Photographic Thoughts — 04/27/2025 to 05/03/2025

“When I have a camera in my hand, I know no fear.” — Alfred Eisenstaedt

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

Looking for some new quotes to use. If you have any, please put them in the comments.

Sunday, 04/27/2025: Posted photo — Pope Francis.

“Who am I to judge?” Pope Francis July 28, 2013. The Roman Catholic Church emphasizes a welcoming atmosphere, striving to be inclusive of all people. “Love one another as I have loved you” John 13:34-35.

Many Catholics forget, or pass over these teachings, to discriminate against migrants and others they do not like or judge people on one topic. Pope Francis pushed for these traditions, and some did not like him for that.

He may not have been the perfect pope. He was human just like us. Matthew 25:31-46 teaches us to love all: “Then they will answer and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?’ He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’” Matthew 25:44–45.

Monday, 04/28/2025: Posted photo — Communications Towers.

Communications tower on the summit of Wachusett Mountain.

It was a great and uneventful hike tonight. The adventures started on my ride home from the trailhead.

Let me tell you about kidney stones. Not the greatest of topics and some of you may not want to read on. I felt a stone coming on my ride home. I had stones before and knew the feeling. Most of the time the feeling goes away. Not tonight. I got home and was in pain. The decision was made to go to the ER to get it checked out. Good decision. I have an 11 mm stone that needs to be removed. Fun, fun, fun. It will be removed on Monday.

Tuesday, 04/29/2025: Posted photo — Flag.

This is my attempt at negative space photography, this week’s photo topic.

I made the photo a little darker to get more of the negative space feeling.

Wednesday, 04/30/2025: Posted photo — Tulips.

On my way to my medical appointment, I saw that one of the tulips in our yard had bloomed. I took multiple shots and liked this one because of the little spot of dew on it.

The tulips in our yard are hit or miss on their blooming. We have lost a few over the years and are glad to be about to see them bloom in daylight. The bad thing was that I was able to see them bloom in the daylight because I was going to a doctor’s appointment for my stones.

Thursday, 05/01/2025: Posted photo — Bluets.

Bluets are perennial wildflowers that may grow to a height of 6 inches. The leaves are opposite with a smooth margin. The leaves that originate at the base of the stem are large, while the two leaves on the stem are small. Blue flowers with yellow centers first mature in mid-spring and continue into mid-summer.

We have many patches of bluets in our yard. They are there until the first mowing of the lawn.

Friday, 05/02/2025: Post photo — Fiddleheads.

Fiddleheads are the young, curled fronds of certain fern species, and are a popular and edible springtime vegetable. These fiddleheads grow next to our mailbox. I take a photo of them every year and have not ventured into tasting them.

I do see that many stores in our area are starting to stock them this time of year.

Saturday, 05/03/2025: Post photo — Spillway.

This is the spillway from the Barry Falls Dam. Stopped today on the way home from doing an errand.

From the Barre Falls Dam website (https://www.nae.usace.army.mil/Missions/Recreation/Barre-Falls-Dam/): The project of Barre Falls Dam was authorized by Congress in 1941 to reduce flood damage from storms like those that devastated New England in 1936 and 1938. Construction of the project began in May 1956 and was completed in July 1958 at a cost of $2 million. A portion of Route 62 was relocated to accommodate the project. The project has prevented $53.2 million in flood damages since it was built (as of September 2011).

I went to the dam a few years ago to look for a geocache and wanted to go back. Soon I will be able to go back and explore more of the area.

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

“Sumens imagines consolatur et inspirat me.”

“Quod scripsi, scripsi.”

Photographic Thoughts — 04/20/2025 to 04/26/2025

“Once you learn to care, you can record images with your mind or on film. There is no difference between the two.” — Anonymous

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

Using the old format for my photos this week. I have been very busy at work and tired when I came home from work.

Looking for some new quotes to use. If you have any, please put them in the comments.

Sunday, 04/20/2025: Posted photo — Easter Sunday.

Hallelujah, the Lord has risen!

