Up and out from under the Weber W. Sebald

A few months ago, I crawled up under and inside the sternwheel of the Weber W. Sebald to get a few photos of how the wheel looked from the inside out looking up. I got quite an education on how those things were put together. The bad part was that the sky was overcast that day, meaning I got red bucketboards against a milky white sky. I really wanted to see how they looked against a blue sky.

This afternoon I was in Point Pleasant anyway and the sky was sunny and clear, so I went back to the Point Pleasant River Museum to get my shots of the Sebald's wheel. I learned that I need to try this again some morning, as the best angles required me to shoot toward the sun. The good part was that I didn't have to deal with a pattern of light and shadows today.

While I was crawling around inside the wheel, some people approached and asked how long I was going to be in there.  They were portrait photographers doing a high school senior portrait session.

The wheel will be there a while longer. I got out, we talked, they left and I got back in and got a few more shots. And left.

I still haven't gotten that shot I want inside the wheel. So I'll try again someday.

Another Mail Pouch barn

Here's another Mail Pouch barn I've found in my infrequent travels. This one is along West Virginia Route 2 in the town of Friendly. But the Mail Pouch sign is only on the side facing south.

Hannibal Locks and Dam

On our trip up the Ohio River last week, Adam and I stopped at the Hannibal Locks and Dam, Mile 126.4. It was a warm, sunny February day. On the West Virginia side, we got a good look at the 1980s-era hydroelectric plant.

On the Ohio side, we discovered that the upper approach to the locks is a good place to get up close to boats, in this case the M/V Nancy Sturgis of Crounse Corp.

And if you go past the dam itself, you can still get a good view of the boats if you're willing to look or shoot through the chain link security fence.

I hope we can get back up there this summer when leaves are on the trees. Or somehow find the money  to get down to Paducah. That would be okay, too.