, 2010

2010-08-27T20:18:00.000-04:00

Hidden Beauty

Found this single blossom hiding at the very back of my yard. Another accidental planting, I think!

Day 238: August 26, 2010

2010-08-26T21:14:00.000-04:00

Shadow Tree

The weather today was phenomenal! Feels like fall is finally on the way! (I'm ignoring the forecast that calls for upper 80's again this weekend.) The early evening sun made some fantastic shadows at Wildwood Park tonight. I think the shadow tree looks a lot better than the real one!

Day 237: August 25, 2010

2010-08-26T21:11:00.000-04:00

Finally - The Moon!

Finally, the trees and clouds cooperated and I had my tripod and telephoto lens....and the picture is still lame. Oh well. It looked a lot cooler than this picture.

Day 236: August 24, 2010

2010-08-26T21:09:00.000-04:00

Pink Blossom

This is a cheat. I tried to take a picture of the full moon on the actual date of the full moon (today) but it was cloudy. Very sad. So this was taken a couple of days later at Wildwood Park.

Day 235: August 23, 2010

2010-08-23T21:49:00.000-04:00

Accidental Squash Blossoms

So I really wanted to take a shot of the full moon and clouds tonight. Driving home from my daughter's volleyball practice it looked AMAZING! But I was driving! And I didn't have my telephoto lens! And I didn't have my tripod! So the minute I got home I swapped lenses, grabbed the tripod, and ran out the door to shoot the moon. Sadly, my neighborhood is so densely treed I could barely see any sky at all, certainly not the part of the sky with the moon. I walked (tripod over my shoulder) for several blocks in all directions - no luck. My neighbors probably think I'm a bit odd at this point.

So instead, I've posted a shot of the accidental squash blossoms growing at school. I took this while waiting for volleyball to be finished - it was more twilight than full night. They are accidental because they weren't actually planted. Last fall, a parent donated some pumpkins and squash to decorate the center island in the school driveway. Apparently, some planted themselves. The vines have taken over and are already producing squash!

Technically, it's not a full moon til tomorrow (or at midnight tonight) so I am going to try again tomorrow night to capture the moon!

Day 234: August 22, 2010

2010-08-22T21:02:00.000-04:00

Tree Pods

Today was the back-to-school ice cream social sponsored by PTO at the school where I teach. I took a ton of pictures of the kids and parents enjoying ice cream and playing on the swings and other playground equipment. Some are really good, but I didn't get anyone's permission to publish them here, so you get the tree instead. There are a few of these trees in the playground and ever fall they drop these massive seed pods everywhere. I have no idea what sort of tree they are (a shameful thing for a science teacher to admit!) but they are unlike any other tree I've seen around here. I suspect they are native to some other climate.

Day 233: August 21, 2010

2010-08-22T20:58:00.000-04:00

Another Cheat

As noted in Friday's post, I've been a slacker this weekend. This is another sunflower from the manicurist's place. I love sunflowers!

Day 232: August 20, 2010

2010-08-22T20:56:00.000-04:00

First Day!

OK, so her first day of high school classes was actually Wednesday. I have been a bit of a slacker this weekend with taking photos, so I'm cheating a bit. I did take this on her actual first day - in the parking lot to minimize her level of embarrassment. A far cry from the photo below of Natalie on her first day of first grade! My little girl is growing up!

Day 231: August 19, 2010

2010-08-19T21:39:00.000-04:00

Yes, It's Duct Tape

Duct Tape comes in all sorts of colors and patterns now. My daughter loves them all and makes everything from wallets to roses to hair bows from it. Here she is modeling her latest creation (and it's also the only way she'll let me post a picture of her here).

Day 230: August 18, 2010

2010-08-18T21:42:00.000-04:00

Sunflower!

There were some HUGE sunflowers in front of the place I get my nails done. After my manicure at lunch time today I grabbed the camera from the car and took some pictures. This one is my favorite!

Day 229: August 17, 2010

2010-08-17T20:09:00.000-04:00

Note To Self...

Don't Be a Bird Brain!

So yes, this is a picture from last week's visit to Malibu. Because it was "chilly" (perfect weather in my book) there were more seagulls on the tanning cots than people.

And why are you looking at a week-old photo you ask? Well, that would be because it is helpful to actually put the battery back in the camera after charging it. I didn't realize I hadn't done that til I was at a park tonight trying to shoot the ducks. Sigh. I'm blaming the stress of the start of a new school year.

Day 228: August 16, 2010

2010-08-16T19:24:00.000-04:00

I Wonder Who Lives Here?

Since the weather was glorious (and the humidity was actually low!) I headed to the park this afternoon. My walk was cut short by the hoards of ravenous mosquitoes, however - one even tried to bite my eyebrow! I did come across this fungi growing in the hollow of a tree along the path. It looks just like a real life "fairy door", all decorated with white mushrooms for an awning!

Day 227: August 15, 2010

2010-08-15T17:33:00.000-04:00

Underbelly of the Beast

This little guy was hanging on my neighbor's garage today just before a storm blew in. It's not as sharp as I'd like due to not having the tripod (no time to grab it with the rain starting) and due to the breeze blowing him around a bit.

Day 226: August 14, 2010

2010-08-14T22:09:00.000-04:00

Do Not Leave Me Alone With Photo Shop Filters...

OK, so my photo-mojo isn't quite back yet. I looked around for something to photograph tonight and saw this little bird ocarina I picked up on vacation. He really is black with white painted bits - which is kind of boring. So I started messing around with cropping, angles, and filters. Ahem. Got a bit carried away but it's always fun to play with the filters in PS and see what they can do.

Day 225: August 13, 2010

2010-08-13T20:35:00.000-04:00

Cats!

Today was another long, hectic day. The cats sort of cooperated for a photo shoot, but my living room lighting leaves a lot to be desired. This means I have to use a flash which means they blink. Every time. So I cropped this one of Wednesday in close and played with some of the artistic filters.

I caught Colby looking a little pensive below.

