Tallest tree in Pennsylvania?

Could this be the tallest tree in Pennsylvania? Maybe not, but it is certainly the highest tree top in the state. I photographed this tree yesterday from atop the Mount Davis observation tower that soars more than 50' above the mountain summit that is the highest point in Pennsylvania. It was my first trip there yesterday and I enjoyed the solitude and absolute quiet up on the tower with no people around for MILES. From atop of Mt. Davis you can see far into Maryland and beyond Somerset. Though the mountains in the background APPEAR taller, it is an optical illusion and they are not as high as the photo vantage point (at least that's what some old bronze plaque said...) The leaves are turning very nice at the higher elevations in Western PA!

The best pictures differentiate themselves by nuances...a tiny relationship-either a harmony or a disharmony-that creates a picture. Ernst Haas

A couple of landscapes for the weekend...

Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada and Big Moose Lake at sunrise, Adirondack Mts., New York...

Joseph's Lane, 7:23

Closed For the Season

A little landscape photography shot this winter at Moraine State Park.  The image is called,

"Closed For the Season" which was taken from the sign attached to the restroom.  With the temps in the 70's today, summer cannot come quick enough for me!

Louisiana Riviera...

Here is a photo of my future retirement home. Not sure if my wife wants to join me, but the way the photography business is going, it might not be an option :-) It looks cheap, but it's probably worth 300K...:-) Location, Location, Location...

Taken somewhere on the Gulf coast between Port Arthur, TX and New Orleans, LA after two days on an offshore oil rig for Michael Baker Engineers. Fujichrome Velvia with Canon EOS-1n.

Loving Surviorman...

Never were the words of Bruce Springsteen's song, 57 Channels (and nothin on) more true than today.  Between the writer's strike (they deserve everything they're asking) and endless "reality" television, that has nothing to do with reality; finding something to keep the gray matter occupied for an hour or two is getting tougher.  However, I've found my nirvana with the Surviorman series.  Les Stroud eats dirt, makes fire by rubbing two live rattlesnakes together, and builds shelters out of shoe strings and pocket lint.  Great, great stuff!  Between my short lived Boy Scouting and hunting and camping as a youngster in the Southern tier of New York, ole' Les has struck a cord.  While I never was put in a survival situation, I did loose my bearings a couple of times while out looking for a Bambi to shoot...Seriously, it's a great show to watch and Les loves nature and the outdoors.  Sure, it's a little overproduced at times and you KNOW he's never that far from a satellite phone and ER room, but it's still pretty interesting to me on making due with very little.  A little like, shooting location photography in a bad location...

So in honor of Les and his great show, a couple of wilderness pictures for you today.  It's Half Dome in Yosemite Park, CA.   Ansel, eat your heart out :-)