I ushered out 2011 with a few laps around a downtown Rochester ice rink with my friend Mary. It's been about 9 years since I laced up a pair of ice skates. It took me a while to get back in the skating rhythm--but no falls!
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Photo credit: Mary Keller
Manhattan Square Park ice rink, Rochester, NY
Irondequoit Bay Marine Park, Lake Ontario, Rochester, New York
Lilacs in full bloom at Highland Park, Rochester, New York
Front (white): Clove-scented lilac
Middle (dark purple): Triste Barbaro
Back (light purple): Rouen lilac
All tulips are from Highland Park, Rochester, New York
 Computer Geek Snowman |
It may be spring on the calendar, but here in the Boston area (where I am working this week) they never got that memo. In honor of this morning's spring snowfall, I present snowman 2011, created in Rochester a few weeks back. (This morning's snowfall didn't quite reach snowman levels). This year's model is the tech-savvy computer geek, sporting:
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Check out also previous snowpeople versions, below. Which one is your favorite?
| 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2005 |
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| Texas Snowman | Seven Layer Snowman | Desi Snowman | The Original |
Hellloooooooooo cyberspace......is anybody still out there?
Yeah, I know. India Ink ran dry for a while there. I've been debating whether it has outlived its usefulness.
But after a 6-month hiatus, I don't seem to be able to let go of it completely, so I'm taking that as a sign that it's not quite ready for retirement.
So on this first day of spring, under the light of the perigee super moon, I'm back.
Hope ya'll will be back too...
Perigee super moon over Rochester, New York
In response to the Bambi Update, Donna asks:
| "How do you know that it's the original Bambi? Don't they all look the same? This is a serious question." |
OK, so I'm taking it very seriously! ;o)
I was just assuming it's the same Bambi, but I suppose there could be multiple Bambis in the neighborhood. So I decided to do a little Nancy Drewing, and I think the answer lies in the dots.
Note that the dot pattern of the original Bambi (left) is identical to one of the visiting Bambis (right). Dot for dot, everything matches.
This is in contrast to its sibling (bottom), who has a very different dot pattern. What do you think?
 Original Bambi (June 11, 2010) |
 Visiting Bambi (July 10, 2010) |
Sibling (July 10, 2010)
Last month, bleating bambis were my early-morning wake-up call. This morning, I was again startled awake by strange animal noises beneath my window. I stuck my head out, to find three rambunctious raccoons trying to climb up the chimney next to my bedroom window. I had to quickly slam the window shut before they joined me in the bedroom! (But not before I got a few good shots...)
(E. and company: I should have some good new animal noises for you next time you call...)
This morning I was awakened at dawn by what sounded like a baby crying on my doorstep. It was a baby all right--just not a human one. This itty bitty little deer was jumping around in the back yard, bleating its heart out. I'm guessing it got separated from its mama -- but it doesn't look like mama is coming back any time soon. In spite of repeatedly coaxing her to make her way back to a nearby park, she seems to have taken up residence in my yard. Twelve hours later, she is still comfortably settled in a cozy spot between two trees in the yard.
Things could be worse. This evening, the local news station reported a black bear sighting a couple miles from my house. No, I don't live out in the boonies -- it's just an ordinary residential area! There is a park close by though, so white-tailed deer are not uncommon here. The bear sighting? That was a first for this town.
I've got my camera ready in case it decides to be my next visitor. (And hope Bambi and Bear don't cross paths).
I think the blue eyes must be the deer equivalent of the human 'red eye'
caused by camera flash bouncing off the eyes.
The lilacs and tulips have faded in Rochester. Now it's the rhododendron's turn to blossom.
With all the magnificent things I've seen around the world, the lilacs of Rochester remain near the top of my list of favorite sights.
Every May ushers in this breathtaking show of beauty and fragrance at Highland Park. I can spend hours here and never grow tired of them. This year, the blossoms are blooming a bit ahead of schedule, which will probably disappoint the hordes of visitors who will descend on Rochester next weekend for the official Lilac Festival, because they'll be past their peak by then. The timing was perfect, however, for my brief return to Rochester last week.
