Last weekend, Andrew and I took another day trip to Western New York. This time we decided to check out Rochester. The only thing I knew I wanted to do was visit the George Eastman House and Museum. I spent the afternoon there, took a tour, and wandered around on my own with whatever time I had left. I was under the impression that I needed to take a guided tour in order to see the house, but that wasn’t the case. I was able to wander freely after our tour ended and I had such a nice time. The next time we find ourselves in Rochester, I’ll certainly be wandering around on my own so that I have ample time to spend in whatever part of the house or museum I please. There was one exhibit in particular that I regret not getting to see before the Museum closed.

This chest was a gifted to George Eastman by Tsar Nicholas II.

 

The tour ran long, so once it ended I only had about an hour until the museum closed. Although it pained me to not explore the house more thoroughly, I hadn't yet seen the gardens. It was late September and the leaves were just starting to change, so I was very glad to see that the flowers were still blooming. In its heyday, the house had nine gardens, but nowadays the foundation only keeps a few of them maintained. The crowd outside had dispersed at this point, so I had most of the gardens to myself. 

I finally have a photo of myself courtesy of a self timer and a conveniently located balustrade.

After the GEM, we drove up to Ontario Beach Park and walked around as the sun was setting. Even with the choppy water and chilly, windy conditions, it was a quiet and peaceful stroll along the breakwater. I took a second round of photos here that I'll publish in a dedicated post. We grabbed a quick dinner and headed home after that. Even with "only" two things in the books, it was just nice to get out of town. I was so happy to be able to photograph places that I don't see every day, and I love the overwhelming excitement of being somewhere new. 

Until next time, thanks for reading!

All photos taken with a Fujifilm X-E4 with the Fuji XF 27mm f/2.8 R WR. 

x 

Last weekend, Andrew and I decided to head up to New York for the day. The weather called for all-day rain, but we decided to take a chance and go anyway. If it was sunny, we'd go to the falls for a bit, and if it was rainy, we'd explore Buffalo for the day. For once, the timing worked out perfectly. We arrived in Buffalo to perfectly sunny skies, and got to Niagara Falls just before the weather shifted. We only spent about an hour and a half at the falls, but it turned out to be plenty of time for us to walk around, for the dogs to sniff, and for me to take some photos. 

I took my new (to me) Fujifilm X-E4 and 27mm f/2.8 pancake lens along with my trusty X-T5 paired with my 23mm f/2 lens. The X-E4 isn't weather sealed, so I only used it right as we arrived before the wind shifted and the weather started to turn. (I also took my Olympus Infinity Stylus loaded with Kodak Ultramax 400, but those photos won't be ready for a few weeks.)

I'm so proud of myself for not being shy about photographing people anymore.

Not too shabby for blindly firing off a shot above my head and Fujifilm autofocus.

  

I was very excited to be back in Tim Hortons country.

About 30 minutes after arriving, while we were still on Terrapin Point, the wind shifted and we were almost immediately soaked with the mist from Horseshoe Falls. I quickly swapped cameras and watched as dark clouds began to roll in.

After leaving the falls, we spent the rest of the day around Buffalo. We went to Duff's for lunch, then did some shopping around town before finally heading home. Andrew is slowly turning me into a football fan, and I've found myself rooting for the Bills and Bengals, so seeing the new Hightmark Stadium all lit up at night was pretty neat. 

And we obviously got wings for lunch.

Cameras used:

Fujifilm X-E4 + Fujifilm XF 27mm f/2.8 R WR

Fujifilm X-T5 + Fujifilm XF 23mm f/2 R WR