Category Archives: Inspiration

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

March 1, 2026

Posted under

hiking, Inspiration, Nature, Photography, religion, Thoughts, water

Comments

Leave a comment

Photographic Thoughts — 02/22/2026 to 02/28/2026

“If I could tell the story in words, I wouldn’t need to lug around a camera.” — Lewis Hine

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

Sunday, 02/22/2026: Posted photo — First Sunday of Lent.

Lent is a 40-day, solemn season of fasting, prayer, and repentance beginning on Ash Wednesday and ending before Easter. It honors the time Jesus spent fasting in the desert. The primary color worn by the priest is Purple or Violet. This is used for Sunday and weekday Masses. Rose is worn on the fourth Sunday of Lent, Laetare Sunday, as a sign of joy and hope amidst the penitential season. Red is used for Palm Sunday and Good Friday to represent the Passion of Christ. White is worn on Easter Sunday to represent joy and celebration.

If you count the days between Ash Wednesday and Easter, you will see that there are more than 40. Sundays are not included in the count. Also, Easter is always the first Sunday after the first Paschal Full Moon. The Paschal Full Moon is the first ecclesiastical full moon occurring on or after the vernal equinox. An ecclesiastical full moon is the 14th day of a tabular, or calendar-based, lunar month, rather than the actual astronomical full moon.

So many definitions today. Do not worry, no quiz will be given.

Monday, 02/23/2026: Posted photo — Bird Prints.

For the first time since the ice storm in 2008, I did not have work today due to blizzard conditions. I spent most of the day shoveling outside to ease the final clearing of the snow.

I took this photo yesterday. We were going somewhere I saw these bird prints in the snow. I have seen a flock of birds in our yard over the last few days gathering and preparing for the storm.

Tuesday, 02/24/2026: Posted photo — Anthurium.

I gave this plant to my wife as a gift. This is a real plant. The leaves on this plant make it look plastic.

Wednesday, 02/25/2026: Posted photo — Patterns in the Snow.

It has been very windy over the last couple of days. I was looking out my office window and saw this windblown pattern in the pile of snow in the parking lot. I took this with my cell phone through glass so I hope you can see the patterns clearly. Buildings and trees aid the formation of eddies in the wind causing these patterns.

Thursday, 02/26/2026: Posted photo — Roses Again.

I have not much to say today. Here is a photo of more roses. I know that I take many photos of roses. I take them when I am shopping as fillers for any day that I do not have time to get out and take a photo. I have been doing this photo project since January 1, 2010, so sometimes I run out of subjects to photograph.

Friday, 02/27/2026: Post photo — Whoopie Pie.

In 2011, the Maine Legislature designated the whoopie pie as the official Maine State Treat, distinguishing it from the state dessert, blueberry pie. Traditionally featuring two chocolate cake-like rounds with a creamy filling, this iconic confection has been baked in Maine since at least 1925. These whoopie pies were made by my wife for a fundraiser for the America Cancer Society Relay for Life. I have walked and camped at the Relay for Life for many years now and will continue to do so as long as I am able. I will post more about the RFL later and will send a link for donations for anyone that would like to help out.

My wife and I travel to Maine to go shopping in Freeport and Kittery, or just to go away for a long weekend. We like to search for the lighthouses in the state and have found many of them.

Let us compare Maine’s shoreline to some other states. Maine has 3,478 miles of shoreline and California’s has 3,427 miles of shoreline. Alaska has the most at 33,904 miles of shoreline. A shoreline includes tidal inlets and other intricate coastal features.

Saturday, 02/28/2026: Post photo — Crow Hills Pond.

Crow Hill Pond is stocked with trout several times a year by Mass Fisheries and Wildlife. The pond is near one of the parking locations that I use to hike Leominster State Forest. I am grateful that I live close to two wonderful hiking locations, Wachusett Mountain and Leominster State Forest. They are both within walking distance of my house

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

“Sumens imagines consolateur et inspirat me. Pulchritudinem mundi video per camera mean.”

“Quod scripsi, scripsi. Ingeniarius sum, non scriptor.”

.–. …. — – —  -… -.–  .— — … . .–. ….  -.-. .. .-. .- …

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

February 15, 2026

Posted under

Histoy, Inspiration, Nature, Photography, religion, Thoughts

Comments

Leave a comment

Photographic Thoughts — 02/08/2026 to 02/14/2026

“When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence.” — Ansel Adams

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

This is a week with little words. With work and going out every night to break up the ice dam on our roof, I did not have much time for commentary. I need to get into a better habit of writing every night.

Sunday, 02/08/2026: Posted photo — Unexplored.

The topic of this week’s photo project is unexplored. There are so many unexplored areas of space. I put my phone done and took an astrophotography shot. Too bad the clouds decided to come in when I was taking this photo.

Monday, 02/09/2026: Posted photo — Footprints in the Snow.

We received another three inches or so of snow last night. They plowed the parking lot at work so there was not much snow between the buildings. When I was walking from one shop to the other, I decided to take a photo of my footprints just in case it was too dark when I hiked later in the day.

Tuesday, 02/10/2026: Posted photo — Valentines Flowers.

I saw these while shopping tonight. It seems a little early to purchase flowers for Valentine’s Day. Why do we give flowers anyway. We give them because they symbolize deep, passionate love, beauty, and devotion, embodying the holiday’s essence. Strange because love lasts forever and not roses or flowers.

Wednesday, 02/11/2026: Posted photo — Starting to Wilt.

Case and point from yesterday. Saw these today and they are already starting to wilt with three days to go before Valentines Day.

Thursday, 02/12/2026: Posted photo — Lemons.

Some lemons that I saw while out shopping tonight. I do not know if anyone is waiting for a fruit photo from me every week or not. If you are, here it is.

Friday, 02/13/2026: Post photo — Sun through the Wood.

The sun was shining through some trees on our property tonight. I liked the shadows they were given off and their silhouettes.

Saturday, 02/14/2026: Post photo — Wood Cart.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Here is some AI information on Saint Valentine: “Saint Valentine, officially known as Saint Valentine of Rome, is a third-century Roman saint widely celebrated on February 14 and commonly associated with “courtly love.” Although not much of St. Valentine’s life is reliably known, and whether or not the stories involve two different saints by the same name is also not officially decided, it is highly agreed that St. Valentine was martyred and then buried on the Via Flaminia to the north of Rome.

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

By the way, I do not like using AI because it is like Wikipedia in my option, I cannot verify the source most of the time.

I had to get some wood this morning and had an inspiration to take this photo. It shows our wood cart and some paths that I snow blew in our yard. One path goes to our shed and the other path goes to our basement. The one to the basement is to give me access to our generator if I need to use it.

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

“Sumens imagines consolateur et inspirat me. Pulchritudinem mundi video per camera mean.”

“Quod scripsi, scripsi. Ingeniarius sum, non scriptor.”

.–. …. — – —  -… -.–  .— — … . .–. ….  -.-. .. .-. .- …

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

February 1, 2026

Posted under

HDR, hiking, Inspiration, Nature, Photography, Thoughts

Comments

Leave a comment

Photographic Thoughts — 01/25/2026 to 01/31/2026

“What I like about photographs is that they capture a moment that’s gone forever, impossible to reproduce.” — Karl Lagerfeld

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

Sunday, 01/25/2026: Posted photo — Breaking Trail.

It is starting to snow today. School for tomorrow has been called off since yesterday. I went out a few times during the day to shovel and snow blow to keep up with the storm. For most of the day we have been receiving 2 to 3 inches of snow per hour. We will have to see how much snow will fall. Today’s photo will be taken tomorrow.

We it is tomorrow and the photo that I took is of my snowshoe trail as I broke the trail into work today. I walk to work during snowstorms because I feel safer walking than driving. It did take my commute from five minutes to over an hour.

Monday, 01/26/2026: Posted photo — Stopping for a Photo.

