It's the Small Things that Matter - Macro Photography

Wednesday Thoughts

Earth Day

Earth day came and went while most of the US were under some sort of “shelter in place” order. I remember last year they closed off parts of Broadway and had a bunch of sustainable groups that gave out freebies, or had you sign up for various things. I think the same part of Broadway is closed today, but for very different reasons. It’s nice to have a day that celebrates the marvels of this earth, but I of course like to marvel about our earth every day.

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Documenting the smaller things on earth

Ever since I moved from Alaska my camera has been getting less and less attention. By now it is a bit outdated and I have been thinking that I should get a new one for several years now, just like I have been thinking that I should get a tattoo. None of that has happened, yet. At one point I got really into macro photography, because there is no better way to see natures magical world than to drop down on your knees and get close to the tiniest parts of this ecosystem. I am the type of person that will do just that and don’t think about the consequences, i.e dirty knees, until afterwards. I can easily get sucked in to the details, maybe that is why I am a lab manager.

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Now when I look through all my photos I want to get back, back into photography again, but the lack of the nature I want to depict is nowhere to be found in this urban place. There are details here too of course, just not so obvious, or maybe that is the whole point. You have to search for it and train your eye for a different environment. Either way, one can dream about the nature that used to surround me at least.

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A walk Through Central Park - NYC

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A Stroll through Central Park

The Weekly long Walk

We take weekly long walks here and they usually end up in one of the larger parks. We have only been venturing out once a week, but I am starting to second guess that descion now, since it’s starting to get to us. Technically you are only “supposed” to go out when you have to, which is why we have kept it at about once a week. It takes about 15-20 minutes for us to get to any of the larger parks around us, so that is also another reason why we don’t do it that frequently. 1.6 million people live in Manhattan, so even though all the tourists are gone, you can imagine what it would look like if everyone tried to get to the parks at the same time.

The Loch

We usually start at the north end of Central Park and walk behind the ice skating rink/swimming pool, and there the Loch starts which is one of my favorite trails in the park. That ice skating rink just melted after the city shut down in March, and unfortunately the swimming pools in the city will be closed this summer. I know it is for the best, but I feel sad for all the kids (and adults) that wont have a place to cool off this summer. The Loch attracts a lot of birders, or people in general who want to get away from the larger crowds. We encountered a group of enthusiastic birders and photographers when we walked by, they had spotted a Virginia Rail. We quickly passed that group of people and continued our long walk. You can go in all different directions from the Loch, of course, and we tend to move towards the west side of the park. To the east you can continue to the Conservatory garden which always have many pretty flowers. There is a small avenue with many benches along both sides there, and public restrooms. You can continue on the Loch until you pop up right by a waterfall (the second waterfall you can see on this walk) and the Pool (the name of the big pond). If you continue straight south though, you’ll reach the tennis court and additional public restrooms.

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Cherry Blossoms around the Jackie Kenedy’s Reservoir

We finally arrived by Jackie Kennedy’s Reservoir, and all the cherry blossoms. The Okame cherry trees were blooming already in March (a month early) and they are long gone now. The cherry trees that are blooming now are mainly the Kwanzan, and a couple of Yoshinos are still going strong. Naturally we walk south on the west side of the reservoir, and when we go north we walk along the east side. The northern part of the park is pretty empty now, although everything is relative. The reservoir on the other hand is crowded, like always, and so even now. I mean everything is relative, and I thought it was crowded based on the fact that we technically are not suppose to congregate. I guess my photos are showing the less crowded parts, since that is where we try to walk.

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I like the turtle pond and also the Belvedere castle which will guide you towards the Ramble, my second favorite trail in the park. Right behind the castle is also where one of the weather stations in Manhattan sits, if you are into that jam. I really like the architecture of the Belvedere castle. It sits on the top of a hill and you can view the upper east side from here. I have never ever seen the castle so empty, I mean there is a pandemic out there but still. Quite the contrast from the number of people we saw around the reservoir.

