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What a night!

Posted by Photonstopper on September 15, 2010
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Photo: Hiram College President's Volunteer Award

This was the inaugural President's Volunteer Award made at Hiram College.

I was surprised and honored. We attended the 23rd Annual Employee Recognition Celebration at Hiram College tonight. I knew something was up but was taken aback when I was named the inaugural recipient of the President’s Volunteer Award tonight! College President Thomas Chema had very kind words to say about my work with the college observatory and, as I understand it, this new honor was his idea. It was the result of a request by Physics Chair Dr. Laura Van Wormer that my work be somehow acknowledged. In private conversation I explained that I considered it a privilege to be allowed to run the observatory for the college but thanked all involved for the recognition. I was given a beautiful award piece made of heavy beveled glass, etched with the award wording. I’ve included a photo of the award here done in impromptu fashion; very nice to look at but very hard to simply photograph. What a night!

Beeing

Posted by Photonstopper on September 15, 2010
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We took the day off today to allow for travel time to a Recognition Dinner event this evening. We were busy as bees this morning with office work –sad, really, it was a beautiful morning– but relaxed a little more this afternoon. I decided to attempt some photos of a foliage plant, a “volunteer” of unknown species, that has been thriving at our back door. Those photos had mixed success. As I was about to pick up my tripod and head back indoors, I turned and noticed a couple of very large bees giving our bright yellow marigolds a going over. What the heck… I’ve got the camera with me, complete with macro lens, and bright light to work with; let’s shoot some bees!

Photo: Bee on a marigold. Photo by James Guilford

A bee works to extract nectar and pollen from a marigold bloom.

I was pretty happy with the shots in general. The afternoon sunlight allowed for shutter speeds well over 1/1,000 second and that really helped when shooting handheld — bees and flowers move and focus shifts fast! Looking at the images on the computer screen I noticed details I hadn’t noticed before, especially in the bees’ wings. So I enlarged and cropped that area on one shot. I’m delighted. I could make that bee photo two feet wide and it would still look good.

Photo: Cropped image showing details in bee's wing. Photo by James Gulford.

Cropped image showing details in bee's wing.

I packed it in and said good afternoon to my buzzy little friends. Soon it will be time to get dressed and head out. I’m hoping for a nice evening. I’m also hoping my voice will hold out: I’ve had another bout of laryngitis and, though better today, my voice is still strained.

Photo: Bee buries itself deep within the folds of a marigold. Photo by James Guilford.

The End

Bee good!

A walk in the woods

Posted by Photonstopper on September 12, 2010
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Photo: Shockingly orange fungus found growing on a fallen log. Photo by James Guilford.

This shockingly orange fungus was seen growing from the side of a fallen branch or log on the forest floor.

The morning was dark and dreary. We had a delicious homemade waffle breakfast and headed out for a bit of miscellaneous shopping. The day began to clear with puffy clouds and blue skies drawing us out so after lunch we headed to the Brecksville Reservation of the Cleveland Metroparks System. One of the more beautiful areas, the northern trail runs along a deep, rocky river valley amidst ancient tall trees. The forest floor is littered with fallen branches, fern forests, and understory growth… and plenty of opportunities for nature photography. Unfortunately, I don’t yet carry a tripod with me on these walks. Fortunately, a few of my efforts turned out well despite the darkness and hand-holding my camera. Among the last shots of the day: a shockingly orange fungus growing from the side of a dark, moss-covered, rotting tree branch. Amazing sometimes what you’ll see on a walk in the woods.

A lovely end to the day

Posted by Photonstopper on September 10, 2010
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Photo: Crescent Moon and Planet Venus float in sunset sky. Photo by James Guilford

Planet Venus floats high above as Earth's Moon sinks into the sunset.

We were just getting home from dinner and shopping when I saw a beautiful sight in the darkening western sky: the young crescent Moon with diamond-like planet Venus floating in the velvet darkness above. I quickly grabbed my camera bag and tripod and headed back out for high ground to capture the scene before it disappeared. Technically, it was a 2.58-day waxing crescent Moon, about nine percent illuminated. Aesthetically, it was a lovely end to the day.

Photo: Earth's Moon sinks into the sunset. Photo by James Guilford

A young crescent Moon sinks into the fading colors of the sunset on a beautiful September evening.

Testing The App

Posted by Photonstopper on September 8, 2010
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I’ve just downloaded the WordPress iOS app for my Apple iPod Touch. Writing a full blog entry on the tiny onscreen keyboard is agony. Writing and managing comments? Hmmmm… It has possibilities. Besides, it’s free! Thanks, WordPress!

UPDATE: The WordPress iOS App officially sucks and has been deleted from my iPod Touch. It repeatedly hung, failed to recognize and hold my authentication information, and even required a hard reset of my Touch on one occasion. Blech!

Lake-to-Lake Labor Day

Posted by Photonstopper on September 6, 2010
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It is Labor Day. We awoke to chilly temperatures and skies that turned from partly cloudy to overcast as we ate breakfast. She Who Must Be Obeyed suggested we check out the Cleveland Metroparks’ Lake-to-Lake Trail. The trail, which we had never visited, runs along the eastern edge of the Berea area and into Middleburg Heights.