Day 224: August 12, 2010

2010-08-12T21:59:00.000-04:00

Fried/Fry's

I promise this is the last day I post a cheat (at least for a while!). Jet-lag kicked my butt this am (feeling much better now) and once again, I spent all day prepping my room - still not ready, but getting there.

This is another picture from the last day of my trip - this is the Fry's store in Burbank, CA. The inside is even weirder - space aliens, giant robots, huge octopus whose arms hold shelves full of TV's, etc... I did not take the camera inside the store - d'oh!

Day 223: August 11, 2010

2010-08-12T21:56:00.000-04:00

Wish I Was Here:

So I didn't take any pictures today - a bit jet-lagged and also spent the entire day at school as I am pretty behind on getting my room ready for next Thursday's start of school. I took this at Malibu outside Paradise Cove restaurant - the seagull was a surprise - flew across my view just I snapped the pic!

Day 222: August 10, 2010

2010-08-10T23:28:00.000-04:00

Airport Oddity

Well, I did manage to take one photo today. I had a layover of just over two hours at the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport today and this structure was smack in the middle of the concourse near the food court. There is nothing to see inside of it (I checked) - it just appears to be some sort of artistic statement. Shrug. Made for a an interesting picture on an otherwise uninteresting day of travel.

Day 221: August 9, 2010

2010-08-10T23:24:00.000-04:00

Rock Lobster!

On the last day of our vacation, we went to Malibu and had lunch at Paradise Cove, which is right on the beach. There are some tide pools just down the beach from the restaurant and a bunch of kids were having a blast with the lobster-munching sea urchins. Empty lobster shells were everywhere - one of the kids was more than happy to hold one up for me so I could snap a picture!

Day 220: August 8, 2010

2010-08-09T12:31:00.000-04:00

Sunset at Santa Monica

We reached the end of Route 66 in Santa Monica, California. Whew! What a ride! The beach near the Santa Monica Pier wasn't too crowded - water was a bit chillier than Californians are used to apparently. It felt good on my toes, though!

Tomorrow is a day to bum around the LA area then I fly home on Tuesday. Tuesday's post may be difficult as I'll be traveling most of the day, but I'll do my best to take a picture somewhere!

Day 219: August 7, 2010

2010-08-07T23:55:00.000-04:00

Desert Cows!

Visited my second ever desert today - the Mojave Desert. It was WINDY! And not as hot as the Painted Desert was. Driving out of the National Preserve I spotted this foursome literally on the side of the road. Some were standing, some were laying down, but all were nomming away on the brush. By the time we had the car turned around and in position for me to hop out and take this picture, they had all stood up to look at us. The one on the far left was very spooked by us and bolted pretty quickly.

So to sum up, what I have learned about deserts is: 1. it rains and 2. they have cows. Who knew?

Day 218: August 6, 2010

2010-08-07T02:29:00.000-04:00

Sunset at the Grand Canyon

Spent the entire day at the Grand Canyon. Ended with a view of the sun setting from the Watchtower area near the Eastern Entrance to the South Rim. It was cloudy and threatened rain but the view was spectacular. I probably have a better shot somewhere amongst the 255 I took today, but after 11 hours at the canyon and an hour drive each way, I'm exhausted! Look for more canyon photos to be up on the travel blog in the coming days.

Day 217: August 5, 2010

2010-08-06T02:09:00.000-04:00

Painted Desert

So I went to a desert for the first time in my life.....and it rained. Seriously. Not the whole time, thankfully, but still! The painted desert really does live up to it's reputation - stunning views at every turn. Unfortunately, it was 93F plus humidity and was actually very sunny for most of the drive through the park. Someday I'd like to come back with better camera equipment and more photography knowledge and a heckuva lot more time!

Day 216: August 4, 2010

2010-08-05T01:58:00.000-04:00

Sandia Crest, New Mexico

This is the view from Sandia Crest outside Albuquerque, New Mexico. We drove up to the top (10, 685 feet) this morning and were rewarded with fantastic views in all directions. We spent most of today in Albuquerque - but it's late and the Route 66 blog will have to wait until tomorrow!

Day 215: August 3, 2010

2010-08-04T18:15:00.001-04:00

Cadillac Ranch

Sorry for the delay in updating - last night's hotel had a bad wireless router and a defunct land line.

As always, more details on the Route 66 blog. This is the infamous Cadillac Ranch. Basically, someone "planted" a row of old cars into a field and allows/encourages people to spray paint them. It was a bit of a trek from the road back to the cars. We didn't stick around very long in the 102 degree heat!

Day 214: August 2, 2010

2010-08-02T23:58:00.000-04:00

In Memoriam

Yet another monolith in the sun. This time it's a bit more somber, however. This is part of the Oklahoma City National Memorial. More on the travel blog.

Day 213: August 1, 2010

2010-08-02T00:16:00.000-04:00

Stonehenge

Today's portion of Route 66 took us through Rolla, MO - home of a scale model of Stonehenge! It's set up to be astronomically accurate - complete with an analemma to mark the calendar. I don't think I've ever before seen a sign saying, "Do not stand on the analemma"!

Day 212: July 31, 2010

2010-07-31T23:35:00.000-04:00

Meet Me in St. Louis

Day 2: Joliet, IL to Cuba, MO. Today was a very full day! There will be all sorts of details and photos on the trip blog soon - the Internet speed at our current hotel may delay that a day or two, however.

This was my first trip to St. Louis. (From here on out, every place we go will be a first for me, I think.) We arrived a bit later than we intended, and after fighting Cardinals fans for parking, walking uphill for about 10 blocks, and waiting in line for a little while, the ranger came out to tell us all the tickets to ride to the top of the arch were sold out for the day. So we settled for pictures from the outside.

It was very sunny (about 90F and very humid, too) and the sun was starting to set. This shot looked a lot better in black and white - it was inspired by The Weekend in Black and White - go check them out!

Day 211: July 30, 2010

2010-07-30T22:06:00.000-04:00

The Bean

Today we drove to Chicago to start our Route 66 Trip properly. For more details and pics of the trip as it progresses, please see my other blog: HERE. While I fully intend to update this blog daily, the Route 66 blog may get delayed depending on time available to edit pictures.

