Melt DOWN; River's UP

 The recent warm weather along with the heavy rain and STRONG blustery winds have caused some flooding and damage to our property and township.  Our township is between the Raritan River (North and South Branches), and the Millstone River. Heavy rains and snow melt, cause the rivers to swell and spread out beyond their banks and onto adjoining fields and the main roads.  Although these pictures were taken two days after the rain, you are still able to see some of the damage that resulted. 

 Minor flooding in  along the path from the pool to the gate.

 The water just 'ponds' in the yard.  The soil is a no-drainage 'shale'.  Great for making bricks, but not so good for landcaping.

The blue-stone patio leading to the smoker is barely visable under the standing water. The deck is made of Ipe (e-pay) wood.  A wood that is very dense, and does not absorb water.  The reflection gives the impression of a double railing.

 There is so much water accumulated on the pool cover, that it looks like a pool within a pool. 

 The side-ways wind driven rain making its mark on the standing water.

 When the rain and wind washed away the snow, it left behind the stark sadness of broken tree limbs.  We aren't sure that this old Sugar Maple can be saved.  We have lost many limbs due to weather. One of the two remaining Pine trees also sustained weather damage. 

This old tree fell across the entrance to the bike path that connects Carriage Hill with Strawberry Hill.  The bike path also serves as  an emergency vehicle route. We will wait for the township DPW to remove it.

 This little 'creek' runs along the bike path.  It is usually barely a trickle, but today it is a mini-water fall. 

 This tree at a neighbor's house was split clear down the middle.  After storms like this last one, it is not unusual to hear the buzz of chain saws as residents and tree surgeons remove the damaged trees and limbs.

 The Millstone River at Griggstown overflowed its banks, floods the adjacent field.

 Even though these photos are taken two days after the rain ended, the extent of the flooding is still visible.

 It is not uncommon to see the bridge at the Griggstown Causeway closed. 

 This bridge was re-built several years ago, and probably should have been raised a few feet.  You can see where the river meets the bridge.  Many times in past years the water has actually risen across the bridge.

 The sign should also warn against 'water covered' roads.

 The same goes for the Blackwells Mills Causeway a mile or two north of Griggstown.  This bridge is also newly re-built and rarely is water covered, but the causeway between the Millstone River and

 the Delaware Canal does become submerged.  Since the waters have receded, there is only minor flooding on the causeway, but at times the water has been up to mid-tree level.

Photographic Memory

Also referred to as:    Memories of Photographic equipment.

I do not intentionally build collections, but prefer to use the term "accidental accumulation", since I never know which direction any acquired item will take me.  In this case my small digital camera brought me to the many cameras that Ed has accumulated throughout the past 40+ years.

 Ed is the "Artist-In-Residence" in our home. Here he is using his latest aquisition, a PanasonicLUMIX digital camera with a Leica lens. He has used many of the items featured in this blog.

This is a BerkleyOmega C760 enlarger. It is a specialized transparency projector used to product photographic prints from film negatives, using incandescent light bulbs.  The light passes through a film holder, which holds a negative and projects the image onto photographic paper which is then developed in a dark room. 

The light meter is used to determine the proper exposure.  It allows the photographer to determine which shutter speed and f-number should be used for optimum exposure.within a certain lighting situation and film speed.

A bulky telephoto lens.

The KODAK disc camera.

Two Polaroid Land Cameras with two different flash attachments. 

Leica 35mm camera and:

                                                      

KONICA 35mm camera and a Minolta 35mm

Rolleiflex Cameras have been made since 1929. 

The viewfinder sits on top of the camera, and the photogapher looks down at the image.

The PRONTO 35mm camera. I understand this is the "Agfa Silette", produced in 1953.  On line research shows many Prontos, but none seem as old as this. 

Smaller bellows cameras, among them a PRONTO bellows. and the Foth Strut folding camera for 127mm film rolls.  It was made by Foth from 1931-1943.  It has a focal plane shutter.  Some later models had a couples range finder.

The "Grandaddy" of our 'accumulation', the KODAK bellows camera. 

The legendary Olympus PenF SLR(single lens reflex) camera.  There are no competing 1/2 frame SLR systems from other companies then or now.  It was designed by Yoshihisa Maitani.  It takes a roll of 35mm; 36 exposure film and yields 72 exposures.

Ed's newest aquisition, the Panasonic  Lumix Digital Camera. 

and he tells me it is a "point and shoot' camera and very easy to use.  I prefer my own 'easy-to-use-point-and-shoot-camera, the Canon POWER SHOT!  I like its size and simplicity.  My camera fits into the palm of my hand or a coat/sweater pocket, and is there at the ready when and where I want it.  Downside: It goes through batteries, 2 at a time, hourly!!! (depending on use). 

Cameras come in many shapes and sizes, but the smallest one I have is my cell-phone camera (even smaller than the Canon). 
Photographic equipment  has evolved from a bellows camera, and the photographer hiding under a hood, shooting off explosives to take pictures, to an instrument the size of a credit card, that takes a picture by simply touching the "TAKE" icon on the screen. And then the ability to send that image to one or many recipients who could be anywhere in the world.

Thanks for visiting the the Camera "accumulation".......remember:  Say "Cheese"!!!!!