“Taking pictures is like tiptoeing into the kitchen late at night and stealing Oreo cookies.” — Diane Arbus
Thank you for all the new views and likes from last week, it helps keep me inspired.
This week is full of sunrises and sunsets.
Sunday, 06/18/2023: Posted photo — Sunrise at the Beach.
On one of my past vacations, I took a sunrise walk on the beach with my camera. During the walk, I saw this great sunrise. I stopped and took this photo.
I just loved the way the sunrise looked as we walked to the beach. I timed it to get the bird in the photo.
Tuesday, 06/20/2023: Posted photo — Sunrise at the Pier.
One of my trips to Jacksonville Beach Florida, I took another sunrise walk. I saw this heron near the shore and near the pier. I just loved the silhouette of the bird, so I took this shot.
Wednesday, 06/21/2023: Posted photo — Lightning at Sea.
We had a condo on the beach and there was a storm at sea. I set my camera on my tripod and set the timer for 15 second. I liked the way this photo came out but was disappointed that I did not set my timer at 30 seconds.
Thursday, 06/22/2023: Posted photo — Sunrise on Wachusett.
Moring winter hike up Wachusett Mountain for sunrise. There was a small coating of ice on the summit. The sunshine on the ice took a great photo.
Friday, 06/23/2023: Post photo — Sunset at the Cape.
One thing my wife and I do is have a weekend away on Cape Cod during the off season. This was one of the sunsets we saw.
Saturday, 06/24/2023: Post photo — Sunset on Wachusett.
Here is a pleasant sunset from the summit of Wachusett Mountain.
“The best thing about a picture is that it never changes, even when the people in it do.” — Andy Warhol
Thank you for all the new views and likes from last week, it helps keep me inspired.
Phots from Yellowstone National Park.
Sunday, 06/11/2023: Posted photo — Old Faithful.
They call it Old “Almost” Faithful. Old Faithful goes off plus or minus a half hour from its scheduled time based on the height of its last eruption. Still wonderful to see.
Grand Prismatic Spring is one of more than 10,000 thermal features in Yellowstone.
Tuesday, 06/13/2023: Posted photo — Moose.
A female moose seen along the road. One of many different forms of wildlife found in the park.
Wednesday, 06/14/2023: Posted photo — Hot Springs.
Mammoth Hot Springs. One of the areas in the northern part of the park. This is the area that received the most flooding.
Thursday, 06/15/2023: Posted photo — Formation.
This is one of the formations caused by the sulfur in the hot springs.
Friday, 06/16/2023: Post photo — Tower Falls.
A spectacular waterfall in the part. Tower Fall is a beautiful, accessible waterfall in Yellowstone located in the northeastern part of Yellowstone near Tower Junction, the fall plunges a stunning 132 feet.
Saturday, 06/17/2023: Post photo — Bison.
Imagine seeing this by the side of the road. Such a docile looking animal. Not very docile and very fast. The people that get attacked by the bison get to close.
“Most things in life are moments of pleasure and a lifetime of embarrassment; photography is a moment of embarrassment and a lifetime of pleasure.” — Tony Benn
Random thoughts and ideas for this week.
This week’s adventures.
Sunday, 05/21/2023: Posted photo — Angel of Patience
The Angel of Patience statue by Design Toscano is a majestic sculpture. Patience is the ability to endure delay, trouble, or suffering without getting upset. This statue is in one of the gardens at our church. I took this photo between masses while selling cakes for the Relay for Life.
Flower of the day: Alyssum
This aromatic bloom emits a tranquil, spiritual vibe that promotes emotional equilibrium. Apart from being a symbol of beauty, the sweet alyssum protects the wearer from dangerous situations.
Monday night is hiking night. Here is a photo of some of the members of the group of hikers I lead tonight. I took them on some of the more difficult trails. Some people may consider Wachusett Mountain not a difficult mountain to hike. I could bring them on some trails that would change their minds.
During the hike, I came across a newt. A newt is a salamander. The terrestrial juvenile phase is called an eft. Newts are semiaquatic, alternating between aquatic and terrestrial habitats.
When I arrived back home from my hike, I saw the big dipper. My phone has a night sky feature so I tried it out on the big dipper.
