The Beauty of Spring

I looked at the Japanese maple tree the other day, and in addition to the brilliant light green color of the leaves, there was a purple haze under the leaves visible as well. I know this color is not evident later on in the spring, so I decided to do some investigating. It turns out that there are little purple buds or something (and I know they can't possibly be "buds") but they hang below he leaves on little stems, kind of like tiny bing cherries or something. Anyhow, I spent some time trying to come up with the most interesting photograph of this, and I took about 5 different views, looking for the best. This may be it, or it may be one of the other photos, and I will probably show another one tomorrow.

Ursa Major

The name of the constellation, seen over the top of the telescope dome is "Ursa Major." Most people know it by its asterism name - the big dipper. It is upside down in this photograph, because of the time of year. It was a relatively clear night so I drove out to Custer Institute for some observing. When I saw the Big Dipper upside down, I decided to take a photo. The dome didn't show up at all in my original photograph, so in the subsequent exposures, I used my astronomy flashlight to "paint" the dome with light so it could be seen. You may have to click on this image in order to see it in a larger size, in order to see all the stars.

The Photo Class

My friend Mike teaches a photo class down in Virginia, and for the past two years, on one of the class nights, he has me talk to the class via Skype. Mike asks me to talk about my photo blog - this blog - and my experience with it. I talk about how I learned of Will's "A Picture A Day" Blog and decided to start my own. I talk about the discipline and how it is actually fun to know that I NEED to take a photo each and every day. I talk about how it was a surprise to me to discover that the act of looking for photographs is what makes me feel like a photographer, not the act of clicking the shutter. OK, this photo... As a goof, after I got Skype up and running, I slid the Easter Lilly in front of the lens of the computer, so this the view the class first got of me - hiding in a jungle! It got a few laughs. I'm such a kidder!

Nice Fence

I arrived at my astronomy club meeting tonight earlier than normal. So I started looking around a bit, now that it is still daylight out when the meetings begin. This is one of the buildings at the Vanderbilt Museum and Planetarium that I have not been inside. I think it is a museum which has on display some of the amazing objects that William K. Vanderbilt II, an avid collector of natural history and marine specimens, as well as other anthropological objects, acquired on his trips around the world. This photograph is actually more about the wrought-iron fence that is in the foreground - that's what caught my eye, and then I just included the building because it was there. It is a pretty interesting building, though.

The Sandminer's Monument

I visited the sandminer's monument in Port Washington yesterday. The Port Washington sandpits were the source of 90 percent of the sand used to make the concrete that built New York City! For years I watched the machinery when it was in operation, and then when it all shut down, I spent a couple of days wandering around the old buildings and the ruins of the sand washing tower, but because it was so decrepit, I didn't dare go inside and climb around in it. How unlike me. Anyhow, now they have a monument to the men who worked here, and they included this original piece of conveyor belt left in its tunnel. I had to climb over a fence to get to this, but I wanted to photograph the real thing.

Oh No, He's Using That Trick Again!

Another field trip today - this time to the Sands Point Preserve. There are two interesting buildings there - "Hempstead House" which was a home built by Howard Gould, and later owned by Daniel Guggenheim. His son Harry, and wife Alicia Patterson began Newsday back in 1940. The other structure on the property is called Gould Castle, and it is this building. Pretty classy, huh? Get this - it is the stable and carriage house! Some carriage house, huh? The inside is not open, but there is plenty to photograph on the outside. I used Hipstamatic on the iPhone, to give it an old-fashioned feeling.

Brooklyn Heights Architecture

Yesterday I mentioned going to Brooklyn Heights and the Promenade. The architecture of the Heights is nothing less than stunning! There is a concentration of over 600 pre-Civil War houses, one of the largest ensembles of such housing in the nation. And there is block after block of picturesque row houses and a few mansions. Architectural styles represented here include Federal Style houses from the early 1800's, brick Greek Revival and Gothic Revival houses, and Italianate brownstones. If you love architecture, this place is just a joy. I of course, have no idea about this particular house, but it just seems so "Brooklyn" to me.