Woodpiles

This summer I spent several weeks in rural/mountainous/forested Austria and Germany and I was really struck by the woodpiles, both the number and their variety of style and structure. My parents have two woodpiles, one of geometrically cut lumber, inside the garage, and one of logs with bark still on, in the yard along an exterior wall, braced at both ends by tall metal fence posts and wires. (They have a wood-burning stove they use to create a comfy living room atmosphere and drastically reduce winter heating bills.) I'd like to see my father take a cue from the technique employed in many of the woodpiles I saw (and the first several shown here), using cut logs laid perpendicularly so as to eliminate the need for end braces.

My Favorite 25 Photographs

I recently chose my favorite 25 photographs that I've taken in the year since my Grandma gave me a digital camera.

Český Krumlov, Czech Republic, 2006.


Mayrhofen, Austria, 2006.


Dresden, Germany, 2006.
This 102-meter-long "Procession of Princes" mural depicts the succession of Saxon rulers dating back to 1127.


Prague, Czech Republic, 2006.
My girlfriend, Yuki, on the Charles Bridge. I like the (completely accidental) disparity in focus between Yuki and the random smiling guy at far left. (Click on the image for a better look.)


Prague, Czech Republic, 2006.
An observation tower modeled after the Eiffel Tower in Paris, though the tower in Paris is five times taller.


Prague, Czech Republic, 2006.
The tower from the previous picture is at far left.


Prague, Czech Republic, 2006.


Prague, Czech Republic, 2006.
Yuki at a restaurant.


Warsaw, Poland, 2006.
The Palace of Culture and Science.


Krakow, Poland, 2006.
I actually did a lot of tricky editing to make the building more visible through the haze.


Krakow, Poland, 2006.
Waweł Castle on the Wisła River.


Malaga, Spain, 2006.
A cliché picture, but I still like it.


Barcelona, Spain, 2007.
Circumstances helped romanticize this picture. I took it on my way home from a party as the sun was rising over Barcelona around 8am on January 1st.


Riga, Latvia, 2007.


Krakow, Poland, 2007.
St. Mary's Basilica.


Vienna, Austria, 2007.
The formula for pi, in German, followed by a numerical approximation to many hundreds of decimal places, extending around several corners of a subway corridor.


Niegowonice, Poland, 2007.
There's too much clutter in the background, but I love everything about the subjects here, particularly their odd relation to each other. The guy in the foreground is my friend, Adam. The girl was with a group of Polish kids celebrating a christening.


Berchtesgaden, Germany, 2007.
The Königssee (King's Lake). I actually reduced the glare on the lake and altered some of the colors here by holding polarized sunglasses in front of the camera lens.


Mayrhofen, Austria, 2007.
My dad and uncle.


Mayrhofen, Austria, 2007.


Obergurgl, Austria, 2007.


Obergurgl, Austria, 2007.
There's a trail out of frame that we climbed to get to the hut you see at the top. Also note the other hikers at bottom right.


Obergurgl, Austria, 2007.
This was taken from a mountain ridge that marks the border between Italy and Austria, looking into Italy.


Obergurgl, Austria, 2007.
The objects at the bottom are: a black rock, two white sheep sleeping on top of each other, and a brown sheep by itself.


Munich, Germany, 2007.
The Bavaria Statue at sunset. I'll admit I doctored the colors a little.