A Deo et Rege

Since I attended mass yesterday evening (a habit I’ve been getting into), my Sunday has been largely free. I watched the Browns actually win for a change, which was excellent. I also enjoyed a pumpkin pie Dairy Queen blizzard for the first time in awhile. And oh yeah, I decided to go out and take some photos.

I live near some really beautiful places, but haven’t gotten much of a chance to actually explore those places. This is for various reasons, but largely because I’m busy and since I’m new to the area and don’t know many people, I have to “discover” these places instead of being told about them. Today, I decided to visit the lovely town of Chagrin Falls, which actually has a waterfall in the middle of town. I assume it is called Chagrin Falls too, but you can always count on these things.

It’s actually a quaint looking town, kind of like a small town environment that has been made a little touristy. I was mainly interested in the falls, but found the setting to be inspiring. It would be a nice place for a family afternoon or a quiet romantic evening. This day was dark, windy, and overcast. Pretty ugly, unless of course you’re photographing running water. Dark and overcast days are perfect for this because slower shutter speeds work well without the problem of too much light. I also got a chance to use my new tripod because with slower shutter speeds the camera tends to shake. There’s a basic photography lesson. Needless to say for an amateur photographer, this was an exciting moment.

After taking probably about 30 or so pictures and practically freezing to death in the process, I left the town and returned home. Oh, did I mention I got lost going to Chagrin Falls and coming home? It seems that some roads only have their numbers listed, not their actual names. Tsk tsk! I stopped and got some gas and had some great cappuccino. Oh yeah, the Browns won! Sorry, I just had to mention that twice. It’s nearly a miracle.

Photos of the falls by Jonathan Bennett