Slideshow

Here is a slide show of the some of photos taken during my sabbatical from late last year. My travels started at the Belvedere Blues Fest in Canon City, CO, then onto Arizona, David and Nicole's wedding in Southern California, Las Vegas, and various national parks in southern Utah, finally ending with the Air Force-Army football game in Colorado Springs.

If you click on the image, you'll be taken to the SmugMug slideshow where you can read the captions.



Be sure to visit My World Tuesday for other great photos from around the world.

Lemonade

Almost anything can look good in the right light. Take for instance, this tree. It has a nice warm red tone that goes well with the green surrounding it. That warmth is only enhanced by the early morning sun.

However, I can only see what it represents. I don't think that this will ever look pleasing to me. This tree is dead as a result of Mountain Pine Beetle damage. This bark beetle is native to North America from Mexico to Canada. The beetles bore into the tree for food and egg laying. This usually results in the death of the tree.

The current epidemic is much bigger than epidemics in the past, and effects millions of acres of trees western North America. The severness of this outbreak is believed to be caused by a number of factors, such as: recent droughts weakening trees, a series warm winters, past fire control strategies.

During our recent vacation, we spent some time in Steamboat Springs. I was appalled at how bad it had become. I was last in the Steamboat Springs area about 2 yrs ago. The difference between then and now is astounding and very depressing.

All I could think about was the loss of beauty and wildlife habitat, the future fires feed by all the dead wood, the erosion, etc.

While it’s not good, it’s not all bad. While in Kremmling, Co, we talked to the lady at the Visitor's Center. She says it’s a mixed bag - the death of all those trees is providing a lot of employment. There are a lot of dead trees that if left standing could be very dangerous. Besides providing fuel for fires, there is also danger from the trees falling. There are many campgrounds, picnic grounds and even forest roads that are becoming increasingly dangerous due to the threat of falling trees. Many people are finding employment logging these dead trees.

Additionally, the pine beetles leave behind a blue fungus that stains the wood. There are some that consider it beautiful. I've seen decorative items carved from it as well as furniture, paneling and cabinets. I think that it's better to use the already dead wood rather than cutting down new trees. However, apparently the market for beetle-killed wood is rather small.

Another use for the dead wood is as a source for creating cellulosic ethanol. According to the Rocky Mountain News, a Canadian company plans to build a cellulosic ethanol plant in Colorado, which would convert beetle-kill, among other wood waste, into ethanol fuel.

But more than that, the death of these trees open up eco-zones for other plants (aspens, wildflowers, and grasses) and animals (deer, elk, etc).

I don’t think that these thing make up for the death of many millions of trees. It is simply an attempt to make lemonade. It does however, leave me wondering “What can I do”?

That’s my world this Tuesday. Be sure to visits other worlds at My World Tuesday.

Morning Walk

I'm finally feeling well enough to go on early morning photo walks. This morning, I returned to one of my favorite spots, Ute Valley Park. Summer is definitely here. The cattails at that pond are filled in and hide the pond with their deep green leaves. The oaks have all filled out. The yuccas are starting to flower.

I was a bit foolish while taking this photo this morning. I was wearing shorts and flip-flops and wading through the tall grass. This is not smart because there are a lot of Rattlesnakes in the park, and flip-flops are not much protection against them. I never saw, or heard, a rattler, but I did meet a small grass snake at this location.

That's my world - be sure to click on My World Tuesdays for others'.

Zebulon

Sorry for the lack of posts the last few days. I've been a bit ill. I took Friday off to go camping up near Aspen, Co. However, I ended up staying in bed most of that day.

This is a statue of Zebulon Pike standing outside the El Paso County Courthouse in Colorado Springs. Behind him, you can catch a glimpse of the mountain that bears his name. Originally, he was facing towards the peak. He was moved when the county expanded the court house. I'm sure he is now wondering where that mountain went...

Many people believe that Zebulon stated that no one could ever climb the Peak. People from the Pikes Peak region find this immensely humorous, after all, many of them get to the summit by way of the Barr Trail, the Cog Railroad, or the Pike's Peak highway. In fact, 1000's of people run up the peak during the yearly Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathons (I've done the Ascent twice).

