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July 25, 2021

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2021

“The camera makes you forget you’re there. It’s not like you are hiding but you forget, you are just looking so much.” — Annie Leibovitz

Thank you for all the new views and likes from last week, it helps keep me inspired.

Enjoy this week’s rambling mind of a mechanical engineer and photographer.

This week’s post is short. I spent most of the week doing final preparations for my mother’s funeral and relaxing after.

Sunday, 07/17/2021: Posted photo — Roses.

Settings: Samsung SM-G930V (Galaxy S7), ISO 100, f/1.7, 1/60 s, 4 mm

Yellow is bright and conveys happy thoughts, so it is no wonder that yellow roses showcase positive feelings of warmth. The yellow rose meaning is often considered that of friendship.

I am posting this photo to thank all the people that have supported my family during the last few months when my mother was ill. She passed in her sleep, at home, last Saturday at the age of 95. I would like to thank family and friends, her doctors and caretakers, and anyone that had her in their prayers. She was playing cards up to the end. Raising seven boys was not easy. She did it lovingly.

As my mother said in the hospital last Tuesday, she did live 95 wonderful years.

Mom — may your rest in peace. Until we meet again. Love you.

Monday, 07/18/2021: Posted photo — Ten Commandments.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 400, f/7.1, 1/160 s, 37 mm.

This monument is on Mountain Road in Princeton, Mass. It is very easy to drive by since it is small and not near any landmark. It has been on the side of the road since 1927. The monument was produced by S.D. Sargent in Gardner Mass. The monument starts with “God Sake All these Words I the Lord thy God”.

I had the history of the monument once. Now I cannot find out any information about why this monument was place where it located.

I took a similar photo last week on the way back home from my mother’s house and did not like it enough to post. I took this one today as I was returning home from finalizing the funeral arrangements. The arrangements were easy to finalize since my mother was supposed to pass last March. She was a strong French woman that had many card games left in her.

Tuesday, 07/19/2021: Posted photo — Blue Vervain.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/640 s, 85 mm.

“Blue vervain is a flowering plant that belongs to the vervain family, Verbenaceae. It has purple flowers and simple leaves with double-serrate margins. The scientific name of blue vervain is Verbena hastata and it is also known by other names like American vervain, simpler’s joy, and swamp verbena.” — Organic Facts website

Wednesday, 07/20/2021: Posted photo — Turkeys Through Windshield.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 3200, f/5.6, 1/600 s, 135 mm.

Turkeys this morning on my way to work. Took this through my windshield.

Thursday, 07/15/2021: Posted photo — Mass Card.

Settings: Samsung SM-G930V (Galaxy S7), ISO 160, f/1.7, 1/60 s, 4 mm

The mass card from my mother. We had her wake and funeral today. I will always love you mom!

Friday, 07/21/2021: Post photo — Nubble Light.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 400, f/5.6, 10 s, 25 mm.

Today my wife and took a trip up north to Maine to get away and relax. Here are some photos from Perkins Cove where we had our lunch and photo of the Nubble Light where we ended out day before driving home.

Saturday, 07/22/2021: Post photo — View from the Trail.

Settings: FUGIFILM FinePix XP70, ISO 100, f/4.7, 1/350 s, 12 mm.

The view from Old Indian trail looking down the Look Mom ski trail on Wachusett Mountain.

That is all for now. Until next week, be safe.

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/.

COVID is real! Be safe out there, keep your social distance, and remember to always wear your mask and wash your hands. Get your vaccine!

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July 18, 2021

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Photographic Thoughts — 07/11/2021 to 07/17/2021

“Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still.” — Dorothea Lange

Thank you for all the new views and likes from last week, it helps keep me inspired.

Enjoy this week’s rambling mind of a mechanical engineer and photographer.

Sunday, 07/11/2021: Posted photo — Rough Hermit Beetle.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/125 s, 135 mm.

The rough hermit beetle is a near threatened species with its population decreasing. The adult beetle lives two to three months. These beetles do not bite. They grow inside rotting, hollow trees. The larvae feed for three years on the wet, decaying wood. They are harmless and probably make great fish bait.

The beetle in my photo was at my in-law’s cottage. I did not see it at first and be wife pointed it out to me. I took out my Seek app to identify it.

I was going to post a photo of a hammock or a photo of water lilies before taking a photo of this beetle. Since I did not post these photos in my 365 project or on my website, I will post them here for you to enjoy as a bonus for reading my blog.

