Day lily

We have day lilies out front.  It always gets too overgrown and I always intend to do something about it, but I never seem to get round to it.  I don't know how these grow so well!

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	1/60
Exposure Program	Manual
ISO	100
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

Music at the Greenmarket

These are some of the Anonymous Fig Leafs, a local band from right here in Schenectady.  I really liked their music; low key but they still had plenty of energy on a hot day.

Kudos to the Greenmarket people for giving local musicians a venue!

F Number	5.4
Lens ID	LUMIX G VARIO 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length	33.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 66.0 mm)
Exposure Time	1/100
Exposure Program	Program AE
ISO	100
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

It's been hot!

It has been hot here the past two weeks.  We cracked 100F at least once, and the temperatures have been over 95F for quite a while.  The humidity has been high as well, which makes life difficult for pets and older people.

This is Vale Park, right in the middle of the city. There isn't any parking here, which means that the only people who come here walk or ride their bike.  It's cool in the shade, even on those scorching days.

Thankfully, the heat has broken, and we're enjoying seasonal temperatures in the mid-70F range.

F Number	4.5
Lens ID	LUMIX G VARIO 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length	14.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 28.0 mm)
Exposure Time	1/200
Exposure Program	Program AE
ISO	100
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

Sunflower

My oldest tried his hand at a few plants this year.  These sunflowers are one of his.  I've been trying to get sunflowers to grow for many years and have never been routinely successful.  Squirrels always seems to get them.

He won't tell me his secret.  I'm calling it beginner's luck!

F Number	5.6
Lens ID	-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length	40.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 80.0 mm)
Exposure Time	1/60
Exposure Program	Manual
ISO	400
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

Black raspberries

These grow wild right here in the city.  They can be found in many places; I'm sure birds spread the seeds.  This particular group were found growing in Vale Park.

When I was a boy, we called them blackberries but it turns out we were wrong.  My mother-in-law calls them black caps, which is what lots of people here call them.  Their true name is black raspberry.

The season is just about over, except for a few hiding in shady locations.  Is there anything nicer than going for a walk and picking a handful (or two!) of beautiful ripe fruit along the way?  My purple stained hands say there isn't!

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	1/40
Exposure Program	Program AE
ISO	400
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

Pretty snake

The Mabee Farm had a Wags & Wiskers event to benefit the local animal humane society.  Reptile Adventures was there, and my little guy just loves snakes!  Truth be told, anything that eats rodents ranks pretty high in my book too.  I think I remember that this was called a rainbow snake; enlarging the photo will show the marvelous colours on the curves.

F Number	9.0
Lens ID	LUMIX G VARIO 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length	34.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 68.0 mm)
Exposure Time	1/400
Exposure Program	Program AE
ISO	400
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

Bateaux

These ladies are docked at the Mabee Farm in Rotterdam Junction. Bateaux like these were used in pre-Revolutionary days to carry cargo up and down the Mohawk.  Back then, the Mohawk was wild; shallows had to be portaged, rapids bypassed.  Still, the river was a better highway than the woods.

F Number	8.0
Lens ID	LUMIX G VARIO 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length	23.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 46.0 mm)
Exposure Time	1/320
Exposure Program	Program AE
ISO	400
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

Sunset spider

This spider was spinning her web in a place where she was backlit by the sky at sunset. 

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	1/80
Exposure Program	Manual
ISO	800
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

Cat and crickets

We are babysitting a leopard gecko, and she eats crickets.  The crickets are kept in a small cage before they meet her.  The youngest cat finds these crickets fascinating.  He stuck his head into the small opening at the top to get a closer look.

F Number	5.0
Lens ID	LUMIX G VARIO 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length	26.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 52.0 mm)
Exposure Time	1/30
Exposure Program	Program AE
ISO	800
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	On, Red-eye reduction

Monthly theme day - The colour green

Each month, on the first, the City Daily Photo blogging community suggests a theme that all of us try to realise.  This month, the theme is the colour green. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants. The community is so talented, I can't wait to see how it turns out!

Around here, green is everywhere.  The rain has caused the earth to leap with verdant joy.  The grass is green, the fields are green and the trees are green.  This tree had its portrait taken while walking in Vale park, near my house.

F Number	5.4
Lens ID	LUMIX G VARIO 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length	33.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 66.0 mm)
Exposure Time	1/25
Exposure Program	Program AE
ISO	400
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire