A Snowy Owl in the City of Snowy Philly

Once a City Owl, Always a City Owl.  

I have a bit of bad news...

sad news actually. 

Philly died. 

Philly With His GPS Tag

©Scott Weidensaul, Project Snowstorm

Philly was the name of a Snowy Owl. 

One of many that have come south 

in what is called an irruption. 

(Irruptions do not happen often, 

this is the first one in decades according to Project Snowstorm.) 

A Country Snowy Owl
Lancaster, PA

Philly was one of several snowy owls 

to be tagged with a gps transmitter 

so that his movements could be tracked. 

He was hanging out at the 

Philadelphia Airport, 

a dangerous place for an owl. 

Snowy Owl Basking in a Sunny Field
Lancaster, PA

When he was captured and tagged, 

Philly was relocated to the farm fields of Lancaster. 

But that didn't last long. 

Once a City Owl, Always a City Owl.  

Philly returned to the airport. 

Unfortunately, before he was recaptured, 

he collided with a plane.
:(

Philly's Movements Around the Airport

Project Snowstorm

I am so sad as I had been tracking Philly's movements 

 posted online at Project Snow Storm.  

Sadly,

 I didn't make it down to see Philly to see him. 

You can learn more about 

Snowy Owls and the gps project at Project Snowstorm. 

You can also view reported sightings of Snowy Owls at ebird.com

Sorry about the overly cropped and sharpened photos. 
I am not typically a wildlife photographer 
and only had a 200mm lens and the owl was far from the road. 

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Two Cool Abandoned Buildings Left to Die in Bucks County, PA

Just look at this old farmhouse and imagine 

what it used to be!  

Left to Die
Durham, Bucks Co., PA 

A large wrap around porch,
a cool dormer window,
and lots of other windows.
Seriously, imagine!
I can just see Ann of Green Gables here.

Ok, I forgot to mention the toilet on the porch.
But hey,  it's better than an outhouse!


Reading Material
Durham, Bucks Co., PA 

The above image is dedicated 
to my new blog friend Sarah (she'll know why.)
at Paisley Rain Boots.  
Check out her beautiful blog. 



An Open Invitation
Durham, Bucks Co., PA

Do you see that open window....
oh yes I did!
Enough said.
;)

Nearby is also an abandoned warehouse.
I wonder the history of it
and if it ever had anything to do with the farmhouse.


For Sale
Durham, Bucks Co., PA 

We trekked through the snow to get to these two lonely places.
Our feet froze
but it was worth it.  


Warehouse Windows in a Row 
Durham, Bucks Co., PA

And let me just say,
I love having a photo friend like Linda
who loves the same things I do. 
We laugh about how our husbands
would NEVER tolerate us on these excursions.


Horizontals and Verticals
Durham, Bucks Co., PA

It's often hard for us to stay on the road
since we are so busy looking for good shots.
Linda's car was great,
I was sure we were stuck in a snowy ditch
on the side of the road at least once!
Imagine calling home for that one.
Let's just say,
I am glad her car is so good in the snow.

Oh, and Linda came up with the term
Left to Die.
I just borrowed it.
(Linda's awesome images are on flickr.)

I love, love, love abandoned adventures.
Have you had any fun adventures recently?

Click on any image to be taken the the photo gallery it is in.

Stay This Moment

Freshly Fallen Snow, Somewhere in Upper Bucks County, PA

Photographer Sam Abell coined the phrase
"Stay this moment." to describe the photographic motive.
Sam was first hired as a journalistic photographer
with the concern that his style was too simplistic.
Yet, it is the layers captured in simplicity that make his work exciting.

What motivates you to take a photograph? 

More than likely, 

there is something about the moment you want to save.  

A moment of:

Emotion, 

Beauty, 

History? 

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Lenartsville School House

Lenartsville School House
Berks County, PA

Sadly, I have to travel pretty far to see this much undeveloped space. 

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Eye of the Crane

Every so often
I find a photographer
and study his/her works for inspiration.

Have you heard of W.E.Garrett?
He has worked for National Geographic
And has photographed quite extensively in Asia.
I found this image of his particularly inspiring.

Cambodia 1968 by W.E.Garrett

Out of an entire book of images, 

this is the one stuck with me. 

I love the neutral colored textures. 

I love the pop of red. 

I love the human element. 

