Miscellaneous

Cucumbers, Tomatoes, Beans, and Basil

Cathy and I stopped at Albert and Brady’s after work yesterday. It was nice to visit and we ended up loaded with a bountiful harvest, as evidenced by this photograph. Albert and Brady have a vegetable garden and it’s gotten a little ahead of them. As you can see, tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, and basil all in profusion. We also got a lot of cherry tomatoes, which are really delicious. I made a big batch of tomato sauce this evening with almost nothing that wasn’t direct from the garden, and by “direct” I mean, picked today. Thanks, guys!

Reflected Lights

It’s been very hot this week, the hottest we’ve had all summer, in fact, and tomorrow is supposed to be the worst yet. Cathy and I talked about taking a walk somewhere this evening but we didn’t feel up to much. We decided to go to the Rio for dinner (Nando’s) and then walk around the pond. There was live music playing too loudly (and not terribly well, if truth be told), and it was still pretty warm but it was nice to see all the people enjoying themselves. This is looking back towards the restaurants from across the pond.

Farm Wagon

Like the picture I posted from yesterday evening (which was incorrectly dated as September 3), I took a few evening pictures today as the sun was sinking into the west. This time, I happened to be near the Agricultural Farm Park on Muncaster Road so I pulled in to see what I could find to photograph. This is an old wagon sitting near the barn and the late-day sun was shining on it very prettily. After about five minutes of taking pictures, though, the sun was behind the trees and the light was gone. Pretty while it lasted, though.

Dew Droplets on Glass Table

It’s been hot the last few days and the forecast is for even hotter today, but it was cool this morning and there was a very heavy dew on the ground. We have a glass table on our patio that was covered with large water droplets and I took some pictures of it this morning before heading to work.

I actually took the opportunity to take some pictures at different apertures that illustrate depth of field. This one was taken at f/32 and, as you can see, it’s pretty much all in focus except the extreme foreground and back edge.

Dripping Water

It rained quite a bit this afternoon. I had planned to doing a bit of yard work but didn’t feel like getting soaked. Cathy actually did a fair amount. I preferred to sit on the back patio, under cover of the roof, and read. I took a few breaks to take some pictures, including this one. There is a pile of patio chairs and water was dripping through them, making very nice rings. I like this one, partly because of the extra little rings around the main one.

Great Falls, Maryland

It felt like fall today, starting out in the upper 60s and only getting into the low 80s, with relative humidity levels below 50%. We went to Great Falls today and were not at all surprised by the number of people there. We walked to the overlook on Olmsted Island. The water level is pretty low, but that’s usual this time of year. In fact, it’s probably not as low as many years this late in the summer.

Cathy and Friend

Dorothy wanted to go to the County Fair this afternoon to meet up with a group of her friends. Cathy and I decided we’d go, as well, and see the place on our own. We started by walking up to the art building and saw some work of a few young people that we know. There were a few very nice pieces. Every year I think I should print a few photographs and enter them in the fair, but I usually think of it the week the fair starts, which is a bit late.

We wandered around a bit, looking at this and that, and stopping for a cone of ice cream. This is a picture of Cathy with a friend she made during our brief visit there. I don’t actually know his name or where he works, but I’m pretty sure he makes pizza.

Of course, we also visited the animals. That’s probably the thing I enjoy the most about the fair. The “new” Old MacDonald’s Barn, renovated in time for the fair last year, was very crowded but it was fun to see a camel, a fairly large Brahman, and a cow and her four hour old calf.

Future Lawn Mower Buyers

Walking past the farm equipment display, memories of my childhood came back. In fact, one of my fondest is when, as childred, we climbed over the tractors and associated farming machinery. They are like carnival rides without the cost. I suppose if we had grown up on a farm they might not have the attraction, but we grew up in the suburbs.

I enjoyed seeing these children sitting on the line of bright, shiny, new lawn mowers. Show me a kid who doesn’t enjoy sitting on new farm equipment and I’ll show you a kid who needs to get out more often.

Swings

Of course, the carnival portion of the fair is extremely popular with the crowds. I like rides as much as the next person and in fact probably more than most. On the other hand, I’m not a big fan of waiting in lines. Anyway, we weren’t really there for the rides, but I did take some pictures (I know that will come as a shock to you). This is one that Dorothy enjoyed from a very young age. I think she first rode on one at Hershey Park in 2003.

This part of the fair is always quite crowded, of course, and even more so if you wait until dusk, when most of the animal exhibits are going dark for the night. Then it really gets jammed. Moving through the sea of people is a challenge, but if you enjoy people watching, this is a great place to be. But we were on our way out by this time, and I didn’t hang around longer than it took to get a half dozen photographs or so.

