night

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It has been freezing cold here for a few days... and I have basically been spending it holed up and huddled up. But tonight we decided to make a quick run for some food. On the way... I got these photos of vintage neon on Route66 here in Albuquerque.

I've always liked alot of the vintage motels, cafes and neon on Route66... and it is even more impressive at night. All you really need for some killer night photography... is a stable tripod or monopod. Tonight... I actually forgot mine... so I used the top of the Jeep as stabilization for a longer exposure. The longer exposure allows more light to reach your picture... giving you more detail and color saturation.... provided you can hold the camera very very still... hence the tripod.
The photos for today's post are essentially straight out of the camera... proof that you can get clear crisp shots at night -- All I did was increase the color saturation ever so slightly to bring out the warmth of the brown on the cow.

For more on Night Photography... look here

*photos by Elaine A. Russell

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Late last evening, I realized that I hadn't taken my photo for the day yet. I had gotten sucked into listing things on Freecycle, and doing some odd stuff around the house... and I got side-tracked. Such is life sometimes.
And so... around 11:30pm... the daughter and I headed out to see what we could see... and to catch a photo. We ended up having a great time... and actually got photos for (technically) last night and today.
I have been working this week on my night-time photography skills (or lack thereof )..... so it was a good lesson for me. I am also coming up on my one-year anniversary of having just the Kodak point and shoot camera... and this whole year has been quite amazing in terms of my growth as a photographer... it is really quite exciting.





***all photos by Elaine A. Russell

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Yesterday I had a great time visiting with a friend... and got to look at some artwork she is working on. Fabulous! Stuff like this makes me more motivated to get my studio space organized so that I can get back to working again.

I've also been reading more as of late... probably because I haven't been sleeping well at night again... and reading is something I can do in the quiet of the night without disturbing anyone else in the house.

Last night, I took Sabrina on her nightly walk around the neighborhood... and took some photos. It is an interesting thing to try to take photos with a simple point and shoot at night... but I am learning some techniques to use with it to make the photos come out a little better.

--->photos by Elaine A. Russell


Here are some tips for taking photos at night:

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((( Om Shri Ganeshaya Namah )))

The blessing of being awake all night, is that I got to see the city at 3am... just driving around. I also was able to stop and take some photos... one of which became my photo for the day
(see link here ).
The city is truly beautiful at night. The lights are fantastic... the music in my car was great... and I had a wonderful time just being and enjoying the ride.
Sometimes you have to take those creative moments when you can.


*photo by Elaine A. Russell

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The wind whispered... blowing the curtains ever so elegantly around the window casings...the smell of rain teasing me as I lay there trying to drift off to sleep. The metal chimes in the distance gave an other-worldly feeling to the crystal clear silence of the night.

4am. Another sleepless night. At least it is cool. At least the sheets are soft and feel like a wayward feather on an otherwise heavy day. Off in the distance... a dove is cooing... and the dawn breaks.

-------------> photos by Elaine A. Russell

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One of the most amazing attractions in the area here; is Cherry Springs State Park.

Only about 15 miles out of town...just a short drive... is this worldwide renown site for stargazing. It is known for having some of the "darkest night skies on the east coast" of the United States, and was chosen by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and its Bureau of Parks as one of "Twenty Must-See Pennsylvania State Parks."

I could go on and on.... how it was land to the Seneca Indians... how this area was a huge part of the lumbering boom of the 1880's... how it was the site of a CCC encampment... (there were 8 of them in Potter County)...how the land is the plateau of the Appalachian Mountains, and surrounded by the Susquehannock State Forest ...(and home to tons of wildlife and vegetation)...

...but really... it is late... I am tired... and this site HERE... tells it so much better than I ever could.

So... here are some photos ...

..................................photo of young men in the CCC

...................................the main pavilion; built in 1939

.......................................astronomy domes



............................................all photos by Elaine A. Russell


(*the CCC picture is a photo of a photo ... which is on display at the park)

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Current Police headquarters for the town. It used to be the train depot. It is gorgeous.