It is still snowing this morning. I decided to walk to work, as stated above. When I was hiking on the Mid State Trail, I broke the trail. This is good and bad. The bad thing is that it is very tiring and it takes me much longer to get to work. The good thing is that I am out in nature, snowshoeing and breaking a trail.

Breaking the trail in the morning also leaves me breadcrumbs for my walk home. The Mid State is very different on my way home I have roamed off the trail a few times. If you were wondering, we received almost two feet of lighter snow out of the storm.

I know my snowshoes were working since I only sank about six inches in the snow while my hiking poles sank about 18 inches in the snow.

Tuesday, 01/27/2026: Posted photo — A Little Bit of Snow.

I had a dentist appointment this morning. On my way back from the dentist, I wanted to take a photo of the dam to show the amount of snow we received. I know that I posted a photo of this location not too long ago. Forgive me.

As you can see, the snow almost covered the entirety of the dam.

Wednesday, 01/28/2026: Posted photo — Wooden Heart.

Pareidolia — the psychological phenomenon of seeing recognizable shapes, faces, or objects in clouds or other random objects.

I was filling up our wood cart and noticed a heart in a couple pieces of wood. To take this photo, I had to turn my camera diagonally to get the heart shape. It was easier than turning the piece of wood.

composition. Minimalist composition is not the topic of this week’s photo challenge. The topic is Get

Thursday, 01/29/2026: Posted photo — Danger Zone.

This is a danger zone on our house. With the colder temperatures, and direct sunlight, these icicles formed. These are some of the largest icicles that I have seen in a long time. I knocked them off my roof shortly after taking this photo.

Friday, 01/30/2026: Post photo — Iced Jellyfish.

Jellyfish are about 95 percent water. Lacking brains, blood, or even hearts, jellyfish are simple critters. These frozen “jellyfish” are located on the side of a building.

With the snow and cold weather, we have been having, these ice formations have attached themselves to screws on the side of the building. As for the weather, the temperature is not predicted to go above freezing for the next couple of weeks.

Saturday, 01/31/2026: Post photo — Path in the Snow.

I was out today doing some cleanup from this week’s storm. I was out for a few hours, snow blowing a path to our shed and the door to our cellar, among our cleanups. I saw one of the paths, put my camera down, and took a blind shot. This is the result.

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

“Sumens imagines consolateur et inspirat me. Pulchritudinem mundi video per camera mean.”

“Quod scripsi, scripsi. Ingeniarius sum, non scriptor.”

.–. …. — – —  -… -.–  .— — … . .–. ….  -.-. .. .-. .- …

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

January 25, 2026

Posted under

Photography, Inspiration, Nature, HDR

Comments

Leave a comment

Photographic Thoughts — 01/18/2026 to 01/24/2026

“If you want to be a better photographer, stand in front of more interesting stuff.” — Jim Richardson

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

Sunday, 01/18/2026: Posted photo — Cold Sky.

Why did I take a photo of the Sun without a filter on my camera? The sun was filtered by a layer of clouds that contained snow. Sometimes when you see the Sun in the cold sky, there is a rainbow or a sundog. Today there was just the Sun. I looked up in the morning and saw nature’s filter and took this photo. This photo is an example of minimization, or one subject and much empty space.

Monday, 01/19/2026: Posted photo — Snow on Wood.

It was snowing again today. For two out of the last three days, we had snow. Not heavy snow, or light snow, just good snowshoeing snow. I seem to be always drawn to snow on this old pile of logs in our yard. One of these days, I will get my wood splitter fixed and move these old logs to the cottage.

Tuesday, 01/20/2026: Posted photo — Old Stone Church.

The Old Stone Church in West Boylston MA was built in the early 1890s to replace the Baptist church which had been lost in a fire. About 10 years later, it had to be abandoned for the creation of the Wachusett Reservoir. In 1974 the roof and parts of the walls collapsed due to neglect.

Today there is a roof on the structure, and the walls are braced against collapse. Weddings for under 25 people are held at the church now. The church is just a shell inside and is an interesting piece of architecture. I have visited the church many times over the years. I visited before the roof was on and after the roof was installed.