This of course is the famous "Bean" sculpture in Millennium Park in downtown Chicago. It's proper name is Cloud Gate, but it looks like a giant bean. It reflects everyone and everything around it. It was a gray, hazy day in Chicago, but the rain held off long enough to get some shots.

Day 210: July 29, 2010

2010-07-29T20:42:00.000-04:00

Under Construction

Sorry for the change in url. I decided to make a bit better use of my domain name and add another blog to it. That site (http://toledonative.com) will most likely undergo a few more changes along the way - I'm not overly happy with some of the constraints of blogger. In the mean time, please redirect your bookmarks to this address, or just go to the old one and click on the link for this blog.

This shot was taken a few days ago near my house. I did not see the Woody (from Toy Story) doll hanging from a makeshift noose until I made the picture big! Can you find it?

Tomorrow morning begins VACATION! Driving Route 66 and flying home from LA (OK, Burbank) on August 10. Hence the second blog. I want to blog the trip in more detail than one photo a day allows. But never fear, I will continue to choose one picture from each day to post here.

Day 209: July 28, 2010

2010-07-28T21:42:00.001-04:00

One Thousand Days of Detours

So the Ohio Department of Transportation is undertaking a major project to widen I-475 from roughly my neighborhood to the I-75 split. Along the way they are eliminating one exit, completely re-doing another so it empties directly into Toledo Hospital, and closing overpasses and exits during construction.

It is a THREE YEAR project.

While most exits will only be closed for part of the time, the one on Monroe street apparently is out for the duration. I'm used to seeing signs like this that say construction will last for 90 days, or 180 days, but 1,000 days really floored me.

This would be bad enough, but all summer long, not one, not two, not even three, but FOUR major roads surrounding my house (OK one is 5 miles away but on my route to work) have been under construction with periodic lane closures and detours. It's been nearly impossible to get out of my neighborhood without encountering orange barrels.

All of this construction is needed, it's just incredibly inconvenient to have such a convergence of it in my end of town and for such duration.

I have no idea what the graffiti means nor do I know why ODOT uses stick on letters (or are they hand-drawn?) for signs that will be up for three years. Nor do I know why they cannot manage to hang a sign that is not crooked. Let's hope their road construction skills are slightly better.

Day 208: July 27, 2010

2010-07-27T14:32:00.000-04:00

Titus Flavius

My daughter and I went to the Toledo Museum of Art today. Photography is only allowed in certain areas and no flash is allowed at all. Which limited my choices of photos for today. In the ancient art room, I found this bust of Roman Emperor Titus Flavius. In real life, it's a yellowed marble bust. I really wasn't happy with the photo but it was the best I had in terms of clarity due to lighting issues. So I played with it quite a bit in PhotoShop,

Day 207: July 26, 2010

2010-07-26T19:58:00.000-04:00

Splendor in the Grass

The inspiration credit for today's shot goes to my daughter. She grabbed my camera and started shooting today then suddenly she was on her stomach in the grass, shooting away. I liked where she was going with her shots, so tried it myself. This is what happens when you don't mow your lawn and it rains a lot - the grass goes to seed! Since our yard is more weeds than actual grass, however, it really doesn't look that terrible...yet.

I couldn't resist playing with this shot in PhotoShop - the result is below.

Day 206: July 25, 2010

2010-07-25T19:44:00.000-04:00

Power Lines

As often happens, this is not the shot I set out to take today. I stopped at a construction site that has a major road near my home shut down for a couple of weeks. I've passed it every day for a week and said to myself that I need to stop and photograph the two meter diameter concrete pipe sections and giant machines. Today, I did, as it is Sunday and there were no workers around. Then on the way back to my car, I looked up at the clouds and saw this confluence of wires crisscrossing the sky. I didn't notice the birds til I got home and looked at the shot on my computer. For some reason, the lines look wavy when the photo is small - click to make it bigger to see how they really look!

Day 205: July 24, 2010

2010-07-24T20:01:00.000-04:00

Dragonfly

While at a family reunion today, I staked out the hummingbird feeder waiting for the hummingbird to come back while I actually had my camera out....he was sneaky and refused to cooperate. However, this pretty dragonfly landed on the feeder and was very cooperative during his photo shoot! It was pretty windy, as you can tell by how much his right side wings are bending. He looks kind of like a dog with goggles to me. And yes, this is seriously cropped - had only the kit lens again - and no tripod - I have GOT to start traveling with all my gear!

Day 204: July 23, 2010

2010-07-23T22:27:00.000-04:00

Cake!

Today was the last day of my summer classes for this year! YAY! We survived! To celebrate, one of my classmates, Elizabeth, made us this gorgeous cake! It was almost too pretty to eat...but we managed. Yes, she used chocolate fondant and malted milk balls! It was a stunning cake! Thanks, Elizabeth!

Day 203: July 22, 2010

2010-07-23T22:23:00.001-04:00

You're Not Mr. McGregor, Are You?

This little guy reminded me of Peter Rabbit, checking out Mr. McGregor's garden. The statue is called "The Gardner" and is in a smallish landscaped plot in front of University Hall at UT. I started shooting the sculpture then noticed this little guy sniffing around. He was too cute to pass up!

Day 202: July 21, 2010

2010-07-21T18:48:00.001-04:00

Circular Reflections

Today, one of my classmates, who teaches at Toledo Technology Academy, brought in his Stirling Engine to show us. It gathers and concentrates the sun's rays and the little doohickey in the center of the dish is the heat collector. It uses the heat from the sun to run a motor on the back of the dish. It's only about two feet across and is mounted on what looks like a camera tripod. Despite being just a small-scale model, it was pretty cool! I loved the reflections of the surrounding buildings in the dish. I did crop out my classmates surrounding the dish to reduce distractions.

Day 201: July 20, 2010

2010-07-21T18:44:00.000-04:00

Watering Day

Ok, so Day 201 was actually taken on Day 202. Yesterday just got away from me. Despite the promise of rain in the clouds, the university was watering in full-force today. As you can see from the brown patches, it's been a bit dry around here!