Flower of the day: Lady Slipper
At one of the trail junctions, we saw some Lady Slippers. A Pink lady’s slipper is a large, showy wildflower belonging to the orchid family. It has two opposite basal leaves with conspicuous parallel veins and a large flower at the end of an erect stalk. The flower is magenta to whitish-pink; sometimes the whitish pink flowers will have darker pink venation. Rarely the flower may be all white. This plant grows 6 to 15 inches tall and flowers generally between May and July. (https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/cypripedium_acaule.shtml)
Tuesday, 05/23/2023: Posted photo — St Anne and Mary.
Saint Anne is the mother of Mary. There were two churches in Ashburnham, St Annes and St Denis. St Annes Church had to close due to safety reasons and this statue was moved to St Denis.
Flower of the day: Lavender
Lavender is a well-known and fragrant perennial plant that will come back every year with gray-green foliage, upright flower spikes, and a compact shrub form. It will grow at a moderate pace, often adding a few inches to its size each year. Lavender can be toxic to pets like dogs and cats.
Wednesday, 05/24/2023: Posted photo — Jack Frost Trail.
Jack Frost is a bipolar trail on Wachusett Mountain. The lower part of Jack Frost is flat, the middle section is what I consider the third most difficult climb on the mountain, and the last third is a mixture of easier and harder sections. A few years ago, the blazes were changed to have a paw print in them. This phot was taken just before the hard section of the trail.
Flower of the day: Azalea
I put out a description of an azalea a few weeks ago. These azaleas are on one of the hiking trails on the mountain. These look different than the ones that I had previously posted. It might be because of the altitude difference between my yard and this location.
As you may or may not know, I have hiked all the 4000+ feet tall mountains in New Hampshire for the second time, completing it last year just after I finished rehab of my ankle. Besides getting a patch to put on my pack, the AMC send out scrolls. There was a banquet to receive your scroll. I could not attend so it was mailed to me, arriving today.
Flower of the day: Lupine
Lupine is a plant of the pea family with deeply divided leaves and tall colorful tapering spikes of flowers.
Friday, 05/26/2023: Post photo — Monument.
There is a memorial at the summit of Wachusett Mountain dedicated to the 10th mountain division. Since Memorial Day is approaching, I thought it would be appropriate to post.
Flower of the day: Pansy
Pansies are the cheerful flowers with upturned “faces.” They love cool weather and are popular to grow in spring and fall. They’re also edible, adding color to salads, drinks, and cakes. Here’s how to plant pansies and keep them growing and blooming.
Sweet William (Dianthus barbatus) is a short-lived, herbaceous perennial or biennial with a height of about 2 feet that is often planted as an annual flower. The flowering plant, with average pointed green leaves, is ideal for use in cottage gardens, perennial beds, or containers. The flowers come in many vibrant shades and are attractive to pollinators like butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds. (https://www.thespruce.com/sweet-williams-growing-guide-5200995)
“Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst.” — Henri Cartier-Bresson
Random thoughts and ideas for this week.
I have a flower of day this week. I am attempting to change the format of this blog to have one or more educational items per day to make reading my blog more interesting.
Sunday, 05/07/2023: Posted photo — Pyx.
A pyx is vessel containing the consecrated bread used in the service of Holy Communion. Although pyxes were made in various shapes, the most common form was that of a small cylindrical box fitted with a cover, which is generally conical. The pyx in this photo is the one that I use every week to give Holy Communion to the choir.
Flower of the day: Pericallis
Pericallis senetti provides daisy-like blooms in early spring when the weather is cool. They produce vibrant blues, magentas, violets, and can be bi-colored. They can tolerate low temperatures but are sensitive to frost. These are located outside our church.
Monday, 05/08/2023: Posted photo — On the Trail.
What would Monday night be without a hike? Don’t know. Every Monday that I hike does not happen is a disappointment. The good thing about missing a Monday night hike is that I can spend more time with my family. Today was a wonderful day to hike. The temperature was in the goldilocks zone, not to hot and not to cold. The black bugs were not bothering me as much as other members of the hiking group.
