Christmas in New York

The title of this post is intentionally a tease. The answer is simple: Today we took a helicopter tour of Manhattan, which was a Christmas gift from Liz and Amy. We got the gift at Christmas, but waited for warmer weather before scheduling this flight. It was very cool, as all helicopter flights are. I have flown around Manhattan in helicopters a number of times over the years. This was Kathy's first flight, and she found the liftoff and initial climb a real thrill. Suddenly you watch the ground fall away, without having to speed down a runway, and generally you are not that far from buildings on takeoff and landing, so it is an impressive experience the first time. The views, of course were spectacular. I have several photographs, but chose this one as being the most immediately recognizable.

The Library

OK, no more strange concretions. Time for something beautiful, so I am going back to architecture. This is a view from inside the columns of the library at Saratoga Spa State Park. This is one of two nearly identical buildings, on the outside. You can see this building's twin through the opening in the columns to the left, across the expansive lawn. Not only is the architecture beautiful, but at this time of day, the light coming through the columns is lovely. And you know me, I love the light.

The Concretion

So how weird is this? Yesterday I spoke about the spring house, and how the water went to a pipe under the road. Well, it comes out on the other side of the road, and then the water trickles down a hill, and ends up running over this huge concretion which is perhaps 20 feet tall. This is a detail of part of the accumulation of limestone, or whatever the material is that precipitates out. It is an amazing formation, and this "mouth" is just stunning to see. Notice that leaves which have landed on the formation, soon get covered with the deposits as well.I have never seen anything like this before. What a wonderful surprise to discover this while walking up the river.

Spring House

This photograph is all about color. It is a small stone house that covers a natural spring, and the water from the spring comes out of the small pipe, and then shoots down into this man-made opening leading to a pipe which then goes under a road. But this is about the color. There was something about the colors that stopped me, and as I started to frame the image, I began to see the individual colors - the bluish rock at the top, the grayish rock, and the reddish colors in the water receptacle. I can't explain it, but the colors are complimentary, or "opposites" and I think this has a lot to do with the impact it has on me. You will need to click on this image to see it with better color.

Sidewalk Accident

You want to know what the strangest part about this photograph is? It is the part about how I felt while taking the picture. People were walking behind me on the sidewalk while I was looking for the best composition, and I was imagining that passersby were probably wondering WHY this guy would even be photographing the mannequin on the sidewalk. I felt much better when I was done taking the photo! The winds were quite strong this day, and apparently this had just blown over, and the shopkeeper most likely had not seen it yet. Why did I photograph this scene? I have no idea, except there was this brief two or three second flash when I first saw this, that a person had fallen. After I realized that it was not a person, I was still left with that moment of shock, and I guess wanted to record it.

The Arches

Sorry for the delay in posting this - I drove out East for observing last night and didn't get home until 3:30 AM. A spectacular evening to be under the stars. This is another photograph from Saratoga Spa State Park. In the picture from yesterday, you can see brick archways on either side of the building, covering walkways where in the old days, people could walk or sit and relax, even in inclement weather. This is one of the walkways that extend from each of two similar buildings. I just love the way the light plays on the architecture here. There is direct sunlight and indirect light, and even a spot of direct sun up high on the wall to the left. There is something about the wonderful sense of perspective as the arches march away into infinity that draws me in every time.

Saratoga Spa

This is a photograph of one of the buildings at Saratoga Spa State Park. Saratoga became famous for the various springs that flow from underground. In the 1930s Theodore Roosevelt decided that the area should be developed to attract tourism. Funds were used to develop bath houses. research facilities and a drink hall. That's funny, the term "drink hall" because that's what it is, but they only drank the spring water! This building included a drink hall. I was lucky to have this amazing sky, with thunderstorms in the distance just when I was there. There is a restaurant operating there at present. It is wonderful that these buildings are preserved. The brick arches cover walkways so people could walk or rest in chairs in all weather conditions.