I love how the window frames the subject. 

I love the composition. 

On a recent trip to a zoo, 

his image popped into my head. 

Here is the result. 

Eye of the Crane 

Elmwood Park Zoo, Norristown, PA

When I saw this Sandhill Crane 

I saw some of the things I loved. 

The neutral textures. 

The pop of red. 

A life element, although not human. 

The framing of the eye, 

The composition. 

I am pretty happy with this image 

and I don't think I would have captured it 

had I not studied the works of W.E.Garrett! 

And since Cambodia is not even on my bucket list, 

this will have to do.   

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Furry Cuteness

Squirrel Monkey
Elmwood Zoo Park, Norristown, PA


There is just something about
a furry little face that makes me smile. 

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Sometimes I Wonder

Windswept, Pennypack Ecological Trust, 

Huntingdon Valley, PA

I submit to you that if a man hasn't discovered

something he will die for, 

he isn't fit to live. 

Martin Luther King, Jr., Speech in Detroit, June 23, 1963

Tree by the Fence, Pennypack Ecological Trust, 

Huntingdon Valley, PA

Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.

Martin Luther King Jr., Strength to Love, 1963

Icicle Bridge, Pennypack Ecological Trust, 

Huntingdon Valley, PA

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

Martin Luther King Jr., Letter from Birmingham Jail, April 16, 1963

Sometimes I wonder, 

if anyone ever stops to listen to what the man said.  

Or, if in our sincere ignorance, 

our collective conscientious stupidity 

has put other words in the man's mouth.  

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Falls of the Enchanted Forest

Waterfall Remains
Lower Gwynedd, PA
ISO 100, f 11, 1/20 sec (rested on a ledge for stability) 

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It's a Pretty Morning

Sundrenched Frost

My Lil' Acre in Ambler, PA

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Jewel Drops

Jewel Drops
Lower Gwynedd, PA

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The Enchanted Forest Revisited.

Beside Still Waters 

I have one of those favorite little spots I like to frequent
which I affectionately refer to as The Enchanted Forest.


Remnant of Color

A little trip to The Enchanted Forest and I am quickly charmed,
easily forgetting that I am surrounded by less than enchanting suburbia.


Blue Lagoon

Add a little fog
and who could ask for anything more?


The Old Tree

Just natural beauty all around.


Nature's Jewels

Enchanting.

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Confession of a Label Lover

Have you ever purchased a wine
just because you liked the label?
Guilty

Middle Sister, Rebel Red

I don't remember much about the wine,
but I remember the laughs we had with
my middle daughter while drinking it.

How about chocolate?
Have you purchased a chocolate
just because you like the label.
Guilty again. 

Butlers, Purveyors of Happiness 

Seriously, how can you resist
something from a 'purveyor of happiness?'
Cleary, it ensnared me.

Ghirardelli, Midnight Reverie

Midnight Reverie?

Count me in. 

A good label will get me everytime.

It's the dreamer in me they appeal to.

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Ch, Ch, Ch, Changes!

I've been downsizing my life...
in many ways.


Employee Shower, by Carole Feuerman
Grounds for Sculpture
Trenton, NJ

Things change,
and so have my blogging purposes.
So, that means one blog, not two.
Downsized.

Please join me at
The Dusty Cellar.

The two blogs have now been merged.

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Where Dreamers Dream

There is a garden
not just of living things.


Dejeuner Déjà Vu, Seward Johnson
'Déjeuner Déjà Vu' is inspired by Edouard Manet’s 'Déjeuner Sur L’Herbe'

But a garden
that inspires dreams.



Where daydream believers
join nighttime dreamers
to hide beneath those bluebird's wings
and dream the day away.


Depression Breadline, George Segal

Oh yeah, there is such a place.

Copyright Violation! by Seward Johnson
Inspiration: Claude Monet painting, 'Terrace Ste Adresse'

A life-giving garden,
that breathes a breath of life
into each artist's dream.


Inspired by Vermeer's Girl With the Pearl Earring


Come along and let yourself dream too.


Relative, Frederick Morante

Afterall, it's a dreamy kind of day.


All images taken at
Grounds for Sculpture,
Trenton, NJ.

Click here for more of my
images from Grounds for Sculpture.
With 42 acres...
there are a lot more images to be taken
on my next, not as cold, visit.

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