Vintage train caboose... now part of the Coudersport Arboretum display



Back view of the caboose at night......



Today has been a really, really, long day. First of all... I slept til 2pm (except that I soon discovered that it was actually 3pm because if Daylight Savings Time). Took a shower, did some chores around the house.... and realized that today was the last day to enter photos in the Alibi yearly photo contest... so I worked on that.
Then, my niece called... so I spent the early evening hours helping her and my daughter put together a set of bunk beds (and watch 3 kids). It took longer than I thought it would... but they look great... and the kids seemed excited.

Afterwards, we went over to my local "Sheetz" gas station/super mini store extraordinaire... and started to take my photo of the day (with intent to include it also in my blog with a blurb all about Sheetz and how cool it is to have a 24hr mart like that in the little town of Coudersport).... but then the manager came out and proceeded to chastise me about illegally taking photos of the place (even though it is in the middle of the town... and I was across the street on other property). So... I deleted the photos. How sad.
So... instead I went to take some photos of the old train depot and a train car that is right nearby... and of a vintage sign.
It's such a small town... and most everyone is extremely nice... it just surprised me that she was so defensive and adamant about it all.

I am exhausted. Completely and utterly. And I didn't even really do anything today.

In other news: ... my dad is doing a bit better today. He is still massively distended... but he is progressing along. Still has the NG... still in alot of pain.... but better. The doctor told him that the pain meds may be contributing to his constipation/ distention.... so he didn't take any pain meds today at all. I encouraged him to at least take it at night. He is so stubborn.
No word on his impending transfer to the local hospital, so I will wait on going down. On one hand.... it would be good to go down and be supportive to my folks. On the other, if I go down too early I will really rack up the hotel fees, food costs, etc while staying there... which I can't afford to do. Somewhere in there is a happy medium that I am striving for.
My uncle's funeral is Thursday, outside of the Philadelphia area.... not sure if I can go or not.

It is still raining.
I fear this may be a trend. ie: Elaine is in town... it must rain.
The river is really high here. It runs right behind my parent's house, and through the middle of town. I am reminded of back in 1972 when we had a really big flood here. At that time, we were living in a bigger house on a hill... and when the floods came, we took in a couple other families that had been flooded out of their homes. I remember packing sandbags along the channel with my brother and dad. And as traumatic as it probably was at the time... I don't remember it being a scary thing. Plus.... the air around here smells so good .... wet and fresh with a hint of pine ♥

And... I saw some headlines as I was reading the news on MSN today. Apparently, those tornadoes and storms that passed through the Midwest when I was traveling..... they were only about 10 miles away from us; and only a few hours ahead of us. How scary is that.....and how fortunate we are ♥



----------------------------------------photos by Elaine A. Russell

pain



photos by Elaine A. Russell

i have been having problems with some really bad pain for about 3 weeks now... and it is definately wearing me out. emotionally and otherwise. so....as I lay awake trying not to notice it, it got me thinking about all the aspects of pain.

pain is such a subjective thing.
what may be painful for some, is just an annoyance to others. some are so used to chronic pain that nothing phases them. others, every little thing is one more straw that breaks them in two. pain spans the compass from emotional to physical and back again. it is transcendent. it can take you to terrible places, and yet it can also help you to rise above and bask in an altered state. pain can make you feel like you are dying, and it can also make you feel alive.
pain is part of the body's defense system, triggering a reflex reaction to retract from a painful stimulus -- yes, it actually protects us while it is inflicting us at the same time.
pain knows no prejudice. it rains on everyone without distinction. it crosses all barriers, ethnicity, age, and social status.
many great people have commented on pain actually being a gift- to help them towards enlightenment... and yet, it is also seen as punishment.
pain is immeasurable. there is even a problem known as Phantom pain.... pain from a limb that is no longer even there.
there is even Psychogenic pain, pain that is profoundly exacerbated by mental illness.
there is pain that is even preferred by some.. sought out purposefully... to bring pleasure.
pain is individual, and it can be pandemic.
here is a great link on the subject: