Schenectady photographs

Persistent bee

2009-11-14T00:01:00.001-05:00

We have a few weeds growing in the hedge. I call them weeds only because that's what everyone calls them. We always called this stuff goldenrod; I think that's right but I'm no botanist!

At any rate, there aren't many flowers left in bloom, but these flowers are going strong. They should; they're natives here and are very well suited to the terrain and weather. Since these are among the last flowers, they have been attracting a steady stream of bees. This particular plant had a honey bee (seen here), a yellow jacket and two bumblebees on it at the same time.

It wasn't until I looked at the photo on the computer that I realised just how much work this honeybee was doing - look at the pollen packet on her back leg!

Skywatch Friday

2009-11-13T07:56:00.004-05:00

Traces of travellers on a clear day.

For more photos of the sky from round the world, visit Skywatch Friday.

Cowhorn Creek

2009-11-12T00:01:00.002-05:00

Down in the bottom of Vale Cemetery, where Cowhorn Creek is crossed by the westernmost path. Down by the Revolutionary War monument, if you're a local.

The trees have mostly lost their leaves although one or two stubbornly hang on. Slumbering for next year's growth.

Lest we forget

2009-11-11T00:01:00.001-05:00

Not a political statement. But with a son, a son-in-law and two brothers-in-law on active duty, I can't help but remember their service.

Today is Veterans Day in the US; ANZAC Day in Australia and New Zealand, Armistice Day, Poppy Day or Remembrance Day elsewhere in the world.

Lest we forget.

If you see a veteran today, thank him or her.

For The Fallen
With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,
England mourns for her dead across the sea.
Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,
Fallen in the cause of the free.

Solemn the drums thrill; Death august and royal
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres,
There is music in the midst of desolation
And a glory that shines upon our tears.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted;
They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years contemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;
They sit no more at familiar tables of home;
They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;
They sleep beyond England's foam.

But where our desires are and our hopes profound,
Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known
As the stars are known to the Night;

As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain;
As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,
To the end, to the end, they remain.

--Laurence Binyon

Late flower

2009-11-10T00:01:00.001-05:00

So we're cleaning up the garden plot at the community garden and among the leaves and weeds (oops!) we find the flowers we planted in the spring in order to attract the pollinators to the garden.

I have no idea what this is, but being low to the ground and sheltered by weeds, it has survived the frosts so far.

It's glorious to see a flower blooming so nicely outside in November!

Maple leaves

2009-11-09T00:01:00.001-05:00

Someone told me that each tree has its own distinctive colour scheme; colours that are always there but only become visible in the autumn, after the chlorophyll dies off. Most of the maple trees in this area are generally a blend of yellow and red. This tree is a surprisingly uniform yellow. I don't see many of these.

Grasshopper in the sun

2009-11-08T00:01:00.000-05:00

My youngest has a deep and abiding interest in insects; actually, he's fascinated by pretty much any creature he can touch. This grasshopper was captured, lovingly admired, carefully carried around on a finger and then released back into the wild.

Soon, they'll all be gone; their eggs dormant in the ground until the spring.

Frosty handprints

2009-11-07T00:10:00.003-05:00

Chilly nights mean frost on car windows. Someone (and I'm not saying who) put his hand in the frost and made a handprint. Then someone else thought it'd be a cool idea to be a copycat and take a photo...

Skywatch Friday

2009-11-06T08:17:00.003-05:00

It's Friday, which means that there are people round the world posting photos of their skies! Click on the Skywatch Friday link to see many more!

I've been working for some time to capture that eerie large moon that catches your eye and makes you stop and take note. I don't think it's ever going to work with the Nikon Coolpix 950 - it can't zoom enough. On the other hand, I've learnt a lot about hand holding in low light situations.

This photo is one of my learning shots. I thought it was a loser until I saw it at full size.

Rainy leaves

2009-11-05T00:01:00.000-05:00

More than anything this reminds me of my childhood. Scuffing my feet through the leaves on the ground on my way to school in the rain.

I always did like the rain.

Dark skies

2009-11-04T00:13:00.003-05:00

In an attempt to actually make a photo as opposed to simply snapping something that catches my eye, I thought I'd try this pine tree on a cloudy day in black & white.

Autumn chairs

2009-11-03T00:01:00.000-05:00

Enjoying an autumn day out in the air. These sorts of warm, sunny days are ever more precious with the turning of the leaves.

Soccer strategy session

2009-11-02T00:01:00.001-05:00

Before their Saturday game, the kids and coach / instructor get together to discuss strategy. At this age, I imagine it sounds a lot like this:

'Let's all have fun, right! Oh, and try not to run around in a clump - spread out a little every once in a while...'

