FrOGS -The Great Swamp

The Great Swamp covers 6,000 acres in Putnam and Dutchess County -- it is one of the largest freshwater wetlands in NY state. My sister and I frequently kayak there and each spring, that is our first kayak destination because its loaded with wildlife which you can get up close to. Even Walt Disney found the swamp this year! The natural beauty of the swamp made it a perfect location for a photo-shoot of Tiana (Jennifer Hudson) as the princess from "The Princess and the Frog". 

Friends of the Great Swamp (FrOGS) is an all- volunteer not-for-profit group of friends and neighbors dedicated to preserving and protecting this unique and valuable resource through research, education and community action.Each year in Pawling, FrOGS host the "Great Swamp Art Show and Celebration" at the Thomas Memorial Center, Christ Church - usually in October. The event is free and focuses on the Great Swamp. My mom, sister and I went to the event this year and got a few nice shots of the raptors.

LANACONING SILK MILL, MD

A few weekends ago, Rick and I drove to Maryland and met up with some photographer friends to photograph in the last intact Silk Mill in the US.  In the 1950's, employees went on strike, and as a result, the mill was closed by the company.   What was most interesting about the mill is that its machinery, company records and workers’ personal effects have pretty much remained unchanged from the time that the factory ceased operations in 1957.  The mill was purchased in 1978.   Herb Crawford is the current owner who has been struggling with keeping up with the repairs.  The building is in dire need of a new roof.  As a means to get the funds to fund the roof repairs, Herb has been allowing photographers to visit the mill on weekends to take photographs.   Rick and I only photographed for one session for 4 hours but we came away with some interesting, unique photos. 

DAN'S ROCK OVER LOOK in LANACONING, MD

This past weekend, we drove to Maryland for the weekend to meet up with a group of photographer friends.  We drove down on Friday night after work and arrived at our hotel around midnight. The next morning, we met up with our friends who had already gotten an early start and scouted out the area. Ted had found a beautiful overlook called Dan's Mountain and wanted to take us all back there.  At the time, I didn't know why it had such an unusual name but I later read that the mountain is named after Daniel Cresap who was the son of a pioneer who often hunted with a Delaware Indian friend named Nemacolin.  While pursuing a bear in a tree, Daniel fell and lay unconscious until Nemacolin found him, an dragged Daniel home to safety.  Since that event, the mountain has been known as Dan's Mountain. The highest peak is called Dan's Rock.  

The area is populated with about 15 cell towers; however, they didn't take away from the view.  As you can see, over the years, graffiti has been pained onto the rocks. Normally I wouldn't like graffiti in such a natural and beautiful place but it actually added to the beauty because of the bright colors against the skyline. 

Nature's Beauty

Just some random shots from the past few months.

Foggy Morning

Every morning I drive past this swampy area and the last few days,the view has been beautiful with the fog over the water.  I kept wishing I had my camera.  Well, I finally remembered to take it to work with me so I could stop along the way. I left the house early and was able to get this shot. The colors were beautiful!

Sunrise at Rye, NY

This past Saturday, we got up at 4:30 am and left the house at 5 o'clock to drive down to Rye Beach to take sunrise pictures.  We got there just in the nick of time...we had only about 3-4 minutes to set up our equipment and catch the sunrise as it came up over the beach.  We ended up spending several hours there before coming back home...very tired.  I was able to catch a few shots of the white crane who was fishing for his breakfast.   Hope you enjoy the pictures...

NEW YORK CITY

On Sunday, August 4th, we took my sister and brother-in-law to the seaport in NYC for her cruise to Bermuda.  We spent the remainder of the day in NYC taking street shots. While there, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to visit B&H Photo(!)  Here's some pics from the day...

SHARON AUDUBON CENTER, Sharon CT

The Sharon Audubon Center is a nature center owned and operated by the National Audubon Society.  There are over 11 miles of hiking trails and includes 1147 acres of mixed forest, meadows, wetlands, ponds and streams.  There are also Raptor Aviaries with live birds of prey.  

 Baxter the Great-horned Owl