Ryan's Digital Camera Photos #201 - #250

Pipe organ's keyboard and pedals This is actually the second or third pipe organ this church has had, like I said, due to fires. It is a "NOACK" brand, dated 1983, and is what's known as a two-manual, that is, it has two keyboards. Some of the largest have as many as SIX, though I'd bet there are larger. Note the Altoids tin. :) I've been told Methodists and Presbytarians tend to go all-out when it comes to pipe organs in their churches. My friend Danny has a web page linked to a page that features some of the oldest pipe organs in Europe and the United States (mostly Europe), some dating back to the 1600s! I will link the page when I can get ahold of him and the URL.

Looking up over the pipes at the stained glass window featured in photo featured in photo #200. The actual organ itself is directly below the pipes.

Setting sun through the stained glass window. Its a little blury, but considering I was standing on the floor of the church and the window was 30 feet overhead, it's pretty decent. To get the perfect photo, I'd have to be eye-level with the window, in other words, I'd need a ladder.

Six emerald cut cubic zirconiums I won these on Ebay. They took so long to arrive that the seller decided to throw in two extra pieces... (The original sale was for four). They measure 8mm x 10mm, and some of the stones are 10.00 long right on the dot. I am going to eventually take a photo of one with my web cam because it does better close-up work. An odd thing about these stones is they do not glow under black light. All the other white CZ I have glows a peach color under black light. I think it might be from a different company?

Baxter asleep on the couch! Aaah. =^_^=

Bottle green glass A pair of large pieces of green glass I got from a neighbor a few years ago. These pieces were some of the finer ones she had, the others were lighter in color and had alot of bubbles. The pieces came from a spill at a glass factory. The spill was allowed to cool and then broken down. Since these pieces are bubble-free, they were probably much hotter temperature when spilled. I plan on using these for faceting practice someday.

Bottle green glass with a soda can to show scale. The two pieces were originally one large very irregularly shaped stone, but I split it in two.

Cheddar Box! I wanted to catch him meowing, but I couldn't. =^_^=

Ryan Thompson, the photographer Noah took this photo of me standing in my kitchen. I figured it was about time a photo of me was taken with the camera. Here it is! My hair is usually spiked. That brass duck head is for hanging towels on. (Yes, I am a little sun burned.)

Object in the river In mid-August, 2001, I saw this in the river near the Old Steel Bridge support. The water level has been so low that gravel bars are appearing all over the river, allowing people to walk much further out than before. I was looking for agates when I saw this standing out of the water alongside the tower. I got closer and saw it was a metal beam, the only thing it could be is a piece of the bridge that was held up by the big iron towers until 1926 when it was dynamited. The bridge wasn't very old, either, built only 34 years earlier in 1892. It was only one lane wide, and by 1926, this was a problem because of the automobile boom. Two cars would come from either side of the river, and meet in the middle, and one would be forced to back off the bridge.

Object in the river Slightly different angle. To me this looks like a contorted I-beam...

Old Steel Bridge supports The two bridge supports on the north side of the river, the further one just barely visible over the tops of the blackberry bushes. Look at this thing... I mean, it doesn't really match the powerlines it holds up.

Same shot as 212 but in B&W.

Center bridge support Looking up at the tower in the middle of the river. This is the one with the osprey nest on the top.

I-beam close-up! B&W.

Osprey nest on the top of the tower. B&W.

Bridges old and new The bridge tower on the right, the wreckage of the Old Steel Bridge in the river, and the Ellsworth Street Bridge in the background that opened in 1926. B&W.

Bridges old and new Same shot as before, but a little closer, and in color.

View from Monteith side of the river... I took this photo standing in the middle of a the Calapooia, which is now a tiny stream crossing a giant gravel beach dumping into the Willamette. The wreckage of the old bridge is barely visible, peeking around the bridge tower. The Buzzsaw Restaurant is visible in the distance (the building with the white roof).