They are such a blast to watch at this age.

Theme Day - Doorways

2009-11-01T00:01:00.001-04:00

On the first day of the month, many of the City Daily Photo blogs post a photo based on a common theme. This months theme is doorways.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

This particular doorway was serendipity. I was waiting in the car for my wife to finish a bit of shopping and I saw the sign but could not read it. So I picked up the camera, zoomed in and found my theme day doorway.

I actually planned to post a macro of my eye (doorway to the soul?) but this is more interesting. The text reads:

Please go to back door
Remove shoes and shelf them
Wash or sanitize hands
Thank you

There is a story behind that sign, behind that door but I do not know it. I hope everyone there is well and wish them the best.

Pumpkin patch

2009-10-31T00:01:00.001-04:00

Halloween is one of the holidays we associate with pumpkins. We often hollow them out and carve faces into them, then on Halloween night, put a candle inside to illuminate them from within. I say 'we' but I don't know if the younger generation still do this or not. Maybe they get theirs pre-made and injection moulded.

This is what pumpkins look like when they are in the field. I don't know why these are called pumpkin patches. I've never seen a 'patch.' It takes a lot of room to grow a pumpkin - the vines spread out quite a distance!

Skywatch Friday

2009-10-30T18:30:00.004-04:00

Somehow I had a complete brain lapse this morning and neglected my daily photo. Remembering that it's Friday and thus, Skywatch Friday, I took a photo on the way home. This is shot from the car as I was driving so the composition isn't the best, but I think the clouds are interesting enough that I'll post it anyway.

Click the link for more excellent photos of skies from round the world.

Autumn grasses

2009-10-29T00:01:00.000-04:00

The leaves have already fallen off of some of the trees and the colours are fading to the pale honey of the grasses. Until the snow comes, when the gentle colours will be replaced by the stark white of winter.

Mustard

2009-10-28T00:01:00.001-04:00

We let some of the mustard green go to seed (bolt) thinking we'd make home made mustard. Imagine my surprise when we tried to harvest the seeds from the seed pods. There are only 4 or 5 mustard seeds in each pod and there are hundreds and hundreds of pods on a single plant. It is a lot more work than I imagined and these seeds are really, really tiny. That's my thumb and forefinger holding one seed pod.

Beaver lodge

2009-10-27T00:01:00.001-04:00

This pile of sticks is in the middle of a pond at Grafton Lakes State Park. It is a beaver's house which for some reason is called a lodge. The beaver cuts down all those branches and carries them out there where he builds his house, plastering it together with mud. The entrance is under water, making it very safe to raise a family!

Downtown emu

2009-10-26T00:01:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was the last outdoor Greenmarket (farmer's market) downtown. Next week, the Greenmarket moves indoors. We had two special guests - George and Grace, a pair of emus from Cooper's Ark Farm were here. And they were quite popular, too as you can see from the smile reflected in the cell phone...

Autumn colour

2009-10-25T15:07:00.003-04:00

We've had several frosty nights and the trees are showing their colours now. This maple tree is in a neighbour's yard - it's amazing how different it can look depending on the way the sun hits it.

Wintergreen

2009-10-24T00:01:00.000-04:00

This is a fairly common plant in the forests here. Wintergreen has a minty, spicy flavour and is quite distinctive when you bruise a leaf. I've never made tea from it although I've heard it's good. If I find a large enough patch of it perhaps I'l give it a whirl. I don't really want to strip all the leaves off of a single plant.

This is a fairly thick forest. The wintergreen is growing in a patch of light where a tree fell and made room.

Skywatch Friday

2009-10-23T00:01:00.001-04:00

A rare, perfectly cloudless day. And the geese are flying south for the winter...

Visit Skywatch Friday to see the skies of other participants. They're incredible!

Ghost of a fallen leaf

2009-10-22T00:01:00.001-04:00

Sometimes,
when conditions are just right,
a
leaf
will
fall
on the sidewalk
on a wet day.

No one dislodges it...
The sun comes out
and leaches some of the leaf
into the sidewalk.

A breeze carries the leaf off,
leaving its ghostly image behind
for me to remember it by.

Fallen leaf

2009-10-21T00:01:00.000-04:00

In our climate, there are many deciduous trees - the sort that lose their leaves in the autumn. The leaves go somewhere, and some days it seems as if they all fall on my sidewalk! Normally, they're not still green when they drop off the tree, but this one decided to be different.