Listen Intently

It was a glorious day here in Toledo, 70 degrees and sunny.  It has been such an odd weather year.  So, Robin has gotten back into full speed blogging and sharing his excellent photography.  And Elliot is Amtrekkin’ around the country on Amtrak (one of my favorite hobbies), and sharing his story and photos.

So I can’t stand idly by with the camera sitting in the bag.  I ventured out today to the Oak Openings Metropark with a self-challenge: bright mid-day sun, few colors (the leaves have long since fallen), and only my 50mm fixed-length lens.

I’m reasonably pleased with the results.  But it was far more awesome to just be outside on a day like this.  More on my Flickr page.

Tags: metroparks, oak openings, Photography

Outback, Partners Week

It started last winter, when Facebook exploded with us 30-somethings.  I re-found a whole bunch of my old camp friends.  It was great to catch up and remember some great memories.  A bunch of us posted some old photos and there was much laughter.  Along with a few old inside jokes.

Then Tammy, Maggie and Donna asked me about volunteering to work Special Days, a two-week program held on the campus of YMCA Storer Camps.  Tammy, Maggie and Donna were friends that I worked with as a summer staffer at Storer and I’ve had a bit of an itch to get involved with camp again in some way.  I’ve known about Special Days for most of it’s 31 years, but never had the opportunity to be a part of the program.  My calendar was open for those two weeks, so I decided to go for it.

I should have realized then that this decision would cleanse my soul.  A friend describes it well:

That’s why I like to call Special Days my semi-annual cleansing of the soul. I feel refreshed, and open minded when I drive away from Special Days every year, I’m optimistic about the year to come.

A few times, I felt as though I had traveled back in time a bit, to those summer days when I was in college.  The past two weeks were magical.  The program was awesome, the camp is wonderful, and Storer is the magical place that I’ve always known it to be.  But it was the people that I met that made these two weeks the most intense, the most incredible, the most wonderful two weeks I have experienced in quite some time.

Outback, Special Days Week

I got to kiss the moose, stay up late playing games, tell stories, eat s’mores around the campfire, go on night-time ziplines, jump off the tower, and had in-depth conversations with new friends that I already feel like I’ve known my whole life.

Words cannot begin to describe it, and I’m too tired to try.  But it’s a good tired.  After the closing campfire, one of my new friends came up to me and said, “Welcome to the family. We’re glad you’re here.”  I cannot express just how much those words mean to me.

I’m so very proud to be a member of the Special Days family.  To my new friends, I hope to keep up with you on Facebook.  And I’m counting down the days until I see you in January for Winter Camp.  Cause the wallaby runs at midnight.

Tags: special days, ymca storer camps

It’s summer, and that means finally some opportunity to do some travel.  After working with Robin during Winterim last November, I was happy take him up on his invitation to visit him in Sweden.  So here I am.  Somewhere in Sweden, “up north,” Robin calls it.  At a little cottage in a beautiful, remote area of the country.  It is hilly and covered in pines and green forest land.  And a river runs through it.  It is a great little place, away from the hustle and bustle — but thankfully, it has good mobile coverage, and we are using Robin’s iPhone to gain access to the Internet.  There’s one thing that I guess we just can’t (won’t?) leave behind.

It is also raining.  And hasn’t stopped for long since we arrived.  Oh well, can’t control that.  After settling in, we went to a little creek and attempted to catch some fish.  I caught two, but they were too little to hang on to.  Robin had a little better luck.  More fun was that I got completely soaked, as I didn’t quite bring the right clothes to be out in the rain.  Again, not a problem.  Clothes and people dry out.

Friday morning we ventured out on a hike, the rain almost stopping for a little while.  We took some photos along the way, discovering that the snowmobile trail we wanted to follow was a bit too water-logged.  On the way back we found a different trail, and got off the road a bit.  After some lunch and a nap, the rain returned with much gusto.  So we just sat back, relaxed some more, and got to take a longer nap.  Aw, darn.

Tomorrow it is back to Sala, where we hope to do some night photography.  Both of us are happy to have an excuse to set aside other things for once and get the cameras out.  Usually it’s the other way around.

