PAD06 - Shrooms

I'd have preferred a less busy background, but I couldn't resist this tree covered with mushrooms. I spotted it quite by accident and it was the only tree like that in the area.


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PAD06 - Baa Baa Black Sheep

These lambs are about three weeks old. They're at a small farm in Bristol, RI on the road to Colt State Park.


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MISC - Young Lambs

This small farm has several animals grazing in a corral, including the four lambs you see here. They're about three weeks old and are starting to lose their baby features.


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PAD06 - Green and Gold

I stopped at the Roger Williams National Monument in Providence, today. The photo I planned to take wasn't available due to poor planning on my part. The shot I wanted faced east and the rising sun was too bright against the relatively dark foreground. I didn't want a silhouette shot, so I looked around for other options in the area. Instead I spotted these beautiful bushes along the walkway and opted to take a nice close-up with my 4x filter.


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MISC - Freedom Green

The next three photos were taken at Freedom Green, a very small park in East Providence that commemorates 9/11. The park has a small gazeebo in the center and has numerous flowering shrubs around the perimeter. I shot the gazeebo from several different angles and took some close-ups of the flowers.


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PAD06 - Colorful Flowers

I had several interesting shots from which to choose, today. Ultimately, I decided to go with this close-up of some very colorful flowers I found at Freedom Green in East Providence, Rhode Island. Freedom Green is a small park erected after 9/11 to serve as a reminder of our values as a nation. This photo was taken with the 4x closeup filter attached to my 28-300mm zoom.


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PAD06 - Ladd Observatory

The Ladd Observatory at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island opened in October 1891 under the direction of Professor Winslow Upton. The historic observatory is home to a 12" refractor, several transit scopes, pendulum clocks, and various chronometers. The observatory was a frequent haunt of horror writer H.P. Lovecraft.


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PAD06 - Phillipsdale

This old style stone bridge is on Roger Williams Avenue in East Providence. It's a section known as the old village of Phillipsdale. This bridge has always felt like a gateway to a distant time. The homes beyond this bridge are out of the 18th and 19th centuries. Mills in the area date back to the Industrial Revolution. Driving a car through this section of East Providence feels anachronistic.


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MISC - Reflections

I was planning to use this as my Photo-a-Day shot until I saw how well the raindrops closeup on my Japanese Maple came out. Still, I thought these reflections on Twin Rivers were good enough to make the miscellaneous folder. I'll save the PAD scene for a day when there's a much nicer sky.


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PAD06 - Japanese Maple

We had some rain overnight and I liked the looks of the raindrops hanging from the branches of my Japanese Maple tree. The leaves are just starting to form which made for a very interesting composition. This shot was taken with my 4x close-up filter on the 28-300mm zoom.


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New Hampshire Weekend Gallery

A friend and I went to New Hampshire on the weekend of March 11th and 12th. The purpose of the trip was to photograph some waterfalls while they were still frozen for the winter. What we did not anticipate was the amount of snow still on the ground. It had been a mild winter with relatively little snowfall, yet there was still about a foot of snow on the trails. The rivers and waterfalls were covered in snow, in some cases obscuring the fact that there was water there at all. Still, I was able to get some decent shots of Lower Georgiana Falls and some of the cascades on Falling Waters Trail. We also found a very nice frozen cascade along Route 302 in Crawford Notch.

The gallery may be viewed at New Hampshire Weekend: March 2006.
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PAD06 - Flowers

The weather was really questionable today, so I decided to make use of the nice flowers my neighbor planted alongside her house.


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PAD06 - Bristol

This small harbor is now home to the Prudence Island Ferry which connects Prudence Island with Bristol, Rhode Island. In the late 18th century, however, it was home to the Bristol Naval Reserve, part of the Rhode Island Militia.


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PAD06 - Red Winged Blackbird

I was heading back to work after photographing an historical grave in a nearby cemetery when I spotted this red-winged blackbird sitting in a bush along the side of the road. There is a small wetlands behind our Operations Center which explains the presence of the bird. This was the only shot I was able to get of him, though. He flew off moments after I snapped this photo.


