April, 2010

I found myself in Arco (Gary Pearson’s hometown) yesterday and decided to photograph their rather impressive hillside. Every year the graduating high school class climbs the hill and paints their graduating year on the rocks. It’s kind of hard to tell what’s going on from the smallish version of the large panoramic image below. I’ve included a cropped version for clarification.

After our two days in DC it was nice to take a slower pace and explore Baltimore between conference sessions.

We had crab cakes at the Baltimore Art Museum, which were very good. We had Italian food two nights in Little Italy, also very good. We had crab and other assorted good food at Phillips Seafood Restaurant. We ventured into Lexington Market, which was a bit sketchy. We also went up to the Walter’s Art Museum, which is near the site of the original Washington Monument. We took a water taxi to Fort McHenry (where Francis Scott Key was inspired to write The Star Spangled Banner). We also had dessert as often as we could at Vaccaro’s, an Italian Bakery in Little Italy.

The Thinker, Baltimore Art Museum, Baltimore, MD 2010

Original Washington Monument, and a Statue of Lafayette, Baltimore, MD 2010

Statue of Babe Ruth, Baltimore, MD 2010

The Inner Harbor, Baltimore, MD 2010

USS Constellation, Baltimore, MD 2010

Susan, Christy, and Dave, Baltimore, MD 2010

Firing a Replica of a Revolutionary War Canon, Fort McHenry, MD 2010

Fort McHenry, Baltimore, MD 2010

Monument to Francis Scott Key, Fort McHenry, MD 2010

Dave and I had a drawing contest (he won), Phillips Seafood Restaurant, Baltimore, MD 2010

Vaccaros Italian Bakery, Baltimore, MD 2010

Day two in DC started with a dome tour for the four grown-ups (Christy, Dave, Susan, and I). Christy used her powerful connections to arrange the tour, which is sort of a big deal. We walked 300 and some odd steps to the top of the dome and had a great view of the interior of the dome and of Washington DC. It was spectacular. After that we met up with the students to go on a tour of the capitol building. For lunch we had awesome hamburgers at the Good Stuff Eatery and then spent the afternoon in the American History Museum (I actually slept on the grass while the rest of them toured this museum), the Corcoran Gallery of Art (I was surprised by a really important Eadweard Muybridge exhibition), the American Art Museum (where we saw a fantastic Timothy O’Sullivan exhibition), and the American Portrait Museum. It was a pretty full day and my feet were even more tired.

Supreme Court Building, Washington DC 2010

Capitol Dome (we climbed to the top and were able to stand outside just under the columns beneath the statue on the top of the dome)

Inside of Dome, Washington DC 2010

Susan in Dome, Washington DC 2010

On Top of Dome Looking Up, Washington DC 2010

Washington Monument from the Dome, Washington DC 2010

Front of Capitol Building and Library of Congress, from the Dome, Washington DC 2010

Supreme Court, from the Dome, Washington DC 2010

In the Capitol Building, Washington DC 2010

Our Group, Washington DC 2010

The Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington DC, 2010

One of the Lincoln Conspirators, by Alexander Gardener, National Portrait Gallery, Washington DC, 2o1o

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, by Thomas Moran, National Gallery of Art, Washington DC, 2010

David Belka, a colleague of mine, put together a trip for students to go to an Art Education conference in Baltimore. I was lucky enough to be the 2nd faculty member on the trip. While we were in Baltimore we also decided to take advantage of our proximity to DC. We spent two days touring Washington DC and the rest of the time was spent in the conference and seeing a bit of Baltimore.

After arriving in Baltimore some of us went to a baseball game. Camden Yards is a beautiful place to watch the Orioles get crushed.

Orioles Game (taken with my cell phone, so excuse the poor quality), Baltimore, MD 2010

Our first day in DC was spent walking through all of the major monuments and memorials, as well as touring the National Gallery of Art, a quick tour of the Air and Space museum, and the Hirshorn Gallery of Art. My feet got tired, but it was a great day.