Monday, 07/12/2021: Posted photo — Wachusett Mountain Ski Area.

Settings: Samsung SM-G930V (Galaxy S7), ISO 50, f/1.7, 1/171 s, 4 mm

Mountain Stats:

Summit Elevation: 2006 ft
Vertical Drop: 1000 ft
Trails: 27
Lifts: 8
Uphill Capacity: 9200 skiers per hour
Snowmaking: 100%
Grooming: 2x per day
Times I have skied on the mountain: 1 or 2 times in my life.

As you can tell, I do not ski. I would rather hike the mountain than to ski the mountain.

Today I hiked 4.6 miles on the mountain. It has been a week since I hike Mount Isolation and just took my time to relax and stretch out my legs. I hike with a group on Monday nights which is a great motivator. Tonight, we hiked in the rain and fog and being with a group made the hike easier. You could not see the mountain much due to cloud covering so my gear was damp at the end of the hike.

This is a photo of the fountain at the base of the mountain. This location is used for many events, such as weddings, reunions, and other celebrations. The Midstate trail goes past this location giving my fellow hikers a great view to refresh their mind during a long hike.

Tuesday, 07/13/2021: Posted photo — Unicorn.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 1600, f/5.6, 1/50 s, 135 mm.

A unicorn is a mythical, usually white animal generally depicted with the body and head of a horse with long flowing mane and tail and a single often spiraled horn in the middle of the forehead, or it is an animal mentioned in the Bible that is usually considered an aurochs, a one-horned rhinoceros, or an antelope.

Many people are into unicorns. My mother is one of those people. She is not a crazy unicorn woman by any means. She has a collection of unicorns in her China cabinet. This one is a Christmas unicorn as you can tell by the wreath around its neck.

Wednesday, 07/14/2021: Posted photo — Pillow Pattern.

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

Sitting at my mother’s house, I needed a photo (surprising is it not) and I saw these pillows. Pillows have some interesting pattern in them. I took this photo and did not think anything about it.

When I went to process it to post, the pattern looked to me to be either and alien spaceship, an alien, or one person doing a handstand on the hands of another person. Apophenia is a general term for interpreting patterns or meaning in meaningless data. This data may be meaningless, but the power of suggestion will make someone see something that is not there.

Thursday, 07/15/2021: Posted photo — Bench.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 1600, f/8, 1/200 s, 41 mm.

At the intersection of Bicentennial Trail and High Meadow Trail is a bench for people to rest. This bench looks over high meadow and faces to the due south and has great views of the surrounding hills.

I meet a hiker there that told me that a local college was doing a snake study in the high meadow. I checked out the study one day only to find a snakeskin. I was going to look for a snake tonight, but I did not want to walk in the high grass in the study area because I did not want to get any ticks on me. I had my camera ready to take the photo, and my son with me to lift the board so I could get a photo of any snake that was resting.

I thought I knew everything that goes on at the mountain, but I am learning new things. You can teach and old dog something new!

Friday, 07/16/2021: Post photo — Sunrise.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 400, f/7.1, 1/500 s, 135 mm.

What a wonderful sunrise this morning. The hazy sky made the reds jump out at me.

As I was driving into work, I saw this wonderful sunrise over Round Meadow Pond. I drove around the area of the pond to find a good location for taking a photo of the sunrise. I could not find a good location off the main road, so I stopped in the breakdown lane to take this one. Good thing I live in a town where there is not much traffic, especially at 5:40 a.m. when I was on my way to work.

Saturday, 07/17/2021: Post photo — Mother’s Hand.

Settings: Samsung SM-G930V (Galaxy S7), ISO 50, f/1.7, 1/167 s, 4 mm

My hand in the hand of an angel.

That is all for now. Until next week, be safe.

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/.

COVID is real! Be safe out there, keep your social distance, and remember to always wear your mask and wash your hands. Get your vaccine!

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July 11, 2021

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Photographic Thoughts — 07/04/2021 to 07/10/2021

“Photography is truth.” — Jean-Luc Godard

Thank you for all the new views and likes from last week, it helps keep me inspired.

Enjoy this week’s rambling mind of a mechanical engineer and photographer.

Sunday, 07/04/2021: Posted photo — Planter.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 400, f/7.1, 1/50 s, 52 mm.

Planters are used on houses and cottages for plants. A planter is a decorative container in which plants are grown. This planter is located at my in-law’s cottage. I like the look of this, very rustic. A few of the leaves on this planter looked real to me when looking at it quickly.

