Blog: Photos

Most of these posts were originally posted somewhere else and link to the originals. While this blog is not set up for comments, the original locations generally are, and I welcome comments there. Sorry for the inconvenience.

The tomato that conquered Pittsburgh

This year I got three (different) tomato seedlings, all container-friendly, along with some peppers and other things. Having failed to do proper research, I allocated the tomato cages pretty arbitrarily. I should not have done that.

potted plants on a patio with a gigantic tomato plant in the middle

The giant tomato plant in the center is a Sungold. It seems to be in the process of conquering my patio, the neighborhood, and perhaps the city. It makes sweet, tasty, orange cherry tomatoes. I've had quite a bounty so far and there's plenty more to come. It was originally on that ledge with the others, but a month or so ago I realized that if I kept it there, I would not be able to harvest without a ladder. (So much for using that trellis.) At least this way I can climb up on that ledge to reach the ones I can't reach from the ground (or at least I hope I'll be able to reach them all!). Wowza. Next year, bigger cage! (They're very tasty, so I do plan to get this type next year.)

The other two tomato types are Patio Choice, advertised as good for small containers, and Mountain Magic. They both produce red grape tomatoes (Patio Choice are sweeter). On the right, not as clear in the picture, are two Cornito peppers and a banana pepper, all still working toward a first harvest. I've moved these around a few times over the course of the summer to try to optimize sunlight.

Neat sky!

Last night I looked out the window a few minutes after nominal sunset and saw an unusual and impressive color in the sky. Naturally, I ran outside to snap a few pictures before it disappeared.

These are unedited cell-phone photos, hastily framed because I know things like this don't last long. Read more…

New neighbor

A nest appeared just outside my back door a couple weeks ago. I saw an occupant early on, and then not for a long time, so I wondered if the nest were abandoned. Earlier this week I started seeing a bird in it again; I've tried to be careful in coming and going but she always flies away. This happened in the same spot several years ago and we eventually had a family of young robins, so I'm hopeful.

I managed to snap a picture of mom earlier today:

Image without description

Later I saw her fly away, startled by some small sound I guess, so I quickly confirmed my suspicion, holding a camera up at arm's length and shooting blind:

3 blue eggs

Yay, incipient chicks!

Eclipse

That was amazing. The difference between "most" and "total" really is significant.

We joined friends on a resort island in Lake Erie -- words I never expected to hear in the same sentence -- for a couple days. We had some clouds but they didn't impede seeing the main event.

I saw the "diamond ring". I might have seen a bead but I'm not sure. I saw the sun's corona with a big "black hole" in the middle with my naked eyes. I saw the "sort-of sunset" all around. So neat! Read more…

Skies over Pennsic

This isn't the Pennsic entry; this is the "you can see nice things when there isn't city build-up in your way" photo post. :-) Mostly sunsets, interesting clouds, and the full moon. Read more…

Neat clouds

We had a storm around dinner time. It passed, and I was treated to a really nifty sky right around sunset. I've never seen that shade of purple, and the "condensed puff" of the clouds is pretty neat.

I took these pictures over a span of about five minutes, starting ten minutes after nominal sunset. There are still bright spots in the sky, where it looks like the sun might be shining through, which I assume is caused by some sort of atmospheric refraction or something. Just...wow.

These pictures are straight off my cell phone, no alterations. Read more…

Living Treasures Animal Park

We recently visited Living Treasures Animal Park, right off the PA Turnpike. It's nearby for us, but we'd never heard of it until we got a recommendation. It's a family-run cross between a small zoo and a petting zoo, with care for the animals being a top priority.

They have typical domesticated animals that kids (and others) can interact with. I call this first one "pet me!" and the second one "feed me!": Read more…

How it started / how it's going

Remember this tomato plant from the end of May, when I thought the cage was overkill but they didn't have the next size down? Read more…

Considerations in remodeling

When choosing a floor tile, it's important to consider contrasts with key components:

light floor, dark cat

A little more photography

During Chanukah I tried taking some better pictures of the candles, as I mentioned then. Here are a few more successes from later days. Read more…