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May 10, 2026

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Photographic Thoughts — 05/03/2026 to 05/09/2026

“You don’t take a photograph. You ask quietly to borrow it.” — Unknown

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

Sunday, 05/03/2026: Posted photo — Wilderness First Aid.

I renewed my Wilderness First Aid (WFA) and CPR certifications this weekend. The first couple of times that I took the class, it was through Stonehearth Open Learning Opportunities, Inc. (SOLO). This time it was through the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). I found both good programs with NOLS being more informative. There were more hands-on training and scenarios with all participants being victims and rescuers. There is information and techniques that I will use from both programs.

WFA needs to be renewed every two years. I need it to lead hikes in the upcountry and winter. It is also a great skill to have for life in general. This is one training that I hope only to use during training sessions.

Monday, 05/04/2026: Posted photo — X Marks the Spot.

Some contrails that cross to make an “X”. Contrails are line-shaped ice clouds produced by aircraft engine exhaust or pressure changes at high altitudes, typically above 25,000 feet.

Tuesday, 05/05/2026: Posted photo — Flowers.

My typical weekly photos of flowers. These were in a Mother’s Day bouquet at a store that I shopped in today.

Wednesday, 05/06/2026: Posted photo — Fiddleheads.

Fiddlehead ferns are edible and is one of the early signs of spring. These fiddleheads are growing near our mailbox. This is a yearly photo for me. I like the details of the plant.

Thursday, 05/07/2026: Posted photo — Azure Bluets.

This small, delicate perennial is found growing in compact tufts, 8 in. high. The plants may cover broad expanses. Tiny flowers are pale blue with yellow centers, tubular, four-lobed, solitary, and terminal. Spatula-shaped leaves occur in basal rosettes. Stem leaves are small and the stems are unbranched.

This is also a yearly photo that I take just before I mow them down. They will still be in our year for a few more days since our lawn is wet from the on and off rain we are having this week.

Friday, 05/08/2026: Post photo — Further Development.

The sugar maple is developing more leaves. I have shown you over the last few weeks the development of these leaves. I will keep showing you until they are mature.

Saturday, 05/09/2026: Post photo — Slow Shutter Speed.

I needed a slow shutter speed photo for this week’s photo project, so I took a photo of a ceiling fan. We have a fire in our wood stove today to take the chill out of the 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.”

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

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May 3, 2026

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Photographic Thoughts — 04/26/2026 to 05/02/2026

“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

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

Sunday, 04/26/2026: Posted photo — Music.

Singing in Church is an essential form of prayer, praise, and active participation in the Mass. St. Augustine once said that singing is “Double” Prayer. This phrase highlights that singing adds an emotional and spiritual depth to prayer that spoken words alone might not.

I stay up in the choir loft with my family, my mother-in-law, and other friends. I sing softly since I do not have a great voice.

Monday, 04/27/2026: Posted photo — Monument.

The plaque reads: “10th Mountain Division. In memory of comrades who gave their lives in the Aleutians and Italy in WWII. This elite division of alpine troops spearheaded the victorious fifth army against the mountainous gothic line fortresses and across the PO Valley to shatter the German defenses in Northern Italy. It was their love of mountains, coupled with their dedication to human freedom, that they inspired hundreds of young patriots to join the 10th mountain division. Many returned to their beloved mountain. Those heroes who did not return are still fondly remembered as brave men whose souls rest forever. Sempre Avanti.”

This plaque is near the summit of Wachusett Mountain and was installed in 1975.

Tuesday, 04/28/2026: Posted photo — Vote.

Many people complain about this administration and the past administration. They only vote every four years, or do not vote at all. I say if you do not vote in your local elections then you have no grounds for complaining about federal elections. Voting is your voice. Article 1 of the Constitution gives us the right to vote. This gave states the responsibility of overseeing federal elections. Many constitutional amendments and federal laws protecting voting rights have been passed since then.

The only people that do not want people to vote are those who either did not read the Constitution or are attempting to silence the people. This opinion is not just mine. I have heard this from Republicans, Democrats, Independents, and others from all sides of the aisle.

Voting is your right. Please vote every chance you have to do so.

