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Posted by regnaD kciN in Photography Group
Tue Jun 07th 2011, 05:28 AM
There is one basic, fundamental rule of waterfall photography: Always shoot waterfalls, if at all possible, on cloudy days. There are two reasons for this rule. First, it's a lot easier to get that slow-shutter-speed "silken" effect when the light is softer and lower. Second, direct sunlight ratchets up the contrast, which is usually enough to destroy any forest shots. If you want the most effective waterfall shots, wait until it is overcast.
So, why was I setting out on the first 80-degree-day of the year, a day when we were guaranteed bright sunlight without a cloud in the sky, to photograph Rocky Brook Falls on the Olympic Peninsula?
Because it was my only chance to get a good image.
Rocky Brook Falls is reached by a short trail through the woods that only opens up for views of the fall at its very base. This means that any shots are going to have to be close-in, looking almost straight up, and including a good chunk of the sky in the frame. Try to shoot this waterfall on a cloudy day, and you're going to have blown-out white sky at the top, which is enough to ruin any photograph.
What's the solution? Bryan Swan, admin of the Northwest Waterfall Survey (and a fine photographer in his own right), had a counter-intuitive suggestion: Try shooting this fall in direct sunlight (at the time of the day when the sun hits it full-on, without any shadows) on a perfectly clear day, then slap a polarizer and every neutral-density filter you own (in my case, that meant stacking a Cokin 4x on top of an 8x) on the lens, stop it down as far as you can, and see if that allows you to slow the shutter speed enough. As you can see, the results seem to validate his approach.
The situation wasn't perfect -- I think better angles could be found a few feet to my right but, at the height of spring melt season, the places where I could normally put up a tripod were several inches underwater, and I hadn't brought my river sandals.
Here's a detail of the base of the fall, rendered in black-and-white.
Finally, although the sun was playing havoc with Rocky Brook itself on the way out, I did find one stretch of the creek that was still shaded. As far as I'm concerned, this image alone would be enough to justify the whole trip.
I expect to come back here at lower-flow, where I can maneuver into more angles on the fall itself...possibly in the autumn, as I understand the fall foliage compliments the scene quite well.
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Posted by regnaD kciN in Photography Group
Sun May 29th 2011, 12:10 AM
Last week, I drove north to what might be the closest falls to the state's Canadian border, in a park located, improbably enough, in a suburban area of one of Washington's bigger cities, Bellingham. Although these may look like they're far up in the Cascades, they're really only a few miles off Interstate 5 on its way to the border crossing.
First, Whatcom Falls itself.
A bit further upstream, you find this officially-unnamed fall, which I have decided to christen Way-Too-Flippin'-Muddy Footpath Falls.
Beyond that, Upper Whatcom Falls. It appears a former path down to these falls has washed out, and the only view is peering between trees on the main trail.
Returning to the main falls, you find a man-made spillway diverting part of Whatcom Creek. At this point during the spring melt, it was running at full force. First, from across the creek (where there was no clear shot without trees getting in the way)...
...and, then, from the top of the spillway itself.
Finally, a couple of shots of the Whatcom Creek gorge. I still find it hard to believe that these are only a few blocks from a Subway franchise.
Posted by regnaD kciN in Photography Group
Mon May 16th 2011, 02:35 AM
With the extended winter we've had here, everything is running about three weeks later than usual. Thus, the tulips came out near the end of April instead of the beginning, and snowmelt season, where the waterfalls are running at their highest, seems to be just about starting. Unfortunately, while good waterfall photography requires overcast or light drizzle, we've been alternating between (a small amount of) sun or (more frequently) monsoons. Today featured one of the latter, as my plans to catch a substantial fall up the unpaved Middle Fork Snoqualmie River Road had to be reassessed when it became clear that I was in very real danger of getting stuck up there. So, I wound up turning around before the road became impassible, but was able to catch a couple of nice "mini-falls" on the way back. I'm pretty sure neither of these are named (and the second one is more a steeply-falling creek than anything), and probably both will be dry by summer, but they provide a nice excuse for me to start up this year's WFOT posts.
Posted by regnaD kciN in Photography Group
Mon May 02nd 2011, 07:12 PM
...but this year, in the Pacific Northwest, one could add "just barely" to that observation. Thanks to the extended winter, most of April has been cold with torrential downpours and flooding, as opposed to the gentler rains more common to this time of year. Tulips were late coming up all over the region...but, since the tulip festivals are a major tourist attraction planned years in advance, there was no way to adjust for the curve nature was throwing at us. Therefore, while the tulips were just coming into their own on the last day of April, the festival would be ending and the harvesting of the fields beginning the next day. Since it was one of the two somewhat-sunny days of the month, it was clear that it was going to be "now or never"...the same thought which occurred to half the population of Washington state as well, resulting in the heaviest traffic backups I've seen up here during the tulip season.
Of course, you know what they say about the best-laid plans...although bright sunlight and mostly-clear skies are best for shooting tulip fields, and overcast conditions for shooting individual blooms, you can guess what happened: after a steady diet of mostly-cloudy skies while touring the fields, by the time we got to the display garden, the clouds were starting to clear, and I was looking at the worst-possible shooting conditions for close-ups. Therefore, I had to rush to get as many shots as possible while we still had cloud-cover.
Finally, though, my luck ran out, and the clouds dissipated, leaving us with bright, contrasty sunshine. But, when given lemons, make lemonade -- and, while you can't get the soft, diffuse light needed for detailed "floral portraits," what sort of images can you get in a garden lit by direct sunlight? Boys and girls, can you say BACKLIT? Sure, you can! See any potential entries here?
Posted by regnaD kciN in Photography Group
Tue Mar 15th 2011, 01:14 AM
During our local school district's mid-winter vacation this February, my family and I traveled to San Diego, to visit my 91-year-old mother. The spring flowers were already in bloom, and I took the opportunity to photograph the asters and coryopsis growing on the embankment in the back yard.
My parents had a series of cascading water barrels on the embankment, and so, in the spirit of Water Falling Over Things, I tried to get a shot with both waterfall and flowers, but the flowers were pointing in the wrong direction.
As I finished up, twilight was nearing, and I got a shot of the sunset sky with typical Southern California palms and eucalypti.
I had promised my mom copies of these photos. Sadly, it was not to be. Although she was in fine health while we were there, she fell ill less than a week after we returned home to Seattle, and passed away last Monday. These images, it turns out, will really be the last ones I could capture in my parents' garden. I post them in memory of my mother, someone who brought more beauty into the world than a million flowers.
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Posted by regnaD kciN in Photography Group
Fri Dec 31st 2010, 04:38 AM
As I have done for several years running, I am concluding 2010 with a retrospective based on two rules:
1) Twelve images, one per month, and
2) None of the photographs can have previously appeared on DU.
And, as usual, I have to preface this with a complaint about how difficult the second rule is, since I tend to post everything good here as soon as I shoot it. This was an especial problem this year, since there were a couple of months were weather conditions cut way back on my shooting, and so some planned images never materialized. Nonetheless...
January took me to Leavenworth for their annual Winter Festival (along with a white-knuckle drive back in an unexpected blizzard).
In February, on the other hand, the unusually-mild winter brought us the odd sight of rhododendrons blooming several months ahead of schedule at the local arboretum.
March brought the daffodil bloom under a stormy Skagit Valley sky...
...while April took me to Woodburn, Oregon, for the most photogenic tulip farm in the Northwest, Wooden Shoe.
In May, I made a long-awaited return to Tanner Creek and Wahclella Falls.
And, to continue the Water Falling Over Things motif, June brought me to central Oregon's Proxy Falls.
July found me on my first trip to the Palouse farming region of southeast Washington.
August marked a photo trip I'd been wanting to take for years, to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. I posted a number of shots here from Schwabacher Landing (one of the national icons for landscape photography); however, to my surprise, I realized that I never posted the image that came to be my favorite from that spot. Here it is.
September marks the last gasp of flower-growing in the Northwest, as the dahlias come into bloom. This one was taken at a dahlia farm not far from my house. I'd never made a point of photographing dahlias before, the way I'd always do with daffodils and tulips in the spring, but I expect to be remedying that from now on.
As I mentioned here before, 2010 marked a real washout for fall foliage up here. Since the trees weren't cooperating, I needed to make the October drive to Mount Rainier, where the ground cover was putting on its expected show.
Remember when I mentioned, at the top of this retrospective, a couple of months of bad weather conditions where I got almost no shooting done? Well, November of this year was the worst month for photography I've yet experienced, as extremely-late-summer-not-quite-fall suddenly shifted into full-blown winter, with heavy downpours, flooding, and, for a change, snow with subterranean temperatures and iced-over roads. I finally got this detail shot of the end of one snowy period; if I hadn't gone out with my camera that day, I'd have done no photography at all that month.
Finally, December brought about my expedition to a rarely-running Upper Franklin Falls, after a series of monsoons had turned it from a dry cliff into a true subject for WFOT.
It's been an interesting year -- while there were a number of major high points, such as finally getting around to visit Woodburn, Grand Teton, and Proxy Falls, conditions and circumstances meant that I didn't get around to some of my standard photo subjects (Mount Rainier wildflowers, fall foliage, Christmas light displays) without which the year somehow doesn't feel "complete." Next year, I expect to be concentrating on the local area more than in 2010 (after all, there are only so many twelve-plus hour drives I can put in with my age and gas budget ), and hopefully will be able to get to more of my favorite western Washington locations than I managed this time around. At any rate, as always, I wish us all joyful lives and great opportunities for photography in 2011.
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Posted by regnaD kciN in Photography Group
Thu Dec 16th 2010, 09:13 PM
Beyond a doubt, the closest waterfall to my home is Upper Franklin Falls, just north of the Green River Gorge. But, until a few days ago, I'd only shot it once in several years.
How come? Upper Franklin is what's known as a "seasonal" waterfall -- one that only exists at high-water periods. And, in Upper Franklin's case, make that a very seasonal waterfall, in that it seems to run for only a few days a year. (In fact, it's so "seasonal" that Waterfalls Northwest recently dropped it from their database -- although the fact that, despite its name, it's found about an hour away and on a completely different watershed from the well-known Franklin Falls probably contributed to the decision.)
