Fog | 28 | 2.8 | #39

Sauternes | 28 | 2.8 | #38

Sunday is Fat Peppy's 15th birthday. To celebrate, Katie came over for more pitching practice, and then we had potato tacos and this 1997 Suduiraut.

Less than a week until Opening Night!

Implements | 28 | 2.8 | #37

Irruption | 28 | 2.8 | #36

Or perhaps it's their mating season. Be careful out there.

Meanwhile... sheeps!

Chair | 28 | 2.8 | #35

Fiat Lux | 28 | 2.8 | #34

Hanging On | 28 | 2.8 | #33

Today I walked the nearby Path of the Flood Trail from Ehrenfeld to the Conemaugh Viaduct overlook, and back. It was my first time on these sections of the trail.

Blooming | 28 | 2.8 | #32

I walked around Sandyvale Cemetery, in the Hornerstown section of Johnstown this morning.

Cherry blossoms at Sandyvale. At least I'm pretty sure they're cherry blossoms.

Morning Train | 28 | 2.8 | #31

A pair of Norfolk Southern locomotives pierce the morning fog at Summerhill.

Captain’s Log: Supplemental

Here are a few photos that I didn’t process quickly enough to include in the blog post on the same day they were taken.

Tired | 28 | 2.8 | #30

Grillin’ | 28 | 2.8 | #29

I played around with an extension tube for macro photography. This was taken on a tripod at f/22, the smallest aperture available on the A28. The window screen has about 7 squares per centimeter, which means this was at about 1.5x magnification.

Oh, I made hot dogs.

Related: Grid illusion

Equinox | 28 | 2.8 | #28

Today’s photo is just a quick shot at the edge of darkness:

The real action today was to celebrate the Vernal Equinox with a time-lapse movie of sunset. I was playing around with SunCalc recently, and found a Stonehenge-like alignment on our property. On the equinoxes, the sun sets behind our radio tower, when viewed from Good Ol' Rock. I decided to make a movie of this sunset.

Wash House, Mine 40 | 28 | 2.8 | #27

Old Stone Bridge | 28 | 2.8 | #26

Self-portrait at the Pennsylvania Railroad Stone Bridge.
The bridge survived the Great Flood of 1889, and was the site of a horrific fire in the days following the flood.

Get Your Kicks on Route 53 | 28 | 2.8 | #25

Near Cassandra

Lost & Found | 28 | 2.8 | #24

On the way home from work today, I took back roads I didn't know, and got lost on purpose.

Grandstand | 28 | 2.8 | #23

My God, It’s Full of Planets | 28 | 2.8 | #22

Venus and Jupiter in my pothole

Changing Shoes | 28 | 2.8 | #21

Not much photography today; instead I used the beautiful weather to get things done. I took the snowshoes off the MINI and put the summer tires on. Of course, I had to go for the “tool catalog grunge” look for this shot. I probably should have smeared some more grease on my hand first.

Start | 28 | 2.8 | #20

Pitchers & Catchers Report | 28 | 2.8 | #19

My friend Katie Sekelsky designed a T-shirt to commemorate the 2012 Opening Day for the Altoona Curve, the Eastern League (AA) affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. In appreciation for her design, she has been invited to throw the ceremonial first pitch for Altoona’s season.

Today she came over to begin training for her pitch.

Eat? | 28 | 2.8 | #18

It was a nice, clear, calm, cool day day today. Better for chores and errands than photography.

Farm Pond | 28 | 2.8 | #17

Space Station | 28 | 2.8 | #16

Inspiration

Corralled | 28 | 2.8 | #15

Sunrise Tree | 28 | 2.8 | #14

Gimme Shelter | 28 | 2.8 | #13

Eating Parker: Chili

We’re getting low on Parker-parts, but tonight I thawed a brick of ground lamb to make lamb and white bean chili from the New York Times recipe.

I prepared the chili using Penzeys Chili 9000, because I thought the powder’s modern, bright notes would mesh with the lime and cilantro that are served with the chili. I threw in some extra cayenne powder and ancho powder as well.

With about 15 minutes to go in regulation, I tasted the chili and my impression was a dull attack, followed by the chili powder and pepper flavors. To add complexity to the initial bite, I added half a bottle of dark beer, and a good quantity of apple cider vinegar. The additional liquid prolonged the cooking, and allowed the flavors to meld some more.

The final result was very good, with the limes and yogurt helping to provide some needed acidity. If I were making it again, I would replace some of the water with a bottle or two of beer, and add a can of tomatoes to boost the acidity further.

Cat Picture | 28 | 2.8 | #12

Fast-moving Clouds | 28 | 2.8 | #11

Homepwner | 28 | 2.8 | #10

My friend “The Circumstance” bought a house today. There was beer.

This morning, there was a heavy frost on the ground, under clear skies. I stopped at the Johnstown Flood National Memorial to photograph on my way to work. The memorial is the site of the dam that failed in 1889, killing over 2,200 people. I parked at the South Abutment just as the sun was rising, and mist was floating over the Little Conemaugh River. The morning was fun to photograph, but challenging. The clear skies made it hard to control the contrast between the skies and the shaded river valley, and I wasn’t carrying a tripod for long exposures of the rushing river. There was one factor operating in my favor: It was Casual Friday at work, so at least I was wearing trail shoes!

Diffuser | 28 | 2.8 | #09

Not much happening today, so you just get one picture in B&W, and one in color. This is my Holy Loupe of Antioch (more on that later), sitting on the diffuser of my LED panel light to show its texture.