While out driving on Saturday, I found this scene. This is pretty typical of the farmland that surrounds Springfield, Ohio. We live on the edge of the city and it takes only a few minutes for us to find the corn and soybean fields.
winter fog
This weekend was an odd one for winter weather. The temperatures rose to just above freezing and a chilly fog set in. We never saw the sun all weekend. It was really difficult even telling which direction the sun should have been.
I wanted to take some landscape pictures, but the fog forced me to rethink my approach. Now, I had to use the fog as part of the image composition.
Note that there are spots on the the image. Turns out that I had some dust on the camera's mirror. I should have noticed it when I changed the lenses, but didn't. These are easily removed in Photoshop. However, that is not always the case. Lesson learned; check your mirror as well as your lens… everytime you change lenses.
there is a squirrel in the palm house
While visiting the Franklin Park Conservatory in Columbus, I was thinking about the butterflies that I saw the last time I was there and decided to use the 70-210 beer can. I was thinking that the insects never let me get very close and the lens would be perfect. The problem? The butterflies are not in season & I ended up with a long lens while shooting flowers and plants.
On the bright side, their was a big fat squirrel in the palm house & I was the only one with a lens long enough to get a good shot of it. The little varmint was up high in the trees, licking the leaves on one particular tree. I figured that with all of the cold winter raging outside, he must have been pretty happy in the warm palm house.
If I were a squirrel, I would be after the tiny oranges that were obviously ripe and ready to eat. This little rodent preferred the palm leaves. To each his own, I guess.
Enjoy your palm leaves Mr. Squirrel. I'll come back and check on you in February when the winter is in full force. I wonder if I could find him a little Hawaiian shirt?
chihuly’s balls
You've probably heard about them. Chihuly is famous for them. Mostly because his balls are so big. I thought that you might like to see them. While at the Franklin Park Conservatory in Columbus, Ohio, I had the chance to see them. Isn't it nice how I share these things with you?
Don't think that these are all of his balls. He has a lot of balls and he leaves them all over the world. At the conservatory, they have a lot of Dale's balls on display. I didn't photograph them all, just his big balls. If you want to see more of Chihuly's balls, the conservatory would be a great place to start.
Don't be shy. You are allowed to touch Chihuly's balls. Just be careful, you don't want to hurt them.
Here is a fine pair of balls. I like the way they float in the water. Float? Float…. oh yeah, I am sorry, Chihuly calls these floats, not balls. Sorry. I don't know what I was thinking.
Balls! Sheesh.
don’t eat the art
The sign said not to eat the art, so I didn't. However, I did consume a lot of art in just a couple hours.
There was an incredible Caravaggio exhibit. The man knew how to paint awe inspiring lightscapes.
Something that I have never seen before. CMA had a gallery committed to whittled sticks and carved canes. There were dozens of really interesting examples. However, this little general caught my eye and, in the end, proved to be my favorite. Who knew that whittling was an art form?
When was the last time you visited your local art museum? Here in Ohio, we are lucky to have several world class museums and I try to regularly visit as many as I can. I encourage you to find the hidden treasures in yours.
the installation
When it comes to art museums, I am more of a painting & photo guy. Installations are not my thing at all. However, This particular installation captured my attention for quite some time.
Maybe it was the way the glass shapes looked like egyptian barges floating down the Nile. It could have been the way the glass was lit from above, making the shapes glow, dispersing the light as they did so. Certainly the dimly lit room added to the impact of the artwork.
Yes.. an installation that I like.
thistle and teazle
On Monday's outing in the snow, I came across some thistle and teazle and thought they were pretty interesting.
The snow was being blown by the wind and only one side of them was covered.I had to grab the stalks while I was shooting to keep them in focus. Can you tell which is the thistle and which is the teazle?
One of the plants had an industrial use. It was used by fullers to comb cloth.
The other just sticks to your clothes and gets caught in your pets fur. Can you tell the difference?
first snow 2012
What a strange weather pattern we have had this winter and past fall. The unusually warm temperatures mean that not only is Monday's snow fall the first accumulation of 2012, but also the first of the entire season.
Normally we would have had some snow accumulation back in November and again in December. Not this season. We don't even expect this little dusting to last long. temperatures would be back in the forties by the end of the week and the snow will melt by the weekend.
Don't think that I am complaining, I'll take the warm weather while I can. February is just a few weeks away and I am sure that Old Man Winter will wake up and spread his cold blanket over Ohio before Spring arrives in April.
mule team
A three mule team is not a sight that you see everyday. When the farmer was putting the harness on his animals, I wonder if he thought to himself, "I got to get my ass in gear?" No? Sorry, I couldn't resist.
Enjoy your Saturday.
tree lines
Mid December and the late fall cold has arrived. The wind has stripped the branches of the last of thier colorful leaves. Leaving nothing but bare, dark lines in the sky. This is not outside weather. Instead, we light a fire in the house and stay warm. The season of long naps, on the couch, under soft comforters, has arrived. The season of grey skies and creeping cold. Snow and ice can not be far away.
tim mcmurdo 