Bicentennial Barn
The first of 12 barns to be painted with the Niagara country bicentennial logo, the 30-by-50-foot front half of the Sweeney barn dates to the 1840s. It currently houses a dairy herd-it’s a wonderful thing that the county chose a working farm for the first barn to be painted. As the painting is completed, we will be driving out to each barn to photograph it-it would be great if each barn chosen was still in use! We were a little disappointed that the logo being painted on the barns is really just the falls and doesn’t take into account the rest of the county’s heritage. Although Niagara Falls is certainly the most well known part of Niagara County, there are many other historic and interesting parts to is. At the south. there is North Tonawanda, once the largest lumber port in the world. It is bordered on it’s south end by the Erie Canal, and is home to the famous Herschell Carrousel factory. At the north of the county, there is Youngstown-home to the historic Old Fort Niagara, which dates back to the 1700’s. In between, there are many wonderful little towns like Wilson, Lewiston and Hartland-as well as acres of grapes, apples, peaches and other crops. If you’d like to bring some of this unique Niagara County heritage into your home or office, click on the photo above or follow this link to our Americana and Rustic Country section in our shop: http://www.cafepress.com/photographz/2633112.
Eternal Flame Falls
This unique and unusual photograph is of a natural phenomenon known as the Eternal Flame Falls. Located in Shale Creek Preserve in Orchard Park New York, this naturally occurring flame behind a waterfall is the result of a small natural gas leak. The day we visited the water was pretty low due to a dry spring, but the flame was high enough to touch the top of it’s cavern. It is about a 1 mile hike into the park and up the creek bed to get to the falls-but it’s well worth the walk to view this amazing site. We have heard that there are times the flame goes out, however it’s usually relit by a hiker with a match or lighter. There are several natural gas wells in the area, so it’s no surprise to find a leak or two that has reached the surface-it is rather unusual to find one behind a waterfall! If you’d like to add this unique sight to your home or office decor, click the photograph above or follow this link to the Scenic Photography section of our shop: .http://www.cafepress.com/photographz/2633138
Pink Shrub Rose
A nearly wild rose, this beautiful shrub rose is bursting with pink blooms! Shrub roses are found in landscapes everywhere as an easier care alternative to the more delicate varieties. They make a great hedgerow, or specimen plant in an English or Cottage style garden. These photographs make great gifts for rose or garden lovers, mom, a hostess, or beautiful accents to any home decor. Available on products from prints to mousepads and journals, this rose never needs water and won’t wilt! To purchase items featuring these pictures, either click on the photos above or follow this link to our Flower Photography section in our shop: http://www.cafepress.com/photographz/2688373 .
Whirlpool State Park-Niagara Falls
Just beyond the tourist attractions of the city of Niagara Falls is a state park situated on the edge of the Niagara Gorge. Down river from the falls, the water here is a beautiful blue-green and the rapids and whirling eddies add frothy white to the top. You can take a set of stone steps down from the top to the water below-it’s a popular fishing spot for anglers. This isn’t a trip for the faint of heart (the steps have had some erosion issues through the years and some sets are set at an intersting angle) or the out of shape (there’s A LOT of steps!), but it’s well worth the climb. Once at the bottom, there are several stone picnic benches as well as a nice walking trail that winds along the river. If you’d like to bring home some of the beauty of the gorge, click on one of the pictures above (a flight of stone steps as well as a view of the beautiful blue water), or visit our scenic section in our shop for those and more here: http://www.cafepress.com/photographz/2633138 .
Lake Ontario Sunset
A beautiful sunset as seen from the shore of Lake Ontario in Olcott Beach, New York. Lake Ontario is one of the Great Lakes, connected to Lake Erie via the Welland canal and the ocean via the St Lawrence Seaway. It is the terminus of the Niagara River, and home to a great many shipwrecks,
lighthouses and an important part of shipping and trade. It can be beautiful and serene, like in this photo, or churning and wild as the winds whip along it’s length. It helps drop feet of lake effect snow on places to the east, such as Watertown. If you’d like to add a little nautical beauty to your home, click the image above to see the products that feature our sunset photograph, or follow this link to our Landscape section in our shop: http://www.cafepress.com/photographz/2633123 .
Swan on a Lake
The beauty of the white swan has been immortalized in plays, poems, even children’s stories. A symbol of love, it’s the bird of choice for “tunnel of love” rides everywhere. Their grace and beauty are a favorite of artists and photographers the world over. They truly are a beautiful sight when they glide through blue water as they go about their daily activities. We’ve been lucky enough to capture two swans with our lens and you can share their wild beauty too by adding one of our photographic products to your home or office. We also have them available on ornaments that make beautiful and unique wedding keepsakes! To look thought the available products that include prints, posters and mousepads, click on the photographs or follow this link to the wildlife section in our shop: http://www.cafepress.com/photographz/2633146
Bridal Veil Falls (Niagara Falls)
The above photograph was taken from Niagara Falls Ontario of the Bridal Veil Falls, on the US side of the falls. There are actually three separate waterfalls that make up Niagara Falls. The American Falls, the Bridal Veil Falls, and the Horseshoe or Canadian Falls. The Bridal Veil Falls is a smaller waterfalls, situated next to the American falls between Luna Island and Goat Island. The Bridal Veil falls was the home of the original “Cave of the Winds”-an actual cavern behind the falls. Unfortunately time has eroded this cave, and although there is an attraction by the name (accessible from the US side on Goat Island), it is no longer a walk behind the falls. If you look closely at the bottom right of the photograph, you can see the “Hurricane Deck” at the base of the falls covered in winter ice from the mist.
The largest and most specatular by most opinions is the Horseshoe or Canadian falls-it flows approximately 600,000 gallons of water PER SECOND!! The best view of this, as well as the other two falls, is from the Canadian side.
The falls are beautiful any time of the year-but winter can be one of the most specatular, as the mist freezes on everything nearby. Trees and streetlamps can be coated in ice that is inches thick. The ice also builds up below the falls, occasionally causing an “ice bridge”. In fact, one of the first bridges near the falls was felled by the ice. Even more spectacular is the nightly lighting of the falls with multi colored floodlights. During the winter months it also illuminates the snow and ice surrounding the falls.
Click on the photograph above if you would like to purchase any of my items featuring the wintery photo of the Bridal Veil Falls.
Got Nuts? Goat island squirrel
I found this little guy on a recent trip to Goat Island in Niagara Falls, New York. He (she?) was sitting right by the statue of Nikola Tesla. Telsa designed the first hydroelectric power plant in the falls. There is a statue dedicated to him on both sides of the border. The one on the US side was a gift from Yugoslavia to the United States in 1976.
This adorable little squirrel seemed right at home in his shadow, and had no fear of us walking within feet of him/her. Probably pretty used to the tourists that vist the area, especially during the summer. We happened to go during one of the coldest times of the year-the mist itself was actually freezing into little pellets! It didn’t seem to bother this squirrel though, and he/she seemed well fed and happy.
