Busy morning

Busy morning at the birdfeeder. I've seen sparrows, finches, a flicker, and occasionally a Chickadee. This is a Northern Flicker. (photo from webcam.)

I will never forget

Matthew Shepard died 18 years ago today from injuries he suffered five days earlier in a brutal hate crime in Laramie Wyoming. I will NEVER forget !



 

Problem solved

I've been unhappy with my Chevy Equinox ever since I bought it. It didn't have 4 wheel drive, was hard to see out of (virtually blind to the right,) got poor gas milage, and the air conditioner smelled.

Yesterday I fixed those problems and traded it on a Toyota Tacoma with access cab and trekking package. Now I can go explore some ghost towns.

Where can I buy truck balls?

Chapel on the Rock

I take my camera and my motorcycle for a ride into the foothills of the Rocky Mountains west of Denver to a place called Chapel on the Rock.

Saint Catherine's Chapel on the Rock
Allenspark, Colorado

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After visiting the Chapel on the Rock I rode on to
Estes Park, Colorado where the Stanley Hotel is located.

I can fly! I can fly!

You might not know that I can fly an airplane. I can't fly one legally but I did take flying lessons in 1994 and flew solo several times. In 1994 I took lessons from Steve Green (not the weather man) of Aspen Flying Club at Centennial Airport. I didn't complete my training because it was too expensive.

1994 was the same year Denver International Airport (DIA) opened for business. A week before it opened they hosted a General Aviation Fly-in. When I learned about the fly-in I was quick enough to reserve an airplane before they were all booked. I was fortunate enough to be able to land an airplane at DIA, sign the gust book, snap a couple of photos, and take off again. We didn't have much time to look around; we had to have the plane back by 10am because it was booked the rest of the day.

Landing an airplane at Denver International Airport, or even soloing an airplane, isn't something everyone gets to do. I'm happy I took advantage of the opportunity and was able to do it.

This is me just before taking off from Centennial for Denver International Airport general aviation fly-in September 25, 1994. I've put on a few pounds since this photo was taken.

Return to film

I've been thinking of getting back into film photography for a couple of years. I would like to get into a large format camera (4x5). There are thousands of used large format cameras on eBay but they are either beat up real bad or missing parts or too expensive. I use to shoot 120 medium format film in the 60's and 70's. In high school I had a used Hasselblad and my own dark room. I lost interest in photography after high school and sold all my gear.

While looking at used film cameras on eBay I came across a Hasselblad that looked to be in good condition and was within my price range so I clicked the Buy Now button. I didn't know the seller lived in Denver but he sent me a message the next day and asked if he could come by the house to drop it off. I had camera in hand that evening!

This is the first film photography I've done since 1994 and it's the first black & white film photography I've done since 1974.

Depth of field on stairs, Hasselblad 500C/M, 80mm, Kodak TMY 120, ISO400, 1sec @ f22. May 14, 2016.

Woman pushing stroller , Hasselblad 500C/M, 80mm, Kodak TMY 120, ISO400,1/500 @ f22, Arvada, Colorado. May 14, 2016.

Used 1991 Hasselblad 500C/M w 80mm f2.8 lens. May 12, 2016. Taken with iPhone.

Lost in the storm

A spring snow storm hit the Colorado front range last week. It dumped several inches of heavy wet snow which damaged a lot of trees and some roofs.

I drove to Metzger Farm Open Space to see if the herons and owls survived the storm . All of the heron nests in the east tree have been abandoned. There are still two active heron nests in the west tree. The owls in the east tree and the owls on the north trail both survived. Another birder told me the hawk nest failed and some nesting geese were flooded out.

Great Horned Owl, Metzger Farm Open Space, Broomfield, Colorado, April 19, 2016.

This is one pathetic looking coyote, Metzger Farm Open Space, Broomfield, Colorado, April 19, 2016.

Jumping with joy

I went to Metzger Farm open space park in Broomfield, Colorado Saturday. The herons have returned again this year to raise their young as have some owls. As I was leaving I spotted a Kestrel right next to the road. I jumped out of the car so fast I almost forgot to put it into park!

Hallelujah! I finally got a decent shot of a Kestrel. I am jumping with joy right now!

The Great Blue Herons have returned to Metzger Farm Open Space to raise their young.


As have Great Horned owls. This nest is in the same tree as the herons and was about 300 feet away. We counted three chicks.


This is a different family farther north. Officials put a temporary fence to keep people from getting too close. We were able to get about 100 feet from her. I could see two chicks.

Forgotten penny

I don't think I've seen one of these pennies. If I knew they existed I'd forgotten them.

In 2009 the US mint suspended production of the regular penny and minted four different varieties of commemorative Lincoln pennies in honor of Lincoln's 200th birthday. Each variety has a different reverse. In 2010 they introduced the newly redesigned penny with a union shield replacing the Lincoln Memorial on the reverse. The commemorative pennies were only minted in 2009. I guess I don't look at my pennies close enough.

I took this photo of a commemorative penny I found in my pocket this morning. I used a 50mm Macro lens with +2 & +4 closeup filters added on. I had a little trouble with the lighting but finally got a shot I was happy with.

Double Vision

Birding Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge

Juvenile and adult Bald Eagles sparring, Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, Commerce City, Colorado. January 5, 2016.

Juvenile Red-tail hawk, Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, Commerce City, Colorado. January 5, 2016.

New macro (closeup) lens for Christmas

I got a new lens for Christmas. It's a Canon 50mm f2.5 Compact Macro Lens. I also got closeup filters to add on to it, and a storage case.

Cattails and sunsets

Cattails, Majestic View Nature Center, Arvada Colorado, December 9, 2015.

#Sunset in #Arvada, #Colorado. (#iPhone) pic.twitter.com/IMq5MilBFe

— Clyde Hoadley (@ClydeHoadley) December 31, 2015