Here are some highlights:

Washington Monument, Washington DC 2010

World War II Memorial, Washington DC 2010

Photographer, WWII Memorial, Washington DC 2010

Susan at the Vietnam War Memorial, Washington DC 2010

Vietnam War Memorial, Washington DC 2010

Lincoln Monument, Washington DC 2010

Dave and Christy Belka at the Lincoln Monument, Washington DC 2010

Korean War Memorial, Washington DC 2010

FDR Monument, Washington DC 2010

Jefferson Monument, Washington DC 2010
We couldn’t go in because there was a ceremony celebrating Jefferson’s Birthday

Moving Walkway connecting the two wings of the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC 2010

Andy Goldsworthy Sculpture, National Gallery of Art, Washington DC 2010

Drawing by Raphael, National Gallery of Art, Washington DC 2010

Picasso Painting, Washington DC 2010

Man taking a cell phone picture of a Self Portrait by Rembrandt, National Gallery of Art, Washington DC 2010

A couple of friends and I drove north of Rexburg yesterday to observe the display of Sage Grouse. It was impressive. Here are some photographs.

Sage Grouse, Fremont County, ID 2010

This fall I will be going on paid leave to work on a photo project. I’ve decided to spend a bit of time photographing the Henry’s Fork of the Snake River. One of the main sources for the Henry’s Fork is Henry’s Lake, which is a world-renowned Cutthroat and Hybrid Cutthroat-Rainbow Trout fishery. In the early spring the Cutthroat spawn and the fish and game have a fish trap, which allows them to collect and fertilize eggs and send them to a hatchery in Mackay, ID to raise them. I thought it would cool to photograph the event. So, yesterday morning I drove up and made a few landscape photographs of the lake, then photographed the workers and volunteers harvesting the eggs and milt. It was pretty fun.

Henry’s Lake with Fish Trap, Henry’s Lake, ID 2010

Henry’s Lake at Fish Trap, 2010

Cutthroat Trout in Fish Trap, Henry’s Lake, ID 2010

Cutthroat being placed into chemical bath (calming solution)

Cutthroat Trout in calming solution

Cutthroat removed from calming solution

Female Cutthroat expelling eggs

Male Cutthroat being milked of milt

Cutthroat eggs being fertilized with milt

Employees, Volunteers, and visitors in the Henry’s Lake fish trap

Every Spring Snow Geese (and a few Ross’s Geese) stage at Mud Lake and surrounding marshes and fields. I made it out there last night to see the spectacle. I found around 3000 Geese out on the lake. After I was there for a bit all of the geese left the lake, flew directly over my head and landed to feed in a field a few hundred yards to the north of me. It was pretty cool. Pretty soon the geese will head north to the arctic to nest.

Cottonwood and Lake, Mud Lake, ID 2010

Snow Geese (the smaller ones in the first and second photo are Ross’s Geese) Flying Overhead, Mud Lake, ID 2010

Snow Geese Feeding in Field, Mud Lake, ID 2010

Cedar Waxwing (resident breeding birds), and Bohemian Waxwings (migrants and wintering birds that nest in Canada) are pretty abundant in Rexburg right now. I’ve counted huge flocks of Bohemian Waxwings that have over a thousand individual birds. There was a moderate sized mixed flock in our neighborhood feeding on juniper berries and drinking melting snow. I spent a little time Saturday photographing them. I believe they are among our most beautiful birds.

Bohemian Waxwings, Rexburg, ID 2010

Cedar Waxwings, Rexburg, ID 2010

In spite of the weather (we had a full blown blizzard Saturday), spring migration is well under way. I made it out to Market Lake a couple of times this weekend looking for new arrivals. It’s a great time of year to be out. Ducks and Geese are abundant, Sandhill Cranes are displaying, and Blackbirds are setting up territories. New birds arrive everyday.

Here are a few photographs.

Market Lake, Roberts, ID 2010

Snow Geese, Market Lake, ID 2010

Red-winged Blackbird, Market Lake, ID 2010

Sandhill Cranes, Market Lake, ID 2010

Sandhill Crane, Menan, ID 2010