Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Boerner Botanical Gardens
The first of two WCTC field trips was to Boerner Botanical Gardens on Monday, June 25th. The weather was almost perfect...high of 70; sunny; blue skies; but a pretty strong breeze. The breeze made photography difficult as a moving subject causes a blurry photo. Our assignment is to turn in a collage of 3 to 5 of our favorites. I of course have about 10 to 12 favorites, but decided to only showcase the pink/red/yellow flowers as those colors say "summer" to me.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
TIGHT SHOTS
A photography class I'm currently taking at Waukesha County Technical College is titled "Nature & Landscapes". The first two weeks we were asked to practice taking "tight" shots. Here's a collection of my favorites taken over the past week.
Next week we go to Boerner Botanical Gardens on a field trip, so I'm hoping to capture many more colorful images.
Saturday, June 16, 2012
2012 Road Trip Adventure
We just returned from an 11 day road trip to Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park. Except for some narrow, twisty mountain driving in the parks, the travel was pleasant. Because we went early June, there were not many tourists which made our touring easy as well. Three highlights:
1. Yellowstone Grand Canyon scenes: Fabulous waterfalls and colors. I hiked down to the brink of the "Lower Falls" in the rain. It was well worth it but the hike back up was nasty.
2. The Grand Teton mountain range is unbelievably beautiful. Our stay at the Signal Mountain Lodge on the shores of Jackson Lake with a view of the mountains was worth every penny. I'd return in a heartbeat.
3. Wildlife - I had hoped for lots of wildlife photos, but it wasn't as easy and I thought it would be. I did however get some great photos of the Buffalo - they are so HUGE and frequently crossed the roads.
There are more photos available at my Shutterfly Site. If you wish to view them, let me know and I'll send you an invitation.
After we returned, I started a 6 week Nature & Landscape Photography class at Waukesha County Technical College! I wonder if I can convince sweetie to take another road trip this fall.
1. Yellowstone Grand Canyon scenes: Fabulous waterfalls and colors. I hiked down to the brink of the "Lower Falls" in the rain. It was well worth it but the hike back up was nasty.
2. The Grand Teton mountain range is unbelievably beautiful. Our stay at the Signal Mountain Lodge on the shores of Jackson Lake with a view of the mountains was worth every penny. I'd return in a heartbeat.
3. Wildlife - I had hoped for lots of wildlife photos, but it wasn't as easy and I thought it would be. I did however get some great photos of the Buffalo - they are so HUGE and frequently crossed the roads.
There are more photos available at my Shutterfly Site. If you wish to view them, let me know and I'll send you an invitation.
After we returned, I started a 6 week Nature & Landscape Photography class at Waukesha County Technical College! I wonder if I can convince sweetie to take another road trip this fall.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Airplane Mode
Just back from an 11 day road trip to Wyoming. Now that we have "smart" phones; we didn't bother taking laptops along. Because the AT&T plan we signed up for is a limited data plan, we carefully monitored how much mobile internet usage we were burning up while on the trip.
As we traveled we realized that by setting our phones on "airplane mode" we could still play games; take photos; and listen to music downloaded without burning up the precious data. It worked out great! We took turns playing music in the car using our phones and "sweetie's" magic wires (which he brings along on road trips).
When we reached a "free wireless" area; we'd switch off the "airplane" mode and see if anyone had sent a text or phone message or if lucky enough to also receive internet service; see if we had any new emails and I'd add a status update to Facebook.
In case you're planning a road trip to WY, there is free wireless in the bar area of the Canyon Lodge Dining Room at Yellowstone National Park; the Guest Services Lodge at Signal Mountain Lodge in Grand Teton National Park; most Comfort, Hampton & Quality Inns, and all McDonald's & Rest Areas in IOWA have free internet access as well.
I'll vote for whichever presidential candidate promises free wireless throughout all USA!
As we traveled we realized that by setting our phones on "airplane mode" we could still play games; take photos; and listen to music downloaded without burning up the precious data. It worked out great! We took turns playing music in the car using our phones and "sweetie's" magic wires (which he brings along on road trips).
When we reached a "free wireless" area; we'd switch off the "airplane" mode and see if anyone had sent a text or phone message or if lucky enough to also receive internet service; see if we had any new emails and I'd add a status update to Facebook.
In case you're planning a road trip to WY, there is free wireless in the bar area of the Canyon Lodge Dining Room at Yellowstone National Park; the Guest Services Lodge at Signal Mountain Lodge in Grand Teton National Park; most Comfort, Hampton & Quality Inns, and all McDonald's & Rest Areas in IOWA have free internet access as well.
I'll vote for whichever presidential candidate promises free wireless throughout all USA!
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Roll out those lazy hazy days of summer...
OK, so it isn't quite summer yet, but this spring has been so mild and with the temperature getting in the upper 80's lately I'm thinking about summer. Perhaps because I'm not cooped up in an office building and able to step outside at leisure, I'm encouraged by the smells, sights and feel of the sun.
This past month I spent a warm Sunday afternoon by myself at Hoyt Park to photograph the creek that runs alongside. I recall early days, when along with my bother and perhaps some neighborhood friends, we would walk or bike there to go swimming. The getting there and getting home was quite adventurous. After crossing Bluemound road; we went through the County Hospital Grounds (now Froedtert); then hiked a field and finally had to cross the creek. Most of the time there were "stepping stones" but sometimes they were underwater and bloodsuckers were common. Those were truly lazy hazy days of summer.
The pool had rules back then.
This past month I spent a warm Sunday afternoon by myself at Hoyt Park to photograph the creek that runs alongside. I recall early days, when along with my bother and perhaps some neighborhood friends, we would walk or bike there to go swimming. The getting there and getting home was quite adventurous. After crossing Bluemound road; we went through the County Hospital Grounds (now Froedtert); then hiked a field and finally had to cross the creek. Most of the time there were "stepping stones" but sometimes they were underwater and bloodsuckers were common. Those were truly lazy hazy days of summer.
The pool had rules back then.
- Showers were mandatory before we entered and they were always cold.
- We had to stop to spread out our toes to be examined before entering the pool area. I'm not sure why, perhaps athletes foot was running rapid at the time.
- All females had to wear bathing caps so after several afternoons at the pool I had a wonderful tan line around my face.
- Nothing was allowed in the pool except ourselves - no towels, toys etc. If we got cold, we would go to a sunny dry spot on the cement and lay down to warm up. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't and we just got blue lips and shivered, but never, never wanted to go home.
Getting back to the creek - here are a few photos of how the creek looks today - I did not see any blood suckers.
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