Wednesday, November 20, 2024

Sandy

    Part of the "Trail Critters" collection of sculptures placed around the rails-to-trails paths in our area.  I'm planning to document them all, this is the 5th of 8 posted.  Click the tag to see all posts.

Sandy:  "Located in Pontoon Beach off of the MCT Nature Trail sits this playful, lime green lizard. Sandy patrols the Sand Road/Chain of Rocks Road intersection and stretches out a whole 10-feet-long."




Tuesday, November 19, 2024

In a motel, baby, like the Holiday Inn (0917)

  Another in the series of photos in and around hotels while travelling.  Today is April 2017.  Once again, the post title is from the old Elton John song:  CLICK.

Check out the TAG to see more from the series.


Hall lighting.  Pretty sure this was another Holiday Inn Express, somewhere between Burnt Prairie, Illinois and Lexington, KY.  Back when my son was looking at colleges.

Saturday, November 16, 2024

Being Crazy



 "You know people have tried to put me off as being crazy.  Sometimes it't to your advantage for people to think you're crazy" - Thelonious Monk



Friday, November 15, 2024

Rainy Night


 A little slice of life from the other day, waiting for the light to change...

Wednesday, November 13, 2024

Mary

   Part of the "Trail Critters" collection of sculptures placed around the rails-to-trails paths in our area.  "Located in, where else, Maryville. Along the MCT Schoolhouse Trail near Drost Park, nests this striking 9-foot-tall red cardinal."


The first photo is from June, 2024, the second is from October 2024.






Tuesday, November 12, 2024

In a motel, baby, like the Holiday Inn (0417)

  Another in the series of photos in and around hotels while travelling.  Today is April 2017.  Once again, the post title is from the old Elton John song:  CLICK.

Check out the TAG to see more from the series.


Parthenon, Nashville Style (at dusk)

Nashville, Tennessee is home of a full scale replica of Greece's Parthenon. Originally built for Tennessee's 1897 Centennial Exposition, this replica of the Parthenon in Athens, Greece serves as a monument to what is considered the pinnacle of classical architecture

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This was taken from a 2th floor balcony at the Nashville-Vanderbilt Holiday Inn....

Saturday, November 09, 2024

You learn to see by practice

 "You learn to see by practice. It's just like playing tennis, you get better the more you play. The more you look around at things, the more you see. The more you photograph, the more you realize what can be photographed and what can't be photographed. You just have to keep doing it."


 - Eliot Porter

40


 

Friday, November 08, 2024

Ups and Downs


Just a little something taken with the iPhone a few days ago.  The type of image that I really like, but that rarely seems to get much attention.  But I'm well past counting "likes" to measure my self worth.  Well, mostly past.  That said I got a huge boost at one of the comments this received over at 365project: "Beautiful! It reminds me of an Eliot Porter photograph."  That really made my day.

I cropped this 5x5 for instagram, I should go back and try other crops, maybe get this one printed.  Or maybe this is perfect?  What say you?

There's nothing deep and meaningful to the title.  This song from the dB's popped into my head while I was trying to think of something.


Wednesday, November 06, 2024

Hawk Haiku

  It missed the song birds

This cooper’s Hawk looks grumpy  

Go chase a squirrel!




Cooper's Hawk

A new "lifer" for me, Cooper's Hawk.  I was just hanging in the family room today when I saw this "guy" swoop down to one of the bird feeders, scattering the songbirds.  It looped up to the nearest branch, empty "handed".  Very cool.  Here's the best photo I managed:


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Below are a couple of other photos taken through the picture window.  The one above is through an open window.






Newt

  Part of the "Trail Critters" collection of sculptures placed around the rails-to-trails paths in our area.  "Located at Edwardsville Junction in Edwardsville, where the MCT Nature, MCT Nickel Plate, and MCT Goshen trails intersect, is Newt. An orange kitty standing 9-feet-tall and reminding all frequent trailgoers of their favorite small trail kitty."

Interesting, the sculpture was originally titled Nelson, presumably due to the general proximity to the N.O. Nelson complex.  I believe the name was changed in honor of an actual cat the was known for hanging out around the trail.

This is the first time I've photographed this one, photos taken 10/25/2024.


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Tuesday, November 05, 2024

In a motel, baby, like the Holiday Inn (0117)

  Another in the series of photos in and around hotels while travelling.  Today is January 2017.  Once again, the post title is from the old Elton John song:  CLICK.

Check out the TAG to see more from the series.



This was my room during a business trip to Bismark, North Dakota.  Who the heck goes to Bismark ND in January?  Ah, the joys of business travel.

Monday, November 04, 2024

Mondys, Ugh

 Pretty cool today, at least cooler than it has been.  And wet.  Make that wet, wet, wet.  Anyway, we noticed this scruffy bird at the feeder.  At first I wondered if it was some kind of sparrow, but what kind of sparrow?  It hung out on the feeder long enough for me to grabbed my camera and snap a few photos.  And then it continued to hand around while I opened the window and grabbed a few more, cleared shots.

Checking with Merlin photo ID, and several photos, it couldn't figure out a good guess.  I even tried Seek, which suggested something in the finch family.  So I went for the big guns:  Facebook and Reddit.  And the consensus is clear for Goldfinch.  Perhaps molting, perhaps having dunked its head in something....  But definitely looking worn.

Here's some photos.  It had just fluffed/shaken before that last one.: