Pinehaven - HDR View

 I've been experimenting a bit with an HDR (High Dynamic Range) app on my smartphone. Here's a shot I took of Pinehaven on January 21 at about 1:45 pm.

 HDR photos have intrigued me for some time. They allow for a greater range of luminosity and are said to more closely mimic the human eye's response than standard photography. There's no doubt that the photographs it produces are noticeably different.

 I have Samsung Galaxy S4 Android smartphone and I'm playing around with a program called Camera HDR Studio. Read about it by clicking here.

 The photo I posted (in it's full-resolution form) is 3264x1836 pixels and is a 5.91 MB file. Though I've uploaded it at that full resolution, Blogger has probably compressed it and lost much of the range. Still, click on the picture for the highest resolution Blogger allows to see something comparable to what I'm seeing on my monitor.

 I notice particularly that the shadowed snow shows details, something that would surely be missing in a standard photograph. Of course the picture was taken in about the brightest condition possible: full sun with enough snow to really add brilliant lighting.

 HDR will be an interesting app to experiment with. What's most amazing is that another camera need not be purchased. My existing phone (with camera capability) is all that's needed. The app is free (though a "Pro" version is available).

Added 1/29/16: I took this HDR shot in the early afternoon of 1/29/16 from the south lawn facing north.

Shake It Records

 Not far from Tom's apartment is Shake It Records at 4156 Hamilton Avenue. The place is an interesting time portal and it plays especially clearly "my" decade, the 1960's. There are Beatles posters and other memorabilia galore.

It's interesting to me that the store stocks so many vinyl LP's. I suppose that format is coming back. And they sell used electronic equipment, such as turntables, Shades of 1965!

 The store physically reminds of the "five and dime" stores that were so common in the 1950's  For those of you old enough, remember the creaky wooden floors? They're still here.
 And with music available via downloads and streaming services, it's a testament to stick-to-it-iveness that this place continues to draw a steady stream of customers ... young and old, I might add. I love this throwback to earlier days.

 Near the rear of the store there's a "Beat Time" pinball machine that's been converted to a Beatles theme. Not sure how they pulled that off, or whether the machine is available for play (it appears to be operative with coin slot and metal ball) but it sure looks good sitting there.

 Besides the music, there are lot of posters and books. Tom bought a used book on Janis Joplin. Those of us who grew up during the years of the Beatles invasion - or those nostalgic for what they missed - certainly have a place they can call home.

 It's worth the trip to Northside just to step through the door.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

 Every Saturday morning my DVR records Cook's Country and America's Test Kitchen on our local PBS affiliate (WPTD, channel 16). I enjoy watching the programs in the evening when I have time. A recent program showed Chocolate Crinkle Cookies. I was enthralled by the look of the cookie ... a fractured top, dark chocolate beneath, white powdered sugar above. Could I make them?

 The program offered two warnings: "Cookies are the most high-risk type of baking you can do". And, it also stated that these Chocolate Crinkle Cookies (are) "at the top of the most dangerous baking pyramid".

 I was equally warned and challenged.

 What choice did I have but to give it a try?

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies - the result

Gathering the ingredients

 I used Hershey's Cocoa's dark chocolate version. And I used a 4 ounce bar of Ghirardelli chocolate for the simple reason that they are the best. There's a ton of chocolate flavor in these two items.

 The resulting batter resembles that for brownies rather than cookies. When it's first mixed it is extremely wet and sticky and unable to be handled. The TV program said the batter did not have to be refrigerated but merely left sitting on the counter for ten minutes before use. They're right. In just that short amount of time the batter can be touched on top. Yes, it's still sticky when you dig into it with a #30 portion scoop, but when you place the dollop into granulated sugar, it can be handled easily.
 I did not buy unsweetened butter but rather used my regular margarine and cut back to less salt than the recipe calls for. That worked fine for me.

 And here's the cookies just out of the oven. They need to cool on the cookie sheet before removing them. The cookie, at least for the first half hour (I haven't checked back), are chewy inside, similar to a fudge brownie. I suspect the cookies will set further but remain a somewhat a "soft" cookie.

 The taste? Decadently chocolate! And beautiful to look at.

LaRosa's (again)

 Saturday (12/13) Tom and I had lunch (again) at LaRosa's on Vine Street in Cincinnati. Tom had won a gift card at work and he shared it with me.

 They had a Coca-Cola Freestyle machine - though in the kitchen, not available for patron refills - and they offered something I've never seen before: Seagram's Ginger Ale with lime. To say the least, it is excellent!

 Tom wanted a dinner salad and I wasn't sure I'd be hungry enough so we split one. The waitress delivered it divided into two bowls, Tom's with honey mustard dressing, mine with Italian. I'm happy I got it. The veggies were fresh as can be.