Wednesday, 04/29/2026: Posted photo — Bleeding Hearts.

Bleeding Hearts symbolize romantic love, heartbreak, and passion. It is frequently used in shaded garden borders, woodland gardens, and cut floral designs. There is a four-to-six-week period in which bleeding hearts grow. For many years, I have seen these bleeding hearts grow and by the time I get back to them to photograph, they are past.

Thursday, 04/30/2026: Posted photo — Stone Wall.

A closeup photo of a stone wall. Field stone walls are traditional, durable structures built from natural, weathered stones (often New England fieldstone) that are either dry-laid or mortared, offering a rustic, earthy look. Stone walls found in woodlands are primarily relics of 18th to 19th-century European agriculture, built to delineate property, manage livestock, or dispose of rocks cleared from fields.

Friday, 05/01/2026: Post photo — Stay on the Trail.

One of the many trails on Wachusett. This sign is on one of the steeper trails on the mountain. As you can see, the trail drops off shortly after this sign. This section has a 17° grade, which is categorized as a steep grade.

This is the middle section of Jack Frost Trail. This is one of my favorite sections of trail in the winter. Because of its steepness and location of the slope, there is plenty of opportunity to practice my winter skills.

Saturday, 05/02/2026: Post photo — First Moon Photo.

This is the first moon photo I took with my new camera. I kept playing with the setting. The settings kept jumping around on their own when I was adjusting in manual mode.

There is much to learn about this camera.

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.”

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

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April 26, 2026

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Photographic Thoughts — 04/19/2026 to 04/25/2026

“When people ask me what equipment I use – I tell them my eyes.” — Anonymous

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

Sunday, 04/19/2026: Posted photo — Gospel Cover.

The Gospel Cover at our church. This is made of heavy metallic material to protect the book.

Monday, 04/20/2026: Posted photo — Rain.

Rain is one of nature’s beauties. I just like looking out in the distance to see rain.

In this case, I was at the summit of the mountain with a group and saw the rain heading our way. It originally was heading north of our location and then it started to come towards us. I notified others in the group, and we decided to head back down the mountain before the rain.

It did not rain on us.

Tuesday, 04/21/2026: Posted photo — Trail Junction.

“You are here.” This is one of the trail junctions on Wachusett Mountain. There is a total of 67 trail junctions on the mountain. These junctions include all road crossings and trails that the weekend hikers will not use due to their location. One summer I determined all the GPS locations and elevations at these trail junctions. I also have all the bearings of the trails that join at each junction. I use this information when I teach my map and compass (navigation) classes.

Wednesday, 04/22/2026: Posted photo — Developing Leaves.

This is one of our sugar maples trees further along in this season’s growth. I like the details in the baby leaves as they start to grow into adult leaves.

Thursday, 04/23/2026: Posted photo — Ansel Adams Look.

Last week I posted a photo titled “Chaos in Nature”. That had me thinking about Ansel Adams and how he takes black and white photos of nature. I do not know if this is of his quality, but I attempted to duplicate his style this week.

Friday, 04/24/2026: Post photo — Flag.

The United States Flag against the clear blue sky.

Saturday, 04/25/2026: Post photo — Cube.

Many of you know this at a Rubik cube. Ernő Rubik, a Hungarian architecture professor, created a prototype of a three-dimensional cube in 1974. Today most, if not all, the fastest solvers in the world do not use a Rubik brand cube. I solved my first cube in 1980 when the cube was first available to the public. My best time back then was about 2.5 minutes. The first world record was 22.95 seconds.

I started competing in 2025 because our son was organizing a competition at the school where he works. I have only 39 competitive solves under my belt. Before today’s competition, I am ranked 267,814 in the world for the 3x3x3 cube; 177,872 in the world for the 2x2x2 cube; and 117,962 in the world in Pyraminx, a pyramid shaped puzzle.

Today I finished in 75 of 77 in the 3x3x3 event with a personal best single time of 1:17:82 and personal best average of 1:37.71, 64 of 65 in the 2x2x2 event with a personal best average of 21.62, and 41 of 44 in Pyramix with a personal best average of 15.22 seconds. Not bad times for someone who just dug his cubes out of storage last night and has not solved for many months.

