39: RIP Death

Posted: October 31, 2010 | Author: | Filed under: 365 Life in the Bogs Challenge, Adventures in art, Adventures in Life, Autumn, Earth, endings, home, life, nature, Photography, Spirit, Spring, travel, Walking | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

I don’t know about you all but…  I’ve had enough of cemeteries and death for now.  As much as I like cemeteries (and I do), I have been reminded all too often of late that they are associated with much more than peace, good landscaping, and sculptures.  Two of M’s colleagues at work have died within the past few weeks.  Another visitation (wake) is on the schedule for this afternoon.

I had planned on ending the series today anyhow.  I learned a little more about post-processing by having fun in Photoshop with the Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 photos.  That’s a good thing.  But enough is enough.

So let’s leave the angels to sleep…

… and say goodbye (for now) to the cemetery series with a New Orleans-style gift:

(A gravesite offering of Mardi Gras beads.)

In the category of “M & I do the strangest things”

Last night M and I went back to Barberton, scene of the Mum Fest (see this post for more about the Mum Fest).  What drew us back there was this:

I was willing to go because I like silent films.  M might claim the silent film had something to do with why he wanted to go.  He might also claim that his interest in pipe organs is what really drew him to this event.  (For more on that, see this post.)  But I think he just wanted to see the inside of a Masonic Temple.  And if I’m being honest, so did I.

(Today’s view of the pond.)

I don’t know much about the Masons.  Nothing, really.  My grandfather was a Mason.  My grandmother belonged to the Eastern Star.  None of that meant anything to me since it was all hush-hush.  I suppose if my parents or someone from my generation had joined or whatever it is you do to become part of the Masons, I might know more about it.

(In the tree tops.)

The Barberton Masonic Lodge was designed in 1924 by Harpster & Bliss Architects, a firm that designed many prominent homes and buildings in Akron around the turn of the century.  The pipe organ in the Barberton Masonic Lodge was built by the M. P. Moller Pipe Organ Company of Hagerstown, Maryland, and installed in the temple in 1925.  At the time of installation, it was valued at over $17,000.00.

(An opening in the cloud cover.)

Last night’s Phantom of the Temple:  An Evening of Masonic Music and Mystery was interesting.  We were allowed into the inner sanctum to listen to music, see a little (very little) Masonic ritual, and to watch some of The Phantom of the Opera (1924 silent film starring Lon Chaney).  This was part of a series that the Barberton Masonic Temple is havng to raise money for the preservation and restoration of the building and/or pipe organ.

There is some beautiful wood work inside the Barberton Masonic Temple.  I wish we could have explored more of the building.

(A collage/multiple exposure of “In the tree tops” and “An opening in the cloud cover.”)

I enjoyed some of the music.  The Masonic Ritual music was a bit heavy handed for me, but probably typical of ritual music.  I found Andante for a cylinder in a small organ, KV 616 (a Mozart tune) cute at first and then annoying.  Every time I thought it was going to end, it went on.  And on.  And on.  I very much liked the Bach piece (Prelude and Fugue in G, BWV 550).  The organist, Ms. Nicole Keller, was very good.

They did not show the entire movie but instead went to the last part which ran about 20 minutes or so.  I’m not sure why they did it that way other than to have time to feature the other music without it running too late.  While we were by no means the youngest in the small crowd of about 100 or so people, the majority were quite a bit older than us.

Today’s Walk

Clouds, sun, clouds, hints of blue sky, clouds, wind, hints of sun, dark clouds, light clouds, roosters crowing, cows mooing, gunshots in the distance (either target practice or someone hunting — I’m not sure which), grasses swaying and rustling in the meadow, trees creaking in the woods, the occasional bird quietly flying by, ripples and reflections on the pond…  That pretty well sums it up.

I am still taking pleasure in my daily outdoor adventures but wonder if it isn’t becoming boring for my visitors to the blog.  How about it?  Are you bored yet?

38: Warm up

Posted: October 30, 2010 | Author: | Filed under: 365 Life in the Bogs Challenge, Adventures in art, Adventures in Life, Autumn, Earth, home, nature, Photography, Spirit, Spring, travel, Walking | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

As I was out and about on my walk today I got to thinking that it was unlikely I’d take any photos.  I had the camera with me, as usual, but I’ve been walking the same paths (in different orders, but still, the same paths) for 34 of the 38 days of my outdoor challenge.  How many different ways can I photograph the same things?

