The Tree Where I Stop

I stop at this tree every day I ride.  It is at the top of a short hill and it is one of my checkpoints, so I always stop and write down my time.  These roots are amazing and I am thinking this is a really old tree, based on the roots.  I did a search and based on the bark and the shape of the leaves, I think this is a Beech tree.  I would love to know how old it is.

 

The Rider Pauses

On my bike rides I have checkpoints and I keep track of my times as I pass each one.  I always want to see how I am doing on one ride compared with another.  After a winter with not much time on the bike, my times are slow, and then during Spring, they gradually get faster, which is fun to see!  Anyhow, there are a couple of places along the route when I stop to write down the times, because I can only remember three different times before I forget.  This is one of those stops at the top of a hill and when I saw this shadow, I thought it was a picture.

 

Little and Big

The Fern bank is such a joy and it is so beautiful, especially in the spring when they Ferns first come up.  There is one problem with the fern bank, however.  We have Grape ivy vines that are always trying to take over the ferns, and tiny maple trees that sprout every spring as well, as well as some other weeds.  it is a constant battle to keep the fern bank clear.  Well, the other day it was time to do my first weeding and clearing of the ferns.  On my way down the driveway, I happened to see these tiny flowers which jumped out because of their brightness.  I loved the comparison in size between the giant ferns, and the tiny flowers.

 

Cherry Blossoms

These Cherry Blossoms, ( I HOPE) they are Cherry Blossoms all over the ground and the road caught my eye as I came around a corner on one of the roads I usually ride on.  It was like snow on the ground! the blossoms looked a bit tired, so I was wishing I had come by the day before.  The scene was so beautiful seeing so many blossoms.  After I took this photograph, I decided I would do one of the tree which still had lots of blossoms on it, in hopes someone would be able to identify the tree from this second image.

 

One Last Image

One last image that I took when leaving the upstairs gallery at ICP.  I happened to turn around for one last look and saw this silhouette of a man sitting back on a couch, nearly in the dark, looking at his phone.  So I took maybe 6 frames, some closer and this one a wider view.  Just an interesting silhouette in an uncommon looking room. My last post from my day in the city last week.

 

ICP

I keep talking about the International Center of Photography, also known as ICP but I have never taken a photograph of the galleries to show you what it looks like.  The galleries are in a large space two stories high.  You can see three walls of photographs here on the lower floor, and the second floor galleries are walkways around the open space with photographs on all the walls there.  What got me to take this photograph were the two figures, one on each floor and they were one above the other, which gave me a center of interest - the "something else" which makes a photograph more interesting.  Please click on the image because it is so much more interesting to look at when it is larger.

 

I Have No Idea

We were walking away from the International Center of Photography looking for a place to have lunch, when we passed these figures on this wall.  I have no idea what this is about.  But I think I recognize Ray Charles and I think the blonde woman is Annie Lennox.  But I don't recognize the others.  I have the feeling that this is some kind of art installation.  I am not sure if the graffiti is part of this, or if someone tagged the wall after the sculptures were up.  It is unusual for me that I am not able to come up with more information, but even Google couldn't help in this case.  Do you recognize any of these people?