Insomnia, Fog, & Fun

First there was the fun. While driving back from town after CrossFit I took a county road that had been closed for almost 5 years while FEMA told our township that they would only pay for them to put the little bridge back to the way it was. Um. Yeah, the bridge that failed in the 2016 flash flooding that didn't make the news.

See the structure in the middle? Twisted and torn with the road washed out on each side. This was not the historic flood of 2018 which traveled down a different watershed path.

Annnnnywaaaaay. The Road was now open after 5 years of being closed. I thought I'd enjoy a drive up from the valley to the ridge.

The bridge was rebuilt without the support structure in the middle of the stream. Eventually all of the little bridges over Black Bottom should be done this way as all 4 of them have structural damage. But our township is poor and they just patch things up for now.

As I drove Up from the valley, I recalled why I didn't take this road up. The road is very nice, very curvy and very pretty. But the left turn at the top of the ridge is a blind ... very blind turn. 

I did stop and park to take these shots back down the road as they reminded me of that famous highway in Door County that everyone wants to travel to and take photos of.

Which begs the question. Why do so many people want to take the same shots of the same scenery? Why not find something new?

Since I almost never ever take a road shot, I thought this turned out pretty cool. Not Door County, just a back road in the steep hills of our county.

I woke up to Dense Fog the next morning. Fog so bad you cannot see the pasture in front of the house. There was a Dense Fog Warning on my phone/weather app.

Imagine my delight to wake up to a near white out and know that I did not have to travel to work 30 miles away this time in it.

I considered driving up the river road to explore but decided that since I could not see the 'Ru, it probably wasn't a good idea. So Charlie and I decided to take a walk.

I put the IRChrome filter on the modified camera. 

The intent was to get some coolo fog IR shots and some spider web photos.

So I put the macro lens on the other camera and explored.

There is something unique and wonderful about seeing those gossamer threads that insects create. I try each year to also 'shoot' my neighbor's oat field when it is wet with dew. I have to get up there with that zoom lens and see how creative I can get.

So.

Now it was time for bed. I'd worked out at CF, mowed yard, hacked and wacked weeds, and it was time for rest.

So of course I began thinking about the stars and the next new moon and the next full moon. So in my mind I began to plot how, when, where, I would try shooting it.

My mind would not SHUT up, so eventually I got dressed and hiked out to the ridge.

This is where I sometimes come for sunrises. I lit up the foreground with my cell phone as an experiment.

Nothing exciting here. Too much light and the moon would rise in a bit.

Could I try the classic self portrait of me staring up into the Milky Way with my headlamp? Um.

Imagine me sitting on a gravel road in the middle of nowhere just thinking and staring into the sky. The first few tries were epic fails. My light was not bright enough, too bright, or whatever. So I kept at it.

I looked like I was doing some sort of Pagan Ritual in one of the shots. I have to keep this in mind for Halloween.

Eventually I got something I could live with.

Did I get the light right? Did the increase in humidity help?

I don't know, but I loved it. [Yes...here I am trying the shot that so many others have created...the fun in it was figuring it out and the challenge will be to make it interesting and different than all the other photos like this.]

Then the orange/red partial moon started to rise and I wished for my zoom. Instead I just decided to be happy and listen to the coyotes and the night creatures while I shared my insomnia with them.

Deep Dream AI Art

There are a lot of arguments out there that say anything that is computer generated is not/cannot be considered art.

I assume that will be the same argument placed on those who create 'art' with the artificial intelligence program called Deep Dream Generator.

I'd heard about it and then a friend who does some incredible computer art sent me a link to Deep Dream Generator.
The images created for free are not large enough to really make prints out of, but there is a fee you can pay to do that. Not sure I will go there, however, it was fun to explore what A.I. does do to photos or some other computer generated art like Mandelbulb 3D or Incendia.

Here is some creations I did just from some photos.


Original:

Deep Dream:

Original:

Deep Dream:

Original:

Deep Dream variations:

I wasn't quite happy with the blue version so I did a bit of my own editing...

Original:

Deep Dream Variations:
[These I like the best of all...]

I then combined the two to make this:

This is my favorite so far and any one of these are ones I wouldn't mind having as wall art.

Last but not least, I wanted to try a Abstract I'd done with a computer program.

This was made by combination of fractals in a program called Incendia. Free to download.

Deep Deep Dream Generator:

This just was creepy!

I enjoy photography as well as 3D software and fractals. I like to dabble in a bit of it here and there.
Since insomnia was an issue, I thought I'd play around in 'another' world so to speak.

Early to bed early to....what?

Rise?
I awoke at 3:30, that is in the AM. Morris woke up too and followed me into the kitchen. I checked the time and then looked out the window. The moon was not quite full but it was brilliant out.
I let Mr. Morris out and stepped onto the porch.

