“Photograph: a picture painted by the sun without instruction in art.” — Ambrose Bierce
Short comments this week.
Sunday, 08/11/2024: Posted photo — Mushrooms.
Some mushrooms seen on a hike.
Monday, 08/12/2024: Posted photo — Falls.
Some flowing water on Wachusett Mountain.
Tuesday, 08/13/2024: Posted photo — Steam.
Pavement being cooled off.
Wednesday, 08/14/2024: Posted photo — Wildfires.
The sun seen through the smoke from the Canadian wildfires.
Thursday, 08/15/2024: Posted photo — Second Day.
Second day in a row with a strange looking sun.
Friday, 08/16/2024: Post photo — Oyster Mushroom.
Mushrooms in our yard due to all the recent rain.
Saturday, 08/17/2024: Post photo — Bird Watching.
Some bird watching equipment on Wachusett Mountain. I forget how this works. I did talk to people quickly last year and they said something about listening to bird migration.
“The picture that you took with your camera is the imagination you want to create with reality.” — Scott Lorenzo
Things I did this week.
Sunday, 08/04/2024: Posted photo — Birthday.
Today is my birthday. It is also my brother’s birthday. We turned 60 years old today. When I was younger 60 years old was old. Now that I am 60, and still actively hiking, it does not seem so bad.
This is a photo of my brother, our dog, and myself in the mid 1960’s.
Monday, 08/05/2024: Posted photo — Heavy Rain.
Over the last couple of days, we have had periods of very heavy rain. This is a photo of the croquet course at the cottage. People were sitting around enjoying the day when the rain came and flooded the area.
There is great drainage in this area. Within an hour of the rain stopping, the flood waters were no longer. Before it drained, I was able to play a couple of games of water croquet.
Tuesday, 08/06/2024: Posted photo — Distortion.
The topic for one of my photo projects this week was distortion. Being at the lake, thee is always distortion of the sun on the water when there are waves.
I just happen to get lucky as a drop of water from a tree causes a splash on the sun making this photo better than I planned.
For fun tonight, I wanted to make a star trail photo. I will post the star trail photo later this week. Tonight was the only clear night of the week. With the early week’s rain and the remanence of a hurricane this weekend, this was the best, and only night, to do so.
This is a composite photo of 10 of the over 600 photos I took last night. I live in an area with ambient light, as you can see around the tree line. I did take these photos during astronomical night, but the neighbor left his light on all night.
Thursday, 08/08/2024: Posted photo — Flies on Goldenrod.
During my walk this afternoon, I saw some goldenrod. Not unusual for this area. I did notice that this plant had several flies on it. I took out my cellphone and took this photo.
I was expecting the flies to fly away, but they did not seem to be bothered by my presents.
Friday, 08/09/2024: Post photo — Star Trail.
This is the start trail photo that I noted in my Wednesday post. This is a composite photo of over 600 seventeen second shots.
When I was reviewing the photos, I did notice what looked like the Milky Way. The photo on Wednesday was my attempt of developing the Milky Way in my photos. If I thought about it, my settings would have used Milky Way settings on my camera and not star trail settings. Poor planning on my part.
Saturday, 08/10/2024: Post photo — Hike.
This morning, I took a hike to check out the trail conditions on Wachusett Mountain. There are relatives here from Florida, and I wanted to check out the trail conditions as a possible hike. The trails were very muddy so I would find an alternative hike.
As of the time of this writing, we have not hiked yet. I do have a plan on a drier hike when we do hike.
“Photography has nothing to do with cameras.” — Lucas Gentry
This week’s blog features some of the scenes from my vacation.
Sunday, 07/28/2024: Posted photo — Milky Way.
During my vacation, I attempted to take a Milky Way shot. The first two nights, I practiced at a couple of different locations. Both these locations had a large amount of ambient light. I was hoping that when we traveled away for civilization, the sky would be darker. No luck. When we were away from civilization, either the moon was too bright, or there was cloud cover. Here are my test shots.
Monday, 07/29/2024: Posted photo — Ganoga Falls.
We went to Ricketts Glen State Park in PA during this trip. This park features 23 waterfalls along a 5 to 7 mile trail (depending on your direction). We were able to see 18 of these waterfalls. This is the largest of the falls. Ganoga Falls has a height of 94 feet.
