Greetings From Niagara Falls

Here are some postcard shots from my recent trip to Niagara Falls. The NY State Park on the US side is the oldest state park in our country. I was impressed with the park, variety of vantage points, the fact that it is free and open 24 hours-a-day and of course, the falls themselves. Photographing them was not as easy as I imagined it would be. On the American side both falls can only be viewed from an observation platform (below). The first photo here was shot from the platform but because there was so much mist coming from the Horseshoe Falls in the distance it was not possible to get a clear shot of both falls. The view is actually best from the Canadian side but because of the heavy mist coming from the falls photographing from there was wet and also difficult. The wind was not that strong so I am not sure if there are times when the mist is not a problem. At night flood lights are cast on the falls creating a unique and breathtaking view. There is a lot to do in the area including a casino, bird aviary, butterfly museum, public garden and more. I was sorry I hadn’t planned on staying longer than a day.

'American Falls' © Denise Bush

'American Rapids' © Denise Bush

'Horseshoe Falls, US Side' © Denise Bush

'Observation Platform' © Denise Bush

'Horseshoe Falls, CA Side' © Denise Bush

'American Falls at Night' © Denise Bush

'Horseshoe Falls at Night' © Denise Bush

Along the Way

Last week my husband and I traveled up to Niagara Falls for a mini-vacation. I wanted to visit the towns where my people are from on our way which are in the rural area south of Buffalo. I have many fond memories visiting my grandparents and great grandparents and wanted to see what it was like after not having been there for thirty-some years. We visited the graveyard in Cottage first before heading to my great grandfather’s old house. I was proud of myself to have found it, just down from the old corner store. Sadly, it looked nothing like I had remembered, green with the red tin roof and maple buckets hanging from the trees out front. On our way to Gowanda, where my mother was from we passed a barn that was covered in vines … barely recognizable if it were not for the exposed tin roof. We passed the dairy farm that once belonged to my great grandfather Allen (on my father’s side) and I was glad to see it was still working and hadn’t changed much. Gowanda, one of the larger towns in the area had done pretty well in keeping up with the times. There were several quaint shops and new places to eat. I had trouble figuring out which building was the old Ben Franklin that we would walk to each trip in order to purchase something to keep us busy while at Gramma’s house. We passed the old railroad station where as a young girl my mother would greet soldiers passing through on their way to or home from the war. It was getting late and my curiosity was satisfied so we headed to the Comfort Inn and looked forward to our next day at Niagara Falls. (Photos to come in my next post.)

'Invasion of the Vines' © Denise Bush

'Gowanda Train Station' © Denise Bush

Weathered Barns

There’s something about old, weathered barns that you just gotta love. Here’s one that I have been after for a few years and in all seasons. It’s in one of those positions that just doesn’t get great morning or afternoon light from an approachable vantage point. The clouds were looking interesting around 6 pm one day last week so I took a ride out to see how the scene looked. The diffused light didn’t provide for much contrast but harsh shadows weren’t a problem either. It was quite windy so I boosted my ISO to 800 to freeze the blowing leaves and provide maximum sharpness. I’m hoping to find more weathered barns later this month on a trip to Western New York.

Fondness for Frogs

My family knows I have a fondness for frogs and I have received many frog tchotchkes over the years. So many in fact I had to tell them to stop! I was excited when my husband found this Grey Tree Frog in our yard yesterday. The name implies that it is always the same color but its ability to adapt to backgrounds ranging from gray to green make it the chameleon of the frog world. He (or is it a she?) was quite patient with me while I photographed it with my 100mm macro lens.

'Grey Tree Frog' © Denise Bush