Day 2.365: Three years young

How do you celebrate the third birthday of photograph-laden documenting of a foreign sojourn?

Well, firstly, you ask, "What are we celebrating exactly?" I broke it down as follows:

'Documenting' = HISTORY

'Photograph-laden' = ART

'Third birthday' = ACTING LIKE LITTLE KIDS

So, we went to the Albany Institute of History & Art and did puppet shows and walked around wearing silly hats:

Actually, Exile #2 had been wanting to go to this museum for a while and today was the day. Well, it made our shortlist of two destinations and knowing our record, I was just checking the websites to see if they were open and found that today was free-admission day, so it instantly became our first choice.

The galleries were great - it was quiet when we arrived half-an-hour after the 12 noon opening time. There was, however, not much to hold E5N1's attention for long (it's a be quiet and don't touch sort of place) and Exile #4 had limited stamina for it too. Exile #3 as a voracious reader finds such places quite diverting these days. It was also the first place I'd been to in a while with a no-photography (even for personal use) rule in the main galleries. Having said that, it is a very nicely put-together little museum with lots of interesting items presented in a very approachable way. We all enjoyed it

In the end, we retreated to the 'Museum Explorers' (Kids) room where touching, mild-exuberance and photography were all permitted and got on with celebrating our inner three-year-olds.

Day 2.364: Best shoe forward

This morning, I unpacked my new snow shoes (a Christmas present), put them in the car along with my camera including my new lens and remote shutter release(birthday presents) and headed up to John Boyd Thacher State Park.  It was a beautiful morning - cold but sunny.  There were a few people out on the trails, about two-thirds cross country skiers and most of the rest snow-shoeing like me.

Most of the time there was no-one in sight or earshot and then the magic of this winter wonderland was at its peak, the trees seemed to be groaning in the frigid wind - weird other-worldly sounds.  The streams were sometimes visible and sometimes audible as they flowed beneath the ice and snow.

On the way back I stopped at the overlook and captured a snowy panorama and my first 300mm close-up - of downtown Albany with the snow-covered hills along the border with Massachusetts visible in the background.  If you click on the photo above, it will take you to the Flickr set with a few of my other shots.

Day 2.363: I'm older than I've ever been

In celebration of my birthday, here is a picture showcasing two of my gifts - the lens that took it and the tiny remote control in my hand that meant I did not need a timer to take this self portrait.  I had a good day - presents and cards with the kids helping me unwrap and read, breakfast, purchasing doughnuts to take to work, lunch out with colleagues, birthday cake with the kids and dinner with Albaniana and The Man (followed by a bit of Beatles Rock Band).  I did some work in some of the gaps implied by commas.

I also inflicted some of CD1 of the two-CD compilation I received as a gift today on various colleagues.  It includes this song,  Yes, it's pop pun 108 for title watchers - and now I'm even older and now I'm older still.

Day 2.362: Towering. Inferno?

Yes indeed Ms Albaniana, it was in fact a Lego creation.  I made this tower - somehow I think E5N1 got me started and then got involved in something else.  The little gaps in the side made me think of taking a photo down inside with the light shining through them - and then came in handy when the fire department turned up to investigate a fire report (it was a false alarm I'm happy to say).

The other picture was indeed ice (happily not lice) on the inside of one of our storm windows (think exterior secondary double-glazing).

Incidentally, for those who are interested, I spotted my Dad elsewhere on the Internet - quite a long way away in fact!

Day 2.361: Pretty, mysterious

A couple more pictures for you to identify if you can, and - whether you can or not - I think they're quite appealing in any case!