Today is the holiest day of the liturgical year. Today is the day the Lord has risen to save up all. Immigrants, minorities, people we do not like, people with different views from ours, believers, non-believers, everyone! Jesus said “Love one another as I have loved you” in John 13:34. If you do not love immigrants, minorities, people we do not like, people with different views from ours, people with different political views, believers, non-believers, everyone, then do you not love yourself? The first of the 10 Commandments is “I am the Lord thy God, thou shalt have no other gods before me.” People are forgetting this and are following false gods today.

We should all love everyone and stop the hatred in our hearts.

Happy Easter to all.

Monday, 04/21/2025: Posted photo — Disc Golf.

RIP Jorge Mario Bergoglio (Pope Francis). Some people disagree with your teachings since you were not conservative enough for them. You have direct lineage of back to Saint Peter and were chosen by the faithful. You were a very Holy man who truly taught us, and showed the world, how to be humble. You did not want attention to yourself, only the teachings of the church.

A popular sport is disc golf. There are a few courses in our area, and I always wanted to try the sport. My son, my niece, and their friends started to play it more often last year.

This is a photo of our son practicing putting. This is my niece and her husband’s goal. We did purchase a goal for our son so that when they are not on a course, they can practice.

Tuesday, 04/22/2025: Posted photo — Mount Monadnock.

On my hike this week, I saw some interesting clouds. I do not know if this photo gives you the feeling of the clouds as it did for me on the hike.

The photo is of Mount Monadnock in the distance. I was attempting to show the waviness of the clouds as they formed over the mountains.

Wednesday, 04/23/2025: Posted photo — Construction.

Wachusett Mountain ski area is getting a new high-speed quad. To make room for the new lift, they are dismantling the old one.

Thursday, 04/24/2025: Posted photo — Sunflower.

A sunflower to brighten your day. I saw this while out shopping.

Friday, 04/25/2025: Post photo — Nest Reno.

We have an abandoned nest on a light next to our front door. A bird built it last year. I did not remove the nest. This year, a bird decided it was a great place to live and built a new nest onto the old one.

Saturday, 04/26/2025: Post photo — Crowded Room.

Today they laid Pope Francis to rest. People paid him respect by wearing black. Wearing black to funerals primarily symbolizing mourning and respect for the deceased. It’s a visual expression of grief and solemnity, acknowledging the loss and showing reverence for the departed.

Now for today’s photo.

The data team and staff in a small room in Lexington this afternoon. Last Monday was Patriots’ Day and it marked the semiquincentennial of the Battle of Lexington and Concord. Lexington would have been a busy place to visit last weekend so they held the competition today.

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

“Sumens imagines consolatur et inspirat me.”

“Quod scripsi, scripsi.”

Photographic Thoughts — 03/30/2025 to 04/05/2025

In photography there is a reality so subtle that it becomes more real than reality.” — Alfred Stieglitz

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

Looking for some new quotes to use. If you have any, please put them in the comments.

Sunday, 03/30/2025: Posted photo — Saint Anne.

Saint Anne is the mother of Mary, the mother of Jesus. This statue is outside the church I attend. We had a sister parish Saint Anne’s that had to be closed for safety reasons. The statue was moved in front of Saint Denis.

Monday, 03/31/2025: Posted photo — Roses.

Bad weather meant shopping today. Took a photo of some roses instead of food this week.

Tuesday, 04/01/2025: Posted photo — Stream.

Since the weather was wet the last few days, the streams and other water crossing on Wachusett Mountain were flowing. This is the stream at the junction of Administration Road and Jack Frost.

Wednesday, 04/02/2025: Posted photo — Overlook.

This is an overlook on Wachusett Mountain. There was a sign to the overlook for many years. The sign has been removed since there were too many teenage parties at the site, leaving to a dangerous situation. The group tonight was going to the summit for sunset. There was plenty of time, so I took them on the side trip to the overlook.

The windmills in this photo are at the trailhead we started from.

Thursday, 04/03/2025: Posted photo — Bowling.

This is a fun bowling dice game we have at home. We play it as either ten pin or candle pin. Most of the time, we play it a ten pin.

Friday, 04/04/2025: Post photo — More Roses.

I did not get out tonight to take a photo. I took this photo during my shopping trip last Tuesday night.

