False Turkeytail

False Turkeytail

I apologize for losing my consistency here at the holidays.  We have had many family functions and I just have not had time.  I hope to get back to it for 2012.  I suppose that you can call it a resolution.  I should probably mention that I do not have a sense that anyone is reading this.  I was telling a friend, recently, that I kind of miss going to the rest homes to show my photography and that I had to give it up because of time constraints caused by this blog and Facebook.  I believe that I may be reconsidering that decision.  

This is another shot of the False Turkeystail fungus.  I love the powder blue color contrasted with the brown/orange bands.  It seems to change colors when it is wet.  I do not have any shots of it in that state.  It does not seem to deteriorate in appearance with time as some fungi do.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and yours all the best in 2012.

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Enargite

Enargite

I purchased a small bucket of "tumbler rocks" at the Richland Lithic and Lapidary Society annual show last summer.  I finally started to look through them the other day looking for a few to add to my tumbler for the optimal charge.  This rock looked pretty nondescript except on one tip.  I found, as you can see, that it had some material embedded in it.  Surrounding it was a milky translucent material.  The thing with stood out to me about the dark part was that it seemed to me to be some sort of crystal.  It looked like maybe a double cube.  I decided that because of the crystal formation this must be a mineral.  I read that the term for this particular type of crystal is isometric.  Cubes fall into this category.  I had trouble finding it in my guide until I picked up on the property of its metallic luster shown in this shot.  I checked its hardness and found it to be between 2 and 3.  I checked its streak and found that it was grayish black.  I tried prying it lightly with my fingernail and it split off.  

Enargite

The crystal is just slightly over 1/8" long.  As you can see, the face to the left is almost perfect.

Enargite

This view should be mentally rotated 180 end for end.  It should then be rotated along the long axis 90 degrees to position it as you see it in the first shot.  

The chemical composition is Cu3AsS4.  It is a common copper mineral probably from the West.

I am very glad that I examined the mix of rocks because this would have been ruined in the tumbler.

 

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Mushroom Coral

Mushroom Coral

This is one I picked up in the local stream.  I thought it unusual as soon as I saw it.

Mushroom Coral

My eye was drawn to the rhythm of the gills.

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Winter Art

Lilypad Stems

We had two or three days of below freezing weather a few weeks ago.  The ice on the pond went beyond "thin".  These lilypad stems seemed like art to me.  The white spots are air frozen in the ice.

Holiday Star

Again, the ice is getting thicker and a stem protruded through it.  This lovely ice star formed from the frosty air.  I loved it!

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Waterlily

Waterlily

The ice was becoming thicker the other morning.  One of the first things I noticed at the pond was how the water had frozen up around the Lily pads.

Waterlily

There are few of these left.  We won't see them until next spring.  

Waterlily

I saw these three together in a line and thought they might make an interesting composition.

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Thin Ice

Thin Ice

I have a series I call Thin Ice.  I have had occasion to add to it recently.  I find the "random" shapes formed by the freezing water quite interesting.

Thin Ice

This ice formed in a depression.  The water drained from beneath it leaving only the ice.  The first thought that went through my mind was to break it.  That was the child in me.  I then thought that it would make an interesting image.  I was able to position my tripod above so that I could shoot down.  

Thin Ice

 This turned out a little differently than I expected when I shot it.  I shot from the elevated walkway above the front pond.  I was trying to get a straight down shot but the surface of the board walk was icy and I did not feel comfortable mounting my camera on the tripod set on it.  This shot was a concession.  I really liked the way it turned out.

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Gorman Nature Center

Gorman Nature Center

I confess that there are days when I don't want to go into the cold.  This year, not so much.  It has been warm but we have had some snow and freezing weather.

GNC Frogpond

Even in the winter, the views are quite beautiful.  They are well worth a walk.

Red Juniper

This little fellow is what I believe to be a red juniper.  I thought that it stood out tonally.  I liked the way the grasses lean in toward it.  I never seem to lack finding things which interest me.