It’s awfully early to be thinking those kind of thoughts.  I still have a little less than 11 months to go.  If I’m already running out of camera fodder — or think I am — what will it be like in February?

So, I thought I’d give you a series of Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 shots today and leave it that.  The camera, however, had other plans.

(Wind, waves, and sunlight.)

It’s a strange day, weather-wise.  There is a silvery sheen to it.  The sky and the pond especially have that silvery look to them.

(Haloed sun.)

I usually associate this silvery appearance with the depths of winter.  The sun was surrounded by a large halo (caused by light reflecting off of high cirrus clouds).  In folklore, a halo around the sun or moon means rain or snow is on the way.  In practical terms, it’s only slightly more effective in predicting the weather than the woolly bear caterpillar (since cirrus clouds could — but not always — indicate a storm system approaching).  There is no rain or snow in the forecast (or on the radar) for today or tomorrow.

(Grays and blues above the meadow.)

It’s warmer today than it has been the past few days.  We shouldn’t get used to it, though.  Temps will be in the 30’s and 40’s for the rest of the week.

(Silvery sun in the branches.)

I went out last night to have a look at the stars.  It was cold and clear and the stars were pretty amazing, showing off their twinkling light.  I am hoping this cloud layer will move out before I go to bed tonight.  I want to do some more stargazing.  I should be able to stay out longer tonight since it isn’t as cold.

I was reading (over at Sky and Telescope) that Arcturus, the star seen in the west-northwest at twilight, is known as The Ghost of Summer Suns (very appropriate for Halloween!).  For several days around October 29th, Arcturus sits nearly in the same spot as the summer sun did during the warmer months of June and July.

So in the last days of October every year, you can think of Arcturus as the chilly Halloween ghost of the departed summer Sun.  ~ Alan M. MacRobert, Sky and Telescope

And if you happen to be awake and out before dawn on Monday morning, be sure to look for Comet Hartley 2.  On Tuesday and Wednesday there’s a possibility (slim, is seems) of a  “Hartley-id” meteor shower.  You can read about it here.  I’ll be out there looking (if the skies are clear enough for that here).

37: Misty and gray

Posted: October 29, 2010 | Author: | Filed under: 365 Life in the Bogs Challenge, Adventures in art, Adventures in Life, Air, Autumn, Earth, home, nature, Photography, pond, Spirit, Walking, water, weather | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

(Morning mist.)

Come January, a day like today will feel warm and toasty.  But today?  It feels downright cold and blustery.  I’m spoiled by the mild weather and haven’t yet toughened up to the cold.

(Bare bones.)

This was one of those days when going outside, even for a brief period of time, was not appealing.  The morning was gray and misty.  The afternoon has been gray and windy.  I haven’t gone to look but I’ll bet the weather websites are now including the wind chill factor with the current temperature.  Lake-effect snow and sleet were mentioned for the first time this season in last night’s weather forecast.

(Today’s view of the pond from the garden area.)

The first five or ten minutes outside were rough.  Once my fingers, toes, and face were numb, it wasn’t so bad.  Getting out of the wind helped.  I headed straight for the back of the pond where there is a natural windbreak due to the trees of the woods.

Some of the trees near the creek still have their leaves.  It’ll be interesting to see how much longer they hold on, now that I’m paying attention to such things.

(Gold in the meadow.)

When I first went out I didn’t think I’d be taking many photos today.  The wind, the gray sky, and the cold all made it seem pretty drab.  I was wrong.  There is still plenty of color out there if you look for it.

(Pinks in the meadow.)

There is a lot of interesting fungi to be found, too.  I’ll post some of those photos soon.  I want to finish with the cemetery series first.

Speaking of which, here are today’s cemetery photos:

(Rice crypt.)

(In the greenery.)

That’s about it from the Bogs for today.  I’m headed upstairs to make some potato-leek soup.  It’s a hot soup kind of day.  Add a little freshly baked bread and a salad, and we’ll have the makings of a good dinner.

