A Stream Emerges from a Shadowed Gorge as it Enters the River.
I made an all-to-brief visit to David Fortier River Park, Olmsted Falls, this morning and discovered the scene had transformed with the season. Thick layers of water plants coated the rocks beneath flowing water with purple slime lining the rock stream bed. I was alone in the park at that early hour but for a fly fisherman casting his line into the rushing river; a quiet respite in my morning’s travel.
Flow
Stepping Stones
Before I arrived, a child had arranged a line of stones at the base of a naturally-stepped waterfall. He had made the line in such a way as to not block the flow of water and not be washed away. Draw what lessons as you may from the boy’s action; I just thought it was beautiful.
Fan: A Beautiful Shelf Fungus
Fungi generally grow upon decaying material that was once alive. Today, on a very pleasant hike on a trail in the Hubbard Valley Park, Medina Park District, I happened upon a most beautiful shelf fungus. The fan-shaped growth was protruding from the trunk of a still-standing dead tree along the path. This beautiful flower of decay with the feathery pattern of markings? Dryad’s saddle (Polyporus squamosus).
Looking North from Marblehead
We took a little trip to the Marblehead Peninsula to see the Liberty Aviation Museum in Port Clinton and revisit a favorite place: the Marblehead Lighthouse, at the eastern tip of the peninsula. The aviation museum is very interesting, especially to those interested in World War 2 aircraft, and keeps alive the heritage of the Ford Tri-Motor aircraft. They’re even rebuilding a Tri-Motor at the museum. Astonishingly you can also see, close-up, a flightworthy B-25J Mitchell Bomber in the cluttered but clean hangar facility. Still, my favorite part of the trip was clambering around on the rocks at water’s edge by the lighthouse. It was a lovely spring day, though a shelf of clouds was moving in from the south. My photography for the day included trying out a brand-new circular polarizer (Cost $$$) and I like the results.
Watching the Sky and Water
Friday Afternoon
Friday Afternoon. Gloomy skies continue to dominate, stretching out as far as the eye can see. The lakefront is now quite different from a few weeks ago and, while the waters are brown with silt, the sands are being washed. It’s a time of transition.
Lorain (Ohio) Light on a Blustery April Sunday
Strange Sky of Morning
Coming down the stairs this morning I gazed outward and upward through a window off our landing. Such an interesting, beautiful, and strange sky! At first I was going to grab my trusty iPod Touch and shoot only a Twitter-quality image. My good old Canon 50D, however, was close at hand. The rest of the day the sky was pretty uninteresting. I was glad I had not missed the strange sky of morning.
The air was warm. The water was cold. And where air met water there was peace.
Crescent Moon through Thin Clouds
Tonight the western sky was adorned with a beautiful sliver of our Moon, shining in the twilight. I dug out my camera, tripod, and long lens to try a few shots, partly because I find the crescent Moon fascinating but also to practice for the total lunar eclipse that will take place the night of April 14 – 15. (Totality will occur here in Ohio in the wee hours before 3:00 AM on the 15th.) Tonight, thin clouds lightly veiled the sinking Moon but I was fairly happy with my results: the bright sliver of reflected sunlight, the cratered roughness of the terminator, and the mottled blue shadowed Earth-lit face of Luna all recorded. All but two of the images were in good focus and showed no blur from camera vibration. The eclipsed Moon will be much more colorful than tonight’s and I can only hope the skies will be clear for it!
UPDATE: Unfortunately clouds and bad weather moved in the night of the eclipse. With no prospects of seeing, much less photographing, the event I went to be. Sometime around 2:45 AM my internal clock woke me so I arose from bed, went downstairs to the landing where a wonderful window faces west, and looked up to where the Moon would be. Nope! Nothing but wet cloud-bottoms! Back to bed.
The Pond at Nature Realm. Yes, it was Green!
After a gloomy Saturday and a night that featured about four inches of heavy, wet snow, Sunday brought blue skies and sunshine. We took advantage of the gorgeous day and made a little trip to Summit MetroParks’ Nature Realm. The park’s paved pathway allowed for a nice photo walk without a slog through snow-covered mud. Bird calls filled the air as we took in the sights. Not a lot of photos to show for our casual trip but it was great getting out in the mild, fresh air, and feeling the sun shine on our faces. It has been a long, hard winter that seems not to want to end, and we’re looking forward to spring. Real spring.
Translucence
PhotonStopper 