Tag: Bronx

Cross-posted at Progressive Blue.

Good evening and happy Sunday to you. Working too much I’ve missed most of the news this week. I do have a logical rant over something I did hear. I would guess that most NPR listeners vote Democrat and well that’s good for the Party. I would also guess that defending NPR against right wingers would be like shooting fish in a barrel. If I was in the Democratic leadership I would have had some fun comparing the transcripts of NPR with the crap Americans hear on talk radio. Comparing the support for public broadcasting with other industrialized nations I would love to have heard some Democrat say “Hey wait, didn’t the Republicans already defund NPR in the name of Rush Limbaugh?”

But then this diary is not about politics. This is a little celestial seasonings and some pleasant views to start your week. I wasn’t home for too many sunsets this week but I still have some good views to share.

Before the views I have a question. Is there any fun left in politics?    

Cross-posted at DailyKos and Firefly-Dreaming.

Some flower photographers claim that bright sunny days are not good for capturing flowers. Some go out with reflectors, diffusers and big honking strobe lights on sunny days to get that perfect shot. For me it’s a game, go out and find that flower at that moment that the bright sunshine works to the advantage of the observer.

Thursday was a glorious blue sky day wedged between two that were murky and dim, so I took both my trusty Cannon G-10 and Nikon Coolpix P90 to the New York Botanical Garden to find a flower where the strong direct sunlight was just right.

Spending the entire day looking for that perfect flower I thought that perhaps now I can articulate what I’ve learned about flower photography so far. I’m not meaning to blow my own horn but I’ve been running that play for a while now and I’ve developed a few skills in composition and dramatic effect.  

I got a little too involved it this diary. That’s why it’s a day late.  

Cross-posted at firefly-dreaming.

There was no sunset tonight in New York. Well the sun set but it could not be seen around here. The photo below is 7:59 PM, sundown this time of year. At least the green of the Palisades can be seen for a change.

There was still some views worth recording. I don’t know if others will enjoy tonight’s view but I really like seeing the cloud formations change at the end of the day.  

Change is good, so my usual start to finish is below the fold.  

Cross-posted at Firefly-Dreaming and DailyKos.

What a sunset tonight, a real visual treat.

Don’t worry, there are far better views below the fold.    

cross-posted at firefly-dreaming.

Today was a very beautiful day in New York City. After a late night I never got out of the apartment and spent the day enjoying beautiful cloud formations and a strong cold breeze. The sky cleared in the late afternoon but the clouds came back for sunset.

The view tonight seemed like a few sunsets, so there are many photos below the fold. I hope you enjoy the show.

There was a very nice warm sunset tonight in the Bronx.

If you would like to see sixteen more in order of appearance, then enjoy the view below the fold.  

There were some good views tonight.

Look below if you would like to see fifteen more in five stages from tonight’s Bronx sunset.  

Cross-posted at DailyKos and firefly-dreaming.

I wonder how you feel on this Earth Day. I wonder what you are doing to make everyday Earth Day. I woke up this morning, insignificant speck that I am in a corporate world and considered my own actions.

I watched the sunrise and remembered this day forty years ago with the words I heard this week about Ronald Reagan ringing in my ears “We’ve lost thirty years.”

Because of watching Earth Days on PBS I remembered that on that first Earth Day I went downtown to see a closed Fifth Ave. That Mayor Lindsay closed the street to honor Earth Day and everyone saw a bright a shining future ahead.  

Cross-posted at DailyKos and Firefly-Dreaming.

Tonight’s was a very pleasing sunset. I posted last night’s sunset here and today was the opposite of yesterday’s. Yesterday was clear and sunny all day with just enough clouds rolling in to add a little mood to sundown. Today was milky and dull until the very late afternoon and the sky cleared as the sun went down.

I get a little excited when the sun is bright but not to bright for digital photos. It is also coming to the time of year that the sunsets directly into my window. That is when the reflections on the water are most dramatic.

So if you can use a soothing visual, then below the fold is how the sun setting over the Hudson in the Bronx looked tonight.    

Good evening this is my second installment in an attempt to get a regular series started called Friday Evening Photoblogging. Cross-posted at Progressive Blue, La Vita Locavore and Firefly Dreaming, it is based but different from a posting from last week at DKos.

I often write about and I’m very much in love with the undeveloped parts of Van Cortlandt Park. It is the fourth largest park in New York City and just a few blocks from my apartment. I guess the most popular diary so far was called Just a Walk in the Park, Van Cortlandt Park.

Few Manhattanites know of the beauty of this 1,146 acre park located in the Bronx but this New York City oasis should be of special interest to visitors from drier areas of the nation. The green will just blow you away.

You won’t find much green in this diary that focuses on photographic composition but I found a little color to make it interesting. In this photo the underpass leads to the Van Cortland marsh where the story ends. An old bridge from the the abandoned “Old Putt” and an oak tree that likes to hold a few leaves each winter improves the composition.

“Old Putt” is the affectionate nickname that hikers and cross country bikers have given to the New York and Putnam Railroad. The right of way for the railroad bed is a trail that runs the length of the park and passes through almost every type of ecosystem that can be found in the northeast.

Below the fold are the best of the 465 pictures I took last Thursday. Most of them on the Van Cortlandt Lake and surrounding wetlands of the Bronx park. Mostly they are photos of geese but I experimented with ways to defeat the the most annoying property of snow, monochromatic and way too bright.