To put these times in perspective, the current world record for the 3x3x3 is 2.76 seconds, for the 2x2x2 it is 0.39 seconds, and for the Pyramix it is 0.73 seconds.

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.”

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

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April 19, 2026

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Photographic Thoughts — 04/12/2026 to 04/18/2026

“Today everything exists to end in a photograph.” — Susan Sontag

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

Short and sweet this week. I wrote my comments later in the week, so I did an executive summary of the reason behind each photo.

Sunday, 04/12/2026: Posted photo — Altar.

When I was setting up the numbers today, the light was reflecting off the chalices. I had my phone with me and took this photo. I like the simplicity of this photo.

Monday, 04/13/2026: Posted photo — Hiker.

This hiker allowed me to take his photo tonight. I need a photo of a stranger for my photo project. As I say many times, I take a photo early in the week of the topic for the week just in case I do not have the opportunity to do so later in the week.

Tuesday, 04/14/2026: Posted photo — Fire Tower.

This is the new fire tower on Wachusett Mountain. It was built in 2014 and replaced the tower that was built in 1966. I did have the opportunity to go up into the tower. It is only opened once a year to the public.

Wednesday, 04/15/2026: Posted photo — Crocus.

The crocus that I showed you last week has opened. Here is a photo.

Thursday, 04/16/2026: Posted photo — Sunset.

Another summit, another sunset.

Friday, 04/17/2026: Post photo — Chaos in Nature.

I took this photo attempting to get a photo of the sun through the trees near the summit. Looking at it, it is chaos. I did not delete this photo since it shows that nature is not always the beautiful scenes most of us are used to seeing. Nature is sometime very chaotic. There is beauty in chaos.

Saturday, 04/18/2026: Post photo — Round Meadow Pond.

This is one of the first photos I have taken with my new camera. I purchased an entry level mirrorless camera, a Canon EOS R50. I need to get used to the camera. It is much smaller and lighter than my 60D and does not have all the features. I have a lens adapter since the lens mount is different. After 14 years with one camera, I need to start learning photography again.

This photo was taken with the stock lens.

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.”

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

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April 5, 2026

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Photographic Thoughts — 03/29/2026 to 04/04/2026

“A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you the less you know.” — Diane Arbus

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

Sunday, 03/29/2026: Posted photo — Psalm Sunday.

Palm Sunday serves as a day of reflection on Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem. This is the first day of Holy Week. Holy Week starts with the triumphant entry and leads to the Easter Triduum: Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, the Passion of the Lord on Good Friday, of the Lord’s Passion and ends with the Mass of the Resurrection of the Lord. Good Friday is the only day of the year that a Mass does not happen, just a service.

Jesus died for all of us, not just a selected few. Jesus is a person of equality and peace for all. Some people forget this.

Monday, 03/30/2026: Posted photo — Bat House.

From https://www.mass.gov/guides/bat-houses: “Bat houses are particularly helpful in providing alternative roosting habitat for bats that are excluded from homes. In turn, this reduces the chance of human contact with bats. Installing a bat house can provide a safe environment for bats, while protecting your yard from pest insects, like mosquitoes, moths, and beetles. Bat houses give females a safe, warm place to raise their young. Since most female bats only have one pup each year, bat populations grow very slowly. Additionally, due to habitat loss and degradation, it is becoming harder for bats to locate natural roost sites to raise their young. By installing a bat house, you can provide mothers and their pups with a safe home.”

This bat house is at one of the trailheads on Wachusett Mountain.

Tuesday, 03/31/2026: Posted photo — Gold Nugget.

The gold nugget mandarin is often considered one of the best-tasting mandarins in the world. They are only available during the months of February to May.

Wednesday, 04/01/2026: Posted photo — Mushrooms.

A mushroom on some wood in our yard. I need to move this wood to the cottage to burn during the summer. It is taking up too much room in our yard.

Thursday, 04/02/2026: Posted photo — Sunset.

A wonderful sunset from the summit of Wachusett Mountain. I need to start taking up my DSLR to get better photos.

I am in the process of upgrading my camera. I purchased it over 12 years ago and is showing its age.

