Gloucester in all her glory- part two-filming B-roll around the Harbor
Tag: Kim Smith photos
SCHOONER FESTIVAL PARADE OF SAIL AND SCHOONER RACE
orange, brought to you by amaryllis
a change of pace from snow banks and snow drifts
spanish poppies*carmine colored pencil*hot embers*sunrise*sunset* sherbet*apricots*pumpkins*saffron*coral*tangerines*orioles*monarch* butterflies*california poppies*amaryllis*marigolds*butterfly weed* dahlias*mexico*mariachi band*flamenco*flamingoes*koi*tigers*curry* mangoes*melons*passion*love*light*life*autumn leaves*lobster* paella*carrots*salmon*south of france*paul gauguin*van gogh sunflowers*Warhol*
and SUMMER
add your orange favorite
Amaryllis Hippeastrum
Fall Planting at Willowdale Estate
Fall Planting for Spring Tulipomania at Willowdale ~ 1,500 bulbs planted, only 1500 more to go!
The Super Fantastic Willowdale Facilities Team, right to left ~ Dale, James, and Greg
Willowdale Estate ~ A Stunning Special Events Venue
Autumn Sunrises Over Niles Pond
Thank you Kate for the Black Swallowtail Chrysalis!
Last week while filming on Eastern Point I had the pleasure to meet Kate, who works at Wolf Hill. She was with a friend and they were looking for butterflies through binoculars. I had seen Kate often at the garden center, but never stopped to chat. We were talking about all things butterfly when she mentioned that she had a Black Swallowtail caterpillar on a parsley plant back at the nursery office. She offered the caterpillar to me and I gladly accepted. My Black Swallowtail film is nearing completion but there was one missing piece to the story.
Black Swallowtail Chrysalis ~ Green Form
The swallowtail chrysalides that I had on film were all greenish gold. Oftentimes the Black Swallowtail chyrsalis will turn a woody brown, but no matter how hard I looked, I could not find a woody brown chrysalis. Not showing the brown form, I knew, would confuse viewers, especially families who are interested in raising swallowtails.
Kate’s caterpillar pupated while she was away from work for a few days. When she returned she found the chrysalis had wandered from the parsley plant and it had pupated on the razor thin edge of an envelope-as office caterpillars are want to do. Well, you guessed it–the Wolf Hill pupa was the brown form!
Black Swallowtail Chrysalis ~ Brown Form
I know it is said often on the pages of this blog, but Kate’s thoughfullness goes to show once again what a beautiful community is Gloucester–stunning visually, and most special of all, are the beautiful, kind-hearted people who call Gloucester home. Thank you Kate!
Not finding a brown chrysalis is a relatively escoteric problem, to say the least, but I think you will agree that the two forms of the pupal case are remarkably different in appearance. In this photo you can see where I have taped the envelope behind a tree trunk in order to film. This is how you would find the chrysalis in a more natural setting.
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There are several openings remaining in my Close-up Photography Workshop at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, which will be held this coming Sunday morning at 9:00 am. I would love to see you there! Follow this link to register.
Capturing a sharply in focus close-up of a butterfly, especially one in mid-flight, is one of the greatest challenges of photography and I will be revealing techniques such as these, and more; techniques that have taken many, many hours over many years to perfect. All the photos I have shot in the past year and a half were taken not with a zoom lens, but were shot with a 23mm prime lens. I am typically photographing within a foot’s distance of the butterflies!
Seaward Inn Sunday Morning Live Music Brunch Finale!
Nighttime Snapshots from the August 2012 Block Party
Music, dancing, laughter, friends, and food–wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could dine alfresco on Main Street every night of the summer!
Passports Restaurant Waitstaff ~ friendly, helpful, efficient, and always welcoming! Back row from left to right ~ Katie, India, Lyla, and Nicole; Shawna center front.
Passports perfectly cooked-to-order and fabulously delicious (and very reasonably priced) steak au poivre, served with their fresh vegetable medley.
Register Now for My Photography Class
Registration is now open for my close-up photography class, Nature in Focus, which will be held at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard, at the Hunnewell Building, on Sunday September 3oth, at 9:00 am. I especially love teaching at the Arnold Arboretum. The facilities are beautiful, the staff wonderfully helpful, and September is a particularly gorgeous month to visit the gardens of the Arboretum. I hope you can join me!
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Gloucester HarborWalk Grand Opening Thursday!
The HarborWalk grand opening ribbon cutting ceremony with Mayor Kirk and Lieutenant Governor Timothy P. Murray is this coming Thursday, August 9th. The festivities will begin at 1 pm at The Wharf at St. Peter’s Park.
The Gloucester HarborWalk is a self-guided tour through 42 story moments granite posts. The 4-day celebration, August 9th through 12th, is devoted to the HarborWalk; each day of the event’s “Walk the Walks,” hosted by Mayor Kirk, will feature different aspects of the city’s storied maritime and cultural history.
As many of you may know I designed the horticultural master plan for the HarborWalk. The new gardens are planted with nearly 100 percent North American native wildflowers and have quickly become a pollinator’s paradise. Once fully established, the gardens will require minimal maintenance.
Sunday, August 12th, at noon, there will be a re-dedication of Gus Foote Park (now part of the HarborWalk Gardens) where I will help in giving a guided tour of the butterfly gardens. I hope to see you there!
Schedule of Events
Thursday, August 9th at 1:00pm at St. Peter’s Park. Ribbon Cutting Ceremony.
Friday, August 10th, at 12:00 noon at St. Peter’s Park. Mayor’s Walk, focusing on literature and art.
