Tears and Roses

Every year this little rose plant on the side of my house bears this one beautiful bloom. When I cut it and put it on my desk it makes the whole room smell sweet.

I used to take it inside for my Grandma who had a hard time getting outside to see it....

Franklin/Tionesta

After day two of canoeing(see below post) Laura and I decided to get a room - or as it turned out rooms. We found a place in the tiny town of Tionesta, Pa - about a ten minute drive from where we canoed. It was only 69 bucks for what was basically a whole apartment - including a front porch swing.

After checking out in the morning we made our way to the small town of Franklin, PA with its beautiful Main Street(below). Its truly amazing to see a town like this with all the storefronts full and plenty of bustle. We got lunch and did some antiqueing....

Canoeing the Allegheny Part I

I can't imagine anything in life that can be more relaxing than floating down a river beer in hand - and that is exactly how I spent Saturday and Sunday. Laura, Kyle, Kristi and I(below) drove to the Allegheny National Forest and rented canoes from Indian Waters for a 27 mile trip. They drove us up to the Kinzua Dam where we hit the water, canoed, and then made camp on an island.

The dilemma on these trips is always about what to do for a camera. Two days of drinking on a river can obviously be a photographer's worst nightmare. In years past I had always brought a cheap, film point and shoot. This year I knew I needed more fire-power to be happy - so I brought my Canon Rebel XT in a freezer bag and then put it in a holster camera bag - just enough protection so that it could be snagged out of the river before any damage(hopefully)but still at the ready enough to capture a moment.  

I think the next time I go I might find a water tight tupperware-style container and bring my Canon 7D.

Back in the Saddle

Yesterday was my first time on the tractor this year.  I was driving the John Deere 6320 down Bolanz Road to dump the produce scraps in a field.  We've been composting more of the waste the last few years instead of putting biodegradable foodstuffs in the dumpster.   

Maybe eventually we could even get our customers to recycle - its amazing how people at a farm surronded by national park refuse to take the simple step of putting cans and bottles in one place and trash in another.  Dummies.  

Farmville 2011

Well, its that time of the year again - back to the farm. I'm going to do my best to continue putting up some posts here - probably mostly about the farm - and many will be with my terrible cellphone camera(like these two).  The image quality may not be great but I'll keep the subject and compositions interesting.  See ya in the Valley!

Solo Cook-Out

My baby is out-of-town all weekend and I've been working lotsa hours - so this morning I had to get out and enjoy a bit of this weather....with some wieners!

Back to Tracks

I go to this spot all the time - the train tacks between Hawkins and Market Streets. Its right there in my neighborhood, the closest little piece of nature without a drive, and I have many, many photos to show for it. This morning I shot my latest batch.

More to come - I'm sure.

Practical Photography

Ever work on drum brakes? Take a picture - it will last longer, really. Its the best way to remember where all those cursed springs go. I found it funny that I was looking at the back of my camera judging the "quality" of my shot - I had to stop and remind myself why I was taking the photo....