Flower of the day: Hobblebush
“Viburnum lantanoides, hobblebush (also known as moosebush, witch-withy, witch-hobble, witch-tangle and tangle legs) can grow more than ten feet tall, and often at least as wide, in its sprawling, errant, fashion. Branches extend outward, arch and descend, re-rooting where they touch the ground, forming a small copse. This lissome habit is most evident in winter when the hobblebush is leafless and the shrub’s structure can be traced. What appears to be a solitary shrub is usually an aggregate of clonal offspring called ramets.” https://wildseedproject.net/2015/06/viburnum-lantanoides-hobblebush-adoxaceae/
Came home from shopping tonight and saw this rabbit in our yard. I took out my phone to take this photo. I took this photo from a distance so that I did not disturb the rabbit. It looks like my camera went into the digital zoom range causing this abstract effect. You can see the tree debris that I still need to clean up in this photo.
Flower of the day: Pansy
Pansies are the cheerful flowers with upturned “faces.” They love cool weather and are popular to grow in spring and fall. They’re also edible, adding color to salads, drinks, and cakes. Here’s how to plant pansies and keep them growing and blooming.
Wednesday, 05/10/2023: Posted photo — Start of Third Leg.
I am leading a mystery hike in a few weeks. The group is meeting at a trailhead, and I am giving them direction at trail junctions. The directions will only consist of bearings and distances. This is the location of the third leg of my trip.
Thursday, 05/11/2023: Posted photo — Dam at Round Meadow Pond.
Here is a photo of the dam at Round Meadow Pond. This is a location that I photograph often.
Flower of the day: Bluets
Common bluets produce both nectar and pollen. Their short flower tubes make their nectar accessible to our short-tongued native bees. Quite a few species of native bees including small carpenter bees and some of our sweat bees will visit common bluets. Several of our smaller species of early butterflies will also visit common bluets.
Friday, 05/12/2023: Post photo — Hitting Off the Tee.
My son purchased a hitting tee for the junior high baseball team he coached. I did some hitting practice. Have not swung a bat in a while. I swung the old way with two hands on the bat as Ted Williams did. He attempted to coach me by having me remove my top hand off the bat as the modern hitters do. I like the old way of hitting.
Flower of the day: Malus baccata (Siberian crab apple)
Siberian crab apple inhabits northerly areas of New England, although certain cultivars grow as far south as Florida. The tree produces white-pink, non-hairy (glabrous) flowers in spring along glabrous branches. With a pleasing, rounded crown, abundant flowers and small, edible fruits, this crabapple has been introduced widely as an ornamental tree.
Saturday, 05/13/2023: Post photo — Lilac.
I have a photo challenge this week that is titled detail. Chances. Details are having your eyes instinctively lock on to a small part of the image before looking at the whole picture. I attempted this by putting a mononuclear on my cell phone and taking this photo.
Flower of the day: Azaleas
Azaleas are typically deciduous while other rhododendrons are evergreen. Azalea flowers are funnel-shaped, somewhat two-lipped, and often fragrant. These azaleas in our yard have survived the last heavy snow that fell. The bush was heavily loaded with snow. There is still a large area of the bush that has not yet bloomed.
Last week I posted a photo of a votive stand. Today I am posting a single votive. I am posting this because I am in a 52 week photo project and the topic of the week was single light source.
Monday, 05/01/2023: Posted photo — Flow.
Water flowing during my Monday night hike. On photo is of a stream, the other of a trail. This trial was almost like a river with water flowing over the rocks.
Tuesday, 05/02/2023: Posted photo — Roots.
Here are two edible roots, garlic, and onions.
Wednesday, 05/03/2023: Posted photo — Corn.
Corn while eaten sometimes as a vegetable and sometimes as a grain, it is classified by botanists as a fruit, as are tomatoes, green peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, and other squashes.
Thursday, 05/04/2023: Posted photo — Selfie.
Here is a hiking selfie. Great to complete the hike with daylight.
Friday, 05/05/2023: Post photo — Sunrise.
Nice sunrise this morning. The clouds have great red shadows on them. Photos do not do sunrise justice.
“My life is shaped by the urgent need to wander and observe, and my camera is my passport.” — Steve McCurry
Random thoughts and ideas for this week.
Sunday, 04/23/2023: Posted photo — Votive Stand.
