Upper Bucks County's Covered Bridges








Well, it has been too long since I have posted. Bad because it means  

we haven't had the chance to get out shooting. That was rectified on a recent trip to the Upper Bucks area to shoot the covered bridges that dot the country side. It is a big part that was missing that I needed to get done to get the book together on covered bridges. I have plenty of pictures but I felt I needed the "pretty" pictures to go with a photo book. We threw together a book using Shutterbug to see the outcome. From here we looked at it critically and decided what we had to do for a final. Shutterbug does a nice job, was reasonably priced (especially with an online discount), and got it back quickly. If you are looking for someplace to print a photo album from a family outing or a vacation they are a good source. For what I am looking for, they are limiting. They only have so many templates and layouts for images and text. I am taking a serious look at Blurb for a final product. That will be coming up in the near future.

Are these signs necessary?

                We hit the road with cumulus clouds breaking up the blue skies. Typically, the conditions are a little cooler when you go north, even if it is just 40 miles by road, so the forsythia and flowering trees were out in full color and the leaves were just beginning to open so the full summer green wasn't in place yet. The trip up River Rd is always a great ride as you follow the Delaware Canal and the Delaware River. Parts of this road could be considered for car commercials.  

                 Our first stop was the Knecht's bridge. Built in 1873 it is 110 feet long and is in a beautiful area. Surrounded by fenced in farmland, it is one of the easily viewed bridges. Usually, you come around a bend and the bridge suddenly appears in front of you. Unfortunately, the county has deemed it necessary to install high visibility fluorescent green signs that scream at you the 9'5" height, one lane bridge or that the bridge is 140' in front of you. Even though you are standing right in front of it. Sometimes you just have to shake your head. Just another dumbing down of society.

                Next came the Sheards' Mill bridge. Also built in 1873, this bridge is 130 ' long. It is clear why this bridge was necessary. Not only is the bridge spanning the water, there are huge boulders strewn about in the water. Next to the bridge is an old mill that dates back to Revolutionary War times. The owner was in the process of restoring it but has since passed away. He was able to have it placed on the National Historic Register before he passed so although not complete, its prominence was recognized.

 

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Moods Bridge



                Leaving this bridge, the next we come to is the Moods' Bridge. This is an interesting bridge in that vandals destroyed it in the early part of the new century. Fire completely decimated the historical bridge. This is one of all the bridges greatest hazards. Credit should be given to local activists and the county commissioners because the historical value as well as the practical value of the bridge was recognized and the bridge was rebuilt. (OK, they ruin the aesthetic value of one bridge but they did work at rebuilding this one). Moods' bridge was originally built in 1874 and is 120' long. This is now part of a local park so access is open all around the bridge. Walking under the bridge, the massive beams supporting the span are now easily viewed. And since we had lunch and bought gas locally, yes, the bridges do help support the local economy.

        Driving a short distance leads you to the only bridge that no longer allows traffic over it. The South Perkasie Bridge was taken out of service in 1958 because spring floods were a cause of constant expensive repairs. Moved a short distance to its' present location, a new concrete span replaced it. Now only families cross the bridge on foot. Built in 1832 it spans 93'. Because of the relationship with all that encompasses a bridge ,i.e.; water, rocks, cool temps, it is not uncommon to see various examples of wildlife at these locations. South Perkasie bridge is no exception. Upon exiting one end, I looked down to see a young lady stretched out on a towel sun bathing, lying face down with her bikini top undone. At a different time, meaning younger and not having Sheryll with me I know doubt would have had to scream "SNAKE"! Just to make sure she hadn't passed out or any such thing. 

                The last bridge on our sojourn was the Pine Valley Bridge. This 81' bridge is the most heavily traveled through bridges in the county. There is a constant flow of vehicles traversing the span. Upon climbing under the bridge I came across some of the true wildlife myself. Many of the bridges post signs claiming snakes are under the bridges, but I just looked at it like the landowner was just using that as a ploy to keep you out. And, as I told Sheryll, "It's still too cool and too early for them to be out". NOT! I came across one that was at least 2'' around and 10' long. OK, actually 3/4" around and 18" long but with my phobia it was getting bigger every second! That's another reason I couldn't scream at the girl before. What goes around comes around and if I had did that to her, mine would have truly been 2" around and with fangs!