Day 200: July 19, 2010

2010-07-19T20:11:00.000-04:00

Lacy Leaves in Summer

I found myself a little less than inspired on day 200. Then I looked up. There are a half dozen large oak trees in my yard and the branches are full of leaves. The clouds added a bit of interest as well. With the early evening shadows and cloudy sky, it was nearly monochrome when I started. A little desaturation really made the patterns pop.

Day 199: July 18, 2010

2010-07-18T21:46:00.000-04:00

Sunset on the Maumee

Had to pick up my daughter at Walbridge Park tonight at 9 pm (Zoo Teen picnic). We had a line of storms move through the area earlier in the evening, and they left behind some gorgeous clouds for the sun to color. Here are two of my favorites. Saw some incredibly amazing potential shots on the drive home, but decided it was not safe to stop on an interstate.

Day 198: July 17, 2010

2010-07-17T20:30:00.000-04:00

Sunlight and Water

This fountain is on the same part of the U of M campus as yesterday's sculpture. I liked the way it looked in black and white better. The sun was incredibly strong this morning - I was sweating before 9:00 am! For more amazing black and white photos, please visit The Weekend in Black and White.

Day 197: July 16, 2010

2010-07-17T20:27:00.000-04:00

Big Red

First off, this is a bit of a cheat. I didn't take it on Friday. I took it on Saturday morning. Friday I went directly from class up to Clarkston, MI to see Sting and the London Philharmonic Orchestra perform at an outdoor theater (DTE, formerly Pine Knob). It was an AMAZING show, but they didn't allow cameras!

This is on the North Campus of the University of Michigan. It really was that red, and the sky really was that blue!

Day 196: July 15, 2010

2010-07-15T20:39:00.000-04:00

Tall Tree, Tiny Courtyard

There are two tiny courtyards in University Hall - completely surrounded by the building on four sides, each has a single bench, a single small picnic table, one garbage can, and one GIANT tree. Fairly certain they are cedar trees. They are toweringly tall and their branches spread out evenly, approaching the walls on all sides. I've found it's a fairly quiet place to read or study before class or at lunch - quite a few people do walk through them on the way to somewhere or another, but I've never encountered anyone else sitting in them.

Day 195: July 14, 2010

2010-07-14T21:08:00.000-04:00

Blerg.

This is a little clay alligator my daughter made over a year ago. He sits above the fireplace in the living room. Today I thought his expression perfectly captured the way my brain feels 4.5 weeks into a 6 week super-intense (8 hours a day) grad school program. Blerg.

Day 194: July 13, 2010

2010-07-13T20:25:00.000-04:00

Teeny Flower

One of the only things I planted this year that the critters didn't dig up and/or eat are a few of these flowers. I can't remember the name of them now but I planted them from seed directly into the large planter outside. They are sooo tiny! But very colorful! It's rained off and on all day today so I timing was tricky for shooting.

Day 193: July 12, 2010

2010-07-12T20:34:00.000-04:00

Sushi and Fred

Well, what else do you name feeder fish? This is the bottom layer of my eco-column I made with my partner on Friday. Our fish survived the weekend, so that's a plus. It's made from empty 2L bottles - the bottom layer has fish and elodea (aquatic plant). Above that there is another half-bottle (upside down) with soil, compost, and a geranium plant. There is a hole in the cap of that bottle so that leachate from the soil can drip into the fish layer and give them nutrients. Eventually, we will put a third bottle on top and then the top part upside down of that and put in ice to chill the air and cause condensation and hopefully precipitation! Bio-bottles or eco-columns are a lot of fun and can be set up in so many ways! I only wish they weren't so tricky to photograph in a windowless room with florescent lighting.

Day 192: July 11, 2010

2010-07-11T20:15:00.000-04:00

Michigan Lily

Suddenly noticed a very tall (over 4 feet!) lily in the front garden today. And it looked like nothing else in the yard. Did a little sleuthing on the Internet and found out it is a Michigan Lily (Lilium michiganense). Who knew? It is a very dramatic flower that I know did not bloom either of the past two summers I have been in this house. However, reading about it more revealed that it is rather picky about it's growing conditions and soil, with one person reporting that seeds they planted took 14 years to grow and produce a flower!

Mine has a whole bunch of round black things on the stem that at first worried me, but that the wisdom of the gardeners on the Internet reassured me were nothing more than bulbils. These are apparently not common, but can be used to each grow a new Michigan Lily (provided conditions are right and you wait a few years). And yes, it IS a subspecies of Tiger Lily, if you were wondering. While it does indeed grow in Michigan, it also grows in a lot of other states as well, though is endangered in New York and Threatened in Tennessee.

It began to thunder as I took this shot and I got inside just as it started to pour! I wished I'd had more time to set up some better shots in better lighting but this tight crop (at 100% magnification) works pretty well.

Day 191: July 10, 2010

2010-07-10T20:29:00.000-04:00

East Side Reflections

Another shot from Walbridge park today. This morning the Maumee River was like glass - I don't think I've ever seen it quite so still. It made for some interesting reflections. The smokestacks in the distance are on the East Side of Toledo - I am not sure what factory they are part of . There wasn't much color to this morning's sky, so I thought I'd try this one in black and white. I'm now wondering how sepia would look. Inspired by The Weekend in Black and White and Weekend Reflections.

Day 190: July 9, 2010

2010-07-09T21:19:00.000-04:00

Just Hangin' Around

Forgot to take my camera to class today -d'oh! The pictures I took with my phone really stunk so I had to go to plan B once I got home. I got these two little guys from ThinkGeek.com a while ago. They are about 10cm tall with magnetic feet and hands. They are jointed and can be put in all sorts of poses. Today I put them in a tree! I want to play around with them some more and see how creative I can get. They are silly and fun! (I haven't named them yet, but am open to suggestions - put yours in the comments!)

