Posts in Category: Trips
Trail to Cedar Falls
On the way to Cedar Falls in Hocking Hills. It was very quiet and you can hear the running water in this stream.
Hocking Hills
Surprised Emilia on her birthday by booking a cabin in the Hocking Hills area of Ohio for the weekend. The weather was perfect and the fall colors were almost at their peak.
Covered Deer
Out photographing the covered bridges near Doylestown, PA when this doe and her fawn walked across the road, being framed by the opening of the covered bridge. Great to be at the right place at the right time!
Lady Liberty
First visit to the Statue of Liberty. Impressed. 500mm lens, up close and personal. Amazing. Wasn’t allowed to take any photos of the bomb sniffing dog. There was a report of a suspicious package left at the base. The statue was closed for 30 minutes while the dog ran around. Tourists: Please throw away your garbage! It will cause disruptions! Next time will call ahead and get the limited tickets to actually go inside the base of the statue, would love to see the framework that supports her.
Ohio Caverns
Another beautiful weekend here in Ohio. So, of course, that means heading underground! Visited the Ohio Caverns near West Liberty, Ohio with my girlfriend, Emilia. These caverns are some of the most colorful in the world. The 45 minute tour takes you through scenes that are indescribable, very surreal. The cavern stays a constant 54 degrees farenheit year round. The grounds above the caverns are equally beautiful, as evidenced by the wedding that was taking place. Visit their website at <a href=”http://www.ohiocaverns.com/”>Ohio Caverns</a>.
Fonthill
Henry Mercer, an archeologist, explorer and collector, was born in Bucks County, PA in 1856 and resided in Doylestown, PA until his death in 1930. Fonthill, a concrete mansion he began building in 1908 and completed two years later. Modeled to look like a castle, the mansion is now open for tours and provides a peek into his amazing life. The mansion has been designated a National Historic Landmark. They were celebrating his 150th birthday, chosed not to pay to go inside, instead roamed the grounds and admired this fabulous home.
Washington crossing the Delaware
While visiting Pennsylvania in June for my nephew’s high school graduation party, took a side trip to Washington’s Crossing. Very nice area to see where history happened. This is a statue that, ironically, is not part of the park, but is at a hotel/restaurant nearby. Lighting was interesting this day and the results turned out fairly well. The fact that the main light is not on Washington, but the 2 soldiers behind him adds some detail to the statue.
Fire Alarm
Taken in San Francisco near the beach. Does this alarm device really need all these instructions and warnings on it? If you look closely, you will see instructions, warnings (for false alarms) and also instructions in braille. To top it all off, under the peak it says “Dept of Electricity SF”. The building would have burned down by the time you read all the messages!
East Harbor State Park
Have no clue what plant this is. Very abundant around the park, mainly near the edge of ponds and wetlands. The red-winged blackbirds sure did like them.
Leave a post if you can identify!
Mute Swan and Cygnet
Before European settlers made their way into Ohio country, the resonant call of trumpeter swans, North America’s largest waterfowl, echoed across area wetlands. The call of a trumpeter swan is often described as similar to the notes of a French horn. The call is very resonant and trumpet-like, hence the name trumpeter swan and term swan song.
Here is a mute swan, with her cygnet (baby), and is an undesirable exotic species from Europe that competes for food and habitat with native waterfowl species. Mute swans are very aggressive. Mute swans are often confused with the trumpeter swan but have an orange bill and a distinct black knob.