Middle Spring Creek

I wandered through the Dykeman Wetlands Park today taking lots of shots, but focusing mostly on Middle Spring Creek. Of all the shots I took, these two are the only ones that really work.

© 2012 by A. Roy Hilbinger

Farms Along the Trail

I went walking up the Cumberland Valley Rail Trail today with the intent of getting more black & white photo material, and I soon discovered that farms made excellent b&w subjects. Here are today's best shots.

© 2012 by A. Roy Hilbinger

Odds 'n' Ends

Some stuff taken during the week. The first is a high key treatment of a mossy rock in the Dykeman Wetlands; I liked the way thr treatment brought out not only the green of the moss but also the rusty brown on that bit of metal sticking up in the middle. The second shot is my newest self-portrait; I'm still exploring the process of making b&w shots, and the beard is almost back to where it used to be.

And before I go, a nod to a historic birthday - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. I'm not a big fan of his music (in fact I'm not big on the whole Classical era; my CD collection pretty much goes right from the Baroque to the Romantic and skips the Classical entirely), but I'll admit that there are some Mozart pieces I actually like - his Requiem and this piece, Ave Verum Corpus. If you were ever a choral singer (I was, bass section) you know this piece well; it's practically required repertoire!

Photos © 2012 by A. Roy Hilbinger

The Altar Is Back Up!

I finally got my personal altar set up. I'd been wondering what room to put it in, especially in light of the lack of space up here on the second floor, the "private" part as opposed to the "public" space of the living room and kitchen on the first floor. It finally dawned on me that I wasn't using the bedroom dresser top, except for the mirror from time to time. And of course I never plan something out without taking photographic angles into consideration, and that mirror posed some interesting things along that line. So here are two shots of the altar now, one general and one inevitable "arty" macro detail.

© 2012 by A. Roy Hilbinger

Finally, Some Real Snow!

We got about 3" (7.62 cm) of snow Friday night and Saturday morning. I got some pictures on the way to work Saturday and yesterday; I had to wait until yesterday to get that snowy shot of South Mountain because you couldn't see it for the clouds and falling snow on Saturday morning.

© 2012 by A. Roy Hilbinger

Good-bye Etta!

The sad news is in - Etta James finally lost to her multitude of ailments and passed away at the age of 73. Etta was up there in my pantheon of favorite singers, and I had the privilege of seeing her live several times - two or three times in Newport at the Rhythm & Blues Festival and the Newport Jazz Festival, and one memorable occasion at the original House of Blues in Cambridge, MA. I thought I'd include a couple of my favorites for this tribute - her version of Jimmy Reed's "Baby What You Want Me to Do" and her big hit "I'd Rather Go Blind"; when she did this one at the House of Blues they damned near tore the roof off the place! Go in peace, Etta. We'll miss you!

Downtown

Since I now live right on Shippensburg's main drag - King St. - going downtown means stepping out my front door. These shots are from a brief walk up the street this morning.

If you know me at all you know I had to dig up Petula Clarke's classic song "Downtown" from 1964. Of course, her downtown (Tony Hatch, who wrote the song, was inspired by a trip to New York City) was a bit more lively than Shippensburg's ever gets.

Photos © 2012 by A. Roy Hilbinger