Friday, 04/03/2026: Post photo — Lost Hat.

Someone lost a hat during a hike. I put it on this signpost, just in case the person is looking for it. This is what is typically done if you find a piece of clothing on the tail, put it on a tree branch, or some other high location, so that the owner can find it.

Saturday, 04/04/2026: Post photo — New Growth.

Some croci starting to bloom in our yard. There is new growth starting all over the area. We grow a little later in this area since we are further north and the snow cover last longer.

I am amazed sometimes when I drive into Worcester and see how much further the blooms on the trees are from 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.”

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

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March 15, 2026

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Photographic Thoughts — 03/08/2026 to 03/14/2026

“Essentially what photography is life lit up.” — Sam Abell

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

Sunday, 03/08/2026: Posted photo — Votive Candle.

A little candle in a church, often called a “votive candle”, represents a personal prayer, offering, or intention, allowing a worshiper’s devotion to continue even after they leave. These candles are in a frame that is dedicated to a friend and his wife who have passed. He passed from ASL and she passed from cancer.

Monday, 03/09/2026: Posted photo — Post Hole.

Here is an example of the use of snowshoes vs not using snowshoes. This is from tonight’s hike. I used my snowshoes and others did not. I put my snowshoes next to their post hole to show the difference.

Tuesday, 03/10/2026: Posted photo — Collecting Sap.

The best weather to collect sap is a “freeze-thaw” cycle in late winter/early spring, characterized by nighttime temperatures below freezing and daytime temperatures rising to around 40–45 degrees F (4–7 degrees C). Stop collecting sap when tree buds appear, temperatures remain above freezing at night, or the sap turns yellow/cloudy.

Wednesday, 03/11/2026: Posted photo — Water under the Bridge.

“Water under the bridge” is a phrase used to say that something happened in the past and is no longer important or worth arguing about. Even though I am not very old, I am at a stage where I do not get stressed out with life. I have had a few experiences in my life that I could not control, (loss of a child, loss of a sibling, loss of loved ones, loss of close relatives and friends), that just have me going with the flow, or saying that is just water under the bridge.

Thursday, 03/12/2026: Posted photo — Sunset Afterglow.

I did not make it to the summit for sunset. This was the first night in a few months that I saw the afterglow of the sunset. I did not think I would get a good photo and my intuition was correct. I feel that this photo is too dark. I attempted to edit it, with no luck.

Friday, 03/13/2026: Post photo — Flowing Stream.

The temperatures this week so far had a high of 73 degrees F and a low of 29 degrees F. This was taken during one of the warm days this week. The streams on the mountain were running fast.

Hiking was not easy this week with the rapidly changing conditions. It started out this week where snowshoes were needed. Then the hiking was slow due to muddy trails. Now at the end of the week, we have much cooler temperatures and the muddy areas are starting to freeze. Snowshoes Monday and Tuesday, mud boots Wednesday and Thursday, and bear boot today. Will bear boot tomorrow with my microspike on my pack, just in case I need to use them.

Saturday, 03/14/2026: Post photo — Icefall.

I do not know if this is technically an icefall, but that is what I am calling it.

When on a hike this afternoon with a family friend to stretch out my legs on this wonderful and sunny day. The weather today sums up the weather for this week. It started to be sunny, then the clouds came in and we had a snow squall. Then it was sunny and warm and then the temperature dropped when I was on the trail. The trail conditions were tough. I bear booted and used my spikes. I could have used my snowshoes in spots, but they were so short that it would have been longer to put on and take off my snowshoes as it would have been just walk in that section of snow with my spikes. The ice was hard is some steeper slopes and my spikes did not grip the snow well. I had to be very careful and take it very slowly in those locations.

Now it is time to look at my microspikes to see if they need sharpening. I did use my “rock” spikes, so the odds are great that they do need to be sharpened.

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.”

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

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Photographic Thoughts — 03/01/2026 to 03/07/2026

“Great photography is about depth of feeling, not depth of field.” — Peter Adams

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

Sunday, 03/01/2026: Posted photo — Stain Glass Window.

Last week, the photo challenge was window light. The challenge ends on Sunday so I can take my photo for the challenge and post my first photo for the week. The plan was to take a photo of sunshine coming through the window. This did not happen since it was snowing.

