A bit of India in North Carolina

These are some photos are from a visit to a Sikh temple (gurdwara) last weekend.  Anyone, Sikh or non-Sikh, is welcome to visit and the people are very friendly.

The golden domes are very common for gurdwara's everywhere.

 The Sikh emblem, a Khanda, on the front gates.

Astronomy Pics: Rosetta Nebula

My husband has been working on his newest endeavor: astrophotography.  He has quite a nice setup to play with consisting of a RC 12.5" telescope, with an Apogee U16M camera (16 megapixel, full frame sensor), and a Paramount ME for tracking.  The weather has been really clear lately so we've finally had a good chance to test it out.  He just got his first 20 minute exposure with decent tracking.  It's part of the Rosetta Nebula, shot with a Hydrogen Alpha filter. No retouching has been done yet, so it's exciting to see this!

Travel photos: India

Some pics from our trip last year to India.  My sister-in-law is doing a project on international travel, so I thought I'd make a post showing more of the life and people there. Most of these are simple snap shots, some taken by me, some by others traveling with us, but interesting nonetheless.

There is always a lot of commotion everywhere you look, this was a rural city we stopped in for snacks.

In New Delhi, lots of wires run every which way and locals sells fruit and veggies from their carts.  Cows, dogs and monkeys roam free as well, no one really minds or bothers them as there is no real animal control.  There was even one stray female that regularly wandered inside the home searching for scraps.

Taken while waiting in the insane traffic coming back from Bajpur.  Even dump trucks are colorful and decorated!

In New Delhi, rickshaw drivers take you around for a few rupees.  Unless you're a tourist, then the price is way more, negotiate! 

Beautiful lake in the foothills of the Himalayan mountains the city of Nainital.

Local market shoppers in Nainital.

Bos cow getting busy working on the sugar cane farm.

Farm workers weeding crops by hand.

Hiking in Raven Rock State Park, NC

We trekked out for a nice, chilly hike again this weekend to see a bit of the Cape Fear River in Raven Rock State Park.  It was a very cloudy, dark day so my shots feel a bit bleak this time.  I'll have to try out some different types of places or new activities next time. Leaves and streams are getting a bit boring, but practice is practice.

Cape Fear River, from the overlook on the Raven Rock Loop trail.

Fish Traps trail.

Fish Traps. Lots of exposed rocks with sunken areas for fish to get trapped in when the river levels change.

Fall in North Carolina: Raleigh

It's peak fall foliage time here and photographers everywhere are out en masse, including myself.  These are some shots from around my home and in Umstead State Park in Raleigh, NC.

Fall in Tennessee: Knoxville to Gatlinburg

Took a short trip to Tennessee this weekend to visit family.  I wish I'd had more time to work on photography but (excuses, excuses) all pictures except the railroad tracks were snapped hanging out the car window or sunroof as we drove.  Not too bad considering...

Fall hayrides and horses in the countryside.

I read about this blurring technique in a photography book (by Bryan Peterson) and thought I'd give it a try.  I just popped my camera out the sunroof, but at least I didn't have to lay on top the car as he describe to get the shot!

Gulfport, MS

I got my first dslr, a Canon 50d a month or so ago.  I'm still learning but I'm terribly excited and have been taking pictures like crazy every where we go.  On a recent trip to the Biloxi Gulfport area of Mississippi I spent the day practicing around the coastal parts.  This area was hit hard by Katrina a few years ago, but they are working hard to restore things. 

I saw this driving past and it compelled me to turn back.  I wish I'd pulled the staircase out from the background better on this one, but it really was time to go catch my flight home.

India

In December of 2008, we took an amazing trip to India. We went on an exciting adventure in the Jim Corbett National Park located in northwest India. This park is a tiger reserve, but you must have plenty of time to wait for them to appear.  We did see a few wild elephants, boar and tons of deer and monkeys.  It was actually my favorite part of the trip!

We spent the night in the park and woke early to search for feeding animals.  A thick fog gave a surreal quality to the paths we travels down in the early hours.

A pair of elephants grazing in the tall grasses.  We had to be very quiet as they are known to stampede when startled (we had some younger cousins adventuring with us) so this was the best shot I got of them.

Hawaii

In 2004 we had a wonderful trip to the Hawaiian islands.  The Big Island of Hawaii is not heavily populated and we were able to drive around the island in a single day.

We also visited the Volcano National Park where we hiked out just before sunset to see the lava flows from Kilauea.  Even the breeze felt hot on your skin.  Our shoes would get very warm from the lava just below the hard surface.  It was truly stunning the see the glowing lava come alive after sunset.

A year or so later, we decided to relocate to Hawaii.  We enjoyed many more beautiful sights on a daily basis.  I only had a small Sony camera and was not seriously interested in photography at the time, so I didn't get to take full advantage of the abundant beauty.

This is a shot from Waimea Beach on the North Shore of Oahu in September.  It is famous for its huge waves during the winter months, but it is fairly calm this time of year.