Garden Shed Red

Posted by Photonstopper on August 22, 2013
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Photo: Wall and window of a garden shed in Milan, Ohio. Photo by James Guilford.

Garden Shed Red

We had a lovely time Sunday exploring the little town of Milan, Ohio. Milan’s claim to fame is that it was the birthplace of inventor Thomas A. Edison. The American icon spent the first six years of his life in Milan and maintained a lifelong fondness for the place. We purchased tickets and received an informative and personal guided tour of the residence. She Who Must Be Obeyed carried her camera and shot enough photos of the objects in the house that her collection could serve inventory purposes! I carried my iPod Touch and shot only one space — the light coming in through a tiny, narrow dormer on the second floor. We toured the grounds on our own and then walked around the village square. I shot quite a few scenes of old buildings and the like and it would be worthwhile returning one day to do some more. My favorite shot of the day, however, was of the wall and window of a garden shed. The wall was a velvet red and the contrasting white window frame and mullions showed signs of their age.

Photo: Window dormer upstairs at the Thomas Edison birthplace, Milan, Ohio. Photo by James Guilford.

Spooky Window Upstairs at Thomas Edison Birthplace

Stalking the stalkers

Posted by Photonstopper on August 17, 2013
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Photo: Great Blue Heron, by James Guilford.

Great Blue Heron Stalking Prey

The weather was splendid today, if slightly cool for August in Northeastern Ohio. We took a little jaunt down to the Ira Road area of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park to walk the wetlands boardwalk portion of the Towpath Trail. It wasn’t long before we spotted the first, and boldest, of three Great Blue Herons. This big guy was perfectly happy to stand in the shallow waters of the abandoned canal stalking prey as we watched from the nearby trail. I’ve a wonderful set of shots of the big bird staring, preening, and yawning. This closeup, however, is my favorite and possibly my prettiest shot of a heron yet.

Photo: Great Blue Heron strikes to catch prey, by James Guilford.

Great Blue Herons Strikes, Full-Force, to Catch Prey

The heron was, however, all about making a living and we as we watched it spotted something between the lily pads and, with lightning speed, struck at its prey full-force. Whatever the would-be lunch was, it got away this time, leaving the heron thrashing in the water, even appearing embarrassed as it flapped up to a log to shake off water and shame.

Photo: Green Heron stalking prey. by James Guilford.

Green Heron Spots Something

Within sight of the big bird I thought I saw something much smaller and less familiar but I wasn’t sure. Was it an upturned lily pad or, yes (!), a Green Heron! Typically skittish I fully expected the little thing to rocket skyward as I approached on the trail. Like it’s giant cousin, however, the Green wasn’t shy and went about its business with us watching. It had been about two years since I’d last seen a Green Heron and this was a welcome sight.

It was a great day (and photographically productive) in the soft sunlight and fresh air spent stalking the stalkers!

The Day Began That Way

Posted by Photonstopper on August 11, 2013
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Photo: Waves roll ashore highlighted by beaming sun. Photo by James Guilford.

The Day Began This Way

I stopped by the Lake Erie shoreline again Saturday morning. The sun was breaking through some high clouds and I wanted to see the interplay of morning sunlight and lake waters; It was exciting! The waves, while not large, constantly smashed against break walls and crawled up the sandy beach. The sky, to the east and south, was mostly clear but clouds were moving in from the northwest. I had a wonderful time, shooting more than 200 exposures of waves, water, sun, clouds, and more. A couple of my favorite “sun” photos are shown here. Maybe, one day, I will post more here or on my gallery site. For now, these will have to do.

Photo: Sun over Lake Erie with Cleveland Skyline in distance. Photo by James Guilford.

Dark Sunburst

Nice New Library!

Posted by Photonstopper on August 9, 2013
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Photo: North Royalton Public Library. Photo by James Guilford.

North Royalton’s New Public Library – iPod Photo

The City of North Royalton, Ohio recently celebrated the opening of their new 30,000 square-foot library. The facility is a branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library and arguably the system’s most modern, by several measures. Many of the library’s features allow for flexible use: a retractable divider can be closed to allow use of many public computers in a classroom setting or opened to allow free access; at least two of the meeting rooms allow for similar division or union depending upon the need. Throughout the public space “coffee” tables, full-height tables, and a counter in a snack area offer hidden electrical outlets for personal electronics. Of course, there is high-speed Wi-Fi access throughout. Overall, the feeling of the place is one of openness and light – a generous translucent skylight provides soft daylight and a bank of windows along the building’s eastern wall faces a line of evergreen trees. All-in-all a most impressive new facility and a great asset to the city. I’m hoping to get permission soon to visit and photograph the facility’s interiors out of professional interests!

Rocks, moss, light, and Liberty

Posted by Photonstopper on August 4, 2013
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Photo: Glacier-sculpted rock wall. Photo by James Guilford.

The Wall

It was a beautiful Sunday with partly-cloudy skies and temperatures in the 60s so we set off to explore a place new to us: Liberty Park, a Summit County MetroPark in Twinsburg. Our favorite area was the Twinsburg Ledges and its woodland trail. The gravel path took us deep into the dark woods amongst tall trees, low ferns, and moss-covered rocks. There were many beautiful sights along the way but a standout was a cave, of sorts.