For this photo, I took the shot straight onto the window to attempt to capture as much light as possible. I had to lighten up the wall in post processing because the light that came through the window darkened the wall. The cellphone camera was metered on the window.

Monday, 03/02/2026: Posted photo — Snowshoes.

For tonight’s hike, I just used snowshoes. I may have gotten away with just microspikes, but there reports of many “post holes” on the trail. I will explain what a “post hole” is on Wednesday. I will be getting out of bed early tomorrow to see the lunar eclipse so I will not hike tomorrow night.

I was glad that I did have my snowshoes on since there were may “post holes” that I hiked over. It also helped when I stepped off the trail to let hikers ascend, I did not sink up to my knees in the snow. One of the rules of hiking is that people ascending have the right of way over the descending hikers.

Tuesday, 03/03/2026: Posted photo — Total Lunar Eclipse.

Today’s lunar eclipse was part of a selenelion. A selenelion is a rare astronomical event because both the totally eclipsed moon and the sunrise are visible on the horizon at the same time.

A lunar eclipse is also called a blood moon since the moon turns red. We did not see that this morning since it was sunrise and the moon was washed out. I have a difficult time focusing in on the moon as it was getting closer to totality, so instead of using my “moon” lens, I had to use my 300mm lens. Light is refracted around the Earth giving the moon an orange-red color. This is the same phenomenon that happens during sunrises and sunsets.

Here are a couple of bonus photos from the eclipse. One was taken about 45 minutes from totality and one was taken at totality before the moon disappeared.

As a side note, after the clear morning sky for the eclipse, we received a few inches of fresh snow.

Wednesday, 03/04/2026: Posted photo — Post Holing.

Post holing is sinking knee- or waist-deep into soft snow with each step, leaving behind deep, post-like holes. It occurs when snow is not firm enough to support a hiker’s weight. It usually occurs in softer snow in warmer weather, or off the packed trail.

Post holing could be very dangerous. It could lead to a spruce trap of another dangerous situation, such as stepping into a river or off a concealed hole. A spruce trap, or tree well, is a dangerous, hidden void in deep snow surrounding the base of an evergreen tree. There were two ladies that were caught is a spruce trap overnight last winter on Mount Washington, and survived due to the training they received going on AMC hikes.

I was once hiking on Mount Rainier in Washington State. I hiked the trail at a different time a few years before and geotagged a waterfall I wanted to take a photo of during the winter. When I went back to take this photo, my geotag told me I was in the correct location, but I could not find the waterfall. Going back to a mapping program, I discovered that I was on top of the waterfall. If I posted holed, I could of fell off the waterfall and under the snow. That would not have been good for me.

Thursday, 03/05/2026: Posted photo — Sparkle off Trees.

This is my attempt to capture the sun reflecting off ice covered trees. We had freezing rain recently and the trees are covered in ice. There was a quick melt today, so I wanted to capture the sparkle before it all melted away.

This photo does not give you the full effect of what I saw real-time. Photographs normally do not do nature justice.

Friday, 03/06/2026: Post photo — Small Icicles.

Here is a photo of some icicles before they melted away. Sorry about the short commentary today.

Saturday, 03/07/2026: Post photo — Sundog.

I was out on a walk and saw this sundog. It is not the most brilliant one that I have seen. As with other photos that I have taken, something was calling me to take a photo of it.

A sundog is an atmospheric phenomenon appearing as bright, sometimes colored, spots of light on either side of the sun. A sundog is caused by sunlight refracting through ice crystals in cirrus clouds. A sundog will appear at approximately 22° from the sun. Based on the physics of light passing through prisms, the minimum deviation, or bending, of light occurs at roughly 22 degrees. Sundogs are most common in winter, near the horizon, even though I have seen them during the summer after storms. Sundogs are also known as mock suns, or parhelia, which means “with the sun”.

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.”

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

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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.”

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February 15, 2026

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Histoy, Inspiration, Nature, Photography, religion, Thoughts

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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.”

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

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February 1, 2026

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HDR, hiking, Inspiration, Nature, Photography, Thoughts

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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.”

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