Hope Martin Park

Monument reflected in the rising water at Hope Martin Park in Waterloo, Iowa
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Where's The Road

There used to be a road next to the blue sign.

Bird Breakfast

So far it is my neighbor's bird feeder which is getting all of the traffic. I shot this with my 100 mm - 400 mm lens (after my neighbors went to work so thy didn't thinking I was peering into their windows).

It was fun to watch. The bird on the feeder kicked the other bird off and you can only imagine what that bird is telling "the bully".

I'm sure the neighbor birds will discover my feeder -
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Another Apple

Another apple with different lighting...

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Great Day To Climb A Pole

The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, the grass is turning green - it's a great day to climb a pole...

Deep Water

The Cedar River is rising.

Same train trestle winter.

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Brushes

Ok, I'm in the kitchen again trolling for photographic opportunities. As I was wondering about, camera in hand, my attention was drawn to the brushes above the sink. It seems we have a lot of them, one for this, one for that (hey - what do I know?). Just so you know I'm not a total klutz in the kitchen: the yellow one is a potato peeler, scrubber, cleaner...thingy (technical term).

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What Do My Neighbors Know?

Yesterday I saw a news truck at the end of the street behind the credit union where I work, so I wandered down the street to investigate...

...I climbed the levy and observed a local news reporter and her cameraman doing a news segment...

...so I took a photo of them and the water rising (last year the water was 20 feet deep in this area - the 500 year flood). And then this morning...

...I went out to get the morning paper and my neighbors have a boat in their driveway. What do they know that I should know? M-m-m-m-m

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Another Red Ball Composite

I've been slowly replacing the natural red places in the flower with a copy of the red ball.

Red On Black or Black With Red?

The Photo Club I belong to is having a Red Ball Photo Contest - you take pictures of red balls... this is one such photo (more to come...)

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HyVee Peppers

Red Peppers in the HyVee Grocery Store Veggie isle

Green Peppers in the HyVee Grocery Store isle

People must think I'm a bit daft when they see me taking pictures of peppers in the store. I just love the colors and the display...

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Bird Feeder

I added a bird feeder yesterday to a stand we have in front of the house. The neighbor across the street has several bird feeders and yesterday there was a wood pecker pecking away making a perfect photo op. I pulled out my 100 mm - 400 mm lens when it dawned on me that people might think I was looking into their windows. So, I added my own bird feeder. A friend of mine who feeds birds says I should be patient as the word will spread among the bird community that there is food at the Hills...I anxiously await the photo ops!!

Can It Get Any Better?

Every year, about this same time, several Alumni from the Iowa Falls Class of 1969 gather in Coralville, Iowa to have a "mini-reunion". We gather at a hotel on Saturday afternoon and tell stories about kids, grand kids, jobs, retirement plans, and embellish our stories from our high school days. We then go out for an evening meal which precedes a cut-throat game of Trivial Pursuit where the women are ahead in the series- m-m-m-m-m, I can't recall the men ever winning, but perhaps my memory is faulty. We are older now, so our "treats" consist of wine and graham crackers - can it get any better?
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Toy Truck

This is the truck I grew up playing with on the farm. My mother saved everything and I ran across this in the basement yesterday. So - just had to take a photo. Take a look at all of the sharp edges. I'm sure under today's regulations this toy truck would be declared dangerous and banned from the market place. It's a wonder we survived our childhoods at all...?!
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Patch of Green Grows

My patch of green is growing - do we dare hope for spring?

Top 100 In New York Institute of Photography

Vimeo

NYI Centennial Photo Challenge from nyip. Check out NYIP.com for more great photography tips!

Someone you may know is about #38 in at about 2:25 - if you've got the time there are some gorgeous photos...

Keyboard

Looks like I need to dust my "j"... click on the photo and the larger image clearly shows my dusty "j"...

March Sunrise

This is this mornings sunrise. Note the "tiny"; "little"; "minute"; "miniscule"; "microscopic" patch of grass peaking out in the foreground. It's sufficient enough to give me a case of SPRING FEVER - I feel it coming on.

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Lighthouse (not really)

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Wine and Sailors

Another sample of my playing with lights, shadows, backgrounds, and morion.

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Scooby

This is Scooby, our daughter and son-in-law's dog. He's a mix of something or other. I believe poodle and golden lab. I'm sure he's not a snickerdoodle... labradoodle I believe is what he is called. This is his first trip to our house. I expected a small dog, like a poodle, but whoa, he's much larger, more lab size than poodle. He's cute and obedient. I like dogs, except for the fact you have to take them for walks, they poop, and they bark. I like cats...