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The Ramble and Bow Bridge

We continued south, walking along the Ramble which has a ton of different small trails. Eventually you pop out right by the Bow Bridge that will take you over to the Bethesda Terrace. Even though the area around the reservoir was busy, the area around the bow bridge was surprisingly empty. If you have ever been to the Bow Bridge, have you ever seen it empty? An old man was sitting on the other side of the bridge playing some sad songs on his accordion, we gave him some money before continuing. I could see another old man feeding the ducks in the Lake to the west. So many lonely old souls around here.

Bethesda Terrace and the Fountain

It was almost empty by the Bethesda Terrace and the Fountain too. Already in 1868 people were able to enjoy the views of the terrace and the fountain, designed by Olmstedt and Vaux. My favorite part is right underneath the terrace, all the beautiful colors there are amazing. Some small groups of people were sitting with face-masks talking to each other, complaining about people who are not keeping their distance or just about life in general. They were all wondering when this is going to end, and shared information about businesses that are closing and they were all wondering who would still be there when this is all over. You hear random people strike up a conversation, because we are all in this together, and people are getting lonely.

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As we walked north again the number of people increased and that uncomfortable feeling arose again, or was that because we were walking by the field hospital, or because 2 hours had passed and more people were out and about? I wonder what it will feel like once everything opens up again. Will we always be scared of being too close to one another or will we forget about how all of this was after a few months. Maybe we should start to go on daily walks, but then again, doesn’t that defeat the purpose in some way? People are starting to move around more, and especially now when the weather is getting nicer I wonder how this will all play out. They are talking about opening up larger streets to make room for more people, but my guess is that more people will still wanna go to the park. I mean who wouldn’t want to sit in the grass on a blanket in Central Park right now? Just like we could do before this pandemic.

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Death Canyon

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Adventure Tuesday 

Hiking in the Tetons

    We went hiking in Death Canyon in the Tetons during our time there. As with all places you have to get there early, to beat the crowd. I am one of those too, one of those who get up early to try to get some views of the nature. I think many people have bears, bison, wolves or any other mammal on their list to see. I have seen a fair amount of bears and bison, less wolves but many coyotes. I would be very happy if I saw a large mammal, from a great distance, but if I don't I am still really happy. I love being outside, I love being able to see views, views of the mountains, views of the deep forest and views of all the tiny little flowers, or the texture of a rock. It’s a magical landscape, once you get down on your knees and start digging in the dirt you start to really appreciate the small things in life.

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Death Canyon Trail

    The Death Canyon trail is about 10.5 miles. This day we weren't aiming for a far or fast hike, we just wanted to be out and about.  W's mom and our friend's parents were with us too, and we enjoyed walking slowly and talking about ecology and geology as we continued towards phelps lake. Once we got to the lake we had lunch, just some sandwiches we brought, but we enjoyed the downtime in the shadows. It was once again a pretty hot day, and the mosquitos were all around us of course. We never ventured into the canyons themselves, but we enjoyed looking at these magnificent mountains and the stories they silently tell. I love being out and about, watch the day slowly go by, I love seeing the details. Sometimes you can’t see the trees for the forest, just like you cant see the forest for the trees.

Magical Landscape of Christmas Trees

    The Rocky Mountain forest is so beautiful. The trees are a lot different from the typical black spruce you see in Alaska. They are in the same family, but belong to different genera. The Douglas fir stands tall in the forest, tall and green, and beautiful. A typical christmas tree. Depending on what elevation you are hiking at in the Rocky Mountains, you will see different species, Douglas fir in the lower elevation and whitebark pine at the higher elevations. Sometimes you even see an Engelmann spruce or lodgepole pine, but mostly in between (in elevation)  whitebark pine and Engelmann spruce. 

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Have you ever been hiking in the Rockies? What is your favorite spot?