Crossing the River
July 29, 2018
Two weeks ago I made my way to the Vermilion River, something I do less often than I used to now that we are living back in town. The river still charms me, I’m happy to say, and I was in special good luck July 14 because the river’s water level was low and its banks embellished with iridescent patches of Leptothrix discophora. When the water is low, I get to wade across to the other side, where I usually can find more colonies of my favorite bacterium (photos to come). The wade itself is a treat, though, and I love seeing the ripples filled with sunshine at my feet.
Paved Paradise
June 24, 2018
Maybe it’s not as bad as a parking lot, but I don’t like what the Metropark people did to “my” Back Pond at Schoepfle Garden. For many years I have taken photographs of this small pond (see here, and keep scrolling), relishing the natural ripples on its surface that the wind makes as well as stiller moments. But recently the managers decided the pond needed aeration. (Why?) So they installed an aerator. Now the pond has artificial ripples—always the same and all the time. To make matters worse, it also installed a four-foot-high cast-iron statue of an eagle.
As much as I dislike the aerator, I photographed the artificial ripples a few months ago, and have to admit that they have their own kind of beauty.
Ripples and Prints
February 1, 2018
Raccoon prints add interest to the ripples that formed as the tide receded from the beach at South Lido Park.
Rock Pond Sparkles
November 24, 2016
Sunshine and warm weather last Friday made returning to Rock Pond and Wildflower Hill imperative. Good thing I went. Snow and cold hit the next day. But don’t look forward to photographs of snow just yet. I was too chicken to get out in the freezing weather with the camera. Maybe I’ll be braver with the next snowfall. . . . With the following photograph I now have a series on sparking water. See also the posts of May 15 and August 29.
The Back Pond 9
November 13, 2014
Reaching back to photographs I took in 2010, I found several possibly interesting ones. This is from October 9, 2010. I cheated with it. My daughter was with me that day, and when I bewailed the smooth surface of the pond, she threw a stick in it. I never do that, but when she did, I couldn’t resist taking the photo.
The Back Pond 5
November 9, 2014
Besides the one I posted yesterday, several other of the photographs I took November 6, 2011, may be worth sharing. Here’s one; more to come.