Saturday, 04/05/2025: Post photo — Levitation.

Here my attempt of a levitation photo. This is my brother’s first place Pinewood Derby trophy from August 1962.

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

“Sumens imagines consolatur et inspirat me.”

Photographic Thoughts — 03/23/2025 to 03/29/2025

I think good dreaming is what leads to good photographs.” — Wayne Miller

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

Looking for some new quotes to use. If you have any, please put them in the comments.

Sunday, 03/23/2025: Posted photo — New Dawn Arts Center.

New Dawn Arts Center in the Community Church.

Monday, 03/24/2025: Posted photo — Mini Rose.

When shopping tonight instead of hiking due to freezing rain and dangerous trail conditions. Came across some mini roses and took my weekly flower photo.

Tuesday, 03/25/2025: Posted photo — Lime.

Nice color and textures on these limes.

Wednesday, 03/26/2025: Posted photo — Do Not Climb.

When on a walk today and came across this sign near the old growth forest. There were many rocks to boulder, but that would damage the fragile ecosystem in the area.

Thursday, 03/27/2025: Posted photo — Sunset.

A great sunset from the mountain. I did not stay to the end of the sunset. Just went up, took this photo, and headed back down.

Friday, 03/28/2025: Post photo — Wachusett Mountain.

Had to visit a vendor for work today and stopped to take this photo. If you look at the trails, they spell out “SKI”.

Saturday, 03/29/2025: Post photo — Wood Stove.

Raw day today so I stayed inside and had a fire in our wood stove.

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

“Sumens imagines consolatur et inspirat me.”

Photographic Thoughts — 02/09/2025 to 02/15/2025

To me, photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place… I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.” — Elliott Erwitt

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

Sunday, 02/09/2025: Posted photo — Snowshoeing.

We had a little snowfall last night. Only about 7 inches of snow fell. This gave me the opportunity to take my snowshoes out and hike on out property. There were many challenging areas to hike. I when up and down steel hills and through some swampy areas that were frozen over.

I used today to do a test run of my snowshoes. I will bring them with me during my hike tomorrow and hopefully I will be able to use them.

Monday, 02/10/2025: Posted photo — Mountain Laurel.

Here are some mountain laurel covered in snow. I saw this during my hike today.

I did not use my snowshoes, just carried them. Since I went the day after the snow, the trails were packed down. I used my microspikes and stayed on the trail. If I was not leading a group, I would have put them on and hiked off the trail. When I am leading a group, I need to be responsible for the fun and safety of all.

Tuesday, 02/11/2025: Posted photo — Snow on Swing.

There was still snow on the swings in our backyard. These swings have not been used for many years. One of our grandnieces was one of the last ones to use them. The photo of the snow on the swings is a photo that I take every year. The weather is going to warm up tomorrow so this may be the last opportunity before the snow next Saturday to take this photo.

I have been doing this project since January 1, 2010. After a while there is repetitiveness in my photos and photography topic. I need to branch out and take more photos of people.

Wednesday, 02/12/2025: Posted photo — Familiar Place.

Speaking of creatures of habit, I take a photo of this location often. Besides the moon, this location is my second most photograph location in my project.

A few years back I took a photo on the 6th of the month, every month of every year, at this location to see how it changes. I put a video of my photos together. Let me know if you would like to see it and I can figure out a way to post it in this blog.

Thursday, 02/13/2025: Posted photo — Snow Moon.

This month’s full moon is called the Snow Moon.

There is typically cold and snowy weather in February, so the full moon was given the name snow moon. Storm moon and hunger moon are other common names.

I took this with my 300mm lens, and not my “moon” lens because of the wing. My long “moon” lens is only manual and does not have a stabilizer making it difficult to take photos of the moon in the wind.

Friday, 02/14/2025: Post photo — Icicles.

As the temperature fluctuates, icicles begin to form. These photos were taken in the morning. One is a photo of the icicles on a building, the other of icicles on a handrail.

These were gone later in the day when the temperature rose slightly and the wind picked up.

Saturday, 02/15/2025: Post photo — Looking Up.