Day 189: July 8, 2010

2010-07-08T20:06:00.000-04:00

Rose of Sharon

There is a somewhat sickly looking Rose of Sharon bush/tree in my front yard. As I'm only renting the house I can't really do much with it. Most of the year it looks rather pitiful, but when it is in bloom, it's pretty! Played a bit with an extreme crop just for something different.

Day 188: July 7, 2010

2010-07-07T19:37:00.001-04:00

Rooftop Garden

One of the "green" efforts UT is making is this rooftop garden on top of the building next door to the building I spend my days in. It was nice to get a bird's eye view of this end of campus, but I went up early in the morning to avoid the heat (99F heat index today)!

Day 187: July 6, 2010

2010-07-06T19:08:00.000-04:00

Solar Array

Today our class learned all about what the University of Toledo is doing with renewable energies. One stop was the giant solar array at the Scott Park campus. Until a couple of weeks ago, this was the largest solar array in Ohio - I am not sure where the newer, bigger one is. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed inside the fence, so I had to shoot from the side through a chain link fence. In this shot you can see part of four of the rows of solar panels - they seemed to go on forever! Today was unbearably hot again - the irony is that even though there was a ton of sunlight today, the solar array did not quite make enough electricity for the Scott Park campus (although many days it does) because of the amount of air conditioning required today!

Day 186: July 5, 2010

2010-07-05T20:25:00.000-04:00

Bird Gate

This is the entrance to the eastern end of Walbridge Park. I didn't notice it the first few times I drove past the park, but ever since I did I wanted to come back and photograph it. Today was hot and hazy and of course I left the tripod at home, so it's not the ideal shot.

Day 185: July 4, 2010

2010-07-04T22:49:00.000-04:00

Patriotic Light Painting

Package of sparklers: $2.00. Box of matches: $0.10. Finding something your teenager will not only do with you but thinks is cool: priceless!

I recruited my daughter to help me with my first ever attempt at light painting tonight, since we had the sparklers for the holiday. She started out with simple geometric shapes and then started getting more complex. We would have kept going but the battery in the camera died.

I had to read up not only on how what settings are best for light painting, but also on how to adjust them manually on my camera. This is a good thing as I've been relying far too much on auto settings to date, other than adjusting the ISO and flash. I still needed to do some fiddling in post-processing with the exposure and contrast settings, but overall I am calling this experiment a success all around.

Day 184: July 3, 2010

2010-07-04T20:02:00.000-04:00

Seen Around Chelsea

Had dinner Saturday night in Chelsea, Michigan. Chelsea is home to Jeff Daniels and his famous Purple Rose Theater (yes, he still lives there, no I didn't see him). It is ALSO the home (and birthplace of) Jiffy Mix! I had no idea! I can't tell you how many times those little blue and white boxes of corn muffin mix or white frosting mix saved the day - especially when times were super-tight financially. This is part of the giant Jiffy Mix factory (and grain towers). The basketball court in front has nothing to do with the factory, I just liked the juxtaposition.

The shot below I just found amusing. Apparently, such signs are not uncommon in certain areas of the country, but I hadn't seen any before. I am still snickering at the need for so many directions on how to use a cross walk properly. I always thought the whole point of going to just pictures in the cross walk lights instead of words or words and pictures was to aid the illiterate and/or non-native English speaker. I am not sure how this sign helps!

Chelsea has a lot more to offer - had dinner at a phenomenal restaurant called The Common Grill (named for the owner's last name, and anything BUT ordinary or common); there's a cool self-guided sculpture walk around downtown, a neat clock tower, funky little shops selling eclectic things, gorgeous flowers everywhere, and a cleanliness to rival Disneyland.

Today's post is up a day late due to getting back home too late to post. Holding off on the July 4th shot in hopes some fireworks/sparklers shots work tonight - cross your fingers!

Day 183: July 2, 2010

2010-07-02T20:15:00.000-04:00

Peace Portal

Today was another beautiful, sunny day - we've really lucked out with the weather this week. I sat on a bench at UT to review my notes and flash cards one last time before the final exam for physics this morning before class started. I was sitting on a bench near this sculpture, titled "Peace Portal" by Shawn Morin. The brushed metal really stood out in the early morning sun, and I thought black and white really brought out the highlights. Sooo glad that physics is over - we're halfway through this summer's coursework - Chemistry starts on Tuesday! Thankfully we have a three day weekend to relax. I also realized I'm halfway through this year of photo-blogging! Time flies when you're busy.

This photo is part of The Weekend in Black and White (formerly Monochrome Weekend).

Day 182: July 1, 2010

2010-07-01T19:27:00.000-04:00

Sun and Wind

Today we went on a field trip to the Wind Farm in Bowling Green, OH. It's one of the very few places you can go INSIDE a working wind turbine - VERY cool! These turbines are HUGE! Ground to tip of blade, they stand 391 feet tall! Each blade weighs 22,000 pounds! The nacelle (that box-like thing at the top that the blades are connected to) is the size of a school bus and contains the generator. There are four of these turbines at this wind farm, which is right across the street from the Wood County Landfill.

Day 181: June 30, 2010

2010-06-30T17:34:00.000-04:00

Ottawa River

The Ottawa River runs through the campus of the University of Toledo. I had to stop by the library today before class to pick up a book. The nearest parking lot to the library is across a foot bridge over the river - I was glad I grabbed the camera when I got out of the car. The 8:00 am sun made for a beautiful sight - this is looking west down stream.

I also decided to see what it would like like in black and white - the results are below.

Day 180: June 29, 2010

2010-06-29T18:55:00.000-04:00

Inside a Logo

My class took a field trip today to downtown Toledo to tour the world headquarters of Owens Corning and learn about their green initiatives. Their building is very distinctive and sits on the Maumee River. As you drive into downtown towards the river, you can see their very distinctive logo rising like the sail of a boat - a giant red, curved, swoosh with portholes all over it. As the overall design of the building resembles a ship, most people assume the red thing is a sail. My daughter and I have always thought it looked more like a slice of watermelon. Today I learned the truth. It's a representation of their logo, which can be seen HERE.

