Food?

These geese are hoping that the little guy has some food for them. Meanwhile, he;s hoping the geese will take grass from his hand. They're all disappointed!

Lens ID	LUMIX G VARIO 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
F Number	5.6
Focal Length	45.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 90.0 mm)
Exposure Time	1/400
Exposure Program	Aperture-priority AE
ISO	160
Advanced Scene Mode	Off
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

Rose Garden

The Rose Garden at Central Park still has many gorgeous flowers.  It always amazes me that the volunteers manage to keep this beautiful place going for so many months of the year.

F Number	5.6
Focal Length	45.0 mm
Exposure Time	1/100
Exposure Program	Manual
ISO	160
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

Central Park leaves

Took the youngest biking in Schenectady's Central Park.  While he was walking around the Duck Pond, I sat in a patch of sun among the leaves.

F Number	5.6
Focal Length	45.0 mm
Exposure Time	1/500
Exposure Program	Manual
ISO	160
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

Earth Day

The Schenectady County Cooperative Extension had a neat idea for Earth Day.  They organised a little get together at Central Park, at the greenhouses.  I don't know what to call this area exactly; it's near the tennis courts and it's planted with flowers and shrubs.  There are greenhouses and cold frames and there's a fence around it all.

Anyway, it was a very interesting gathering.  There were displays on composting, native plants, water conservation and bats.  There were tables where kids could make things (our guy made sandals out of newspaper and magazine pages) and several vendors selling related items like rain barrels and composting bins.

This was an eye catcher.  The old chair's bottom had been broken out and someone turned it into a planter.  For those of us who can't re-cane a chair, this is a very creative way to reuse it.  Beautiful, too.

F Number	5.6
Lens ID	-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length	25.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 50.0 mm)
Exposure Time	1/160
Exposure Program	Aperture-priority AE
ISO	100
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

Swiiiiiing!

So I was supposed to be watching the little one, but he was gallivanting about with his friend and they are both good boys.  So I wasn't breathing down their necks; I was giving them the space to run round and be boys in the park.  Of course, it is almost spring, and everyone knows that in spring a young man's fancy turns to.... the swing set!  And so I hopped on the swing (In?  On?).  I had my camera with me, and I had the not-so-very-brilliant idea of taking a photo.  Whilst swinging.  And when I swing, I go as high up as I can get; my head higher than the top bar holding the chains.  That poses a bit of a logistical problem, because letting go of the chains at that speed and height is a recipe for a tumble.  In the end, I let go one hand and took the shot from my lap - those are my toes at the bottom of the photo, pulling toward the sky.

I tore my coat pocket on the dismount, but oddly enough I was in such a good mood that it didn't bother me at all.  When I got home, I started disassembling the pieces so I could repair it and put it back together again. 

F Number	5.6
Lens ID	LUMIX G VARIO 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length	18.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 36.0 mm)
Exposure Time	1/320
Exposure Program	Aperture-priority AE
ISO	200
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

Inland gulls

We took the dogs for a walk in Central Park the other day, and there were seagulls swimming in the pond alongside the ducks.  Gulls aren't exactly common around here, but they aren't complete strangers either.  I never linked them to any particular season; sometimes I see them in the dead of winter.  The closest ocean is in New York City, about 150 miles south.  I wonder what brings these birds up here?

F Number	5.6
Lens ID	LUMIX G VARIO 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length	45.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 90.0 mm)
Exposure Time	1/1600
Exposure Program	Aperture-priority AE
ISO	200
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

Angel's hill

There was enough snow to go sledding  before New Year, but it was still very thin.  This hill is at Central Park, near the intersection of Bradley Boulevard and Monument Parkway.  This is the gentler of the two hills here.  It's a smooth ride down to the bottom, no bumps, no surprises.  If you can steer, you can make a right hand turn near the bottom and go even farther.

The other hill, the one the big kids use, is called Devil's hill.  It has a much steeper slope, some pretty large bumps and is easy to flip over when riding.  Plus, it's a lot steeper climb back to the top!

Nona Hendryx in Central Park

More accurately, the crowd listening to Nona Hendryx. Central Park has a summer music series at the Music Haven, which is what this informal amphitheater is called. There's a stage for the musicians, and the people sit on the hillside. There is some seating (in actual seats!) close to the stage for those who arrive early.