Blue sky this morning before the snow tonight. We are expecting several inches of snow, followed by sleet and rain tonight into tomorrow.

Spent the day getting ready for the storm.

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

“Sumens imagines consolatur et inspirat me.”

Photographic Thoughts — 01/19/2025 to 01/25/ 2025

No place is boring, if you’ve had a good night’s sleep and have a pocket full of unexposed film” — Robert Adams

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

Sunday, 01/19/2025: Posted photo — Leading Lines.

Photo challenge of the week — Leading Lines. I took many photos today to try to fit this theme. This was the winner. The lines are leading you down the seawall along the beach at Hampton Beach NH.

Wall at Hampton Beach NH

It was a cool day to be on the beach. When walking with the wind to my back, it felt warm. When I was walking into a headwind, you can tell it was frigid outside with the wind chill.

Monday, 01/20/2025: Posted photo — Cigar Box Guitar.

My bother made this one and just electrified it. He made one for one of his granddaughters during the summer and wanted to make one for himself.

As you can tell by the inscription, he is also a hiker. He was the past chairperson of the local chapter of the AMC and is now on the AMC Board of Directors.

Tuesday, 01/21/2025: Posted photo — Dekopon Mandarin.

Imagine the perfect citrus — super easy to peel, extra juicy and amazingly sweet. This is a hybrid of the satsuma, navel and mandarin orange varieties developed in 1970’s.

Dekopon Mandarins

I have posted many times before, the supermarket that I go to every week has a great assortment of fruits and vegetables. I like taking photos of them and doing research on them before purchasing them.

Wednesday, 01/22/2025: Posted photo — Coating a Japanese Yew.

Some snow on a Japanese Yew at my office. I like the contrast of colors.

Patches of snow

Thursday, 01/23/2025: Posted photo — Moon from Office Window.

I looked out my office window last week and saw the full moon. I took out my camera and took a photo for the moon through the office window.

I have people tell me that my moon photos are great and they wished I had something in the foreground, do I took this photo with the branches in the foreground.

Full moon in the morning

Friday, 01/24/2025: Post photo — New Hampshire Marine Memorial.

“It started as a grave marker… and became a monument!” This started out from a father wanting a grave marker for his son lost at sea in 1945. What his efforts brought after many years of endeavor, was a memorial at Hampton Beach to all New Hampshire sons and daughters lost or buried at sea during World War II.

This monument is across the street from the location of a cubing event that took place last weekend. I saw this monument as we entered for the competition and I went out to take it before the snow.

Saturday, 01/25/2025: Post photo — Training Hike.

Today I held a training hike to introduce people into winter hiking. I know that we are part way through the season but it was the first opportunity for a training hike. A few weeks ago, we (the Wachusett Hikers) had a conference call with people that wanted to learn about winter hiking. It was an informative call and some people wanted a hike planned to practice we talked about.

I set up this hike to be the training hike. There were some that signed up for the hike and canceled last minute, as with typical hikes. Even if there were only one person signed up, I was going to do this hike. The temperature today was in the low 20’s (F) and the sun was shinning. This was so far the warmest day of the week.

I showed them my full winter gear and talked about which item was needed for local hikes and upcountry hikes. We also discussed layering for heat control, how to used microspikes, what type of microspikes to purchase and what type not to purchase, how to keep your water from freezing, how to properly adjust their hiking poles and how to use them properly, and other topics. It was a great hike and it made the two hikers that joined me more confident in their abilities. That was the main purpose of the hike.

As a bonus, we saw a bald eagle flying at the summit. By the time I took out my phone camera, it had flown out of range.

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

“Sumens imagines consolatur et inspirat me.”

Photographic Thoughts — 12/22/2024 to 12/28/2024

“Photography has nothing to do with cameras.” — Lucas Gentry

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

Sunday, 12/29/2024: Posted photo — Jicama.

I was looking for information on this vegetable that I saw while out shopping today. I found this information on webmd.com: “Jicama is a root vegetable with thick, brown skin and white flesh. It tastes like an apple but not as sweet. It’s a bit like a potato but with a lot fewer carbs. The jicama plant grows mostly in Mexico and Central America on a long vine. But the part you eat is the root.”