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Wine

Still paying with light, flash and color. More tomorrow... (I should have picked a lighter colored liquid).

Studio Set Up

I have an area in my basement where I have my lights and backgrounds setup.

The apple...

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Snow Bush

It's pretty - but, I am ready for spring NOW!!!

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Fountain Display

An interesting fountain display at the Cedar Rapids Home Show.

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United States Sailor

Experimenting with flash and close up photography.

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Barn

Barn near Charles City, Iowa

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Cedar Rapids Home SHow

Stained Glass Gallery Exhibit at the Cedar Rapids Home SHow

This is Laura, our daughter-in-and law and proprietor of the Stained Glass Gallery. I frequently see this expression, "Are you taking my picture...again."

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Flags Fly High

My Mother-in-Law gave me a flag pole for one of my birthdays a few years back and I proudly fly the American and Navy Flags. I used to buy the less expensive flags, but the wind would shred them in no time. Last year my Sister-in-Law gave me a quality Navy Flag, and I added a higher quality American Flag and they are "hanging in there" [pun intended].

A Happy Birthday Wish to my youngest daughter Jessica who turns...I won't put the years in as I am certainly not old enough to have a 32 year old youngest child.

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Leading Lines

I'm taking a photography course and the assignment calls for a photograph with "leading lines" where the lines in a photo draw a viewer to the subject - sounds simple until you try and find an example. I drive by here every day and yesterday I "saw" it for the first time...a perfect example of leading lines.
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Then and Now or Old and New

Went on a road trip yesterday and if you take a look at the new header photograph you can see another angle of the windmills that are popping up all over northern Iowa. As I was framing the line of windmills I looked to my left and this is what I saw... the old windmill setting next to the new one.

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Fat Tuesday

We had a Mardi Gras themed pot luck at the church yesterday. It was much tamer than the celebrations that happen in New Orleans. I think we have some "closet" Cajuns in the group because some of the "fixns" were as good as the food served in the finest Southern restaurants.

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Katharine

Granddaughter Katharine in one of her "brief" quiet, pensive moods. It didn't last long - maybe 2, 4, or 5 seconds. She's a busy girl so if you want to take her photo you need to be quick about it. Come to think of it all the grandkids move at that pace - m-m-m - perhaps I move slow...

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Blue Water

I spent a couple of hours yesterday trying to perfect the technique for taking a photograph of a water drop. I've found it difficult to find the right combination of aperture, shutter speed, focus and lighting. This one is the best out of 1,134, 234 exposures (I exaggerate for effect).

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Sturdy Leaves

The trees were covered with frost again yesterday. These two leaves, the last on the tree in my front yard, just continue to hang on. They've stayed put storm after storm, blizzard strength winds, freezing rain and ice, and so many days of frost I've lost count.
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Daniel

Grandson Daniel paid us a visit from Iowa City so I just HAD to take a photo or 12... Daniel's Dad takes A LOT of photos so Daniel is quite comfortable in front of the camera. If you have a moment or 2 you can visit "All Things Daniel" at http://www.flickr.com/photos/spcummings/.
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Hot Peppers

Hot Peppers from the produce section of Target.

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RAH

In one of my past lives I was a printer and had my own print shop. Just as an aside the computer I am typing this on has more capabilities than the 7+ machines I had to generate copy and print.

The letters above are all that remain - I didn't have to set type by hand (gladly), but there was an old set of lead typesetting letters laying around that went with a very old press in the basement of the shop. I sold the shop (minus the R, A and H)...

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Snow On The Roof

Snow on the bird house roof.

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3 Trees

Still winter...

Do I have too?

On a good day I'm not a fan of taking out the garbage, but - when I have to shovel, and then clear the container and THEN take the garbage out I really don't like it. I just heard the "weather lady" say something like 6" to 10" - oh joy - where is SPRING!!!!!!!!!!!!! (PS) To my friends on the East Coast there's more coming....
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Candle

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Shopping at Target

Peppers


Purple Flowers


Red Pepper

We went grocery shopping last evening at Target and the colors in the produce isle were just vivid - worthy of a photograph. But, I had a dilemma - no camera. But, wait... my iPhone is also a camera and I have a gazillion (exaggerated for effect) photography apps so I decided to use my iPhone to take some photographs.

I did learn a lesson - when taking photos of produce in the case - every so often a fine watery mist is sprayed over the produce - so, if you are taking a closeup with your head nearly in the case - well, I'll let you imagine what happened. I do believe a few people who were wondering what I was up to to got a laugh...
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