Urban farming: from a Seed to a Tomato

A bunch of growing Moneymaker tomatoes in our garden. They are still halfway yet but their day-by-day growths makes us so happy.

Maciek

May 30th, 2010

"Sem rumo" boat

A story behind: The boat is called "Sem rumo" that means "disorientated and with no course ( on the sea )". A strange name for a boat, isn´t it ?

A long shutter speed had a dramatic impact on the appearance of the fast moving water and wind in the Murtosa bay. The water appears to be slightly "frozen".

Location: Murtosa, Portugal

Gear: Nikon D80, Sigma 10-20 mm, tripod, remote control, rubber boots, camera protection case. ND 0.9.
Post-processing: RAW to Tiff, white balance, sharp.
Aperture: f/18. Expose compensation -0.3 ev.
Exposure time: 2 sec.
Focal Length: 13 mm
ISO: 100

Date Taken: May 26th, 2010


Maciek.

Passion flowers in full bloom

This is the time when the most beautiful ever flowers in our garden start to bloom. Passiflora careulea or Passion Flower acquired its name from the first descriptions of its flowers supplied in the XVII-th century by Spanish priests from South America.
The floral parts were once said to represent aspects of the Christian crucifixion story, sometimes referred to as the Passion.

It´s an absolutely wonderful flower: colorful, made of so many tiny but three-dimensional structures and very symmetrical, proving that the mathematics is The King-of-all-sciences.


Maciek

May 27th, 2010.

Getting ready...

Highly recommended for all wine tasting lovers.

For a last couple of months I´ve been getting ready for our August trip to Napa Valley. First I printed many detailed Google maps and marked all the interesting spots. I read all Eric Rossen LA.com articles about the Napa, studied the Russian Valley old Zinfandel vines, watched a thousand times "Sideways" and "Bottle shock" movies and read a lot about the Pinot and the Cab.

But the book "A movable Thirst" ( a name clearly derived from the famous Hemingway´s "Movable Feast " ) I bought recently has overcome all my expectations. It´s hilarious, entertaining and full of practical tips of the Napa Valley tasting rooms and vineyards.
I love it.

It seems that our August adventure trip to this heart of American and one of the best wine making regions of the world would be a success.


Maciek

May, 25th 2010.

The 3rd "Polish + friends" culinary picnic in Porto

Home-made ( thank you Luis ) sangria drink excellent for a hot afternoon picnicking.

This was the third official "Polish + friends culinary picnic" we organized in Porto.

We welcomed people from as far as Southern Portugal Alentejo region ( thank you Marco and Ania for coming ) and Spanish Galiza ( thank you Monika and Sylwia + our Spanish friends for being with us ).
The weather was great. With nearly 50 people we had a great outdoor eating and a lot of fun.

Thank you all ! See you next time.


Maciek.
23rd of May, 2010.

Our urban farming - story 23.

Growing green peas ( Pisum Sativum ) photographed in our garden.
Sunday, 23rd of May 2010.


Maciek.

The heat wave struck us hard

Main Porto city beach, Matosinhos.

Yes, the heat wave struck us hard. After cold winter the spring is back bringing 30º C temperatures and "full of people" beaches of Porto. Photographed from the Praça da Cidade do Salvador, Porto.

Wednesday, 19th of May 2010, 16.10 hour.

Maciek.

200th post on this blog. The anniversary.

A story behind: I dedicate this anniversary to the place I usually spend my free time: a Porto Foz beach, not far from the place I´ve been living for so many years now. The Porto Foz beach - hello my old friend and thank you for so many nice moments !


Location: Foz beach , Porto, Portugal

Gear: Nikon D80, Sigma 10-20mm, tripod, remote control, Tiffen 0.9 hard, 0.3 soft

Post-processing: RAW to Tiff, white balance, sharp, saved as jpg.

Aperture: f/22

Focal Length: 13 mm

ISO: 100

Date Taken: May 12th, 2010, 21:00


Maciek.

199 posts on this blog - a pre-review. By-the-sea chapel: an undeniable beauty.

This is a pre-review of my little anniversary: 200 posts on this blog. I gave some final retouch to the picture I like most. Enjoy as I do !

The picture was awarded a top-section on the http://plfoto.com/ website and later
selected for "The Photo of the day" at http://plfoto.com/ ( May 9th, 2010 ).

Thank you all!

Maciek.

A had a dream

On Monday I traveled to Covilha, a small town at the foot of Serra Estrela mountains in central Portugal.
The Church of Saint Mary Major built in 14th century and its beautiful, neo-baroque facade covered with blue Portuguese tiles ( "azulejos" ) with Marian and angles themes stands in the center of the old town. The tiles were produced in 1943 by non-existing-today Alleluia company.


Place: Covilha, Portugal.

Date: May 03rd, 2010.


Maciek