This was another vegetable that I saw and did not purchase. I want to find out more about the foods that I purchase and their nutritional values before I try something new.

Monday, 12/30/2024: Posted photo — Monday Night Hike.

We had a very warm day today. Most of the ice and snow that were in our yard and on the mountain have melted and have been washed away. The streams on the mountain were flowing almost as fast as they do in the spring. The trails were very muddy and wet.

For the route tonight, I brought the group by the ski area. As members of the group were taking photos, one of the regular hikers on the mountain came off the lift. His alter ego is working for the ski patrol. He came off the lift shortly after I took this photo. The mountain must have had a good base since they lost a lot of snow with the temperature change.

Tuesday, 12/31/2024: Posted photo — New Year’s Eve.

This is a tradition at my house. My wife, son, niece and her husband (one of my son’s friends) come over to do a puzzle. This year was a mystery puzzle. You solve the puzzle and them separate part of the puzzle to solve another puzzle that fits inside that one. Hard to explain. I do not help solve the puzzles since my mind wonders too much.

The did not finish the puzzle last night. The puzzle was finished on New Year’s Day.

Wednesday, 01/01/2025: Post photo — Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all. 2025 will be an eventful year.

Let’s up that people have the Moxie to stand up for our freedom.

Be safe out there and be kind to others. John 13:34: “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.” It does not say protest or discriminate against those who are different than us.

Thursday, 01/02/2025: Posted photo — Worcester City Hall.

Worcester City Hall. Worcester MA is the second largest city in New England and is my home town. The top ten cities in New England are: Boston MA (population 675,647), Worcester MA (population 206,518), Providence RI (population 190,934), Springfield MA (population 155,929), Bridgeport CT (population 148,654), Stamford CT (population 135,470), New Haven CT (population 134,023), Hartford CT (population 121,054), Cambridge MA (population 118,403), and Manchester NH (population 115,644). The biggest city in Maine is Portland (population 68,408) and ranks 29 in New England. The largest city in Vermont is Burlington (population 44,743) and ranks 59. There are 154 cities and towns in New England with a population over 25,000 based on the 2020 census.

Some history city hall: “Worcester City Hall was designed by Peabody & Stearns and built by the Norcross Brothers in 1898. The Italianate structure was built with a granite exterior, and was partly modeled after Italian Renaissance palazzos. The building was built on the site of the Old South Meeting House, which was the original town hall. The Old South Meeting House was built in 1763 and was the site where Isaiah Thomas first read the Declaration of Independence in New England in 1776.”

Friday, 01/03/2025: Post photo — Sunrise Hike.

It was raining out on New Year’s morning so my traditional New Year’s sunrise hike was canceled. It was rescheduled until tomorrow, but I can not make that hike. I decided to do my sunrise hike this morning.

It was a cold morning and the sunrise was spectacular. The best one this year and one of the better ones in my lifetime. Here is a photo of me enjoying it. I do not know how to take selfies, so forgive the poor photo.

Saturday, 01/04/2025: Post photo — Moon and Venus.

I received a text message for a friend asking me to take a photo of the Venus next to the moon since he only uses a cellphone. I went outside and took this photo. Thank you John.

While I was outside taking this photo, two things were happening. The first thing was that the clouds were rolling in so I had to quickly take this photo. I went out later to take more photos, but the moon had already disappeared in the trees or had already set.

The other thing that was happening was that there were coyotes in the woods near my house fighting. I heard one of them warn the other, and then heard the confrontation. The sound was getting very close to me so I went inside. When I could no longer hear them from inside my house, I went outside to take more moon photos. That is when I noticed that the moon was in the clouds. I went out later and did not see the moon since it either was already set or was too far into the trees for me to see it.

That is it for now. Stay safe.

Happy New Years to all and wishing everyone a safe 2025.

“Sumens imagines consolatur et inspirat me.”

Photographic Thoughts — 12/22/2024 to 12/28/2024

Photographs open doors into the past, but they also allow a look into the future.” — Sally Mann

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

Sunday, 12/22/2024: Posted photo — Never too Old.

You are never too old to believe. This is our son with Santa, his grandfather. My nieces and nephews all know that my father-in-law is the real Santa.