Actually, many historians believe that he said they could not climb it in the winter conditions found at the time he visited. According to the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum, the expedition was in summer uniforms and ill-equipped for the climb. Even though it is now June, the Peak is still covered with snow and would be a dangerous climb for anyone in summer clothing.

That's a part of my world - go to My World Tuesday to see others'.

Spotlight

The Garden of the Gods is another amazing park in Colorado Sprints. In 1909, the family of Charles Elliott Perkins gave the land to the city "where it shall remain free to the public, where no intoxicating liquors shall be manufactured, sold, or dispensed, where no building or structure shall be erected except those necessary to properly care for, protect, and maintain the area as a public park." The road though the park are often packed with tourists in cars, and locals running or biking.

This photo really illustrates what the quality of light can give to a photo. It was taken shortly after sunrise. Compare it to a similar photo of the same rock formation, but in a location that will never receive a sunrise and is unlikely to receive much of a sunset. The difference in the appearance of the stone is astounding.

That's my world! To see other worlds, be sure to visit That's My World Tuesday.

Sunrise at the Park

Ute Valley Park - It is one of the best urban parks that I've ever seen. Perhaps, it's because I have such easy access to it. Ever since I moved to Colorado Springs, I've lived near it. There's a great little pond, an overgrown canyon, open prairie, great mountain biking, hiking and running trails, and great views of Pike Peak! Click here (Edit: Fixed link) to see all my posts of the Park. Additionally, it's a fairly quite park. Nearby Garden of the Gods can be packed with people on the roads; driving really slow and gawking. I feel so lucky to live close to the park, and I hope it show though my photos.

That's My World! Head over to My World Tuesday to see others'.

Pinon Valley Park

Here's a view of a section of Pinon Valley Park in NW Colorado Springs, CO as seen from the top of a ridge that runs through Ute Valley Park. Even though Ute Valley Park is surrounded by suburbia, there are many places in the center of the park where you'd think you were in the wilderness. I spend a lot of time hiking around the park (and photographing in it).

Click on the link to see my other posts about Ute Valley Park.

This photo was taken with an old Canon G2. It's fairly small and light, yet gives full manual control and shoots in RAW. I use it when backpacking and other occasions when I want to travel light. It has been a while since I last used it. Since backpacking season is coming up, I pulled it to refresh myself on its operation. In comparison to my 40D, its very slow and cumbersome, but it can still take some descent pictures.

The other, possibly, interesting aspect of this photo is the style. I wanted this shot to look like a model. To accomplish that, I replicated the narrow DOF by selectively blurring areas, and jacked up the saturation and contrast. Since we've been trained to associate the narrow DOF with macro photography, this effect makes it seem as if we're looking at a photo of a small model. The other way to accomplish this is to use an expensive tilt/shift lens.

Hike over to That's My World Tuesday to sightsee elsewhere around the planet.

Morning Reflections

Downtown Colorado Springs has a number of beautiful old historic buildings, statues, public art and, of course, great views of Pikes Peak. This shot, taken at sunrise, captures Pikes Peak and the St Mary's Catholic Cathedral as their images reflect off of the American Nation Bank building. I have to be careful driving downtown in the morning because I find this view distractingly dangerous.

That's my world. To view photos from around the world, travel on over to That's My World Tuesday.

The Eagle

My mom is not the only artist in my family. My dad is a wood carver. This picture is a close up of a eagle bust that he carved and painted. I keep bugging him to carve me a life size ostrich, and he keeps refusing.

To see glimpses of the world from other eyes, click on My World Tuesday.

My World Tuesday: Their Best Side?

In Colorado Spring's Ute Valley park there is a nice little pond surrounded by Cat Tails. The water attracts a lot of birds, especially Red-winged Blackbirds and various ducks. I live nearby, and hike in the park a lot. It's a great little oasis of nature in the city.

I often take my camera and stop at the pond in an attempt to photograph some of the birds. I can't decide if this photo shows that the local Mallards are tired of my paparazzi ways with them and are showing me their disdain. Or, perhaps, they want to be photographed from what they believe to be their best side.

This is part of my world. To see others from around the globe, visit My World Tuesday.