A Change of Pace

Last Saturday morning my wife & I left our snug little Pennsylvania home and began rolling south at 3:00am. With a breakfast & fuel stop in Rocky Mount North Carolina, another fuel stop in South Carolina and a couple of rest stops thrown in we arrived in Lakeland Florida at 7:45pm. When we left we had two inches of fresh snow on the ground with a freezing drizzle falling. Upon arrival we were greeted with shirt sleeve weather even though it had been dark for nearly an hour.

Monday morning Chad & I visited Lake Parker where this shot was taken as the morning mists were rising from the lake. My future post will be of some of the many images I captured on this amazing vacation. Upon arriving home this afternoon and downloading my memory cards I found that I had returned with some 1400 images.

Frosty the Dogwood

With a couple of chilly months to go I don't expect I will face a shortage of Frost Photos for quite some time.

I expect to be back to posting regularly by this weekend.

Eclipse Questions

Viewing this photograph brought questions to my mind. Questions such as why does the moon have a place for a stem, such as a fruit? Why does it have lines radiating out from this spot like the sections of a cantaloupe? Why is the Earth’s shadow so ragged and uneven?

The “stem” apparently is a crater but the longitude lines certainly do puzzle me. As for the Earth’s ragged shadow I would surmise that it is caused by our polluted atmosphere. But still one question remains;

Where is the Man in the Moon? :)

Photo captured with a Canon 30D, 400mm lens, F11 @ 1/125 sec. ISO200

SkyWatch Friday, Eclipse

Perhaps the Total Lunar Eclipse will be the most frequently posted subject today but I will risk being showed up by those of you who are more accomplished shutter bugs.

With a brisk wind blowing and the thermometer hovering at 18deg F (-8C) I was very pleased to capture this image.

I am extremely pleased to have had this photographic opportunity. It snowed here all day and I felt certain that this event would transpire behind a cover of clouds. Thankfully the skies began to clear at dusk and by 9:00pm this moon was shining brightly in a cloudless sky, perfect for the approaching show!

Snowy Teasel

Beautiful to the eye but prickly to the touch

Teasel provides photographic opportunities year round.

Rushing Thunder

While waiting for the traffic light to change during my evening commute I heard the rushing roaring sound of a freight train. A glance in the side mirror revealed the train crossing over the bridge behind. Recognizing this as a “Chadesque” photo-op I readied my little Canon S2 IS and aimed it into the mirror.

Later I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of this image while viewing it on the computer.

If you haven’t checked out my son Chad’s photoblog click here, you’ll be glad you did.

New Leaves in Mid Winter

Imagine my surprise at finding new leaves in the middle of our Pennsylvania winter. Nestled in a well sheltered hollow with a good southern exposure, I found these tiny leaves growing on a Multiflora Rose.

Multiflora Rose, once recommended for planting as a living cattle fence and also used as crash barriers in the medians of divided highways, is now considered a noxious invasive alien plant species.

Although the Multiflora Rose has fallen from favor, I enjoyed finding this token of the season of new life just around the corner.

Cattail Seedhead, another View

Congratulations Photowannabe Sue
Once again you are the one with the correct answer!

As I was wandering about the Meadow Grounds Lake Saturday morning I found a cattail (bulrush) seed stalk which had broken over. Taking the seed head in my hand I began rolling it and was amazed at the soft furry texture of the seeds and their filament wings.

What is it?

Make your best guess as to the subject of this mystery photograph

Skywatch Friday, Valentine Sky

After the sun set and darkness began to envelop the countryside, the western sky took on a beautiful red hue. The perfect end for a cold Valentine’s Day!