It started here. The Boston Tea Party was the foundation for the Revolutionary War.
The last post on my New England trip left us at the USS Constitution. We took an Uber to get there from the cruise ship. Getting back to the center of Boston, the capital of Massachusetts, we took a shuttle boat. That was a great ride. On the way to the dock, we saw sculptures of faces. I left in the informational sign regarding these art works. I think they are amazing.
Once on the shuttle boat, we saw:
Off the boat, we walked into town so we could fill our hungry tummies. I remembered Faneuil Hall Marketplace from my previous visit. In colonial times it was a place to gather and eat. Nothing’s changed except for the crowds. We bought lunch and fortunately found a place to sit. With our stomachs full, we went out to see the rest of the area. I basically photographed buildings and things I liked. Here are some of the photos with captions.
This trio are buildings I just liked.I liked the black and gold sign.The Faneuil Hall MarketplaceNotice the metal sculpture on the left. I liked the buildings center back.A closer view .A bagpiper in front of the MarketplaceParkman Plaza is within Boston CommonsParkman Plaza SculpturesReligionIndustryEducation
There was so much more to see, but we were so tired. We Ubered our way back to the ship to put our feet up and rest. Our next town to visit was Bar Harbor Maine. I’ll try to get to that town sooner!
Stop. Look. Listen. Doing those three things will help you discover the abundance of wildlife you have nearby. You have wildlife in your yard, nearby park, local pond or lake and just about anywhere around you. We often overlook opportunities to photograph these animals because we are so used to having them around us.
We live in a community with beautiful green belts, old oak trees, a creek and the wildlife that enjoys it. I walk my dog, Gem, every morning. He and I are used to seeing a variety of animals each morning. Sometimes we even catch the nocturnal skunks if we’re out early like at daybreak during the summer. I’ve picked him up three times when I’ve seen coyotes. Twice, I’ve seen deer looking around for something to munch on.
Beyond my complex, I’m fortunate to live near parks and nature centers where wildlife abounds.
Let’s start with the pond we have in the middle of our senior complex. It has fish for catch and release, turtles and the usual geese and ducks.
Oh, we must give special attention to our wild turkeys that seem to take over the place only to be daunted by the coyotes. I’ve only seen coyotes while walking my dog and I’m without a camera. You’ll note that the last group of turkeys is not that sharp. That’s because it was taken with my cell phone, which doesn’t have a great camera. I just wanted you to see how they congregate. These turkeys are protected so there’s no thinking of enjoying a Thanksgiving feast with them on the platter.
Moving a little beyond my community, about 15 minutes away (I gage in time not miles!), is Effie Yeaw Nature Center. It’s right on the banks on the American River. It’s nature at its wildest. I’ve been there and seen deer carcasses that have been ravaged by vultures and other animals. On the brighter side, most of the time the deer know that humans are not their predators.
About the same distance, but in a different direction is the Gibson Ranch County Park. It has stables and a pond. On a recent visit, a family was feeding the squirrels. This one was a cutie. And I found a goose that was not a Canada goose.
Further down the interstate, about a total of 30 minutes away, is the Vic Fasio Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area. We find mostly birds when we go around the dirt route, and in this drought, they are even a rare sighting. Here are a great egret and blue heron I photographed during our last visit.
From squirrels to birds, wildlife is around us. What non-domestic animals live in your neighborhood or nearby? Do you have feeders to attract wild birds? Look through your archives or take a nature walk with your camera. Maybe some of those flowers have bees looking for nectar with which to make honey? Lizards, praying mantis or spiders may be lurking around the rocks. Oh, how about butterflies? Let us see your wildlife. Remember to link to this post and use the Lens-Artist tag.
I had fun and learned some new things while responding to Sophia’s Exposure challenge. I hope you did too. Next week I’m pleased to tell you that our guest host is Jude of Cornwall in Colors. Look for her challenge.
If you would like to participate weekly in our Lens-Artists Challenge, click here for more info.
Grab a cup of coffee or tea and relax because there a more than my normal pictures in this post. I was surprised and amazed at the amount of information and presentation at the California Museum. Two hours wasn’t really enough to absorb everything especially when you are photographing the exhibits.
Here’s the introduction to the place in the gift shop.
The visiting exhibit, Celebrate Women, was geared to women and young girls, helping them understand that they can aspire to be like many of the famous role models. Each exhibit had a view screen with more information. You can see how inviting the exhibits were. Because I was busy taking photos, I didn’t look at the exhibit screens and probably missed a lot. What we do for cool images! Writing this blog, I know I have to go back, without my camera.
The stairs offered us photographic opportunities too!