Lilac variety: Nokomis
Lilac variety: Fenelon
Lilac variety: Charlemagne
Lilac variety: Monge
Lilac variety: Madeleine Lemaire
Lilac variety: unidentified
Lilac variety: Pasteur
Lilac variety: Mrs. Nancy Reagan
Lilac variety: Lilac Sunday
Lilac variety: Albert Holden
Lilac variety: Charm
Lilac variety: Laciniata
Lilac variety: Meyer
Lilac variety: Burgundy Queen
Lilac variety: Rouen
Lilac variety: Common lilac
Tulips at Highland Park, Rochester, NY
Rochester blizzard, February 2010
My flight from Dallas made it to Rochester just hours before the blizzard moved in Thursday night. I awoke to an exquisite winter wonderland that took my breath away.
But.
I spent 6 hours digging my car out of the driveway. Two of those hours were spent starting up the car, spinning the wheels, turning it off, shoveling and digging some more, spinning the wheels some more...
I'm thinkin' it's time to move to warmer climes...
View from my window
Winter birds on Irondequoit Bay, Rochester, New York
The temperature is freezing and the wind is howling. So what do crazy New Yorkers do? Why, they go for a dip in Lake Ontario of course...
Each year, in the dead of winter, Rochester is host to the Polar Bear Plunge, a fund-raising event for Special Olympics that has otherwise sane people plunging into the icy waters of Lake Ontario. This year, over a thousand people took part. I must say, I was tempted to join them, but I was already shivering in my boots, just standing there fully clothed taking pictures. I hope to be more courageous next year!
Clearing off the icy sludge of Lake Ontario before the plunge
The plungers were led by a bagpipe band.
There were several sightings of Elvis, Blue Men carrying toilet plungers (get it?), and other assorted characters
Hat? check. Mittens? check. Scarf? check. Bikini? check
The icecube tray man (above left) gets my creativity award
My favorites were these two prom queens (bridesmaids?), in full regalia. [Update from the subjects in this photo: that was a recently-married bride with her maid of honor!] And here I thought it was only at Marina Beach in Chennai, that women ventured into the water fully clothed!
The prom queens take the plunge, under the watchful eye of members of the coast guard,
who along with scuba divers and paramedics were on hand in case of any mishaps.
I spent Saturday morning walking the waters of Irondequoit Bay (which flows into Lake Ontario, not far from my house) and Conesus Lake, one of the Finger Lakes south of Rochester. In the winter, these waters freeze to depths of as much as a foot, making them a favorite spot for ice fishing.
Frozen Conesus Lake, New York
Fisherman drilling a hole through the ice.
The lake was dotted with dozens of fishermen patiently waiting for their catch
Some fishermen automate the process, drilling multiple holes and attaching bait to a little wooden contraption (above), which trips a flag when a fish bites.
I'm glad I didn't hear about this until after I got home:
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1 Dead, 134 Rescued From Lake Erie More than 130 fishermen were rescued after a massive slab of ice broke free from the Ohio shoreline of Lake Erie on Saturday, authorities said. One person died after falling into the water while searching for a path to the shore. |
In the midst of Rochester's Arctic Blast, we finally had a one-day heat wave today (41°F / 5°C -- woo hoo!), which gives the kind of melty snow that's perfect for snowman construction. This being the age of No Carbon Footprint, this year's model is not only completely recyclable, but also edible. Can you spot all seven fruits & veggies?
~carrot top hair
~carrot nose
~banana mouth
~pomegranate ears
~cherry eyes
~lettuce & radish necklace
~cherry tomato buttons
Check out also snowmen of yesteryear:
I've always wanted to go to the Arctic. This week, the Arctic came to me.
Even the Yahoo weather forecast seemed to freeze once the temperature got to below 0°F (that's minus 18°C, for my Indian audience), showing only a minus sign, with no number (below).
