On the Tracks Again

The railroad tracks going through Shippensburg follow two routes that merge (or split, depending on which way you're heading) at the Queen St./Baltimore Rd. overpass. I'm pretty sure the tracks that run about two blocks behind my house aren't used any more; I've never seen a train on them. It's these tracks that I follow out into the country to the Mennonite bulk foods store on Rowe Rd., and it's these that I followed in the opposite direction today to head for my regular grocery store. As you can see from the photos, we still have some snow hanging around. And alas, no train passed this time.

The tracks just a couple of blocks behind my house

The trestle over Earl St.

The railroad crossing at Penn St.

Approaching the Queen St./Baltimore Rd. overpass

© 2015 by A. Roy Hilbinger 

On the Way to the Grocery Store...

... I walked through the Dykeman Spring Nature Park to get more photos of the park adorned in its cloak of snow. It was a bright and cold day, and shadows and reflections played a large part in the things that caught my eye on the walk. Enjoy!

Bird tracks and plant shadows etch designs on the snow in the wetland area

Canada geese (and two Mallard ducks) swim in the reflection of the Hatch House

Windswept snow and meadow grass on the upland meadow

A view of Blue Mountain from the upland meadow. As you can see from the tracks in the snow, the upland meadow is a popular sledding site.

Battleground! Two opposing snow forts just outside the east end of the meadow.

© 2015 by A. Roy Hilbinger 

A Snowy Nature Park

We got some more snow after I got home yesterday, plus some more last night and this morning. Not a lot, just a few more inches, but it brought the total up to around 6 inches, and that's a nice, scenic cover. So I went for a walk in the Dykeman Spring Nature Park this morning; here's what I saw.

The Dykeman Walking Trail in snow

The view south from the railroad underpass, Dykeman Walking Trail

Picnic area, Dykeman Spring Nature Park

A panoramic view of the Dykeman Spring wetlands

The bridge over the creek in the Dykeman Spring Nature Park

The view north from the railroad underpass, Dykeman Walking Trail

© 2015 by A. Roy Hilbinger 

Some More Snow

We had 3 or 4 inches of some very wet snow on Saturday morning that melted down to patches pretty quickly. Then last night we had a slow-moving Alberta Clipper move in, along with temperatures that dropped quickly into the low 20s (around -5º C) and gave us some fine, powdery snow overnight and this morning. I can't tell exactly how much we got because a stiff breeze has been blowing it around; my best guess is around 2 or 3 inches. I'm off today and tomorrow (and back to walking normally), but I was running a tad late with my errands today, so I got just a few shots on the way to the grocery store. I'll go farther afield tomorrow. Meanwhile, here are some snowy Shippensburg shots from today.

Branch Creek at King St.

The in-town farm on Hockersmith Ave.

A snowy side yard along Queen St.

© 2015 by A. Roy Hilbinger 

Snow-Covered Rocks

We got a couple of inches of snow from another Alberta Clipper yesterday, but I couldn't get out to play in it. I did something to my right knee Tuesday and yesterday that knee was swollen and hot and I could only manage a lurching hobble in the apartment. I spent the day on the couch with Ibuprofen and an ice pack, and today it's way better, so I ventured out to do errands. I didn't want to push it with a hike through the park and the meadow (it's still somewhat stiff and I limp just a bit) so I went via the back alleys to the grocery store. And found these snow-covered rocks in an open-space public area at the corner of Ridge Ave. and Walnut St. Very Zen! 

© 2015 by A. Roy Hilbinger 

Whee! A Train!

Today I took a different route to the grocery store. Oh, I still visited the Dykeman Spring Nature Park, but this time instead of going up to the meadow I decided to climb up to the railroad tracks that run elevated through the park and follow them up to Baltimore Rd. And I was rewarded; a train actually came through when I was just at the right spot for good pictures. So I got shots of the engine approaching, the train passing under the Baltimore Rd. overpass, and a shot of the tracks under the overpass where all the go-no go lights and switches are. Enjoy!

© 2015 by A. Roy Hilbinger 

Wait! What?

These scenes made me do a double take while out running errands today.

Have a seat; the wait shouldn't be too long.

I guess somebody thought they were cold.

Guardian gnomes, posted to prevent dish theft, perhaps?

© 2015 by A. Roy Hilbinger 

A Foggy Sunday Morning

My first photo walk of the new year just happened to coincide with a really foggy morning; a prime photogenic setting to start the year off! I went walking through the Dykeman Spring Nature Park to check out the sights. I discovered that it was much foggier up on the meadow than down in the wetland. Still, that air of mystery that fog spreads over the landscape prevailed over all and set a mood for this year's first photo shoot. Enjoy!

© 2015 by A. Roy Hilbinger 

Happy New Year!

A wee dram to toast the New Year. Slainte!

© 2014 by A. Roy Hilbinger

Last Shots of 2014

It's getting colder again as the year draws to an end, and the ice is starting to creep out on still water around town. Since I'll be working tomorrow, the last day of 2014, the shots I took yesterday and today will be the last of the year. Here's hoping for some snow soon to get 2015 started off right!

Norway Spruce shot from underneath

Encroaching ice in the Dykeman Spring wetland

Reflections in the north duck pond

© 2014 by A. Roy Hilbinger 

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all my family and friends!

© 2014 by A. Roy Hilbinger 

Winter Solstice 2014

It's that time of year again, when the sun reaches the Tropic of Capricorn and the Winter Solstice arrives in the northern hemisphere of the Earth. It's the bleakest time of the year, when the nights are longest and the air is cold and there's often snow on the ground. To all appearances the Earth is dead. The Winter Solstice begins the process of bringing light and warmth and life back to the Earth, and is celebrated with evergreen decorations, fires and candles, warming drinks, and well-lighted feasts. No matter what religion or spiritual path one follows, this is a time of rejoicing. Here's some music to celebrate with: Jethro Tull's "Ring Out, Solstice Bells"; Jennifer Cutting's OCEAN Orchestra, a Celtic/Pagan ensemble, with one of their recent offerings, "Song of Solstice"; and a lovely piece called "A Fire for You" by John Boswell, found while looking for Solstice music on YouTube. Enjoy!

In the bleak midwinter...

© 2014 by A. Roy Hilbinger 

Music of the Season

A long time ago in this time of year, especially in England, groups of singers would set out of an evening and go from house to house to serenade their neighbors. Since this was a partying time in those days, often these wandering choirs would be going from party to party, and not only singing would go on but also eating and drinking. At some of the grander parties of the time music was part of the feast and would include both singers and musical instruments. The music they sang was ostensibly about Christmas, but the lyrics of the songs, not to mention the traditions being engaged in at the feasts, hearkened back to the old pre-Christian Winter Solstice celebrations, from which the church borrowed heavily to create the Christmas holy season. Nowadays these musical celebrations have become known as the Christmas Revels, and groups hold public performances here in the US as part of the Christmas seasonal celebration. Here are some of the songs sung on those occasions.

© 2014 by A. Roy Hilbinger 

Walking Around

Today was a single day off, and thus an errands day. I got these shots while running said errands. I went with black and white because the color is pretty much gone now and b&w emphasized the contrasts I was seeing in this colorless world.

Branch Creek looking north from King St.

Branch Creek looking south from King St.

Dykeman Spring wetland

The creek in the Dykeman Spring Nature Park

The hay road in the upland meadow

© 2014 by A. Roy Hilbinger