Landscapes and Other Venues
August 31, 2013
August 30, 2013
August 9, 2013
July 27, 2013
July 24, 2013
Small Is Wonderful!
That is, small streams are wonderful. I am just intrigued by the running water over small rocks, the variety of plants growing on the banks, and any flowers or plants I can see. Here are a few photos from our vacation this summer near Halifax, PA, USA.
A Water Fall on a Small Stream, near Halifax, PA, USA (19-July-13; © Richard L. Bowman)
I have put together a one-minute video from this small water fall and one that I had photographed a year ago. The video, "Small Stream Water Falls," has been uploaded to YouTube. Below are two more photos within a dozen yards (meters) or so of the one above.
A Quiet Spot along a Small Stream, near Halifax, PA, USA (19-July-13; © Richard L. Bowman)
A Possible Muskrat Hole in a Small Stream, near Halifax, PA, USA (19-July-13; © Richard L. Bowman)
The left side of the photo just above shows what I thought was a muskrat hole. I heard some animal sounds in the water, but when I got to the spot, the animal was gone. Later a couple of our grandsons said they had seen the muskrat here, so my memories from my childhood served me well in identifiying the hole.
August 30, 2013
Returning to My Roots
I am not a plant, but I guess you could call me a transplant to Virginia. I was born in Pennsylvania (PA) and spent all of my growing up years there until I went away to college. The first few years of my life, we lived on a farm, and the rural areas of Lancaster County, PA, USA, were the staging areas for my growing up. So although I had been a college professor for 33 years until I took early retirement last year, farming holds a special interest for me. I couple weeks ago when we were visiting our children and grandchildren in PA, after supper one evening we sat at the edge of a field of mowed hay and watched the farmer bale the cut hay.
Baling Hay, Landisville, PA, USA (17-Aug-13; © Richard L. Bowman)
Field of Hay Waiting to Be Baled, Landisville, PA, USA (17-Aug-13; © Richard L. Bowman)
And I should not leave out the meal I made for two of our grandsons and one of our sons-in-law before we went watching the hay baling activities. It is my Pennsylvania Dutch inspired adaptation to Southern boil or Frogmore stew. (Here is one recipe for the southern-style recipe.) I used potatoes, sausage, green beans, onions and corn-on-the-cab. Then to appeal to the boys (and myself), it was drained and poured out on brown paper sacks in the middle of the table. We all served ourselves by picking up the food and putting it on our plates. Yum! Yum!
Frogmore Stew--Pennsylvania Dutch Style, Landisville, PA, USA (17-Aug-13; © Richard L. Bowman)
What a feast for our eyes and our stomachs!
August 9, 2013
From Chaotic to Geometric and More
Last Friday afternoon through Sunday afternoon, our congregation was at our annual camp-out retreat. As usual I took a number of photos of people and events those days. But I also took just a bit of time to try and get some more artistic photos on my own. Here is a sampling.
While camping (and at home) I usually get up before others and spend some time with a fire. The chaotic behavior of the flames intrigues me.
Morning Camp Fire, Highland Retreat, Bergton, VA, USA (3-Aug-13; © Richard L. Bowman)
As morning light entered the forest, I wondered around looking up at the trees.
Tall Trees in the Forest, Highland Retreat, Bergton, VA, USA (3-Aug-13; © Richard L. Bowman)
The next day on a short hike, I discovered a White Pine forest that must have been planted years earlier as a Christmas tree farm. This corridor is very geometric.
Geometric White Pine Forest, Highland Retreat, Bergton, VA, USA (4-Aug-13; © Richard L. Bowman)
And pine cones have both a geometry and a chaotic nature.
Pine Cone, Highland Retreat, Bergton, VA, USA (4-Aug-13; © Richard L. Bowman)
Finally, the edge of the White Pine forest is next to an open field with a mountain in the distance--geometric lines of receding perspective combined with the chaotic shapes of the balmy white clouds against the blue sky.
Forest-Field-Mountain-Balmy Clouds, Highland Retreat, Bergton, VA, USA (4-Aug-13; © Richard L. Bowman)
July 27, 2013
Cornfield Fractal?
Over the past couple of days I have experimented with generating an Iterative Function System (IFS) fractal to represent a cornfield. Here is my latest product, but I had to include a tree to get what I wanted. I entered 35 fixed pints (x, y) along with a scaling factor of 1/6 into my program on IFS fractals.
Cornfield with a Tree Fractal (27-Jul-13; © Richard L. Bowman)
If you want to try generating some of these fractals on your own, go to the above web site and give some of the pre-defined ones a try. Then try generating a small one of your own. It is that option I used for the this cornfield fractal. I'd be glad to share the coordinates I used if anyone wants them. Just submit a Response Form below.
July 24, 2013
Geometric or Not?
On our family vacation to central Pennsylvania last weekend, I noticed the geometric design of the corn field across the road from the farm house we had rented.
Corn Field on a Farm, Halifax, PA, USA (18-Jul-13; © Richard L. Bowman)
But up close, the parallel lines disappeared. Hmm...maybe this is an example of a fractal in nature. I'll have to see if I can model a corn field with just a few points and a simple iterative process. (This is just another project for all of my free time in retirement!)
Corn Stalks up Close on a Farm, Halifax, PA, USA (18-Jul-13; © Richard L. Bowman)
OK, in the photo below of the old smokehouse on the farm we rented, my camera did the tilting, but regardless, I like the photo.
An Old Smokehouse on a Farm, Halifax, PA, USA (19-Jul-13; © Richard L. Bowman)
July 10, 2013
It Was Dry and Hot!
As all of the thousands of attendees of the Mennonite Church USA assembly in Phoenix, AZ, USA, discovered last week, Phoenix is very dry and hot. Day time highs were in the 120's F (in the low 50's C). But there was some beautiful scenery throughout the city.
Trees and Shrubs Add a Soft Touch to Taller Buildings, Phoenix, AZ, USA (1-Jul-13; © Richard L. Bowman)
So I am learning to appreciate many different landscapes.
--©2013, Richard L. Bowman
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