Weekly Photography Challenge: Fleeting Moments
Category Archives: In the Neighborhood
I’ve Been Inspired by … The Moon
Due to the warm weather, I have been outside earlier in the morning and later at night than usual. So I’ve been seeing more of the moon. I had tried getting pictures of it in the sky near Seven Dolors Church, but was disappointed with how they turned out. Right around the same time Lynda Michelle posted a photo of the moon and we exchanged a few comments which determined me to try again. At around 10 p.m. last night the moon was bright orange – like a sunrise and just captivating. So I grabbed my camera and tripod and ran outside to try to get a good shot. I didn’t quite manage to capture the glowing orange color – maybe I need to use a filter? – but I did get a few photos that indicate what a beautiful scene it was. Lynda Michelle took her photo when it was not quite as dark out, but I loved the contrast between the dark sky and the orange moon. Every time I see the moon like that, I am amazed that it is just reflecting the light of the sun. Thanks for the encouragement, Lynda Michelle.
Happy 4th of July everyone!
Sunrise Over Poyntz Avenue
Another installment in my effort to capture local sunrises and sunsets. A few quick shots, then home to make breakfast!
Rosy-Fingered Dawn: Downtown Manhattan, Kansas 5:30 a.m.
A few weeks ago I posted sunset photos from a recent trip to the Adirondacks. That motivated me to try to get some sunset or sunrise photos from here in Manhattan. I took these pictures about one block away from the B & B, before making breakfast. It was a peaceful morning. My goal now is to get out to some different locations over the summer to get more photos from the bookends of the day. If you look carefully at the bottom two photos, you can see American flags lining Poyntz Avenue and in the window of the mall at the end of the street. The city has put these out in preparation for the 4th of July.
It is going to be a lovely day!
Saturday Morning Farmers’ Market Photos
After we finished serving breakfast this morning, Nicole and I headed out to the downtown Manhattan Farmers Market. It is open on Saturdays and is only about 4 blocks from The Morning Star. I made sure to remember my camera this time. Enjoy the photos! (In my next post, I’ll share the recipe for what I made when I got home.)
K-State Gardens
As part of my resolution to experience more of what Manhattan has to offer, I recently attended a gala at Kansas State University Gardens. It was a wonderful evening. The theme was Three Coins in the Fountain to celebrate the installation of a second fountain in the gardens. Unfortunately, I didn’t bring my camera that night, but that just gave me extra reason to go back! The gardens are just over 2 miles from The Morning Star. I hope that you enjoy my photos. (Since the completion of the gardens is still “in progress”, I’ll certainly have more in the future.)
Wine in the Wild
Some friends and I went to Wine in the Wild last evening. Wine in the Wild is an annual fundraiser for Sunset Zoo, which is about two miles from The Morning Star. It is the first time that I have been to this event. With the B&B, it is often difficult to g0 out for an evening; but I have been working on getting out to see more of what is going on in town. We had a lovely, relaxing evening, strolling around the zoo and sipping wine.
Sunset Zoo has an interesting history. In 1929 the City of Manhattan purchased a hilltop expanse of land for a cemetery. A large area of that land was too rocky for digging graves and in 1933 was dedicated to become Sunset Zoological Park. This, of course, was during the Great Depression, and original funding for the park was provided by the WPA. Even though the zoo has been modernized over the decades, extensive stone walls and walkways built by WPA workers still form an attractive part of its hardscaping. The zoo has a working relationship with Kansas State School of Veterinary Medicine and is home to over 300 species of animals.
Below are some of the pictures that I took last night. It was hot and bright out when the event started at 7, cooler and pitch black when it ended a little after 9. Many of the animals seemed to be sleeping, but the birds put on a good showing.
Per Request: One More Photo of Seven Dolors
Per request by Paul Golding, here’s a photo of the front of Seven Dolors. What a lovely church! Thanks for the request, Paul! I’ll don’t think that I’ll get tired of taking pictures of Seven Dolors anytime soon.
The James W. Berry Memorial Rose Garden, Manhattan City Park
Manhattan City Park is only a few blocks from the Bed & Breakfast and I’ve been wanting to get over there to see the Rose Garden for a few weeks now. With yesterday morning’s breakfast starting late, I was able to dash over to the park for some pictures about 45 minutes after sunrise. It’s hard to believe, but I actually got there too early as the sun was blocked by trees and I had to wait for it to get a little higher in the sky before any of the flowers were in the sun. I did get some nice pictures of the roses and the fountain, but was not able to stay for as long as I would have liked.
The Rose Garden was started in the 1920’s by Mr. Berry, an 1883 graduate of what was then Kansas State Agricultural College (now Kansas State University). He was a member of the Kiwanis Club which was instrumental in tending to and funding the garden in the early years. The garden served in part as a demonstration plot to show that roses could be grown in Kansas. Boy can they!
The fountain was originally put in City Park in 1895 and was moved to the Rose Garden in 1986. Whenever I study the fountain, I am delighted by the detailed workmanship and wonder if there is still anyone around who does such work.
Paul Scarlett Rose on Arbor
Tropicana Rose
Olympiad Rose
Bella Roma Rose
Fountain Detail
A Revelation at Seven Dolors Church
For the twelve years that we have lived behind Seven Dolors, I’ve been trying to get the perfect picture of this historic church. Last evening, I waited until the sun was low and then I ran out and got in position with my camera. And after all these years, I finally had a revelation … well make that two: (1) I needed to stop trying to get a picture of the church because the pictures in which I tried to fit in as much as possible were all boring and (2) I needed to stop trying to get the perfect picture because I should consider any picture that says what I want it to say as a perfect picture. So I tried to photograph those features that draw my eye to Seven Dolors over and over. I tried to capture a bit of what is beautiful and moving about this church. Here are a few of my results from last night. Something tells me that I’ll be photographing Seven Dolors for years to come.
A Taste of Morning 