My first experience of Upper Franklin was in early spring several years ago, at a time when I didn't have the equipment or circumstances available to take more than a few quick "grab shots." A few days later, I went back, this time with enough gear to get a good photo...only to discover a dry cliff. I've been back a few times since then, only to be frustrated each time.
Well, last week, we had a huge series of monsoons hit the area, being carried up along the prevailing winds from Hawaii, pushing much of the region into "Flood Warning" territory. I realized that this was probably the best chance I'd have to catch Upper Franklin in action. As you can see, I was not disappointed.
This, I suspect, will bring WFOT2010 to an end. Hopefully, next spring will finally give me the chance to make it to Punch Bowl Falls in the Columbia Gorge.
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Posted by regnaD kciN in Photography Group
Sun Oct 17th 2010, 06:36 PM
As I've mentioned before, out here on the western side of the Cascades, we have "bottom-up" fall color. Since the vast majority of the trees are evergreens, we don't get the yellow, orange, and red leaves you find over the mountains on the eastern side. Instead, it's the ground-cover -- huckleberry, vine maples, and assorted shrubs -- that change color, providing a bright carpet under the unchanging green of the pines and firs.
Since, for reasons probably related to the El Ni�o winter last year, this has been a relatively poor autumn for foliage throughout the northwest (the PNW Nature Photographers' "Fall Color Outing" was canceled this year due to, and I quote, "no fall color" ), my only choice was to forgo the east Cascades aspens and cottonwoods in favor of western ground-cover. Since, this year, I hadn't yet been to Paradise (however many times I'd been to me), it was time to drive up to Rainier and check out autumn on "The Mountain." Fortunately, the poor foliage conditions for trees didn't apply to the shrubs there...
Myrtle Falls
But, as spectacular as the front-lit views of The Mountain were, what really became special was the hike back down, with the backlight turning the bushes into a riot of brilliant color. Although there was no photogenic mountain background, and a constant struggle finding angles that wouldn't be ruined by lens flare, I think these give some idea what the experience was like.
Posted by regnaD kciN in Photography Group
Sun Oct 17th 2010, 04:20 AM
...a "brand new" waterfall! (If one can consider "brand new" a fall that tens of thousands of people drive past every year, that is.)
Last Thursday, I was driving to Mount Rainier to try to get some images of the mountain in autumn. On the way down, I was taking State Route 123 over Cayuse Pass. As you drive through the forest, there are a number of gaps in the foliage along the east side of the route, which is built along the base of a Rainier foothill. Most of these gaps are just for creeks (running or dry) or rockslides, but occasionally, you'll see a small waterfall along the side of the road, nestled in one of those gaps. For example, last year, I "discovered" a fall that turned out to be Zigzag Falls (which I covered in this post). But I thought I had a pretty good grasp on the real waterfalls (as opposed to the slanted-creeks-that-kind-of-look-like-waterfalls) along 123. Therefore, it was a surprise when I turned to look in one of those gaps about a mile and a half past Cayuse, and saw a 15-to-20-foot "real" waterfall that I had never noticed before. Fortunately, there was a pullout nearby, so I was able to stop the car and get a photo of this new discovery.
Upon returning home, I checked, and found this fall listed in neither the Waterfall Lover's Guide to the Pacific Northwest nor the Waterfalls Northwest database, the two most-reliable sources for waterfall information up here. I contacted Bryan Swan, the owner of Waterfalls Northwest, with a description and photo of the fall. I got back his reply last night -- this is definitely a waterfall he himself had found, and named, while hiking through the area, but one that wasn't in his database yet -- it was due to be added in the next few months, once he could get a photo of it himself. Interestingly, he says that the portion visible from the road is only the lowest part of the fall, and that it actually continues up the hillside quite a distance, so the height might be in the hundred-plus foot range rather than the smaller size I guessed.
At any rate, since this waterfall has apparently never appeared in any reference source yet, I hereby present to you Seymour Peak Falls:
I hope to get back there when Cayuse reopens next spring, when the water should be running a lot higher. Maybe I'll be able to find a vantage point to get the entire fall, instead of just the lowest levels seen here.
Posted by regnaD kciN in Photography Group
Tue Sep 07th 2010, 05:04 PM
In the last two weeks of August, my family and I journeyed to darkest "red state" America, fearlessly braving the dangers of hordes of rampaging teabaggers, to discover the splendors of Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks.
NOTE: Whoever it was here who railed against "photographic clich�s" should probably leave the thread right now, because virtually every location in Grand Teton has long since become a photographic clich�...but one well-worth encountering for yourself.
To start out, what has been described as "the most-photographed beaver pond in America," with the Cathedral Group reflected in the waters of the Snake River at Schwabacher Landing.
Several of the barns along "Mormon Row" -- first, the John Moulton barn...
...and the Thomas Alva Moulton barn...
...and one I call Little (Out)House On The Prairie.
One of the iconic views of the Tetons is from the Snake River Overlook, made famous from the photo by Ansel Adams. Ironically, this is a case where nature has trumped nature photography, as the trees on the slope below the overlook have grown since Adams captured his image sixty-eight years ago, now completely blocking the lower bend of the river. In not too many more years, they will have blocked any view of the river at all, but, for now, this is what remains.
Of course, that didn't stop me from trying my own version of the Adams image...
...but, given the circumstances, I found a more interesting use of the cloudy sky (and the reflection off the river) near sundown.
Here is Mount Moran (no jokes, please) and the waters of String Lake.
And more images of Moran, this time from Oxbow Bend, first before dawn...
...and at sunrise...
...as well as a final shot at sunset.
On my last morning of shooting, I returned to Schwabacher Landing, and this time did find something original -- the standard sunrise view, but with a lenticular cloud atop the Tetons. I've seen dozens of images from this location, but never one with a lenticular before -- and I might, for once, be the only one to have captured such an image, since, amazingly enough, there was not a single other photographer there that morning.
The story continues here.
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Posted by regnaD kciN in Photography Group
Tue Sep 07th 2010, 05:03 PM
The second, too-brief part of the trip took us to Yellowstone. First stop was the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, and this view of Lower Falls.
At the Midway Geyser Basin, I found possibly the quintessential Yellowstone image: the colorful, deceptively-placid waters of Opal Pool with a typical Wyoming landscape for a backdrop.
Part of the adjoining Turquoise Pool.
Excelsior Geyser isn't technically a geyser anymore, as repeated eruptions dislodged the constriction that distinguishes a geyser from other thermal features, and now it's merely another hot spring, albeit a large and colorful one.
From the time I first considered visiting Yellowstone, there was one site I wanted to photograph more than any other: Grand Prismatic Spring. However, the cold and windy weather was to play a trick on me here, as it was producing so much steam (usually blown right in the direction of the boardwalk) that the spring itself was usually invisible. Finally, on our way out of the park, I stopped for one more try and, this time, was able to get some abstract glimpses through the steam when the wind shifted.
Finally, is there any need to even identify this subject? Eruptions every 93 minutes or so -- and, that morning, I was lucky enough for it to take place just as the omnipresent cloud cover broke and allowed me a patch of blue sky for the background.
As we left the park on our way back home, it started to snow...
Posted by regnaD kciN in Photography Group
Thu Aug 05th 2010, 04:36 PM
As amazing as it seems, although I�ve been living in the Pacific Northwest for more than a quarter-century, virtually my entire time has been spent west of the Cascades. Until this past July 3rd, the furthest east I had ever traveled was midway across the state.
Finally, the day before Independence Day, I made a very long drive to a long-time item on my photographic "bucket list," the rolling wheatfields of the Palouse, in the southeast corner of the state. Fortunately, at the time I was able to get out there, the new wheat had reached a considerable height, but still carried the green of spring. Later in the summer, of course, everything would have turned golden � still making for wonderful photographs, but not the freshness for which I was looking.
When Pigs Fly, already seen in July's photo contest, was a "grab shot" taken while making a loop on the farming roads of the region.
Aside from the photo opportunities available from simply driving the roads in the area, there are two buttes offering elevated views of the region. Kamiak Butte is lower with more trees, and a view facing north.
Steptoe Butte is the tallest point in the area (it has all the region's television transmitters at the top), and a good vantage point for sunrise or sunset images, although I found it better to shoot from about halfway up at sunset, as the haze gets too thick at the top. The first photo here was taken from the summit around mid-afternoon, while the remainder were taken from a pullout part-way up the butte just as the sun was going down.
Posted by regnaD kciN in Photography Group
Tue Jun 22nd 2010, 02:56 AM
Last Saturday, I had the chance to get down to central Oregon, for a shoot at a location that I'd been wanting to visit for several years: the Proxy Falls Trail. Was the experience worth it? To be honest, I still haven't decided...and that's why this is the first WFOT installment with a poll attached, just as its the first one with far more words than pictures.
To begin with, this is as far afield as I've traveled on a photo "day-trip" -- approximately six to seven hours each way. Normally, the farthest I'll travel is about four-and-a-half hours away, and I really wasn't prepared for the road time. At other times, I might have considered making this an overnighter; but, needing to be home for Father's Day, that wasn't an option. And, since this might have been the last June weekend day with overcast in the forecast (June being supposedly the best month for shooting this fall) I figured it was "now or never."
Proxy Falls Trail is laid out as a loop, and every guidebook I've seen recommends hiking it in a clockwise direction, it being shorter and easier to get to both of the two falls, at which point you can decide to backtrack instead of completing the longer part of the loop. Upon arriving, I found out that this was not an option, due to a "house-sized log" blocking the desired trailhead. The only choice was to go counterclockwise and then return the way I'd come, meaning a longer and harder hike. It was at that point that I discovered the second "inconvenient truth" about shooting Proxy Falls; that, even though the El Ni�o year meant a mild winter for Washington, apparently the same was not the case for the Oregon Cascades. Not only were water levels running unusually high, but the rhododendrons (normally one of the main reasons for shooting this location in June) had not yet begun to bloom. Had I known both of these situations, I would have waited and prayed for an overcast weekend day sometime in mid-July.
In any event, I made it up the trail, past the spur to Proxy itself, to the first (and smallest) waterfall, Upper Proxy Falls (sometimes just known as Upper Falls).
If the angles on this fall seemed somewhat obscured, it's because the normal fifteen-foot-diameter plunge-pool at its base was more like thirty-five or forty feet (see "water levels running unusually high," above), meaning that the ideal tripod position would have been in a foot or two of water. Since I didn't know this would be the case, I didn't bring my waders along on this hike, and so had to be content with trying to find a set of tripod holes on a steep slope going down to the pool; even the "best" views of Upper Proxy were blocked by something or other...
