PicklesTravel

Linares, Spain nestled in the heart of the province of Jaen in Southern Spain (Andalucia) has some of the most amazing street art and graffiti in the world.

Linares: Once an important lead mining city it is now a hot spot in the world of street art and graffiti- lead by two linarenses (people from Linares) Myrhwan and Belin.

Their talent has attracted other artists to try their hand – filling the streets with beauty and color where before there was abandonment and blank “canvases”. Linares is now even home to the a Young Graffiti Artist Competition: El Certamen Joven de Graffiti

I would like to say to say that I know enough to distinguish who did what work, but I can’t. I would hate to give credit where there shouldn’t be and to not give credit where there should be. So with that I’ll just say enjoy the photos and visit Linares for even more and know that their (Belin, Myrhwan and others) talent is unparalleled by any!

Piscifactoria (Fish Factory/Farm) may be my new favorite Spanish word. It just rolls off the tongue, plus it looks cool.

The Puente Baden Piscifactoria sits at the foot of the trout stream, Rio Borosa, near the town of Cazorla in rural Jaen and while the fish farm may not be worth the trip- the hike past it, following the river, certainly is!

The first thing you notice, walking along this fresh water trout stream is the color of the water. Brilliant blues and greens swirl all around- begging you to jump in and enjoy its beauty (while signs warn against doing just that!)

The water is so fresh that they have several natural springs set up for drinking or refilling your water bottle. Sweet, fresh water from the mountain- while I was wary at first, after watching masses of people drink from them and having nothing happen I too gulped it down!

It’s a 9 km walk to do the hike, some of it is easy walking, some more rocky and less groomed, but all of it beautiful (and you can bring along your dog!)

The Borosa River itself is gorgeous, but you are also surrounded by mountains. Looking up at the mountain folds (pliegues) and considering the years it took to form into the beauty it is today is as much a joy as looking down at the rushing water.

Whatever draws you about the walk – just make sure to enjoy every second of being out in this natural paradise!

A great day trip – as far as I know the only way to arrive to this isolated spot is by car (by renting one, or by hiring a driver).

DIRECTIONS: Head toward the Mountain town of Cazorla and from there you’ll wrap your way around and into the mountains on A-319, just a ways past the Torre del Vinagre. There is plenty of parking so you shouldn’t have any problem finding a spot. Go early in the day to beat the heat of the sun!

Like most Minnesotans, and probably most midwesterners- I am ready for winter to be over. More so than other years because instead of getting our beautiful blizzards in January like we’re supposed to, they’ve been coming in April. As late as April 22!

I love a good snow storm, but my shovel and I have had enough of a workout for the month. So this is my farewell to winter. So long cold, so long snow. I will eagerly await your arrival come December (as long as your leave now :))

Situated on the Nebraska and Iowa borders DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge is a truly unique location. Approximately 45 min away from Omaha (33 miles) you cross plains of fields to arrive at a bird and human retreat with plenty to explore and even more to learn!

DeSoto becomes a migratory waterfowl mecca during the fall and spring months, due to its vast wetlands. It may be hard for those of us living in the midwest to realize this, but we are smack dab in the middle of spring. While we may be reluctant to travel with the snow and weather pounding, the migratory birds don’t have that option, they’re coming rain or shine! So it’s a good time to go if you are interested in seeing the birds.

If the weather is truly uncooperative you can even enjoy the views from indoors from on of the many walls of windows at the DeSoto viewing deck.

When we visited the geece (Snow geece and Canadian geece mostly) and the turtles were out, but not much else.

The historical aspect of DeSoto lies in the depths of the Missouri River (literally- or at least it did until 1967). In 1865 the Steamboat Bertrand sunk at this location and with it all the cargo on board (no lives were lost). Over the next 100 years the vessel and cargo were incredibly well kept and preserved at the bottom of the river. In 1967 it was excavated – over 150 tons (!!) of cargo and today makes up the largest intact collection of Civil War-era artifacts in the United States!

If you’re a history buff of any sort- the collection is well worth the trip; from tools and clothing; to liquors and meats; to household good and building supplies!

I am honored and incredibly excited to tell you that one of my photos has been selected to be published in the Capture Minnesota II book! Only the published photographers have been named so far- the unveiling for photos is April 20th, so I’ll keep you posted as I learn more.

If you would like to see the photos I submitted you can visit my Capture Minnesota page.

If you’re like me and love the beauty that Minnesota has to offer you can purchase a book here, and enjoy tons of great photos!

10 different images that showcase creative photography techniques:

1. A Foreground element

Pelicans fly over the pier at Fort Clinch State Park on Amelia Island, Florida
ISO 200, 100mm fixed, f/6.3, 1/640 sec

2. A sense of Scale

Ice Fishing in Minnesota is all about patience – and cramming in together to keep warm!
ISO 200, 17mm, f/7.1, 1/25 sec

Not your typical “scale” image where you use a person to give a sense of grandness and largeness of whatever is nearby (like a mountain or ice castle). I’m testing out the waters on scale in the opposite sense- a looming human over a teeny hole in a small tent- probably would have been better could I have gotten higher above, but I did what I could in the constrained quarters.

