After a week of "warm," but rainy and depressingly cloudy weather, I can see grass along the edges of our driveway. But the grass is brown, not verdant ("green with growth"). On the way to the mailbox, however, I saw the top of a Rainbird sprinkler head, which made me smile. In a matter of weeks (6?) I will be hearing the "chk, chk, chk" sound of the impulse sprinkler head watering my lush, green lawn. . . .
Enough of this fantasy - there are still piles of dirty snow covering almost everything. But for sustenance I offer red crab apples drenched in a warm September rain. If you really crave ice and cold, check out an alternate view of the same tree by clicking here.
The only wildlife I seem to photograph is captive, such as the butterflies I've posted. And now a lumbering brown bear, on display at a zoo a few miles south of Sitka, Alaska, named "The Fortress of the Bear." This young bear is one of two at the compound. They were orphaned after their mother had to be be destroyed. The crime the mom had committed was that she had made her way into the kitchen of a resort. Once a bear has tasted peanut butter and jelly, she is less inclined to eat berries and salmon. And before you know it, they'll be back in your kitchen. 
Of all the things we saw during our trip to Sitka, Alaska, this celery-crunching goat is perhaps the most paradoxical "wild" animal. We had gone to a place to see brown bear that had been captured rather than be destroyed. (Their mother did have to be destroyed). Next to the bear compound was a kind of a children's zoo with all sorts of animals that don't necessarily symbolize rugged Alaska. But he's a photogenic goat, isn't he?
Well, it's not gurgling here and this isn't an ordinary downspout. It's a gargoyle and it is located on the famous Sainte-Chapelle chapel, just around the corner from the Notre Dame de Paris. It is a marvelous combination of stained glass, stone and air. It's not on the "normal" tourists stops so you'll have to make special efforts to get there. Interestingly, its inside the main judicial complex in central Paris so you'll also have to go through metal detectors.
I had the privilege of taking Ruth's portrait a few years ago. She was in her 80's then and beginning to show evidence of the early stages of Alzheimer's. She was a great subject - relaxed, friendly and elegant. At one point she placed her hands on the posing table while I changed the lighting setup in the studio. As so often happens when I am taking portraits, the unplanned poses are the ones that become my favorite. These hands could be any elderly person's hands, I suppose. But they beautifully embody the qualities of their owner. I haven't seen Ruth since the day I took this photo. I hope she is doing well.
I saw these berries at a sidewalk market in Florence (Italy), though they could have been for sale at our HyVee. The blackberries take me back to my childhood because when we would go to Washington to visit my aunt, we would go blackberry hunting. I loved the blackberries but didn't like the thorns on the canes. Why is there a phone named after the berry? I don't know.
This is another portrait from a session several years ago. We had started in the studio and then, late in the afternoon, headed north to the old farm I like so much. At the time I took this, the sun was about to go down and it was one of those perfect August evenings, when the temperature starts to moderate and the wind dies down to a mere hint. And the silence and the subject remind me of why I like this kind of portrait photography.
I was skeptical when this subject told me she wanted to pose for one of her senior pictures in a prom dress she had bought on eBay. But when she came out of the dressing room, I could see that this had potential. We took several poses but we liked this one best. Sitting and looking very relaxed and natural, she is surround by the ample pink folds of the gown.
Not the devil. At least not at the JJ HIll house on Summit Avenue in St. Paul. Here we are looking at a nearly abstract close-up of the carved ballustrades in the central stair case. You can use a lathe to turn the main part of these wooden supports but the twists at the bottom were hand carved.
This is the inside view of one of the most famous domes in the world. It was designed by Brunelleschi and the exterior dominates the skyline of Florence. The exterior is what every visitor to Florence sees but many don't take the time to step inside the famous Duomo. The interior is difficult to photograph because it is fairly dark. But it is certainly worth the visit.
To get an idea of the scale of this dome, look closely for the people standing on the walkway around what is called the "lantern." I've never been to the top of this dome but it's on my list.