...and so, in the end, the best I could do was to shoot the rapids at the very bottom of the fall.
Leaving Upper Proxy behind, I moved on to the "main attraction," Proxy Falls, renowned as one of the most photogenic waterfalls in the country.
The picture above doesn't begin to do it justice, simply because you can't really convey scale in an 800-pixel-tall image; imagine a fall 250 feet high, with the water breaking into dozens of mini-trails over moss-covered rock, then dropping through an undercut onto a series of basalt "steps" somewhat resembling Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland. As you look at the photo, also imagine a sense of the water constantly in motion on its multitude of passages, instead of being frozen in time by the camera's shutter. I wish I could find a way to convey it; "breathtaking" doesn't come close to an accurate description.
Still, as impressive as that was, I was well aware that the best photos I've seen of Proxy Falls haven't been from the upper viewpoint, but up-close-and-personal ones from the riverbed directly below the falls. Accordingly, after taking a bunch of "record shots" from the viewpoint, I packed up my equipment and started to follow the trail down to the base of the falls.
And, then, I discovered the third "inconvenient truth" -- there is no trail down to the base of the falls. The trail basically stops just past the viewpoint, and it is up to the visitor to figure out a route down a steep, slippery slope to the river's edge a hundred or so feet down -- and, just as importantly, a route back up again. (This is where I air my gripe about the many guidebooks that describe the hike to Proxy Falls as "easy" -- re-reading them, I realize that what they're referring to is the hike to the upper viewpoint, not to the base of the falls. In retrospect, it also explains why so many of those "best photos I've seen" turn out to be the work of only a handful of photographers -- those young and agile enough to make it down to the best vantage points.)
After making a couple of attempts on my own, each ending when I found myself hanging onto a tree, realizing that the next step might cause irreparable damage to either my bones or, worse, my equipment. Finally, I went back to the upper viewpoint and asked if anyone there had experience getting down to the base. As it turned out, the only ones I found were a couple of young kids with a rather expensive Nikon, who proceeded to show me their route -- unfortunately, although it looked easier than the ones I tried, it was blocked by a fallen tree-trunk which was quite easy for young kids to duck under, but thoroughly impossible for a less-than-agile fifty-something like myself. (In any event, the same two kids returned a few minutes later, reporting that the aforementioned high water meant extremely slippery conditions at the base of the falls, plus enough spray to make photography down there pointless.)
So, with no other option available, all I could do was return to the upper viewpoint, break out the telephoto, and try to get "close-up" shots from a distance. (For obvious reasons, the resulting images will be at the bottom of the post, near the poll question.)
Meanwhile, on the way back to the road, the trail took me through a forest glade just as the sun illuminated the small tree at its center...
...and, afterward, through a lava-flow from an extinct volcano, with new growth emerging from the volcanic rocks and remains of older growth providing a sobering reminder of what is often the fate of living things trying to gain a toehold among the stones.
So, finally, we get to the shots I mentioned, the "plan B" attempts to capture Proxy Falls via long lenses, all taken from more-or-less the same vantage point, with different focal lengths and orientations. Keep in mind that these look nothing like the images I had long hoped to find at Proxy, based on other photos of the falls I've been seeing for years. Because of the length of the drive, I doubt I'll be returning here again, so these are probably the only images I'll ever take of this location. Did I waste my time?
So, please be (brutally) honest: Was this trip worth it?
Posted by regnaD kciN in Photography Group
Sat May 22nd 2010, 02:06 AM
This is a later-than-usual start to my WFOT series. Unfortunately, I think that will tend to be the norm for now on, simply because I've shot and re-shot every notable waterfall within easy driving distance of Seattle. (Do you really want to see yet another series of images from the same viewpoint at Snoqualmie Falls? Neither do I.) However, that means that I have to go further and farther afield to find new subjects, meaning full day or weekend trips, of which there are only a limited number I can manage per year. On the upside, each of those trips should result in images from a number of different falls, rather than just one or two.
So it was last Saturday, when I took a hunch on the weather forecast not being as dire as earlier predicted, and headed out for the 3.5-hour drive to Oregon's Columbia Gorge. My initial objective was to finally make it up Eagle Creek to Punch Bowl Falls, a Mecca for Northwest photographers I had never visited before.
Initially, it looked like my gamble wouldn't pay off, as the skies opened up just as I was crossing the river into Oregon. After a quick break for lunch, and just as the downpour was starting to die down, I decided to first try to bag a few waterfalls with drive-by access before deciding if the weather was lifting enough to justify the three-mile hike up Eagle Creek. Accordingly, my first stop was the familiar and easiest-to-access attraction along the Gorge, Wahkeena Falls.
Although the falls were, as usual, partly obscured (and never have been the easiest to shoot), it should be noted that Wahkeena Creek was running fast enough that you could easily make out the upper levels of the fall, at the top of the image, and not just the main attraction two-thirds of the way up.
Someone had left a couple of flowers on the stone railing by the lower part of the creek. I took advantage of them to create A Bouquet for Wahkeena.
As I finished taking the photo, I heard the unmistakable sound of a group of other photographers waiting their turn behind me. Turning around, I found myself encountering outstanding Seattle photographer and waterfall expert Bryan Swan, leading a group of workshop students. While comparing some notes on the day's shooting, I mentioned my Eagle Creek plans. Bryan informed me that, according to his sources, Eagle was running so high that, to get the Punch Bowl shot I wanted, I'd have to wade up to my waist in fast-running snowmelt. Seeing as I had neglected to pack insulated waders, it was on to Plan B -- a couple of trails that would feature one new (to me) fall, plus one I visited several years ago, but with which results I'd never been happy.
First up was easily-accessible Horsetail Falls, which have appeared here before.
However, if you take a short but quite-steep trail upstream from Horsetail, you find its source, Ponytail Falls.
The trail to Ponytail passes behind the falls before heading onward. Here's a shot from behind the falls (the pool forms the source to Horsetail), with the Columbia River and Gorge in the clearing beyond.
On the way back down the trail, the sun, improbably, came out. However, since Horsetail Falls itself was shaded by the cliffs surrounding it, I was able to get that most-unusual of waterfall photos: an image with both slow-shutter-speed flowing water and backlit, sun-dappled foliage.
Then, it was on to Tanner Creek, and the mile-long trail (which, I swear, gets steeper every time I hike it ) to Wahclella Falls. Last time I visited there, a series of mishaps (long story -- don't ask) resulted in me taking a whole afternoon's worth of photos without a polarizer, then trying in vain for the next two years to find post-processing settings to mute the glare off the leaves. Needless to say, I didn't make the same mistake again.
If you look carefully above Wahclella in the previous photo, you can see a small stream of water dropping sideways into the gorge. That is actually a completely-different waterfall, East Fork Falls, which is nearly impossible to shoot with a better angle and greater view than this admittedly-limited one.
On the way back down the trail, I stopped for a few shots of Munra Falls, a small waterfall that is very hard to shoot because of its closeness to the trail. How close? I think this picture tells the story.
While it's virtually impossible to get an image of Munra in its entirety, it lends itself very well to detail shots and impressionistic close-ups.
That was all for this trip. I'm hoping to get back to Oregon at least twice more in the next month; once for that "holy grail" hike of Eagle Creek, the other for an encounter with central Oregon's Proxy Falls, another photographic icon of the Northwest.
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Posted by regnaD kciN in Photography Group
Mon May 17th 2010, 07:00 PM
Since we've all been talking about limiting post-processing, and decrying "extreme" examples of it, I thought I'd like some reactions to what -- in the eyes of the particular beholder -- might qualify as "reasonable" or "extreme" post-processing.
People here will probably recall this image from my Woodburn tulip shoot of last month:
A nice shot, but I was bothered by the almost-blown-out sky above the sun, which even five stops of GNDs weren't enough to tame. It certainly wasn't what I saw in the viewfinder, but it was what the sensor, with its much-more-limited dynamic range, did. To my mind, it was the biggest flaw in the image.
Now, it just so happens that I took a second image eight seconds later, with the exact same framing from the exact same tripod position, but with the exposure compensation turned down a stop. The sky came out a lot better, but the foreground was very dark, and no Lightroom processing was sufficient to bring it up to a decent level. A few days ago, I decided to see if the images could be combined. I set the exposure parameters on the second image so the sky looked good, loaded both photos together as layers in a single Photoshop file, and used layer masks to blend in the sky from the second image over the sky in the first one. In short, a "manual exposure blend" HDR. Here is the result:
This is, to my mind, a much better image, and also closer to what I (with my greater-dynamic-range human vision) saw as I was photographing. But is it a legitimate use of post-processing, or is it an "extreme" Photoshop job? Is it HDR that should be shunned, or simply a manner of adjusting exposure to more-closely reflect the subject? If you were the host, and such an image were submitted, would you refuse to accept it as an entry? If you saw it appearing in a contest poll, and knew the technique I was using, would you say that I was "cheating" by entering it? I can imagine some people saying one thing, and some another. What should the limits be for this group?
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With the high school football season fast approaching, The Star-Ledger's 2013 Shore Conference previews continue as we take a look at the Class A Central division.
If you missed Wednesday's preview of Class A North, you can find it here.
TOP THREE: 1-Red Bank Catholic. 2-Rumson. 3-Manasquan.
BEST ON OFFENSE: It all starts up front for Red Bank Catholic, and it's hard to overlook 6-5, 302-pound lineman Quenton Nelson. The Notre Dame commit last year helped pave the way for a rushing attack that accumulated more than 2,700 yards on the ground. Now in his senior year, Nelson will slide over to the tackle position and team with Tim O'Hara on a line that is capable of shutting down any pass rush.
BEST ON DEFENSE: Rumson defensive end Don Bedell is a quarterback's worst nightmare. Not only does the senior possess a 6-4, 235-pound frame, but he matches his size with a skill set that makes him capable of taking over a game. The Rutgers commit tallied 12 sacks a year ago while also shutting down any runner who dared try his side of the line.
ONE MORE THING: Rumson has not been able to defeat Red Bank Catholic in a decade. This year the team has one goal: change that. The teams will kick off on Nov. 28 in a matchup that should pit RBC star offensive lineman Quenton Nelson and Rumson standout end Don Bedell head-to-head.
The Star-Ledger's coverage of the Shore Conference continues Friday as we take a look at Class A South.
Connor Hughes: firstname.lastname@example.com ; Twitter: @92Hughes92