I decided to go back to bed.
As I laid down I thought about my drive through Tainter Hollow the day before while running some errands.

Lucky me, I'd seen an eagle perched just above Tainter Creek.
He/she stayed there long enough for me to take out my zoom lens and swap it out for the one I had on the Olympus camera.

I stopped at Tainter Bridge and admired the tree and its reflection. I thought it would make a nice subject for the black and white challenge I'd accepted.

As I tried to go back to sleep I wondered how things would look in the moonlight at Tainter Bridge. Could I get a shot of the same tree and the water? Would the moonlight wash out the sky?

The more I tried not to think about it, the more I thought about it.
Finally I got up and warmed up a cup of coffee.
I was going to go to Tainter Land.

There is a challenge to shooting in the dark. But the bigger challenge was to be able to take some shots while the moon still shone into the valley. The valley is very steep.
I got there at 4AM and set up as quickly as I could.
Finding the right spot was not too hard. I've photographed this same spot over the years during the daylight and sort of knew where I should put the tripod.

The next challenge was the cold. The temperature gauge on the Subaru said it was 28 degrees in the bottom. It had been 34 on the ridge. And my fingers felt the cold. Those fingers that had somehow aged on me and had osteoarthritis in them.
Note to self. Next time, bring hot hand packs!

As the moon began to sink towards the trees on the ridge, I pulled out my flashlight and took another shot...in the night.
I wondered if my light would be enough to help lighten the tree trunk as it fell into darkness.

It did.

And suddenly.
The lights went out and the valley which was bathed in moonlight was dark.

I stuck my hands in my pockets to warm them up and listened to the barred owl and the stream.

My moonlight excursion at the bridge had lasted all of 12 minutes.
I got back in the 'Ru and started it up to thaw out.

You know what? The moon is out again tonight. Moonrise tonight is supposed to be the Super Moon of 2017.

I'm going to pack some hand warmers and those hunting mitts in my bag.

I guess a day nap will be in order.
I hope the owl sings to me again.

Insomnia

I guess insomnia is good for some things. Like walking up in the middle of the night and peering outside. And then listening to the grand kids sleeping peacefully upstairs.
I stepped outside to admire the cool moon light and realized that there were actually moon beams shining down on the sleepy mules through the fog that hovered just above them.

I sat down on the porch and just listened to the night sounds. The crickets were about all I could hear.

I thought about the brilliant fall colors that would be approaching in the next weeks. I thought of the early misty mornings of the Driftless Region...how in some places there was already fall color beginning to show...

I tried to think of all the bird song that was now missing due to them migrating south.
I missed the Robins cheerful songs in the morning. I miss the wren scolding me when I went to fee the hound dogs.
And I miss the Orioles who entertained us from the front of the house in the Hickory Tree.
Sadly, I'd have to wait until spring to see them all again.

I watched the mists slowly flow across the pasture and thought of the past 90 days. Well, nearly 3 months since Rich's stroke and the fact that I now stayed home.
How was that going? I think it is going very well. I help him and he is slowly improving on all fronts.
I can't imagine how I could have managed while working my odd hours at work and tried to take care of him too.

However, the past 3 months have been so full of good things.

Teaching kids to ride. Fishing.
Adventures with the farrier and visiting another farm.

The kids both Dennis and Ariel and the Clausen girls adore doing chores and run out each morning to get them done.

If I wasn't able to be home full time, some of this summer wonder wouldn't have been able to occur.
I am happy and sad at the same time.

Was this stroke such a horrid thing? Well in a way, yes, but in a way ... no.

The man who knew he'd never ride again...rode again.
The mule who was retired came out of retirement and now looks forward to getting caught and used...

We have decided to review our priorities. After all he had throat cancer 2 years ago and we nearly lost him. Then the stroke.

How much time do we have together, why not enjoy each day together if we can? Do things that bring us joy each day.

It doesn't really matter if I don't sleep the best now. Years of having bizarre shifts have changed my sleep pattern.
But now I can use it to sit on the porch and have some very quiet time to think and ponder.

The kids are all going back to school and fall harvest is certainly on my mind.

The excitement of some fall colors are there too. I look forward to each season.

The moon will nearly be full again tonight. I wonder if I will be able to catch a shot of the 'orange' moon.
When it rises and sets now, it has an orange glow which comes from the Canadian and the other wild fires out west.

Here is to insomnia, may it never fail me for a great shot!

While you were asleep

Insomnia is a wonderful thing to have.
Sometimes.

I woke up for about the ... well let's just say I woke up and since I stop counting the times I wake up at night and only count the times that I actually sleep more than 4 hours in a row, I just got up.