 We shared a 14" Vegetarian Pizza. ($16.99). They describe it this way: Family Recipe Pizza Sauce and provolone, topped with mushrooms, roasted red peppers, roasted onions, spinach and Roma tomatoes. I loved every bite. Tom and I each ate three slices and I brought two home. Miss Mary has already had one for lunch.

 Tom

Bill

 I only saw one waitress (we were there about 1:30 pm) but she was keeping up with everything, though literally running at times. She refilled our drinks without being asked, brought our check and a box for the slices we couldn't eat. Great place and one we'll surely return to again and again.

Kenner Symposium

 Yesterday (12/12) Tom and I attended the Kenner Symposium at the Cincinnati Public Library. It's part of a Kenner Exhibit at the library which runs until January 16, 2016. Click here for info.

 This sign greeted visitors outside the library.

 We arrived about 11 am when Kenner history was being discussed. Corky Steiner, the son and nephew of Kenner's founders, was giving a talk when we arrived. A question and answer session followed.

 Perhaps Kenner's most famous toy line is Star Wars. Here an attendee arrives dressed as a Storm Trooper.

... and another listens to the talk dressed as one of the Ghostbusters.

 The Symposium ran from 10 am to 5:30 pm. Tom and I toured the Joseph S. Stern, Jr. Cincinnati Room at the library where various Kenner toys were displayed. The exhibit is curated by Dan Flarida and Josh Blake of KennerCollector.com.

 Tom brought one of his Star Wars collectibles for Scott Simmons who Tom quickly spotted among the crowd. Scott is the son of photographer Kim David McNeill Simmons who famously photographed many of Kenner's products. He's affectionately called "the man who shot Luke Skywalker". Check out an article about him by clicking here.

 "[Scott] collects the particular figure/character I was carrying around which is why I gave it to him," Tom explained. Simmons is a Kenner employee.

Kenner Toy catalogs from 1966 to 1990 were also on display. Noted Kenner lines include toys from Star Wars, Strawberry Shortcake, Batman, Jurassic Park and Ghostbusters. Other noted items were Play-Doh, Spirograph and Easy-Bake Oven.

McGuffey Museum - Oxford

 On Saturday (12/5) with half an hour left on the parking meter, Tom suggested we make a quick stop at the McGuffey Museum on the Miami University campus in Oxford. With little time to spend, we were cordially given a guided tour of the first floor. Considering that I went to school at Miami for four years and have returned countless times since, it's surprising that I have never before set foot in the McGuffey Museum.

William H McGuffey house - 1833

 William Holmes McGuffey built this brick home in 1833 (he lived in a fame house on site in 1828). This octagonal table is reported to be the one where McGuffey designed his "Eclectic Reader".

  McGuffey's desk

Tom and our guide in one of the rooms - dining, I believe 

McGuffey's living room 

Steps to the second floor (which we didn't have time to visit)

McGuffey's Fifth Eclectic Reader - 1896 edition

Original copy in the Pinehaven collection

Our copy has a colorized engraving - perhaps colored by a family member

 So little time and so much to see. We'll return when we have more time and can explore at length. In the meantime, more information can be found by clicking here.

Miami's Second Foucault Pendulum

 I'm a sucker for science experiments. I like them even more when they're large.Graduates of Miami  University, both Tom (1979) and myself (1971) visited our Alma-mater on Saturday (12/5) with that in mind.

 They've constructed another foucault pendulum on campus, this one housed in the new physics building, Kreger Hall. I have visited the original one in Culler a number of times. Says the Miamian Magazine, "Physic's first pendulum had to stay in Culler when the department moved as as it was too big to budge."

 Though all foucault pendulum's work the same way (click here for a description), this new version certainly is more beautiful to look at. It glows with a turquoise green and is built in layers of glass.

 The pendulum is the work of artist David Griggs. A short video is posted here.

 The pendulum is named after Leon Foucault, who first constructed in 1851(Paris) to demonstrate the rotation of the earth.

 Grigg's model is made in three layers. According to the Miamian, "The top layer is an astronomical clock, the middle is a map of Oxford from the 1800's, and the bottom represents the Northern Hemisphere's constellations."

 The pendulum's "bob" is hung from a long wire, affixed to the ceiling. Tom thought the greenish light was projected from above as well. I couldn't tell the source of the light. It's quite an ethereal-looking glow, as though it has no source at all.

Kreger Hall - Miami University

 Since it was a Saturday, the main doors of the building were locked. Tom decided there must be students studying there and that one door must surely be open. I was a bit surprised when he found it. Indeed there  were students working inside the building, books open, laptops glowing, and even a few offices were occupied.
 The trip was not wasted.