subset: commoncrawl


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The 3.3-mile trail was part of the first BLM recreation site developed in Idaho. Construction began in 1963. In 1982, the trail was designed as a National Recreation Trail and offers an invigorating hike and beautiful views of Lake Coeur d'Alene. A Trail Guide describes the plants, animals and interrelationships of the forest at 22 marked stations along the trail.
The Scenic Area has paved parking that serves as a trailhead and picnic area. There are pleasantly landscaped turf areas, drinking water, two picnic shelters with tables, pit toilets and trash receptacles. All trailhead facilities except the upper picnic shelter are accessible to visitors with disabilities. The Mineral Ridge Boat Launch lies below the Scenic Area.
Each winter from November through February a migrating population of up to 150 bald eagles visit the area to feed on spawning kokanee salmon. An interpretive viewing program is offered annually from Christmas through New Years during peak migration. Directions 11 miles east of Coeur d'Alene city center.Take US-90 east from Coeur d'Alene for eight miles to Wolf Lodge Bay (exit 22), then go south on Highway 97 for three miles.
Are you unable to physically visit the Mineral Ridge Trail System? Experience a virtual tour of the hiking path by clicking each number on map below:


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Capcom pulling Marvel vs Capcom games from PSN and XBLA
No reason has been given although it's probably a licensing thing
Capcom is pulling their Marvel vs Capcom games from sale on Xbox Live and PSN over the next ten days.
Both Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 and Marvel vs Capcom 2 are to be removed from sale digitally on Xbox 360 PS3 and PS Vita.
As far as European gamers go both the games and the DLC will be pulled from PSN on December the 19th and Xbox Live Marketplace on December the 26th.
Capcom hasn't given a reason for pulling the games but things like this usually happen because of some kind of licensing issue with Disney who now owns Marvel.
Thanks MCV.
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- ZombiU PS4 and Xbox One port reportedly in the works
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- Gearbox's new shooter Battleborn gets a pre-E3 trailer
- Steam Controller launches in October, Steam Machines arrive in November
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While I admire people who found their true partner and it worked forever, it seems simplistic to assume that serial monogamists are "desperate" to be part of a couple. I mean doesn't staying married forever maybe imply a desperation to be part of a couple?
Anytime anyone lays one "right" model on a population, from nutrition, to procreating, to staying paired for life, one is merely foisting their bias on that population.
An example would be having children. Until I was (thankfully) in my 40s, you have no idea the number of condescending people who were sure that eventually I'd just have to want a baby to fulfill my biological imperative. In reality, the farther away I got from my idealistic 20s, the more sure I became that I didn't want children.
If n=1 for nutrition, surely n=1 for pair bonding, reproducing, and ideologies of all kinds.


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Boxes of these sell for under $2 at Wal-Mart regularly, making for a nice deal. I always have a box of panko on hand at my house.
Here's one of my families favorite recipes using panko: I take either boneless skinless chicken breasts or boneless pork chops and pound them thin. Dredge the meat in dijon mustard and then coat with the panko. Bake in the oven at about 400 degrees until the meat is cooked through. Super simple and very yummy!
I've also used panko in my meatloaf for a little crunch (okay, mostly because I didn't have any regular bread crumbs on hand) and it was very good.


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FORT WAYNE (www.incnow.tv) - Matt Syroczynski scored twice and added an assist as the Komets hit their highest goal total in a game this season with their 8-5 win over the Evansville Icemen Sunday night.
Syroczynski scored the first two goals of the game for the K's and was followed lighting the red lamp by Jason Hegarty, Brett Smith, J.P. Labardo,
Thomas Beauregard, Kaleigh Schrock, and Daniel Nycholat.
Nick Schaus added three assists.
The win coupled with a Toledo loss on Sunday left the K's eight points behind the Walleye for the final ECHL Eastern Conference playoff spot with six games remaining.
For highlights and postgame comments click on the video icon on the screen above.
What are your thoughts CLICK HERE to leave us a "QUESTION OF THE DAY" comment.
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text: I haven't abandoned PureoC! I have been insanely busy at work and barely have time to sleep. I have been working at least 12hrs a day, 5 days a week followed by a half day Saturday for the last month or more. It looks like it might be slowing down a bit. At least for the next week. The forcast for after Thanksgiving is bleak at best. New customer is killing us! 1300 new repair orders.......this week!!! Another 1000 on the way. At least Ill have Xmas money and hopefully money to buy me some new gear!


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I scratch and won. Not scratch and lost. Well let me redefine that, I scratched and broke even. I haven't bought a scratch and win in the longest time and I bought one on a whim.
I have school right after work on Monday and Wednesdays now and for the past 5 weeks I been picking up my Fantasy 5 tickets either the night before after the drawing or going to the gas station down the street to pick it up and rush to class. The other day I decided to go to a liquor store down the street from work. Something about that place that makes me want to buy lottery tickets. Scratch and wins to be specific.
I think it's that the place lines up the stacks on the counter for you to choose from instead of trying to read it off the wall.Which always is a deterrent in buying them. I wont' buy unless I can read them and it's in front of my face. So I buy a Red White and 7's ticket and after some scratching I won $2 bucks! Of course it cost me $2 so...I broke even. It was fun!
Will I go back? Of course! I won, rather broke even and tha'ts just good enough for me.


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SWARTZ CREEK, Michigan — Call it police instinct: Larry Pirochta had a funny feeling about the man at the funeral.
"I sit next to this guy that was at the funeral, and I kept thinking, that's our guy," he said.
It was 2006 and the Swartz Creek detective was in the middle of a case involving break-ins. That particular day, he was attending the service for a Swartz Creek fireman who died while serving overseas.
All Pirochta had to base his suspicion on was a surveillance photo, with only a partial shot of the suspect's face, from the night a gas station safe was hacked — one of a recent string in town. this recognition off of was a partial camera shot of him from a night a gas station safe was broken in to. At the time, there was a string of safe jobs in town.
When the man at the funeral was picked up for a safe job up north, Pirochta went to interview him. The man argued that he was from Swartz Creek and wouldn't dare do any dirty work in his backyard, to his neighbors.
"I said, 'Well, I beg to differ with you,'" Pirochta said.
Then he showed him the camera pictures. And Pirochta got him to confess.
It was one of many cases cracked by Pirochta in his 30 years with the Swartz Creek Police Department. He retired Friday.
"Larry was a fantastic cop," said former Chief Paul Bueche. "I worked with him for years. He was a relentless investigator."
Pirochta started with the department at age 24 after working security at Chevy in the Hole in Flint and two years as a police officer in Corunna.
"He's one that's always jumped in and helped," said Swartz Creek Chief Rick Clolinger. "He's made case after case after case off of fingerprint evidence."
In his career, Pirochta's seen crime, police work and Swartz Creek change quite a bit.
He's served under three chiefs, seen the rise of identity theft and Internet crimes and the cutbacks of recent years. City budget woes led to putting him back covering some road patrol in December. But he enjoys working from the car as well as the crime scene, he said.
The detective has the chance work part-time with the department starting in September, an option he said he'll likely take advantage of.
"I've enjoyed the guys I've worked with," he said. "This is a nice community to work for."