Just for fun, I am posting a photo that I took today and that you should be able to see in 3D.

See if you can view this photo in three dimensions. Use the techniques below and a middle photo will appear.

Go to this page to see the instructions on how to view this photo. “How to See 3D: Magic Eye 3D and more” (vision3d.com)

Monday, 07/05/2021: Posted photo — Inversion.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/6.3, 1/500 s, 45 mm

A cloud inversion, or temperature inversion is when the normal temperature distribution of air – warm at the bottom, colder as you go up – becomes inverted or flipped upside down. This means you have a cold layer of air trapped at ground level, overlain by warm air. I know that information may not be useful to you, but it may be useful to some.

Cloud inversion from the Glen Boulder Trail

This photo was taken on a 14-mile round trip hike to the summit of Mount Isolation in NH. I did this hike with my son and two of his friends. Mount Isolation is one of the 48 4,000-foot mountains in New Hampshire. The path we took was Glen Boulder Trail to Davis Path to Isolation Trail to Rocky Branch Trail. Mount Isolation is only 4,003 feet tall. To get to it we hiked over Gulf Peak (4,774 feet) and North Isolation (4,291 feet). Both mountains are not official 4,000 footers because they do not meet the official criteria to be counted. A 4,000-footer is a mountain that has an elevation of at least 4,000 feet and a minimum of 200 feet prominence. Today turned out to be the best day of the holiday weekend.

Here are some more photos of our hike.

Tuesday, 07/06/2021: Posted photo — Reflection.

Settings: Samsung SM-G930V (Galaxy S7), ISO 50, f/1.7, 1/385 s, 4 mm

I was on my way home from my mother’s house and was thinking about what photo I would be posting today. As it was much if the weekend, it was rainy and overcast. I drive past the Holden Reservoirs. The Holden Reservoirs supply the city of Worcester, Mass, and the surrounding communities.

Sunset reflection from one of the Holden Reservoirs

As I passed the last of the reservoirs, I say some color in the sky, so I took to take a photo of this. I took this photo not knowing if there was anything else to photograph for the remainder of the day. Cell phone photos do not do any justice to the beauty of sunsets.

Wednesday, 07/07/2021: Posted photo — More Clouds.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/6.3, 1/1000 s, 25 mm.

One word for today, humid. It was not raining and very humid, with a severe weather warning. One of the things I like about a day like today is watching the clouds grow as the storm develops. I like the contrast between the white clouds and the blue sky. I also like when the sun rays seem to jump from cloud to cloud.

I took this photo with treetops in the foreground to have some contrast between the sky, trees, and clouds. There were better clouds to photograph down the road, but I decided to use this photo because it seemed dramatic to me.

Thursday, 07/08/2021: Posted photo — Calculator.

Settings: Samsung SM-G930V (Galaxy S7), ISO 400, f/1.7, 1/10 s, 4 mm

These are some of the keys on my HP 35s Scientific Calculator. It is an older RPN calculator and is one that is allowed into the professional engineering examination. I am not taking the examination for a little while longer since I need to study for it. Being a mechanical engineer for over 35 years, I need to get back to study topics that I do not use every day.

Reverse Polish Notation (RPN) is a system of representing mathematical and logical operations in which the operands precede the operator, and which does not require the use of parentheses. I find RPN much faster to use and I now find it difficult at times to use regular, or normal, notation when using a calculator.

Friday, 07/09/2021: Post photo — Mushroom.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/320 s, 113 mm.

Rained today. Heavy rain today due to Tropical Storm Elsa. The storm brought very heavy rains in flooding to some towns in the area. Once the sun came out, the sky was a great blue.

On my way home from work, I was just going on settling on posting a photo from the past because the rain put a damper on taking a photo outside. When I arrived home, I saw some mushrooms growing in our front lawn. Great photo opportunity for me. A mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground, on soil, or on its food source. Some people eat mushrooms, some people can tell if it is poisonous or not. I am neither of these people. I do not eat mushrooms and cannot tell if one is poisonous or not. I should work on identifying edible and non-edible mushrooms since I see many on them on my hikes.

Saturday, 07/10/2021: Post photo — Rose.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/2500 s, 113 mm.

“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet” — William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet.

Red roses are often considered the universal symbol of love.
Pink roses symbolize gratitude, grace, and joy.
White roses are a symbol of purity, innocence and in some cases, chastity.
Purple roses are not nearly as common, they indicate a fascination or adoration.
Yellow roses are a symbol of friendship and caring.
Orange roses indicate enthusiasm and passion, making them a creative substitute for Valentine’s Day roses and other holidays when people typically buy red roses.

