“Today everything exists to end in a photograph.” — Susan Sontag
Some old and new photos this week.
Sunday, 03/05/2023: Posted photo — Traction.
With the newly fallen snow, winter hiking conditions are the best they have been all season. I have not used my crampons all year and decided to use them today. No particular reasons and I really did not need to use them. I just wanted to hike with them once this season.
Monday, 03/06/2023: Posted photo — Moon Beam.
The full moon tonight was given off this beam. I thought it was a reflection off my camera, but every photo I took of the moon tonight had these beams in them. This is a photo of the moon liking towards Boston.
Tuesday, 03/07/2023: Posted photo — Full Moon.
A full moon photo for March. The moon is my preferred subject and I am still working on getting the perfect moon photo.
Wednesday, 03/08/2023: Posted photo — Traditional Collection.
Last week I posted a photo of hour our neighbor collects sap. This is the traditional way to collect sap found elsewhere in town.
Thursday, 03/09/2023: Posted photo — Baseball.
The World Baseball Classic has started. Our family loves to watch baseball and our son gives me updated every day. I took a photo of the stitches of this baseball for macro photography practice.
Friday, 03/10/2023: Post photo — Golf.
I took this photo during the summer. This is an HDR photo of a local golf course. I did not know what to post today, but I saw golf on my computer screen and went back to this photo.
Saturday, 03/11/2023: Post photo — Inspection Station.
Time to get one of our cars safety inspected. All our cars had the same month for inspection. They are now spread out, once a month for the next three months.
After our warm week in Florida, we came home to snow. I was going to take and post this photo snow or no snow. Our neighbor taps our sugar maple tree every year and gives us some of the syrup. The general rule of thumb is that it takes 40 parts maple sap to produce 1 part maple syrup. This translates into 40 gallons of sap to produce 1 gallon or syrup (or 10 gallons of sap for one quart of syrup). This estimate is dependent on the sugar content of your sap.
Monday, 02/27/2023: Posted photo — Welcome Home.
This is the snow on the railing to our deck. The snow was heavy and icy. I did not hike tonight so that I could clean up after the storms that took place when we were on vacation. Once I had the technique of getting the is pick under the ice and snow, cleanup was relatively easy to do. It just took a few hours to complete.
Tuesday, 02/28/2023: Posted photo — Driveway.
Our neighbor’s driveway cleaned up after last week’s snow storms.
Wednesday, 03/01/2023: Posted photo — Stone.
This stone is at the end our our neighbor’s driveway. He has stones on both sides of his driveway so that its location can be found easily since his house cannot be seen from the street.
Thursday, 03/02/2023: Posted photo — Next Storm.
This photo was taken Saturday and not Thursday. We had almost a foot of wet, heavy snow fall overnight. The snow has stopped. We normally go out a few time during a storm to shovel, but since this storm happened overnight, we did not. I do not have a snow blower or a plow. I like to get my exercise by shoveling snow.
Friday, 03/03/2023: Post photo — Path.
Snowshoe path created by my snowshoes. Here is a photo of my snowshoes. The heal strap was fixed a few weeks ago, so this was the first opportunity for me to use them.
Saturday, 03/04/2023: Post photo — Finally On Snowshoes.
Today is the one year anniversary of my ankle surgery. Last week I posted a photo of my feet in the ocean. This week I am posting a photo of my feet in my snowshoes. This is the first time in my snowshoes all winter. Between the weather, travel, work, and a broken snowshoe, this was the first opportunity of me to get out. It was a short hike with no complications. Off to some longer hikes, as long as the snow stays a little longer.
Settings: Google Pixel 7, ISO 62, f/1.8, 1/678 s, 7 mm.
During the ride down to our vacation destination, I noticed the contrail left by at plane as it was turning. Contrails or vapor trails are line-shaped clouds produced by aircraft engine exhaust or changes in air pressure, typically at aircraft cruising altitudes several miles above the Earth’s surface. A little later, I noticed that a plane took a turn and flew in front of another plane. I took my phone out, since I was the navigator at this time, and took a photo.
