Name that Bug

As we were walking up some of the hundreds of stairs at Watkins Glen, we spied this strange beetle.

He was black with an iridescent, almost coppery sheen.

He was pretty docile, not trying to get away, even when I picked him up to move him to a safer location so he wouldn't get smushed.

Anyone know what he is? I looked at a couple of online guides but couldn't find anything similar.
Special note to DMack, regarding your query in yesterday's comments: No, they are not matching Chucks! Mine are grey lowtops and his are black hightops. :-P

Watkins Glen State Park

On Sunday, we woke before the sun was up. There was rain, but not too bad. We tore down camp, found a spot for breakfast (read: coffee) and hit Watkins Glen State Park.

The gorge trail extends for more than a mile and overlooks some 19 waterfalls. It was stunning, even in the grey conditions.

There are staircases and pathways cut through the stone....all very dark and mysterious.

And at every turn, you are rewarded with the most gorgeous views.

Lazy Summer

Yesterday, D. and I took a drive to Cook's Forest.

We had an awesome time. More fun than a state park should allow, in fact.

Snapped a few shots, but to be honest, taking pictures wasn't first and foremost in my mind, so you're missing all the best parts.

All in all, I'm enjoying my days and nights lately. Maybe even over-enjoying them.

Strange Days and the Passing of Time

I have no excuses besides some laziness for not posting anything here in over a month. Time just has a way of accelerating sometimes, doesn't it?

In the past 6 weeks, I have been (mostly) more happy than I have in the past 12 years.

baby geese with guardian, Presque Isle, late May

Dan has moved out. The sad part of that for me is that Liam is staying mostly with him for the summer. This is good for Liam and I know Dan will take decent care of him. It's just that Dan and I differ widely on what is appropriate and not appropriate for an eight-year-old boy, so when Liam comes back to me full-time for the school year, I'm sure I'll be faced with a very spoiled kid. No matter, though, I'll face that when I come to it.

In the meantime, I busy myself with working and taking pictures...

Waterfall at Wintergreen Gorge, Early June

and I have found a friend to have adventures with. (This would be a big part of the reason for my current state of happiness.)

At Rimrock Overlook, early June

Meanwhile, the kiddos seem to be adjusting just fine. Less tension is always a good thing for everyone.

At Cook's Forest, mid June

Emily and I are getting on well...she's attending summer school for Geometry so she can move on with her current math track in the fall. Her pierced lip still bothers me some.

At Presque Isle, mid June



And I am adjusting to this new sensation of calmness. I think this is what life is supposed to be like. The song I chose for this entry is called "Light and Day" by The Polyphonic Spree. One of the lines is "just follow the day and reach for the sun." Good advice, right?Sunset, late June.

On Finding a Violet

I was melancholy on Sunday and thought maybe I'd head out to Edinboro to hear some music at the bluegrass festival they had going on. But as I was heading into town, I pulled off the road at the old cemetery instead.

Old graves here, with the symbols of the 1800s...willow trees, draped urns...

and holding of hands.

Simplicity...

and grandeur...

And always the children's graves. Here's Little Bayard Swift.

And most touching to me, Our Little Nelson T.Died in 1871...only 5 years old...
and I can still visit his grave and take photographs of the violet that blooms from his headstone.
I never made it to the festival.

This Girl

This girl is fifteen years old.

Next year at this time, she'll be driving my car.

She is generally a willing participant when I want to take photos.
She loves music and drawing. She still eats Spaghetti-O's with hot dogs.

She's always up for a road trip or a walk through a cemetery with me.
She is the heart of my heart.

This is the Forest Primeval

On Saturday, Em and I took a ride to Allegany State Park and circled back via Kinzua and Warren. Across from the Kinzua Dam, there's an access area where you can hike among boulders and a long waterfall.

We didn't climb very high; we didn't have to.

The forest smelled like spring and new growth. Everywhere you turned, you could find more pockets where the waterfall was streaming out around the rocks.It was so beautiful and peaceful, I found myself wishing for a moment that I could be a leaf or something, and just let myself get carried away.

A Cardinal Sin

Couldn't sleep last night...I dozed in fits and starts and finally got up for good at 3.

5:30 am found me at the corner of 2nd and State, thinking I'd take some shots of downtown as the light started to come...maybe the workers filtering into Hamot...maybe that courtyard behind Modern Tool Square with all its secret spots.

And then the camera beeped at me to tell me that I was an ass for not bringing an extra battery or checking to see how much battery life I had left before I left the house. So I hung my head in shame and drove back home in defeat.