Photo: Two girls riding the "dragonfly bridge" on the Lake-to-Lake Trail. Photo by James Guilford.

One of the uniquely decorated wooden deck bridges on the Lake-to-Lake Trail, this one features metal cutouts of dragonflies, each identified with a plaque mounted to its supporting post.

We were delighted with the experience, though both a bit sore upon return. Putting in a total of 5.4 miles, we covered most of the trail from Lake Isaac north to Lake Abram and back with a very pleasant stop at an Aladdin’s Eatery (a lovely advantage of suburban trail hiking) for lunch.

We stopped many times along the way to photograph plants, flowers, and wildlife including a very cooperative Green Frog and red dragonfly (Ruby Meadowhawk?), residents of a tiny pond area. The trail is mostly asphalt paved with an extensive system of wooden boardwalks and bridges to carry visitors over wet areas.

Photo: Green frog poses for photographers from its pond. Photo by James Guilford.

A Green Frog watches warily but allowed surprisingly close encounters by two photographers and their macro-focusing cameras.

It was exciting and reassuring to see, from the trail, large expanses of marsh habitat undeveloped and preserved as natural areas in suburban Cleveland. And what a marvelous resource for area residents. Like us!

Photo: Red dragonfly poses on bleached wood. Photo by James Guilford

A red dragonfly (possibly a Ruby Meadowhawk) sat on a bleached wood railing as if posing for its portrait. The beautiful insect allowed two of us to make close approaches with cameras before flitting off into the reeds of a nearby wetland.

Mushrooms, flowers, and butterflies

Posted by Photonstopper on September 5, 2010
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Photo: Butterfly samples nectar from a flower head. Photo by James Guilford.

A butterfly samples nectar from a flower head in the gardens of the The F.A. Seiberling Nature Realm.

Today we paid a visit to the The F.A. Seiberling Nature Realm in Akron, Ohio. It was a fine, cool, beautiful day for a walk in the gardens and natural areas of the park. The last time we visited there was in October 2008. The nature center itself has undergone major improvements since then including installation of solar power panels on several rooftops, LED lighting, new pavement, and pavilion areas. We enjoyed walking through the woods and photographing various natural subjects and captured many splendid views of everything from mushrooms and flowers to vines and butterflies. Only two images are included here but I’ll be working on other images and posting them to a photo gallery — maybe add one or two to my 2011 photo calendar. It’s late now (actually after midnight) so I’ll post and go to bed. I like these low-key, slow-paced days.

Photo: A flowering plant poses as if in mid-dance. Photo by James Guilford.

A flowering plant poses as if in mid-dance at the The F.A. Seiberling Nature Realm.

A cloudy, damp, and chilly day

Posted by Photonstopper on September 4, 2010
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Photo: Tasha the cat appears to be ready to doze off. Photo by James Guilford

She doesn't like to be caught napping but Tasha can hardly stay awake perched atop the back of the couch.

As usual, feline wisdom is to be admired. It’s a cloudy, damp, and chilly day. While we need the rain, this kind of weather makes one want to get all comfy and take a nap rather than sit in an office and try and be productive. Sleepy Tasha has the right idea: stay warm and dry, curl up on a soft cushion, and have a snooze.

Butterfly morning

Posted by Photonstopper on September 3, 2010
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Photo: Monarch butterfly feeding on yellow coneflowers. Photo by James Guilford

On the morning of the first day of September, a Monarch butterfly feeds on a yellow coneflower.

I spent a good part of Wednesday morning, before work, at Hinckley Lake. The weather was nice and I wanted to get out of the house and catch some tranquility before heading to the office. I watched a pair of Great Blue Herons posturing and eyeing each other. They were a bit distant for dramatic photos.  So, from the waters’ edge, I shot a few images for the record but mostly watched the slender birds practice their slow motion choreography. Walking back along the path I made efforts at photographing some back-lit plants. Those images, it turned out, were not in good focus — manual focus on ground glass is not very precise and I wish for a split-focus screen for my camera (sadly lacking). Back at the boathouse, however, I caught sight of monarch butterflies feeding off bright yellow coneflowers. I shot many exposures of the orange and black beauties. Shown above is my pick of the bunch.

Vox refugee arrival noted

Posted by Photonstopper on September 3, 2010
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Well, everything prior to this entry was imported from the late, great Vox blogging site. I’m a bit concerned because at least one photograph seems to have imported as a link to the old site rather than an actual imported image. I can fix such things, however… I’m just happy most or all of my content has been saved! The import process deconstructed sizing and placement of pictures and linked-in video clips are missing altogether.

This is the notice Vox users received:

“Vox has been a fun place to explore, create and connect with your friends. But Vox is closing its doors on September 30, 2010.”

There was more to the announcement than that but that first sentence is the one we remember. I can’t say as I’m too surprised but I’ve grown accustomed to Vox and liked the way it handled photos. I also interacted with a number of good and interesting people there. At least they provided conduits to new homes.

So long, Vox, it’s been good to know you!