This is a shot from INSIDE the building, shooting straight up into the logo. I still think it bears a closer resemblance to a slice of watermelon than the O-C logo.

Day 179: June 28, 2010

2010-06-28T22:09:00.000-04:00

Brain Overload

One of the biggest challenges to the graduate program I am in is the extremely accelerated pace. Completing a 3-credit hour Masters' level Physics of Energy course in 3 weeks (@3 hours a day) is utterly insane. The sheer volume of facts and figures to memorize is almost insurmountable. Our second test is tomorrow with the final exam on Friday. I am eating, breathing, dreaming facts about energy and fossil fuels. The notecards above are some of what I've been studying. They're in a jumble in the photo because that's how they feel in my brain. Hopefully enough facts will stick with me long enough to pass tomorrow's test!

Day 178: June 27, 2010

2010-06-27T20:20:00.000-04:00

Be Sure to Get My Good Side

This is Dozer. He lives next door with Abby, who was featured in this blog way back in late January if memory serves. He's a big, muscular dog with the heart of a kitten. He very rarely barks and always wants to play fetch. Today he came right up to the fence when he saw me and started nuzzling my hand. Normally he's moving way too fast to shoot properly, but today he gave me a split second pose. I like his expression.

Day 177: June 26, 2010

2010-06-26T21:44:00.000-04:00

Monochrome Metal Regatta

These are part of a trio of bright yellow sailboat sculptures that float on the water at the Toledo Botanical Gardens. They're tethered to anchors which allows them to float around in the breeze a bit. These two looked like they were racing!

This weekend is the 45th annual Crosby Festival of the Arts at the TBG - I've been going every year for as long as I can remember. It's always super hot, raining, or both for the festival. Today was both! I went early to beat the heat but got caught in a drizzle. Which resulted in gray skies and a not overly well lit photo. I think it looks better in monochrome. Since it's both a reflection AND in monochrome, it gets to be part of two memes at once! Please visit the super-talented photographers over at the new home of Monochrome Weekend; The Weekend in Black and White. AND please also visit the awesome photographers over at Weekend Reflections.

Day 176: June 25, 2010

2010-06-25T21:40:00.000-04:00

Festival Season

The church festival season is in full swing in these parts. Tonight was the first night of the St. Pat's festival and they had a bunch of rides. I like the colors in the pic above. The Gravitron below is the one where the floor drops out and you stay glued to the side of the ride thanks to centripetal force. Makes me nauseated just watching it spin!

Day 175: June 24, 2010

2010-06-24T20:36:00.000-04:00

Limestone Tower of Learning

University Hall. Not made of ivory, but symbolic all the same.

Day 174: June 23, 2010

2010-06-23T20:00:00.000-04:00

Viking Totems

Today was hazy and overcast during the small opening I had to shoot. This sculpture actually is called Viking Totems according to the little sign at its base. It sits just outside the 3rd floor entrance to the building I have my classes in - since the building is on a hill, there is a 1st floor entrance and a 3rd floor entrance! I'm not quite sure why vikings would have large elbow macaroni pieces as totems, but to each his own! I'm also not sure why there's a price tag of $8,000 on the little sign under the name of the piece - it appears to be a permanent installation. Good to know tuition money is being well spent. Ahem.

Day 173: June 22, 2010

2010-06-22T21:41:00.000-04:00

Reflected Perspective

The building on the right (which is reflected in the building on the left) is where I have class each day. Our classroom has no windows, so it's refreshing to step outside sometimes and get a different perspective!

Day 172: June 21, 2010

2010-06-21T19:18:00.000-04:00

Summer Solstice

OK, so I really need a UV filter. This was shot with the kit lens (as are almost all of my shots) and, once again, hand-held as I was on my way to class this morning. Normally I don't deliberately try to stage a shot, but today I made an exception. The focus of my graduate program is renewable energy, and every day, on my walk from the parking lot to the classroom, I pass this solar panel. There's a sign with educational information about solar energy nearby and the lights (you can see one in the foreground) are solar lights.

Since today is the summer solstice, I wanted to take a picture that was symbolic of that. This was taken about 50 minutes after the offical (ie meteorological) start of summer. I tweaked the post processing a tad to enhance the lens flare.

I didn't notice the bicycle leaning against the solar light pole until I got the photo uploaded to my computer. But it seems fitting for a photo celebrating solar power and alternative energy. If you look closely, there are power lines in the distance - beyond the cars. Alternative energy sources need to be in the foreground of everyone's thoughts, but we've got a long way to go to wean ourselves from our dependency on fossil fuels.

Day 171: June 20, 2010

2010-06-20T20:24:00.000-04:00

Stone Wall

The neighbors across the street have a low stone wall that serves no obvious purpose. It's only about 1.5 meters long and maybe a meter high. But I liked the different colors of stone and moss and the pattern the stones made. This is a highly cropped shot - once again, I need to make myself take my tripod everywhere to improve my shots!

Day 170: June 19, 2010

2010-06-19T21:26:00.000-04:00

Leavin' on a Jet Plane

No, I'm not going anywhere, but this jet was moving super-fast across the sky! It looks like a rocket taking off. The sun was just beginning to set and I was facing almost due West when I took this tonight. I've got to remember to grab the tripod more often - I think it would have made this shot better.

Day 169: June 18, 2010

2010-06-18T20:12:00.000-04:00

Yellow Lily

Different colored day lilies keep blooming - the latest bunch are bright yellow with a gorgeous red-orange band of color inside. There are more things budding in the yard - can't wait to see what blooms! And on the vegetable front - the only things the rabbit and squirrels didn't eat this year are the carrots! Go figure! Time will tell if they'll leave them alone long enough to mature.

Day 168: June 17, 2010

2010-06-17T20:44:00.000-04:00

The Noble Horse

Got to UT early again today to shoot. This wire sculpture of three horses is located in front of the visitor center. There is a small rock with a plaque with the words "The Noble Horse" in front of them. I like how the grounds crew deliberately leaves the horses some longer grass to munch on! They are larger than life-sized - the one in the foreground stands about 9-10 feet at the withers (my guess, anyway).

