Maria Behind the Camera!!

Certain laws prevented me from driving and taking pictures on the way home from St. Louis on Memorial Day. Some of the sites were to stunning to pass up so I enlisted the help of my sister Maria. I told her what settings to use on the camera and she snapped about 123 pictures. Taking pictures from a moving vehicle is always a risky situation but Maria got pretty lucky and got some good shots including some of a big rainbow. She snapped the photos and I did the post-production and together we created some real stunners!

Gunpowder Tea

Gunpowder tea does not get its name from the amount of caffeine it contains - in fact it only has about 1/4 of the caffeine of a regular cup of coffee. The name is actually derived from the Chinese zhu cha which translates to "pearl tea" or "bead tea". The leaves for this green tea are dried and then rolled into tiny pellets that resemble gunpowder.

Tea was introduced to Morocco in 1854 and soon after the tea ceremony was taking place in every Moroccan home from the palace to the Kasbah. The "tea ceremony" is something is celebrated when there are guests in the home. It is a symbol of national pride and hospitality and it is considered very bad manners to refuse taking a sip of the fragrant tea. Moroccans serve the tea in small slender glasses that are typically decorated with gold or engraved designs. It is also the tradition in Morocco to serve the tea with rinsed mint leaves and sugar or honey.

While I was in Morocco in 2009 the tea ceremony became part of my daily life. As we were visitors, the tea ceremony was a constant form of greeting for us. I really enjoyed the unique flavor. I wish that I had purchased a tea set like the one pictured above while I was there but - There is always next time I suppose!

Sources

Morocco DK Eyewitness Travel Guides

Wikipedia: Gunpowder Tea

stashtea.com

The "ART" of the slow exposure

While we were driving to and from the Gateway Arch last night I was able to sit in the back seat and experiment with some slow shutter speeds and the lights of the road. Sometimes I would start the exposure and we would go over some bumps (Bottom two photos). The effect is these stunning abstract photos with naturally drawn lines. I think that the dotted line in the lowest photo must be from a blinking construction barrel. When we were not going over bumps the effect is a sleek light drawing like the top two photo's.
I LOVE these pictures!

The Gateway Arch

The Gateway Arch is part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. The JNEM was declared a National Historic Monument on 12/21/1935 to commemorate several historic events:

1. The Louisiana Purchase and subsequent western expansion of the USA and the movement of American explorers and pioneers

2. The first civil government West of the Mississippi River

3. The debate over slavery raised by the Dred Scott case (originated in the St. Louis area where Dred Scott lived with his wife and "master")

The Gateway Arch is the tallest man-made national monument in the USA. The width of its legs at the base is equal to its height (630 ft). It took 900 tons of stainless steel and 17,246 tons of material in all to construct the arch. The shape follows what is known as a "catenary curve" - the formation that the slack of a chain would take if it were held at both ends. Construction on the legs of the arch was begun simultaneously on 02/12/1963 and in order for the arc to meet in the middle the margin of error was less than 1/64th of an inch. In high gusts of wind (150 mph) the arch has been known to sway up to 9 inches both ways. The normal sway for the arch is about 1/2 inch either way.

For all of you Michiganders out there - you should know that the architect that designed the arch was a man by the name of Eero Saarinen. Eero was the son of Eliel Saarinen who emigrated to the USA in 1923 to design the grounds, and instruct for the Cranbrook Institute of Arts in Bloomfield Hills, MI. Eero was 13 in 1923 and spent his first years in the USA in Bloomfield Hills. Wikipedia lists that Eero died in Ann Arbor, MI - but I have not been able to verify this fact just yet.

We were pretty lazy yesterday and as a result did not get to the Arch until later in the day. I am glad that it worked out this way because I was able to take some night pictures. I did not go to the museum *surprise* because I was too busy taking pictures. Due to the low light the pictures were averaging about 20 seconds for each exposure, and that adds up quickly. We did not go up in the tram either *not-surprise*. Besides the fact that it is a tight fit, long ride, and scary - Tri-pods are not allowed and without my tri-pod I can't take night pictures. It would have been fun, but I would rather wait until my next visit when I can take decent pictures from the height.

Speaking of next visit - did you know that when you visit the JNEM you can: Take a riverboat cruise, helicopter tour, visit the Museum of Westward Expansion, visit the historic courthouse, and watch large format movies? I can't wait to come back!

SOURCES

www.gatewayarch.com/Arch

Wikipedia: The Gateway Arch

Farmer's Market

Well, getting up this morning ended up being easier than I thought! Getting ready and getting out of the house ended up presenting some unforeseen challenges. Buff's "Other Car" (the one with more than 2 seats) wouldn't start so we ended up taking mine. After piling into my car and calling OnStar for directions we were on our way.

The Farmer's Market was not very busy and we were able to get a great parking spot. There weren't very many vendors - it is too early in the season. There was one vendor selling flowers and I was able to take quite a few photo's of those.

It was hot as heck and I thought that I was going to get a sunburn. We were not there terribly long, but I got a couple shots that I love (Strawberries *above*). I look forward to coming back later in the season shooting, and eating, a bit more.

The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis

Built in 1907 the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis in St. Louis, MO boasts the largest collection of Byzantine mosaics in one place in the world. There are 41,500,000 pieces of tesserae (small piece of marble, tile or glass used in mosaic work) in more than 8000 shades of color. This adds up to 83,000 square feet of mosaic art. The mosaics were created and installed by 20 artists over a period of 75 years. The effect (as you can see in the above pictures) is breathtaking.

On The Way to St. Louis...

Well, my sister, Maria, and I left for St. Louis today. We are driving down to spend the holiday weekend with one of my other sisters, Buff. We had not planned any stops - but along the way we passed a billboard that we could not ignore.

'THE CHOCOLATE GARDEN - EXIT 39"

It was almost as if I was in a trance: I followed the road signs and we found "The Chocolate Garden". Located on Friday Rd. in Coloma, Michigan this little gem is the kind that you find when you take a chance turn off the freeway and get lucky on a road trip. Nestled in cherry country the garden offers more than just a taste of the finest chocolate I personally have ever had - it also offers a feast for the eyes. There are endless rows of cherry trees that grow in a deep and productive quiet that I did not expect to find so close to a major freeway.

From the website I learned that the chocolates are available online - and that is the main mode of getting the chocolate to the customers. If you are ever driving East on I-94 and are near by exit 39 you should stop in to try some of these chocolates. If you are not going to make it out that way you should consider ordering some. They are a bit pricey, but for a special treat I highly recommend them.

http://www.chocolategarden.com/