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by Steve Mueller | July 26, 2006 4:24 AM
One of the great advantages of Windows Mobile is its media capabilities, and the Motorola Q is no exception. Not only does the Q include Windows Media 10, but it has a 1.3 megapixel camera that can take stills and videos. Today I'll cover Windows Media, and my next entry will cover the camera and photo applications. Windows Media 10 first came out on Windows Mobile 2003 SE. However, it wasn't available when WM 2003 SE first launched, so it was made available as an upgrade in some cases. I believe Windows Mobile 5 is the first version with Windows Media 10 integrated on every device. As ...
by Steve Mueller | July 17, 2006 9:25 AM
As promised, I'll look at Pocket MSN on the Q today. Pocket MSN lets you run MSN Messenger, connect to your Hotmail account, send E-mail using Hotmail and go to the MSN Mobile Home page. MSN Messenger was added to the Pocket PC 2002 operating system and is still around today. Like most Smartphone programs, though, MSN Messenger on the Q seems more limited than on the Pocket PC. For example, you can control your privacy using Allow and Block lists and set your presence state (Online, Busy, Away, etc.) on the Pocket PC (at least on Windows Mobile 2003), but not on the Q. Another strange ...
by Steve Mueller | July 7, 2006 7:15 AM
As promised, I'll look at Internet Explorer on the Q today. If I get a converged PDA/phone, Web browsing is probably the one thing I would do the most. E-mail access is nice, but I don't really want to read, and especially respond to, E-mail while I'm out. However, there are many times I would love to browse the Web to compare prices while shopping, to look up facts during a conversation, to answer those trivia questions people throw at me sometimes, etc. For me, the Web is the killer app for converged PDA/phones. Internet Explorer on the Smartphone works a bit differently than on the ...
by Steve Mueller | June 30, 2006 12:31 PM
One of the benefits of smart phones is that you can access the Internet away from your PC. You can do that with a WiFi device, too, but coverage is usually a lot more limited. There are three main applicatons for Internet access on the Q Messaging, which does E-mail (and text and MMS messaging); Internet Explorer, which obviously does Web browsing; and MSN Messenger (hidden inside of Pocket MSN), for instant messaging. In the next three blog entries, I'll look at each one of these. With Messagaing, you can sync your Q with your PC and get your Outlook E-mail, which is easy to do. You ...
by Steve Mueller | June 29, 2006 12:00 AM
WARNING! This is a rant! While this doesn't deal with the Motorola Q directly, it does deal with issues involved with using the Q (or any Windows Mobile 5 device). When Microsoft introduced ActiveSync 4.0, I thought about installing it. After all, the latest ActiveSync should be an improvement right? And it was required to sync any Windows Mobile 5 devices, which was a long-awaited upgrade, and something I wanted to check out. After all, the Dell Axim x51v and the HP iPAQ 2795 looked pretty sweet. However, I still had an iPAQ 5550 running Windows Mobile 2003, and Microsoft themselves said ...
by Steve Mueller | June 25, 2006 6:31 PM
Motorola says the Q is a phone first, so how well does it work as a phone? So far, pretty well. I haven't had any problems with the audio quality, although calling my VOIP phone at work and putting it on the speaker seemed to have a hollow sound. However, as I was standing a few feet from the phone, maybe there was some feedback. In general, the people I've spoken to didn't seem to have any problems understanding me, and the sound at my end was usually good (although once with a Bluetooth headset, I did seem to get some choppy audio, but that could have been from the other end). As alluded ...
by Steve Mueller | June 23, 2006 10:41 AM
One of the most important things about a PDA, but one of the least often considered before purchasing, is battery life. Many of us like to focus on the processor, memory, screen, operating system, media capability and so on, but none of those matter if you can't use the device because the battery is dead. This is especially true for a converged PDA, which also serves as your phone. It's one thing to be without your PDA, but it's a whole lot worse to be without your PDA and your phone. The Motorola Q comes with a 3.7 Volt 1130 mAh lithium ion battery. But what does that mean in day-to-day ...
by Steve Mueller | June 21, 2006 9:48 AM
Monday was an exciting day for me I got a Motorola Q! Well, technically, our friends at Verizon Wireless sent me a review unit, but why ruin the excitement? So for the next few days (or, with luck, weeks), you'll be seeing my impressions of one of the most coveted Smartphones yet released. Before I get to the good stuff, let me set out my biases. The Q is a triple whammy for me my first converged PDA/phone, my first Windows Mobile Smartphone and my first Windows Mobile 5 device. This means that it may be hard for me to identify whether something was changed due to WM 5 or being a ...
by Steve Mueller | June 11, 2006 4:02 PM
Seen at the Computex computer convention, could the ASUS A639 be the best Pocket PC ever? Well, with the following specs, it just might be: Windows Mobile 5 (that wasn't specifically stated, but the picture implies it) Intel XScale 416MHz CPU 1 GB flash memory (yes, one gigabyte!) 64 MB RAM QVGA screen (no mention of the size, though) 802.11b/g Bluetooth 2.0+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate -- up to 2.1 Mbps) SiRFstarIII GPS It's not perfect, of course. A 416 MHz processor seems a bit slow in a non-phone system where battery life isn't such an issue. Maybe ASUS feels 802.11g WiFi is enough of a ...
by Steve Mueller | May 11, 2006 1:21 AM
Before it's even been officially unveiled, there's a review of the Motorola Q on Microsoft's site. There's also a main page describing the Q which links to the review and a very limited specs page. The reviewer, Kevin Ebi, seemed to love the device. He was especially impressed with the vibrant screen, the scroll wheel, the included voice recognition and the media capabilities. With all the buzz about the Q, do you think the device will be sweet as honey, or do you think users will get stung? Share your thoughts in the discussion.
by Steve Mueller | May 5, 2006 10:50 AM
A company called Eye-Fi has announced a product called Eye-Film designed for digital photographers that combines a 1 GB SD memory card with 802.11g WiFi. Sure, SanDisk offered a combined SD memory/WiFi card years ago, but this looks better for four reasons: It has 1 GB memory instead of 256 MB. It has 802.11g WiFI, not 802.11b. It looks like it's the size of a normal SD card, not an extended card, so it can fit more easily into various devices. It's supposed to be preconfigured to connect to hotspots more easily. As I mentioned, it seems to be designed for digital photographers who want to ...
by Steve Mueller | May 4, 2006 2:36 AM
According to Engadget Mobile, the long-awaited Motorola Q may be introduced on May 22. Verizon and Motorola have scheduled a joint news conference in New York on that day, so this could be the end of the wait. Are you looking forward to the Q or have other devices caught your attention by now? Share your thoughts in the discussion.
by Steve Mueller | May 1, 2006 1:18 AM
Handango InHand is giving $15 off of four software titles if you use their mobile client to purchase the software. If you have the mobile client installed on your Pocket PC, update the catalog and visit the Check out these sweet savings area. The programs eligible for the discount include: Pocket Informant, the ever-popular PIM software by WebIS eWallet, the popular encrypted wallet software by Ilium Software MyPersonalDiet, by VidaOne Multiplayer Championship Poker, by Realdice Have you tried Handango InHand before? If so, what did you think? Share your thoughts in the discussion.
by Steve Mueller | April 1, 2006 2:18 PM
A developer has just discovered a new registry hack to restore full Bluetooth functionality to any Verizon Wireless Pocket PC Phones. This is something everybody has been waiting for! It does require a registry hack, so break out your favorite registry editor and add the following key/value pair to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINETelephony as a DWORD value:: Uncripple 0x0401 Voila! Bluetooth should be working like you want! Unfortunately, I don't have a Pocket PC Phone to test this on. If you do, let us know whether or not it worked in the discussion.
by Steve Mueller | April 1, 2006 3:35 AM
HP announced the iPAQ hx401 today. It seems like the PDA everybody has been waiting for -- the successor to the hx4700, only better. Here are some specs: Intel XScale 624 MHz processor Windows Mobile 5.0 for Pocket PC with AKU2 288 MB Flash ROM (224 MB available) 128 MB RAM 4.0" 480x640 VGA screen GSM with EDGE 802.11g WiFi (yes, 54 mbps) Bluetooth 2.0 SiRFStar III GPS with TMC traffic data receiver Fingerprint scanner SDIO slot MiniSD slot The form factor is supposed to be similar to the hx4700, so it's probably meant to be used as a connected PDA, not a true phone, although with ...
by Steve Mueller | April 1, 2006 3:02 AM
I walked into my local Verizon Wireless store Friday to check out the xv6700, but look what I found. Yes, it's the Motorola Q! I had heard rumors that it might be released in April, but this beat the rumors by one day. Here are some specs and things that I like so far: Awesome 1.3 megapixel camera Phone: CDMA RAZR-like styling Internal antenna (no lumps sticking up) Lighted QWERTY keyboard Form factor: Candy bar Operating System: Windows Mobile 5.0 for Smartphones Only 0.47" thick Landscape 320x240 2.4" QVGA screen Storage: 64 MB Flash ROM, plus MiniSD slot I bought one on the spot. Are ...
by Steve Mueller | March 3, 2006 4:49 PM
PC Magazine has reviewed the Verizon XV6700, and their conclusion is that power users should go to Sprint and use the PPC-6700. Why? Well, I'll let a quotation from the review tell it all: "Boo. Hiss. Verizon's XV6700 could have been the best PDA/phone on the market today, with a great balance of small size, robust features, and decent call quality. Unfortunately, Verizon's decision to cripple the gadget's Wi-Fi abilities should send power users running to Sprint, which has a better version." They also rip Verizon for crippling Bluetooth Dial-Up Networking and not having a modem plan ...
by Steve Mueller | February 13, 2006 1:22 PM
HP has announced the iPAQ hw6940 Mobile Messenger on their Web site. The 6940 combines cell phone, WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS capabilities, making it one of the few consumer devices to do all four. Here are the specs: Windows Mobile 5.0 Phone Edition with Messaging and Security Feature Pack Intel PXA270 416 MHz Processor 45 MB available for persistent user storage (a bit low, I think) 64 MB SDRAM for running applications 3.0" transflective 240 x 240 64K-color display Integrated alphanumeric keyboard Quad band GSM/GPRS/EDGE 802.11b Wi-Fi (why not 802.11g?) Bluetooth 1.2 Integrated GPS receiver ...
by Steve Mueller | February 7, 2006 2:53 PM
As reported on C|Net, Mark Nelson, owner of about 8% of Palm stock, wants Palm to consider selling itself to a company like Research in Motion, Dell or Hewlett-Packard while it can get good value. He argues that Palm will have trouble competing against larger companies that are getting into the Smartphone business. However, Gartner analyst Todd Kort thinks Palm's independence can be an asset, allowing it to move more quickly than rivals. They don't have to worry about a bunch of devices like Nokia or Motorola do. Personally, I can't see HP buying Palm. HP already uses HTC to design Pocket ...
by Steve Mueller | January 14, 2006 7:12 AM
If you like the Sprint PPC-6700 (AKA HTC Apache) but have Verizon Wireless service, you're in luck. Verizon has released the UTStarcom XV6700. Just visit Verizon Wireless and pay $449.99 with a one-year plan or $399.99 with a two-year plan. When I visited, I also got an offer for $20 off select phones with new service, so you might even be able to get this for less. Here is the list of features on the phone from the Verizon press release: Windows Mobile 5 64 MB RAM / 128 MB Flash ROM MiniSD Card expansion slot Bluetooth (with support for the wireless headset, hands-free accessories, file ...
by Steve Mueller | January 6, 2006 5:47 PM
Sling Media has announced SlingPlayer Mobile, a Pocket PC client for the Slingbox video place-shifter. It appears that it will work with most newer Pocket PC phones and Pocket PCs with WiFi. I'm not sure how accurate the press release is, though — they claimed support for Windows Mobile 4 (does that even exist?) and Windows Mobile for Smartphone (but didn't mention any Smartphones, only Pocket PC phones like the Palm Treo 700w, Motorola Q, Samsung i730 and UTStarcom PPC6700). Windows Mobile 2003 support wasn't listed. SlingPlayer Mobile should be available this quarter. Pricing and ...
by Steve Mueller | January 6, 2006 4:23 PM
In more SD card news, if you don't like having to put your SD card into your computer or PDA just to see how much memory is left, A-Data may have the solution for you — a card with an LCD display built-in. When you plug the card into a card reader, it charges the display. They claim the display will be maintained until the card is plugged into a reader again, which seems optimistic for cards that you don't use for a long time. The cards come in 128 MB, 256 MB, 512 MB, 1 GB and 2 GB capacities and 80x speed. Now if only they'd combne this with SanDisk's built-in USB connector, we'd ...
by Steve Mueller | January 6, 2006 3:25 PM
The SD Card Association announced they're working on a new high-capacity Secure Digital format, SDHC. This will break the 2 GB memory barrier (didn't I just post about a 4 GB SD card yesterday?) and guarantee a minimum speed suitable for MPEG-2 video. The specification is expected to be finished "in early 2006". They have also announced three other SD specifications which seem to be for content protection (DRM, oh joy): SD-Audio, SD-Video and SD-Binding. The first two are obviously for audio and video, but the last is intended to allow cell phone carriers to bind downloaded content to a ...
by Steve Mueller | January 5, 2006 7:20 AM
No need to drool about the Palm Treo 700w. You too can have your own! Just visit Verizon Wireless and pay $549.99 with a one-year plan or $499.99 with a two-year plan. When I visited, I also got an offer for $20 off any phone, so you might even be able to get this for less. Are you planning on picking this up? Share your thoughts in the discussion.
by Steve Mueller | January 5, 2006 5:58 AM
eCost is selling the Transcend 150x 4 GB SD card for $209 after a $25 rebate. There will be a minimum of $9.94 for shipping and handling and sales tax in some areas. Even so, this seems like a pretty good deal with 2 GB SD cards still costing $110 or more. This is especially true with this being fairly new technology (unless I missed the availability of 4 GB SD cards much earlier). You may want to check the compatibility of the cards with your devices, though, as it may be limited. For example, my 2 GB SD card works fine in my iPAQ 5550, but isn't recognized at all by my Mobile Crossing ...