Church candle stands are known as votive stands. Votive means something that is ‘offered or consecrated in fulfilment of a vow’. It represents the prayer that is being said for one’s self or someone else, which is why they’re also known as a ‘prayer candle’.
This one in our church was dedicated last week to one of my friends and his family. He passed away a few months ago from Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. His wife passed away a few years ago from cancer, and his oldest son passed away about 15 years ago from a car crash. They were such active members in our parish. He and I were among the founding members of our church’s men’s Bible study group.
Monday, 04/24/2023: Posted photo — Hiking.
Weather was great for a hike tonight. It seems that most of the time that I lead a Monday night hike, it needs to be cancelled because of the weather. The cancellations happen more in the winter and spring because getting wet is more dangerous that in the warmer months. I took this photo of the flowing water along the trail with my phone. One of the days in the next few weeks, I will hike with my DSLR to take better photos, if the water is still flowing.
Tuesday, 04/25/2023: Posted photo — Graffiti.
“Solon”. Graffiti on the mountain carved by Solon Heywood. He also has his full name carved into stones on the summit. Solon was the son of Seth Heywood, one of the founding fathers of a neighboring town. Solon Heywood passed away on Aug 6, 1883, at the age of 48 so this graffiti is very old.
Bitter orange (Citrus aurantium), also known as sour orange and Seville orange, is a citrus fruit with a multitude of uses. It’s commonly used in complementary medicine, herbal weight loss supplements, and certain foods and toppings like marmalade.
I never heard of a sour orange before. It is great to go shopping to find new and interesting food.
No, I did not try it.
Thursday, 04/27/2023: Posted photo — Progress.
Two weeks ago, I posted a photo of our sugar maple budding. Two weeks later, here is the progress.
Friday, 04/28/2023: Post photo — Burls.
Tree knots are also known as “burls”. Burls form on the outside of trees as a reaction to stress. Wood from a burl is prized by woodworkers for its intricate design, and some will pay top dollar for it. These are at the junction of the West Side and Old Indian Trails on Wachusett Mountain. They most likely we formed after a lightning strike on the tree.
Saturday, 04/29/2023: Post photo — Artwork.
“Artrageous is a troupe of multi-talented Live performance artists, world-class singers, and recording artists, highly trained dancers, and audience motivators, and veteran musicians hailing from the high desert of New Mexico.” https://www.artrageousshow.com/.
We went to the show last night. The audience lived it. I was not too crazy about the show. Here is some of the artwork that was created at the show.
“The world I was trying to show was one where I felt good, where people were nice, where I found the tenderness I needed. My photos were like a proof that such a world could exist.” — Robert Doisneau
Random thoughts and ideas for this week.
John sent me another quote to use. Thank you, John.
Sunday, 04/09/2023: Posted photo — Easter Sunday.
The following information was taken from the History Channel.
Easter is a Christian holiday that celebrates the belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the New Testament of the Bible, the event is said to have occurred three days after Jesus was crucified by the Romans and died in roughly A.D. 30. The holiday concludes the “Passion of Christ,” a series of events and holidays that begins with Lent—a 40-day period of fasting, prayer and sacrifice—and ends with Holy Week, which includes Holy Thursday (the celebration of Jesus’ Last Supper with his 12 Apostles, also known as “Maundy Thursday”), Good Friday (on which Jesus’ crucifixion is observed) and Easter Sunday. (https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/history-of-easter)
Woke up this morning to see the Easter bunny outside of my window.
According to some sources, the Easter bunny first arrived in America in the 1700s with German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania and transported their tradition of an egg-laying hare called “Osterhase” or “Oschter Haws.” Their children made nests in which this creature could lay its colored eggs. Eventually, the custom spread across the United States and the fabled rabbit’s Easter morning deliveries expanded to include chocolate and other types of candy and gifts, while decorated baskets replaced nests. Additionally, children often left out carrots for the bunny in case he got hungry from all his hopping.
From a Christian perspective, Easter eggs are said to represent Jesus’ emergence from the tomb and resurrection. Decorating eggs for Easter is a tradition that dates back to at least the 13th century, according to some sources. One explanation for this custom is that eggs were formerly a forbidden food during Lent, so people would paint and decorate them to mark the end of the period of penance and fasting, then eat them on Easter as a celebration. (https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/easter-symbols)
Monday, 04/10/2023: Posted photo — Summit Photo.