What I like about this photo is the contrast of the flag against the white background. What a wonderful day with new fallen snow and a bright blue sky.

Wednesday, 01/21/2026: Posted photo — Winter Scene.

I do not have much to say about this photo. Just a wintery scene in which I am using minimalist composition. Minimalist composition is not the topic of this week’s photo challenge. The topic is Get High, or take a photo from an elevated perspective, looking down on a subject.

Topic photo coming later this week.

Thursday, 01/22/2026: Posted photo — Sunflower.

This is a HDR photo of a sunflower. HDR is a term that some photographers cringe at. HDR stands for High Dynamic Range. HDR is a technique that exposes details in the brightest and darkest parts of photographs. It is also known as bracketing or exposure blending.

This is a single photo HDR of the sunflower. When I normally create my HDR photos, I use exposure bracketing. I take a minimum of three photos, usually five photos: overexposing one or two, under exposing one or two, and taking one at normal exposure. The amount of under or over exposure depends on the lighting of my subject at the time of the photo.

Friday, 01/23/2026: Post photo — The State of the Nation.

Some people will say this is the current state of the nation.

Saturday, 01/24/2026: Post photo — View from Above.

This is the view from our roof looking down at our vehicles. I was up on the roof to clean off the top of our wood stove stack before we left for a cubing event. As stated earlier in the week, this is the topic of this week’s photo project. There is a prediction of almost two feet of snow in our area starting tomorrow night into Monday afternoon. I will be hiking to work on Monday.

The cubing event is at BART in Adams, MA. I am looking out the window at a clear sky with a great view of Mount Graylock, the tallest peak in Massachusetts. Mount Graylock has an elevation of 3,489 ft [1063 m] and is located at an azimuth of 279° from the summit of Wachusett Mountain.

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

“Sumens imagines consolateur et inspirat me. Pulchritudinem mundi video per camera mean.”

“Quod scripsi, scripsi. Ingeniarius sum, non scriptor.”

.–. …. — – —  -… -.–  .— — … . .–. ….  -.-. .. .-. .- …

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

December 28, 2025

Posted under

Friendship, hiking, Inspiration, Nature, Photography, religion, Thoughts

Comments

Leave a comment

Photographic Thoughts — 12/21/2025 to 12/27/2025

“Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst.” — Henri Cartier-Bresson

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

Sunday, 12/21/2025: Posted photo — George S Hutchings Organ.

This organ is in the Ashburnham Community Church. I was at the church this afternoon for Lessons and Carols. Lessons and Carols is a service of Scripture and song that dates to the late 19th century. There are nine brief Scripture lessons, which recount the Fall, the promise of a Messiah, the Birth of Jesus, the Shepherds, the Wise Men, and the Incarnation. Each lesson is followed by a carol or other song that reflects on the lesson’s message and a brief prayer.

Back to the organ, the organ was made in 1886 by George Hutchings of Boston, who later made the first organ at Boston’s Symphony Hall. The organ came to the church from an organ clearing house, and between its previous home and the clearing house, it lost its casing.

Monday, 12/22/2025: Posted photo — Day Hike.

I took the opportunity today to hike during the day. I am taking vacation time this week and next week to relax for the holidays. It has been a while since I led a hike during the day. We attempted to get to the summit before sunset. We did not, since there were patches of ice on the trail. There was not enough ice to wear micospikes, so we had to carefully bear boot along the trail.

Next week I will be hiking even earlier in the day. Hiking during the day will allow more people to join me and possibly break in their new hiking equipment that they may receive during the holiday.

Tuesday, 12/23/2025: Posted photo — Sunset After Glow.

Still did not make it to the summit for sunset. I arrived at the summit just after sunset, during golden hour.

Here is the different types of natural light depending on the Sun elevation:

  • Day: Elevation higher than 6°.
  • Golden hour: Elevation between 6° and -4°.
  • Blue hour: Elevation between -4° and -6°.
  • Civil twilight: Elevation between 0° and -6°.
  • Nautical twilight: Elevation between -6° and -12°.
  • Astronomical twilight: Elevation between -12° and -18°.
  • Night: Elevation lower than -18°.