Day 167: June 16, 2010

2010-06-16T20:48:00.000-04:00

Balance

This is the very top of a tallish rock sculpture near the fountain from yesterday's post. Right now, my life feels very much like these rocks - precariously balanced - so far diligent planning, organizing, and scheduling is keeping things from falling apart. Here's hoping they can stay in equilibrium until my coursework is over in 5.5 weeks (but who's counting?).

Day 166: June 15, 2010

2010-06-15T19:11:00.000-04:00

Fountain Detail

For those of you keeping score at home, this week I began my PhD program at the University of Toledo. I'm actually enrolled in a grant-funded program designed to grant a Master's degree but as I already have one, I'm applying as many of these courses as possible to the PhD. At any rate, this means I am in class from 9-5 Mon-Fri for the next six weeks. It's a bit intense and takes up a great deal of my time, therefore a lot of my weekday photos in the near future will most likely be of shots of UT.

Today I arrived early so I could walk around a bit and get some shots. This is a close-up of a fountain that is near the Education Dept. buildings. I like the way the surrounding buildings are reflected yet distorted. It was an overcast morning so the lighting was not ideal, but in general, I'm pleased with the shot.

Day 165: June 14, 2010

2010-06-14T20:21:00.000-04:00

Wild Thing...

A nearby church held it's annual festival/carnival this past weekend. I didn't go, but did drive by today and saw all the carnival rides closed up, waiting to be trucked to the next carnival. This particular ride is called Wild Thing according to it's sign. I liked the lines and different colors of the cars.

Day 164: June 13, 2010

2010-06-13T20:30:00.000-04:00

Wavy Wall

Back at Walbridge park again today, picking up my daughter from the Zoo Teens picnic. There's a stone wall that runs the length of the park, parallel to the river with steps leading down to the river, stopping at the terrace level with the benches from a previous post. Down near the yacht club, the wall suddenly becomes wavy. It's a perfectly straight line for the other 1/4 mile or so of wall! I'm not quite sure why it's wavy here, but I liked the lines of it and thought it looked good in monochrome. For lots of better monochrome shots, head over to Monochrome Weekend.

Day 163: June 12, 2010

2010-06-12T16:05:00.000-04:00

Cloud Fountains

My daughter signed up for another day of storm clean up with the Zoo Teens, so I found myself back at Walbridge Park on another gloomy Saturday morning, looking for something to shoot. One of these days I am going to be there when the lighting is good! This fountain/sculpture sits in the roundabout near one end of the park. I just think it's a cool piece of art.

Day 162: June 11, 2010

2010-06-12T16:01:00.000-04:00

Day Lily at Night

Sorry for the late post - managed to get a virus on my camera's memory card - not overly harmful but annoying to remove. This picture was actually taken on June 11. It started to rain in the evening and I realized I hadn't taken a picture yet so I ran out to the yard and started shooting lilies in the rain. It was dusk; dark enough to make the contrast really pop with the flash. I did do a bit of post processing and ended up isolating just the blossom and inserting a completely black background. I really like the way this one came out - it looks sharp even at 100% magnification.

Day 161: June 10, 2010

2010-06-10T19:57:00.000-04:00

Classical Fountain

This one's actually from yesterday but today was just too insane and jam-packed to shoot. This is a water fountain (with three spigots) on the U of M campus. It seems like an incongruous extravagance surrounded by students writing slogans in chalk on the sidewalk and listening to iPods while studying on the grass.

Day 160: June 9, 2010

2010-06-09T21:33:00.000-04:00

Duet

While driving past the U of M campus tonight I heard and saw these two playing their hearts out on the street. I found a parking spot a block and a half away and got back to them just as they were finishing their set. I was shooting quickly without a tripod, so the shot's a tad blurry, but I love the expressions on their faces! I realize the saxophone player's pants look like an optical illusion at this resolution, but if you embiggen the shot you can see they are actually just a horrible checked pattern.

Day 159: June 8, 2010

2010-06-08T19:48:00.000-04:00

Cone of Shame and Frustration

Wednesday the kitten got spayed yesterday. When I went to pick her up this morning, they said she was already licking the incision, so they recommended she wear an e-collar for a week. It's both pitiful and comical watching her both come off the anesthesia AND adjust to the cone. She keeps bonking into walls and walking backwards in a futile attempt to shake it off. Not the best photo, but I had to share this one!

Day 158: June 7, 2010

2010-06-07T19:50:00.000-04:00

Shadows of a Tree

It was too nice a day to be inside as much as I was, so I took my dinner to Wildwood Metropark and enjoyed the perfect weather. I sat at a picnic table under a tree as the sun was pretty intense and I wanted shade. I looked over and saw the shadows created by the setting sun and had to try capturing the effect. It looked better in monochrome, even though it's not the weekend.

Day 157: June 6, 2010

2010-06-06T20:43:00.000-04:00

Go, go, Airstream drive through...

(With apologies to Gomez. If you haven't heard the song, click here: Airstream Driver)

Zingerman's is an Ann Arbor icon - good, albeit pricey, food and phenomenal coffee. Stopped into their Roadhouse restaurant for brunch today and couldn't resist snapping a pic of the iconic Airstream drive through. There's almost always a steady line of cars getting coffee and pastries to go.

Day 156: June 5, 2010

2010-06-06T20:35:00.002-04:00

Peony Garden

(Posting this a day late due to not being near my computer to upload til today.) Ann Arbor has a peony garden in their arboretum! I had no idea! They started blooming a week ago, and after this week's storms, they were starting to look a little bedraggled, but they were still glorious. So many flowers! So many colors! Had to shoot quickly as storms were looming (damaging tornadoes with fatalities touched down just south of Ann Arbor and both north AND south of my house overnight, but we were spared the brunt of the storms).

I think I figured out how to do the magic "make just one thing colored" part of PSE so I had a little fun with the pink flower above.

Including two bonus shots below as the colors are just too pretty! If you want to see more, click HERE to see my online Picasa album.