Albany train tressel Shot taken from the north bank of the Willamette. Two really trashy were screwing around in a sleeping bag over a nearby embankment... it was creepy. They looked like they had some kind of mock-picnic going on. Someday before I move out of this town, I will walk out to the middle of the train tressel and get some photos. I'd LOVE to see the bridge opened up. What? You didn't know the whole thing swings sideways? I'll refer you to the story of one disgruntled paddleboat owner who wanted the city of Albany to open and close the bridge every time he went through with a tour... which would be several times a day. According to local lore, the bridge hasn't been opened since 1968. It takes four people to push the wheel to make it open up.

First United Methodist Church's pipe organ This being the FUMC of Corvallis, rather than Albany. I am glad I finally got a good photo of this thing! All the others seemed to come out hazy. The pipe organ dates from 1983.

Zane at group.. with his Les Schwab water bottle. Low attendance that week... just three people. Where is everybody? :(

Zane drinking

Arthur A friend of mine from Eugene. He showed me some houses up the hill from his apartment... when I retire, I think I want to live in Eugene. ^_^ It's pretty. Lots of neat old houses like Albany, but the people are alot nicer/openminded and there is ALOT more plantlife.

Arthur gives me a silly look :)

Arthur dials a number ... his work had just called, he had to go to work unexpectedly. Good news, though - he got a raise.

Arthur's catYES! I FINALLY GOT A SHOT OF A CAT YAWNING! =^_^=

Unusual lavender flower that appeared in our front garden. It came out of a plant that has never bloomed before. I've lived in the house since I was born, and this is the first time it's done anything. We removed some trees a few years ago, that might have helped the plant get more sun...

Old apartments on Monroe... in downtown Corvallis. My guess is 1930s - 1940s. Sometime in there. B&W.

Old apartments, bigger photo B&W.

Old brick church on Monroe in downtown Corvallis. I need to try and get a shot of this at a different time of day to prevent glare.

Historic house downtown Not sure where exactly, but it was near 8th & Monroe. B&W.

Large 2-floor historic house with a huge garden in the yard. I should have taken some color shots of the garden. Oh well, I'll get them next week when I go back. This garden is hard to miss. It's very nice, one of the nicest in downtown Corvallis. B&W.

Historic apartment building right downtown. Three floors plus a basement.

House with a garden I took this one in color for obvious reasons. I'll try and get some more shots of the gardens downtown next time I am over there. This one REALLY stood out, though, so I switched over to color.

Old frat house building Probably my favorite in Corvallis. I love the architecture. Note the unusual chimney. I want a house like this way out in the middle of nowhere, in the woods, or in the country or something. That would technically classify it as a mansion or a castle. B&W.

Old frat house Same building as before, but a different angle. Sorry about that glare. B&W.

Another historic frat house Funny how the meaning of a fraternity has changed so much. Think of what it used to mean, and what it means now. (Beer, parties, etc...) Note the soiled couches on the lawn. I think this building is a little newer than the one in photos 237 & 238. B&W.

Hope Diamond replica A photo of my Hope Diamond replica. Sort of blury. I don't think I can take photos of it with the digital camera - its just to small. It doesn't do close-ups that well.

Hope Diamond replica (back side) Showing the framework of the piece.

Old house next to Corvallis Art Center located on Madison. B&W

The photographer! Me! I found a timer feature on the shutter, so I hit it and sat down. I think it came out pretty good. B&W

The photographer, again B&W also, but I think this one is much better than the last.

The photographer (in color) ... eh, ok. Maybe I can get some more shots some other time.

Baxter at the window Our cat Baxter looking out the window. He looks surprisingly evil in this photo. =^_^=

Baxter near the front door

Talko going AAAH! Just kidding. But it looks like it, doesn't it?

Stone church in downtown Albany This church sits just south of the Linn County Courthouse in downtown Albany. It looks alot like a castle. In this photo, the courthouse is visible on the right, just down the street. B&W

Brilliant cut glass on top of flashlight This isn't leaded crystal, just basic glass. I like it, though. The stone measures 50mm across. If it were a real diamond, it would weigh over 450 carats.