Pats vs. Colts 11-18-12

I am not one to normally go to a football game but I am also not one to turn down an invitation to attend one. This past Sunday I had the opportunity to attend the New England Patriots versus the Indianapolis Colts.

I originally was thinking that I would try and get a bunch of action shots of the Pats doing well and the Colts messing up.

However, it turns out that the people in the stands are not only extremely entertaining but they also make fantastic subject matter for photographs. Without leaving my seat these are some of my favorite shots from the night.

For this particular game there was much celebration ...

... For a good reason.

I always try to have my camera with me to capture life but it sometimes can be difficult because of the size of the camera. With the increase in technology and phones people are very rarely without a camera. This last shot happened to be my favorite of the evening. I was able to capture someone else capturing their moment and it has an almost ironic aspect to it.

As always thank you for reading. I hope you keep your cameras with you and shoot well and shoot often.

A Little Fun With a Light Box

So today I built a home made light box. This is something I have wanted to do for a while but just got around to it. I still need a bit of practice and may need a whiter light but I still had fun with it. These pictures have been contrast adjusted in Photoshop.  Next time I think I will set up the tripod and try to expose them a little differently. Any way, I guess I should just show the pictures.

Enjoy!

The Magical Soup!

While visiting Salisbury to photograph a dying tree my father sent me home with another ham bone. So I had little choice but to make more soup. This time though I did not make a chowder.

This time I decided to go Bean Soup. The trickiest part of Bean Soup is to get the beans properly hydrated. To do this I took the pound of white navy beans and soaked them even before preparing my ham stock.

Then of course the ham bone and three or four onions go into the crock pot, one of the greatest inventions ever by the way.

Again a few hours on high and another 20 hours later you will produce the following:

And what about the beans? Well over night they should have lost their wrinkles and after straining they should look something like this:

Now, I am pretty sure that one day I will make a soup without bacon in it. This is not that soup. However, I only went with half a pound of bacon in this one.

Probably the most difficult ingredient to get a hold of however is the two hand sized slices of country ham.

Please note, country ham is completely uncooked ham if you have never cooked with it before it must be thoroughly cooked. Unlike most hams that you buy you cannot eat this before it is cooked completely.

The only other addition was some pearl onions that I sliced in half.

The cooking instructions for this soup are incredibly easy. Take these ingredients:

 Put them into a pot

Stir together

Because the ham is uncooked and the beans are still a bit hard you will need to cover and cook this soup at or just below a boil for around two and a half hours. At that point most of the liquid should be absorbed by the beans and resemble this:

When served you will be presently surprised. I did not add any additional seasonings but it may make sense to add pepper if you want to balance the saltiness of the ham.

As always enjoy yourselves and thank you for taking the time to read my blog and check out my pictures.

A Tree that Needed to be Photographed

I got a phone call the other day and the message was simple. There is a tree in Salisbury that needs to be photographed.  Apparently my father rides his bike past it every now and then and tried to describe it to me. To make a long story short here is what I saw.

There is no reason that this tree should be alive, its entire interior has been eaten away by something. My father could literally climb inside and peer outward.

From almost every angle this tree just screams dead.

However, when you take a second look you will not only notice the leaves but more impressing is the fact that this tree is literally covered with life.

This tree is the embodiment of the circle of life. The leaves and mosses are converting the sun's energy into food, the tree itself is providing animals with food and shelter. The fungi and lichen are converting the decomposing portions back to hydro-carbons.

The Gathering in the Orchard

If you have not noticed yet, its Autumn. And that can only mean one thing. It must be that time of year to pack up the kids ...

... and put on the war paint ...

... because its time again for apple pickin'!

Since my wife and I moved out to central Mass we have been an hour and a half away from friends and family in any direction. However, once a year in October we like to have a gathering of the friends and family for an annual apple picking cook out. This year (as every year) we had quite the turn out! Trying to get a picture of everyone is impossible but I do try every year. No, if you are wondering that is not everyone.

Its quite the sight to see so many from so many generations gathering yearly. As most married couples know or will soon find out it is always about going to see the friends, or one of the two families. It is truely nice to be able to have so many from up and down the east coast of Massachusetts getting together in the middle of the state.

The stories begin in the parking lot as people arrive.

After a short hayride, we're off to find apples!

Not that apple, we usually try to go for ones without warts.

More like that apple.

With so many generations represented it is interesting to see some of the children are not yet old enough to walk on their own.

Some of them just like to be carried.

Some are just too excited to be contained!

This one even found her way to the forbidden zone. Though I am not sure she cared, I am sure the apple was sweeter just for that fact.

Family traditions are a wonderful thing and I am so glad that my wife and I are able to bring so many people together for such a fabulous day. I would like to thank all of the people who made the day such a success as most of the people reading this probably attended. If you did not attend than thank you for reading.