That is all for now. Until next week, be safe.

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/.

COVID is real! Be safe out there, keep your social distance, and remember to always wear your mask and wash your hands. Get your vaccine!

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July 7, 2021

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Photographic Thoughts — 06/27/2021 to 07/03/2021

“Taking pictures is savoring life intensely, every hundredth of a second.” — Marc Riboud

Thank you for all the new views and likes from last week, it helps keep me inspired.

Enjoy this week’s rambling mind of a mechanical engineer and photographer.

This is the last of the “catch up” series of blogs.

Sunday, 06/27/2021: Posted photo — Bridge.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 400, f/7.1, 1/3 s, 18 mm.

This is one of the bridges in Watkins Glen State Park. This bridge is over Central Cascade, one of the 19 waterfalls that are in the park. We camped at the state park three nights, enjoying the Glen in-between storms.

Monday, 06/28/2021: Posted photo — Yahoo Arch.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/7, 1/250 s, 24 mm

Yahoo Arch has a height of 17 feet and a base of 70 feet. It is in McCrary County, Kentucky. You get there by hiking 1.5 miles, one way, on a spur trail that brought you to Yahoo Falls. The height of Yahoo falls is 113 feet.

Tuesday, 06/29/2021: Posted photo — Clouds.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/1000 s, 44 mm

Now that we are back home, I needed a photo. The air was very humid, and clouds were forming near Round Meadow Pond.

Wednesday, 06/30/2021: Posted photo — St John’s Wort.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/25 s, 69 mm.

“St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum) is a flowering shrub native to Europe. It gets its name from the fact that it often blooms on the birthday of the biblical John the Baptist. The flowers and leaves of St. John’s wort contain active ingredients such as hyperforin. St. John’s wort is available as a supplement in teas, tablets, liquids and topical preparations. People use St. John’s wort to treat depression and menopausal symptoms.” — Mayo Clinic

These wildflowers are in an area that I hike often. I stopped to take this photo since I was in a rush to take one for the day.

Thursday, 07/01/2021: Posted photo — Round Meadow Pond.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/25 s, 18 mm.

This is a new month, and I wanted a good photo for the first day of the month on my web page. This location is one that I photograph often and is one of the favorite locations for those who look at my photographs.

Friday, 07/02/2021: Post photo — Raindrops.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 400, f/7.1, 1/200 s, 113 mm.

Rainy day today. No opportunity to get outside to take a photo. I took this when walking between buildings at work. This photo can also be used as a historic record of today’s weather.

Saturday, 07/03/2021: Post photo — Mangos.

Settings: Samsung SM-G930V (Galaxy S7), ISO 64, f/1.7, 1/120 s, 4 mm

“A mango is a popular tropical fruit that is eaten in sweet and savory dishes around the world. It can be green, yellow, orange, red, or a combination of these colors, and has yellow or orange flesh surrounding a flat, hard pit. The fruit is typically peeled and cut away from the pit before use. A mango can be eaten raw unripe or ripe, or cooked into desserts, curries, and chutneys. It’s a moderately expensive piece of produce per fruit, but many varieties are large and heavy. It is also a popular dried fruit.” — The Spruce Eats

Back to a “normal” blog next week.

That is all for now. Until next week, be safe.

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/.

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July 4, 2021

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Photographic Thoughts — 06/20/2021 to 06/26/2021

“Photograph: a picture painted by the sun without instruction in art.” — Ambrose Bierce

Thank you for all the new views and likes from last week, it helps keep me inspired.

Enjoy this week’s rambling mind of a mechanical engineer and photographer.

Sunday, 06/20/2021: Posted photo — Mass of Thanksgiving.

Settings: N/A.

Today was the Mass of Thanksgiving for Fr. Matt Duclos. What a great turn out for the mass. The reception following was full of family and friends. You could see how proud my wife’s cousin and her husband were of their newly ordained son.

Now off to Watkins Glen State Park.

