Day 132: May 12, 2010

Ohio Farm

I attended a training in Archbold, Ohio today after school, which resulted in a 14 hour day due the hour drive each way.  I wasn't sure I was going to have any time to get a photo, especially as the day was very dreary and overcast, but I saw this farm on the drive home and literally stopped in the middle of State Route 20A to snap this picture through my open window.  There was so little traffic, I didn't see a single vehicle in either direction while I took my picture!  However, I didn't stick around to take more than one quick shot!

This is extreme NW Ohio - farmland as far as the eye can see.  Acre upon acre of corn and soybean fields with farms dotting the flat landscape.  It's flat.  Really flat.  So flat that a farm like the one above sticks out and can be seen for miles in any direction.  I wished I'd had a wide angle lens to capture the utter flatness of the landscape and the scale of the farmland out there.

Day 131: May 11, 2010

Off Trail

Today stayed in the low 50'sF  and rained.  All day.  Still raining.  So.... today's pictures are from Saturday's trek to Swan Creek Metropark.  As I noted in Saturday's post, I ventured off the marked trail to find fungus.  I also found some swampy areas (above) and was able to get close to the rather silty/muddy Swan Creek (below).

Day 130: May 10, 2010

Fun With PhotoShop Elements

I got these beautiful sunset-colored tulips for Mother's Day and played around a bit in PhotoShop Elements.  The original shot is below.  I kind of like the effects above, but I have GOT to figure out how to not have the white line around the cut-out colored parts.  Of course, I haven't read a thing about how to do this the right way - I just played around.  More to learn, for sure!  But fun!

Day 129: May 9, 2010

A Place to Sit

I shot this today while at my mom's place for Mother's Day.  She lives in an apartment building in Ottawa Hills which backs up to "The Meadow" which is essentially a wetland/park area owned by the village.  At some point, someone placed these rustic seats in prime viewing position.  While it looks like a lovely spot to sit and enjoy nature, I think I'd need to bring a cushion or two to sit on!  

I liked the shot better in black and white - the benches and the absence of anything "modern" in the frame give it almost a timeless feel (yay for cropping!).  So then I started to play around with PhotoShop and some different effects and created the shot below just for fun.

Day 128: May 8, 2010

Why did everyone want to invite the mushroom to the party?

Because he was a Fun Guy! (say it out loud)

Today was, as Winnie the Pooh said, a Blustery Day.  Cold and windy with showers off and on. (Wind chills in the 30's F....in MAY!)  But I braved the elements and ventured out to Swan Creek Metropark.  The trail I walked is the same one that runs right behind my very first apartment.  I used to sneak through a hole in the fence and walk the trail...19 years ago.  Now there's barbed wire topping a new fence between the trail and the apartment complex. I feel old!

One good thing about this sort of weather is it provides perfect growing conditions for fungi.  I love shooting photos of fungi - there are so many varieties! I've learned you generally have to venture off the beaten path to find the best ones, however, and today was no exception.  I followed a deer trail to down to the water and found these specimens growing on rotting logs.

Sorry for the bad joke, but it does make the 5th graders laugh every year when we study classification!

Day 127: May 7, 2010

Monochrome Storm Clouds

This is my contribution to Monochrome Weekend.  I took this a couple of days ago, but it could be from almost any day this week.  We have had storms roll through more days than not lately.  Yesterday being an exception which is how the lawn got mowed.  

My daughter says I take too many pictures of clouds, but I've been captivated by the contrast between dark and light and the depth of the clouds in our skies lately.

I did take photos today but they were all of students!  Today was May Crowning at school and my daughter's class (the 8th graders) performed the ceremony and read all the parts.  My daughter was MC and did a nice job.  It's always a bittersweet day seeing the 8th graders all dressed up (uniforms are the norm) and suddenly looking quite old and ready for high school.  Her class has been together since kindergarten - 9 years seems to have passed in a blink of an eye!  So you get clouds instead!

Day 126: May 6, 2010

Mowing

I rarely post photos of people as I rarely gain their permission to do so.  Today, my daughter consented to my using this photo of her first time mowing the lawn.  Yes, the lawn is more weeds than grass, but I'm renting this place and don't want to sink that much money into a yard I don't own.  Yes, that's an electric mower - had to buy over 300 feet of electrical cord when I bought the mower (giant double-lot), but less air pollution is worth it!  I'm just happy I now have a lawn care helper in the house!

Day 125: May 5, 2010

Flowering Trees....Achoo!

Everything is blooming and allergies are at an all time high.  Tree pollen is especially high this week which is making me (and most people I know) sneeze and cough. At least the blooms are pretty!

Day 124: May 4, 2010

Star Wars Day

May Fourth be with you! Ahem.  (This is what happens when you teach Jr. High.)

Today was an insanely busy day - with zero time for photography.  But I thought it sort of fitting to post a picture of the University of Toledo planetarium and main observatory on Star Wars day!  Still figuring out Photoshop, but having fun doing it!  Can't wait to learn more tricks and do more than I was already doing in GIMP.

Day 123: May 3, 2010

Gathering Clouds

I washed the car this afternoon and planned to mow the grass....so obviously, it's thunderstorming.  Sigh.  At least it made for a cool shot of the clouds.  If only Blogger would upload .tif files - trying to minimize loss after working with files in RAW.  It's doable in theory but not in practice for me.

Day 122: May 2, 2010

Raindrops on Hosta

Rained again this morning - thanks for the early wake-up calls on weekends, Mother Nature!  But it does make for some cool shots.  Went out in my bare feet and sweats this morning to shoot the raindrops on the Hostas.  Just got a copy of Photoshop Elements 8 to play with so I can learn it well enough to teach it in the fall.  Shot in RAW for the first time and played with a few settings on this picture.  Saved it as a .JPEG though as it didn't seem to want to upload here otherwise.  I have a LOT to learn!  But it will be fun playing and learning!

Day 121: May 1, 2010

Eye on the Sky

There is a large observatory in a building adjacent to this one at UT that most people know as it's open to the public.  I've always wondered about this smaller one that is higher than the larger one. UT has some interesting architectural details hidden about here and there - I have a feeling I'll be posting more of these this summer as I'll be in grad school classes there M-F, from 9-5 for six weeks straight!

Day 120: April 30, 2010

Windows 

I had to go to UT (University of Toledo) today to fill out paperwork that will let me get my stipend for the grant-funded program I got into that starts in June.  Free tuition and a stipend - woo! PhD level coursework - gulp!

I liked the juxtaposition of architectural styles in this shot even though it is a bit busy.  I didn't even realize I'd captured the reflection of the building behind me until I uploaded it to my computer.  The UT clock tower can be seen through the modern walkway connecting an older building (on the right) with a newer one.  The clock tower is visible for miles and is a well-recognized symbol of the university.

Day 119: April 29, 2010

Pollinator

Walked down to the neighbor on the corner to shoot their blossoming tree and flowers.  There were tiny bees buzzing around in near-constant motion.  Finally managed to capture this little guy in the middle.  I like the shot without him, but he adds a little something extra.