Photo: Light plays upon colorful rock . Photo by James Guilford.

Within Glacier Cave

A short spur trail leads visitors to Glacier Cave which is not so much a cave as a deep opening in a rock wall. Cave or not, the exposed rock face was fascinating: strong striations run across the conglomerate rock, tree-filtered sunlight accentuating the textures. Inside the crevasse and looking up, one can see soft light penetrating the open space, caressing moss-covered, sculpted rock. At the bottom of the shaft was a beautiful opening where light, tinted green by tree leaves, bounced off red rocks, illuminating an already-colorful wall.

Photo: Sign at the end of the trail. Photo by James Guilford.

How to Tell it’s the End of the Trail

We will return, hopefully soon, to Liberty Park. Armed with tripods and plenty of mosquito repellant, we will be better prepared to spend time and make even better images.

Seeking Return to the Sky

Posted by Photonstopper on August 2, 2013
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Photo: Waves crashing on a Lake Erie break wall. Photo by James Guilford.

Seeking Return to the Sky

This morning’s excursion was to Rocky River Park in Rocky River, Ohio. The day had beautifully dawned, the air was cool and comfortable, and low waves were coming in to shore from Great Lake Erie. There is a breakwall running parallel with the shoreline and not far out. The waves rising in the shallows crashed against blocks of old stone, spraying into the air, sometimes forming tall fans as if the water was seeking return to the sky from which it fell.

Worn out

Posted by Photonstopper on July 21, 2013
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Photo: Tattered butterfly on a fading purple coneflower. Photo by James Guilford.

Worn Out

Whether butterfly or flower, we wear out. Our time is limited. We beat our wings or unfold our petals and we go out into the world. And, eventually, we wear out. Perhaps it is best to shine as brightly as we can, while we may, so it cannot be said we did not make the most of what we have.

Tiny garden

Posted by Photonstopper on July 20, 2013
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Photo: Tiny orange fungi on the top of a fence post. Photo by James Guilford.

Tiny Garden

The hot, and wet weather we have “enjoyed” lately have been great for plants and perhaps better for fungi. Various, mostly unattractive, ‘shrooms have been popping up in the garden mulch. What caught my eye this morning, however, was a tiny garden — really tiny — of bright orange fungi sprouting from the top of a fencepost outside our door. I grabbed my little PowerShot G11 and clicked off a few macro shots of the little wonders before we took off for some grocery shopping. Returning about an hour later, I took another look at the object of my attention; they were withered and sad looking. I suspect they’ll show themselves again since the little growths are only the tops of fungus that runs deeper into the seams of the wooden post.

Basking blue; beautiful “bug”

Posted by Photonstopper on July 19, 2013
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Photo: Great Blue Heron in morning sun. Photo © by James Guilford.

Great Blue Heron in the Morning Sun

Until this morning, I’d never seen a Great Blue Heron basking in the morning sun. This big guy appeared to be hot and panting and, perhaps, it held its wings away from its body to cool a bit. Thing is, the Blue was in a spot of sun; that made for a very nice picture with rim lighting effects but would not have helped it cool off. Warding off swarming mosquitoes, I watched and photographed the bird for a long time. I’m sure the basking heron was watching me but seemed happy to stay on its perch and warm, or cool, or just rest. I continued my hike around Hinckley Lake, spying and imaging the basking bird through trailside understory plants. I spent a long time walking, watching, and sweating (temperature was above 80F), turning around about halfway around the lake. My normal birding spots were empty of large waterfowl which was a bit of a disappointment. As I returned to the area where I’d spent so much time earlier, I slowed my pace and began peering through the brush. Sure enough, the heron was still there! I shot a few more portraits of “Basking Blue” and continued my hike to the trailhead. Though soaked with perspiration, I couldn’t leave for home before looking for my other favorite pond creatures: dragonflies. The most plentiful of the dragonflies this day were Eastern Amberwings (Perithemis tenera) and they seemed to be everywhere along the western lake edge. One of the tiny, brilliant dragons posed for me a few times and I was pleased to record not only his image but the stain-like patch of color created by sunlight passing through his wings, falling upon bleached wood.

Photo: Eastern Amberwing Dragonfly. Photo © by James Guilford.

Amber Gossamer Wings

Stars on the Water

Posted by Photonstopper on July 13, 2013
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I went to the Wolf Creek Environmental Center of the Medina Park System seeking the Green Heron. I have only ever seen Green Herons about five times and got some good photos of one at this location previously. No such luck. The only large birds in evidence were three Canada Geese. Looking around, I started playing with the lighting effects produced by the bright morning sun on the almost-smooth surface of the wildlife area’s big pond. In the shot above, the direct reflection of the sun is directly behind the blooming water lily. As I watched through the camera viewfinder, sparkles came and went as tiny waves touched bubbles and lily pads — it was amazing to see! The stars we see here were formed by the blades of the diaphragm inside the stopped-down lens, not by a filter. I may not have seen a Green Heron Friday but I did see stars on the water!