Autumn – Page 26 – Michael Stephen Wills Photography

Late Autumn Ithaca 1

Dredging the past

December 28, 2020December 19, 2020 MichaelStephenWills

This Sunday past I parked the car downtown (free parking Sundays) and walked the walk, carrying the Sony Alpha 700 with the variable 18-200 lens. Today is a contemplation of beginnings. Here is a mural dedicated to the founding of the Cornell Library Association, titled “Ezra Cornell”, completed 2016 by Nestor Madalengoita.

It was the 1779 Sullivan – Clinton Revolutionary War expedition against British Loyalists and allies, the Iroquois confederation, that opened up Central New York to settlement, making possible the 1,400 Dewitt acres that is now the City of Ithaca, named, strangely, after an Aegean island with Hector Street, our road to downtown, recalling the foremost defender of Troy.

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Our Solo Thanksgiving Feast

We spread our Thanksgiving goodies over three meals for our 2020 solo celebration.

December 17, 2020November 30, 2020 MichaelStephenWills5 Comments

Breakfast: Homemade Apple Pie (Grannie Smith Apples), Coffee with foamed milk and cinnamon
Lunch: Relish plate, sour cream onion dip, potato chips (avocado oil), Irish cheddar cheese and crackers, Dr. Frank Pino Noir
The roses are the last blooms from our garden.

Copyright 2020 Michael Stephen Wills All Rights Reserved

Thayer Preserve, Lick Brook

Former farm land

November 28, 2020November 15, 2020 MichaelStephenWills

Sandbank Road climbs from the valley of Ithaca city to the rural peneplain on the way to Buttermilk Falls, we passed the sign for this preserve many times, today we explored this place, new to us. The trail descends to Lick Creek canyon.

Click photograph for larger view. Use combination keys to enlarge/reduce: Ctrl+ (Control / Plus) and Ctrl- (Control / Minus)

We stopped to enjoy the open space of a powerline clear cut where the trail intersects the creek bed. Here we turned, following the water.

Off trail to the creek bed.

Click to view my Finger Lakes photographs on Getty.

Copyright 2019 All Rights Reserved Michael Stephen Will

Night Blooming Cereus IV

What is this plant?

November 12, 2020October 22, 2020 MichaelStephenWills8 Comments

Bloom #2 of this season. Two more in the wings. I broke out the flash and the Canon 100 mm “macro” lens for this series taken an hour after sunrise before this one-night-only bloom wilted.

Click me for another flower post, “Another Woody Peony.”

References

Wikipedia, “Epiphyllum, “Epiphyllum oxypetalum,”epiphyte.”

Jennings Pond

Buttermilk Falls Source

October 20, 2020October 5, 2020 MichaelStephenWills5 Comments

Tom Knight, “has been delighting children and their grown-ups with his original, interactive, musical puppet show since 1988,” in 2018 Pam, myself and the grandchildren were lucky enough to catch his act at Cornell University Johnson Museum. His CD, “Purple Pumpkin Pie” is in the car and, pre-Covid, I’d play it in the car while riding with the grandchildren.

“Jennings Pond,” a song on that CD, mentions a local town, Danby. Until last week I did not think twice about it. Driving into Ithaca, heading north on Route 13, there’s a compelling view down a valley. I’ve taken exploratory drives down there on the West Danby-Spencer road, seeing what there is to see. A week ago last Sunday, turning left at West Danby, up the hill forming the east valley wall, on Station Road, then Bald Hill Road, passing by the Finger Lakes Trail through Danby State Forest, on the right I spied a compelling open area, a pond, and this sign….

I proceeded onto a footbridge over the pond outlet, the source for Buttermilk Creek,…….

…and continued to a footpath, southeast and away from the pond. Toward the Finger Lakes Trail? I left this adventure for another day.

A Day at Iron Kettle Farm

We miss you, Mom.

October 19, 2020April 2, 2023 MichaelStephenWills6 Comments

One Saturday of October 2012 we enjoyed this last outing with my mother Catherine Ann Wills. She passed away June 2013 at the age of 90 years. We miss you, Mom.

A display of large pumpkins near the entrance to the Iron Kettle Farm.

Enter…if you dare….Corn Mazes are popular tourist attractions and are not simply corn fields. The plantings must be made later, planted thinner and fertilized less than those used for crops.

These small, inedible squash, once dried and hollowed out, become gourds. The plant is in the Cucurbitaceae family of the genus Lagenaria. The squash on this table are too small for anything but displays and decorations, such as centerpieces. Great fun and make and enjoy.

These ornamental squash, also know as cucurbita are not are large enough for use as food. When dried, will last a long time.

Take your pick of pumpkins….

…the pumpkins are sorted by size and price.

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We chose small to medium sized pumpkins.

Thankfully, the trees kept to their usual habits and did not talk to us today.

My dear wife, Pam, was in her element. She loves gardening.

We left the wheelchair at home and Mom enjoyed exploring the exhibits, watching people and the exercise.

Copyright 2023 Michael Stephen Wills All Rights Reserved

Celestial Geese with two haiku by Issa

October 17, 2020October 1, 2020 MichaelStephenWills3 Comments

Celestial Geese

None of Them Come Down

To My Pine

~Kobayashi Issa

Click any photograph view my Finger Lakes Memory gallery

The Bright Moon

In Raindrops from the Eves

The Geese Depart

~Kobayashi Issa

“Harvest Views”

“Antique Silo Apple Harvest”

Salt Road

Summer View with Clouds

October 9, 2020September 17, 2020 MichaelStephenWills2 Comments

Travel to Fillmore Glen from our former home included a climb to an overlook of the Fall Creek valley, seen here on a summer afternoon in four parts.

Three exposures using a 50 mm Canon lens on a Kodak dslr. A tripod allowed me good orientation and, later, to use the Photoshop photoMerge feature to combine exposures into a panorama. At that time, I was limited to the 50 mm lens.

Cow Sheds (waterfall)

A Waterfall with this unusual name.

October 8, 2020October 8, 2020 MichaelStephenWills11 Comments

The gorge takes a turn here to face the west, where I caught the late afternoon sun lowering in these three shots in close sequence.

The Three Laughers of Tiger Glen – repost

The Sound of Laughter Among Friends

October 1, 2020September 30, 2020 MichaelStephenWills

Category: Autumn