Day 155: June 4, 2010

2010-06-04T20:51:00.000-04:00

Blue Hydrangea

More flowers from yesterday. (Yes, I took the photo today - just received the flowers yesterday.) This is a close-up shot of they gorgeous hydrangeas one student brought in for all the teachers. His mom ordered them special - they are imported from somewhere but he couldn't remember where. Huge round balls of delicate blue and white blossoms on long, sturdy stems. We each got several stems in a large, simple glass vase. They almost don't look real - even in person!

Day 154: June 3, 2010

2010-06-03T21:19:00.000-04:00

Pink Peony

Today was the last day for students in grades K-7. I got the usual smattering of gift cards, thank you cards, and pretty pads of paper from students. I also got an unprecedented amount of flowers this year. Beautiful flowers like this peony from a students' garden. My house looks like a florist shop!

Day 153: June 2, 2010

2010-06-02T21:22:00.000-04:00

Red Door

I was up at 5 am unintentionally for the second day in a row today (thank you cats that like to bang cupboard doors and figured out how to work the TV remote). That meant I had a few extra minutes on my drive into school today, so I stopped at the college campus/convent across the street from school. I really liked the contrast between the flowers and the red door of the little chapel.

Day 152: June 1, 2010

2010-06-02T21:19:00.000-04:00

Graduation Day!

I don't care that I did everything wrong when taking this photo - poor lighting, no tripod, etc...

Ten years of Catholic school (age 4 through 8th grade) = one pretty great kid.

Congrats, kiddo! I'm proud of you!

(This photo was taken on our way to Graduation last night which is why this is being posted a day late - it was a very long day!)

p.s. Please excuse the weed garden in the background - mowing is on the agenda very soon!

Day 151: May 31, 2010

2010-05-31T19:54:00.000-04:00

How to Spend a Rainy Day

Today, in addition to being a holiday (Memorial Day) was also rainy and stormy and very gray. The cats had the right idea. Not much was done around here by anyone - just the way to spend a day off!

Day 150: May 30, 2010

2010-05-30T19:25:00.000-04:00

Sunset in a Flower

This is the exact same flower from yesterday's shot. It opened today to reveal glorious color! I removed the offending vine and the flower does seem happier! Can't wait for the rest of the lilies to catch up to this one.

Day 149: May 29, 2010

2010-05-29T22:10:00.000-04:00

Invader in the Garden

As I mentioned in a previous post, some former occupant of this house was a masterful gardener. Something is always blooming from April through September. The day lilies have sprung up seemingly over night with all the rain of a week ago and a few are almost ready to bloom. I didn't notice the invading vine strangling this one until I began to edit the photo on the computer! I guess I know what I'll be doing tomorrow in the garden!

Day 148: May 28, 2010

2010-05-29T09:59:00.000-04:00

Snow?

No, that's not snow. It's cottonwood. Otherwise known as the thing I am most allergic to. It's an especially heavy year this year for cottonwood around here. Everyone is sneezing. It often looks like a snow storm with the cotton blowing around and drifting to the ground. You can see just how much it piles up in this photo - the grass is barely poking through!

*Disclaimer - I actually took this photo a few days ago - and am posting it on Saturday the 29th. The 28th was Field Day at school and between the sun (90F), cottonwood, and kids, I was utterly exhausted and did not take a single photo.

Day 147: May 27, 2010

2010-05-27T17:18:00.000-04:00

Rosy

I am renting this house, and one (or more) of the former tenants was big on landscaping (though I suspect it was the original homeowner). It's been a pleasant surprise watching what comes up and blooms each season. Even though this is my second June in this house, I didn't notice the rose bush last year. It may not have bloomed, I'm not sure. I love the color of the blooms!

Day 146: May 26, 2010

2010-05-26T21:27:00.000-04:00

Colors

This is the second art piece my daughter had in the art show yesterday. I tried to shoot it at the show but the lighting was awful. I didn't take as much time with this shot as I should have, but it's better than what I was getting yesterday. It's essentially a big Shrinky-dink sheet of plastic, colored, cut strategically, and partially melted in the oven. The kids then painted a wooden block for a base and glued the sculpture onto it.

I really like the organic shape hers took on and the colors are great. I did not expect the projection of color onto the wall behind the sculpture - an added bonus of using a flash! Makes me want to play with this more with different lighting.

Day 145: May 25, 2010

2010-05-26T21:14:00.000-04:00

Helping Hands Art Project

I took this photo on the date above, but am posting it a day late - yesterday was a very long day! Yesterday was the Spring Festival of the Arts at school followed by the 8th grade play. My daughter had three pieces in the art show, including this one.

The kids used a rubber glove to mold a hand performing an action, then cast in in plaster of paris and painted it. They were to highlight a charity of their choice and attach meaningful words and other symbols to the sculpture then write a paragraph or two about the charity.

My daughter chose Afghans for Afghans, which collects knitted squares to make into blankets for children in the war torn region of Afghanistan. As the entire Middle School read the book Three Cups of Tea this year, which deals in part with the abject poverty and lack of schools in that area of the world, her choice was very fitting.

It's not the best photo, but it is meaningful to me.

Day 144: May 24, 2010

2010-05-24T19:00:00.000-04:00

Camouflage

I found this Swallowtail butterfly feeding on nectar while on my way back through campus today after dropping off the band students at practice for tomorrow's Festival of the Arts. Normally, yellow would seem to be a rather dangerous color for a little insect, but if it hadn't been flying when I was looking, I would not have seen it on this bush. I cropped this photo in pretty tightly (hence the less than perfect sharpness) and upped the contrast a bit to make it a bit easier to see the butterfly. I was only able to get this one shot before it flew off.

Day 143: May 23, 2010

2010-05-23T20:27:00.000-04:00

Harvest of One

Thanks to all the rain last week, the strawberry pots are doing well! This one is just about ready to pick - should be able to eat it tomorrow or the day after I think. There's another one almost ready and a bunch more that are just forming. I took this after I watered them - it's supposed to get HOT this week!