Greenwich Point Park – Old Greenwich, Connecticut


Tide pool.

These are some of the first shots taken with my then new Sony Nex 5N. They were taken early on a November morning in 2011. The light was gorgeous. Unfortunately, I can only rarely make myself get up early enough to benefit from this kind of light. I usually shoot RAW but for some reason (maybe I wanted to see if the quality of the jpg image was such that I could switch to it and avoid the RAW processing) these are jpgs. Subsequently all of my images have been RAW so I imagine I must have either not liked the jpgs or (more likely) I just enjoy the extra freedom given through processing RAW files.


Grasses.


Tree by the beach.


Man with a metal detector


Footprints in the sand.


Benches.

Dogs


When I set up the menus for this blog I included a category called ‘Animals’. This seemed like a good idea at the time but looking back on it a see that I’ve actually posted very little related to animals. Browsing through my past pictures on a snowy day I discovered that I did have some pictures of dogs – so here are a few of them.

This post also provides an interesting comparison of two quite different cameras. The first three pictures were taken with a Panasonic ZS3 (at the time my carry everywhere camera, but since given to one of my grandchildren and replaced with a Sony RX-100). The Panasonic has, typically for a compact camera, a small sensor. It also has a ‘Leica’ branded lens with a considerable zoom range (25-300mm equivalent). The problem with having such a long zoom lens is that you tend to use it. Unfortunately it becomes hard to focus and lens shake can become a real problem. This, combined with the small sensor, can lead to less than stellar image quality. You don’t see it so much in these scaled down, internet ready images, but it’s much more apparent if you look at 100% crops of the orginals.

The last two were taken with a Sony NEX 5n and its 18-55mm kit lens. This uses a much larger (APS-C) sensor, which provides much better image quality. Of course, the NEX also offers interchangeable lenses.

The RX100 lies between the two and is a good (if much more expensive) replacement for the ZS3.

The first three pictures were taken at the Hammond Museum and Stroll Garden annual blessing of the animals.


Do you think there’s anything to owners coming to look like their dogs?


I’ve had enough of this snow!!!


Taken outside a Peruvian restaurant in Port Chester, NY


And finally our very own ‘Jackson’ seen here with my wife, Eirah

Oldies: Independence Day, July 4, 2005


Lovely Lady Liberty

Way back in 2005 we went into the city to watch the Independence Day fireworks from a boat in New York harbour. We had dinner and drinks on the boat and then watched the fireworks display. The drinks were fine. The food was ordinary and the fireworks were, as always spectacular.

Pictures taken with a Canon Powershot S50


Tugboats in New York Harbour


Another lovely lady: my wife Eirah on the boat


Boats, New York Harbour


Staten Island Ferry Boat


Another view of the tugboats

Messing around at home


Little Angels

I haven’t been able to get out much for the past few days. I threw my back out shoveling snow; then we had friends over and I spent most of the day cooking. Our water conditioner started to leak (just a tiny amount of water thankfully). It’s ancient and I have no idea how it works since the previous owner of the house didn’t leave a manual. So I bit the bullet and decided to replace it. Today I stayed at home waiting for the them to come to do the work. Since I was here I thought I’d try to take a few pictures around the house.

All pictures taken handheld (because once again I was too lazy to get out the tripod) with a Sony RX-100.


Flower


Sea Shell


Cat


African Sculpture


Plates

Red Mills Park, Mahopac NY


Red MIlls Historic Park is a small but interesting former site of two mills: a grist mill and a ‘carding mill’. I’d never heard of one of these, but Wikipedia describes carding as: “… a mechanical process that disentangles, cleans and intermixes fibers to produce a continuous web or sliver suitable for subsequent processing This is achieved by passing the fibers between differentially moving surfaces covered with card clothing. It breaks up locks and unorganised clumps of fibre and then aligns the individual fibres to be parallel with each other.” The mill must have automated this process.

A New York Times article from 1991 states:

One of the first areas in Mahopac to be developed was what is now the corner of Route 6N and Myrtle Avenue, where there was a fast-flowing stream powerful enough to turn large mill stones. In the 1700’s, a grist mill — the largest building in Putnam County — was built there. During the Revolutionary War, soldiers guarded the mill so grain could be ground to supply food for the army. One of the original mill stones now forms part of the front steps of the Red Mills branch of the Mahopac National Bank.

For those interested in the technology used in the old mills a large sign provides a description. Other signs cover the economic importance of mills at that time and provide the history of two local churches.

The stone waterways are impressive. Made of local stone from a nearby quarry the are not connected to the mills and were not built until later. They meader through the park and are crossed by a number of wooden footbridges.

There’s a large gazebo on the site. One of the information signs points out that the top of the gazebo mimics that of one of the old churches, formerly on the site but long since moved.

The park is along the route of Sybil Ludington’s ride as a nearby historical marker points out.


Statue in the park. I’ve no idea what, if anything, it represents.


One of the watercourses


Gazebo and water course


Icicles on the adjoining Bank.