                This trip is one I never tire of. The scenery is gorgeous, the area is historic and is full of wildlife; finned, feathered and scaled. The day was a successful day of shooting. Although not dramatic lighting the clear day provided great colors, so no matter what....



                Always go to the light,

                Steve







Silver Lake Nature Center Part Two-Sheryll's photos

This is a second edition to the Silver Lake Nature Center photo contest. I certainly need to include several of Sheryll's images. The image of the staircase was taken at the Stover-Myer Mill near Bedminster and is the rickety staircase leading from the second floor to the third. As most old places, they are great windows. This was a 3 shot HDR using Photomatix for the conversion. We are frequent visitors to this place to see the ongoing restoration.

The color landscape was shot at Gettysburg at sunrise. The temperature this morning was 23  but calm winds. I am not sure about the barns and if they were there at the battle. As always, you are at the mercy of Mother Nature and as much as you hope for the "right" sunrise, sometimes you get what you get and make the best of it. She did.

The cannon and farmhouse is the Weichart Farm along the road between Little Roundtop and the Pennsylvania Monument. This farm was there during the battle and on the third day saw heavy fighting all around it. The cloudy day helps the image and through the trees you can see the hill leading to Little Roundtop.

The last image is the decking for the bridge across the Delaware River. The best part was she just had to walk up to the pile of decking and take the picture without laying on the ground to do it! This picture has appeal because it leads your eye through the picture and also the repetitive patterns.

Sometimes, "chasing the light" isn't always the bright sunlight. Even on overcast days there are opportunities. I have a saying, "If it's bleak, go black!" Sometimes a scene just doesn't have the light that jumps out at you but the grey tones translate very well to a black and white image. Three of Sheryll's photos prove this. Don't just stay in or pack up the gear early and be disappointed with the outing. Thinking b&w get help get the creative juices flowing.

Hope you enjoyed her photos and remember.....

Always go to the light,

Steve

Silver Lake Nature Center Photo Contest

Yesterday was the awards ceremony for the Silver Lake Nature Center 37th Annual Photography Contest hosted by the Focal Planes Foto Club. I like this contest because images are judged (by 4 judges this year) in a more straight forward manner, in lieu of more heavily and obviously Photoshopped pictures. Don't get me wrong, I love using Elements and I use it on every picture, albeit sparingly. I have seen pictures in some contests that have objects placed there that no way could have been in the scene and won. Not a problem but put them in a category for manipulated images. SLNC pictures are as close to "what you saw in the scene is what you get in the picture" (Wow, my own WYSISIWYGIP!) There were over 300 images presented for judging in two levels, Amateur and Advanced Amateur. Categories cover the usual, landscape/seascape, animals, plants, people outdoors, outdoor architecture and Bucks County Parks both black & white and color. Because of having won in the past, both Sheryll and I are in the Advanced Amateur level. Sheryll won First Place (B&W BC Parks), 3 Second Place (B&W Architecture, B&W Plants, Color Landscape) and 2 Third Place (B&W Landscape and Bonus Photo, a B&W Architecture). Yes, she apparently likes black &white photographs. Too bad she missed the darkroom days. I won 3 First Place (B&W Animals, Color Animals, and Color Plants), 4 Second Place (all B&W in Landscape, Architecture, Plants and BC Parks) and 1 Third Place (BC Parks Color). Impressive and humbling. It is validation that the work we put into the time and travel is worth it, the effort we take to improve pays off and above all else, it is fun and something we enjoy doing together. Sheryll has really grown. Five years ago, if you said Sheryll would be out in 10 with a 20 mph wind beside a frozen lake, I would still be laughing. All that was needed was a camera (on a tripod, of course!) to make it happen.
When preparing pictures for the contest, you have high hopes for all entered images. But you never know. This year a 4th judge was added and all came with a different perspective which was good for the judging. My two favorites were the Bald Eagle and my landscape of the Barnegat jetty. My eagle won and the jetty didn't. My b&w of another bald eagle won a 1st and yet I wasn't happy with the conversion from color. Photography is a very subjective subject! There were some very good photographs entered in both levels and next years' Advanced Amateur level will definitely grow. It is a good way to get ideas on places to visit for future outings and we have some good ideas. The Best of Show was a picture taken at the Eastern State Penitentiary and every bit worthy of the award. What a place to visit and is definitely on our list.
It is fun to watch the winners, especially those new to competing. Of course, some go home disappointed. Hopefully, learning can come out of the experience. I have included 3 of my winners, Sheryll's will follow soon. The first is the Bald Eagle, then the flower and then the mill picture. Hope you enjoy!

Always go to the light,
Steve

Gettysburg's new visitor center

As a continuation of our trip to Gettysburg from January 30th, we spent a great deal of time in the visitors center after touring the town.
One of our ideas was to take a tour with a licensed guide from the park. We haven't done this before but have heard part of their talks from prior visits. Usually a two hour tour, ours stretched a little further because we had asked for specifics of Sheryll's relatives and I think he liked Sheryll's new Venza. We spent a little more time at the places her relatives regiments fought than I think a normal outing would have encompassed. At $55, not including tip, it was a good plan and I would recommend it if you are planning a visit. Although we are very familiar with the three day battle and the progression of the fight, you do learn smaller items we haven't heard of before, especially who some of the major drunks were leading the troops and some smaller items about some of the monuments. And speaking of the monuments, we have started a project on photographing some of the smaller details of the monuments. It is incredible some of the elements the craftsmen put in them. The 17th Pa Cavalry (one of Sherylls' relatives regiments) is to scale of an equipped trooper sitting on the horse with a recognizable face. You can see the fear in the eyes of horses in others and some the rifles, if not made of granite, could be loaded and fired. I think this idea has a lot of possibilities and one I plan to take further.
We also dropped by the visitors center. Many times as a matter of fact. After all, it's 20-30 degrees out and bathroom facilities are few and far between. This is a new facility that replaced the old building that was actually located where parts of the battle took place so the idea was to go bigger to house all the artifacts and get it away from the battlefield itself. They moved it about a half mile down the road, but frankly, I was disappointed. I loved the old building. It had an extensive collection of arms, clothing, munitions and it had the Electric map. There was not a clearer way to see the battle progress than by sitting in the auditorium and watching the battle unfold with tiny lights coming on and going off as troops moved about. Unfortunately, the Parks Service did not see fit to include this as an exhibit. This used to impress the Boy Scouts when we took them on campouts here and that is not easy to do. I also don't feel all the artifacts are displayed either. Sheryll seems to think that not everyone cares about all the different rifles and guns and such, so she wasn't as put off by this as I was. It was a wasted opportunity, in my opinion. The movie they show on Gettysburg was confusing to Sheryll and a disappointment to me. Only about a third of it dealt with the battle and the rest was on the Civil War. I didn't go to learn about the rest of the Civil War. As you tour the exhibits, you need to progress through quite a few of them to get to the battle itself. Once at this point, the information flows and to someone not familiar with the grounds, you can get an understanding of the 3 days. The place seems too PC to me. As much as Martin Luther King, Jr. deserves a place in history, I'm not sure if this is the venue for it. Otherwise, it is a beautiful facility. They really do need to bring in some form of the electric map. Granted the other was old, filled with asbestos and maybe needed freshening up, it very much needed to be there. I was never at the old facility when there wasn't a full house to see it. Even the new facility at Bull Run (Manassas to those of Southern Heritage) has a form of the electric map.
One outstanding feature of the visitors center is the Cyclorama. This is incredible! Cleaned up, touched up, with the sky added back to it, this is a 360 view of the last battle at Gettysburg, commonly referred as Pickett's Charge. Poor George Pickett! Although only part of a group also led by Confederate Generals Trimble and Pettigrew, poor Pickett lives on in infamy. This feature of the visitors allows me to forgive all the other shortcomings because this worth the trip. Before you is the entire battle that draws you in to every scene. This version was originally painted in 1884 and has finally been restored to its full size (which I believe is 42' high and 377' if stretched to its full length). Added are wagon pieces, cannon parts, legs and arms cast in front of the painting to add realism. Ok, no arms and legs but there was some in July of 1863. Make this part of your trip, it is time well spent.
Besides all other accoutrements the visitors center offers, the cafeteria is actually pretty good with large portions, even in the sandwiches. I felt it wasn't unreasonably priced either. At the opposite end is the large bookstore. Full of literature covering many officers, units and so on, it offers all the latest from the prominent Gettysburg authors. Maybe someday one of mine!
Add this to your itinerary, it is full of photographic possibilities and remember.....
Always go to the light,
Steve

The Philadelphia Auto Show

Today we ventured inside for a photo expedition. Sheryll had received tickets for the Auto Show so down to Philly we went. This was a first for us, having only visited these shows through other people's eyes. I took my camera, of course, since it was a week day crowds should be low. To go again, I would have taken my 12-24 instead of the 18-135. The wider angle and the distortion are a pleasing effect to me and you can cover more of the car from a closer position. Bumping up the ISO to 640 made for easy hand held shots and didn't really detract from the photos.
As Sheryll wandered around, mentally she was comparing her Venza to all the other cars and there was only one that caused a big smile as soon as she sat in it, the BMW X6 sport utility for about $85000. Can't blame her. It had phenomenal lines, sat up just enough to make it easy to get in and out of, a wide stance that just screamed to fly over some winding country road and seats that just said no problem to whatever road you wanted to zoom around.
Of course, everyone (at least everyone that hasn't won the lottery) goes to dream about the car they would buy if they won the lottery. Those that have just go to the dealer, drink his latest vintage Chardonnay and abuse the poor cussed salesman into given him a better price because "Muffy" just has to have it before the next cotillion. So, here is my list if I had the right 6 numbers. I, of course, would not have a "Muffy" but I would have first and foremost a Porsche 911 Carrera. Not sure if it would be the PDK manual shift automatic or the manual 6 speed or of the color but it would be a Porsche. Fell in love with it when my high school chemistry teacher bought the '67 Targa in orange and black. Wouldn't matter how many zeros or commas where in the amount either.
If I was born of stock that came from big oil or hotels that charge thousands per night, I would consider the Bentley. Big on power, really big on comfort and just oozes class. Of course, I'm not ready for that set yet so I would probably go with the Aston Martin Rapide. After all, if Prince Charles needs to go out in public with Camilla, he needs something to please the paparazzi because it sure isn't her and if it's good enough for him, it's good enough for me! Oh yea, James Bond drove earlier models also. Once again, really big on power, comfort, class and looks.
If I was the type that couldn't care about the homeless guy on the steam vent, wore tons of Guido chains and had the top three buttons undone on my shirts than I would definitely be seen in the Lamborghini LP 570-4 Superleggera at just a tad under $235000. I think Darth Vader was on the design team. No hyper drive but you do get a V-10 with 570 horse power, 0-60 in 3.4 seconds and a top speed of 202 mile an hour. I think Superleggera means you get a tall long legged Italian super model in the passenger seat also (hey, think is my fantasy isn't it?).
The SUV would definitely be the X6 from BMW for the above reasons. A very close second was the Acura ZDX. An unbelievable sound system, racy looks, once again that wide stance and great seats for that zoom zooming again. A little smaller than the X6 but worthy of a look.
I'm not sure where they fit in, but Mercedes has to fit in somewhere. They are just an awesome company. So many design and safety features everyone else spews out came from their engineers. Innovation begins here. The CL S550 just says quietly, "Yeah. I'm successful" without flaunting it and the performance of the SLS AMG will have your passenger screaming to let her out if you if were to put it through its paces that it's capable of. So, you pull over, open the gull wing doors, let her out and carry on. It's gonna' perform even better with one person than two anyway.
To haul your toys around, you need the truck. A big truck. Toyota may have car like qualities but we're talking truck here. Still didn't see anything better than the Ford F250 with the diesel. Chevy sounded hollow shutting the doors and the interior looked cheesy with all the plastic trim. And that hurts too because I have always been a Chevy guy. Dodge still has the same old design and fit and finish. The Cummings diesel is a big teaser but it's still in the Dodge. I would still go with the Ford.
I would have to stop here because of not enough room in the garage. After all, it is already stuffed with all the muscle cars from the late sixties. You know the ones, 67 & 70 Chevelles, 66 GTO, 68 GTX, 67 Nova, 69 Z-28 and some Mustang also. Remember, we are fantasizing here.
Both photos are just fun images from the show. Something beyond Car & Driver pix.
If you get the chance, put on the wide angle lens, bump up the ISO, go early and enjoy your own fantasy. I did! And remember....
Always go to the light,
Steve