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Ghee Happy!
I've been bugging Sanjay Patel over at Pixar Animation Studios to hook me up with a drawing of Radha and Krishna for some time now. He finally gave in and sent me this little gem. Although he insists it was "crapped out," the sketchy angle gives it a nice flavor. Anyway, check out Sanjay's stuff here.
Posted by Ken Barber on April 21, 2006


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Michael Oren: What Happened to Israel's Reputation?Roundup: Talking About History
Mr. Oren is Israel's ambassador to the United States.
This year Israel is celebrating . . . a series of accomplishments that have surely exceeded the expectations of its most visionary founders. It is one of the most powerful small nations in history. . . . [It] has tamed an arid wilderness [and] welcomed 1.25 million immigrants. . . . The Israelis themselves did the fighting, the struggling, the sacrificing in order to perform the greatest feat of all—forging a new society . . . in which pride and confidence have replaced the despair engendered by age-long suffering and persecution.
So Life magazine described Israel on the occasion of its 25th birthday in May 1973. In a 92-page special issue, "The Spirit of Israel," the magazine extolled the Jewish state as enlightened, robustly democratic and hip, a land of "astonishing achievement" that dared "to dream the dream and make that dream come alive."
Life told the story of Israel's birth from the Bible through the Holocaust and the battle for independence. "The Arabs' bloodthirsty threats," the editors wrote, "lend a deadly seriousness to the vow: Never Again." Four pages documented "Arab terrorist attacks" and the three paragraphs on the West Bank commended Israeli administrators for respecting "Arab community leaders" and hiring "tens of thousands of Arabs." The word "Palestinian" scarcely appeared.
There was a panoramic portrayal of Jerusalem, described as "the focus of Jewish prayers for 2,000 years" and the nucleus of new Jewish neighborhoods. Life emphasized that in its pre-1967 borders, Israel was "a tiny, parched, scarcely defensible toe-hold." The edition's opening photo shows a father embracing his Israeli-born daughter on an early "settlement," a testament to Israel's birthright to the land.
Would a mainstream magazine depict the Jewish state like this today, during the week of its 64th birthday?..
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FREQUENTLY REFRESH this page for the latest. If you're viewing this on our mobile app, click here for updates and to comment.
7:10 P.M.: And that'll do it folks. Thanks for joining us the last few days.
Freese said he can go about 60 yards out, depending on circumstances— Kyle Meinke (@kmeinke) May 10, 2014
New Lions PK Nate Freese said he didn't expect to be drafted— Kyle Meinke (@kmeinke) May 10, 2014
6:39 p.m.: Get to Know, Nate Freese: Detroit Lions' pick grew up in Ohio, hit a 52-yarder for a win.
6:36 p.m.: The New England Patriots select Michigan wide receiver Jeremy Gallon with the 244th overall pick.
Van Noy said his dad worked at the parks department and would sneak him into flag football leagues when he was 5.— Kyle Meinke (@kmeinke) May 10, 2014
Nate Freese, ridiculously accurate, made 86.4 percent in career, all 20 last year.— Justin Rogers (@Justin_Rogers) May 10, 2014
6:12 p.m.: General manager Martin Mayhew said before the draft that Detroit could target a kicker to replace David Akers, who will not be retained after one season with the Lions. Freese becomes the immediate favorite for the starting job.
6:00 p.m.: THE DETROIT LIONS SELECT KICKER NATE FREESE WITH THE 229TH OVERALL PICK.
4:29: Get to Know TJ Jones: Detroit Lions' pick swims with sharks, impresses Mike Mayock.
4:29 p.m.: TJ Jones -- a 6-0, 189-pound wide receiver out of Notre Dame -- is coming off his best season, catching 70 passes for 1,108 yards and nine touchdowns. He flashed above-average speed at the combine, running his 40-yard dash in 4.48 seconds, and scouting reports praise his good hands. He joins a receiving corps in Detroit consisting of Calvin Johnson, Golden Tate, Ryan Broyles, Kris Durham and Kevin Ogletree.
4:14 p.m.: THE DETROIT LIONS SELECT NOTRE DAME WIDE RECEIVER TJ JONES WITH THE 189TH PICK.
3:58 p.m.: If the NFL doesn't work out for Caraun Reid, he could have another career ... in music.
Going out on a limb here, but Caraun Reid is probably pretty smart. He and Brandon Hepburn might cure cancer during a TV timeout.— Justin Rogers (@Justin_Rogers) May 10, 2014
Lions DT Caraun Reid blocked 7 kicks at Princeton; talk about being quick off the ball— Detroit Lions (@Lions_Insider) May 10, 2014
Your fifth-round pick Caraun Reid has some soul: https://t.co/tYZtsDy0qg— Justin Rogers (@Justin_Rogers) May 10, 2014
3:00 p.m.: Caraun Reid, 6-foot-2 and 302 pounds, joins a crowded mix at defensive tackle. The Lions return starters Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley, plus top reserve C.J. Mosely.
2:57 p.m.: Get to Know, Larry Webster: Detroit Lions' pick played hoops, fast like Jadeveon Clowney.
2:52 p.m.: WITH THE 158TH PICK IN THE 2014 NFL DRAFT, THE DETROIT LIONS SELECT PRINCETON DEFENSIVE TACKLE CARAUN REID.
2:30 p.m.: The Detroit Lions have traded the 146th pick of the NFL draft to the Dallas Cowboys, and won't be on the clock again until 158th. In return, the team received Dallas' seventh-round pick at 229th overall. Essentially Dallas and Detroit swapped 5th round picks and Detroit picks up additional pick in 7th.
2:18 p.m.: Get to Know Nevin Lawson: Detroit Lions' pick a two-time All-WAC cornerback.
2:07 p.m.: Bloomsburg DE Larry Webster measured in at 6-foot-6, 252 pounds at the scouting combine, where he ran a 4.58-second 40-yard dash, the second fastest among defensive ends behind only No.1 overall choice Jadeveon Clowney.
2:00 p.m.: The Detroit Lions wanted to add a cornerback, but a fourth-round run at the position left them reaching far down their board to acquire one. After nine corners and 12 defensive backs flew off the board in the fourth round, Detroit acquired selected Utah State's Nevin Lawson.
1:55 p.m.: WITH THE 136TH PICK IN THE 2014 NFL DRAFT, THE DETROIT LIONS SELECT BLOOMSBURG DE LARRY WEBSTER.
1:48 p.m.: WITH THE 133TH PICK IN THE 2014 NFL DRAFT, THE DETROIT LIONS SELECT UTAH STATE CB NEVIN LAWSON.
1:37 p.m. The Lions are late to the cornerback party. There have now been eight taken in the first 29 picks of the fourth round.
1:10 p.m.: If the Detroit Lions are going to select a cornerback in the draft, they best do it soon. Six corners have flown off the board in the 25 picks of the fourth round.
-- Download the Detroit Lions MLive app for iPhone and Android
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-- Like MLive's Detroit Lions Facebook page


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Faculty vacancies are generally announced in The Chronicle of Higher Education and/or the appropriate professional publications.
Following an announcement of a vacancy, the appropriate department chair will initiate a search for the new faculty appointment with the approval of the dean of the school, the vice president for academic affairs and the president. Christian commitment, competence in one's academic discipline, earned degrees, support for a liberal arts education, respect for the traditions and commitments of the sponsoring body and the ability to appeal and communicate to students are all important requirements for appointment.


