Wonders On Campus

This is my last post of the year. It is nothing special, but it is a small find on Cornell University College Campus. I was taking a ride threw campus ... Which I sometimes do, and found this little garden.

This is a small garden built on a small hill near the science buildings. I also found a small waterfall in this garden that went from the top of the hill to the bottom of it. I am hoping to get back to it while there is some snow on the ground and some more day light because it is a pretty garden. I also plan to visit it in the summer to get that affect.

So I guess that sums up the year. I am blessed with a wonderful marriage, 3 crazy cats, and my life as I know it. I hope you all have a wonderful turn of the year.

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow

My husband and I had to go out to get some groceries on Friday (12.19.08) during a really nasty snow storm. We sat threw the traffic on the return trip home for 2 hours .. just to get threw 2 city blocks. We found out that the big hold up was because someone needed to be rushed to the medical center and they could not get the ambulance up the hill because the road conditions were so bad. They had to get an all-terrain vehicle to transport the person from the injury location to the bottom of the hill to get the person to the ambulance.

I cannot believe the traffic was backed up so bad. I took photos as we were trying to get threw this intersection to get home. The snow fall was between and inch to two inches an hour, if not more. It was coming down hard and fast and that was about all we knew. Our windshield wipers actually froze to the windshield because we were going so slow. I think 1 car from each intersection was getting threw each time the road light changed.

I got to take a few interesting photos as well, but I only found one that I really liked and it seemed to capture just what I was looking to capture. The speed the snow was falling. We were stopped in front of a parking garage for the longest time. There was a pedestrian that was moving faster than we were ... all I did was laugh at the irony in that. I took a photo of the exit to the parking garage because it gave me a solid object to center on and allowed the snow to appear as I was seeing it ... a big blur.

The quiet after the storm was almost deafening to me. I could not believe the difference between the beginning of the day and the middle of the day. Amazing!!!

Winter ... The Other Photography Season

I have a lot to learn about shooting in the snow. I think I have to keep in mind the time of the day that I am going out because of the shadows ... I get that wonderful blue color in the snow ... and I am not experienced enough with Photoshop to see if I can turn it white again (See below).

I found some interesting places to visit with all of the recent snow in my area of the woods, and I decided to try to take some photos from the car while I was traveling back and forth to work. I love the winter time .. I just cannot stand the cold.

I have a of photo that is different. The one is really dark, but it was done intentionally because I was in a strange mood. I kept the spots of bright light in it intentionally as well. I am not sure what it is about it, but I think it is creepy ... and that for some reason is sort of awesome to me at this point.

Cousin's And More

I decided to do a small blog based on some family photos. I usually take a lot of these, and I know that little kids are hard to get their skin just right, but this is something I am still working on a lot.

Above you have Ms. Isabella who is my cousin Laura's daughter, She appears to like sitting on John's Harley Davidson quite a bit. John is my mother's long time boyfriend.

Above you have my niece Chantal .. She was not in a great mood because she was tired

Above we have my Cousin Desmond ... He is not someone I see smile a lot .. So I had to take a photograph of it as proof that is does happen from time to time.

Above is my Cousin Amber and her nephew Gabe. They were enjoying each others company at one of our many family picnic events.

Above is my Grandpa Pete and my Mother (Pat). Pete is not my biological grandfather, but he has always been a very big part of my life and has been in my biological grandmothers life for as long as I can remember.

Above you will find who is known to me as BIG TROUBLE ... Just kidding ... This is my wonderful husband. He is someone that is very special to me. He came into my life without any warning, and he decided he wanted to stay there.

Looking a Bit Better ...

I have been coming back to live thanks to this what seems to be wonder drug for my knee. The last couple of weeks made my knee think it did not work anymore, unless I had my Cane in hand, and I started taking a medication for the Arthritis, and what a difference. It is not giving me 100 %, but it is giving me something to work with ... Now I just need a day that the temperature id above 32 degrees and I can get out with the camera a little bit and get some winter shots ... I am looking forward to that because Winter is actually one of my favorite times of the year to shoot. I love the ice formations, and the way the ice forms around waterfalls.

Every time it snows ... I just want to get in the car and go, but my knee has had other plans because when it snows it usually drops below the safe operating temperature for my camera, which is between 32 and 104 degrees Fahrenheit. I am looking to upgrade my camera eventually, but right now ... I just cannot afford to do it, but someday I will.

My Thoughts Today ...

I have been a bit in the dumps since it turned really cold. My knee did a total 180 and has not totally bounced back yet. I am learning to deal with the new pain, but it is slow and hard. It has left me feeling a bit overly sensitive and easily tempered, so I have been avoiding certain situations, but it has caused me to deal with one pressing situation that has made my photography buddy leave adventures with me, but it had to be done.

We are no longer moving this month. We re-newed our lease for another year. I think it might be better this way because if the person we were going to roommate with cannot come up with their share of things now ... than I would have to worry about weather or not they could keep up and I do not make the money to cover their share of things too ... I have to cover my husband's bills all of the time. He is my responsibility and that is the only reason I do.

I took my father for some testing he needed to have done in Syracuse yesterday. I hope he remembers to tell me the results because I want to be sure he is okay. He has not been feeling too well. He has had 2 heart attacks, Chemical Meningitis, and his Appendix removed this year alone. I wish he would listen to his doctor, but we all know how stubborn our dad's can be. He just says it is his life and he will live it his way.

I have not been taking any photos for a couple of weeks now ... except for my cats of course, but I have nothing to share. They really did not turn out like I hoped and because of my mood ... They got deleted. I am glad that digital camera were invented because they save a ton of money!

Black And White Photography

I think I might take up a change in my area of interest in Photography ... I really feel like Black and White photography is something I can work with. I am going to study it a little bit more, but I am finding that I like my images a lot better and can do more with them in processing in black and white. I cannot seem to get the color images the way I want them ... and I seem to be able to nail exactly what I want with Black and White.

I am starting to put together a small web page with my photos on it. I think I may have to copy right protect them and such, but I am only at the beginning stages. If you want to check out my progress ... Come check it out. I am starting with some of my recent Black and White's that I enjoy. I am not a professional by any means, but I feel I have come a long way since I started in late 2006.

I am looking forward to my learning experience at the college with my cousin and I will be sure to share it here when we get it all planned and done.