The Firehouse is Boarded Up!

The firehouse is all boarded up!  What happened?  What if there is a fire?  OK, I'm just being dramatic.  There's nothing wrong here.  This beautiful building was built in 1931, and the metal window frames after all this time, are leaking.  So they are taking all the old windows out and replacing them with new modern efficient windows.  But this building does look funny, doesn't it?

This really is a beautiful building - it's a gem!  Look at that old brick, and the beautiful wooden doors.  These are the doors that open by hand, so the fire trucks which are behind them, can race out to a fire.

Abstract

When I was climbing around on the rocks and in the snow, trying to get down to the level of the water in the Erie Canal, I noticed this shape in the ice covering the water.  It was an interesting shape, and so I thought I would try and make an abstract image that might be interesting.  Not the greatest photo I ever took, but maybe interesting.

My High School Camera

Eastman House has a collection of thousands of cameras, and there are maybe 75 of them on display at one time, in one of the galleries.  I always enjoy looking over the cameras because I find cameras that I used in my career.  On this trip, I was stopped in my tracks by this camera, a 4x5 "Speed Graphic."  My high school owned a camera that looked like this, and I used it to cover some sporting events.  The first event was a baseball game, and I photographed a player sliding home to score.  That photograph was used by our local paper, "The Milford Citizen," because a sportswriter was at that game.  It was my first published picture!  Who knew what that first published picture was going to lead to!

THIS is a story!

I was visiting my favorite museum, looking at three different photographic exhibits.  I decided to take a break and get coffee in the little dining area.  It was pretty busy, so instead of sitting at an empty table, I sat at a table with this fellow.  At some point we started a conversation and I asked him what brought him to the museum.  His name is Mark and he   said he works in the basement, and he comes up to see sunlight every once in a while! The short version of the story is that he specializes in "process history" which means different photographic processes used since the invention of photography.  He invited me down to his lab and I got an amazing history lesson in processes I had only heard of, like Daguerreotypes, tintypes, and wet and dry collodion processes, and early printing processes like Gum bichromate, Platinum Prints and Carbon prints!   It was an incredible lesson about the beginnings of photography and the early ways of recording images and printing them.  He was so generous with his time and knowledge, and we stayed and talked until the museum closed!  What a day!  What great luck that I ran into him in such a random way!

The Last Thanksgiving in This House...

Jo Anne and Vince will be leaving the home they have lived in for 41 years, in the coming year.  For the Thanksgiving holiday each year we have either driven to Rochester to celebrate it with them, or they have driven down to Long Island to celebrate it with us.  Thinking of that, Jo Anne thought we should take a family portrait of the four of us to celebrate the last Thanksgiving in this home.  It seems like a major life change and worth a portrait.

Condo Construction Site

Vince wanted to go out and look at a construction site nearby, where they are building a whole bunch of condos.  I am always up for seeing how things are built so I went along for the ride.  This photo shows a section of the project where some finished buildings are and where some people are already living.  They are nicely designed buildings, and I love the two tone gray colors and the stone face on each of the buildings.

We went further into the project, and came to where they are still doing work with filling and grading in preparation for more buildings.  I am not sure what the purpose of this giant roller is, with the huge metal fingers sticking out, but it is a serious piece of equipment.

Nearby, the construction of some more buildings is just getting underway.  The foundation and basements are in, and they have put in the first floor, and are now starting the framing.  I think it is a little kid thing, that people like me are fascinated by construction!

A Modern Church

When John and I were walking the dog, we passed by this church on East Avenue.  It is called Asbury First United Methodist Church and is located in the East Avenue Historic District.  It was constructed in 1953-55 and is of the Art Deco style. The church traces its heritage to several Rochester congregations dating back to the 1820s.  It is a striking building to see in person.

The Pretty River

Look at this pretty river.  It runs along parallel to Route 96 in Pittsford, NY.  Isn't it interesting how straight the river is?  OK, so it is not a river, it is the Erie Canal!  How often as kids did we sing the Erie Canal Song which was written by Thomas S. Allen?    "I've got an old mule and her name is Sal, Fifteen years on the Erie Canal"  I have always known the canal runs through Rochester and some of the surrounding communities.  So today I though I would go look at it.  They lower the water level in winter and they also raise the locks, as you can see below.  We all know about the Erie Canal, but I still get a kick when I actually see it.

A Celebration of Diversity

This is a beautifully decorated control box for the traffic lights at an intersection in Rochester.  I thought it was a beautiful design and beautifully painted.  I was curious why someone would take the time and effort to do this.  I walked over to the crosswalk to push the button, and noticed a sign on the steel post holding up one of the traffic lights.  The sign said: "This Pride Crosswalk symbolizes our celebration of the diversity that makes Rochester great and stands as a testament to our support for all our neighbors equally and unequivocally."  That is certainly a great reason for painting this box!