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PAD06 - The Shunned House

Officially known as the Stephen Harris House, this clapboard house was built in 1763 and is featured in the H.P. Lovecraft story "The Shunned House". The house sits on Benefit Street on the historic East Side of Providence, Rhode Island. Benefit Street was originally Back Street and is one of the oldest streets in the city. This particular house was home to a Huguenot couple that was buried on the site when they died. When the street was widened, most of the bodies in the family plots along this street were moved to the North Burial Grounds, but some were missed, including the bodies of the Huguenots. The Harris family that owned this house after the Revolution suffered a series of misfortunes. Mrs. Harris suffered from mental illness and was often heard screaming - in French - from the second floor bedroom, leading some to speculate that she was possessed by the dead Huguenots. The houses reputation suffered through the years and the Harris family was unable to sell it. In Lovecraft's time, the house had been abandoned for well over a decade and was in a severe state of disrepair. The house was finally restored to its present form in the 1970s.


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PAD06 - Pomham Rocks Lighthouse

The Pomham Rocks Lighthouse was first lighted on December 1, 1871. It sits about 800 yards from shore on the east side of the Providence River.


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PAD06 - Angel Street

This section of Angel Street is the link between downcity Providence and the historic East Side. The houses on this street date back to the early 18th century and are flanked by the First Baptist Church, established in 1638.


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PAD06 - Springtime

Spring has finally arrived in Rhode Island. I'm not sure what type of bush this is but it was in full bloom today when I stopped by Crescent Park in East Providence.


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New Galleries

Two new galleries have been added to the photo site. The first is Historic Armories and is dedicated to photographing the 18 historic armories in Rhode Island. The second is Stone Memorials. That gallery contains photographs from various cemeteries throughout the area, including a series on Mercy Brown, the last vampire in North America.

The Photo-a-Day project is still going strong, although I've been pretty lax about posting the updates on this blog. I'll be catching this blog up over the course of the next week or so. The entries will be back dated to be chronologically correct, however, so when viewed they will appear older than this post. Stay tuned.

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PAD06 - Mussels

There is an artificial breakwater that connects Slater Grove Memorial Park in Warwick, Rhode Island with a small tidal island known as Rock Island. Much of the island is underwater at high tide, leaving much of the sea life exposed for several hours each day. Here's a close-up of some mussels that are underwater when the tide is high but exposed when the tide is low. This photo was taken with the Tiffen 4x close-up lens attached to my Sigma 28-300mm zoom.


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PAD06 - Rhode Island's Vampire

Mercy L. Brown has the unique distinction of being the last of the North American vampires. At the tender age of 19, she died of consumption (tuberculosis) on January 17, 1892, following both her mother and her sister Mary Olive into the grave. After her death, her brother Edwin, who also suffered from consumption, worsened significantly. As his breathing labored, he would complain that he saw Mercy sitting on his chest in the middle of the night. Their father, frantic for any solution, turned to folklore since science had failed him. On March 17, 1892, he convinced authorities to exhume the body of his daughter Mercy, believing that she was rising from her grave to attack Edwin. When they opened the coffin, they found that the body had moved after burial and that her heart and liver still had liquid blood in them. The body did not show evidence of the decay that would be expected after three months in the grave. Convinced that the evidence proved Mercy to be a vampire, they removed her heart and burnt it on a nearby stone, and fed the ashes to Edwin. The ritual did not save Edwin, who died two months later, but he was the last of the Brown family to die from the disease.

In this photo, George, Mercy’s father, is to the left. Mercy’s mother Mary is on the right. Mercy’s grave is behind George’s and just peeking out behind her mother’s grave is Mary Olive. Notice that people still leave small offerings on Mercy’s grave. That’s an orange placed in front of the headstone.


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PAD06 - Dilapidated

I stumbled across this run-down horse stable while photographing an armory in Chepachet, Rhode Island. From the looks of things, this stable suffered a fire some years ago and has been left in a state of disrepair.


