Fresh Honey

Inspected the hive today. Lots of fresh honey! The upper white cells are capped honey and the golden colored cells are fresh honey waiting to be capped. I had to scrape off a small burr on one of the frames and it was filled with honey. I saved it and tasted it. What a delight! It had a floral taste, followed by a citrus-like after taste. "Urban Honey" is honey typically made by bees from multiple nectar sources. It has a much more complex taste than that from a single source, such as clover or alfalfa. Thus the name "Urban Honey", since a lot of hobby beekeepers have their hives in their backyard. The commercial beekeepers usually have their bees in a field or fruit-tree grove that yields a honey with a specific taste.

Beekeeping

I took a class last fall in beekeeping, and set up a hive 3 weeks ago. The queen (Queen Latifah) has been busy laying eggs. Since there are 21 days in the cycle from egg to emergence, I should have some new bees!
Here's the hive, and also a shot of a frame with brood cells that are capped with wax (the dark colored cells). The lighter colored cells are freshly laid eggs that aren't capped yet, along with some honey cells
(above it). That was taken about ten days ago. I'll be going back into the hive this weekend for another inspection and I'll take some more photos.

The Sizzler

Taken at the Cattlemen's Congress Fair in Waterloo, Iowa. The American tradition continues.

Navajo Arch

Navajo Arch, Arches National Park, Moab, Utah. The collage technique makes this perspective very interesting. The background is compressed, the underside of the arch is stretched to see more of it, and the vertical face of the rock is visible. None of that is possible with a single shot.

Marina Towers

Marina Towers, downtown Chicago. The great corn-cobs in the sky. "Marina City was the first urban post-war high-rise residential complex in the United States and is widely credited with beginning the residential renaissance of American inner cities:. (from Wikipedia) How many movies have you seen with a car plunging off of the parking garage into the Chicago River below? Hint: site of a Steve McQueen car chase.

DCPA

Denver Center for the Performing Arts. It took me four trips to get all the photos I needed for this one.
I kept missing a piece and would have to go back at the same time the next day.

Hal Gould

Hal Gould, owner and curator of the Camera Obscura Gallery, Denver's premier photography gallery, is closing the gallery this year. Hal, who is 90 years old, opened the gallery in 1963. I was privileged to have had a show there a year and a half ago. Hal is the sweetest man you would ever want to meet, and he has started the careers of many famous photographers. Best of luck to you Hal. The photography world will miss you!

another version of the Angel Oak

another version

Angel Oak

The Angel Oak, a Live Oak tree in John's Island, South Carolina. It is believed to be the oldest living thing east of the Rockies at 1400-1500 years old. It provides a canopy of 17,000 square feet of shade! My panoramic collage technique enabled me to capture most of the tree in one image, while still being up close to it: not possible with a wide-angle lens. This tree is down the road from my brother Tom and his wife, Margaret.

Studebaker

1950 Studebaker Commander Starlight Coupe, taken at the Studebaker Museum in South Bend, Indiana. This is the ultimate Studebaker, bullet nose and all. They don't build 'em like they used to, do they?

Loretto Stair

Stairway at Loretto Chapel in Santa Fe. The story goes a carpenter came by while the chapel was being built, and there wasn't enough space to build a standard staircase. This mysterious guy who showed up on his donkey said he could build a spiral stair. He accomplished his task and left. No one can figure out how he built them without any vertical supports. It's now referred to as the "miraculous stair".

The Sizzler

Taken at the Cattlemen's Congress Fair in Waterloo, Iowa. Quintessentially American!

first blog test

March 10, first blog. Here's a picture for the test:

This was shot on Mt. Goliath, home to very ancient Bristlecone Pines. They are believed to be 1400 years old.