We will get back to the inside exhibits, but we did go outside to the back courtyard. I should say the beautiful back courtyard. One wall was artistically done with encouraging statements, and architecturally all the buildings surrounding it blended.
Various nationalities have left their impact in California. We know the Chinese and Mexicans certainly left their imprint in California. A lot of space was given to these nationalities showing and explaining their contributions to what California is today.
We’ve learned that the Chinese helped build the railroads and more. But, how about the food we enjoy today.
Mexicans brought their culture and holidays like Día de los Muertos, Day of the Dead. Below are three-sided cards made by school children to honor the holiday. The painting struck me as amazingly detailed.
What I wasn’t prepared for was the Filipino influence on California history. It is described in this exhibit.
Of course, the entertainment industry had and has a big impact on California. Here are three showcases honoring the entertainers and the industry.
One hallway, honoring our Native American cultures, which I think was a permanent exhibit. Artifacts were behind glass and the hallway was dark. Meaning, difficult to photograph. I did get some pictures from the ceiling. The beautiful paintings ran the entire hallway.
We can’t forget about health. A considerable amount of space was dedicated to healthy eating.
Before we left, the last exhibit I saw honored the nurses who helped us through the darkest days of the Covid pandemic.
I’ll say it again, The California Museum was amazing. I will go back!
Sophia, I had so much fun with this challenge. I seldom take the time to try different things with my images once I’ve processed them, so this was an enjoyable practice. I may do it more often.
I played with exposure in post processing, using images in my archives. Most of them have been posted before. First, the high key images. I used a great egret taking off. I wanted to see what happens when you do a white bird as an overexposed image. Then I had fun with some of my roses.
I’m not sure I achieved the look I was after!I just lightened the entire image and put a misty filter on it.This was a dark pink rose, I lightened the color, added a misty filter and then a white vignette.
Now for the overexposures. I found these easier than the high-key images.
I like the way this one came out. It has sort of a mood to it.Again a colorful rose with a flat color. Does it work?The color of this rose was certainly taken down a great deal. But I think it has enough color to stand against the black.I like the way the dark background accents the light on this bird’s face. This image almost came out black and white.
For my last bit of fun. I was trying to do a building in high-key and tried the infrared filter. I played around with it and I like it. I usually don’t like infrared images.
I hope you’re having fun with Sophia’s challenge too. When you post, be sure to link to her original post and use the Lens-Artists tag. We enjoyed reading about and seeing everyone’s Flight of Fancy last week. There were many variations of the theme. I’ll be leading next week’s challenge so look out for my post.
If you would like to participate weekly in our Lens-Artists Challenge, click here for more info.
I fell in love with USS Constitution during our visit in to Boston in 2013. And the total experience was different from our visit during my recent New England trip. In 2013 there were Navy personnel to take us on a guided tour. You had to sign up, wait your turn, I remember the tours were timed so the ship wasn’t crowded. “Old Ironsides,” the ship’s nickname given when she was launched in 1797, was also not sectioned off at the dock so we could have the full advantage of taking amazing photos.
This ship has an amazing history which you can read here.
Today, the ship is open to all. There are no public tours, at least when we were there. And from a photographic point of view, people were everywhere. But she is still an amazing ship with a great history. Here are the first photos I took from the top deck.
Although I am complaining about people, I managed to isolate myself by taking closeups. Here’s what the decks below looked like. The crew slept in hammocks while the officers had better accommodations.
The hammocks are stowed in the back.The Captain’s OfficeThe Captain’s quarters
Back on top, I tried to get some different images.
The MuseumDry Dock
The Constitution is still in commission, is still sea worthy, and her crew of 75 officers and sailors participate in ceremonies, educational programs, and special events while keeping her open to visitors year round and providing free tours. The officers and crew are all active-duty Navy personnel, and the assignment is considered to be special duty. What a testament to the United States history.
Oh John, how many scenarios went through my mind when I read this amazing challenge! My mind was actually going through Flights of Fancy! I finally settled on one. Different Flights of Fancy of various people.
Some people like festivals that take their imagination to a certain time and places where they can leave their current world behind for a couple of days. They dress and act as if they were in that time and place. Take this Pirate Festival I attended a few years ago. It was fun even for the non-participants.
Closely related to festivals are the reenactments. Marlene and I visited the Civil War Reenactment at nearby Gibson Ranch a few years ago. The participants were so into recreating their Flight of Fancy that everything was in the time of the Civil War: dishes, tents, costumes, language, etc. When it came time for the battle, the South didn’t have enough soldiers so they drafted some of the audience. These shots are from the end of the battle with cannons firing and causalities on the ground. Of course, the North won. The South surrendered with a full ceremony. It was great.