On a sadder note, I found out today that my college roommate passed from COVID a couple of years ago. I wished him a happy birthday on Facebook and a mutual friend let me know he passed. So sad that someone so young died from an illness that some people claim does not exist. COVID is real! Be safe.

Monday, 12/23/2024: Posted photo — Weather Front.

Here is a photo of a weather front that came through the area today. I like the look of weather fronts, the crisp line that creates them.

Here is a bonus photos of how some people feel so close to the holidays.

Tuesday, 12/24/2024: Posted photo — Possible White Christmas.

Here is a photo of my neighbor’s driveway. I just love the way the driveway looks in the winter. It is even better with tire tracks.

A white Christmas is a Christmas when there is snow on the ground or it is snowing on Christmas Day or Christmas Eve. The National Weather Service (NWS) defines a white Christmas as at least one inch of snow on the ground at 7 AM local time on Christmas morning. The last white Christmas in our area was in 2009. We had a little snow last night and there might be some more tonight.

Wednesday, 12/25/2024: Post photo — Christmas and Hanukkah.

Merry Christmas to all. Happy first day of Hanukkah.

We have an official white Christmas this year. This was a great year for this hiker. I received new MSR Lightning Explorer snowshoes, CAMP crampons, and heated socks. Friday I will be picking up a new to me ice axe. I should be ready for my above tree line winter training on Saturday.

Jesus celebrated Hanukkah, and it’s mentioned in the New Testament. At that time, Hanukkah was called “the Feast of Dedication” because it commemorated the dedication of the Temple. My family celebrated both Christmas and Hanukkah.

Thursday, 12/26/2024: Posted photo — Day after Hike.

It was a wonderful sunny day today. The temperature was cool and the air was refreshing. I went on a hike today during the day for the first time in a long time. The trails had heavy ice on them in some of the typical locations.

It was a practice hike for me. I had a full pack on me to practice carrying heavier weight. I wanted to carry the weight to practice for my above treeline leadership/safety training on Saturday.

Friday, 12/27/2024: Post photo — Headstone.

I had a day off today so I went to a neighboring town to pick up some supplies for tomorrow’s training hike. On the way back, I went to visit my parents, paternal grandparents, one of my aunts, one of my uncles, and by brother to wish them a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

This gave me an opportunity to see if my brother’s name was on his headstone. It was.

Saturday, 12/28/2024: Post photo — Hike.

Today was a training hike for AMC up-country winter leadership. This was also a practice hike for next weekend when the AMC is leading some hiked up Mount Monadnock. All of the participants for this hike were AMC up-country winter leaders. I was the only Leader-in-Training that went on the hike. The other LIT’s could not make it for various meetings. This was a very good training in leading winter hikes and included the use of crampons. I expect to be fully certified by the end of the winter.

The summit was fogged in and there were winds of an estimated 40 mph. We were dressed for it so the weather did not bother the members of the group. These photos do not show how windy it was on the summit.

An Up-Country Hike is defined as a hike (offered within the state of Massachusetts) that is over 8 miles in length or over 1000 feet of elevation gain or any hike offered outside the state of Massachusetts. A winter hike is defined as any hike that takes place during the time period between December 1 and March 31.

That is it for now. Stay safe.

Happy New Years to all.

“Sumens imagines consolatur et inspirat me.”

Photographic Thoughts — 12/15/2024 to 12/21/2024

Photographs open doors into the past, but they also allow a look into the future.” — Sally Mann

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

Little words this week. I was busy getting work done before the holidays.

Sunday, 12/15/2024: Posted photo — Advent.

The altar setup before Advent Mass. This is the third Sunday of Advent.

Monday, 12/16/2024: Posted photo — Wachusett Mountain.

The view of Wachusett Mountain from the summit of North Pack Monadnock.

Tuesday, 12/17/2024: Posted photo — Pattern.

Some interesting pattern on my car door this morning. It is starting to get cold. There will be a 40 degree F drop in temperature over the next few days.

Wednesday, 12/18/2024: Post photo — Ornaments.

Some ornaments on a tree.

Thursday, 12/19/2024: Posted photo — Roses.