Polar Punch, Siberian Express, Arctic Assault, and Three Dog Night are the expressions local meteorologists have been using all week to describe the single-digit temperatures. Three Dog Night??? I always thought that was a band, but apparently it's an Australian expression used to indicate how many dogs you have to sleep with to keep you warm on a bitterly cold night. You won't find any dogs in my bed, but I AM hunkered down in my home, emerging only occasionally to shovel the driveway. It's even too cold to create a snowman; I've had to settle for snow angels instead (below).
I'm definitely not in India anymore...
Snow angel, Rochester, New York
I woke up yesterday to this brilliant interplay of sun and snow outside my window. The large footprints are from deer, who visit my back yard at dawn every morning. Not sure if the smaller prints are baby deer, or some other creatures.
I don't know if we're going to have a White Christmas, but a White Thanksgiving is virtually guaranteed.
We got our first snow last week, before the autumn leaves could even finish falling, and it hasn't stopped snowing since.
I'm definitely not in India anymore...
A Rochester winter
Autumn leaves on first snow - Rochester, New York
Though I love the lilacs and the rainbow of other flowers that Rochester has to offer, my heart belongs to the lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis). This demure little flower, with its tiny white blossoms hiding shyly behind luxurious green leaves, has always been my favorite. One of the things I loved about my home when I bought it is that the back yard came with a lily of the valley patch, which has now spread throughout the whole garden. In the spring, I pick fresh bouquets every day and fill every room in the house with small vases of the fragrant flower.
Walking into a room filled with lily of the valley fragrance makes my day.
Several people have asked me how I remember the names of all of the lilac varieties. Here's my secret. Most of the lilacs at Highland Park are labeled, either with a metal tag showing the species/variety name, or a donor tag if the lilac was planted in honor of someone. After I take a picture of the lilac, I also take a low-resolution picture of its tag (below).
If possible, I try to get a small bit of the flower showing with the tag (below) so that I know which tag goes with which flower. If that's not possible, then I sandwich the tag picture in between two pictures of the flower, so that I don't have to figure out whether the tag goes with the flower picture before it, or after it.
It's a quick and easy way to have a record of the names, without having to write them down. I have over 200 lilac varieties catalogued in this way.
Now, if I could only get a system like this to work with all the bird pictures I've been taking...
In other behind the scenes moments:
Last week as I was photographing lilacs at Highland Park, a woman walking her dog came up to me. "You don't know me," she says to me, "but I read your blog. I recognized you from your picture." I was tickled to meet one of my blog lurkers face-to-face; so thanks, Liz, for introducing yourself and saying hello! If there are any other lurkers out there who recognize me around town (I'm usually with camera around my neck), don't be shy, let me know who you are. It's always fun to know who is reading my words...
Humans weren't the only ones enjoying the Lilac Festival in Rochester this week. I thought this fellow (below) was just stopping to smell the flowers -- but it turns out he was chowing down on them instead. The lilacs seemed to be a popular treat for the resident groundhogs (aka woodchucks) of Highland Park, who early one morning could be seen popping out of their holes and making the rounds of the lilac bushes.
Shortly after I took this picture, I was backing up to take another, and promptly fell into a woodchuck hole! (Sorry, no picture of that available...)
A groundhog (Marmota monax) enjoying the lilacs.
The queen of Rochester flowers is definitely the lilac.
Rochester's annual Lilac Festival kicked off this week, and the stars of the festival were right on schedule for spectacular blooming. Lilacs don't only come in lilac -- they also come in snow white, pale blue, baby pink, magenta, and even a hint of yellow. Here are just a few of the 500+ varieties found at Highland Park. Wish I could do a scratch 'n sniff blog -- the smells at the park were spectacular!
Lilac variety: Monge
Lilac variety: Miss Ellen Willmott
Lilac variety: Yunost
Lilac variety: Professor Sargent
Lilac variety: William C. Barry
Lilac variety: Martha Stewart
Lilac variety: Frederick Law Olmstead
Lilac variety: Kate Sessions
Lilac variety: My Favorite (that's the name of the variety, not necessarily my opinion!)