What would Monday be without a hiking photo. Here is a photo of my pack on the fire tower on top of Wachusett Mountain.
Tuesday, 04/11/2023: Posted photo — Garlic.
Garlic is the edible bulb from a plant in the lily family. It was traditionally used for health purposes by people in many parts of the world, including the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Chinese, and Japanese. Currently, garlic is most promoted as a dietary supplement for conditions related to the heart and blood vessels, including high blood cholesterol and high blood pressure. Fresh garlic, garlic powder, and garlic oil are used to flavor foods. Garlic may be used topically (applied to the skin).
Wednesday, 04/12/2023: Posted photo — Daffodil.
Daffodils are a hardy perennials that come back year after year, spreading and often naturalizing. They are one of the first signs of spring. These just seem to appear overnight in our yard. The snow is almost clear and the daffodils are starting to blossom.
Thursday, 04/13/2023: Posted photo — Aunt Leona.
Today is the 30th anniversary of my father’s passing. It is also a day that I went to my aunt’s wake. She was my mother’s oldest sister and passed away at the age of 98. There is only one more sibling on my mother’s side. She is in here early 90s. All the siblings that passed due to natural causes passed into their 90s. One of her brothers was lost at sea.
Friday, 04/14/2023: Post photo — Mount Monadnock.
Mount Monadnock at sunset is such a great thing to see.
Saturday, 04/15/2023: Post photo — Buds.
The sugar maple plants are starting to bud in this nice weather.
On a side note: now that the snow has melted, it is time to get out into the yard and clean up all the broken branches and cut down some damaged trees.
“I love the people I photograph. I mean, they’re my friends. I’ve never met most of them or I don’t know them at all, yet through my images I live with them.” — Bruce Gilden
Random thoughts and ideas for this week.
Sunday, 03/26/2023: Posted photo — Organ.
History lesson of the week.
“The earliest known organ was the hydraulis of the 3rd century bce, a rudimentary Greek invention, with the wind regulated by water pressure. The first recorded appearance of an exclusively bellow-fed organ, however, was not until almost 400 years later.” More information here.
“The Valère organ: The gothic organ is regarded as the oldest instrument of its type still in working order in the world. It is thought that it was installed in Valère between 1430 and 1440. It has barely three octaves, and the keys are much smaller than those on a modern instrument.” More information here.
Monday, 03/27/2023: Posted photo — Long Exposure.
This is from Machias Pool at a trailhead on Wachusett Mountain. I noticed that the camera on my phone has a long exposure setting so I was trying it out. I will need to try it out at the waterfalls at the end of Round Meadow Pond and at the Old Mill to see how it really works.
Tuesday, 03/28/2023: Posted photo — Bat House.
One of the best ways you can support bat conservation is to put up an artificial roost, like a bat house. Since bat populations have decreased significantly, bat houses can be very useful in providing secure roost sites for bats. This bat house is at one of the trailheads on Wachusett Mountain. It has been installed for a few years and is in great shape. There might be bats in there. I have hiked the mountain at all times of the day and during every season and have not see a bat use it.
Wednesday, 03/29/2023: Posted photo — Tomatoes.
Tomatoes take 60 days to more than 100 days to harvest, depending on the variety. Due to their relatively long growing season requirements (and late planting date), most gardeners plant small “starter plants” or transplants instead of seeds after the weather has warmed up in spring. Many gardeners purchase their transplants at a garden center or nursery but you can certainly grow you own from seed indoors.
Tomatoes contain lycopene, which may help lower your “bad” cholesterol and blood pressure levels. Lowering these numbers helps lower your chances of heart disease.
Thursday, 03/30/2023: Posted photo — Town Pound.
In the historical district in town, there is the old Town Pound. The pound is just a stone wall with a wooden gate. I can imagine the field filled with cows and goats in the old days.
Friday, 03/31/2023: Post photo — Melting Snow.
