Life by Squares – A2

Got to admit that I cheated yesterday. I had to work and then I had a dentist appointment straight afterwards. Consequently, I didn’t let the dice choose my wandering location on the map – I picked a place that was on the way home from the dentist. And, because it was going to be dark (and I was going to be hungry), I picked somewhere where I wouldn’t have to do much walking.

Therefore, this is what you’ve got:

Yep – a short walk over the river Ouse and a quick side-step down a couple of three dark and lonely lanes.

You’d think that, because it was so late in the evening, that the photos wouldn’t come out good, but this camera I have (on a Smartphone in fact) consistently amazes me. Look at this view down the railway tracks on Water End:

Over on the left you can just see the York Minster peeking out between the trees so you know that this view is towards York city centre, which is probably a mile and a half away.

Immediately after that I turned and took a snap of the rush-hour traffic on Water End. Just look at all that light:

And look how well behaved the lamp-posts are here – just about all of them are standing up straight! Quite unlike the houses in York, which tend to appear drunk on my shots.

Back to my favourite subjects next – trees and sky. I couldn’t resist this street-lamp lit tree on the junction of Salisbury Road and Water End:

Interesting how it looks weepy down below and plain scary (if you’re that way inclined) against the sky. And what a sky – deep blue – even in the dark!

Underneath a lamp-post further down Water End I saw a puddle, and underneath the puddle I saw a lamp-post:

Now when you think about it – this shot is amazing. It was absolutely pitch black here. When I looked at the pavement, all I could see was darkness and yet – look at what the camera does! And before you say it; no the flash didn’t go off – this is just the amount of ambient light the camera sucks in. Amazink!

Over to the left of Water End was a view out towards the countryside and therefore, theoretically, into the depths of darkness, so I thought I’d see what the camera would do with that:

The light you see on the horizon is remnants of the long-set sun. The light in the middle is a loop of the river Ouse. Not much detail here, but still – a nice little shot.

I walked a little further and crossed the road so that I was over the river Ouse again, but this time looking towards York city centre:

All I could see with my eyes were tiny spots of illumination from the lights on the cycle-path by the river. But my camera was still up to the task. Ah, the sky, the water, the trees!

The rest of the roll is trees against sky, so if that ain’t your bag then look away now. First up we have a shot from the end of Government House Road – a very exclusive little enclave. Surprises me that there were no guards patrolling the razor-wire topped fence. But then again – York isn’t really like that. Anyway – the tree:

Yeah, I know – not that spectacular – but I like it anyway.

Next up is a snap from the end of Ousecliffe Gardens, which (despite how it appears on the map) gives access to both the river and Westminster Road (the next parallel road on). This view is towards the river:

I don’t know what it is about that shot that makes me want to both smile and shrink back at the same time, but that’s probably what makes it my favourite of the evening. Paradox and contrary emotions are what make life interesting, yes?

The last of the trees (of the evening) also has the river (not that you can see it) and that gorgeous sky as a backdrop:

Isn’t that magnificent?

Nuff said.