The Students

I went to Eastman House today to see some exhibits.  In this, the second exhibit that I viewed,  I listened to a discussion between these two, who were standing next to me..  She is April and he is Andrew.  She had form on a clipboard and she took notes about some of the photographs and objects in the exhibit.  So I asked them if this was some sort of class project, which she said it was.  They are both RIT students - she is a film student and he is a chemical engineering student.  So we had a nice conversation, and I explained that I was an RIT grad from 54 years ago.  It brightened my day to meet them and to have a conversation with them both!  I asked if I could take their picture, and they said "Sure" which was nice.  Now you all get to meet them too!

Walking the Dog

This is my friend John, and his dog Renie.  Renie is an Airdale, and John is one of my oldest friends.  I don't mean that he is old,  I mean that he and I have been friends for a long, long time.  We went to  R.I.T together and have been friends ever since.  What's cool is that we are both photographers, and we are both pilots, and we are both curious about the world.  So we got to hang out today, talking, looking at photographs, walking the dog, having lunch, visiting a photolab and a photo gallery.  It was great hanging out again!

Upstate

We drove to Rochester today, to spend Thanksgiving with Vince and Joanne.  The weather for our trip was good.  Traffic was light and there was only some light rain in the middle of the trip.  But when you get far enough upstate,  The skies become overcast and stay that way much of the time.  The flat lighting that results from the clouds is interesting in how it reveals details in the landscape.  It was also nice that there was a light snowfall recently and the white helps to delineate some of the features of the landscape.  I wanted to stop a few times to photograph, but it would have taken too much time, and we left late in the morning, so no real photographs from along the route, sorry to say.

Another Scene of The Famous Tree

This is a different photograph of the Japanese maple tree.  What makes it different is that there are leaves still on the tree, and yet there is snow on the ground, on the branches of the tree, and in the distance, the snow is continuing to fall.  I think that this is another lovely photograph of the tree because of the subtlety of the snow on the branches.  Please click on this image to see it in more detail.

Pretty Snow, Deadly Snow

I watched as the forecast one inch of snow turned into a lot more snow than that.  It was a wet snow so it stuck to branches, which made for pretty pictures at first.  Then as the heavy snow continued I began to get worried.  All the trees still had leaves on them, so the snow had a lot to cling to on the branches.  When I looked out late in the afternoon, I was troubled to see that many of the ends of the branches of the beautiful Japanese maple were on the ground!  I went out with a snow shovel pushed up on the branches that I could reach overhead.  When I pushed up, the snow on the branches came tumbling down - all over me!  But that's OK, when the snow was gone from the branches, they popped back up to their normal height.  We did lose two branches that had broken off from the weight, however.

The Strange Landscape

This was the first photograph I made yesterday morning just after the snow started.  These trees are in a neighbor's yard, and many are overgrown with Grape ivy.  That in itself is a strange and spooky thing to see, but then add the snowflakes streaking through the photograph and it feels even stranger.  I like this because it is so different from the usual landscapes that I shoot.

November Snowfall

Last night they were forecasting about one inch of snow for today.  I thought "Wow, that is unusual for us to get snow in November."  I don't EVER remember a November snow in all the years I have lived on Long Island.  So come today, we get instead, four inches of snow!  It was a wet snow so it stuck to branches, which made for pretty pictures.  I was driving back up our street when I saw these red branches hanging down and I loved the brilliant red leaves seen against the white snow.  Please click on this picture, because it is gorgeous in a larger size!

Waterfall and Reflecting Pool

You might wonder why, if after I posted the panorama of one of the reflecting pools yesterday, I would post a different photograph of the same subject today.  Actually this is a different reflecting pool and waterfall.  The one in yesterday's post did not have water flowing in the waterfall.  This one does.  I saw this pool in a different way as I was walking around the edge.  There is some kind of optical illusion taking place, I think, and it is difficult to explain it in detail - but I felt I was seeing one of these pools and it's waterfalls in a different way.

September 11 Memorial

Continuing our tour of Manhattan, we took the subway down to the The National September 11 Memorial.  We walked around the Memorial’s plaza and the twin reflecting pools, while looking and photographing.  Every time I see the reflecting pools I am moved by how beautiful they are and how perfect they are as memorials.  They evoke such peace and contemplation.  This was an interesting visit because the trees on the plaza have always been green, but this time they are the colors of Fall. 

Prometheus

This is probably the most famous sculpture at Rockefeller Center.  It is Prometheus of the Greek legend who defied the gods by stealing fire and giving it to humanity, an act that enabled progress and civilization. Prometheus is known for his intelligence and as a champion of mankind.  The sculpture was commissioned in 1934.  It is bronze, which has been gilded.  And it is the centerpiece of the skating rink.  It is an absolutely stunning work of art.  Here are two views of the statue, as seen from behind, and from across the ice rink.

Atlas the Titan

There are so many landmarks in Manhattan, and when I am on my way to a museum or somewhere else I am beginning to think that I am not paying attention.  But with my friend Lachlan, from Australia, I was sightseeing with him, almost as if I had new eyes!  As we continued down Fifth Avenue we came to Rockefeller Center and this magnificent statue.   It depicts Atlas the titan, with exaggerated muscles, supporting the celestial vault on his shoulders.  A famous figure from Greek mythology, Atlas was a half-man, half-god giant known as a Titan, who helped lead a war against the Olympic gods. After the Titans’ defeat, Atlas was condemned to carry the world on his shoulders as punishment. Atlas is one of Rockefeller Center’s greatest Art Deco icons.