Monday, 02/20/2023: Posted photo — Shell.
Settings: Google Pixel 7, ISO 66, f/1.8, 1/593 s, 7 mm.
We reached our destination and took a walk on the beach. I took a photo of this shell because of its color. The beach was full of white shells. I did not see many shells that were dark. This shell is a common cockle shell. The common cockle (Cerastoderma edule) is a species of edible saltwater clam.
Tuesday, 02/21/2023: Posted photo — Under the Pier.
Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/320 s, 22 mm.
The Jacksonville Beach Fishing Pier is nearly a quarter of a mile long and offers visitors close-up views of the Atlantic Ocean. The pier was closed for years because Hurricane Matthew wiped out part of the pier in 2016, then Hurricane Irma damaged it some more in 2017. Unfortunately the pillions on the pier do not make a good of a photo as the last pier did. At least this one might hold up to hurricanes.
Wednesday, 02/22/2023: Posted photo — Sunrise.
Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 400, f/7, 1/8000 s, 300 mm.
Woke up early this morning to take a photo of the sunrise. Drove down to the pier to get this photo. The cloud cover was sparse, but the sunrise was wonderful. Each sunrise is different.
Tonight, while visiting family members, I saw the moon and Jupiter. Later on, I saw the moon, Jupiter, and Venus. I took out my camera and took a series of shots just after sunset. These photos are ones I took a little later at night at night time. These photos are handheld photos.
Thursday, 02/23/2023: Posted photo — Lizard.
Settings: Google Pixel 7, ISO 42, f/1.8, 1/234 s, 7 mm.
Don’t know if it is a brown anole or a Florida scrub lizard. Someone can tell me. All I know is that this little guy wanted to go with us to the beach today.
Friday, 02/24/2023: Post photo — Leaving the Nest.
Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/320 s, 300 mm.
We watched this osprey flying around and gathering sticks for its nest. They move so quickly. This was the best photo that I got of the osprey. This photo was taken in Cradle Creek Preserve. Cradle Creek Preserve consists of 36 acres, purchased on August 9, 2001 by the City of Jacksonville Beach and the city of Jacksonville. The City of Jacksonville Beach holds title to the property. It a very peaceful place in the middle of the hustle of the beaches.
Saturday, 02/25/2023: Post photo — Feet in Ocean.
Settings: Google Pixel 7, ISO 42, f/1.8, 1/4049 s, 7 mm.
As my vacation winds down, and the snow and ice falling up north, I took this opportunity to put my feet in the ocean. With temperatures in the 80s F here and in the teens up north, just relaxing for one more day.
Here is a gull and a Royal Tern that was hanging out with us on the beach.
I also took a walk in a nature preserve and saw this great blue heron. It was going to be a quick walk so I only had my cell phone. Watched it for about 15 minutes and it did not catch a fish. I do like the reflection and the shadow.
Back to the cold weather and reality.
Went back the next day and this egret fished successfully caught a fish, a small fish, but a fish none the less.
The AMC Worcester Chapter took had a leaders hike to the Richardson-Zlogar Cabin. We had great views of Mt. Grace (MA), Mt. Ascutney (VT), Mt. Monadnock (NH), and Mt. Wachusett (MA). It was a wonderful hike with hiking leaders, both experienced and Leaders-in-Training. There were many trees down on the trails due to recent heavy snow and ice storms. Here is a line to mor information on the cabin: https://newenglandtrail.org/overnight-sites/richardson-zlogar-cabin/.
Monday, 02/06/2023: Posted photo — Summit.
Standing on the summit of Wachusett Mountain during my weekly Monday night hike.
Tuesday, 02/07/2023: Posted photo — Full Moon.
