Hunkering Down…

Recently, I was in Ouray with friends Lora and Bruce. We were visiting various old mines with their attendant wonderful rust and decay, a veritable wabi-sabi as these old structures melt back into the landscape. My back was not happy, so I was often photographing from my little camp stool. I found myself spending long minutes pondering the scene before me. At first, nothing catches my eye. But after 5 or 10 minutes, possibilities start announcing themselves. Soon my shutter was happily clicking. I tend to be a run and gun type photographer, so I find these quiet moments of contemplation to be really productive. The following images were made at the Genessee-Vanderbilt and the Longfellow mines. The next time you are facing some visual constipation, try slowing down and just look!

Gonna Make It…

The seemingly unending inversion has departed and sunshine is abundant! I feel my spirits lifting. With Palisade Peach jam on my toast this morning, I eagerly await spring blossoms. Both the cats and myself are happy today as Fay has returned after a week in Nebraska. With the gray days behind, the cameras are awakening too. A recent foray to Moab resulted in many new images. I have been working more with Luminar 4 software lately and finding it very useful.

Ouray Love Affair

I am pleased to announce the availability of my new Ouray Photo Guide book. Those who know me know that I have a serious addiction to Ouray and the surrounding mountains. So I went thru 40 years worth of photos and made a book!

The 6×9 book is 70 pages with about 200 photos. I combine photo tips, location info, history and inspiration. You can learn more about the book at my Etsy shop: http://bit.ly/OurayBook

Billions & Billions…

I have always been interested in astronomy. I grew up in rural Nebraska with dark skies. From a very early age, my mom taught me the constellations and made sure that Santa Claus brought me cool books!

We were very serious too. When I was ten, mom enrolled me in an adult ed astronomy class in Omaha, a 300 mile round trip every Saturday for 6 weeks in 1958. One morning, we stopped en route in Lincoln and the waitress asked why in the world were we on the road that day? We had wondered why Highway 6 was so empty of traffic. Our car had no radio and we had not heard the news. Turns out Charles Starkweather, the serial killer, was killing folks in the area and the public was warned to stay indoors. This did not apply to us, of course, and on we went to Omaha. Carl Sagan would have been proud.

Over the years, I dabbled in night photography but with film, it was always a bit of a crap shoot. Digital has made it much more successful and with my Sony camera especially so. A few weeks ago found me on the highway south of Ouray watching the milky way track across the inky black sky. Jupiter was a bright beacon and I felt my spirit recharging. Expect many more photos to come.

Spring Sneffels Fury

Fay and I were wandering a few days ago and ended up in Ridgway area. Lots and lots of fresh snow even as spring was attempting to erupt. Very dramatic. Black and white seemed the way to go here. Should be a nice wildflower year with all this moisture.

Palisade Pinks

Some photos from this morning’s Palisade wander. Hope you are not getting tired of these and if you are, tough shit!

Things are progressing nicely. Still have several days of blooming to go. They pop out at different times, depending on variety. We are looking at possible rain and snow in two days so that could be interesting.

Weeping is Good!

Such a beautiful day. I went outside, grabbed a chair and macro lens and sat under (in) our weeping cherry tree. A few bees were gently buzzing around. Hardly any breeze. Sublime. Last year we were out of town when this tree bloomed so I am savoring the sweet moments doubly this year!

Apricot Magic

Things are heating up in the Grand Valley! This is the time of year when trips to Palisade are made almost daily to watch the blossoms unfurl. Today was just the start with some apricot trees announcing their awakening from winter’s sleep.

Art Deco Delite!

Last week we were in Nebraska. One day I drove up to Omaha and visited the Durham Museum. It was very interesting but for me, the real jewel was the building itself as the museum in in the old Omaha Union Station. The station is “one of the finest examples of Art Deco architecture in the Midwest.”

The current building, finished in 1931, features a steel frame structure that is clad with cream-colored glazed terra cotta. The 124,000-square-foot building cost $3.5 million to build.

Union Station became renowned for its technological innovations, including electric luggage conveyor belts, escalators and extensive lighting throughout the building. Simultaneously, patrons and critics alike appreciated the traditional and lavish attributes of the building, including massive women’s restrooms, beautiful marble columns and flooring throughout, and deep oak woodwork surrounding every window and door in the station. During its first year, 1.5 million passengers passed through.

By 1946, 64 steam locomotives were in operation bringing 10,000 passengers daily in and out of the Union Station. However, within a decade everything changed. Passenger service ceased in 1971, and the Union Station was donated to the City of Omaha by the Union Pacific Railroad in 1973.

The photos below are from the Main Waiting Room which measures 160 feet by 72 feet and is spanned by a 60 foot high ceiling. This Great Hall features a ceiling of sculptured plaster, with painted gold and silver leaf trim, ten cathedral-like plate glass windows, a patterned terrazzo floor, columnettes of blue Belgian marble, and a wainscoting of black Belgian marble. Six immense chandeliers, 13 feet tall, five feet in diameter, and suspended 20 feet from the ceiling, light the Great Hall.

Do visit it if you are in the area.

Long and Winding Road…

In 2018 I upset the applecart! After using Canon for 20 years, I switched to Sony. There were lots of reasons and my followers will probably want to know what possessed me!

I actually sat down and sort of organized my thoughts and wrote a paper, which you can view here:  The Long and Winding Road.

Let me know what you think.