Cold Start

The last day of 2013. Started rather cold. I liked the steam from the power plant stacks against the cloudy sky. 

Family Fun

I took a vacation day today and we had a terrific family day, including a trip to the RI Audobon's Claire D. McIntosh Wildlife Refuge

Downy Woodpecker

Nature Trail

Next was lunch in Bristol at Aidan's

Next stop was a haircut on the base and a little bowling adventure

Bowling at Seaview Lanes

Last on the list was a trip to Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge where we were treated to a wonderful sunset and a beautiful Snowy Owl.

Sunset over Newport, RI

Snowy Owl

Walk to the Office

I love my walk from my parking spot to my office (about a 1/2 mile). The Providence skyline and the river always impress me. Today they worked in harmony.

Fall Sky

A quick trip to Oakland Beach in Warwick where the sky was just starting to brighten.  This pic was taken on my iPhone with post-processing in the PS app.

From LR to Picasa to Blogger

Saw this American Coot on the walk into work.  This was more a test of taking an image from Lightroom, transferring it to Picasa, then creating a blog post through Blogger.  All worked well except the last part where the Blogger app on my phone would not reach out to Picasa.

What's Down There?

This morning as I walked in to work, I saw the pair of swans that make their home along the Providence River. They noticed me so swam in my direction.  I watched for a few minutes and got this photo.  It was interesting to watch one dive down, grab some plant food, and then the two shared. 

 

Recycling

The metal recycling ship is back in port. Thought we'd stop to see the operation. 

The ship obviously has four cranes, each with a large claw. To the left out of the picture is a nearly football field size pile of scrap metal. The large yellow truck in the foreground gets loaded, drives down the pier, dumps the load, and returns for more. The piles on the pier are loaded onto the ship by those four large cranes. I had photos of the claws open and also full, but I liked this photo best because of the cranes all being aligned.

Old Stone Bank

For the past two days you've seen this building from a couple of different angles. Today I thought I'd show it to you straight on It's a beautiful building. Unfortunately, it's empty, and has been for years. The building was built in 1854 and was last used in 1993.

I was fortunate once to get to peek inside. (a film company had rented the building to serve as the commissary while they filmed in the area.) The doomed roof sits right over a circular teller area for the bank. It a sight to see.

More info, but not completely up to date as Brown University no longer owns the building, can be found at:
http://www.rihs.org/mssinv/mss943.htm

George Washington Was Here

This is the Stephen Hopkins House.  Ten times the Governor of Rhode Island, he was also a signer of the Declaration of Independence.  The historical plaque mentions that George Washington visited Governor Hopkins here.  You can read more about the home here.

For those of you paying close attention, you might notice the golden dome and the cubed building in the distance.  They were in yesterday's blip from a different angle.

Old vs. New

A very gray day here in Providence today, and not much time to find a better blip.  I saw this and thought the contrast was interesting.  I've always been fascinated with the old vs new that I see in New England.

Soaring Overhead

Out for a noontime walk today and the gulls were mostly settled on the frozen river; although many of them were bathing in the center where there was a nice melted hole.

This one decided to take flight and I'm glad it did.

Prudence Ferry

Made a trip to Bristol, RI today for dinner with family at a favorite, Aidan's. Caught this sunset as we finished up.  Not much opportunity for the real camera today, so used the phone instead.

The Prudence Ferry runs from Bristol to Prudence Island.

Frozen Pond

A drive through Roger Williams Park led to this photo.  The pond was frozen (not yet safe, btw) and with the overnight snow it made a beautiful white landscape.  As I moved around the pond I noticed these two cracks which traversed the width of the pond.  I thought they made for an interesting composition.

Burnside House

A beautiful home on historic Benefit Street in Providence, RI.  I work near this home and walk by it often.  It's one of my favorites.

For all guys out there that have ever had sideburns, you should read on.
Burnside House History