Farmer's Museum--Cooperstown

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It's been years since I've been to Cooperstown.  A friend needed to go today to retrieve a piece of her artwork that was on display at an art show in Cooperstown and she invited me to ride along with her and her son.  

The weather forecast was rain and cool temperatures.  Puuuurrrfect!!!  

There were hardly any people at the Farmer's Museum and it was cool enough to really 

enjoy walking around for hours.  

This cat was one of the animal-seats on the beautiful antique carousel.

The Escarpment Trail Hike

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Another hike, another beautiful day.  

We headed down the pike, literally, to the Catskills for our hike today.  The trailhead we chose on the Escarpment Trail was accessed by parking in the campground by the beach.  

The total for the hike was about 5 miles according to the signage, but it sure seemed farther. Even if the trail itself wasn't long than that, we exited the trail in a different spot than where we began and had to walk along the road for almost a mile to get back to the car. The elevation was, allegedly, 700 feet, but that, too, seemed like more.

Memorial Day Parade--Saratoga

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A friend and I  drove out to Saratoga this morning to get there in time for the parade.  It was a beautiful morning, cool and clear, and we happily planted ourselves on the shady side of the street.

After leaving the car in the public parking area, we began walking to the main street.  I spied a vanity license plate, and readied the camera to get the image.  Now, today I decided to use the 50D, which I hadn't used in several weeks.  As I pressed the shutter button, there was no reaction to autofocus.  The shutter worked, but no focusing.

Oh.     My.      Goodness!!!

I only had the one camera with me, and there is only one Memorial Day Parade a year.  I switched lenses, thinking maybe the current lens wasn't talking to the camera.  Still no autofocus.  So I resigned myself to manual focus, knowing darned well that my pictures were doomed to be soft, since the last time these old eyes had manually focused was about 15 years ago.  Aaaarrggghhhhh!

Anyway, we continued to the main street, found a good vantage point and waited. 

In the meantime before the parade began, I did some "photo-journalism".  Considering the manual focus, the resulting images aren't too bad.  And it was still fun--that bw function on the camera rocks!!!

After the parade, we decided to walk around and we headed to the park.  After taking a few images with manual focus, I had an epiphany.  I remembered that after my Denali, AK workshop last year, my camera was set to focus with a different button.  Duh!!!  

To say the least, I was very relieved that my camera wouldn't need a trip to the repair shop and that it was just user-error.  

I did, however, put the camera on "color" for a few of the images.  The one below really called to me to be taken in color.

My friend, Jessica, happily posing for me during a break in her shooting.  It was a good day.

Thanks to all the service men and women who have sacrificed their time and lives to keep our country free.  

A Project

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I'm working on a project that requires specific images.  I went out today to see what I could get without having to travel too far from home.  It was already late in the afternoon, and tomorrow a friend and I are going shooting and will probably have to travel quite far.

These are not the exact images I'm using for the project--I don't want to give anything away, but they'll be similar.  

This first image is of a local country church that is now a historical society.  There's a great little cemetery on the side and back of this church where I also spent some time photographing.

A little farther on down the road is this great Forest Preserve.  Now, where I live, a forest preserve may not sound like such a unique environment since I'm at the foothills of the Great Adirondack Park, but this is one area where there's a nice foot trail providing an easy walk and it's only about 10 minutes from my house as opposed to the two hours it usually takes to get to our hike destinations.

I didn't go too far into the forest because within about 2 feet of the entrance I was being eaten by bugs and, of course, I didn't have any bug spray with me.  I still like the images I got.

Moose Mountain Pond Hike

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I know, I know, the sign says 3.2 miles, but the guidebook said 3.5 miles, and that's really what it felt like.  So 3.5 it is.  (7 miles RT)  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Another beautiful day.  It was cloudy and drizzly on the 2 hour drive to the trailhead, but then it cleared and became pretty spectacular.  There wasn't much elevation, but again, we had to navigate over tree roots and rocks and across mushy streams.

This hike ended at a lean-to with a fire pit on the edge of a pretty lake.

And, hooray, there was an outhouse.  Yeah, pretty rustic, but a welcome sight all the same!

I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but after every hike we stop for dinner.  That's really the main reason I hike.  The heck with the great exercise, being in the fresh air all day, the beautiful surroundings, the good company and the fun conversation...really, it's the dinner at the end.  

Okay, I know this isn't gourmet, but I'm a big fan of comfort food.  The other two had tuna-salad sandwiches and we all had nothing but rave reviews for the food at this little 

country diner in Schroon Lake.

Nothing in Common

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Today was the Spring Fling in Amsterdam.  You know,  an event where they close off a street and invite vendors of all sorts to set up and sell their wares.  Music, dance demonstrations, stores (what few there are) open and hoping for some business, car show, motorcycle show and people like me and a friend walking around with cameras looking for THE shot.

The weather was spectacular.  About 82 degrees, low, low humidity and blue cloudless skies.

We meandered around taking photos, all of which were random. They have nothing in common, nor do they have a purpose.  I'm beginning to think I need intervention.  

I take pictures because I CAN'T  not take them.  I have no use for them.  I don't sell them, nobody wants them.  Usually no one even sees them but me.  I can't help myself.

Anyone else in that boat--I'd like company!

So here you go, dear reader.  A random selection of images from my day out in the sun.

Let the Hiking Begin

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Today  was the first day of our 2012 hiking season.  it was a glorious day.  39 degrees when I left the house at 6:30 this morning, with the promise of getting much warmer during the day.

It was a beautiful walk:  2.5 miles in to the river with some ascents and descents. 

Lots of boulders, lots of tree roots, and many swampy 

areas that we had to navigate.

When we arrived it was just about high-noon.  

Not the most perfect time for making photographs, 

but definitely the perfect time to eat lunch.

We ate, relaxed and photographed for a little while, then began the trek back.