It has been a while since I took a photo of the moon. I do not think I did so bad for not practicing for a while.
Wednesday, 02/08/2023: Posted photo — Look up.
Snow sliding off the Richaradson-Zlogar cabin. From my hike on Sunday.
Thursday, 02/09/2023: Posted photo — Roses.
Some roses to brighten up the day. I started dating my wife 35 years ago this week.
Friday, 02/10/2023: Post photo — Sunrise.
Going back into the archives for the last two photos of this week. This is from a trip a few years ago to Jacksonville Beach Florida.
Saturday, 02/11/2023: Post photo — Double Arch.
One of my favorite photos from Arches National Park. This is Double Arch. I like it because you the people in this photo give it some scale.
“To take a photograph is to participate in another person’s mortality, vulnerability, mutability. Precisely by slicing out this moment and freezing it, all photographs testify to time’s relentless melt.“ – Susan Sontag
Thank you, John, for this week’s quote.
Photos from this week. We had snow for most of the week so most of my photos are of snow.
Sunday, 01/15/2023: Posted photo — Hiking.
As you have seen over the years, I like to hike. Last week I gave a lesson on night hiking. This week some of those people who took my class went hiking with me this week.
Monday, 01/16/2023: Posted photo — Sunrise.
With the storm coming in this week, the sky was a great color read this morning. I saw the glow of the red clouds this morning, took out my camera and took a photo of the red sky.
Tuesday, 01/17/2023: Posted photo — Mailbox.
After the storm, this black mailbox showed great contrast with the newly fallen white snow.
Wednesday, 01/18/2023: Posted photo — Wood.
I have shown you this wood in the past. Today I took a photo of this wood with the new fallen snow on it. This wood has been seasoned for about a year now, so it is time to split is and burn it.
Thursday, 01/19/2023: Posted photo — Hidden Shed.
With all the new snow, this shed is hidden by the bending trees. Once again, the contrast between the wood and the snow called me to take this photo.
Friday, 01/20/2023: Post photo —Driveway.
A photo of out neighbor’s driveway. I just love the look of their driveway after snow.
Saturday, 01/21/2023: Post photo — Lamp.
One of the solar lamps that light up the walkway in front of our hours.
“When people ask me what equipment I use – I tell them my eyes.” — Anonymous
One of the things that I like to do is to turn some of my photos into posters. Here is a few of the photos that I have turned into posters over the years.
Sunday, 01/08/2023: Posted photo — Lake Louise.
Lake Louise is located in Banff National Park, Canada’s oldest national park, in the Canadian province of Alberta. It sits at an elevation of 5,679 ft (1,731 m) making it Canada’s highest permanent settlement. The lake extends northeast for around 1.5 mi (2.4 km) and is around 0.75 mi (1.2 km) at its widest point. The Lake Louise area is separated in two – the larger community is known as Lake Louise Village and is directly accessible via the Trans-Canada Highway, while Upper Lake Louise is directly next to the lake itself and contains the famous Lake Louise Chateau, along with a host of incredible hiking, biking, and horse-riding trails. https://adventures.com/canada/attractions/lakes/lake-louise/
Monday, 01/09/2023: Posted photo — Bubble Net Feeding.
Bubble-net feeding is a cooperative hunting strategy that occurs within a group of whales. It is a complex, highly synchronized set of behaviors that involve communication and cooperation, demonstrating signs of high social intelligence.
How it works
To bubble-net feed, whales dive deep below schools of fish and use bubbles blown from their blowholes to stun and trap fish closer to the surface. One whale generally leads the effort followed by the rest of the group. The leader will usually be responsible for blowing the bubbles and the other members will surround the fish, following them to the surface by swimming in spiral patterns to keep the fish trapped.
Humpback whales are known as “gulpers”, which means they feed by leaving their mouths open, swallowing everything in their paths before closing their mouths, pushing water out through their baleen plates and swallowing the critters (usually fish and small crustaceans) they caught. During bubble net feeding, the whales swimming toward the surface will have their mouths open and gulp fish from the school they have corralled.