Wednesday, 12/24/2025: Posted photo — Christmas Eve.

I hope every has a wonderful holiday season. Our family celebrates both Hanukkah and Christmas.

Time to enjoy family and friends.

Thursday, 12/25/2025: Posted photo — Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate. Happy Holidays for those who celebrated Hanukkah or another holiday this time of year.

“For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord.” Luke 2:11

Jesus was born for all of us. Not just for the rich, not just the poor, all of us. It does not matter the color of your skin, your immigration status, your wealth, your political beliefs, all of us.

He was born into poverty, under harsh conditions, to show us that we make ourselves into what we believe and how we would want others to treat us. We should not be influenced by others, only the teaching of Jesus and scripture. Our true character is based on our own belief and should not be the belief of other false prophets or gods.

“Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” Luke 2:14

“In becoming man, Jesus took upon himself our fragility, identifying with each one of us: with those who have nothing left and have lost everything, with those who are prey to hunger and poverty, with those who are fleeing their homeland to seek a future elsewhere, with those who have lost their jobs and those who are looking for work, with those who are exploited, with those in prison, who often live in inhumane conditions.” Pope Leo XIV

Friday, 12/26/2025: Post photo — Yellow Rose.

One of the meanings of a yellow rose is for a sign of remembrance. This time of year, I remember the loss of our daughter by putting a rose on our tree.

I took this photo as a gift to her since I was drawn to its arrangement.

Saturday, 12/27/2025: Post photo — Ginger Roots.

Here are some health benefits of ginger roots that I have found online.

  1. Popular Digestive Aid: Settles Stomach Issues
  2. Therapy for Nausea: Reduces Motion Sickness and More
  3. Powerful Anti-inflammatory: Reduces Joint Pain and Relieves Arthritis
  4. Provides Pain Relief: Soothes Migraines and Menstrual Pain
  5. Anti-tumor Properties: Successful in Killing Cancer Cells
  6. Anti-diabetic Compounds: Lowers Blood Sugar and Increases Insulin Release
  7. Heals the Heart: Treats a Variety of Cardiovascular Conditions
  8. Relieves Respiratory Disorders: Effective in Treating Asthma
  9. Immunity-booster: Reduces Coughs and Colds
  10. Potent Antioxidant: Slows Down DNA Damage

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

“Sumens imagines consolateur et inspirat me. Pulchritudinem mundi video per camera mean.”

“Quod scripsi, scripsi. Ingeniarius sum, non scriptor.”

.–. …. — – —  -… -.–  .— — … . .–. ….  -.-. .. .-. .- …

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

November 30, 2025

Posted under

Friendship, Inspiration, Nature, Photography, Thoughts

Comments

Leave a comment

Photographic Thoughts — 11/23/2025 to 11/29/2025

“Photography is the story I fail to put into words.” — Destin Sparks

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

Sunday, 11/23/2025: Posted photo — Books.

Some books at my in-laws. We had our first Thanksgiving dinner today since we had relatives home to do some work at their house.

Monday, 11/24/2025: Posted photo — Yellow Chrysanthemum.

Some flowers to brighten your day.

Tuesday, 11/25/2025: Posted photo — Plumberry Purple Garden Mums.

I found this flower interesting as I saw it today. I liked its size and color.

Wednesday, 11/26/2025: Posted photo — Rose.

Whenever I need a photograph, I look for a rose. I found this one in a store as I was doing my grocery shopping. I went shopping a day later this week since I was sick in bed all day on Monday.

Thursday, 11/27/2025: Posted photo — Lilys Home First Kiss.

Lily’s Home First Kiss Resin Garden Statue, Little Girl and Boy Kissing. This is on the porch at my in-law’s. We were there today for our second Thanksgiving dinner of the week. The first one had 20 people and this one had only nine.