I would have gone round he front for a photo of the singer, but we were walking the dog, and she wasn't too interested in moving closer to the loudspeakers! Since the dog weighs a hundred pounds, when she decides she's moving off, we generally move with her!

Nona still has an awesome voice, wow.

Central Park fountain

We don't get many rainbows up in the sky, but low sun and a spray of water bring the rainbows down to us!

Rose

Central Park has a beautiful rose garden, and I visit as often as I can. The heat has been hard on them, but the roses are still gorgeous.

Stalactite

This will take some explaining.

This is in Central Park. The main body of water is called Iroquois Lake. Iroquois Lake drains to the east via a small creek that, as far as I can tell, has no name. The main road into the park, Iroquois Way, passes over the creek via a concrete bridge.

It's been dry and hot lately, so the pond's water level is low. Low enough that the outlet has dried up and one can now walk on the creek bed. Under the bridge.

Someone who shall remain nameless was chasing the rumour of a 'giant frog' under there, so we had to go. The ground wasn't too muddy, even though the sun never reaches under there. While walking around, a drop of water went down my back. Which seemed curious, since above my head is an arched bridge - water can't exactly settle on it. The day was hot and dry; it seemed most unlikely that water was seeping UP the bridge from the ground only to leak down on me.

As I looked for the source of this mystery, I saw dozens of these stalactites. To me, they appear to be calcium carbonate but I'm no chemist. They are hollow tubes and each one has a drop of water on the end, slowly growing. The base, where they connect to the 'ceiling' is in the middle of a chalky white patch, and they all appear to be growing along the seams in the concrete.

It's still a mystery to me. Is the concrete still curing after all these years?

Swing!

My little one and I went to Central Park over the weekend. The goal was to go swimming but we arrived before the pool opened and did some wandering and playing while we waited.

I always liked the swings, even as a boy, and so this will look very familiar to those who know me personally. What's unusual is that someone took a photo of me. This might be the only photo of me on a swing. Ever.

He's pretty good with a camera, don't you think?

I know there are fish in here...

A late afternoon visit to our Central Park's Iroquois Lake. Someone is on the look out for sunfish, which nest in the shallows and can often be seen by quietly peering over the edge.

James at Newtown Daily Photo runs a theme called Weekend Reflections. Around a hundred photo bloggers post a photo containing a reflection; beautiful work. Click the link and go see!

Pine cones

Went to the park and all the pine trees decided simultaneously to shed their cones. They were everywhere! But no squirrels. Apparently they have no seeds, so they aren't interesting to them.

Spring day at the park

A warm spring day and we went to see the geese and ducks at Central Park's duck pond. The backpack holds bread for the critters and snacks for the people. We were both wearing shorts and aloha shirts (from Hawai'i) and were thoroughly happy about being in the sun again!

Reflections

A late summer's day in the park, still water and a quiet moment.

Twilight at the park

Calm evening, few bugs. We hung around. This isn't black and white, but it's pretty close.

Spanish-American War memorial

We have small memorials scattered throughout the city. I might probably say hidden, because they are often difficult to find, or they're in a place where it's inconvenient to stop the car for a look.

This is located in Central Park, on the hill that comes down from Central Park school to the Rose Garden. He overlooks Iroquois Lake, high enough on the hill that few people walk up there when they go on the path round the lake. He's tucked into the trees - it isn't easy to get a photo!

Researching this, I came across an interesting web site that has many historical markers catalogued: http://www.hmdb.org

Bluegill

The youngest likes to go fishing and since we live so close to Central Park, that's a common destination for an hour or two of catch and release fun. This is one of his catches - a bluegill.

Bluegills nest quite close to the edge - they can be seen easily from shore. They also feed on just about any food like worms or bread. We haven't had any luck with artificial lures, but a bluegill will grab a worm in under 30 seconds.

Which is perfect for a soon-to-be 7 year-old!

Ducks in a swimming pool

During our paddle boat excursion, we went by the swimming pool. The Central Park swimming pool is a section of Iroquois Lake that has been walled off and the bottom paved. The part closest to the wall is the deepest, and not many swimmers go there. To be honest, the water is quite cold; fed directly from the city's main water supply. Besides that, it's mostly children who swim here and they prefer the shallows.

Well for some reason known only to them, the ducks like it here. Maybe they like city water better than pond water? I sure don't know, but it's fun to see them floating in the pool like that.