College – Page 15 – Decaseconds

Three Reminiscences of Fall in the North Country

2017-Jan-112017-Jan-10 adohertyhLeave a comment

The Bay Area seems to experience seasons at a different pace from much of the rest of the country. Summer is a month-long period from mid-August through mid-September, fall lasts from October through March, and the summer goes from April until August. Winter (as the East Coast understands it) isn’t a part of the equation. Being back in fall, then, has me reminiscing about fall in the North Country, with leaves starting to dot the ground and the Blue Hour arriving sooner.

Berkeley’s undergraduate student population is still mostly gone for winter break, leaving UCB’s campus to resemble St. Lawrence’s during Fall Break in October. The empty-ish parking lots might be bleak, but at least it’s easy to get a table at lunch time.

And one final bonus from that fall weekend: a most dramatic and exciting picture of a most unexciting car. I present to you: the World’s Most Interesting Toyota RAV-4.

Mid-Show Snack

2017-Jan-04 adohertyh3 Comments

Flashing back to a St. Lawrence University IHSA show from last fall: between the big jumps and competition, sometimes a rider just needs an M&M break.

Riding Facility in Fall

2016-Dec-16 adohertyhLeave a comment

The overnight low was –16ºF, meaning that my robotic exploration of the skies has been put on pause for the moment. Back on those crisp fall days, though, there was nothing better than putting up the quadcopter and surveying St. Lawrence’s facilities. The riding stables and fields are one of the best places to spend a Friday afternoon, whether on the ground or in the air.

Contemplating Age

2016-Nov-30 adohertyhLeave a comment

Decaseconds turns five years old just about this week, and today I’m turning 30. “Now” is a good time to think about age and the passage of time, I suppose, but I’d rather focus on something else: achievement. We’ve gotten a lot done in the past years—and there’s a lot more to come. Looking back on my early photographs on places like Berkeley’s Campanile, I can see all of the steps that led me to now. On to the next year!

Foliage Tunnel

2016-Nov-18 adohertyhLeave a comment

College campuses have long, tree-lined walks; those are great places to find this “yellow leaf tunnel” effect.

Under the Sphere

2016-Nov-072016-Nov-07 adohertyhLeave a comment

Large-scale sculptures on college campuses set the tone of these places, focusing the on spaces for the mind to experiment and grow. I’ve always found it a bit ironic that the mind will grow to find these odd structures everyday and ordinary.

Welcoming

2016-Nov-042021-Apr-06 adohertyhLeave a comment

Admissions buildings are always charming, but the blue hour on a crisp fall afternoon creates optimal conditions for charm. Not a single leaf is out of place.

All Things In Alignment

2016-Oct-242016-Oct-25 adohertyh1 Comment

When St. Lawrence’s newest dorm, Kirk Douglas Hall, was designed, its dramatic glass bridge was brought into alignment with the Avenue of the Elms and gap between Richardson Hall and Gunnison Chapel. When the sun rises over the North Country landscape, I am drawn to the focused geometry of the landscape. (And glad I awoke to fly my quadcopter.)

Blue Transition

2016-Oct-21 adohertyhLeave a comment

The rise of an almost-full moon, framed between branches. Autumn arrives early in the North Country.

Boathouse Foliage

2016-Oct-172016-Oct-16 adohertyhLeave a comment

Rural college campuses have components I’d never considered: rivers and boathouses and forests. The arrival of (slightly) colder weather means the canoes and kayaks will be closed away for the winter. Autumn, here we go!

Previously Everyday

2016-Oct-12 adohertyhLeave a comment

The intersection of Hearst and Euclid was an everyday sight (and site for lunch) during graduate school. Just as daytime settings become otherworldly by night, chronological distance from those days have made the setting alien and exciting. How could this place ever have seemed normal?

Dawn at the Barn

2016-Oct-072016-Oct-07 adohertyhLeave a comment

The Sun rises over the Adirondack foothills and St. Lawrence’s Elsa Gunnison Appleton Riding Hall. I was up early to fly the Phantom for a very particular reason: This weekend marks Derby Day, the completion of the 2016 St. Lawrence Summer Horse Show Series. Spectacular riding is on tap for Saturday!

Club Sports

2016-Oct-052016-Oct-06 adohertyhLeave a comment

After classes end for the day, there’s still an astonishing amount of activity on St. Lawrence’s campus. My favorite detail about this picture (other than its, “Hey, I can see my house from here!” vibe) is the chapel tower sneaking over the horizon. It’s mirrored on either side by a water tower and a cell tower that are, uh, a bit less dramatic.

Johnson Hall and Beyond

2016-Sep-26 adohertyh4 Comments

Johnson Hall at sunset in the North Country. No other comment needed.

Appleton on the Grasse

2016-Sep-23 adohertyhLeave a comment

The DJI Phantom 3 quadcopter is giving me a new appreciation for Canton’s “small town America” landmarks, like the Appleton Arena. The way oblique solar rays reflect from its arcing roof puts the ice rink and the Grasse River in a reflective class of their own; nothing else in town is reflecting the sunset in the same way. Perhaps it’s appropriate that the ice rink and the flowing river, both full of water (though covered, in Appleton’s case) are the most reflective moieties.