Along Delaware Street I
Date: 02/18/2008
We parked in the historic section of town on Delaware street, the road that runs down to the wharf on the Delaware river. I started taking pictures right out of the car.
Along Delaware Street III
Date: 02/18/2008
We admired this two-story porch and the stately old pine tree in front of it.
Battery Park I
Date: 02/18/2008
This is the park along the Delaware River, as seen from Delaware Street.
Door I
Date: 02/18/2008
This was a door of a house on the park-side stub of the Strand. The colors and shapes appealed to me, along with that bare little tree and its crazy branches.
Along Delaware Street IV
Date: 02/18/2008
This is the same two-story porch. We're walking over to read the historical marker.
Along Delaware Street V: Historical Marker
Date: 02/18/2008
William Penn arrived in 1682. 325 years seems a long time ago.
Along Delaware Street VI: Pine Branches
Date: 02/18/2008
I liked the way the pine boughs draped from the branches of the tree.
Along The Strand I
Date: 02/18/2008
We decided to go back to the nearest street, the Strand, and stroll a little way down it looking at the historic houses. This is the street parallel, and nearest to the river, obviously the most desirable location in town.
Along The Strand II
Date: 02/18/2008
There will be a number of photographs of historic houses and interesting architectural details, not least of which will be some doors and their doorways.
Along The Strand VI
Date: 02/18/2008
A screened room attached to the house with all the personality.
Along The Strand IX
Date: 02/18/2008
Another mysterious passageway, but this time looking away from the river towards the town green.
Along The Strand X: Heart Wreath
Date: 02/18/2008
A lively wreath on one of the doorways. It was, after all, close to Valentine's Day.
Along The Strand XI
Date: 02/18/2008
Another gap between houses, another view of the Delaware River.
Along The Strand XIII
Date: 02/18/2008
Tom and Isaac got ahead of me while I was photographing. That's Tom on the left, Isaac on the right.
Along The Strand XIV: Doorway
Date: 02/18/2008
Again, it was the colors and shapes and textures that attracted my attention.
Along The Strand XIX:
Date: 02/18/2008
The white picket fence encloses a small garden with a tree; the tree was sporting red berries.
Along The Strand XX
Date: 02/18/2008
This is the garden inside the white picket fence of the previous photograph.
Along The Strand XXI
Date: 02/18/2008
This is a close-up of the tree inside the garden. Now it looks most like a crab-apple tree.
Along The Strand XXII
Date: 02/18/2008
The alleyway was paved with stones that had a lovely texture.
Along The Strand XXIII
Date: 02/18/2008
If you recall the house with the personality, this is another view of the screened room at its side.
Reflections in a Window
Date: 02/18/2008
This is a view back on Delaware Street; we're walking towards the river again. What caught my eye was the light of the sky reflected in the window on the lower right.
Garden Shed
Date: 02/18/2008
This is a small shed in the back garden of one of the houses on Delaware Street.
View from Delaware Street
Date: 02/18/2008
Visible to the right is the approach to the Delaware Memorial Bridge on the New Jersey side.
View from Delaware Street II
Date: 02/18/2008
These are the backs of the houses on The Strand that face the Delaware River.
View from Delaware Street III
Date: 02/18/2008
Again it's that two-story porch, but from a different angle.
Wharf I
Date: 02/18/2008
We've now reached the wharf at the end of Delaware Street, a large promenade that juts out into the Delaware River. This appears to be some sort of official city building, but I don't know its purpose. I did like the light reflected in its windows, however.
Squirrel
Date: 02/18/2008
It's so unusual to get a picture of a squirrel in which one can actually see the squirrel.
Wharf II: Grasses
Date: 02/18/2008
As we spent some time on the wharf, I kept coming back to these grasses growing in the mud at the edge of the river because the light kept changing and they took on a different look every few minutes it seemed.
Wharf IV: Grasses
Date: 02/18/2008
In the background on pillars is a pedestrian bridge that goes out to an old pier in the river.
Wharf V: Delaware Memorial Bridge
Date: 02/18/2008
Visible anywhere on the wharf is the Delaware Memorial Bridge that connects Delaware and New Jersey. The Delaware approach is in New Castle.
Wharf VI: Footbridge
Date: 02/18/2008
The sun was starting to get low in the sky and some heavy clouds were showing up to add drama. I liked the silhouette of the footbridge and its lamp on the pole, with the two people walking along it, also in silhouette. In the background was city skyline.
Wharf IX: Railroad Piers
Date: 02/18/2008
My impression was that these were the piers of an old railroad bridge, but I don't really know.
No Crabbing
Date: 02/18/2008
We were getting a little tired, so a reminder that there was "No Crabbing" allowed seemed timely.
Wharf XI: Delaware Memorial Bridge
Date: 02/18/2008
Dramatic lighting came and went so I kept taking pictures from the wharf of the bridge and those grasses. In this shot I was fascinated by the way the seed-heads of the grasses echoed the shape of the suspension bridge.
