San Antone

I spent 5 days in Buffalo last week.  At the Convention Center, the Erie County Mounted Reserve Unit had several officers on several days.  This is San Antone (Justice is on the other side)..  Both horses I met were wonderful, and the officers extremely friendly and justifiably proud of their companions.  You can guess that I don't see horses all that often; these were a treat.

Albany has a mounted unit as well, but the Erie County Sheriff's unit is somewhat unique in that the officers own the horses and are responsible for all aspects of their upkeep.  I haven't met the Albany horses yet, but now I want to!

F Number	8.0
Lens ID	-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length	16.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 32.0 mm)
Exposure Time	1/50
Exposure Program	Aperture-priority AE
ISO	400
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

Save the bats!

At the Central Park (Schenectady, not New York City!) Earth Day gathering, there was a young lady who had a 'Save the Bats' table.  I was very happy to see it; bats around here are very misunderstood.  Anything that eats its own weight in mosquitoes every night is a friend of mine!  Sadly, local bats have been devastated by a fungal infection called White-nose syndrome.  The good news is that the caves that were first hit with this disease are starting to show some population recovery.

On a housekeeping note, I will be out of town for a few days and probably won't be posting new photos until I return.

F Number	5.6
Lens ID	LUMIX G VARIO 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length	38.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 76.0 mm)
Exposure Time	1/1000
Exposure Program	Manual
ISO	100
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

Bleeding hearts 4

Week 4 of the bleeding hearts documentary.  They're now 94cm (over 3 feet) tall, and in full bloom!

F Number	5.6
Lens ID	LUMIX G VARIO 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length	26.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 52.0 mm)
Exposure Time	1/160
Exposure Program	Manual
ISO	400
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

Skywatch Friday

I work close to the Albany airport, but oddly enough I don't get many airplane photos.  I need to get out more!  The sky today is just like this photo taken two weeks ago.  It hasn't rained here in quite a while; a very dry spring.  I'm not complaining, but I do hope it rains when the farms start planting..

A group of photobloggers post a photo of their skies each Friday - it's called Skywatch Friday. Click the link to see photos from round the world.

 

F Number	7.1
Lens ID	LUMIX G VARIO 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length	45.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 90.0 mm)
Exposure Time	1/320
Exposure Program	Program AE
ISO	100
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

Royal

I'm not sure if the hyacinths and violets officially qualify as royal purple, but they are royal to these eyes!

F Number	8.0
Lens ID	-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length	45.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 90.0 mm)
Exposure Time	1/160
Exposure Program	Manual
ISO	400
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

Huck takes charge

Huckleberry loves our oldest son.  To be honest, it may be an obsession.  If he's on the computer, Huck sits on his mouse pad, paws on his wrist.  If he heads upstairs to put on shoes, Huck follows him up.  If he leaves, Huck wanders around (finally settling on me as a poor second choice!)  Well, he came inside and took off his coat, turned around to talk to me and Huck walked in and claimed the coat.  Just like that.  Huck's a monster (but in the good way).

F Number	7.1
Lens ID	LUMIX G VARIO 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length	45.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 90.0 mm)
Exposure Time	1/30
Exposure Program	Aperture-priority AE
ISO	400
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	On, Fired