Due to rain, and a lot of it the past four days I didn't get much in the way of taking pictures done.  I converted some from last weeks ''Dog Days of Pillow''.

All shot with my D750 and 24-120 Nikkor Kit lens on Auto.  The below photos took very little in filter adjustment in Affinity Photo.

Our valley, Armstrong Valley is about 2.5 miles wide by 9 miles long and at one time contained at least three small mills, (very small mills).  They're all gone now, two of which are nothing more than a pile of rocks, the third, all that remains is the ponds.  All were fed by Armstrong Creek which empties into the Susquhanna River at a canal lock, (the canal ran beside the river).  Not much left of the lock, and it's difficult to photograph from any angle but from the river, and due to heavy rains from the recent hurricane it's impossible right now.  Many of the larger mills around the state remain preserved, but none here. 

The Susquhanna is a big river even by American standards, being almost a mile wide near Harrisburg.  There are several dams along it's length, the oldest being the, ''Dock street dam'' at Harrisburg built in 1933 mostly for the reason of boating and coal dredging.  Dad would tell us that prior to the dam the river was reduced to a series of streams most summers and could easily be forded on foot, with a horse drawn wagon, and even automobiles at some places. 

Here's a photo of the river just south of the ''Rockville Bridge'' the longest stone arch bridge in the world, built by the Pennsylvania Rail Road in 1902.  I took this photo in March of this year and while it's high, it's still safely below flood level.

fallout, have you tried imgur as a free host for your photos?  They're pretty easy to get along with and work with.  My posts on here are simply large thumbnail size, they give you a choice of small square-large square-small thumbnail-medium thumbnail-large thumbnail-huge thumbnail, or original, (which is gigantic and doesn't fit the forum at all.

Here's a large thumbnail example.

Sun breaking through a tree on a foggy morning.

1/320  f5  M  800  35mm  D700  Nikkor 20-35mm AF D-ED 

I should have posted that I live in the central Pennsylvania region North of Harrisburg (Penn. Capitol) and South of Seilingsgrove/Sunberry area, about in the middle of no-where.  Most just refer to the particular valley they live in as home, Powels Valley, Armstrong Valley, Lyken's Valley, etc.  The small gathering of houses and farms in the above photos where I live is called, Enders after it's first settler in 1775. Across the road from the cemetery, where I took the photos is a school building which isn't in use as such anymore, they're trying to rent it out as a ''culture'' center and small shops.  So far there's a dance school in there. Good luck to em.  Most small towns with stores and eateries are seven miles plus from us, so we plan accordingly.  Things are generally quiet to the point of boredom here, we take care of our own, no need for police. I'll cover some of the small towns throughout the month.

To the West, the Susquhanna River and beyond that, more ''no-where'' farming areas.  To the East, coal mines, (what's left of them anyway) and small towns where the miners lived. 

Peter, one thing I've wondered about Uppsala.  The river, it seems to never change it's depth.  It never floods?  Here the Susquhanna river changes with the seasons from something you could almost walk across some summers, to ''Head for higher ground!'' when the ice jams up in late winter/early spring.  Is your river regulated by a dam?

A view of the general area from the top of a mountain to the south. 

D750  Nikkor 50mm pre-D  1/60  f22  M 220

Taken from the cemetery above the village where I live from the north.  D750  Nikkor 20-35mm AF D-ED

1/320  f22 M 720  35mm

Same angle but at 20mm  1/320 f22 M500

As always, any subject, any style.

This weeks vintage examples.

I'm in.

Old church balcony  Nikon D750  Nikkor AF-S 24-120mm G-ED VR

1/20  f6.3  M  2000 120mm

1/80  f5  M  320  95mm   Exposed for highlights, shadow detail done in Affinity

1/200  f13  A 200  92mm

Another year, another, ''Dog Day'' festival in the sleepy little town of Pillow, PA.  Due to other events in the area, Pillow's ''Dog Day'' was lightly attended.