Friday, 11/28/2025: Post photo — Wild Turkeys Windsor Ware.

I have posted a photo of these plates many times before. I just needed to post one today.

Saturday, 11/29/2025: Post photo — Footprint.

We had some squalls go through the area yesterday and today. I was out doing yardwork, finishing cleaning up leave, when they came through so I stopped working yesterday, finishing today.

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

“Sumens imagines consolateur et inspirat me. Pulchritudinem mundi video per camera mean.”

“Quod scripsi, scripsi. Ingeniarius sum, non scriptor.”

.–. …. — – —  -… -.–  .— — … . .–. ….  -.-. .. .-. .- …

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

November 2, 2025

Posted under

Inspiration, memorial, Nature, Photography, religion, Thoughts

Comments

Leave a comment

Photographic Thoughts — 10/26/2025 to 11/01/2025

“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

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

Sunday, 10/26/2025: Posted photo — Corn.

“Corn is a healthy grain and a source of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. It may promote eye and digestive health.” https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/corn

Monday, 10/27/2025: Posted photo — Gourds.

“Gourds are any of the hard-shelled fruits of certain members of the gourd family, Cucurbitaceae. Many gourds are cultivated as ornamentals, decorations, or food crops, and some can be dried and used to make decorative or useful objects.” https://www.britannica.com/plant/gourd

Tuesday, 10/28/2025: Posted photo — Roses.

Just a photo of roses for today. Shopping day leads to “what am I going to photograph today?” There are usually flowers where I go shopping.

Wednesday, 10/29/2025: Posted photo — Onions.

“Onions may provide potential health benefits. These may include reducing the risk of several types of cancer, improving mood, and maintaining skin and hair health.” https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/276714

Thursday, 10/30/2025: Posted photo — Rainbow.

This is an older photo of a rainbow. Rainbow symbolizes new beginnings and change.

I am posting this photo as a symbol of joy and remembrance.

Friday, 10/31/2025: Post photo — Knollwood Memorial Park.

“Knollwood Memorial Park was founded in 1898 by a group of people with a vision of a modern garden-style cemetery that would serve the residents of Eastern Massachusetts. Centrally located in an idyllic setting overlooking the Neponset Valley in Canton, Massachusetts, Knollwood’s location on 340 acres was carefully selected for it’s natural beauty.

Although it is one of New England’s oldest and largest memorial parks, Knollwood is a modern, well designed cemetery with exquisitely manicured grounds. Distinctive works of Carerra marble sculptures and statuary provide visitors with inspiring settings while flowering trees and a myriad of floral plantings serve as a lovely haven that comforts those who come to remember their loved ones.” https://knollwoodmemorial.com/about/history-of-knollwood/

We were at the park for an burial yesterday and took a photo of this statue.

V/. Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord.
R/. And let perpetual light shine upon her.
V/. May she rest in peace.
R/. Amen.

V/. May her soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
R/. Amen.

Saturday, 11/01/2025: Post photo — Reflection.

A reflection of a fake Jack-O-Lantern in a window.

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

“Quod scripsi, scripsi. Ingeniarius sum, non scriptor.”

“Sumens imagines consolatur et inspirat me. Pulchritudinem mundi video per cameram meam.”

.–. …. — – —  -… -.–  .— — … . .–. ….  -.-. .. .-. .- …

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

October 12, 2025

Posted under

hiking, Inspiration, Nature, Photography, Thoughts, Wedding

Comments

Leave a comment

Photographic Thoughts — 10/05/2025 to 10/11/2025

“Taking an image, freezing a moment, reveals how rich reality truly is.” — Anonymous

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

Little words this week. I have been tired and my creativity this week is low.

Sunday, 10/05/2025: Posted photo — Bolton Pond.

Bolton Pond off the Bolton Pond Trail on Wachusett Mountain. This is a trail that I hike on once every year or two since it is one that I find not very interesting to hike. The trail is relatively flat and hard to follow sometimes. I was a little surprised to see that the Commonwealth has done trail work and it is easier to follow.