Tags: cottage, Sweden

It’s nearly midnight, the Toledo train station is full of passengers ready to board the Capitol Limited eastbound towards Washington, DC.  I walk out the back of the station to rest my bag on the picnic table as is my habit.  It’s a bit chilly, but the fresh air beats sitting in the train station.  It’s an interesting thing, Amtrak travelers are generally a talkative bunch.  Randomly, another traveler proudly tells me that his bag contains a fold up bicycle, would you believe it?  And he longs for the return of the Florida Rail Pass.  I don’t ask him what he’s doing in Toledo, Ohio, instead of Florida.

I get in a few last minute texts to the guys as the train arrives.  (I hope you two had a good day.  I did miss our morning radiator time!) I am happy to be in a sleeper, as the coaches are full with many more boarding in Toledo.  The excitement of being on board takes me through to Port Clinton where I finally lay down and get some sleep.  Sleeping on the train, even in a sleeper room, is still not always super restful.  I woke up several times, but again managed to completely miss Cleveland.  Darn.

Somehow, I wake up just as we enter Pittsburgh.  Perfect timing!  I enjoy the scene of the incline railroad, hills, rivers, and bridges as we cross the river into the train station.  Every time in come into this station, I will think of the memories of a previous visit with Rollie on the way home from Philadelphia.  We did a lot of walking that night!  The sun is beginning to rise as we pull out of town, but I am quickly asleep again.

It is a pleasure to wake up in the mountains (well, these are really just big hills in the east!) when on the train.  The tracks generally follow a river and the Capitol Limited route is no exception.  The river is flowing westward and the vistas are white with a dusting of snow.  There is a calmness to it all.  An element of serenity that I do not find anywhere else.  No better way to enjoy my french toast in the dining car.

The rivers reverse direction as we pass through the tunnel underneath the Eastern Continental Divide.  After the tunnel, we follow a small stream flowing eastward with the train.  It is peaceful, relaxing, and I can picture myself living in such an environ.  The stream turns into a larger river, white water flowing around the rocks with force and recklessness.

This is the way to start a day.  We’re running about 45 minutes late, but that is not of any concern.  My friends are due in Washington, DC, much later than I, so I will enjoy my bonus minutes of train time.  We’re in Cumberland, MD, now.  Time to take a fresh air break.

Tags: Amtrak, capitol limited, train

So, during the holidays, friend and fellow photographer, Jonathan, was playing with his new camera and we got talking about our lens wish-lists (when are we not?).  Jonathan re-introduced me to fisheye lenses.  With some birthday money in my wallet, I thought for a few moments (literally), found a used version of Nikon’s highly rated 10.5mm DX fisheye lens from borrowlenses.com.  Impulse buying at its finest.  UPS claimed it would arrive on the day our basketball team ventured out for an away game–perfect!  I could use it in the gym.  It arrived just about an hour before the bus departed, so a happy camper I was.  Wide-angle visibility makes for some cool views, like these from the end line and behind the bench (there’s Jonathan, by the way, standing in the Hawks shooting jersey on the far left.  He starts on the Freshman team and plays a ton of minutes on JV as well).

Dillon takes the ball to the basket

Last minute advice from Coach Arthur

There are some more fisheye shots, as well as some with my 50mm lens on Top Row Photography galleries (check in the JV and Varsity 2008-2009 galleries).

Jonathan borrowed the lens for the weekend (it was his idea, after all!).  Jonathan was a student in my Action Photography course, and he has really developed into a fine photographer.  His enthusiasm has helped me to get my camera out more often and get some of those shots I keep wanting to get.  And new lenses.   Here are a couple of Jonathan’s photos, check out more on his website.

Staircase

Lights

Jonathan’s house has some really great lines & hallways and his work captures the mood and warmth of the brick nicely.  It snowed 12 inches on Friday and Saturday, so Jonathan got out and took some outdoor views.  Again, his work is excellent.

Jonathan gets some air

Dixon's Turn

Did I say it snowed 12 inches?  Conveniently, there is a large hill right outside Jonathan’s house, so a bunch of us got out to sled and snowboard and, oh yeah, play with the fisheye lens some more!  Any excuse to get outside and take photos is a good one.

This afternoon the bitter cold gave way to a nicer 25 degree partly sunny day.  A good day to walk along the Maumee River with the new lens.  The curve of the Maumee-Perrysburg Bridge and the shadows create a nice visual scene.  I am really happy with this impulse buy.  You’ll be seing some more photos from this fisheye lens, that’s for sure!

Tags: fisheye, Photography