The moonlight was brilliant and the clouds had disappeared while I was sleeping. I quickly got dressed and tapped the smartphone to see what time it was. 3 AM!
Well. Still, the moon was out and the night outside looked like a black and photo.

I swiped my little magic phone and took a peek at the weather. Cold, clear, and a north west wind of 10 mph, with a wind chill of -7. Ouch. That was pretty cold.

But the moon light was so brilliant!
I warmed up a cup of coffee from yesterday morning and gathered a few items. My sturdy tripod, extra camera body, and a hand warmer which I broke open and stuffed in a pocket.
I hit the remote start on the Subaru and slid my Nikon with the nifty 50 into the bag, just in case.

I was going to experiment with the Olympus again and had hoped to have another moon lit night.

I pulled on a pair of my polertec fleece PJ bottoms to go over my lightweight long johns.
A fleece hoody went on top. Gloves, warm hat, the fox one with the ears flaps would do nicely.
My trusty coveralls and insulated boots.

I grabbed my headlamp and stuck it on. It is very useful in helping the camera to find something to focus on and it leaves my hands free while I am monkeying around with the settings.

I softly opened the door and stepped outside. The tail lights of the 'Ru greeted me as well as the silver glow of the moon.
I was awake and the rest of the world was not.
[Well unless they were working the midnight shift somewhere]

I really had wanted to go out across the field and find a nice tree to use in a photo, but the temperatures were pretty cold and I wanted to be able to get back into a warm car.
The other night when I was out with Lauren it had been much warmer and only a whisper of the wind. That had still made the wide open very cold.

I drove up to my 'sunrise' spot and thought a photo of my neighbor's cattle gates and fence would make a nice moonlit shot.

Eeeks! In my hurry I'd forgotten to turn off my headlamp when I pressed the shutter. You can see the eerie blueish light from the LED headlamp.

I decided to do it again.

Much better!
However the moon light was so strong that you can see my shadow next to the post's shadow.

Here is a similar shot at sunrise in November.

By the time I waited for the second shot, the cold brisk air was getting to me. As the camera was 'thinking' or developing its shot, I moved into the car and started it up.
The cold felt brutal on my bare hands. 

I didn't have a good isolated tree to focus on anywhere on the ridge so I decided to see if I had enough moonlight to take a shot in the valley on the bridge. It was closer to 4 AM now and if I didn't take the chance down there, there would be some stray vehicles.

I parked and walked back to the bridge. I set the camera up and realized that the only gas station within 15 miles of any direction would 'pollute' the scene with its light. However since the moon was dropping behind the hill in back of me, I thought I'd give it a go.

It turned out okay, but I should have thought out the whole shot better. I should have come here first while the moon was still up behind me.

I took another shot in the other direction and had a difficult time getting a focus.
I should have had a different shot here too, but I was trying to work quickly.

However the yard light gave off an eerie green glow, the moon was still bright just behind the trees and the creek reflected a lot of light.

I guess if you don't try things and make mistakes you won't be prepared for the next time.

I took my frozen hands and placed them on the heater vents. I felt around in the camera bag for the hand warmer. I couldn't find it. Frustrated and thinking I forgot it, I moved on down to the next bridge.

I was chasing the moon. And the moon was beating me.
I tried another water shot but it didn't work. I knew I should have pointed the camera west up the gravel road that had a faint glow from the light, but didn't. My camera's battery light came on blinking orange.

I'd killed it.
Thankful that I had remembered to bring another one, I hopped back in the car and turned it on, letting the heat blast me while I changed batteries and carefully put things in their place. 

It was time to go back to the ridge and see if I could summon up another good shot.

I swapped to the long lens and hoped I would get the moon as it set.

The light was fading very quickly now.
I turned the tripod south and did a Hail Mary shot.

I was shivering. I was pretty sure that nothing would show up so I left my light on and shined the gravel road.

Well, as it turns out, I got a midnight blue sky, trees, star trails and some light pollution as well as the gravel road.
Nothing to write home about or brag about, but it was a very important lesson in night shooting.

I looked to the east. It was now 4:45. Twilight would be in about 45 minutes. The moon dropped below the horizon in a large lopsided ball of orange.
I shivered. My hands ached.
I got in the car and thought about waiting for sunrise.

And then I thought about how nice a cup of coffee would be.

I started up, cranked up the heat and headed for home.

What will this night bring?
More cold for sure, it is supposed to be only 7 degrees.

But if the sky clears.
Well, that remains to be seen.

Oh yes, when I got home and took off my coveralls, I found the hand warmer. It sure felt nice in my hands. I smiled and clutched it while I gathered things for morning coffee.

I watched the day begin from the kitchen table while sipping a hot cup of coffee, still in my PJ bottoms.

I mulled a few things over in my head. 
I wanted to do it again.

I was hooked.