This trail had a turn that was very wide and, if you did not know the trail, you would have wandered into the woods. The Commonwealth made a barrier at this corner to force people to stay on the trail.

Monday, 10/06/2025: Posted photo — More Progress.

Here is my weekly progress photo of the lift installation. The lift structures are almost all installed. The chairs themselves have not been installed and are still in the ski area parking lot.

Tuesday, 10/07/2025: Posted photo — Lakeside.

We went to the cottage to take out the dock on this fine fall day. The foliage is just starting and should be a peak soon.

This is the view from our cottage looking over Winnekeag Lake.

Wednesday, 10/08/2025: Posted photo — Texture of Pine.

I am testing a plant ID app that I have been using to identify trees. The app is called Seek. I used it to identify the bark of this pine tree.

Thursday, 10/09/2025: Posted photo — Slope Aspect Navigation.

When you are lost in the woods, you are taught to triangulate. The problem is, when you are lost you do not have any objects to triangulate on.

One way of locating yourself is by slope aspect or finding your location off the contour of the land. This is something I have been practicing for a while and hope to never use. If you want to know more about this technique, please leave a comment.

This is the slope that one of the lifts is at were one of the hiking trails cross the ski area.

Friday, 10/10/2025: Post photo — Day after Full.

This is a photo of the Hunter (or Harvest) moon the day after it was officially full. I took this photo two nights ago and just processed it today.

This photo was extracted from a 15 second video of the moon. I have a photo stacking program that will extract all the frames from a video and stack them into one photo. I have not used this photo much, so I wanted to give it a try again.

I have not been very happy with my moon shots lately. I do not know if it is my eyes or the lens. When I take moon photos, I zoom in as much as possible and manually focus my lens. My “moon” lens is all manual. The zoom is set at 1050 mm and placed on my tripod. With the length of the lens, any breeze or wind will make it shake. I use live view to focus, and it looks focused on the camera. I may have to take my lens apart and give it a cleaning.

Saturday, 10/11/2025: Post photo — Covered Bridge.

This covered bridge is located at the Foster Country Club in Foster RI. This was the site of one of my cousin’s daughter’s wedding yesterday afternoon. Here daughter likes my nature photography and asked me to photograph her wedding.

The photos from the wedding came out great. The photos from the reception were not so great because of the lighting. It is very difficult to take photos inside when they keep the reception hall dark. You need a very fast lens to take photos. I had a fast lens, but with the darkness and the colored lights from the DJ’s booth, I am not happy with the RAW photos.

It is now time to go through all my photos, edit them, and make them presentable to bride and groom.

Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Grasso!

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

“Quod scripsi, scripsi. Ingeniarius sum, non scriptor.”

“Sumens imagines consolatur et inspirat me. Pulchritudinem mundi video per cameram meam.”

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

October 5, 2025

Posted under

hiking, Inspiration, Nature, Photography, Thoughts

Comments

Leave a comment

Photographic Thoughts — 09/28/2025 to 10/04/2025

“I never have taken a picture I’ve intended. They’re always better or worse.” — Diane Arbus

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

Sunday, 09/28/2025: Posted photo — Bricks.

For the photo project that ended today, the subject was “Soundtrack”. I was having difficulty coming up with a subject.

I was cooking at the grill today and saw the bricks on the ground. The Pink Floyd song “Another Brick In The Wall” came to mind. I do not really like Pink Floyd too much, but I needed a subject, and I saw the bricks. I was hoping that I would find a brick wall, but we spent the day at the lake, and I was not able to get a photo. We live in an area with brick houses that pre-date the American Revolution.

Monday, 09/29/2025: Posted photo — Sunset.

Sunset was a strange color tonight. It was also one of the better sunsets in a while. The clouds were forming a vortex, pointing to something out west.

Sorry about the quality of this photo. The sun was setting quickly and took a quick photo while on the move.

Tuesday, 09/30/2025: Posted photo — Fire in the Sky.

Once again there was a very red sunset. During my hike, I saw the sunset blazing in the trees. It made the trees look like they were on fire.