Now for my Flight of Fancy. For years I’ve fancied traveling again. Finally the chance came and so did my passion to photograph different places and things. Within that passion is the fun of creating abstract images from colorful landscapes. Here are some ceiling shots I took aboard the ship.
I’m ending with my husband, Richard’s, Flight of Fancy. He looks to the skies and beyond. Actually, his telescope looks for him. He’s an astronomer who images. There’s a camera on his scope that takes pictures of deep space objects like galaxies and nebula. He normally has his shutter open for 24 minutes to take 4 color shots, and he takes 20 pictures. That’s dedication and a nap while it’s happening! Here are a few of his images
From left to right: M8, the Lagoon Nubula; M31, the Andromeda Galaxy; from left to right: NGC 4312 NGC 4321 Galaxies.
No matter what your Flights of Fancy are, I hope they come to realization. When you post your response, please remember to use the Lens-Artists tag and link to John’s post. Last week we were taken to scenic mountains from all over the world. Thank you Amy! Next week Sophia leads the challenge on Exposure.
If you would like to participate weekly in our Lens-Artists Challenge, click here for more info.
This was my request. I asked to visit a small town, much like Sutter Creek near me. So off we drove to Staunton (pronounced Stanton) and Lexington. These two towns were quaint and different. The difference was in the age and ornamental qualities of the buildings.
Let’s visit Staunton first. We stopped at a street that was blocked off to traffic.
Top row: An employee setting up an outdoor smoking area for a smoke shop. A wooden Indian sculpture inside the shop. Instruments made from cigar boxes.
Second row: People enjoying outdoor dining.
Third row: A cute store and a theatre.
Still in Staunton, some interesting buildings.
The Augusta County CourthouseYikes! A giant praying mantis!
In Lexington, we took a horse drawn carriage ride. It was great, but made photography difficult. Our guide apologized for not being able to stop because it would get her off schedule.
I mostly rested in Alexandria, Virginia. So our next stop will be Boston! Stay tuned.
My east coast travels in the United States made me appreciate the varied topography we have in California. Amy wants us to show and talk about the mountains that call to us. In Northern California, we have mountains. I am fortunate to live close to the range called the Sierra Nevadas, a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. It’s highest point is Mt. Whitney at 14,505 ft. I’ve never been up there. (Visiting the Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado at 12,000 ft. was enough for me!)
Locally, we have Table Mountain, near Oroville in Butte County. The North and South tables are flat mesas that were formed from basaltic eruptions. I’ve been there three times, but not recently. It’s very difficult to walk on the uneven surface. Here are some images. Notice the beautiful wildflowers. They and the small waterfalls draw photographers there each year.
Next the Sierra Nevadas host Donner Lake at 5,936 ft. I’ve shown you images of this beautiful spot before, but it’s been a while since I’ve shown you the tunnels where the trains passed through the mountains. Not used any more, it houses graffiti art.
Now for other finds with single images. First is Ananda Village in the Sierras (Nevada City). They host the Tulip Festival each year. Here you can get a good view of the Sierras.
Foresthill is a small mountain town that recently had a fire come through. Fortunately, this image was taken a year before. It just shows how life can change in an instant.
Last is Hope Valley which is famous for having Fall Colors each year. I’ve posted images from this area. But the valley also has a small lake.
I haven’t even mentioned the National and State Parks that add to the beauty of this State. I love the mountains so thank you Amy for letting me show off my nearby beauties. When you reply to her post be sure to link to her post and use the Lens-Artist tag. We enjoyed all your beautiful florals last week in response to Ann-Christine’s challenge. Next week Sophia will be leading the challenge so look for her post.
There’s so much to see in Luray, Virginia, beginning with Luray Caverns. I have visited many caverns and caves, but this was the largest. It was long and winding; not like others where you traversed down narrow steps to the bottom. And, of course you had to climb back up. These caverns were more or less level, walkable and well lit.
I was amazed by the colors and water features. In some cases, you could see the water dropping from the stalactites. There were audio tours available, but we just started out on our own. There was so much to experience and photograph.
Here are some of my favorite images.
The caverns were the stars of the show that also included a museum, a Garden Maze, Shenandoah Heritage Village, Toy Town Junction and a Rope Adventure Park. We did go into the Heritage Village and Toy Town since it was included with the cavern price. The other attractions were at an additional cost. You could spend some serious money there, especially if you have children.
By the time we got back to the condo, all us seniors were weary and ready for a relaxing evening. Our next stop is Staunton and Lexington, VA.
Slow Shutter Speed 