Lanterman's Mill

Lanterman's Mill is in Youngstown's Mill Creek Park. I went on the 19th of October, and the leaves were just starting to turn. Not perfect conditions for shooting - a little late in the day and breezy - but I was determined to get there before going out of town. Wish I'd had a little more time to explore. The park looks pretty big and has a nice gorge running through it. Might be good for ice photography later in winter.

This first one has some texture layers:

Looking downstream, under the bridge:

 

Taken from a little farther down the walkway:

 

And one black and white, from the covered bridge:

The Inn at Brandywine Falls

More shots from Brandywine Falls. The Inn is a pretty old house with a big front porch. Never met the innkeepers, but for sure they're kindred spirits - 6 ft of anti-deer fence surrounds their garden. My fence is a more modest 4 ft, suited to my garden, but I feel their pain. (When we came home tonight, some midnight marauder had nipped off most of the mums. Mums, for heaven's sake - those things are used to make bug repellent. That can't possibly taste good. But I digress)

 

A brilliant maple, blue sky and puffy fall clouds frame the Inn.

 

 I like this horizontal crop.

Whoever invented the circular polarizer, bless your clever heart!

 

Bike path from the Inn to the falls. Some of the trees have been blown bare of leaves, some are brightly colored, some haven't even started.



New bridge over the turnpike. Keeps the hikers and bikers off the road, much safer.

Brandywine Falls on a Gorgeous Fall Day

Wow, Brandywine Falls was beautiful this morning. Plenty of water, nice light and some puffy autumn clouds. The park has really fixed up the parking area and paths. There's a nice bridge over the turnpike now, so hikers and bikers don't have to use the street anymore. The parking lot is bigger, too. By the time I got there this morning at 7 am, there were already a couple of cars in the lot. Mostly hikers, but one crazy photographer who decided to scramble down the slope in front of the observation deck to get down to the base of the falls - despite some rather fierce warning signs posted on the railings. Here are some of today's shots:

Forgot to count how the number of stair into the gorge. It's a bunch, but there's so much to look at, you don't really notice.

 

It starts out like a regular water fall:

 

Is it better portrait or landscape? I can't decide.

Then it sheets down a steep cliff, before crashing into the pool.

I want to go back this winter and get the same views when it's ice and snow.

If you're going, go soon, the leaves are are starting to fall, and the color will soon be replace with November's starkly elegant browns and greys.

Getting Ready for Thanksgiving

I love Thanksgiving - it's my favorite holiday. It's all about family, all about celebrating the people we love. I can't wait to see everyone. Mom will be fixing up the relish tray, Gary's in charge of turkey carving, Greg and Dave are in charge of turkey snitching. Matt and Tabitha are bringing some vegan dishes. Marge has deviled eggs under control, and Sheila's is bringing her wonderful pumpkin roll. And maybe we'll get some family photos in after dinner. The group shot has become kind of a traditions.

Anyway, here's some of the fun I had getting ready:

Decorating

Cleaning (not so much fun!)

And - mmmmm - baking apple bread.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Borrow Pit Photo Walk

The Borrow Pit was the source for fill for SR271. It's just off Boston Mills Road, where the Buckeye Trail crosses. The dirt's pretty poor because all the topsoil was scraped off. It's home to scruffy grass and small trees just managing to get a foothold. The far end of the field has a nice population of fringed gentians, one of our native wildflowers.

These shots were taken in the early morning while the pit was still full of mist. It has an other-worldly feel to it, like a scene from Lord of the Rings, right before the battle starts.

Because October was so wet, it was good for mushrooms. The Buckeye Trails was lined with dozens of mushroom clusters like this.

My goal when I left the house, was to get some scenics I was happy with, and I did. Landscapes are tough - mine frequently seem to look too busy and without a clear focus. These seem to work better than most.

10/8/11

Texture Tuesday: Pier 1 Birds

These cute salt and pepper shakers were an inexpensive find at Pier 1. Love their chubby roundness and lacy wings.

Texture is Phoebe from: www.kimklassencafe.com/thecafe
11/14

P365, Way Behind

I've been keeping up with shooting, but not with posting. And it's almost the holidays.  So today we're going to rock through the rest of September. Hang on!

A very gloomy Sept. 10th. Below, New Guinea impatiens on the lower deck, 9/12.

The first page of my art journal. Lord alone knows why it came out so pink. The lighter areas are just white sketchbook paper. 9/13

Below is my favorite of this batch, apples in the evening sun. Great color and shadows, kind of Dutch painterly. 9/14.

Below: 9/15 a plate from our trip to Greenfield Village a couple years ago; 9/16, chocolate chip cookies - don't know what I do without the KitchenAid mixer; 9/17, two versions of mums from the front yard. I like the bleached out, old fashioned-looking one the best.

Guess who, asleep in my lap. He loves a good lap in colder weather. 9/19.

9/20, Doe, giving me the beady eyeball. She was in the woods next the the gym's parking lot.She has two fawns, and by early November, had collected a bunch of buddies.

An adequate sunset from the back deck, 9/21; then lady bug at one of the neighborhood ponds, 9/22.

More mums, BJ's Club, 9/23.

First time I've found a preying mantis in my yard, 9/24. And, surprise, a rainy 9/25 of the upper deck.

Much better sunset, 9/26. September's weather was pretty glum, but we did get some great clouds and sunsets. 

Above, 9/27, shiny (expensive) new breaks. Just rolled over 100,000 miles on the Honda, and it's still running well. Below, reflections in one of the ponds, 9/28. The swans are now hanging out at this one. The geese must not like the swans, because they haven't been at this pond for a while. 

Garden beds at Stan Hywet, 9/30. It was, yes, raining for Ohio Mart. The crowd was light and the shopping great - even got some Christmas shopping done.

One more post, and September will be done. How the heck did I get a month and a half behind?

Shopping in Amish Country: Holmes County, Ohio

Found this cute vignette at Walnut Creek Furniture. They hung script-printed tab top curtains from a piece of wrought iron mounted on the ceiling. Great idea for a room divider. The drum shade is also a script print, too bad it's hidden by protective wrap.

Regina and I stopped at The Potting Shed and The Village Gift Barn (way more elegant than its name) in Berlin - I want to be a store display stylist! It was almost more than a person could take in, so many great decorating ideas and so many pretty things.

October 29, 2011

Swans in the 'Hood

A pair of mute swans, hanging out in one of the neighborhood ponds. They are so beautiful.

The one above was a little more aggressive. Momma or Papa? The one below was totally focused on eating.

Those crinkly plants in the water are water hyacinths. Tch, very invasive non-native. Don't think they're cold tolerant, though.

October 25, 2011

Hot Air Balloon

Ravenna, Ohio attracts hot air ballon enthusiasts. And, lucky me, they occasionally float over my house. This one is from a brilliant day in September, 2010.

One Tiny {Feathered} Thing

Lots of very bold chickadees at Beaver Marsh - one tried to land on my shoulder! First photo has a texture and vignette, the second, just a vignette.

November 24, 2010.