I hope this photo does this justice, but photos never do justice to seeing nature live.

Wednesday, 10/01/2025: Posted photo — Texture 1 – Pineapple.

The photo topic this week is texture. I will be taking texture photos during the week. During my shopping trip, I saw pineapples and took a photo of the texture of their skin.

Thursday, 10/02/2025: Posted photo — Texture 2 – Dragon Fruit.

Today I took a photo of some dragon fruit to show more texture. I will be picking one of these photos for my submission. I will keep looking for more textures during the week.

Friday, 10/03/2025: Post photo — Mums.

Mums are hardy fall plants. At this time of year, almost every place that sells plants has mums.

There are two different types of mums: 1) “Garden” mums (found at garden nurseries) are hardy perennial plants. 2) “Florist” mums (often found at grocery stores and flower shops) are treated as decorative annuals and not grown to survive the winter.

I will have to do more research on the difference between the “garden” and “florist” varieties.

Saturday, 10/04/2025: Post photo — More Mums.

Here are more mums that I saw today. These are also “garden” mums.

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

“Quod scripsi, scripsi. Ingeniarius sum, non scriptor.”

“Sumens imagines consolatur et inspirat me. Pulchritudinem mundi video per cameram meam.”

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

September 28, 2025

Posted under

hiking, Inspiration, Nature, Photography, Thoughts, water

Comments

Leave a comment

Photographic Thoughts — 09/21/2025 to 09/27/2025

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

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

Sunday, 09/21/2025: Posted photo — American Dagger Moth Caterpillar.

The American Dagger Mot is found in America east of the Rocky Mountains in wooded areas. They feed on many common types of trees such as oaks and maples and are often found on the ground in the forest. This caterpillar protects itself from danger by “stinging” anything that touches it. I did not touch it since I knew that some caterpillars sting and I did not know at the time if this was one of those.

Here is one of the many differences between a butterfly and a moth. Butterflies tend to fold their wings vertically up over their backs. Moths tend to hold their wings in a tent-like fashion that hides the abdomen. Butterflies are typically larger and have more colorful patterns on their wings. Moths are typically smaller with drab-colored wings.

Monday, 09/22/2025: Posted photo — Lift Progress.

Wachusett Mountain is putting in a new high-speed lift. I have been showing photos of progress as I hike past the construction. This lift is much larger than the lift they just removed.

Tuesday, 09/23/2025: Posted photo — Roses.

Over the last couple of weeks, I have been showing individual roses from this bush. This bush is the one that I did not think it would survive before it was transplanted.

When I planted it in the new flower bed, I took care to help it grow by watering it and keeping the ground fertilized. It is now growing wonderfully.

The yellow roses and the white roses bloom at different times. This is like other plants, such as our azaleas, in which the different colors bloom at different times.

Wednesday, 09/24/2025: Posted photo — Full Moon.

As I was looking for a file today, I found this photo of the moon. I took this photo a while ago. It is a composite of 10 separate photos.

This is one of my favorite full moon photos, so I wanted to share it with you.

Thursday, 09/25/2025: Posted photo — Rose during Rain.

We finally had rain. The rain took all the petals off the yellow roses. I noticed that there was a rosebud on this plant.

As I walked past it, I noticed the raindrops on the rose. I went back inside, grabbed my camera and its rain cover and took this photo.

Friday, 09/26/2025: Post photo — Elm Tree.

I like the look of this tree. I photographed it often a few years ago. On my way to work today, I wanted to photograph a great sunrise so I pulled into the cemetery to see if I could get a better view.

I do not know why I pulled into the cemetery, but I found my way to photograph this tree.

Saturday, 09/27/2025: Post photo — Lakeside.

Today was the church bazar. After the bazar we went to our cottage to have a cookout. I took this photo since I liked the way the sun reflected off the hill on the other side of the lake.

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

“Quod scripsi, scripsi. Ingeniarius sum, non scriptor.”

“Sumens imagines consolatur et inspirat me. Pulchritudinem mundi video per cameram meam.”