Wharf XII: Footbridge
Date: 02/18/2008
The sky and lighting were very dramatic. And look at the neat way the handrail of the bridge runs right below the distant horizon, leaving a little sliver of silvery light reflected from the river. If anyone asks I'll insist I planned that effect very carefully.
Wharf XVII: Delaware Memorial Bridge
Date: 02/18/2008
This was a shot I waited for. With all the cloud shadows on the bridge I waited for a shaft of sunlight to highlight the Delaware approach to the bridge (on the left side). It did but the effect wasn't quite as dramatic as I'd hoped it might be.
Wharf XVIII: Delaware Memorial Bridge Approach
Date: 02/18/2008
Here I almost go the lighting effect on the approach right.
Wharf XIX: Delaware Memorial Bridge Approach
Date: 02/18/2008
Finally, this was the lighting effect I'd been trying for: the approach to the bridge is almost supernaturally lit by a shaft of sunlight while the rest of the bridge is in cloud shadow. In the foreground the tall grasses are fully illuminated by warm afternoon sunlight.
Wharf XXIII: Bricks
Date: 02/18/2008
Most of the wharf was paved with bricks in this basket-weave pattern. Little weeks grew here and there. The colors, the shapes, and the textures all appealed to me.
Wharf XXIV: Bricks
Date: 02/18/2008
I always like to take pictures of what's going on under my feet.
Wharf XXVII: Isaac
Date: 02/18/2008
He is wearing, by the way, a black denim jacket that we bought for him--on sale!--in Rome one day when it suddenly turned cool and rainy.
Wharf XXIX: Jeff
Date: 02/18/2008
I never seem to have any pictures of myself since I'm usually the one behind the camera. Tom offered to take over for a few minutes.
Wharf XXXVII
Date: 02/18/2008
This shot was for the historic looking lamp pole and the geometry of the black-spike fence, as well as a last look at the Delaware Memorial Bridge, since we were getting ready to make our departure.
Wharf XXXIX
Date: 02/18/2008
I liked the angles with the white stripe along the bottom of the frame and the shadow of the planter with the naked little bush in it.
Wharf XLIII
Date: 02/18/2008
one last look at the footbridge with dramatic lighting and silhouetted walkers.
Frenchtown Railroad Ticket Office I
Date: 02/18/2008
The ticket office and a few yards of track in front of it have been preserved. I decided to try several portraits with different moods. Here I wanted to see what happened when I framed the diminutive office with the tree and its branch.
Frenchtown Railroad Ticket Office II
Date: 02/18/2008
In this shot I wanted to emphasize how tiny the ticket office was, sitting in the middle of its little fenced-off are, looking a bit ridiculous.
Frenchtown Railroad Ticket Office III
Date: 02/18/2008
Here I put the sun behind the tree for a back-lighting effect that I often like.
Frenchtown Railroad Ticket Office IV
Date: 02/18/2008
Same back-lighting effect but I included the lamp in the shot and emphasized the tree less. I think this is my favorite of the four portraits.
Battery Park I
Date: 02/18/2008
This is just a simple shot across the park. I liked the feathery effect of all the bare trees.
Battery Park II
Date: 02/18/2008
Another try of a tree portrait with back-lighting. I like the silhouette effect.
A Backyard Garden
Date: 02/18/2008
If you recall the earlier photograph of the small, yellow garden shed, this is the same backyard.
A Graceful Pine
Date: 02/18/2008
This is another shot of that lovely pine tree (in front of the two-story porch) on Delaware Street.
A House on The Strand
Date: 02/18/2008
The situation for this portrait was perfect except for that blasted stop sign.
Another Doorway
Date: 02/18/2008
This is a detail of the house in the previous photograph. I thought it was looking particularly historic.
Fire Hydrant I
Date: 02/18/2008
The abstract sculpture made by the poodle-tree in its planter, the fire hydrant, and the leaning Stop-sign pole took my fancy. In this photo, however, it doesn't look the way it did in my mind's eye.
Shadows on Delaware Street
Date: 02/18/2008
The houses were picturesque, but it was the shadow of the tree that attracted my attention.
Ruptured Brick Sidewalk
Date: 02/18/2008
I particularly liked the way the pattern of the brickwork emphasized the shapes of the surface raised over time by the tree roots.
House with Tree
Date: 02/18/2008
Is it the late-afternoon sun or the long shadows it makes that appeal to me so much? Both, I think!
Magnificent Holley Tree
Date: 02/18/2008
We were walking down Second Street to visit the town square.
Plane Tree I
Date: 02/18/2008
This was a plane tree growing along the side of Second Street. I thought the colors and textures of its bark were particularly photogenic.
Plane Tree II
Date: 02/18/2008
The bark looked something like camouflage, but it didn't hide the tree very well.
New Castle Common: HIstoric Marker
Date: 02/18/2008
"This land is part of a tract of one thousand acres set apart by William Penn in 1701 for the inhabitants of the town of New Castle. Trustees were appointed and incorporated by Penn's heirs in 1784, whose successors still hold and manage the land."
