Dubbel

It's Thanksgiving Day in the United States today. The snow has fallen off and on all night and morning. Yesterday, my wife picked up a few packs of our favourite ales. Despite not liking cold weather, I've found a few creative ways to make use of the snow for the daily Photography 101 challenge.

I recently discovered the beers by Allagash Brewing in Portland, Maine. I was looking for a stout and saw the Black sitting on a shelf. Next to it was the White. I love them both, but the White is my favourite. My wife picked up the Saison and Dubbel. The Dubble is what you see here.

Allagash Dubbel boasts a deep red color and a complex malty taste. The finish is dry with subtle hints of chocolate and nuts. The yeast asserts itself by lending a classic Belgian fruitiness.Allagash Brewing

This was a simple setup. The bottle was placed in some of the snow that had fallen on the rear deck of my home. I threw some dried-up leaves from the backyard into the mix to balance the photo. It works. What do you think?

The bottle was shot with the camera placed flat on the deck.

In response to Photography 101's daily photo challenge: "Double".

Winter's Edge

The last few weeks the air temperature has varied between freezing winter and late spring. I know the forecast was for snow tonight. But I was not ready when the snow started coming down around 10 AM today. We are at Winter's Edge.

I have no windows. My workspace faces in with drab grey cubicle walls behind me. I didn't know it was snowing until the director walked out of her office and mentioned it. A few of us stood up in the hall peering out her window as sleet poured down on the cars in the parking lot below.

The night before, my wife assigned me the task of picking up some apple pie and ice cream. The Trenton Farmers' Market and Halo Farm are both just across the street from the office building where I work. At this time of year, the market has delicious pies from Terhune Orchard in Lawrenceville. Halo Farm has some of the best local ice creams around. And it's cheap too. Two pints for $3 and the third is free. The price if you buy it in the grocery store or in the shop in Princeton? Twice that

After some discussion with coworkers we agreed that it was best I got my pie and ice cream now. In case the office closed early due to snow. I'm glad I did. The announcement came through around 2 PM that the office would be closing early at 33 PM

I drove home slowly. The roads were slicks with the icy slush and the skies were already dark. By the time I got home around 3:45, the light was beginning to wane.

My wife had spent most of the morning shopping for Thanksgiving dinner. She picked up a few six packs of our favourite American craft ales. Altogether we have five different ales. Refrigerator space is limited so I decided to let them sit outside on the deck. The beer will be nicely chilled outside.

I was taking a quick photo for Instagram when my daughter came outside to bury a bottle of sparkling apple juice in the snow on the deck. That's when I noticed the snow that had accumulated on the glass table.

I held a desk lamp under the table with the light pointed up right under the bottle. I put my camera on my tripod, set the focus, aperture and ISO and ... well here's the result.

In response to Photography 101's daily photo challenge: "Edge."