Some roses to brighten your day.

Friday, 12/20/2024: Post photo — Colorize.

I attempted to do a different colorization today. Normally I would colorize using black and white. Today I wanted to use sepia.

Saturday, 12/21/2024: Post photo — Simplicity.

This week’s theme is simplicity in black and white. This is my submittal for the week.

That is it for now. Stay safe.

Happy holidays to all.

“Sumens imagines consolatur et inspirat me.”

Photographic Thoughts — 12/08/2024 to 12/14/2024

If you see something that moves you, and then snap it, you keep a moment.” — Linda McCartney

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

Sunday, 12/08/2024: Posted photo — Organ.

Organ music is played at church because it has a historical association with religious ceremonies, its powerful and sustained sound is well-suited to accompany congregational singing, and it is considered a dignified and solemn instrument that enhances the atmosphere of worship.

In my younger days, I played the organ at church when I was a college undergrad. I also played keyboards in a jazz band in high school. It has been a while since I have played the organ. The one in my house is an older model that needs tubes and some of the broken tubes are hard to find.

Monday, 12/09/2024: Posted photo — Candle.

Candles represent the Star of Bethlehem that guided the Magi to Jesus’s birthplace. The candlelight symbolizes the light of Christ coming into the world and the hope he brought.

In our church we have candles with real flames and candles with fake flames. The real flames are on the altar and represent the presence of God at the altar and at the tabernacle. The fake flames, such as the one in this photo, are placed on the windowsills near the stained glass and in areas were there might be a fire hazard. I am a traditionalist and like the real flames but understand the reason for safety for the fake flames.

Tuesday, 12/10/2024: Posted photo — Droplet.

It was slightly warmer today than normal. It was in the high 50’s F and low 60’s F. This causes the icicles to melt causing droplets.

If you have been following me for a while, you know that I try to post droplet photos at least once a year. I do this to practice my high-speed photography.

Wednesday, 12/11/2024: Post photo — Sunrise.

I know, I know — would Joe get creative and stop posting sunrise photos? Well, I was not going to post one this week.

I was at my office on the west side of the building and saw the red trees outside my window. I walked to the other side of the building, took out my cell phone, and took this photo.

Thursday, 12/12/2024: Posted photo — Wabi Sabi.

Wabi-sabi is a Japanese aesthetic, philosophy, and way of life that embraces imperfection and transience.

I found beauty in these old roses. They were dried out and I just liked the delicateness and textures in them.

Friday, 12/13/2024: Post photo — Sensor Check.

Every once and a while I check the sensor on my camera to see if it needs cleaning. You can tell if a sensor needs cleaning because there will be some smudges, sometime hard to see smudges, on the sensor.

Looking at this photo, my sensor looks clean. The only thing that I see is a little vignetting in the corners. This might have been caused by my lens hood. Vignetting is a photographic effect that occurs when the edges of an image are darker than the center. A lens hood is primarily used to block stray light from hitting the lens, preventing unwanted lens flare and improving image contrast by shading the front element. The vignetting occurs when I zoom in to closely to an object and the camera’s angle of view is wider than the opening in my lens hood.

Saturday, 12/14/2024: Post photo — North Pack Monadnock.

North Pack Monadnock or North Pack Monadnock Mountain is a 2,276-foot monadnock in south-central New Hampshire, at the northern end of the Wapack Range of mountains. It lies within Greenfield and Temple, New Hampshire; the 22-mile Wapack Trail traverses the mountain. We hike along the Wapack trail during today’s hike doing a 5.5 mile loop.

Today I co-lead a hike up North Pack Monadnock with the AMC. It was my first official upcountry winter hike lead. I need one more lead to be fully certified as an upcountry four season hiking leader. I have hikes and lead hikes upcountry. I decided to make it official this year.

The hike was a learning hike for participants. We were hoping for snow so that we could practice snowshoeing but there was just ice due to this week’s rain and warmer temperatures. We had everyone carry their snowshoes so that they could practice carrying weight. We did have a great day teaching how to use microspikes. Some have never used them properly previously.

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

“Sumens imagines consolatur et inspirat me.”