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PAD06 - Leafcutter Bee

I picked up a set of Tiffen close-up filters for my 28-300mm lens and took them out for a trial run today. About the only thing in bloom around here is goldenrod, and I was fortunate enough to find this leafcutter bee crawling through the flowers. I used the 2x lens on this one and shot it hand-held at 300mm. There was a pretty strong wind which made it quite challenging to keep the bee and flower in focus. A tripod is definitely needed for sharpness, especially at 300mm.


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PAD06 - John Hunt House

This house was built by Lt. John Hunt, Jr. in 1750 shortly after his marriage to Rachel Carpenter. Built on the banks of 10-mile River, the house has the unique distinction of being under the jurisdiction of the British Crown, the United States, the town of Rehobeth, Massachusetts, the town of Seekonk, Massachusetts, and the city of East Providence, Rhode Island. The house was recently restored by the Rhode Island Historical Society.

Just as an aside, this is the first photo published that was shot with my newest lens - a Sigma 10-20mm super wide angle zoom.


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PAD06 - Communication

I had to travel to Atlanta on business today and had to make due with a photo inside the hotel. I found this decorative phone in the hallway outside my room. It actually made an interesting photo subject.


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PAD06 - Rundown

Today's theme was "Rundown". I don't think this house has seen a paint brush in the 35 years I've lived in this neighborhood.


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PAD06 - Opening Day

The second Sunday in April is opening day for trout season in Rhode Island. Many ponds and lakes are stocked with rainbow trout in honor of the event. Within a week, most of the trout have been caught. This scene is from Olney Pond in Lincoln Woods State Park.


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PAD06 - Gloomy

Today's theme was "Gloomy". I found this small cemetary at the end of Windsor Avenue in Johnston, Rhode Island.


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PAD06 - Soap

Today's theme was "Soap". It looks like I finally found a use for the Soap channel on cable.


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PAD06 - Holy Week

This cross and purple stole are in front of the Newman Congregational Church in Seekonk, Massachusetts. I found the advertisment for Jesus Christ Superstar to be a bit surprising, though. I would never have associated that early '70s rock opera with the Congregational church.


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PAD06 - Yuck!

Today's theme was "Yuck!" Now, I'm going to completely ignore the question as to why I happen to have a can of Haggis, and skip right to the more important question. Why would anyone think to can the stuff in the first place? YUCK!


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pad06 - Pointy

Today's theme was "Pointy". As I was leaving the parking lot at work for my afternoon photo session, I spotted this line of pine trees against the cloudy grey sky. I decided to shoot it as a silouehette to emphasize the points of the trees against the clouds.


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PAD06 - Forgotten

Today's theme was "Forgotten". This monument stands on Veterans Memorial Parkway in East Providence, Rhode Island. It commemorates a four canon fort that once stood on a hill just across the parkway. Built in 1775, the fort was used to protect Providence Harbor (which no longer exists) from the British during the American Revolution. Few remember that a fort once stood on this site, and even fewer recall the role Rhode Island played in the Revolution.


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PAD06 - Lincoln Woods

This small pond is part of Lincoln Woods State Park. It's just a small duck pond along the side of the road and isolated from the main body of Olney Pond. There's a small wooden bridge that crosses it from the parking lot to the beach. With the reflections in the water, it made a very nice scene today.


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PAD06 - Frustration

Today was an exercise in frustration. I upgraded my internet connection to Cox Premier, which is supposed to give you up to 15 Mbps download and 2 Mbps upload. When I tested it using the router shown above, I was getting a whopping 800 kbps download. After playing phone tag with Cox and Linksys, both of whom blamed the other, I went down to CompU$A and picked up a Netgear router. Now my speeds are around 5 Mbps but still nowhere near where they should be. If I connect directly to the computer without the router I do get 15 Mbps download, so the problem is definitely with the router. Hence the title of my photo, today: Frustration.


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