Wellesley Glacier is a 4-mile long glacier in the U.S. state of Alaska. It trends east for 4 mi to a lagoon on the west bank of College Fjord, 3.7 mi southwest of College Point and 54 mi west of Valdez. It was named for Wellesley College in Wellesley, Massachusetts by members of the 1899 Harriman Alaska Expedition. https://alaska.guide/glacier/wellesley-glacier
For over a century, five generations of the Kunde family have farmed our 1,850-acre estate in the heart of Sonoma Valley. Our winemaking mission is to carry on that tradition by crafting elegant, estate-grown, sustainably-farmed wines with a real sense of place—beautifully balanced and expressive of our dramatic vineyard landscape. https://www.kunde.com/
I took this photo when we attended a wedding at the winery. The couple rented out the vineyard for the occasion.
Thursday, 01/12/2023: Posted photo — Glacier National Park.
Glacier National Park is a 1,583-sq.-mi. wilderness area in Montana’s Rocky Mountains, with glacier-carved peaks and valleys running to the Canadian border. It’s crossed by the mountainous Going-to-the-Sun Road. Among more than 700 miles of hiking trails, it has a route to photogenic Hidden Lake. Other activities include backpacking, cycling and camping. Diverse wildlife ranges from mountain goats to grizzly bears. https://www.nps.gov/glac/index.htm
Friday, 01/13/2023: Post photo — Bear at Curry Village.
Curry Village is a resort in Mariposa County, California in Yosemite National Park within the Yosemite Valley. A rockfall in 2008 damaged a number of structures, and about one third of visitor units were closed because of risk. https://www.nps.gov/places/000/curry-village.htm
There was a fisher cat next to our tent site. It hid when this bear walked by. The ranger asked up if we were able to get a look at the number on the bear’s tag. Yosemite National Park is the only park that I know of that a bear will open the door of your car for you if they see something shinny in it or if they smell anything that might be food.
Saturday, 01/14/2023: Post photo — Royal Arches.
The Royal Arches refers to a cliff containing natural occurring granite exfoliation arches, located below North Dome and rising above Yosemite Valley, in Yosemite National Park, California. The Royal Arches are located on the north side of the valley, northeast of the Ahwahnee Hotel. http://www.supertopo.com/rock-climbing/Yosemite-Valley-Royal-Arches-Area-Royal-Arches
Happy New Year’s to all. For the last 15 or so years, I have been starting off the new year by hiking a local mountain to see the first sunrise of the year. This year’s hike was a wonderful hike. There had been snow and ice on the trails for most of December. Just after Christmas, we had a warm and rainy spell so there was not ice and snow. I did have to use my microspikes in areas near the trailhead and the mountain was clear of snow and ice at the summit.
Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 3200, f/3.5, 20 s, 18 mm.
On the second day of the new year, I hiked the 7 Sisters in Mt. Holyoke Range. The 3,000-acre Mount Holyoke Range State Park features a 7-mile mountain ridge line. The park also includes streams, wetlands, woods, and thickets. Visitors can explore more than 30 miles of blazed trails.
The range may be on a ridge line, but during the first three miles of the hike, there were ten different peaks. Looking at my gps tracking, I agree with someone I was hiking with, the tracking looks like the EKG of ones heartbeat. Not and easy hike, but fun. Again, now snow and ice. The range is at lower elevations that near my house. The highest peak in the range is lower than the elevation of my house. The difference is that you start just above sea leave because the range starts near on the of major rivers in the area. The Mount Holyoke Range is unique because it runs east to west, not north to south as most of the ranges. The Metacomet Ridge runs mostly north to south.
Tuesday, 01/03/2023: Posted photo — Mount Holyoke.
