July, 2009

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Swans

Friday, July 31st, 2009
Swan

Swan

This week has involved a lot of traveling for me – so I’ve been a bit tardy in posting any updates. Hopefully, I’ll come back with some new photos to share next week.

The beginning of the week started with a trip to St. Louis, Missouri, to find some temporary housing as I start a new job in the St. Louis area.

The swan you see pictured here is one of a family of seven swans inhabiting a man-made lake in the apartment complex where I’ll be staying.

Two swans were initially relocated to the lake, and they since have started a family.

Young Swan

Young Swan

Shown here is one of the offspring of the pair of swans, swimming peacefully on the lake.

After getting back home from St. Louis, I got on a plane and headed for Coral Springs, Florida for a few days.

The Miami and Ft. Lauderdale areas have many sights to see and photographic opportunities. And while that’s not the primary purpose of my visit, I look forward to finding some opportunities to take some more photos.

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Milwaukee Air & Water Show

Sunday, July 26th, 2009
Fighter Jets in Formation

Fighter Jets in Formation

Saturday was the Milwaukee Air & Water Show, held at Milwaukee’s Lake Michigan lakefront.

And for those of you reading this Sunday morning, the air show will be repeated today – starting at 11:00 am and going until 4:00 pm.

But this is just one of the many activities taking place at the lakefront this weekend. I was at the lakefront for the Milwaukee Artist Marketplace, held on the steps of the Milwaukee Art Museum. Being in the shadow of the Calatrava designed addition was inspiring, and the crowds wandering through the show were great.

Milwaukee Artist Marketplace

Milwaukee Artist Marketplace

Over 80 artists representing a number of local organizations devoted to the arts displayed their works. And while the clouds were threatening all day, the weather was actually great, with warm tempertures and the sun poking through the clouds all day.

While the booth kept me busy most of the day, I did try to take a few pictures of the many planes flying overhead as part of the air show.

At times, the sounds were deafening as military fighter jets would fly directly overhead at low altitudes.

Smoke Trails

Smoke Trails

Thousands of people came to the lakefront to view the air show, which involved the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, the U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute team, and several military fighter jets, including the FA-18 Hornet and the F-15 Strike Eagle.

Seeing the planes flying amongst the city’s tall buildings was unique and amazing. The precision demonstrated by the various pilots is unbelievable.

If you’re in the Milwaukee area and are reading this on Sunday morning, take a ride down to the lakefront this afternoon and watch a terrific air show.

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Milwaukee Artist Marketplace

Thursday, July 23rd, 2009
Brise Soleil at Dusk

Brise Soleil at Dusk

This Saturday (July 25, 2009) is Milwaukee’s 5th annual Milwaukee Artist Marketplace, held on the steps of the Milwaukee Art Museum.

Over 80 Milwaukee-area artists will be displaying photography, paintings, jewelry, sculpture, ceramics, and more.

This photo is the Burke Brise Soleil at the art museum, with the ‘wings’ extended at dusk. Although it has nothing to do with the Milwaukee Artist Marketplace event, it is one of the pictures I will be displaying on Saturday.

If you’re in the Milwaukee area, stop by and say hello.

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Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden

Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009
Tropical Garden

Tropical Garden

Having relatives in the Ft. Lauderdale and Miami areas in Florida, we’ve had the opportunity to spend some time in a climate quite diverse from our native Wisconsin climate. And during the winter, this can be a welcome respite, indeed.

Last winter while visiting relatives, we spent some time at the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden. The garden is just south of Miami, right on Biscayne Bay, and it is a fabulous spot to see plants and vegetation from around the world.

The 83 acre garden was founded by Robert Montgomery in 1938, and named after Dr. David Fairchild – a botanist who traveled the world searching for plants and vegetation that could be of potential use to the American people. Some of the plants he brought back to the U.S. include mangos, alfafa, nectarines, dates, horseradish, bamboos, and flowering cherries.

Sunning Iguana

Sunning Iguana

Interestingly, the garden is not just home to a wide variety of tropical plants.  There are many species of animals that roam loose on the grounds as well.

This iguana is a young one, sunning itself on the banks of a pond inside the garden. We saw many iguanas on this visit, ranging in size from this small one to orange-colored adults five feet long.

What I didn’t know is that iguanas are arboreal, and spend most of their time in trees. We saw several iguanas high up in the tropical trees, their orange color standing out against the green foliage.

Below are some additional pictures from the garden, and to see where these pictures were takend, click here: :arrow:

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Wausau Balloon Rally

Saturday, July 18th, 2009
Barnstorming

Barnstorming

It was a stormy, stormy night – not the best of conditions for a hot air balloon rally. But that didn’t keep the barnstormers from flying, even with the threatening storm clouds.

We were in Wausau last weekend for their annual balloon rally, and Friday night was set for the Balloon Glow – where the balloons are lit up at dusk by the propane flames used to inflate the balloons.

Unfortunately, the weather didn’t completely cooperate, with the threat of thunderstorms. A few balloons, however, braved the conditions and were inflated.

Balloon Glow

Balloon Glow

It really is something to see these massive balloons being held to the ground by a few ropes and several people hanging to the basket, as the propane heats the air and creates the lift to carry it aloft.

In order to get a proper exposure with a minimum of movement blur, I used a tripod and upped the ISO to 400, shooting this for 1/30 sec at f/7.1. With the slow speed, you can see some movement blur as the handlers strain to keep the balloon on the ground, but the balloon itself is captured without blurring.

Filling the Balloon

Filling the Balloon

Saturday morning was clear and we had high hopes for the launch of 20-25 hot air balloons. Again, though, the weather didn’t cooperate, grounding most of the balloons due to high winds.

Several balloons did inflate, though, and a number were launched. Watching the balloons as they were inflated was interesting – here you can see the flames from a propane tank heating the air as it inflates the balloon. Notice the trees behind the propane flame – the heated air distorts the view and the trees look much like an abstract painting.

You can see more of the balloons by clicking here. And to see where these photos were taken, click here: :arrow:

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