Dutch Windmill

snapapple · June 2, 2005

In Amsterdam, I got my shot of a windmill. I wish I could have gone up there and turned that thing just a bit clockwise. But, it was not going at the time and that was the way it was. (sigh) I wanted a windmill picture so badly and the bus could never stop except at this one. What do you think?

I tried a shot from a slight angle too. I wish there were some tulips here, but no luck. There are only 1,000 windmills left in the Netherlands today so I had to get a picture of one. They are a rarity. They preserve them now though and the people that live in them have to maintain them according to guidelines. Oh, that big colorful board on top is called a beard and it contains the building date.

And one for my "Doors and Windows" collection. The window of the windmill. You can tell somebody lives here. Shows the thatched roof too. Yes, the focus is a bit soft, but this is a crop and I only took the one shot. I had to use it. Wish I had taken more. Wish I had at least two weeks to spend just in Holland. What a great place. So beautiful in the Spring.

Angelo · June 2, 2005

Very nice Snappy!

snapapple · June 2, 2005

Thanks Angelo
That's really funny. I was just typing a comment on your burned out house. Great job there.

Dee · June 2, 2005

I need to process mine
I managed to track down 4 windmills on Long Island, NY. But it was really hard to get terrific lighting, a clear view, etc. But they are what they are! I was hoping for a neat sunset (but I was there the wrong time of day) town life was happening on the sides, and behind the windmills, and of course they weren't working windmills either!

So, I think I understand your frustration?

:

Congrats on being able to get any at all! It looks like a very nice windmill.

Adrian van Ammers · June 2, 2005

My windmill alarm just went off!

snapapple wrote:

In Amsterdam, I got my shot of a windmill. I wish I could have gone up there and turned that thing just a bit clockwise. But, it was not going at the time and that was the way it was. (sigh) I wanted a windmill picture so badly and the bus could never stop except at this one. What do you think?

I think you did fine. It's not that easy to get a good windmill shot, huh? When were you in Holland? I'm living in Holland so windmills are one of my favorite subjects. See some windmills at http://adrian.smugmug.com/Photography/65335 if you like. Thanks for sharing yours!

snapapple · June 3, 2005

Adrian van Ammers wrote:

I think you did fine. It's not that easy to get a good windmill shot, huh? When were you in Holland? I'm living in Holland so windmills are one of my favorite subjects. See some windmills at http://adrian.smugmug.com/Photography/65335 if you like. Thanks for sharing yours!

Hi Adrian,

We were in Holland on May 12. And I do mean one day. We were on a transatlantic cruise. We crossed the Atlantic in 5 days. We were supposed to stop at the Azores, but had bad weather. So we went on for three more days to Southampton, then to Le Havre, then up to the Netherlands, Norway and Denmark. We only spent a day or less in each place, except for Denmark, where we disembarked and spent two days.

So you see, it was an even greater challenge to get a windmill picture when seeing the country from a tour bus that could not stop. There was a tour to Kinderdijk and Gouda, but they were only 4 hours and my husband wanted to do the all day tour to Amsterdam. He assured me that I would see a windmill somewhere in Amsterdam. I do wish we had been able to spend more time there. I would love to go back someday.

You are so lucky to be able to spend some time in Holland. You have a great gallery.

Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment on my pictures.

snapapple · June 3, 2005

Thanks Dee

Dee wrote:

I managed to track down 4 windmills on Long Island, NY. But it was really hard to get terrific lighting, a clear view, etc. But they are what they are! I was hoping for a neat sunset (but I was there the wrong time of day) town life was happening on the sides, and behind the windmills, and of course they weren't working windmills either!

So, I think I understand your frustration? :

Congrats on being able to get any at all! It looks like a very nice windmill.

Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Windmills on Long Island! Wow, and I thought I had to go all the way to Holland.

It is hard to get good shots when life is happening all around your subject. Imagine trying to get a shot of anything with hoards of tourists from the busses swarming all over it.

Dee · June 3, 2005

Windmills and Bridges

snapapple wrote:

Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Windmills on Long Island! Wow, and I thought I had to go all the way to Holland.It is hard to get good shots when life is happening all around your subject. Imagine trying to get a shot of anything with hoards of tourists from the busses swarming all over it.

There are two windmills (that I know of) at Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, and I found a covered bridge in Yosemite! I believe there may be one or two more covered bridges in California, but I don't trust my memory.

!

Oh, you had tourists too? Then you really did good with your windmill shot. It's not always possible to incorporate people into your shots either. Sometimes it works, sometimes they just get in the way.

I love watching the Japanese tour busses (not meaning to single out one nationality, here). The bus stops, they all scramble off, everyone rushes to take each other's photo in front of the attraction, then they get back on the bus. I was particularily struck by this while I was in Hawaii. Perhaps their powers of observation are better than mine. I think at the volcano in Hawaii we saw about 3 tour buses come and go and we saw the same thing happen again and again. Maybe the tour bus driver read them the riot act though or threatened to leave them if they didn't get back on the bus in a timely manner. That would actually explain quite a bit now that I think about it.

My mom and daughter took a tour to Alaska and the tourists threatened mutiny if the bus driver didn't stop when they wanted it to! They were bear and moose crazy on that trip my daughter said.

pathfinder · June 3, 2005

Dee wrote:

There are two windmills (that I know of) at Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, and I found a covered bridge in Yosemite! I believe there may be one or two more covered bridges in California, but I don't trust my memory. !

Oh, you had tourists too? Then you really did good with your windmill shot. It's not always possible to incorporate people into your shots either. Sometimes it works, sometimes they just get in the way.

.

There are 30 covered bridges in Parke County Indiana and 9 more in Putnam Co. If you ever want to shoot them, give me a PM Dee. I did shoot the covered bridge in Yosemite, but it didn't look like a real antique bridge to my eye. Covered bridges are red in this neck of the woods.:D:D

snapapple · June 3, 2005

Dee,
The tourist thing can be a real problem. I'll post a picture of the Little Mermaid in a while so you can see the tourists. I finally got a shot the next day, in the rain.

I had the same problem in Oslo at a park with beautiful sculptures all by one artist. These tourists kept standing right up next to them to get their picture taken or to take close up shots. I could never get a shot of the sculpture by itself.

Same problem with the changing of the guard at the Royal Palace in Copenhagen. The tourists had to go right up and stand in front of the guards to have their picture taken. Ruined all the best shots. I don't understand their reasoning. If they have a picture, their friends will know they were there. Why do they need pictures of themselves in front of everything? Or why can't they hurry up and step away so other people can get a picture? They just stand there.

Higgmeister · June 3, 2005

Dee wrote:

There are two windmills (that I know of) at Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, and I found a covered bridge in Yosemite! I believe there may be one or two more covered bridges in California, but I don't trust my memory. !

Hi Dee,
I know of another covered bridge in Ca. It's called Oregon Creek Bridge and here is a snippet from a site with directions:

To get to the Oregon Creek Bridge you drive 20 miles northwestward on Highway 49 from Nevada City. You go through North San Juan and continue for a few miles. Make a right where you see the Oregon Creek Campground area. The bridge is located just down the road a bit, at the intersection with Allegheny Road. Even though I always thought it was located in Nevada County, the bridge is actually just inside Yuba County.

I don't have any current pictures of it and the site I grabbed the snippet from has horrible pictures of it. Quite a nice place to go.

Just a JYI,
Chris

Dutch Windmill

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