Showing posts with label February. Show all posts
Showing posts with label February. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 28, 2024

Kite


This has been the most interesting winter. February has been up and down and all around with no pattern to the weather but
CRAZY. Last year at this time we were digging out of a huge snow/ice storm.....

This week we even had red flag warnings because it is so dry and there is so much dead plant material around.


Yesterday the neighbor came down with her two little ones. Her little boy wanted to fly a kit, but he didn't want to go into the field on the ridge to fly it.

I helped put a little kite together and I helped him launch it. He then turned it over to me because the wind picked up. Funny.
I haven't flown a kite since I was a kid and it was actually pretty thrilling to do!

This was about time that the cold front was sweeping in.


Wednesday dawns with temperatures in the single digits and wind chills reading something like 9F below.

Tomorrow on Leap Year Day, it will warm up into the 50's again. One wonders how that affects wildlife and plant life?

Looks like a good day to work on some Still Life indoors and practice some photography skills. After working in 70 degree temps yesterday, it will feel pretty cold out today.





Monday, February 06, 2023

Charging into the week ahead

This week will mostly be a rinse and repeat of the previous week. I had to make some quick adjustments had to find a back up ride for the early morning surgery on Thursday.

The problem with a February thaw is that it just as annoying as a large storm. Warm temps with snow melt cause creeks to rise and gravel road surfaces to thaw. At night it freezes and ice ruts form in the roads. 

The weather service calls for rains and some winds along with thaws and freezing. So it should be a rather fun week. In years past, I've enjoyed these quick thaws when the creek rose with a foamy snow melt. I won't be able to enjoy it much this time around.

The day before surgery, I decided to make a dark/light box with the wood blocks I had saved for kids to play with when visiting.

I'd been reading a site called Brick Central which had tips and tricks regarding photography and Lego characters.

I came up with this:


The red light is from an LED flashlight and an old red film filter that I got from my dad years ago to use in black and white photography. I tossed a piece of black material over blocks in back and eventually got this:


The Lego minifigure is Maisie, the big Dinosaur is called Blue, and the little one is called Beta. These details I got from the box. I guess they are characters from the movie Jurassic World which I have not seen.

I had so much fun with the lights, I tried another method.

I used a piece of blue paper--with a blueish colored filter over the lens-- and a blue balloon light hidden behind a rock to light up the Acorn Guy.
I added the mist afterwards. 


It was a very fun experiment in lighting and creativity.
Oh, and I ordered a Light Box as I was so impressed by some of Larry's photos of old toy cars he'd done in his new light box.
If I have to be stuck inside for many video and phone appointments, I may as well use my time challenging myself in learning new methods of photography.

Sunday night I went hiking in the moon light. Since my normal hiking pal couldn't go, I grabbed my camera and tripod and took off.
I wasn't sure what I was going to do.
The light from the moon was incredible.


That is a deer trail that is in the exact same spot over the snow, year after year. So I set the camera up in the road and decided to have some fun.


Coveralls and my Skunk hat. I even laid down in the snow. I may as well! The snow will be melting!

I walked down the road a ways and tried another multi shot. This didn't turn out so well and the images are sort of blurry, but it still was fun to do. At least you can see Skunky!


I topped of the evening with a star trail photo of the Big Dipper.




I was out for about an hour and walked a couple of miles [I saw no one at all, not even a coyote!].

And then headed back home by the light of the moon.





How's the eye doing? Great! I am looking forward to the second surgery. 
I think the hardest part of this process is adjusting to the changes in vision and for me having one strong clear eye and one very yuck eye. My weak eye gets very tired right now trying to keep up with the good one.



Monday, February 24, 2020

February thaw and?

What a difference a day makes!

and...
Sunday...


I know, slightly different views, but there you are!


and then...


I didn't go very far yesterday, my knee is troubling me. I know I probably shouldn't have done the 22 WOD on Saturday, but it was for a good cause and it was a lot of fun. We had a great turn out at the gym.
I have a bruise of the patella and it makes certain hiking movements a bit difficult in deep snow and ice.
I don't think it is more than that, but we'll see.

Charlie was a champ and hung around close by while I did some long exposure photography.

Friday was another day spent at an ER, but at least we had some more answers than last Friday.
MDD or Major Depression Disorder are the initials of the month. MDD can manifest itself in so many ways.
However we may have come up with another temporary and mild 'fix' for a while.
I must say that the VA nurses and doctors are much more understanding of a veteran who has mental health issues as well as physical issues. Our local ER and doctors are not quite as well versed in this area. Rich's psych doctor was also on hand.

That said, I am spending more time inside right now just doing my monitoring 'thing' for Dr. Schiffman. And I can say there is a slight improvement.

So this is my favorite shot from yesterday. Mossy rocks kissed by a bit of sunlight ... with a little bit of ice on the moss that had not yet melted.