This is a photo of Mount Holyoke from the high point of the range, Mount Hitchcock at 1,005 feet. This is 1,001 feet lower than the mountain that frequent, Wachusett Mountain.
Mount Holyoke, a traprock mountain, elevation 935 feet, is the westernmost peak of the Holyoke Range and part of the 100-mile Metacomet Ridge. The mountain is in the Connecticut River Valley of western Massachusetts.
Wednesday, 01/04/2023: Posted photo — Ladder.
One of the hills on the 7 Sister’s hike required the use of this ladder. As I noted a few days ago, the hills were very steep on the trail. The route I took had about 1,092 feet in elevation gain. As you can see, the elevation gain was more that the height of the tallest peak on the hike.
Thursday, 01/05/2023: Posted photo — Snow.
Starting to snow around here. Great to see the ground covered in snow again. This snow is a wet snow, so I need to keep up with the shoveling so that it does not get too heavy.
Friday, 01/06/2023: Post photo — During the Storm.
Happy Epiphany. Epiphany, also known as Three Kings’ Day, is a Christian feast day that celebrates the revelation of God in His Son as human in Jesus Christ.
About this photo: one thing about snow is it does make for some great photos.
Saturday, 01/07/2023: Post photo — Full Moon.
Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/250 s, 135 mm.
Today I went on a full moon hike with the members of my hiking group. We are re-starting group hikes with the group. When the group was founded eleven years ago next week my four of my friends and myself, the goal was to do group hikes. It lasted for a while, then the group grew exponentially. Now we are back to schedule group hikes to get back to our roots.
Full moon at the end of the hikeHiking to the summitMoon from the summit still in the clouds
“To me, photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting 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
This week I will be posting a few random photos from this past year.
Happy New Years to all. Wishing you all a healthy and safe 2023.
Sunday, 12/25/2022: Posted photo — Nauset Light.
Nauset Light, the most well-known and photographed lighthouse on Cape Cod, is located within the boundaries of the Cape Cod National Seashore. It is an important part of Eastham’s cultural and maritime history. In 1993 a group of citizens in Eastham formed the Nauset Light Preservation Society (NLPS), a non-profit volunteer organization whose original mission was to rescue the lighthouse. Through the successful efforts of the NLPS the Nauset Lighthouse was moved approximately 300 feet back from the edge of a sixty-foot high eroding cliff in 1996. Though no longer under the auspices of the United States Coast Guard, Nauset Light serves as a private aid to navigation used by the fishing fleets and small recreational boaters who navigate close to the shore. https://www.nausetlight.org/mission
Monday, 12/26/2022: Posted photo — Milky Way.
Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 3200, f/3.5, 20 s, 18 mm.
We arrived at our first campsite at Badlands National Park late at night. After we setup our campsite, my wife and stayed up late to look at all the stars. I practiced my Milky Way photography. Still need much work.
Some mountain goats that joined us on our hike in Glacier National Park.
Thursday, 12/29/2022: Posted photo — Smith Glacier.
Smith Glacier is a 5.5-mile (8.9 km) long glacier in the U.S. state of Alaska. It trends southeast to Harvard Arm of College Fjord, 2.8 miles (4.5 km) northwest of College Point and 51 miles (82 km) west of Valdez. It was named for Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts by members of the 1899 Harriman Alaska Expedition.
Friday, 12/30/2022: Post photo — Bison.
Here are some bison that we saw at Wind Caves National Park. There were a herd of about 300 bison just roaming the fields.
Saturday, 12/31/2022: Post photo — Looks Like a Good Site.
Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/250 s, 135 mm.
Here are a couple of bison looking for a campsite at Yellowstone. Looks like they found a good one.
“Beauty can be seen in all things, seeing and composing the beauty is what separates the snapshot from the photograph.” — Matt Hardy
This week will be short because of the Christmas holiday.