3. A portrait using a shallow Depth of Field

An action shot of a thai pizza dinner being prepared.
ISO 500 (for the darker interior space), f/2.0, 1/30 sec

While eye contact would have further engaged the viewer in this shot, I still like how this about the pizza

4. Demonstrates the “Rule of Thirds”

View of the marsh from the Dungeness Ruins dock on Cumberland Island.
ISO200, 17mm, f/10, 1/200 sec

The rule of thirds is demonstrated in the lines of the landscape- the top third being the sky, middle third the water and bottom third the murky ground. The cement slap also falls on the horizontal line.

5. Sunrise

There is nothing more beautiful than fresh snow reflecting the sun
ISO 200, 35mm, f/3.2, 1/1250 sec

6. Sunset

A snap snowstorm reflects the colors of the golden sunset
ISO 400, 35mm, f/9, 1/250 sec

7. Flash

ISO 200, 85mm, f/10, 1/80 sec, flash shot

8. A unique White Balance

Radiators that were “disposed of” in the waters of the marsh outside Dungeness Ruins on Cumberland Island – worn away over time by the salt water and the ebb and flow of the tide
ISO 200, 26mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec

White Balance here is Tungsten. Under normal circumstances the colors of these old radiators is of a murky, dull gray. Blue shows their shadows and lines so much better

9. Complimentary Colors

J.D. Gardens – a frozen community garden located in Minneapolis, MN
ISO 400, 20mm, f/6.3, 1/160 sec

10. Black and White

Dungeness Ruins on Cumberland Island
ISO 200, 35mm, f/6.3, 1/400 sec

“Cold” ice fishing on Lake Francis

Remember that part in the bible where it talks about Jesus walking on water… Well I’ve driven on water.

Winter in Minnesota gets cold, ridiculously cold. The lakes freeze over so you can walk out on it. Once the ice gets to about 18″ thick then I’m even comfortable driving out on it (without my seat belt, of course, just in case).

And you can’t enjoy a lake in Minnesota without doing some fishing… which is where ice fishing comes into play.

The adventure begins by purchasing bait – a local run shop is best. Get insights into what’s biting and where. White’s Corner Bait in Madison Lake is one of those stores!

There are three ways to ice fish- a hole in the ice and a bucket upon which to sit: “extremely cold” fishing, a portable ice house with or without heater: “cold” fishing (like the one above) or a tricked out trailer version, complete with heater, TV, bed, oven, whatever: “warm” fishing (below)

Pick a spot and Drill through all that ice to start catching dinner!

The ice holes once covered with their respective ice homes. (“cold and “warm” versions)

Then just sit back, relax and wait for the fish to come to you (there’s obviously more to it, but we’ll save that for another day, another post)

The Kiwanis Club in Mankato has outdone themselves! This year, for the first time ever, they have created a winter paradise of lights, including over a million LED lights and music synchronized to flashing lights. Since November these lights have been delighting people of all ages- myself included!

They set up the Kiwanis Holiday Lights in Sibley Park, in Mankato, MN, along the river and away from traffic and external lights that could detract from the simple beauty of Christmas Lights.

The glow that the lights gave off onto the snow was my absolute favorite part! I resisted coming early on because of the lack of snow, so I’m glad I waited until there was a thick coat of “that white stuff” to reflect some color out at me!

You have until December 31 to see them, so get out now and Enjoy the “show”!

The Sibley Petting Zoo barn was another of my favorites of the light show. I can’t resist good use of a cute barn :-)

There’s nothing like a warm Apple Cider or Hot Cocoa to finish off a winter light tour in the snow!

My List of 7 that highlight my camera’s features.

1. The widest angle: 17 mm

1/8 sec shutter (which is why the figure in the door is blurred) ƒ/5, ISO 400, 17 mm

2. The longest telephoto range: 210 mm

I don’t use this lens as much any more, except for when I know I’m going to be encountering some cool wildlife…
1/400 sec, ƒ/5.6, ISO 100, 210 mm

3. A wide open aperture: f/2.2

f/1.4 is my widest, but this shot at f/2.2 does a really nice job of showing the purposeful blur from a wide open aperture
1/60 sec, ƒ/2.2, ISO 640, 35mm

4. A closed down aperture: f/18

Lots of detail captured with a small aperture.
1/60 sec, ƒ/18, ISO 200, 35 mm

5. Low ISO speed: 100

Also an example of a wide open aperture at f/2.8 (1/80 sec shutter captured some of the blurred out motion of the rain as it came down)

6. High ISO speed: 1250

Ok, so I could go way higher on the ISO than 1250, but you can still see the graininess with 1250 and much higher and all my images are really grainy (which is great when it’s rainy or snowy and I want to pull out the mood of the weather, but it just wasn’t working for my other images…)

7. Two sets of three bracketed images w/different exposures

I love winter. Snow in particular. One of the great things about living in Minnesota.

There are so many things you can do when it snows- snowshoeing, skiing; both cross country and downhill, snowmobiling (though I like the quiet serenity of not snowmobiling more), snowball fights, build forts, make snowmen, lay in the snow and make snowangels… The list goes on and on and on…

Plus I adapt better to the cold. Anything over 80 degrees I’m melting and there are no more clothes to take off (I exaggerate, but not by much). With the snow and cold, you can always put more on to get warm…

And when it gets to be too cold out… There’s always inside- hopefully with a hot fire and a warm cup of hot cider!

What are your favorite snow activities?