One for the money:
One for the Money © 2008 Bo Mackison
Two for the show:
Two for the Show © 2008 Bo Mackison
Three to get ready:
Three to Get Ready © 2008 Bo Mackison
Four – slide in the SNOW!
Slide in the Snow © 2008 Bo Mackison
Barn and Shed, Sepia
March 10, 2008 by 14 Comments
Barns in Sepia © 2008 Bo Mackison
Sauk County, Wisconsin
Spring Officially Proclaimed!
March 9, 2008 by 10 Comments
Spring Officially Proclaimed! © 2008 Bo Mackison
BREAKING NEWS!
The Mayor of Madison has had enough, too, so I don’t have to wait 12 more days for spring to be official. Madisonians will be dancing in the slushy, gray-snow-filled streets once they hear THIS news.
Today’s mayoral proclamation reads:
“Whereas, the winter of 2007-2008 will go down as one of the most severe in Madison history with record snowfall, strong winds, freezing rain, below zero temperatures and now, on top of it all, Brett Favre retires (for cryin’ out loud), and
“Whereas, these conditions make us better, hardier people of higher character than our friends who have fled to places like Florida and Arizona (or stupider); and
“Whereas, even with those advantages, we’ve had ENOUGH already; and
“Whereas, Madison has never been a community that simply accepts the status quo whether that be the results of national elections, the realities of nuclear fallout, general market conditions, or, for that matter, mere astronomical forces; and
“Whereas, Spring is a state of mind brought on by the thought of paddle sports and the sight of sleek new canoes and other cool canoe gear; and
“Whereas, Madison has been described as so many square miles surrounded by reality; and
“Whereas, Madison has been growing at a nice pace which must mean that reality is therefore shrinking; and
“Whereas, reality is overrated;
“Now, therefore, be it resolved that Spring officially begins in the City of Madison at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 9.”
(Thanks, Dave.)
Bald Eagle in Winter
March 9, 2008 by 13 Comments
Bald Eagle in River Steam © 2008 Bo Mackison
Taken at Sauk City, Wisconsin – the eagles’ wintering grounds on the Wisconsin River – in bitter cold weather. With the temperatures below zero and the river temperature at 30˙ F, huge clouds of steam were rising from the water’s surface and ice crystals were forming on the nearby tree branches. A single Bald Eagle swooped downstream and landed in this tree across the river from me. I took a few photographs because the eagle was within sight and it would be my last chance to photograph an eagle until next winter.
I nearly deleted all of the photos – they were really bad – but then decided to play around with one of them. I increased the exposure of the dark photo, added a little saturation, and cropped tightly. This is the result – a different look from the sharp photos I like, but the effect seemed to fit the mood. Looks a bit like a painting to me.
Gray Scale
March 8, 2008 by 14 Comments
Gray Scale © 2008 Bo Mackison
This big guy was one of only a few animals outside at the zoo on this chilly winter morning, though he didn’t seem to mind the 27˙F. weather. While I took his picture, he fed himself his breakfast hay swinging his trunk up and down.
I was so amazed at the dexterity of his trunk, I checked out a few facts about elephants on Wikipedia. This is an Asian elephant – only one “finger” around the lip of his trunk. (The African elephant has two.) And what I found most amazing – scientists estimate there are between 40,000 and 100,000 muscles in an elephant’s trunk. The trunk is such a finely tuned instrument, an elephant can as easily pick up a single blade of grass as he can tear down a medium sized tree. Check out the facts about elephants on Wiki and you’ll come away amazed. Guaranteed.
Milwaukee County Zoo
Milwaukee, WI
March 1, 2008