Lilac variety: Bridal Memories
Lilac variety: Pocahontas
Lilac variety: Flower City
Lilac variety: Sensation
Lilac variety: Sweetheart
Enjoying the lilacs!
Which one is your favorite?
Pansies always look like little faces to me, staring back at you! These are from Highland Park in Rochester.
For sheer color brilliance, there's nothing like tulips. Red, purple, white, pink, yellow, orange -- the entire color spectrum can be found in the tulip beds at Highland Park in Rochester.
The Rochester spring brings with it not only magnificent flowers, but the sweet chirping of dozens of migratory birds. I spent Saturday morning with friends and a birdwatching group on a field trip through Durand Eastman Park and Island Cottage Woods, both in the Rochester area. We spotted over 40 species, including lots of colorful warblers and yellow-bellied sapsuckers (yes, there really is such a bird, it's not just a made-up name used to poke fun at us birdwatchers!)
Red bird at Durand Eastman Park, Rochester, New York
I'm guessing this is a cardinal, but not sure since this was before our bird guide was there to confirm it.
And yes, this was the actual, bright red, color.
My birdwatching buddies (from left to right: Coleman, Mary, our guide Dominic, and Sheila) at Durand Eastman Park, Rochester
Most of the birds were quite small, so I didn't get any good photos, but I did add several dozen new species to my life list.
Birds spotted at Durand Eastman Park and Island Cottage Woods, Rochester:
| # | Common Name | Scientific Name |
| 1 | Yellow-rumped warbler | Dendroica coronata |
| 2 | Palm warbler | Dendroica palmarum |
| 3 | Pine warbler | Dendroica pinus |
| 4 | Black-throated green warbler | Dendroica virens |
| 5 | Black-throated blue warbler | Dendroica caerulescens |
| 6 | Black & white warbler | Mniotilta varia |
| 7 | Blackburnian warbler | Dendroica fusca |
| 8 | Blue-winged warbler | Vermivora pinus |
| 9 | Warbling vireo | Vireo gilvus |
| 10 | Blue-headed vireo | Vireo solitarius |
| 11 | Veery | Catharus fuscescens |
| 12 | Common Loon | Gavia immer |
| 13 | Green heron | Butorides virescens |
| 14 | Great blue heron | Ardea herodias |
| 15 | Chickadee | Poecile atricapilla |
| 16 | Northern waterthrush | Seiurus noveboracensis |
| 17 | Blue jay | Cyanocitta cristata |
| 18 | Eastern kingbird | Tyrannus tyrannus |
| 19 | Ovenbird | Seiurus aurocapilla |
| 20 | Great crested flycatcher | Myiarchus crinitus |
| 21 | Least flycatcher | Empidonax minimus |
| 22 | Northern flicker | Colaptes auratus |
| 23 | Catbird | Dumetella carolinensis |
| 24 | Osprey | Pandion haliaetus |
| 25 | Sharp-shinned hawk | Accipiter striatus |
| 26 | Cooper's hawk | Accipiter cooperii |
| 27 | Turkey vulture | Cathartes aura |
| 28 | Northern Harrier hawk | Circus cyaneus |
| 29 | American redstart | Setophaga ruticilla |
| 30 | Gnatcatcher | Polioptila sp. |
| 31 | American robin | Turdus migratorius |
| 32 | Downy woodpecker | Picoides pubescens |
| 33 | Yellow-bellied sapsucker | Sphyrapicus varius |
| 34 | White-throated sparrow | Zonotrichia albicollis |
| 35 | Ruby crowned kinglet | Regulus calendula |
| 36 | Red-breasted nuthatch | Sitta canadensis |
| 37 | Red-winged blackbird | Agelaius phoeniceus |
Heard But Not Seen: | ||
| 38 | Tufted titmouse | Baeolophus bicolor |
| 39 | Goldfinch | Carduelis tristis |
| 40 | Nashville warbler | Vermivora ruficapilla |
| 41 | Wood thrush | Hylocichla mustelina |
| 42 | Oriole | Oriolidae |
Azalea (Rhododendron species) - Durand Eastman Park, Rochester, New York
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