Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Ai Weiwei in the Wild


So a while back, I went to the Hirshhorn Museum and saw the Ai Weiwei "According to What" exhibit. I've since noticed some evidence of his art escaping into the wild.....I now present to you "Weiwei in the Wild" :)

Ai Weiwei's Log



Nature's Log



Weiwei's Rebar



Boston's Rebar
Notice the classic green



For those interested, the "According to What" exhibit has moved on and is now at the Indianapolis Museum of Art through 23 July 2013. I actually enjoyed the exhibit very much. You can read a bit more about Ai Weiwei on wikipedia HERE.

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

The Osprey Returns


Took my sanity sun again today at Patuxent Research Refuge to check on the Ospreys' which I figured had a nest in the area. It seems I am correct. There was an Osprey tending a nest on one of the platforms out over the lake. I saw another Osprey in the distant trees that I'm assuming was the male, and I did snap a not so great picture of him. When I first arrived, the Osprey on the nest ran a short recon flight, probably to check me out. I desperately tried to follow her in flight and focus as I shot. Between the focusing and the panning, I was unimpressed with the results. Learning from that, and my previous experience during The Battle of Cash Lake, the second time the Osprey went out on a recon flight, I pre-focused on the nest and awaited her return. I grabbed these shots as she landed.

Osprey Approaches Nest



Touch Down



Settling In


Thursday, May 09, 2013

And The Winner is....


The National Arboretum, which wins the prize as the subject of my 500th post to this blog. The thought that it was probably my last chance this year to catch the dogwoods in bloom led the Arboretum to edge out the Patuxent National Wildlife Refuge, so my sanity sun today included some time at the National Arboretum where I made my way over to the dogwoods. Only a few trees were in full bloom, most were well past peak bloom, and many were entirely stripped of flowers after yesterday's hard storms. The neighboring Asian Collections werw looking really nice too (and a fair number of people seemed to agree), so a wandered through them a bit. Here are some of the photos.

Dogwood in Bloom



Japanese Maple - Asian Collection



Interesting Bark - Asian Collection



Fallen Flower - Asian Collection



Peonies - Asian Collection


Saturday, May 04, 2013

Visiting the National Cathedral


We had a nice private tour of the Washington National Cathedral yesterday. Both Elesa and I were quite impressed. I took a lot of pictures, and could have taken a whole lot more. The details of the cathedral are incredible, and having someone point out even more details and explain them ...all lead me to think I need to go back and spend more time there :) Below are a few of my photos, a full slideshow (21 photos) can be seen HERE.

Columns and Stained Glass



Good Shepherd Chapel



One of the Newest Additions - Mother Theresa


Thursday, May 02, 2013

Battle of Cash Lake


I was back at Patuxent Research Refuge today for a little walk with my camera getting my "sanity sun". I was set up with a 70-200 2.8L on a 2x extender, with a polarizing filter and the ISO set at 800 when the "Battle of Cash Lake" broke out right in front of me. Apparently a Great Blue Heron had crossed into an Osprey's airspace and all hell broke loose. According to the time stamps on my photos, the entire battle lasted about 60 seconds. Not being the best war photographer, I didn't get the world's best shots. Between the panning and focusing, they could certainly be a bit sharper...but the photos are interesting to me.

Osprey Approaches Great Heron From Top Right



Osprey Overshoots as Heron Dodges and Weaves




Osprey Turns to Return to Perch




Osprey Landing




Osprey Back on Watch