The temperature has been fluctuating between warm and cold around this area. The three feet of snow is still melting on our street. These are some pieced of wood that I need to split this summer to burn during the winter. There is still snow in our yard and in the mountains here in north central Massachusetts. The snow in our yard last longer than the surrounding area because we have many trees on our property that shade the sun.
Saturday, 04/01/2023: Post photo — St John’s High School.
I went to my high school today to watch our son compete in a cubing competition. I was in the class of 1982. He competes in a few events but mostly enters the data. He will be entering data for the cubing national championships this summer.
The place has changes since about 1990, the last time I was on campus. A few new buildings have gone up, the brother’s resident has been moved and a couple of state-of-the-art academic centers have been built. Here are a few photos from around campus.
RosaryOne of his 3 x 3 x 3 solvesFoundwrs HallRyken CenterAngel of Peace
Information from the school website. I would write its history the same way. “Saint John’s High School has educated young men under the sponsorship of the Xaverian Brothers since 1898. Saint John’s High School enjoys a unique history, one that is deeply rooted in the development and traditions of the Catholic Church in Central Massachusetts. The school was an outgrowth of both the first Catholic Church (1834) and the first parochial school (1873) in Worcester. It also has the distinction of being the first of many high schools operated by the Xaverian Brothers in New England.”
Have a good rest of the week and a Happy and Holy Easter next week.
“You can look at a picture for a week and never think of it again. You can also look at a picture for a second and think of it all your life.” — Joan Miro
From the Catholic Dictionary: “The fourth Sunday of Lent, when the introductory word of the Introit is laetare, “Rejoice O Jerusalem.” As it is Mid-Lent Sunday, rose vestments are worn, flowers are permitted on the altar, and the organ is played.” Lent is a 40 day season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends at sundown on Holy Thursday. It’s a period of preparation to celebrate the Lord’s Resurrection at Easter.
This is the view of the altar from the choir loft of our church.
Monday, 03/20/2023: Posted photo — Hike.
Some photos from my weekly Monday night hike on Wachusett Mountain. It is getting lighter as we start our hike. Soon no headlamp will be needed.
Tuesday, 03/21/2023: Posted photo — Sunflower.
A sunflower that I saw today while I was out shopping. Tuesday night is my shopping night.
Wednesday, 03/22/2023: Posted photo — Umpqua River Lighthouse.
From the website: https://oregonisforadventure.com/oregon-lighthouses/#:~:text=Umpqua%20River%20Lighthouse,lighthouse%20on%20the%20Oregon%20coast. “The Umpqua River Lighthouse was the first lighthouse on the Oregon coast. To this day, you are still able to climb to the top of it while also learning more about the area’s history. It is still operational and has only recently switched over from bulbs to LEDs to keep it lower maintenance. Once you reach the top, you are even able to take a look inside the working light.
The lighthouse a vibrant history, Before it was placed on the bluff on the entrance to Winchester Bay, it was commissioned along the beach of the Umpqua River in 1857. It was then moved less than 10 years later.”
This is a photo of inside the lighthouse I took a few years ago during one of our west coast trips to visit family.
Thursday, 03/23/2023: Posted photo — Sunrise.
The weather is getting warmer. Rain has been predicted for today so I was happy to see the sunrise on my way to work.
During sunrise and sunset the sun is low in the sky, and it transmits light through the thickest part of the atmosphere. A red sky suggests an atmosphere loaded with dust and moisture particles. We see the red, because red wavelengths (the longest in the color spectrum) are breaking through the atmosphere.
Friday, 03/24/2023: Post photo — Crater Lake National Park.
This is me standing in front of Wizard Island, a volcanic cinder cone, which forms an island at the west end of Crater Lake. Photo taken by my wife.
At 1,943 feet deep, Crater Lake is the deepest lake in America. Famous for its beautiful blue color, the lake’s water comes directly from snow or rain – there are no inlets from other water sources. Crater Lake was formed by the fall of a volcano. Mount Mazama, a 12,000-foot-tall volcano, erupted and collapsed approximately 7,700 years ago.
Saturday, 03/25/2023: Post photo — Loon.