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Winter Color

Rose Hips

Things change as winter approaches.  I find myself looking for colors and themes.  The other morning as I walked, I was noticing all the red berries.  They are prominent with leaves gone.  I thought, "Red is a good color.  I need the right background to go with the berries."  One bush of berries would work great with the background if my tripod or I stood 10 feet tall.  Since I could not get that high view, I moved on.  The idea I had was to shoot the red berries with a green background.  The only green thing that I could think of was the pine tree.  All I had to do was find a pine tree with red berries growing near it.  

I did not see any.  I even walked around an area where I usually do not walk.  Just as I was coming to a point of wishing that I could pick a branch of berries and place it near the tree, I found these.  I did two Helicon Focus series'.  The first I processed as you see above.

Rose Hips

The second, I process slightly differently.  The color of the pine trees in the background comes out more like it was at least in my memory.  (Remember my color memory is somewhat suspect.)  

I found that I liked the first way better.  Carol also liked the first one better.  What do you think?

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Flint and Quartz

Back to crystallization, I think that the crystals on top of the flint where in solution hence the flat bottom.  The solution evaporated and the the crystals formed.  I find it intriguing to wonder about what might have happened. 

This is the same rock from a different view.

This is a different rock but is made of the same stuff.

It has interesting fractures.

This is the sort of rock that I need to keep out of the tumbler.

I thought that this was a n interesting perspective.  There was something wrong with it, though, which I think that I corrected in the next shot.

What do you think?

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Crystallization

Snow on a Tree

Water crystallizes when it's temperature drops below 32 degrees F.  From what I can read, this is the less common form of crystallization.  the more common form is characterized by precipitation of crystals from a solution.  An example would be salt water.  The water evaporates and the salt crystals are left.

Quartz Crystals

You can kind of see with these quartz crystals, that they were in a solution.  There was a level, at that time, bottom.  They precipitated out of the solution as it left the area. 

Goldenrod

These crystals probably came directly from the air onto the goldenrod.  They may have skipped the liquid state.

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Nutcracker

Nutcracker

My daughter and her husband took their family and ours to the Nutcracker performance in Dayton this last weekend.  It turns out that we know one of the lambs sitting on the steps.

Nutcracker

We giggled and laughed during that part of the performance.  What an enjoyable experience.  Thanks to Carrie and all.  We love you!

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Mixed Light

Mixed Light Decorations

The lights on the mantle are LED's.  The light from the left is incandescent.  I did not think that the color was right on the blanket on the chair.  My wife, Carol, has a highly developed sense of color.  She helped me adjust this.  I did not even remember the color accurately.  The mixed light was the problem.  I used auto white balance on the camera but it did not adjust it correctly.

I could have done it if I would have used the eyedropper in levels or curves.  I could have chosen the white eye dropper and told it by touch that the tile surrounding the fireplace was white.

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Frog Pond and Cattails

Frog Pond

We've been having cold mornings and ice is starting to form.  The main pond down by the visitors center had only a little ice near the edges but the frog pond was a different story.  It is shallower, holding less heat.  It had ice starting to form all over.

I have read that it is always a good idea to turn around and look behind you when photographing something.  It is a good idea to see what the light is doing back there.  This shot is not from the same day but from the same time and location.

Cattails

I think that I like it because of the contrast of a background you would not expect for a shot of this plant.

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Fungi

False Turkeytail

I recently noticed these fungi growing on a log in the forest, a place I don't always visit except at this time of year.  The thing which intrigued me was the powder blue coloration.  I can't remember seeing that previously.  I like doing close-up shots so I went to work.

False Turkeytail

My lens of choice for this kind of shot is my Sigma 105 macro.  It is probably my sharpest lens and I love using it.  I was not thinking of it at the time but when I viewed it on the computer, I thought of a square-dance skirt.  This kind of shot is extremely difficult for me, physically, because of the short working distance of the lens.  I found it painful to walk when I finished this shoot.