The Tympanum

 I have passed the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian church so many times.  As we headed down Fifth Avenue, I happened to look up the stairs at the entrance and saw this painting on the tympanum.  Yeah, I hadn't heard that term before, so I looked it up.  "In architecture, a tympanum is the semi-circular or triangular decorative wall surface over an entrance, door or window, which is bounded by a lintel and arch. It often contains sculpture or other imagery or ornaments."  That's why you come to my blog, right, so that you can learn new things.  This is really beautiful.  How is it that I had never seen this before?

William Tecumseh Sherman & Victory

Continuing our walk down Fifth Avenue, we came to this outdoor sculpture of William Tecumseh Sherman by Augustus Saint-Gaudens.  It is located at Grand Army Plaza in Manhattan which is at 59th Street.  Cast in 1902 and dedicated on May 30, 1903, the gilded-bronze monument consists of an equestrian statue and an allegorical female figure, Victory.   Recently the statue was renewed in 2013, including a re-gilding with gold leaf.  It is stunning, isn't it?  Such beautiful detail. 

Statues on the Mall

I am so ignorant about what is in Central Park, that it is amazing!  What a dolt I am!  We started seeing some beautiful bronze statues when we started down the Mall.  William Shakespeare, above, by the American artist John Quincy Adams Ward, was the first sculpture placed on the mall, in 1872!  Robert Burns, below, arrived in the 1880's.  These are magnificent works of art!

And this is Samuel F.B. Morse, below.  He established his reputation as a portrait painter,  and then in his middle age Morse contributed to the invention of a single-wire telegraph system, and then he was a co-developer of the Morse code and helped to develop the commercial use of telegraphy.

The Park in Fall

As we walked around Central Park, I was looking for photographs of fall color on trees, seen against the background of the skyscrapers in Manhattan.  I liked this view, and then I had to stand there and wait until a person walked through the scene.  Without the person, there would be no sense of scale.  This woman seems so small compared to everything else in the scene.

The Protester on Fifth Avenue

Since this is Election day, I decided I would show this scene that we stumbled across as we were walking down Fifth Avenue last Friday.  As walked down the street, on the opposite side from Trump Tower, we saw this man with all his signs.  Turns out he is a long-time New Yorker, and he is not fond of Trump, can you tell?

Bethesda Fountain

This is Bethesda Fountain and the plaza in Central Park.  It is the "Angels of the Water Fountain."  It was made by Emma Stebbins, the first woman to do a public sculpture in New York City.  It was unveiled in 1873.  It is at the end of the mall and it has been said that "If you sit there long enough the entire city walks by."  Unfortunately the water has been turned off for winter.  

This is a closer version of the fountain.  I should have been even closer.  I give myself a "fail" for this.  I will have to go back in Spring and do a better job of showing the Angel in all her glory.  Please click on each of the images to see everything in greater detail.

Bethesda Terrace Sculpture

I am astounded at all that I discovered while touring Central Park.  At the end of the mall is Bethesda Terrace, overlooking the fountain.  More on the fountain later.  The terrace was designed by Albert Vaux, and he considered it the most important architectural achievement of his career.  There are two sculptural piers which represent the times of day: the Rooster of the Day on the east pier and the Owl and Bat of Night to the west. I was stunned by the detail of these carvings.  I think the owl is about 8 inches high, if I remember properly.

An Allee in Yellow

Once we got into Central Park I wanted to walk up to Bethesda Fountain.  That is about one quarter of the way into the park heading north from 59th street.  I was surprised how far the walk was to reach the fountain.  We walked along the mall which was beautiful and there were so many people enjoying the park and the fall colors.  This is just off the mall.  I was taken by the giant urn with flowers in it, seen against all the background trees.  At the last minute this woman came in on her bike and sat down, and there was my picture, because it had a person in it.

Maine Battleship Memorial

Lachlan and I went to New York City for the day.  It was his first visit to the city, and our object was to just walk around the streets and visit Central Park, for a start.  So we started with Central Park.  Just outside the Southwest corner, we found this monument.  This is a detail photograph, showing three statues.  The ignominy of this, if you are a statue, is having pigeons sitting on you all day!  These statues are part of an astounding memorial to the dead sailors of the USS Maine, which exploded in Havana Harbor in 1898. There were 355 sailors on board, and of these, there were 261 fatalities.

Lachlan is Here!

Lachlan is here! He has come all the way from Australia, thus the Australian flag is displayed on the porch again.  I do that for all visiting dignitaries from Australia!  I met Lachlan when he was a teenager when I visited Australia back in 1993, and we have corresponded since then, but this is the first time in 25 years that we have seen each other!  We have been talking non-stop all day, catching up, talking about telescope making and observing, and he has been asking when I am coming to Australia!