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Grand theft, Richmond Road:
A woman reported Feb. 13 she realized her keys were missing when she returned to her vehicle that was parked outside of Planet Fitness. She went into all the stores she had shopped at in the Richmond Town Square Mall and learned someone had found a set of keys and tried to turn them in to an employee in the shoe department at one of the stores. She was told the employee told the person who had the keys to turn them over to mall security. Security did not have the keys and when she returned to her vehicle she found the keys laying next to the left front tire and discovered her doors were unlocked. She said a purse was missing from inside, which contained a wallet, valued at $100, debit cards, approximately $350 in cash and eight Valentine's Day event tickets, which had a combined value of $1,000.
Theft from building, Richmond Road:
A woman, 20, reported Feb. 17 her purse was stolen while she sitting in the food court at Richmond Town Square Mall. She said it was on the floor next to her table and she forgot it when she returned to work at a mall store and it was gone when she returned to retrieve it. Included in the purse was her driver's license, Social Security Card, credit and debit cards, $60 cash and a jewelry set, valued at $170.
See more Richmond Heights news at Cleveland.com/hillcrest.


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See Past Polls
October 25, 2010 Poll Results
Are rising gas prices, now at $3 a gallon, forcing you to drive less?
Note: This is not a scientific poll. The results reflect only the opinions of those who chose to participate.
The reason I don't drive less is that for 5 months I have done most of my travel by CDTA bus. I doubt I have spent $150 on gasoline in that time.
While it does take a little planning, and often takes a bit longer to arrive at a destination, it has been no hardship.
Did you know that a $4 daily pass will get you unlimited travel between Albany - Troy - Schenectady - Saratoga? That there are hourly buses between Schenectady and Saratoga, and even more between Albany and Schenectady? Purchase a monthly pass and the price drops to about $2.10 a day. If you are a senior (65+) or receiving certain social-aid programs, the prices stated above are cut in half.
Take the bus and kwitcherbellyaching about gas prices, really only up about 12%.
A perfect example of the "Overton theory" whereby they raise the gas prices to an extreme high (at least extreme from the low it had been), then we complain and curtail our consumption. So they lower the prices and we breathe a sigh of relief that FINALLY gas prices have come down. Not so fast... they only came down to an "acceptable range" (this being the essence of the Overton theory) to where we are comfortable spending that kind of money... when a year or so earlier they were much lower! It's all a political game and we are the pawns!
October 25, 2010
9:56 p.m.
We need to connect more cities with CDTA. Glens Falls to Saratoga To Albany-SCHENECTADY & TROY!
I've got to agree with SparkysDad about connecting to more cities ... but they (CDTA, etc.) certainly are not going to run empty buses while waiting for ridership to increase.
Middle aged and older citizens should be very concerned about the availability of public transit. The Baby Boomers are aging .. and everytime one reads about some horrific crash where some older driver was at the wheel there is a large outcry for getting "those old sobs" off the road.
Well, we all are aging and each one of us is going to be old, yet with less population in the generations following ours available to drive us around, as many of us are now doing for our parents/grandparents.
I don't want to see a day when I become a prisoner in my own home, or when I have to choose between food or gasoline. Does anybody?


text: URMC / Encyclopedia / Content Animals What is an animal allergen? Allergens found in animals are a common cause of allergic reactions in children. They are caused by the protein found in an animal's: Skin Dander Saliva Urine Household pets, such as cats and dogs, are the most common sources of animal allergens. Medical Reviewers: MMI board-certified, academically-affiliated clinician Pierce-Smith, Daphne, RN, MSN, CCRC


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Jeremiah M. Meacham
Jeremiah Martin Meacham, 25, of Norwalk, died Tuesday, May 6, 2014, in Port Charlotte, Florida.
He was born Dec. 24, 1988, in Norwalk, to Philip Martin "Marty" Meacham and Maureen (Gfell) Hafner.
He is survived by his mother, Maureen Hafner of Norwalk; three brothers, Matthew Meacham and Isaiah Meacham, both of Bellevue, and Brandon Hafner of Norwalk; and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his father, Marty Meacham, and a brother, Zecheriah Meacham.
Visitation will be 5-8 p.m. Friday, May 30, 2014, at Foos & Foos Funeral Service, 151 Yorkshire Place, Bellevue.
His funeral, officiated by the Rev. Juli Lejman-Guy, will begin at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, May 31, 2014, at Bellevue Cemetery.
Memorials can be made to the Caleb Meacham College Fund, in care of Key Bank, 51 E. Main St., Norwalk, OH 44857.


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But for the Staten Island Boys' Football League (SIBFL) in Travis, that's just the beginning.
The league completed work at the end of last summer on a new artificial turf field and youngsters from all over Staten Island had the chance to play on the premier surface during the past year.
Now comes word that SIBFL is looking to make more improvements to its facility, located at 1475 Travis Ave. at the intersection of Travis and South avenues.
"We're going to put new (artificial) turf on the other grass field and we'll be putting new lights on both fields," said league president Joe Calabrese. "We're doing repairs on the whole complex and we'll be putting a fence around the whole complex. Also, with the agreement with LandTek (the company installing the turf field), they're going to re-seed the practice field, put sprinklers in and feed the grass the right way."
The addition of the new lights will help the league save money in the long-run. Currently, the lights are about 25 years old and will be replaced with lighting that is more energy efficient.
Currently, just the one new turf field has lights, so the addition of another field with lights will allow the league to accommodate a larger number of football players who hail from all over the borough and come to the Travis site to learn to play the game.
Calabrese said this past fall, the league had over 600 players; another 480 played in the spring league.
"My goal when I took over (as president) two years ago is to make this league the best in all of New York State," said Calabrese. "We have the property and we have a great facility. We're trying to give Staten Island something to be proud of."
Calabrese said the renovations are expected to cost about $900,000. He hopes work will be started by the end of the summer.
</sub>JUST THE BEGINNING<rr>While renovating the complex is a great achievement, Calabrese said it's just the tip of the iceberg.
The president explained there are plans to improve and expand the league's programs, including its Challenger division, which serves children with special needs.
"We started the Challenger division and we're looking to expand that. We had a lot of interaction of our current players and coaches with that division," said Calabrese. "It really helped a lot and it was great to see those kids out there. You could see the smiles on their faces and they really enjoyed it."
The loop currently has a lower division for 7- to 9-year-olds, but that will change with the creation of a division in the fall solely for 7-year-olds.
"Now we want to try just a strictly 7-year-old division to give the kids more reps. We did a B team, which worked out well, but it will be nice for them to get more reps," said Calabrese.
The president said the league started a cheerleader program and hopes to increase participation in that as well.
The third phase of upgrading the league to become one of the premier youth football leagues in the state will be the creation of a Staten Island Boys' Football League Hall of Fame.
"In February, we'll have our first Hall of Fame class. We've been around since 1959, so we have a lot of history," said Calabrese. "We have a lot of players who played high-level football. But we also have a lot of successful business people who have done well in their lives that helped set the basis and set the characteristics of the league."
He said the league has not begun finalizing nominees for the inaugural class.
For more information, visit www.sibfl.com or call 718-761-4780. Calabrese can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com; donors can contact Rosana Salaris at email@example.com, and Hall of Fame nominations can be sent to Stephen Martinelli at email@example.com.
</tail>Michael Anderson is a sports reporter for the Staten Island Advance. He can be reached at email@example.com.