False Turkeytail

False Turkeytail

Having been a skirt watcher for most if not all of my adult male life, I decided that the bottom was the most interesting part.  I tried to apply that concept in making this shot.  I tried a different lens for this shot. It was a Sigma 70 -300 mm macro.  It has a longer working distance which I hoped would help my back.  I used a Canon 500d close up filter get the coverage of the subject that I needed.  I still found it difficult for my back.

False Turkeytail

  I had another idea.  For this one I used my Sigma 50 - 500 mm lens with extension tubes.  The total for the extension was 36 mm and then I found that I needed to add my Sigma 1.4x teleconverter.  I did not like the sharpness of this arrangement but it was a little easier on my back.  It was an unwieldy looking setup!

Camera Setup

I am not sure that I am finished with this.  I wish that I could bring it to my workbench.  It would be a lot easier to shoot!

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Kell Hardware

Kell Hardware Store, Lexington

I was fixing something for my daughter-in-law the other day and needed a tool from the hardware store.  I happened to notice a sign in the window as I entered stating that they have been in business for 125 years.  Let's see, that would be about 4 generations.  It would go back to 1880's probably.   I don't know if they have been at that location for all those years.

I found that they have a web presence associated with the Lexington Business and Growth Association.  They still have the old wooden floors and bins and lots of "real" tools.  

I have noticed, over the years, that this kind of place is becoming less and less common   I have seen several close during my years in Mansfield.  I love this kind of store and used to just walk around and look at things.  I go somewhere like this when I am "creating"  something.  I like to see what is available for my "project" at the time.  It causes my juices to flow.

I found exactly what I needed that day.  I had a part for a toy which was cross threaded.  It turned out to be a metric size.  Not a problem at Kell's!  A knowledgeable person quickly determined the size and sold me the Tap, a tool to clean the threads, that I needed.  I don't find that at the big places.  Usually the person does not know about what I am talking.

I had the idea that my granddaughter, Lexie, who is studying Communications at OSU might like to interview the owner while I make a video.  It turns out that she is not into that area of study.  I still think that it would be interesting to learn the history.

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Fungi

Late Oyster

I think that the undersides of mushrooms are as or more beautiful than the top.  This image did not provide me with a good view to the top when I returned to the computer to make the ID.  I went back for another shot showing the top.  

Late Oyster

The coloration made me think that it might be Bitter Oyster.  The top and bottom seem to have the same color.  My only pause was that I did not think they were small enough.  The guide I use, Mushrooms by Kent and Vera McKnight, does not show a very large picture of the Bitter Oyster.  I am starting to think that that may in fact be what it is.  

I would observe that in photographing a mushroom one needs to show both the top and underside for ID purposes.  Sometimes one needs even more than that.  

I met a photographer at Gorman whose name is Mike Jarosick.  He recently sent me e-mail about some of his mushroom shots, specifically of the Dryad's Saddle.  I thought the he did a very competent job of capturing all angles and views.

My favorite of Mike's shots

You can see all of Mikes shots at his gallery.

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Channel not completely changed

Bridge Three

After the recent rains, I noticed that the "dug" channel on the right still carries some of the flow.  The primary channel has shifted to the left as you can see.

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Goldenrod Deformities

Goldenrod Stem

Previous to this fall, I was aware of only one type of deformity of the goldenrod.  This is the one.  I recently blogged about the new anomalies, to me, that I have found.  Steve McKee made me aware of Guide to Nature in Winter by Donald Stokes.  The book as Steve said is out of print.  I am sorry because it contains a wealth of information for me.  

This "gall" above is the ball gall.  It is caused by an insect, moth or fly, laying its eggs inside the young tender stem in the summer.  When the eggs hatch, the larvae use the the stem for food.  The plant grows this tumor in response to the chemicals secreted by the larvae.  They use it for food and often winter in it before burrowing out.

Goldenrod

I think these are two ball galls close together.

Goldenrod

  You can see where the insect larvae exited on this elliptical gall.

goldenrod

This is the third one called the Bunch Gall.  It caused the growth at the growing tip of the stem to cease.

goldenrod

 Sometimes, the stem will sprout mini flower stems from below the tip. 

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