Colorful Sea Foam

It was a rainy day today, not raining all day but off an on. We did go out on the beach but the surf was rough and the cross-beach current strong so we didn’t stay out in it very long. This picture is from a walk along the beach, looking down at a bit of sea foam washed in with a wave. From a distance, the foam is a fairly uniform grey, but up close it’s a rainbow of colors. I think that’s like a lot of what we see in life. From a distance, it isn’t very interesting. But when you get to know a subject or even more so a person, you start to see all the various colors, which is what makes the subject, or person, really interesting.

Ocean Isle Pier

Shortly after I took the picture of the little sandpiper, on the same walk down the beach, actually, I took this picture of the Ocean Isle Beach pier. I can’t actually remember the last time we’ve gone out on the pier, actually. I guess I don’t see much need. It does add a point of reference when you’re on the beach, though, and give a handy turning around point when walking.

I like the drama in this picture, of the crashing wave. It’s nothing to the waves in the surfing destinations around the world, but it’s a good enough wave for riding and no so big that you are in any danger when out, particularly on days as calm as this.

Slit Lamp with Argon Laser

I visited my retina specialist today. The appointment was set up before I even had the cataract surgery scheduled but because of that surgery and the problems I had last week, I was glad to have it set up. The doctor saw a small piece of retina that was torn, so he had me wait a little while and give it a blast with his laser. This is not the greatest picture because of the dark background, but it shows the equipment he uses for this procedure. The box on the right (the lower one) controls the laser mounted on the slit lamp. He gave my eye 41 pulses of the laser to weld my retina to the underlying choroid layer of my eye. Afterward they took a photo of my eye that shows the site and I asked the technician to email me the picture, which is pretty cool. I won’t say I enjoy having a laser shined into my eye, but when it’s a choice between that and a detached retina, I’ll take the laser.

Turn Left

Dorothy was driving home this evening and I was in the passenger seat so I pulled out the camera and took some long exposure images of signs and lights as we went past. This is sort of a hit or miss process with a lot more misses than hits. One problem is that when the shutter is open, the viewfinder goes black. If you are moving (as we were in the car) it is difficult to keep the camera aimed at any particular subject. These images are more interesting when there is some movement, anyway, but getting it under control is, to a great extent, chance.

Rain

I love the sound of rain. Whether it’s beating on a tin roof or dripping through leaves in the woods or splashing on the surface of a pond, the sound of rain is a peaceful, restful sound for me. Of course, I have the option to go inside and get out of the rain. If I didn’t have that option, the sound of rain might be depressing or even oppressive. But, for me, in my circumstances, it is the sound of life and I look forward to it and enjoy it when it comes. Sometimes, I just sit and watch the rain. It may sound like watching the grass grow or watching paint dry, but I enjoy it. Sometimes, I think we should stop and watch the rain.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cathy baked chocolate chip cookies today. They were mostly for some neighbors who are going through a tough time, but she put some in a bag for Dorothy and me to take with us when we leave for Philadelphia tomorrow afternoon. Can you almost taste these? They were so good.

Thanks, sweetheart.

P.F. Chang’s

Dorothy wanted to meet a friend at Columbia Mall this evening so we all went. Dorothy drove and then went off to find Lauren. Cathy and I went into the mall for a little while and then had dinner at P.F. Chang’s.

This is the candle on our table. There is an interesting mural on the wall over the bar. It depicts eight characters that I assume are from Chinese history or legend. It’s a nice restaurant but I have to admit that I would prefer a small, hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurant. Generally the food is better and you aren’t paying extra for expensive decor. But that’s just me.

Pin Cushion

It was a very busy week and I didn’t get out to take pictures today. In the evening I took some pictures of a pin cushion that’s next Dorothy’s sewing machine. It isn’t actually Dorothy’s machine, but rather my mom’s back-up machine, her old Bernina. Anyway, this pin cushion was there and looked like a good subject for a photograph. I’m not sure what the little note says in full. I think the Red Cross pin is one I earned back before the Red Cross decided I was at too high a risk for BSE (too much time in England).

Balance

I was working in the basement this evening, taking apart our dehumidifier to see if I could figure out why the compressor isn’t coming on. Of course, it could be the compressor that’s gone bad, and if that’s the case then it is probably done. But there are two other possibilities, and I wanted to test them out. While I was in the basement, I decided to take a few pictures. This scale is one that I’ve used in the past for two different things: photography and ceramics. For photography, I used it to weigh out chemicals for processing black and white film and prints. For ceramics, to weigh ingredients for glaze. It’s been a while since I did either of those things, but I’d really like to get the ceramic work going again. I have the wheel and kiln here and just need to get a few things in place and I’d be ready to pick it up. I’m pretty much out of practice, but you never know, it might be like riding a bicycle. Or not.

Actually, the balance seems pretty significantly out of balance and I need to figure out what’s going on with that before it will be much use.