Birthday boy

by Posted in Black & White, People Leave a comment
youngh-1

Yesterday was my birthday and we went out to dinner and a fine performance of “Man of La Mancha” at the Westchester Broadway Theater.

My wife had earlier asked me to scan this old picture so that she could post it on Facebook and of course I neglected to do it. So on our return from the festivities I fired up the old scanner.

I have no memory of this picture being taken and I have no idea who took it – clearly it wasn’t me. I don’t even know how old I was. I have no recollection of my parents having a camera. Nor do I remember any of their friends having one. So I suspect that this was a “professional” photographer. I say “professional”, because of the sloppy work: my hair’s a mess (mind you it usually still is) and the “one collar in one collar out” seems to me to be something that a true professional would have noticed.

Although I’ve put on quite a bit of weight since then and now wear spectacles, I still have the hair and I’m told that the smile is still the same. Judge for yourself – below a recent picture taken outdoors at The Depot restaurant in Cold Spring. My wife also posted this one, which she took with her iPhone 5s.

youngh-2

What’s wrong with this picture?

by Posted in Flowers, Nature, Thoughts Leave a comment
whatswrong-1

Although you wouldn’t think it from the number of flower pictures I’ve been posting of late I don’t really like flowers all that much. While I don’t mind looking at them I’m not a devoted gardener – that’s my wife. However, I’ve always loved bluebells. They grow wild in the woods where I grew up and I was always fascinated by the carpets of blue that you would see at certain times of the year. So when I bumped into this cluster of bluebells at the NY Botanical Gardens I had to take a picture.

When I looked at it later the first thing I saw was the brown leaves. Now I could say this this was deliberate. That the whole pictures is about transience and even though you see the flowers in their full spring glory now, autumn is just around the corner. But this would be a load of nonsense. The fact is that in my enthusiasm to take the picture I just didn’t see them – not at all! The eye (and the human brain) is an amazing instrument capable of shutting out things you don’t expect to see. This just underscores the need to look really hard when you take a picture so as to see any distracting elements.

You may think I’m crazy not seeing the leaves, but I’ll refer you to a fascinating book called “The Invisible Gorilla. How our intuitions deceive us“.

Japanese fountain

by Posted in Things Leave a comment
japanesefountain-1

Taken at the Hammond Museum and Japanese Stroll Garden in May, 2012. The museum’s website describes it as follows:

The Hammond Museum was created as a foundation of support to promote global awareness and development of Eastern cultures with the West. It continues to reach out and support its wide community of artists and performers in the Greater New York Metropolitan Region.

The Japanese Stroll Garden was designed as an environment of natural beauty and tranquility, to delight the senses and refresh the spirit. It totally complements the Museum as a space where aspects of Eastern and Western culture can meet and can be appreciated through art exhibitions, concerts, special events and educational programs.

Revolving Door

by Posted in Black & White, Landscapes Leave a comment
revolvingdoor-1

This is another one of those pictures that I like, but can’t explain precisely why. It’s something to do with the way you look through the door and see the figures behind. The door is a little out of focus and the figures behind are sharper so you tend to zero in on them rather than the door. In fact as I write this I’m starting to think that “Revolving Door” is the wrong title as the picture is much more about the figures than it is the door. To me the figures are a little mysterious, almost surrealistic as they have no heads. And that shadow on the right – what’s that about?

Or maybe it’s just that it’s vaguely (very vaguely) reminiscent of some pictures by Eugene Atget and Walker Evans both of whose work I greatly admire.

Rockland Lake

by Posted in Landscapes Leave a comment
rocklandlake-1

Taken early morning (around 6:45 am) in November, 2011 – one of the relatively few times I’ve been able to get up early enough to get the nice early morning light.

The lake, and the State Park that surrounds it has some interesting history

According to Wikipedia:

Rockland Lake was known as “Quashpeake Pond” to the region’s Native American population, prior to the lake being given its current name, which refers to the county in which it is situated. The adjacent hamlet of Rockland Lake was originally known as “Slaughter’s Landing” before its name was changed to match the lake.

…

Prior to the establishment of the park, Rockland Lake served as an important supplier of ice to New York City after the Knickerbocker Ice Company was established on the lake’s northeastern bank in 1831. Rockland Lake eventually became known as the “Icehouse of New York City”, with a reputation for having the cleanest and purest ice in the area.

During the 1850s, the Knickerbocker Ice Company operated a dozen steamboats, 75 ice barges, and employed 3,000 people. Ice harvests typically began in January, and blocks of ice were stored in large icehouses before being shipped to customers during warmer weather. The icehouses, insulated with sawdust, could store up to 50,000 tons of ice.

The nearby Knickerbocker Fire House was established 1862.

The Knickerbocker Ice Company closed in 1924. In 1926, workers who were demolishing one of the ice houses accidentally set fire to the structure’s sawdust insulation. The fire spread extremely quickly and destroyed much of the village of Rockland Lake. The old foundation of the ice company remains today, marked by a historical plaque and bench.

For an interesting article on the village of Rockland Lake see: “Ghost Town: The Lost Village of Rockland Lake” by John Patrick Schutz in Nyack News and Views. It seems that the fire mentioned by Wikipedia was nowhere near as catastrophic as they make out. The article delves into the history of Rockland Lake both before and after the fire from the perspective of the author, whose family lived there. Well worth reading!