It has been a long week. Saturday is here and I am going to enjoy the weekend.
I should be finalizing my packing for a trip to Florida this morning but those plans had to change. My youngest cat, Dunkin, wasn’t feeling well earlier this week. He basically didn’t eat for four days. The vet couldn’t find any problems and she gave him some fluids on Wednesday. Friday evening I think he final passed what was causing him discomfort (I think he might have ate something). Anyway, late Thursday I decided to postpone the trip. It figures he would turn the corner for the better after I made that decision… 🙂
I’m glad he is feeling better and eating normally again. I can now plan my do-over trip.
I also started working different hours this week. The company wanted to have engineering coverage at the end of third shift and the beginning of second. I’m always up early and quickly volunteered to come in at 5am. Being able to get out of work at 1:30pm now that the weather is improving… hell yeah, sign me up! I’m not sure how long this will last as the first week didn’t show a “need”, at least not as great as I think the company believes. We’ll see, I’ll stay on this ride as long as they let me.
So, coming home Friday afternoon I noticed quite a few dandelions in the yard. I couldn’t resist those white puff balls. I crawled around in the grass capturing their good (and bad) sides. I really liked this pair…
Appears we are in for a stretch rainy weather, at least according to the forecast. Oh, and the fact it is raining this morning has nothing to do with the post title… really! OK, probably.
I should be searching recent images for bright sunny scenes to overcome the weekend doldrums but these two caught my eye. Listening to the rain on the roof probably helped with my mindset and the image choice. I do love the look of flowing water…
Another nice day! I managed to leave work pretty much on time. I quickly went home, fed the boys (my cats), changed into comfortable walking attire and headed out for the Mohawk River Trail. The macro lens on the camera as I anticipated finding more floral subjects.
Quite a few people had the same idea as me, at least the walking part. The trail wasn’t crowded but definitely more people then I have encountered so far this year. I was playing hopscotch with two ladies as I kept passing them, stopping for a few images as they then passed me and then we would repeat…
On one section along the trail which is very close to the river they managed to startle a couple of geese. The pair were making a quick escape low to the river heading toward my location. I was luckily in front of an opening, so I aimed the camera at a spot I thought they would cross and tried to time my shutter click. I was a little slow as I only managed to get one of the two.
Not the greatest composition, but I’m calling this one a win for me… 🙂
It wasn’t the big trip to Ithaca for another State Park day but it was a beautiful afternoon here in Central NY. The small park north of Rome is open all year so I didn’t have any worries I couldn’t get in. Considering it was a week day, I didn’t think there would be too many people I would have to work around. Pixley Falls packs quite a lot to explore into a small area. The namesake waterfall was my focus…
I think I forget this lesson at least once a year. If a park has a website check it out before you drive there. If I had followed that advice I might have saved myself a drive to Chittenango Falls. On the other hand I would have deprived myself of a beautiful afternoon.
I immediately found out the gorge trail was closed. I understand why. The amount of water flowing over the falls was epic. To say I wasn’t a little disappointed would be lying.
I get it. It is for my own safety. There was a lot of water. The roar was intense.
I walked in a direction of the park I have never visited. I was rewarded with a scene I did not know existed. I feel the water in this stream dries up during the summer. I will check it more often now that I know where to look.
It was a beautiful day. The park was not crowded. I’m already here, might as well explore. There are images to capture.
I stop at the overlook next to the top of the waterfall. Damn. That is a lot of water. And yet, I’m amazed that there are portions of trees clinging to the rocks. I wonder how long they can hold on before they end up at the base of the waterfall, or further downstream.
I head upstream.
The view of Chittenango Creek as it works its way toward the great plunge.
There are trails on the left side of the creek. There is only a partial trail on the right. I head right. The view at the turn in the creek should be worth a look. I’m hoping there isn’t so much water that I can’t get close enough with the camera.
I wait here as there is a person with their dog currently standing at the spot I want. I’m in no hurry. The sounds of the water are relaxing. I should sit down. Soak it all in.
Oh look, they moved on. My turn.
There is a larger opening through the trees here. I can capture a wider view.
Bonus!
A couple showed up on the opposite side of the creek. They are out exploring as well. If I wait a few minutes I can include them in the image. I don’t normally include people but for this view they add scale. They don’t stand still. My shutter isn’t fast enough as I prefer to blur the water. Oh well, they will have to be slightly blurry…
Back toward the waterfall. I wonder how far I can go on the opposite side. I would still like to get a view of the falls to show the water. I stop on the bridge to get the opposite view to the one above. The last few feet of creek before it heads into the gorge.
Most of the trail on the right side of the park is closed. Understandable. Again, disappointing, but I get it. So much for a grand view of the waterfall. I can still convey the power. I have to let go of the “iconic” view and find the image. Finish the story…
The top of the 167′ cascade waterfall. Can you hear the roar?
If you look closely at the second image you can see the pedestrian bridge over the creek below. I typically setup on the right side of that bridge to capture the view of the waterfall. Check out an iconic view when the water isn’t so powerful… Simple Beauty.
I took today off from work. My original plan was to drive to Ithaca and walk a few of the state parks. After my experience at Chittenango Falls I checked out the websites for the parks and found the trails I want to walk are not open yet. There is one park I could visit but I will wait until I can make a day of it.
I’ll still take the day off. I’m betting the views at Pixley Falls are worth a look. I’ll let you know…
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