36: Gloves needed

Posted: October 28, 2010 | Author: | Filed under: 365 Life in the Bogs Challenge, Adventures in art, Adventures in Life, Air, Earth, home, nature, Photography, pond, Spirit, Walking, wandering, water, weather | Tags: , , , , , , | 14 Comments

(Today’s cemetery shot:  Fallen.)

Brrrrrr!  Today I went out and stood between the sun and the moon.  The sun was at my back while I faced the moon, my body a barrier between the warmth of the light and the chill of the gusty winds.  It was an interesting contradiction.

(Watery sunlight.)

I wore my new winter hat for the first time.  Note to self:  If a winter hat is required, gloves are needed as well.  My fingers were numb with cold by the time I finished my outdoor explorations.

(Wind in the willow.)

The really gusty winds have finally arrived.  The cold wind is huffing and puffing and threatening to blow a house down.  It has a low-pitched sound to it, deep and strong.  The trees are all creaking and swaying, the remaining leaves taking off in a long flight, riding the wind to the wherever it goes.

(Today’s view of the pond.)

Stepping outside almost took my breath away.  It’s been a while since we’ve had a day this chilly and winds this strong.  It is exhilarating, energizing, skin-tingling kind of weather.

(View from the side of the pond.)

Since my morning walk, lake-effect clouds have started moving in.  Showers will probably accompany the clouds.  A little colder and we’d have our first snow.

(Dark clouds and skeletal trees.)

Beads

Posted: October 6, 2009 | Author: | Filed under: 365 Life in the Bogs Challenge, Adventures in art, Earth, endings, life, NaBloPoMo, Photography, Quotes, Spirit, travel | Tags: , , , , | 6 Comments

(138:  Beads at a gravesite.  Photo © 2009 by Robin)

Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.

~ Henry David Thoreau

I suppose that might be true for some people, but most of the people I know seem to be making sure they sing loud and long and as well as they can.

I would think that, in some way, living your life without having sung your song would be a haunted life, a life haunted by the what-if’s and might-have-been’s.

Real estate

Posted: October 2, 2009 | Author: | Filed under: 365 Life in the Bogs Challenge, Adventures in art, Earth, endings, food, NaBloPoMo, Photography, reviews, travel, water, weather | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

(134:  Shadows on the path.  Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, New Orleans, LA.  Photo © 2009 by Robin)

I’m not sure my photos will be particularly “haunted,” but I thought I’d work towards haunting.  Even that might be a stretch since the cemetery pictures were all taken on a beautiful, sunny day.

That’s what sepia is for, I suppose.  😉

While touring Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, our guide mentioned that the tombs are pretty much like real estate.  They are owned by families, and as a family moved up financially, they were able to buy, or have built, bigger, more elaborate tombs.  I imagine it worked the other way as well.

In other news…

I’m glad I had the chance and the time to enjoy yesterday’s sunshine.  We woke up to heavy rains again this morning and it looks like it will be raining for most of the day.

M and I went to the Akron Art Museum last night to see a couple of exhibits.  M wanted to see Rethinking Art:  Objects and Ideas from the 1960’s and 70’s.  It’s a small but interesting exhibit that ends on October 4th.  We had to pass through Familiar Faces:  Chuck Close in Ohio Collections exhibit and ended up spending more time there than we thought we would.  Some of the things he did to create his portraits and self-portraits were, to me, pretty amazing.

I enjoyed the Helen Levitt exhibition.  Helen Levitt was a photographer who took most of her shots on the streets of New York City, capturing people doing the things that people do (living, working, playing, etc.).  I found some of her images amazing and would love to see more someday.

We followed up our museum visit with a trip to Kent and the Water Street Tavern to check out Cajun Dave’s which recently opened there.  M had the Shrimp Creole and I had the Crawfish Monica.  I first had Crawfish Monica at JazzFest in New Orleans this past April.  It was some yummy stuff.  Cajun Dave’s didn’t disappoint.  Their Crawfish Monica was also yummy.  It’s not a sit-down type of restaurant.  You order at the window and they’ll bring your food to your table or the bar (if you’re sitting at the bar).  The food comes on plastic (disposable) plates with plastic forks.  Both the prices (a bit high) and the plastic remind me of JazzFest.  However, I did enjoy my dinner so I’m not complaining.  In fact, I’d like to go back and try their muffeletta.