Streets of Boise series

Streets of Boise series, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

While in Boise for the American Penstemon Society meeting I did some early morning and late evening walks around downtown. Because I used to live in Boise, I wanted to see how much the city had changed in 30+ years since it was my stomping grounds. It has changed quite a bit, but the old part of downtown is still the backbone.

I was delighted to come across this couple walking down the sidewalk in the late afternoon sun.

Penstemon fruticosus habitat

Penstemon fruticosus habitat, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Moore's Mountain, near Bogus Basin in the Boise Mountains. Penstemon fruticosus is in subgenus Dasanthera, and it is usually found on rock outcrops. You can see it in the foreground (lower left) and just in front of the pine "bonsai."

The American Penstemon Society Meeting was based in Boise, Idaho this past weekend. We had fantastic field trips, saw lots of great penstemons and interesting geology. I used to live in the area from 1975 to 1980. Boise has changed quite a lot since then, but it has grown up very well.

First light after my camera repair: Topper

Topper, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

I dropped my Canon 5D III in Paris (in front of Notre Dame). Actually, it would be more accurate to say that I had a strap failure. I had forgotten to secure the attachment and the camera dropped off the strap. This failure resulted in a breakage of the shutter mechanism.

I borrowed a camera from Steve and one from Carl Westergren, our workshop assistant. Thus, I was able to function during the workshop, but I was worried about how much the repair would be. Replacing the shutter wasn't terribly expensive, and I now have the camera back in operation.

My dogs are usually the subject of first light for new cameras or lenses, so with the repair and return of my camera, they were again the subject of first light. This is Topper, our little boykie dachshund. He's truly over the top most of the time, full of exuberance. I was using a 16-35 mm zoom, so the cartoonish distortion is intentional here.

Observations from the Olentangy River bike path

I often walk along the river in the mornings before going to my office. Because I've been doing this regularly over the past month, I've become familiar with some of the people who have the same habits. I often see the same runners, bicyclists, and walkers along the path.

There are a few encounters that make the day start well.  For example, I've come across a runner who, when he's approaching another runner or pedestrian, puts his hand up in the air and yells, "High Five!" Doing a "high five" on the bike path with a perfect stranger will bring a smile to one's face. At least it does so for me.

I've also encountered an elderly couple from China. They sometimes are with their grandchild. The first time I encountered them, I simply said "Ni Hao" (hello in Mandarin). The smiles that brought was worth the encounter to me, although I wondered if it was because my pronunciation was poor.  This morning I passed them again. This time they said "Ni Hao" first (I do say it correctly, after all), and they again had smiles in passing.

Life is full of these little shared moments. Share a smile with someone today. If you're having a rough day, you might feel better afterwards....

Penstemon grandiflorus

Penstemon grandiflorus, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

This beautiful penstemon is native to the Great Plains region of North America, but we have a few plants in cultivation on Waterman Farm as part of the Ornamental Plant Germplasm Center's trial garden. It's a spectacular plant - large flowers, beautiful foliage that is a bluish-green because of the waxy coating on the leaves, and three to four feet tall.

Lovers at Esplanade du Trocadéo

Lovers at Esplanade du Trocadéo, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Another example of why Paris is called the City of Love. This couple asked me if I would take a picture of them with their camera. I did, and then got a photo of them celebrating...

Lovers at Esplanade du Trocadéro

Lovers at Esplanade du Trocadéro, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

From May 20, 2013. Despite the rainy day, there were numerous couples at the Trocadéro who wanted their picture framed with the Eiffel Tower. This is a great place to view the monument, and it was a lot of fun to watch people who were doing self-portraits with iPhones, couples and families doing the tourist snapshots, etc.

This couple was working with a photographer, presumably to do a wedding portfolio. A lot of couples have their engagement pictures made at the Trocadéro. If you hang around for awhile, you'll see lots of similar photo ops to capture the flavor of Paris as a "city of love."

Wool carder bee pollination of Penstemon digitalis

Wool carder bee pollination of Penstemon digitalis, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Penstemon digitalis is common in Central Ohio, and is one of the lovely beardtongues from this area. I came across this population along the Olentangy River near the OSU campus. The patch was a scene of furious activity by wool carder bees.

Gare de Lyon

Gare du Lyon, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

I found this subtly lit staircase at Gare du Lyon (Paris) to be quite lovely. I envisioned the photo I wanted to make and ended up waiting about 10 minutes for the right combination of elements to come together. Voila!

Paris at night series

Paris at night series, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Have I mentioned before that our week in Paris was the wettest and coldest on record since the 1800's for the month of May???

I didn't mind the weather - especially when conditions provided for spectacular photos that used the properties of falling rain, wet streets, reflection, and les parapluies beaucoup (I'm sure my grammar is incorrect, but the spirit is there....).

Notre Dame sunset

Notre Dame sunset, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Last evening in Paris, and what a spectacular way to end the trip. The entire week was rainy and cold, but we had just a bit of sunshine Saturday afternoon, mixed with lots of rain, of course.

Paris at night

Paris at night, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Marais district - this was a Friday night.

Eiffel Tower from Trocadéro

Eiffel Tower from Trocadéro, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Rain and reflections. The challenges of doing photography in the rain are well worth the effort when you have the opportunity for photos such as this. Have I mentioned that our week in Paris was the coldest and wettest one in May on record since the 1800's?

Notre Dame Cathedral

Notre Dame Cathedral, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

The architecture of this cathedral is breathtaking.