Monday, 06/21/2021: Posted photo — Watkins Glen.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 400, f/9, 1/3 s, 18 mm

“Watkins Glen State Park is the most famous of the Finger Lakes State Parks, with a reputation for leaving visitors spellbound. Within two miles, the glen’s stream descends 400 feet past 200-foot cliffs, generating 19 waterfalls along its course. The gorge path winds over and under waterfalls and through the spray of Cavern Cascade. Rim trails overlook the gorge. Campers and daytime visitors can enjoy the Olympic-size pool, modern playground, scheduled summer tours through the gorge, tent and trailer campsites, picnic facilities, and excellent fishing in nearby Seneca Lake or in Catherine Creek, which is renowned for its annual spring run of rainbow trout.” From the park website.

Here are the photos from day one.

Tuesday, 06/22/2021: Posted photo — Watkins Glen Day Two.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 400, f/6.3, 1/2 s, 47 mm.

More photos from Watkins Glen before traveling to Cumberland Falls, Kentucky.

Wednesday, 06/23/2021: Posted photo — Moonbow.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 800, f/5, 44 s, 18 mm.

Cumberland Falls is one of the few places in the world that regularly produces a moonbow. The “moonbow,” also called a white rainbow or lunar rainbow, is formed just like a rainbow—light is refracted in tiny water droplets—and appears for the two or so days, as long as the sky is clear, on either end of the full moon. The other place in the world that a moonbow occurs regularly is Victoria Falls.

This photo was taken at 11:30 p.m. on a great moonlit night.

Thursday, 06/24/2021: Posted photo — Cumberland Falls.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/4.6, 1/83 s, 18 mm.

Enjoy more photos from the park.

Friday, 06/25/2021: Post photo — Yahoo Falls.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 200, f/7.1, 1/6 s, 55 mm.

Today we left the park to hike to Yahoo Falls and Yahoo Arch. Enjoy the photos.

Here are more photos on our hike out to Yahoo Arch.

When we came back to the park, we watch nature at work. Here is what happens when a grasshopper gets caught in a spider web. The grasshopper did put up a good fight.

Saturday, 06/26/2021: Post photo — Hanger.

Settings: Samsung SM-G930V (Galaxy S7), ISO 50, f/1.7, 1/238 s, 4 mm

There is a black bear that frequented the campground at Cumberland Falls. The sites have hooks on there posts to have garbage so the bear could not get at it.

Today we travel back home.

Next week’s blog will be the same as this week. They it will be back to normal.

That is all for now. Until next week, be safe.

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/.

COVID is real! Be safe out there, keep your social distance, and remember to always wear your mask and wash your hands. Get your vaccine!

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Posted on

July 2, 2021

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Inspiration, Photography, religion, Travel

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Photographic Thoughts — 06/13/2021 to 06/19/2021

“I don’t trust words. I trust pictures.” — Gilles Peress

Thank you for all the new views and likes from last week, it helps keep me inspired.

Enjoy this week’s rambling mind of a mechanical engineer and photographer.

Sunday, 06/13/2021: Posted photo — Star Trails.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 1600, f/3.5, 16 s, 18 mm.

This photo is a stacked composite of 399 sixteen second exposed photos. It has been a while since I took a star trail photo. There are two different methods for taking star trails: one is by taking multiple shots and stacking them, the other is by doing long exposure shot. I have done star trails both ways. The longest exposer I took was a 45-minute exposure at Craters of the Moon National Monument and Reserve in Idaho a few years ago. The sky was very, very dark at this park. So dark, you had a difficult time seeing your outstretched hand. I the area I live, staking is the best way of doing star trails.

Here is how I prepare for my star trail photos. I setup my camera before I go to bed pointing in a northerly direction. Then when it gets to astronomical twilight, I turn the camera on to start taking photos and then go to bed.

Here are some definitions for your and my reference. All angles are the position of the Sun to the horizon:

Nighttime (below -18°)
Morning twilights (from -18° to 0°)
- Astronomical Twilight (from -18° to -12°)
- Nautical Twilight (from -12° to -6°)
- Civil twilight (from -6° to 0°)
Morning magic hours
- Blue hour (from -6° to -4°)
- Golden hour (from -4° to 6°)
Daytime (above 6°)
Evening magic hours
- Golden hour (from 6° to -4°)
- Blue hour (from -4° to -6°)
Evening twilights (from 0° to -18°)
- Civil twilight (from 0° to -6°)
- Nautical Twilight (from -6° to -12°)
- Astronomical Twilight (from -12° to -18°)
Nighttime (below -18°)

Why 16 seconds? Sixteen seconds is based on the aperture, pixel density, and focal length (NPF) rule. This considers the megapixels of your camera to make the stars still. With my camera and settings, a shot of 15.17 s or less will not show moment in the stars if you zoom into the picture. It is not necessary for star trails, but I use this rule for Milky Way shots. The better-known rule is the 500 rule. This is the classic rule for making the star stand still.

