Patchwork

That's a stretch

I've heard of "the long arm of the law" but this seems to be something different.

Green in winter

It's cold winter now (5° F this morning). And I know that many parts of the country are even colder. I think one of the best things about house plants is seeing green growing during the winter months.

Merry Christmas

Hoping you have a good holiday season to wrap up 2017. Be safe and enjoy your time with friends and family.

A door and a door where a bigger door was

Detail or visa?

My goto aspect ratio is square for this blog, but sometimes as a second image I include a different shape. In this case the image was taken from the same vantagepoint, but the photos are very different. I think they both work. What do you think?

As always, click to enlarge. The panorama in particular really needs to be larger to properly view.

Snowy trees

Fresh evening falling snow

The Little

The Little is our local art deco "art-house" movie theater. The marquee was recently restored and updated with a combination of classic neon and up-to-date LCD panels. Looks pretty good.

I thought the film listed (The Florida Project) was ironic as the soft snow fell around me.

Yoga plant

Orange Christmas tree

Two posts in a row with "orange" in the title... strange.

This "christmas-like" tree struck me as curious because of it's orangish hue, but I am sure it is totally normal for its variety. I has many small cones or seed pods (click for a closer look). It is a nice color contrast to the more normally hued evergreens.

Orange clouds

Caught

It is not uncommon to see plastic caught up in trees and other places. It is an eyesore and can be even dangerous to animals, or in this case it seems it could affect power transmission. Plastic is a wonderful material but like most things it has its downside.

Window view

Not a Christmas tree

It is the proper shape and type, but not much chance this tree will see any holiday decorations... besides it is really too early for such things in my opinion.

Around the bend

Tree behind the tree

Tracks in autumn snow

First snow

November snow is always that strange mix of autumn and winter... colorful leaves on the trees and white on the ground.

This will likely be my last first snow. Next year at this time I will be farther south where snow is much more unlikely.

Frost

It's the time of year when I see frost on my morning walks. Will it be long before I see snow?

Posted

We have had rain and then more rain... but at least it saturates the colors and darkens the wood.

Foggy night

A little late for Halloween, but better late than never... maybe.

Layers of color

Tree Lichen

Autumn walk

Not on a damp rock on the edge of a stream

That is what I was thinking about when I was up 15 feet on a ladder cleaning my rain gutters.

Pointed architecture

Just in case?

I spotted this US Air Force plane at the Buffalo airport the day of the Vice President's visit... and it is not Air Force Two... Pence had not arrived yet. So perhaps it is a support operation, or a part of a "if-all-else-fails" plan?

Italian Baroque Organ

An impressive historic tracker action organ that was restored and recently insalled at the Memorial Art Gallery. It is a beautiful story of reclamation and also a beautiful sounding instrument. It is demoed and played regularly by facility and students of the Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester.

Red truck

You compose your shot, get things lined up and then a red truck pulls up. But then, maybe it does not ruin the shot... it provides some balance in a way.

This is the Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester NY, a nice gallery with a good assortment of various forms of art. The tower in the back was once part of the original campus of the University of Rochester, one of my alma maters. When the campus moved back in the 30's the property was reconfigured as an art gallery, but is still part of the university. 

Windows out the window

Green on the shore

Mildly dystopian

I photographed this building last year but then it did not look so dark and moody. The lakefront complex is now mostly completed so I was able to get a closer look. It is actually a quite nice development and I am sure the apartments or condos are expensive, as is everything in Toronto.

Build more

Although this is only a small section of the Toronto waterfront, it does demonstrate a near universal characteristic... almost any Toronto skyline view will contain a crane and tall building under construction. Toronto, it seems, just keeps growing.

Roger Waters

I have been fortunate to see a few of my favorites this year in concert, starting with Santana in Canandaigua, then U2 in Buffalo, and now Roger Waters in Toronto. Waters was key member of Pink Floyd and responsible for much of the iconic music of their prime years. Pink Floyd has continued without him but Waters has created some great music since his departure. His concert playlist spanned his full career with powerful performances, much of which took on a political tone repurposing some of his music to criticize the current USA leadership under Donald Trump (a large floating pig circled the arena and with an image of Trump, eyes replaced with dollar signs, was only one example).

Staging and effects were quite spectacular, with a huge brick building suddenly appearing over the full length of the hockey field, which included puffing smokestacks (an image from one of the albums).

I played around a bit with creating an animated GIF... hope the flashing does not drive you crazy.

Transition

Birds on a wire

I find it curious that birds that come to rest on a wire seem to find a way to evenly space out. It is almost like they carry a ruler to measure the distance that they can be from their neighbor. Of course there are always exceptions... those crazy nonconformists that break the rule.

Slow down

10 MPH is really slow if you are driving a car, but really fast if you are walking. Riding a bike... it is just about right.

I guess it all depends, but I think slowing down is always a good idea. Taking time to really see what is around you means you will see things better, including the speed limit signs.

Bush or tree?

When does a bush become a tree... does it matter?

Changing color

We have had unusually warm weather over the last week but the calendar tells me it is now autumn, and as the foliage has begun to change color, I see that it is so.

Morning bike ride

Elegant entry

Shadow lines

Sunlight through branches

Cacti

Rochester is not associated with cactus, but in an adequately controlled greenhouse, they seem to thrive... at least at the Lamberton Conservatory.

Can't drive a car through it...

... but it is still pretty cool.

Into the stadium

No, I am not suddenly a sports fan... I am on my way to a seat at a concert by the Irish rock band U2. It is taking place at the New Era Field, home of the NFL Buffalo Bills.

Concerts of this scale are not only a sound explosion, but also a visual extravaganza. The staging is massive and the size of the video screen is almost beyond belief. The spectacle was so much more than the typical i-mag (image magnification) but rather a carefully crafted visual journey; at times intense, and at others hypnotic, and always elegantly stylish.

Needless to say it was a wonderful experience both musically and visually... even if it was in a NFL stadium.