Florida doesn’t have a monopoly on white beaches, tropical plants, and dramatic sunsets, but it certainly knows how to do a classic beach scene.
Miniature Berkeley
After getting some distance I’m starting to find myself missing things about Berkeley.
Waiting for the Island
As a youth, I read tales of “wandering islands” on the backs of giant sea creatures. As the fog burned off at Camp Canaras, I couldn’t shake the illusion that the island was drifting closer. (Of course, Saranac Lake might make for a disappointingly small range to wander.)
Shrubs in the mist
Taken at the Roan Mountain rhododendron garden, this was taken a few weeks too early to capture the plants in full bloom. The density and area of this natural rhododendron garden is staggering, if you come on a day where mist doesn’t limit your view.
Foggy Infinity
Rainy, early-summer mornings in the Adirondacks seem to go on forever. That first step into tremendously cold water, on the other hand, is anything but foggy.
He Has an Idea
A lightbulb can be more than just a cliché for having an idea.
Saturn V
Having never seen one of these behemoth rockets up close before, I never really understood just how big they were. Of course I knew they were big, like really big, but the enormity of the Saturn V is really hard to fathom without some reference.
North Country Truck I
The North Country has some serious truck-lovers, and that solid sense of Northeastern populism, to boot. The bumper stickers on this particular Ford certainly embrace the North-Country-ish identity.
Rhododendron Tunnel
The Rhododendrons growing around Roan Mountain are out of control.
Luxury/War Vehicles
Advertisements for luxury products have a heavy dose of the preposterous. “When would I possibly find myself driving my Range Rover through a recreated Civil War campground, complete with observation balloon, on my way home from a Hunter Derby?” What a juxtaposition!
I also rather like the idea that lots of luxurious products (like Range Rovers and hot air balloons) are the descendants of military-issue equipment (like this observation balloon, or the original Land Rover—a vehicle heavily inspired by the Willys Jeep.)
Lightning Over Carl Sagan’s House
As a scientist and educator in the 21st century, it’s difficult to overstate the role that Carl Sagan played in shaping my worldview. When I traveled to Ithaca, NY for the first time this week (for a chemistry conference, naturally), I wasn’t planning on any kind of specific pilgrimage. Nonetheless, I found myself standing on a tall bridge above a gorge, watching the lights of Ithaca and the flashes of lightning in the distant clouds.
I didn’t have my normal Nikon with me. I didn’t have my tripod with me. I made do. How often do you get to photograph lightning over Carl Sagan’s house?
(It’s the house on the right, by the way.)
Stand Before the Falls
The waters of the Racquette River were high and fast when we hiked Stone Valley. There was no clambering around on this day—just standing in the refreshing spray.
View from the top
It’s hard to adequately describe the view from the tops of the balds of Grassy Ridge. This particular vantage is from Jane Bald. While hiking along here it is immediately clear why people would want to hike the Appalachian trail.
Smiling Hunters
This weekend, I photographed the Hunter Derby at Genesee Historic Village, outside Rochester, New York. Though I’ve been to many English riding events over the years, this was the first I’ve seen in the authentic setting of rolling hills and on-course trees. (They even had a pack of hounds out on course, early on.) Perhaps the most surreal part of the weekend was seeing the period reenactors (in their historically accurate garb) next to the riders (also in heavily historically inspired gear).
Decaseconds 