Nikon D750  Nikkor 24-120mm AF-S G  ED f4 VR  Due to the sometimes quick nature of the event and the drastic contrast between sunshine and shadows I put the camera on auto for most shots and was satisfied with most, although I did revert to manual for a few.

This one was horrible in color, but transitioned in B&W was a great improvement.

1/200  f8 A 100  24mm

1/400  f10  A 200  62mm Wiener dogs!

1/100  f5  A 400  120mm

1/200  f7.1  A 400  120mm

1/250  f8  A 200 120mm

1/200 f10 A 100  92mm

1/200 f9  A 100  120mm

1/200 f13 A  100  92mm

1/800 f5  A320  120mm

1/80 f4.5  A 400  24mm  Musical hoops, like musical chairs, but you get your dog in the hoop.  The little girl nearest center and her 3mo. old puppy were the stars of the show.  They took several blue ribbons including this event.

As always, any subject, any style.

This weeks vintage B&W samples, portraits of Combat Photographers, Vietnam.  Those who brought the war home to our newspapers.  During the thirty year conflict, 135 combat photographers died in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.

It could be tough on equipment.

Photographer rendering aid to a wounded soldier.

''Dickey Chappelle''  (Georgette Louise Meyer)  photographed the Marines on Iwo Jima, Okinawa, Korea, covered the Hungarian revolution in 1956, jumped with paratroops, and covered the Marines in Vietnam until her death from a mine on November 4, 1965.  Of ''Dickey'' the Marines said, ''She was one of us.''   Chappelle was bestowed the title, ''Honorary Marine'' after her death in combat.

Nikon D750  Nikkor AF20-35mm f2.8 D  ED  IF  IZ 

35mm  1/125  f16  M  100    B&W conversion and adjustment in Affinity Photo

D700  Tamron AF 90mm f2.8 Macro (272-E)

1/80  f4.5  M  640

All very nice.  Thanks for posting!

Excellent, Peter!

The Buckmaster II  4-12X is probably in the middle of the line up.  I checked e-bay and they sell for around $300.00 used.  The one that came on the rifle has ballistic circles to 500yd. 

I never bothered with them before, but one came on a recent rifle purchase, and I like it!  I wish they still made them, it seems like a quality optical sight at a reasonable price (when they made them).  The scope is a Nikon  ''Buck  Master II, 4-12X''.  The rifle is a Ruger M-77 Mk. II Hawkeye chambered for .338 Winchester Magnum.  It wasn't exactly what I was looking for, but for the price and all the ''goodies'' that went with it, I'da been stupid NOT to have bought it!  Rifle, (like new) scope, loading dies, bullets, brass, and loaded ammunition all for about $500.00 less than the rifle alone is worth.  Sometimes God smiles on us. (BTW, I paid the man what he wanted for the outfit, he said he wouldn't haggle on the price-I didn't argue)

As always, any style, any subject.

Cars, this weeks B&W examples from the past.

I didn't think I would like this shot because of the high ISO, but the more I looked at it in B&W, the more I liked it.  It looks like an illustration that belongs in an Edgar Allen Poe book of stories and poems. 

D750  Nikkor AF 300mm f4 D  ED  IF  tripod mounted 1/100  f6.3  M  12800  cropped

Red-95  Yellow-100  Green-200  Cyan-7  Blue-100  Magenta-7

Busy week, rain, painting, gun show.  Anyway all I shot this week was from a chair in the back yard. 

This happy girl will be six months old in ten days.

Nikon D750 Nikkor AF 80-200 f2.8 D  ED IF/IZ

1/640  f2.8  M  100  200mm

As an American, I was deeply saddened when I learned of her passing.  Her passing does mark the end of an era, the last of her kind. She was probably the only British Monarch, (or royal) who could change a truck tire, tune up the engine, and drive it off.  Though she lived a life of privilege, I believe she knew well what it was to serve.  She had class.