Life of a Small Town Photographer: Out with the Old, in with the New

Well, here we are in 2011. I sure hope that the new year is better for everyone than the last one was.

These little guys are fun to shoot for their facial expressions alone.

At 17 inches the common crow is just about the same size as the Pileated Woodpecker and can be found coast to coast in the United States. When I saw the blue eyes of this crow I had a better understanding as to why some people think they have magical powers. I'm not sure but I think the blue eyes are the reflection of the sky in the bird's protective eye membrane.

I've probably said it before but the Red-bellied Woodpecker is my favorite of all the woodpeckers.

The early morning sunrise makes this contrail of a passing jet liner look like a meteor shooting across the sky.

One of the pleasures of Christmas is watching the Amaryllis flowers opening. The bulb produces 1 or 2 stalks and each stalk can have from 2 to 12 funnel-shaped flowers at the top. The one we got this year had two stocks. One stock had 3 petals and the other stock had 5.

On the 29th of December we went back home to see my mother and go shopping at the York Central Market in downtown York, PA. Since the last time I was home, there have been a ton of changes made at the market as seen in the first three photographs shot in York.

The Take Five Expresso Bar is now in a new location where the rising sun from the east falls on the counter.

Although it's not really part of the Central Market the new Bake Shoppe, that is run by the Students of the School of Culinary Arts located in North York, the two do share a common court yard where shoppers can enjoy coffee from Take 5 and fresh baked goodies produced by the future chefs.

With all the new changes going on, this part of the market takes on the feel of a food court rather than a farmers' market.

It will be interesting to say the least to see how the powers that be change the look and feel of the Market.

Natural light filtering through the high windows in the market house highlight this dragon kite.

As far as I know the York Camera Center, which is just up Beaver Street from the Market, is the only REAL camera shop in the city.

York High School.
Since I was a student here in the mid-60s the school has expanded and now covers a whole city block.

New Year's Day -- Duane Mohney of Ebensburg, PA plays the bagpipes prior to the start of a memorial service to honor two local firemen who died in the line of duty on this day in 1971.

Spangler Volunteer Fire Company Deputy Chief and Chaplain Paul Demi addresses the crowd of volunteer fire company personnel and family members during the brief ceremony while a chilly rain fell early on New Year's Day at the Firemen's Memorial in Spangler, PA.

Sitting in my wife's car shooting through the windshield as she washes her car. This is no trick of Photoshop. The orange that forms the facelike feature is actually dried leaves still hanging on a branch of a tree behind the car wash and the blue is the front of a building about 40 yards away.