The week started out with the fourth Sunday in Advent. On the fourth week of Advent, we light the final purple candle to mark the final week of prayer and penance as we wait for the birth of our Savior. This final candle, the “Angel’s Candle,” symbolizes peace. It reminds us of the message of the angels: “Peace on Earth, Good Will Toward Men.”
The second item I would like to show this week is my patch for completing all 48 of New Hampshire’s highest mountains. These are all over 4,000 feet in height. The shortest of these mountains is Mount Tecumseh at 4,003 feet and the tallest being Mount Washington at 6,288 feet. To be on this list there must be a 200-foot prominence between peaks. There are many other mountains that are over 4,000 feet but they do not meet the 200-foot rule. Follow this link for a history of the 4,000 foot club.
After 40 years (10 on, 20 off, 10 on) I have finally completed my counting round of 48. The last peak of this round, Mt Hale, I did was after my ankle injury. Hale was a nice and easy 4000-footer to end on. I started this round just out of high school to help some friends complete their first 4K, Mt. Washington. I hiked with more friends in college just to get outdoors. I took a break when I started to work and finished when my son started to hike. Never give up on your goals.
The last photo I would like to share this week is from the summit of Wachusett Mountain. I just like the glow of the lights from the ski area on the snow and ice covered trees.
“A good photograph is one that communicates a fact, touches the heart and leaves the viewer a changed person for having seen it. It is, in a word, effective.” — Irving Penn
Photos from this week. I was on vacation this week so I had a little more time to get out and take photos.
Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/125 s, 24 mm.
A covered bridge is a timber-truss bridge with a roof, decking, and siding, which in most covered bridges create an almost complete enclosure. The purpose of the covering is to protect the wooden structural members from the weather. This covered bridge is mor of a covered walkway that leads to the Old Mill Restaurant in town.
Here is a photo of the waterfall that you can see as you cross the bridge.
Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/400 s, 35 mm.
This is one of my most photographed locations. I took a photo a month at this location a few years ago.
We had some snow overnight. Here are some photos of the snow.
Tuesday, 12/13/2022: Posted photo — Hike.
Settings: Google Pixel 7, ISO 51, f/1.8, 1/5155 s, 7 mm.
This photo was taken from a member of the hiking group that did not want their photo taken.
Today I went on a hike with members of the Wachusett Hikers. The Wachusett Hikers is a group, that I am a founding member, that was formed by one of my friends a few years ago to organize local hikes. Currently there is over about 1.4K members to the group. Not everyone is active in the group, but we are surprised by the number of people interested in local hiking. Not bad for a group that started out with just five members.
Settings: Google Pixel 7, ISO 57, f/1.8, 1/1287 s, 7 mm.
This is the 90thanniversary boot. My wife and I take a trip up to the LL Bean Flagship store every year to go shopping for the holidays. We have a weekend away in Maine and other places a few times a year. Some of these trips we took were electronics free. We spent time in Kittery, ME and Freeport, ME.
Here is a photo of one of the decorated trees at the flagship store.
Thursday, 12/15/2022: Posted photo — Ducks and Goose.
Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/500 s, 50 mm.
I went back to the Old Mill today to take a photo of the ducks and geese. The Old Mill has a duck pond and there are ducks and geese there all year round.
As a bonus for today, I am posting a photo of our neighbor’s driveway. I always like the look of their driveway in the snow.
Friday, 12/16/2022: Post photo — Wachusett Mountain.
Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/1250 s, 88 mm.
Here is a photo of Wachusett Mountain from Round Meadow Pond. You have seen a photo from this location in the past. This is the first one at this location in the snow for this winter season.
Saturday, 12/17/2022: Post photo — Wachusett Mountain Ski Area.
Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 200, f/7.1, 1/640 s, 18 mm.
Here is a photo of the Wachusett Mountain ski area. This is the mountain that I hike one or two times a week since I fractured my ankle. I hiked this mountain two to three times a week, minimum, before my accident.
Photo by Joseph Ciras 