Saturday, August 11th, at 10:45 at City Hall. Especially intended toward families, and featuring the works of Virginia Lee Burton.
Sunday, August 12th, at 12:00 noon at Gus Foote Park. Re-dedication of Gus Foote Park, with a focus on Gloucester’s maritime heritage. Guided tour of the gardens.
Faces of Fiesta
Chasing Rainbows (and Storm Clouds)
The beautiful double rainbow that Bill and Paul captured late Saturday afternoon had faded, but I did see this on my way home.
The sky was so gorgeous I next stopped at Smith’s Cove to catch the end of the setting sun. The hues quickly changed from vivid yellow-orange to orange-violet-pink.
Click photos to view larger-more dramatic looking!
North Shore Wedding Magazine
Click any photo to view slideshow
For weeks I had planned to photograph the tulips in bloom at Willowdale, but only in the late afternoon sun. Each afternoon I headed out, the sky grew overcast. Last Monday the sun shown gloriously the entire day.
Fortunately I caught the tail end of North Shore Wedding Magazine photographing their Premier Issue in the gardens at Willowdale. North Shore Wedding Magazine is a brand new biannual publication featuring quality North Shore wedding professionals and venues, and is the sister publication to New Hampshire Wedding Magazine.
Sarah Boucher’s (Willowdale’s Planning Manager) lovely table styling for the North Shore Wedding Magazine photo shoot.
I hope this does not sound boastful however am mentioning because I just love it when people understand the design intention of a project. Kristina Hathaway remarked that she loved the feminine quality of the garden’s design juxtaposed against the masculine architecture of the stone mansion—music to my ears! The design challenges at Willowdale are multifold, yet rewarding, and from April 1st to until the first week of November you will find the gardens in bloom!
Tuesday evening, June 12, at 7:00 pm come join me in the gardens at Willowdale Estate. Enjoy refreshments and a tour of the garden, followed by a showing of my film “The Butterfly Garden at Willowdale Estate.” RSVP to Info@Willowdale Estate.
Click any photo to view slide show
Camilla Jerome at Monsterrat Artrageous! 26
Before heading out to dinner last night, my husband Tom and I stopped in briefly at the Monsterrat College of Art annual fundraiser, Artrageous! 26. Tom had donated several paintings, as are all the works of art donated, and we had a great time looking at the paintings, prints, photos, mixed media, and sculpture. My favorite piece in the show was a self portrait by a young artist from Wenham, Camilla Jerome.
Welcome Tulip Trees!
The magnificent Tulip Tree (Liriodendron tulipifera), also called Tulip Poplar or Yellow Poplar, is named and noted for its tulip-shaped flowers. Tulip Trees are native to the eastern United States and are relatively fast growing, without the problem of weak wood strength and short life span typical of fast growing trees.
Tulip Trees at the Gloucester HarborWalk Butterfly Garden
The foliage of the Tulip Tree has a distinct four lobed shape, with a beautiful fluttering habit when caught in the wind. Come fall, the tree is ablaze in brilliant clear yellow. Rich in nectar, Tulip Trees are a major honey plant of the east. In our region the tree typically flowers in June. The nectar also invites songbirds Cardinal and Gold Finch, as well as Ruby-throated Hummingbird.
Liriodendron tulipifera is one of only two species in the genus Liriodendron in the Magnolia Family.
Fun fact from wiki: Native Americans so habitually made their dugout canoes of its trunk that the early settlers west of the Appalachian Mountains called it Canoewood.
Planting Underway at the Gloucester Harbor Walk Gardens
Tulip Trees (Liriodendron tulipifera)
Monday the Tulip Trees were planted at St. Peter’s Square and Tuesday was devoted to Whale Watch and General Store planting areas. Today we are tackling Gus Foote Park. You may notice a few bare spots; not all plants have been delivered. We’ll be adding more to the gardens as they arrive.
Jay Ramsey and his crew from Farm Creek Landscpaping are doing a top-notch job—professional and so enthusiastic. We are all so excited to see the installation of the city’s Harbor Walk gardens underway. I’ll be bringing you information on some of the native beauties we have planted and their value to the landscape and to wildlife. People often ask me why they have so few bees in their garden and I respond, “What have you planted for the bees and for all the pollinators?” When you plant for the pollinators, they will come!
GMG Spring Fling Party Pics
Thank you Joey and Fred for hosting a FABULOUS party! Terrific company and super delicious refreshments– a fun time was had by all. Many thanks to all the FOBs and FOGs who brought food and beverages, and a very special thank you to Fred Bodin for opening his gallery to this crazy gang!!!
Click the last photo to see slide show.
Think Pink!
Chasing Away the Winter Doldrums
The stem I always manage to snap when unpacking the tulips-
Kay Tompson sings Think Pink! in Funny Face (1957, starring Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire)
Think pink! when you shop for summer clothes.
Think pink! if you want that quel-que chose.
Red is dead, blue is through,
Green’s obscene, brown’s taboo.
And there is not the slightest excuse for plum or puce
—or chartreuse.
Think pink! forget that Dior says black and rust.
Think pink! who cares if the new look has no bust.
Now, I wouldn’t presume to tell a woman
what a woman oughtta think,
But tell her if she’s gotta think: think pink—!
-Music by George Gershwin with Lyrics by Roger Edens
Why the sudden interest in the Jodrey State Pier
There is beautiful assortment of waterfowl inhabiting the harbor. While there filming the birds and trying to get closer (ever closer!), I’ve become fascinated with the graphic industrial compositions from atop and from below the pier. For example, the above snapshot of Gloucester’s iconic Paint Factory, through the piling’s grid.