“If you are out there shooting, things will happen for you. If you’re not out there, you’ll only hear about it.” — Jay Maisel

Thank you for all the new views and likes from last week. It helps keep me going. Enjoy my blog post!

Sunday 02/14/2021: Posted photo—Snow on Swing.

Settings: Samsung SM-G930V (Galaxy S7), ISO 50, f/1.7, 1/198 s, 4 mm

It in St. Valentine’s Day today. “St. Valentine is the patron saint of love, young people, and happy marriages. He died in 269. Saint Valentine, officially known as Saint Valentine of Rome, is a third-century Roman saint widely celebrated on February 14 and commonly associated with ‘courtly love.’

Although not much of St. Valentine’s life is reliably known, and whether or not the stories involve two different saints by the same name is also not officially decided, it is highly agreed that St. Valentine was martyred and then buried on the Via Flaminia to the north of Rome.

In 1969, the Roman Catholic Church removed St. Valentine from the General Roman Calendar, because so little is known about him. However, the church still recognizes him as a saint, listing him in the February 14 spot of Roman Martyrolgy.” — Catholic Online

I did not post a photo about St. Valentine’s Day today. Too many people on the site in which I do my photo project did and I wanted to be different.

We are currently in a snow cycle. If it snows on a Tuesday, it will snow every Tuesday for a few weeks before changing days. I went out snowshoeing on our property and like the look of the snow on the swings. This is not the greatest photo of snow on swings that I have taken, but it will be a memory of this day for future reference.

Monday 02/15/2021: Posted photo—Hiking Buddies.

Settings: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, ISO 100, f/9, 1/125 s, 50 mm.

Lost Lake is a relatively small mountain lake located near the much larger Saint Mary Lake in Montana. Despite the name, Lost Lake is very easy to find. It is just off the famous Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park.

We hiked along the Lost Lake Trail in Glacier National Park, part of the time with these travel companions. The trail is a 2.8-mile (4.5-kilometer) loop trail that begins and ends at the same trailhead, or segments can be done as there-and-back. The trail had a deep covering of snow at some locations. Something you cannot tell from this photo. One of the great things about national parks is that wild animals can be wild. Most people respect the animals, and they respect most people.

We were on our way to Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada as part of our northern national park tour a few years ago.

Here are a couple more photos from Glacier National Park for your enjoyment.

Tuesday 02/16/2021: Posted photo—Ice.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/30 s, 55 mm.

Today was an interesting day. When I was going to my car this morning to start it up, the ground looked like it was just wet. One step on our walkway and found out it was ice. I did not fall, my foot slipped out a little from under me. I gingerly walked to my car to start it and then to the woodshed to get some salt to place on the walkway and driveway. When I started my car, I took out my “junk” microspikes to walk on the ice and to put the salt down safely. I drove to work carefully and keep my microspikes on when I walked from my car to into the office.

Many other people in the office were surprised by the ice. I most cases, it was a very thin layer of black ice. The roads were not bad since they were treated well. I was thinking on my way to work that it is a good thing that I have my snow tires on in these conditions. If it were earlier in the season, late November, or early December, I may not have changed out my tires and would not be able to make it up the hill to work.

One good thing about the ice, and being a photographer and outdoors person, is that the ice forms a great layer on trees and bushes. Not great in most cases because ice buildup could lead to power outages as it did in the Winter of 2008, but wonderful to look at.

Today’s photo is one of ice buildup on a conifer bush. I hope you enjoy.

Now it is time to clean up the mess the rain and freezing rain has left behind. Need to destroy some ice dams on my roof so that water does not get into my house.

Wednesday 02/17/2021: Posted photo—Winter at Dusk.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 200, f/7, 1/99 s, 55 mm.

Wachusett Mountain from Round Meadow Pond.

As noted in a previous post, there is more sunlight in the evening now. On my way home from work, I stopped by to see how the mountain looked at this time of day. I did not know if it would be too dark to take this photo. It was not, so I took this photo.

It had to be a fast photo today because I needed to get home for Ash Wednesday mass. Ash Wednesday is a solemn reminder of human mortality and the need for reconciliation with God and marks the beginning of the penitential Lenten season.

Thursday 02/18/2021: Posted photo—Snowshoes.

Settings: Samsung SM-G930V (Galaxy S7), ISO 160, f/1.7, 1/30 s, 4 mm

“Snowshoeing is known to have been practiced in present-day central Asia about 6,000 years ago. It is believed that as these ancestors to the Inuits and Native Americans, migrated from Asia to North America, they brought the snowshoes with them, which were modified slabs of wood. It was not too long before this evolved into the white ash framed snowshoes with the raw hide lacing that we associate with snowshoeing today.

Until the 1970’s, snowshoes were used primarily for employment and survival rather than recreation, and the primary materials utilized in the construction were wood (white ash) and rawhide. The wooden snowshoes are generally categorized in three different styles or shapes. The oval shaped bear paw was designed for use in forested conditions where maneuverability was most important. The truly long (46+ inches) Yukon snowshoe was developed for traversing deep powder-covered open areas, common in the Northwest. The beavertail seemed to take advantage of the best features of both the bear paw and the Yukon, and has been utilized in all types of snow conditions.” — United States Snowshoe Association

These snowshoes have many miles on them and have made me travel safety over many mountains. They are considered backcountry snowshoes. Many hikers have smaller, lighter, snowshoes, but I need these snowshoes for my weight. If I were to have the smaller, lighter snowshoes, I would need to have outriggers on them when I am using them in fluffy, deep snow.

Friday 02/19/2021: Post photo—Footprint in the Snow.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/640 s, 55 mm

Needed a photo. Dusting of snow on a cleared driveway. One foot. One photo.

“For I found her when the snow was on the ground. I traced her little footprints in the snow. I found her little footprints in the snow, Lord. I bless that happy day that Nellie lost her way. For I found her when the snow was on the ground. I dropped in to see her, she was a big round moon.” — Bill Monroe – Footprints In The Snow

Saturday 02/20/2021: Post photo—Application.

Settings: Samsung SM-G930V ( S7), ISO 64, f/1.7, 1/60 s, 4 mm

Servicemens Readjustment Act (1944)

While World War II was still being fought, the Department of Labor estimated that, after the war, 15 million men and women who had been serving in the armed services would be unemployed. To reduce the possibility of postwar depression brought on by widespread unemployment, the National Resources Planning Board, a White House agency, studied postwar manpower needs as early as 1942 and in June 1943 recommended a series of programs for education and training. The American Legion designed the main features of what became the Serviceman’s Readjustment Act and pushed it through Congress. The bill unanimously passed both chambers of Congress in the spring of 1944. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed it into law on June 22, 1944, just days after the D-day invasion of Normandy.

American Legion publicist Jack Cejnar called it “the GI Bill of Rights,” as it offered Federal aid to help veterans adjust to civilian life in the areas of hospitalization, purchase of homes and businesses, and especially, education. This act provided tuition, subsistence, books and supplies, equipment, and counseling services for veterans to continue their education in school or college.

This is a copy of my father’s application for Servicemens Readjustment Act. He served in the Navy in World War II from 11/30/43 to 02/26/46 as a Fireman First Class.

My father used the money from the GI Bill to purchase the house that my mother still lives in.

Usual statement: That is all for this week. Hope you enjoyed my thoughts and constructive criticism is always wanted. I do not take criticism personally, just an opportunity to better my photography and writing skills.

For more photo of other project I have work, visit my website: https://photobyjosephciras.weebly.com/ or visit me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PhotobyJosephCiras/.