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This deal has ended.
Get this Kohler Cimarron 2Pc Toilet for $198 at HomeDepot.com. This is around $62 off the regular price, and with free in-store pickup, it's the lowest total price we found. It has a 2-piece design and comes in white. Order for pickup at your local store for free (otherwise shipping to your home adds $55) and sales tax is charged in most states.No longer available


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MOUNTAIN BROOK, Alabama -- Merchants throughout Mountain Brook Village are working around the clock today in preparation for the 13th Annual Market Day set to kick off Saturday morning.
From 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., the village's sidewalks will be lined with vendors, deep discounts, merchandise tents and countless bargains. The event, sponsored by the Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerece, will feature a European market-style ambiance. Dozens of vendors are set to participate this year, many with deals both inside and outside their shops.
Dande Lion owner Joann Long said attendees can expect sidewalk sales to begin at 50 percent off or more. Inside her store, she said, shoppers can expect a 20 percent off sale on select items.
"Bring cash or paper checks," said Long, "it's easier to deal with. She would know; this is her 13th year participating in Market Day.
Her store, known as "an accessory shop with flair," celebrated its 45th year in business last month. This year, The Dande Lion will host a drawing for one of its lamps.
"I'm not sure which one I'll raffle yet," said Long, "but it will be a nice one. We want people to come and have fun."
Each year, she said, shop owners can expect to see anywhere between 250 and 300 people on Market Day.
"We hope it's busy," she said with a laugh.
So too do some newcomers this year, including Elizabeth Adams from ExVoto Vintage Jewelry and Hutton Fant of Oli.O.
Expect to see one-of-a-kind and limited edition jewelry at ExVoto this year, all created from antique and vintage elements. Adams, who designs the jewelry, combines vintage lockets and pendants with semi-precious stones and freshwater pearls.
A portion of ExVoto Vintage sales go toward funding The Cure Starts Now Foundation for Pediatric Brain Cancer Research.
At Oli.O, a family owned and operated retail store, shoppers can expect to see (and taste) premium olive oils and balsamic vinegars imported fresh from around the world. Oli.O—short for olive and oil—opened in November of 2013.
Oli.O products are imported from both hemispheres, according to the store's website. Oils arrive from Spain, Italy, Tunisia, South Africa, Peru, Chile, Portugal, Argentina, Australia, and California. On Saturday, those wishing to venture into Oli.O can expect a 10 percent discount of half cases (olive oil and vinegar) and 20 percent off a full case.
Other vendors set to participate include: Antiquites, A'Mano, Bromberg's, Christine's, M. Lavender, Marella, Marguerites Conceits, Mountain Brook Creamery, Mulberry Heights, Olexia's, Paige Albright Orientals, Sew Sheri, Smith's, Suite Dreams, Swoop, Table Matters, The Cook Store, The Lingerie Shoppe, Trocadero and Village Sportswear
For more information, click here.
For all news Mountain Brook, click here.
To read more articles by reporter Ana Rodriguez, who covers the cities of Mountain Brook, Homewood and Vestavia Hills, click here to access her author page.


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Comments by Masij
Posted on May 10 at 10:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The Girls on the Run Program was funded through a grant from the Schenectady City School District Educational Foundation. We are pleased to be part of this program to support the girls at Keane School. If you would like to help us support more programs like this in other Schenectady Schools visit our website at: www.scsdeducationfoundation.org to learn more about our mission.
From: Girls on the run getting fit, building confidence
Posted on February 10 at 7:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The Schenectady City School District Educational Foundation is an organization that supports the students and teachers in the Schenectady City School District. In the 2013-14 school year we will award $30,000 to teachers to support and enhance education in Schenectady. We are an all volunteer board who works hard to raise funds to support students. We are a 501(c)3 organization so your donations are tax deductible and over 95% of money raised goes directly back to the teachers and students. Please check our website at:SCSDeducationfoundation.org to learn more about us and how to donate.
From: Schenectady schools chief may reclassify courses to save money
Posted on July 1 at 5:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The Doors at the Hollywood Bowl
The Monteray Pop Festival
Newport Folk Festival when Dylan went electric.
From: Rock 'n Roll Time Machine


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Models: Ryan Hart and Drake RockI was so riled up after blasting Ryan's throat with my cum during the foreplay, that I couldn't wait to push my raw cock his tight Irish ass and dump a load in him.
Starting on his back, Ryan took my cock rather easily so I rode his hole hard. When I lifted one of his legs in the air, his ass muscles cinched, gripping me tightly, and I thought I would cum on the spot. But I held back.
There is some great close up footage at this point of my cock barebacking his hole.
He rolled on his stomach, lifting his incredible ass arched in the air, and I fucked the holy hell out of him.
With my cock still buried deep inside him, I spoon and fuck him from behind. And again with my dick inside, I rolled on my back and he rode my bare cock reverse cowboy with his legs in the air. That position put him over and I fucked the cum out of him.
At that point I pulled out and then fed him his cum.
After the copyright I included my second cumshot when I cum deep inside Ryan's ass. After I regained control I pulled out and Ryan pushes for a creampie. Unfortunately, I fucked Ryan so hard that I slit him open inside, so I show you as much as I am allowed.


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Staff report
An online fundraising effort has begun for a Pomfret sugarhouse that was destroyed by a fire Thursday.
A campaign on the crowdfunding website, gofundme.com, is asking for $5,000 to help start the rebuilding process for Grandpas Sugarhouse, a Pomfret business owned by resident Duane Harrington. A fire broke out at the sugarhouse Thursday afternoon and took out tens of thousands of dollars worth of equipment owned by Harrington.
A message with the campaign says the business was not insured.
Update 3:15 p.m.: In less than eight hours, about $1,200 was raised and the organizers raised the goal to $5,000.


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The Karmapa International Buddhist Institute (KIBI) is an institute of higher learning in Buddhist Studies for international students under the management of the Karmapa International Buddhist Society (KIBS) — a charitable society founded by His Holiness the XVIIth Gyalwa Karmapa Trinley Thaye Dorje in April 2012. KIBI operates under the auspices of the education and culture branch of KIBS, and offers degrees and diplomas thanks to its collaboration with Mewar University.
Located in the capital of India, the country of Buddhism's origin, KIBI offers a rich resource for studying the scriptures and great treatises of Buddhism as they are preserved by the Kagyu tradition. The language of instruction is English. KIBI offers a 1-year Diploma, 2-year Advanced Diploma and a 3-year B.A. programme in Buddhist Studies that includes philosophy, history, religion and language courses.
Read more about the Academic Course >>
In addition public teachings and short-term courses on Buddhism and meditation are offered.
Read more about the Karmapa Public Course >>
Read more about the Public Meditation Course >>


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It's 6pm and the light is fading in Downtown Los Angeles. At the Electric Dusk Drive-In, the first customers are arriving in their cars. As cinemas go, it's pretty special.
The left side of the huge outdoor screen is framed by a grove of towering skyscrapers, which are reflecting the last rays of a peach-coloured sunset. To the right, the horizon is formed by the distant grandeur of the San Gabriel Mountains. Closer in, the ambience is vaguely apocalyptic — the drive-in is surrounded by low commercial buildings with broken windows and a shabby Bauhaus feel.
The Electric Dusk Drive-In can


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In December 2009, we started with the Jadan Health Program. In this program, the children of the Jadan school will be instructed about ways to maintain good health.
The first lecture was about dental hygiene. It will be followed by the topic - "What is healthy vegetarian food". The children and the teachers accepted the program with lot of joy and enthusiasm! And some of them had a toothbrush in their hands for the very first time!


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It's about time we had transforming houses. It is 2013, after all.
Artist Matthew Mazzotta, the Coleman Center for the Arts and the people of York, Ala., have made it happen. They recently worked together to transform a blighted house in downtown York into a new public art project and event space for the community.
At first what you see is in the shape of a small one-story red house, but it can physically transform into a 100-seat open air theater, free for the public. In January 2011, the Coleman Center for the Arts invited Mazzotta to the town to work on the project.
As you can see in the video below, Mazzotta and crew members completely tore down, burned and built the house from scratch to create the space in the same lot for a project called "Open House" in the Sumter County town.
Now the community can used the once-abandoned house to enjoy shows, plays, movies and any other local events. According to Mazzotta's Vimeo page, the when the theater is folded back up into the shape of a house, the property is a public park for the community to enjoy.
The project was awarded grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Visual Artist Network, as well as individual contributions, according to Mazzotta.
The Coleman Center for the Arts is a contemporary arts organization that uses art to foster positive social change.
Learn more about the "Open House" program at the Coleman Center for the Arts website.
Watch the video about the project below:
OPEN HOUSE - Matthew Mazzotta 2013 from matthew mazzotta on Vimeo.


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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.-- A more than 25,000-square-foot retail center in the heart of the Forest Avenue shopping district just sold for $5.25 million.
While current tenants say they hope to remain in the Port Richmond-based shopping plaza under the new ownership, real estate brokers for the deal alluded that the new owner could seek upscale tenants once current store leases expire.
"More than 50 percent of the leases at 1257-1267 Forest Ave. expire in less than three years, which presents the new owner with inherent potential for rental upsides and an opportunity for repositioning," said Adelaide Polsinelli, a senior director at Eastern Consolidated, who along with associate director Carlos Olson, represented the owner in the transaction.
"This is further enhanced by the property's 254 feet of prime frontage along Forest Avenue, the most active retail corridor in Staten Island."
The two-story, 25,860-square-foot retail center is comprised of 12, fully-leased retail spaces and includes a 41-car parking lot.
While Eastern Consolidated wouldn't release the name of the buyer, the seller of the property was Jam Realty.
Retail tenants at the building, formerly housing Blockbuster, include: Avon, Papa John's Pizza, Payless Uniforms, Crown Palace and several independent neighborhood retailers, such as CKO Kickboxing.
Most of the current tenants say they hope to stay in the commercial center, and renew leases with the new owner once they expire.
"Forest Avenue is a great place for a business," said Anu Boralessa, manager of Gyro King. While the eatery has been there for over four years, Boralessa said it's been under new ownership since January.
Other businesses that have a long history at the location say they don't have any plans to leave.
"We have been here for 11 years," said Redini Jayawardene, co-owner of Payless Uniforms. "We like it here."
Said Patty's Nails owner Carlos Garcia, "I came to this location a year ago and it's a very busy place. I plan to stay."
Occupying the center for eight years is Papa Johns Pizza.
"I think we have a long lease, it's for seven or eight years. We plan on staying here," said Neru Batra, manager of the eatery.
However, Myst Lounge hookah bar, a spot that had drawn the ire of its neighbors, received violations from the State Liquor Authority and was under the scrutiny of the NYPD, recently closed down its storefront in the shopping center, according to tenants of the building.
A note on the door said it was closed by a court order.