Time to replace the bulb

The traffic lights at State St and Brandywine Ave need some attention. These fellows work in the middle of traffic but what alternative is there? Believe me, they are working as fast as they can so they can get out of there - this is a busy intersection.

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

I'm not the only one taking photos in Schenectady. These street cameras are becoming more ubiquitous every day. I don't think cameras like this reduce crime, and I don't think there is any particularly good evidence that they help solve crime either.

Does the person watching this recognise me when I go by every day?

As an amateur radio operator, I was more interested in the antennas than the camera. That size antenna probably means somewhere in the 2 GHz band.

Solitary tree

A lone tree keeping watch over St John's Cemetery.

And then there were none

A short walk from where I took yesterday's photo. I looked up and liked the pattern of branches and sky. In the summer no sky at all was visible from here.

The last leaves

In Vale cemetery, one maple tree insists that it will keep its leaves thank you very much!

Clinton and State Street

The north side of State Street seen from Clinton. The whole area has new facades on renovated buildings. It's very nice. Bomber's Burrito Bar just moved in, which has attracted attention. Maybe we'll see businesses moving back to the downtown area after all.

Turnip in the sun

Some years we've already had snow, but not this year. This year, the garden is still producing all the way into November, which seems incredible to me, but my wife planned it, not me. I'm more of a tomato and basil sort of guy; they don't like the cold at all. She planted a second crop of cold hardy veggies like this delightfully coloured turnip.

It's incredible to think that we've had a bunch of nights below freezing and these just keep growing!

Milestones

It's the time of the year we tend to stop and reflect on what's happened during the year, to be thankful for what we have and to resolve to do better next year.

That's a strange introduction to this odd photo, which is a deliberate attempt by me to visually interpret the idea of milestones. I planned my ride home so that I could pull over and get a photo of the odometer on my motorcycle just before it rolled over to 21 thousand miles.

For those interested, it's a 2003 Kawasaki ZRX-1200R. It's running in this photo, idling at 1200 RPM. Yes, it will go as fast as the speedometer indicates. No, I have not taken it that fast, but I have inadvertently lifted the front wheel clean off the ground.

Something I resolve not to do again!

House reflected by the minivan

Taken this afternoon - I was stuck for inspiration when it found me! I was trying to get a photo of the little one and he shut the van door. This was way better than what I would have taken by myself!

My friend in Versailles told me about the Weekend Reflections fans; this is my first real submission there. Late, of course, and the title of my blg is wrong. Hopefully I'll get it straightened out the next time I post :-)

Persistent bee

We have a few weeds growing in the hedge. I call them weeds only because that's what everyone calls them. We always called this stuff goldenrod; I think that's right but I'm no botanist!

At any rate, there aren't many flowers left in bloom, but these flowers are going strong. They should; they're natives here and are very well suited to the terrain and weather. Since these are among the last flowers, they have been attracting a steady stream of bees. This particular plant had a honey bee (seen here), a yellow jacket and two bumblebees on it at the same time.

It wasn't until I looked at the photo on the computer that I realised just how much work this honeybee was doing - look at the pollen packet on her back leg!

Skywatch Friday

Traces of travellers on a clear day.

For more photos of the sky from round the world, visit Skywatch Friday.

Cowhorn Creek

Down in the bottom of Vale Cemetery, where Cowhorn Creek is crossed by the westernmost path. Down by the Revolutionary War monument, if you're a local.

The trees have mostly lost their leaves although one or two stubbornly hang on. Slumbering for next year's growth.

Lest we forget

Not a political statement. But with a son, a son-in-law and two brothers-in-law on active duty, I can't help but remember their service.

Today is Veterans Day in the US; ANZAC Day in Australia and New Zealand, Armistice Day, Poppy Day or Remembrance Day elsewhere in the world.

Lest we forget.

If you see a veteran today, thank him or her.

For The Fallen
With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,
England mourns for her dead across the sea.
Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,
Fallen in the cause of the free.

Solemn the drums thrill; Death august and royal
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres,
There is music in the midst of desolation
And a glory that shines upon our tears.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted;
They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years contemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;
They sit no more at familiar tables of home;
They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;
They sleep beyond England's foam.

But where our desires are and our hopes profound,
Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known
As the stars are known to the Night;

As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain;
As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,
To the end, to the end, they remain.

--Laurence Binyon

Late flower

So we're cleaning up the garden plot at the community garden and among the leaves and weeds (oops!) we find the flowers we planted in the spring in order to attract the pollinators to the garden.

I have no idea what this is, but being low to the ground and sheltered by weeds, it has survived the frosts so far.

It's glorious to see a flower blooming so nicely outside in November!

Maple leaves

Someone told me that each tree has its own distinctive colour scheme; colours that are always there but only become visible in the autumn, after the chlorophyll dies off. Most of the maple trees in this area are generally a blend of yellow and red. This tree is a surprisingly uniform yellow. I don't see many of these.

Grasshopper in the sun

My youngest has a deep and abiding interest in insects; actually, he's fascinated by pretty much any creature he can touch. This grasshopper was captured, lovingly admired, carefully carried around on a finger and then released back into the wild.

Soon, they'll all be gone; their eggs dormant in the ground until the spring.

Frosty handprints

Chilly nights mean frost on car windows. Someone (and I'm not saying who) put his hand in the frost and made a handprint. Then someone else thought it'd be a cool idea to be a copycat and take a photo...

Skywatch Friday

It's Friday, which means that there are people round the world posting photos of their skies! Click on the Skywatch Friday link to see many more!

I've been working for some time to capture that eerie large moon that catches your eye and makes you stop and take note. I don't think it's ever going to work with the Nikon Coolpix 950 - it can't zoom enough. On the other hand, I've learnt a lot about hand holding in low light situations.

This photo is one of my learning shots. I thought it was a loser until I saw it at full size.

Rainy leaves

More than anything this reminds me of my childhood. Scuffing my feet through the leaves on the ground on my way to school in the rain.

I always did like the rain.

Dark skies

In an attempt to actually make a photo as opposed to simply snapping something that catches my eye, I thought I'd try this pine tree on a cloudy day in black & white.

Autumn chairs

Enjoying an autumn day out in the air. These sorts of warm, sunny days are ever more precious with the turning of the leaves.

Soccer strategy session

Before their Saturday game, the kids and coach / instructor get together to discuss strategy. At this age, I imagine it sounds a lot like this:

'Let's all have fun, right! Oh, and try not to run around in a clump - spread out a little every once in a while...'

They are such a blast to watch at this age.

Theme Day - Doorways

On the first day of the month, many of the City Daily Photo blogs post a photo based on a common theme. This months theme is doorways.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

This particular doorway was serendipity. I was waiting in the car for my wife to finish a bit of shopping and I saw the sign but could not read it. So I picked up the camera, zoomed in and found my theme day doorway.

I actually planned to post a macro of my eye (doorway to the soul?) but this is more interesting. The text reads:

Please go to back door
Remove shoes and shelf them
Wash or sanitize hands
Thank you

There is a story behind that sign, behind that door but I do not know it. I hope everyone there is well and wish them the best.