From https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Loon/overview, “The eerie calls of Common Loons echo across clear lakes of the northern wilderness. Summer adults are regally patterned in black and white. In winter, they are plain gray above and white below, and you’ll find them close to shore on most seacoasts and a good many inland reservoirs and lakes. Common Loons are powerful, agile divers that catch small fish in fast underwater chases. They are less suited to land, and typically come ashore only to nest.”
I have an interest in loons. When my wife and I went on our honeymoon almost 32 years ago, we were on a secluded island in a lake in northern Maine and were serenaded by loons.
“I think good dreaming is what leads to good photographs.” — Wayne Miller
More snow this week. Most of the snow this winter has fallen in the last month.
Sunday, 03/12/2023: Posted photo — Cubes.
Cubes come in different shapes and sizes. There are 2x2x2, 3x3x3, 4x4x4, 5x5x5, 6x6x6, and 7x7x7 that are used in completion. I don’t compete, but my son does. I can solve from the 2x2x2 to the 5x5x5. My wife and son tell me that I could do the larger cubes, but I do not feel the urge to do so. I am currently working on speeding up my time with a picture cube. One that you need to rotate the centers if they are not in the correct orientation.
For the record, my son’s best competition time for the 3x3x3, what most people think are the Rubik’s Cube, is single of 12.24 seconds and average of 14.64 seconds. The world record single is 3.47 seconds, and the world record average is 4.86 seconds. The average is out of five solves when they don’t count the fastest and slowest of the solves.
My time for the 3x3x3 is just about 1 minute 30 seconds.
Monday, 03/13/2023: Posted photo — Potatoes.
The potatoes are a starchy food and are a root vegetable native to the Americas. Potatoes are rich in vitamin C, which is an antioxidant. Potatoes were a life-saving food source in early times because the vitamin C prevented scurvy. Another major nutrient in potatoes is potassium, an electrolyte which aids in the workings of our heart, muscles, and nervous system.
Tuesday, 03/14/2023: Posted photo — During the Storm.
Happy Pi Day!
Selfie on the trail.
Woke up this morning to a foot (0.3 m) of wet snow. Had planned to snowshoe into work this morning because of the predicted storm. I stayed on the main roads on my way into work since I know that there would be little to no cars, and that the Midstate Trail markers are difficult to see in the morning due to the blowing snow. Another foot (0.3 m) of snow fell during the day. I did snowshoe on the Midstate Trail on the way home since the trail markers are normally easier to see during the day. The markers in the section of the trail next to our house do not have reflectors on them, as they do in the more popular sections of the trail. The blazers were also difficult to see since they were faded, and snow covered so, and I went off trail. I know this section of the trail well, but with 24 inches (0.6 m) of new fallen snow, and many downed trees, it was difficult to follow. I sank about 20 inches (0.5 m) into the snow with my snowshoes on. Using my navigational skills, I was able to get safely back onto the trail.
Snow on my car
Blazes (also known as trail markers) are usually placed at eye level – or slightly higher on trails that receive moderate snowfall – and frequently appear painted onto trees, rocks, or posts along the trail. For painted blazes, they generally are 2 inches wide by 6 inches tall.
Wednesday, 03/15/2023: Posted photo — Cleanup.
Here are a few photos of some of the paths that were created. As the cleanup continues, the snow is slowly melting making the snow heavier and heavier. Making straight edges in the pathways was easy.
Thursday, 03/16/2023: Posted photo — Roof Load.
Cleanup from the storm started yesterday and continues today. One of the things I need to do today is shovel off my roof. I have over 2 feet (0.6 m) of snow on my roof and need to get the weight off. The roof in front of my house is slightly sloped, not like the rest of the house. Here are some photos of before, during, and after I shoveled off a section of our roof.
Friday, 03/17/2023: Post photo — Sunshine.
BeforeSnow Depth about 24 inchesAfter
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Took a photo of the sun today. Why did I do this? I did it because I did not see much of it this week. The section of the building in this photo give it a little contrast.
Saturday, 03/18/2023: Post photo — Sundog.
Sundogs are colored spots of light that develop due to the refraction of light through ice crystals. They are located approximately 22 degrees either left, right, or both, from the sun, depending on where the ice crystals are present. For the second day in a row, the sun was out. Today’s sun appearance was much longer than yesterday’s brief one.
Photo by Joseph Ciras 