Chicago Skyline

My good friend, Leigh Bratina, has made a very nice post about me and my photo blog on her Blog site, so I'm going to try to get back into the groove posting some of my amateur photos.  I saw Leigh during the municipal election yesterday, and her posting has kicked me into action.

The shot above was taken on my recent visit to Chicago to visit my daughter, Rebecca.  When I visit, we usually do the touristy thing and really cram a lot of visiting and activities into a few days.  More about the visit to the Field Museum in another post.

The shot above is from the Sears Tower in Chicago which at the time of my visit was still the tallest building in Chicago.  That will probably be changing in the near future with a new taller building under construction.  The observation floor is 103 which is about 1300 feet or so above the streets of Chicago.  The view is commanding and the visibility was great the afternoon we were there.  In this photo you are looking over the city and out over Lake Michigan.

So let's hope I can stick to posting a few more pictures.

-Brian-

Pinhoti Trail

Cheaha State Park is one of my favorite spots with all of its natural beauty.  Last weekend, March 16, 2008, there was a dedication of the connection of the Pinhoti Trail to the Appalachian Trail.  Hikers can make the trek all the way from Alabama to northern Maine.  I took this picture as I was leaving the ceremony marking the connection with a big marker which shows the blaze and the trail marker if you ever want to hike the Pinhoti Trail.

It always amazes me to see how things change.  I had not been to Cheaha during the winter season since the weather is not nearly as good, but it was fun to see things without the leaves.  Each season has its own beauty and the lack of leaves meant that I could see landmarks that are not normally visible during other times of the year.

The Alabama Hiking Trail Society conference was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed being with the group talking about hiking and weather.  I hope to go again.

-Brian-

Buck Creek Festival

This is a picture I took at the last Buck Creek Festival in 2007 looking over the entrance to the event.  The event for 2008 is a little over two months away and will be held May 9th and 10th.  It is a completely free event that the Buck Creek Festival Committee works on all year long.  Behind the trees in the background is the Helena Amphitheater where the music plays.  And we have a great diversity of music for everyone.

We are not a big festival, but it sure is nice to come to the park and stroll around, listen to some great music, chat with friends and neighbors, and just have a generally swell time.

Hope to see you there.

-Brian-

Gees Bend Ferry

This was our primary destination in a daylong outing from Paul Grist State Park near Selma, AL, to Gees Bend near Camden, AL, in late March, 2007.  Gees Bend is an area isolated by a large bend in the Alabama River.  Gees Bend to Camden is only about 4.5 miles by air but over 40 miles by road and bridge.  A ferry ran here for a long time but went out of business and the State of Alabama with local help re-established the ferry. We wanted to ride the ferry which is just something we don't get to do where we live.

And we wanted to take in the Gees Bend Quilters, a group of women who have gained National prominence as stories have been told and written about the area.  Absolutely wonderful, relaxing trip with a very special ride on a ferry boat.

-Brian-

Strange Equipment

I'm not making fun of anyone or anything.  Sometimes you just run across something that is hard to understand or explain.  Such is this picture taken on the ferry that runs between Camden, AL, and Gees Bend across the Alabama River.

The ferry is completely steel.  So when I saw the axe, I just could not help myself but chuckle.  I'm sure if I took a swing with the axe, it would making a resounding noise and fly out of my hands as soon as it came in contact with any part of the ship.  I'm really guessing here, but I wonder if this is not some sort of ferry boat tradition from days when ferry boats were made of wood.

-Brian-

Taken March 2, 2008, it was a bright sunny day with an afternoon high of 76.  Lots of people were out enjoying an early taste of spring, so I grabbed the camera and stopped by the Buck Creek dam to see what I might catch.

There is a nice patch of land right below the dam that you can get to without getting wet thanks to a small, metal foot bridge.  I took this photo looking generally east across the dam at a set of buildings that will eventually hold businesses.  The dam was down to a very small trickle only a month ago, but some nice rain in January and February have helped our drought situation and produced a nice flow of water coming over the dam.

-Brian-

Historic Orrville, AL

Last year (2007) in March we spent a little time at Paul Grist State Park about 15 miles north of Selma, AL.  For an outing, we made a trip to Gees Bend which is just north and across the Alabama River from Camden, AL.  The attraction was two fold.  First, we wanted to see and ride the Gees Bend ferry.  Second, we wanted to take in some of the rural country that the area represents.

Our trip to Gees Bend meant going through Orrville, a small rural Alabama town that has seen better times.  An unexpected surprise was to find the beautiful old house you see pictured above with double chimneys - on both ends.  Obviously built in a day when fireplaces were the primary source of heating and cooking.

It is always worthwhile to travel on the roads less traveled.

-Brian-

Cheaha Deer

One of our favorite past times while we're camping at Mt. Cheaha is to watch the wildlife.  We started taking a 50-pound sack of cracked corn with us last summer, so the deer really like us to visit.  Cheaha campground is pretty rocky, so we usually pile up the corn on two or three flat rocks about 20 to 50 feet from our travel trailer.  The deer usually come in the morning shortly after sunrise and again around sunset - sometimes in the middle of the day but not as regularly.

On one trip, the campers next to us offered to loan me the use of their 300 millimeter telephoto lense.  Of course, I jumped at the chance to use it (and now I have my own), so when the deer came a couple of hours later, I snapped this shot which I think highly of.  In case you didn't notice, there is a second deer in the background in the upper right quadrant of the picture.  This is the second picture I've submitted to the Alabama Hiking Trail Society's annual conference and photo contest.

I'm amazed at how well this picture came out.  I was using a lens that I had no experience with, a camera that I'm still learning about, shooting wildlife that are only 40 feet away, not moving to frame images so I don't spook the deer - you get the idea.  But I am so proud of this picture.

-Brian-

Very Bright Sun Dog

Back in the first half of February, I had an opportunity to fly on the ABC 3340 helicopter to view and video damage in Lamar County, Alabama, as well as that at Caledonia, MS, where a school had been hit by a tornado.  Enroute back from Caledonia, we stopped to refuel at the Fayette airport, and I snapped this photo of a very brilliant sun dog in the afternoon sky.  I cannot remember a seeing a sun dog as bright or as large as this one in quite some time.

There was not enough cirrus cloud in the sky to create a double, but that really didn't matter since this one was so bright and so large.

-Brian-

Buck Creek Dam, Helena

One of the main highways through Helena, AL, where I live is 261 which crosses a bridge over Buck Creek next to a small dam.  The dam was built a long time ago and there is still some old machinery sitting on the banks from a time when the dam was fully utilized.  This picture was taken from the deck of Incahoots, a local restaurant owned and operated by Harold and Claudia Deason, on the banks of Buck Creek.

We have not seen much water flowing over the dam for about the last year as the area of Central Alabama has been in an exceptional drought condition for many months.  January and February of 2008 have seen some typical rain for these months, so water is once again flowing over the dam making a nice photo.

-Brian-