Categories
Out and About

The Arb in Early October

I visited the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chaska, Minnesota, this morning. I took these photos from 9:00 to 10:10 a.m.

Koi in the Japanese Garden
Waterfall in the Japanese Garden
Gazebo in the Japanese Garden
Monarch butterfly in one of the gardens
Impatiens, ‘SunPatiens Compact Electric Orange,’ Hybrid Impatiens
Salvia, ‘Mystic Spires,’ Hybrid Sage
Betula papyrifera, Paper Birch
White Ash, Fraxinus americana
Green maple leaves
Various pine trees
Sunstar in a bronze sculpture titled “Sud II” by Mimmo Paladino (b. 1948, Italian)
Unidentified shrub rose
Sculpture titled “Family” by Douglas Olmsted Freeman
Three-Mile Walk sign
Categories
Out and About

46 Morning Photos From the Minnesota State Fair

Today, I made my first post-Covid visit to the Minnesota State Fair in St. Paul. The Minnesota State Fair is the second-largest state fair in the United States. I took these photos from 8:52 to 10:22 a.m. and used my Canon EOS R with kit lens.

Minnesota State Fair entrance
Pizza Wagon
Tickets for the Midway
The Strawberry Patch
Sheep entrance
Caged sheep
Butcher Boys
Cows standing outside
Art on a stick
All You Can Drink Milk for $2
Fish pond
KARE 11 building
KARE 11 broadcasting live
Fresh French Fries
The Original Minneapple Pie
Haunted House
Minnesota Twins sculpture
Propal Fresh Oranges cart
American Red Cross blood donation bus
Hennepin County Sheriff truck
Oof-Da Tacos
Minnesota State Fair information booth
Deputies
Doing pull-ups at a Marines stand
Bus that looks like a vintage-style tram
Giant Ferris wheel at the Midway
Pronto Pups
John Deere riding lawn mowers on display
92 KQRS live broadcasting booth
Gizmo, “The Italian Beef Burger!”
Carnival game prizes
Sculpture of a woman with hotdish
Sky Glider above crowd
Sweet Martha’s Cookie Jar
Woman taking photos with smartphones
National Guard Humvee
National Guard Humvee II
Army Humvee
Army remote-controlled tank
Army remote-controlled tank II
Kids controlling remote-controlled tanks
Man lifting heavy weights at the Army stand
TPT Twin Cities PBS stand
Fox 9 stand
Star Tribune building
Ride at the Midway
Categories
Out and About

Chanhassen’s 40th Annual Fourth of July Celebration

My mom and I went to the first day of Chanhassen’s 40th annual Fourth of July celebration this evening. We’ve gone for the last three years now. I posted photos I took last year with my Google Pixel smartphone, which obviously limited image quality. This year, I made sure to bring my Canon EOS R. I also coordinated our time so I was able to take photos at the golden hour and the blue hour. The golden hour is the hour before sunset, and the blue hour is the hour after sunset (as an aside, it works the opposite way for sunrises). The sunset was at 9:04 p.m. tonight; these photos were taken between 7:58 and 9:25 p.m.

Fan at one of the carnival games (according to Alexa, the high was 89 degrees Fahrenheit today)
My mom by a snow cone stand
Ferris wheel at the golden hour
Beach Buggies sign
There was mostly empty seating. This could be because it was late in the day on family night.
Carnival food
Mini Donuts
Pick-a-Duck
Bam Bam
Ferris wheel after sunset
Carnival food and Ferris wheel
My mom looking at carnival food and the Ferris wheel
Another photo of my mom by carnival food and the Ferris wheel
Ferris wheel
My mom by a carousel
Ferris wheel II
Categories
Out and About

Another Evening at the Arb

Less than a week ago, I visited the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chaska, Minnesota. Unlike this prior visit, it was overcast today, which is actually a good time to photograph anything with vibrant colors.

I took these photos from 5:59 to 6:20 p.m.

Campanula glomerata, ‘Allgentibl’ Genti Blue, Clustered Bellflower
Rabbit statue with: Geranium, ‘Jolly Bee,’ Cranesbill
Street light
Allium, ‘Globemaster,’ Onion
Categories
Gear Personal Life

My Dad’s Early Father’s Day Gift: A Seiko SNE593

Father’s Day came early for my dad this year. This morning, the Postal Service delivered the watch I ordered for my dad. Of course, I had to make an unboxing post (even though my mom thinks they’re weird).

I ordered this Seiko SNE593 from Island Watch last week, shortly after boarding an Amtrak train to take me back home to St. Paul from East Glacier Park, Montana.

Enjoy these 12 photos, dad!

Categories
Out and About

An Evening at the Arb

My mom and I visited the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chaska, Minnesota, this evening. I took these photos from 6:24 to 6:39 p.m.

Acer palmatum, ‘Bloodgood,’ Japanese Maple
Fountain, Donated by Dr. Virgil T. Fallon, 2001
Philadelphus lewisii, ‘Blizzard,’ Mockorange
Bumblebee
Placard that reads “Plants Used for Making Dyes”
Placard that reads “Plants Used for Making Tools”
Unknown red flower
Categories
Pug Life

Finally, Spring

My mom, our puggles, and I went to Rice Marsh Lake Park this evening. I took these photos from 5:59 to 6:09 p.m.

Pugsley
Pugsley
Missy
Rice Marsh Lake
Missy
Categories
Out and About

Historic Downtown Chaska in Winter

For one reason or another, I haven’t taken many photos in downtown Chaska over the years. But this says more about me than it does their historic downtown area—because it is charming.

I took these five photos today from 11:34 to 11:50 a.m.

Carver County Justice Center
Formerly known as the “Co-Op,” this is SouthWest Metro High School. I had basketball practice here when I was in middle school and took a film photography course here—which I loved—when I was in high school.
St. John’s Lutheran Church & School
Pine garland in a gazebo, which is at the center of Chaska City Square Park
Chaska City Square Park
Categories
Gear Personal Life Pug Life

After Years of AfterShot Pro and GIMP, I’m Switching to Lightroom and Photoshop

It’s probably been over five years since I last used Photoshop. I even had a blog devoted to editing photos in Linux, which is possible but not nearly as feature-rich. As of this morning, I’m excited to announce that I’m back on board with Adobe! In addition to Photoshop, Lightroom is included with my subscription. The total cost is $10 a month—a steal in my opinion.

Here are 10 photos I took this morning around my neighborhood from 9:50 to 10:10 a.m. to test out Lightroom—of which I’m a first-time user—and Photoshop.

Missy and Pugsley sit on the stairs waiting for mom to come home
Sunstars are achieved by stopping down to the smallest aperture, in this case f/22
My house
The leaves on the deciduous trees in my front yard fall later than any of the other trees in my neighborhood
Mail truck in my neighborhood
Stop sign for leaving my neighborhood on Audubon Road
Crosswalk for the other entrance and exit in my neighborhood
Pine tree between my neighborhood and the National Weather Service Forecast Office in the Twin Cities/Chanhassen, Minnesota
Doppler radar at the National Weather Service Forecast Office
The former house of the late U.S. senator Rod Grams, located along Audubon Road in my neighborhood. He owned all the land in my neighborhood before my family moved there in 1993.
Categories
Out and About Pug Life

Centennial Lakes Park in Late October

This afternoon, my mom, my puggles, and I visited Centennial Lakes Park in Edina, Minnesota. These photos were taken from 3:13 to 4:10 p.m.

Walking labyrinth/meditation maze
Prairie grass
Pugsley
Missy
Pugsley and Missy
Missy
My mom and our puggles next to a Rotary International clock at the entrance