Monday, 06/14/2021: Posted photo — Sweet-Williams.

Settings: Samsung SM-G930V (Galaxy S7), ISO 50, f/1.7, 1/171 s, 4 mm

“Sweet William is an irresistible, colorful, biennial flower. It grows for two years, blooming in the second year. Native to Europe, this colorful, compact plant is grown all over the U.S.

Sweet William varieties include perennials and biennials. The perennials are often grown as biennials. Plants grow 7-18 inches tall, depending upon variety. Flowers blooms are produced in clusters in the spring. Colors include white, red, pink, crimson, scarlet, purple, and bi-colors.

The compact size of Sweet Williams make them great for containers and pots. Try them in a windowsill or vertical planter. In flower beds, put these small plants at the front of the garden. Despite their small size, they make good cut flowers. All they need for indoor splendor, is a small vase.

The Raging Name Debate — There is much debate over who Sweet William was named for. The list of honorees includes: William the Conqueror, Saint William of York, and Prince William Augustus, the Duke of Cumberland.

Plant Height: 12”–24”

How to Grow Sweet William Annual Flowers. For a better flower garden, follow The Gardener’s Network. (gardenersnet.com).

These Sweet-Williams were in a flower patch near one of the parking lots at the Wachusett Mountain ski area. I passed them on my way to my Monday night hike and stopped to take a photo of them on my way back from my hike. I did not have my DSLR with me, so I took this with my cellphone. I do not like the quality of this photo. Then again, I do not like many of my cellphone photos.

Here are some more photos of that flower patch.

Tuesday, 06/15/2021: Posted photo — Monkey HDR.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 1600, f/5.6, 1/13 s, 52 mm.

This monkey is a trinket in my mother’s china cabinet. The definition of a trinket is a small ornament or item of jewelry that is of little value. The trinkets in my mother’s collection have emotional and sentimental value.

A china cabinet is a piece of dining room furniture, usually with glass fronts and sides, used to hold and display porcelain dinnerware. Her china cabinet is filled with unicorn trinkets and other trinkets that she has collected over the years with my father. He good china and silverware are also located in the cabinet.

This cabinet was “no-touch” in our house when I was younger. With six brothers, she did not want any of the items broken. We were able to go into the cabinet when company was coming over.

I edited this photo with as a High Dynamic Range (HDR) photo because the light was bad in the room, and I wanted to save this photo. It was one of the only photos I took today, and it was of the best quality.

Wednesday, 06/16/2021: Posted photo — Wildflowers.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/20 s, 52 mm.

These flowers are called purple crown vetch. According to my Seek app, Securigera varia (synonym Coronilla varia), commonly known as crownvetch or purple crown vetch, is a low-growing legume vine. It is native to Africa, Asia and Europe and is commonly used throughout the United States and Canada for erosion control, roadside planting and soil rehabilitation. It has become an invasive species in many states of the US.

These were on a roadside. I passed them during one of my walks today. As written many times in different ones of my blogs, I take many photos during the day and pick out one to post.

Here is another photo I took today. My niece purchased these cookies for a party that did not happened today. She brought them to my mother’s house for all the aids to enjoy.

Thursday, 06/17/2021: Posted photo — Cookies.

Settings: N/A.

Some cookies left by one of my nieces at my mother’s house. She was going to have a party at work that did not happen. I do not know why. All I know is that there are many cookies around to be eaten.

Friday, 06/18/2021: Post photo — Feather.

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Some poor bird lost its feather. I took this photo since I was getting ready to travel from my vacation (holiday) and needed a quick photo.

Saturday, 06/19/2021: Post photo — Ordination or Holy Orders.

Settings: Samsung SM-G930V (Galaxy S7), ISO 200, f/1.7, 1/24 s, 4 mm

My wife’s cousin’s son was ordained a priest today for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany NY. We were invited ordination to the deaconate last year in Rome that did not happen due to COVID. We had planned to go to this ordination and glad that we could attend. Congratulation Fr. Matt Duclos!

Here are some more photos from the day.

I am not sure when I will post my blogs for the next two weeks due to commitments. I will see if I can post a partial blog later in the week and follow up with an update to that blog.

That is all for now. Until next week, be safe.

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/.

COVID is real! Be safe out there, keep your social distance, and remember to always wear your mask and wash your hands. Get your vaccine!