Chalk Walk 2012

Northeast Arts once again put on Chalk Walk at Concourse Park in Historic Northeast today.  It also runs tomorrow if the weather will cooperate.   Above, the fountains are off and the chalk is going down.    Left, the Henggeler family, John Francis, Geoff, Jen, and the newest, Simon.

 Above, the newest Stalder looking suspicious....  i.e. normal.

 Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences faculty and students were on hand to take vitals.   Below, I think I'd start at the other end of the steer....

 Above, the finished product, below, chalk and plans.

 Above, kite flying demonstration had cooperation from the wind.  Below, EL Bryan notorious  famous local cartoonist with his contribution ....

 Really good weather and lots of fun.   All photos taken with the Nikon D5000 and 18-200mm lens.  ASA 400, aperture and shutter various.

Save The Date

This is a blast every year and will be even better this time around. The kids just LOVE it. It's from 5-8pm.

Holiday Homes Tour in Scarritt Renaissance

The homes for the 2010 Holiday Homes Tour over here in jolly old Northeast have been announced. This year the Tour will be on Sunday, December 5th from 2 - 5pm. Tickets will be available at the old Corinthian Hall Carriage House on Indiana between Gladstone Boulevard and Windsor Avenue. More detail as we get closer... but save the date.

Cinema DSLR

I'm videotaping a wedding a week from Saturday and have the gear I need, but I wanted to see what the quality was of the Nikon D5000 output in video mode. Soooo, trekked on over to Cliff Drive (where else) and did some shooting. Not my best work by a loooooong shot... also, while the camera worked well, it just won't do for the situations one faces at a wedding. Perhaps, during the service, it could be over in the corner giving me one more angle. We'll see.

But, while I cinemztizing the leaves cooperated by falling... and two hawks decided to put on a little air show... they were using the constant breeze to wind surf... pretty interesting.

Anyway... the movie below is interesting but certainly far from acceptable technically. In fairness though this is reduced from 500mb to 14.7.... the uncompressed looks much better.

Happy Birthday Jennie

Do not stand at my grave and weep,

I am not there. I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow.

I am the snow on the mountain's rim,

I am the laughter in children's eyes,

I am the sand at the water's edge,

I am the sunlight on ripened grain,

I am the gentle Autumn rain,

When you awaken in the morning's hush,

I am the swift uplifting rush of quiet birds in circled flight,

I am the star that shines at night,

Do not stand at my grave and cry,

I am not there, I did not die.

Author Unknown

Original post about Jennie here: http://hyperblogal.blogspot.com/search?q=jennie

Sunday Train of Thought

If you listen closely with your eyes an image or series of images will tell you whether black and white or color is best. In this case, with the largest operational steam locomotive in the world, the shots screamed black and white. Nothing captures the strength, the grime and the power of even a motionless machine like the immediately abstract nature of the colorless image. While my Nikon D3 has a setting for B&W only... I prefer to shoot in color and then convert the images in Photoshop. There is just more information to work with when you have the color data too... even if the image is primarily black and gray.

The Challenger 3985 was visiting Union Station this weekend... it leaves Monday morning... and lots of folks went to see it. The engine weighs in at 627 thousand pounds. It can take on 25,000 gallons of water and filling it up at 7-11 would take 6, 445 gallons.

There was a good crowd on hand to see the beast.... the kids, older ones, loved it... but were more interested in the moving diesels that kept coming by horns blasting.....
Top speed is 70 miles per hour and the engine is actually hinged to allow it to go around corners. The 3985 was built in 1943 by the American Locomotive Company. During peak operation 105 of these were in use throughout the US. This one was retired in 1962 but lovingly restored by a group of Union Pacific employee volunteers to running condition in 1981.


Originally designed to burn coal it was converted to burn fuel oil in 1990.






All shots taken with the Nikon D3 and either the 105mm lens or the 14-24mm zoom. ASA 200, aperture priority at F11 on the 14-24 or F16 on the 105. All images converted to black in white in Photoshop's Camera Raw.

The name Challenger was given to steam locomotives with a 4-6-6-4 wheel arrangement.... four wheels up front to guide it, followed by two sets of "driving" wheels and four "trailing" wheels which support the rear of the engine and its massive firebox.


When the engine did burn coal it pulled a tender with a 32-ton capacity.








There is a gift shop aboard too in one of the old passenger cars.