Another fall at the park is RB Bicketts Falls. This 36 feet waterfall is a wonderful example of the cascading falls in the park. The hike we took had about 800 feet in elevation change over some easy and difficult trails. The trail we took was marked the most difficult trail in the park. It was well worth the hike.
Ozone Falls is the second highest falls at 60 feet tall. The water was flowing well in the park. It will be great to go back in the fall, after the snowmelt, to see how much water is in the river. We camped two nights at Ricketts Glen to be able to hike and rest up before we moved onward.
Thursday, 08/01/2024: Posted photo — Bee on Flower.
Back home after vacation, we went to the cottage. My wife’s family has their reunion the first Saturday in August every year. I am always in the lookout for bees on flowers since I need practice on talking high speed photography.
Friday, 08/02/2024: Post photo — Rainbow.
Rain today. Rain this time of year produces rainbows. The strange thing about rainbows is that no two people see the same rainbow at the same time. They are based on your perspective.
This one started out weak, and then became stronger and then a double. The photo is an attempt to capture the full rainbow using the panorama setting on my cellphone.
Saturday, 08/03/2024: Post photo — Nature.
Just a shot of a log with moss on it to close out the week. When I returned to the office, I had one day to get up to date with my work before customers and auditor paid me a visit.
This photo was taken during the family reunion. Great to see old and new faces once a year.
“My life is shaped by the urgent need to wander and observe, and my camera is my passport.” — Steve McCurry
Thank you for reading and interpretation my ramblings and sometimes poor grammar. I think as I type so sometimes the words make sense to me at the time. I do not always to back and proofread.
Sunday, 07/07/2024: Posted photo — Triangle.
Was working on triangular composition this week. Took this photo today to use as a submission if I did not like the ones I took last week. There were many opportunities for triangular composition this week and decided on posting a different photo.
I am posting this one today since I like the contrast between the white and the blue sky.
Monday, 07/08/2024: Posted photo — Robin.
I was out spraying the roof of the cottage with a bio solution to remove the moss from the roof. I looked over at the barn and saw this robin in a nest waiting for food.
I climbed down from the ladder I was on, gathered my camera, and took this photo. I am not happy with the quality of photo that comes out of my 300mm lens, so I attempted to edit this photo to make it sharper.
Tuesday, 07/09/2024: Posted photo — Butterfly.
During my hike, one of the members of the group spotted this baby monarch butterfly. She had a difficult time taking a photo of it.
When we were hiking off the fire tower, the butterfly was still fluttering around the area. I keep my phone handy for emergencies, took it out and photographed the butterfly. I had to take a few photos to capture it with its wings open.
On the summit of Wachusett Mountain, there is an area fenced off. This area is normally not fenced during the winter months, just during the summer months. I noticed it last year for the first time.
There is a sign on the fence that stated that there is an endangered plant that is growing in the summit and this fence it to keep people out.
Thursday, 07/11/2024: Posted photo — Web.
I posted a web from this location a few weeks ago. This morning, I saw a different web. This time the sun was shining of it. Still not the greatest since there wasn’t any dew on it, but it was better defined.
Friday, 07/12/2024: Post photo — Rabbit.
I came home from work today and saw our friendly rabbit greeting me. I slowly stopped my car, took out my cell phone, and took this photo.
At times like this, I wish that I keep my good camera out of its camera bag and next to me. I have seen so many wild animals on my way home that I am not fast enough to take their photos.
Saturday, 07/13/2024: Post photo — Spoons in Cookie Dough.
This week’s photo challenge was spoons. This is my attempt at it.
I have been busy planning for a trip and did not have much time this week to do anything better. I wanted to do a fancy edit of this photo. Maybe I will do the edit soon and then post this photo again.
Negative space photography is a style of photography that emphasizes the empty space around a subject.
This was my attempt at negative space. My original plan was to take a photo of an object against a bright blue sky. The sky did not cooperate this week.
Monday, 07/01/2024: Posted photo — Burl.
The cause of burls is hard to pinpoint entirely, but they most often form because your tree is under invasion or being affected by some external stressing factor.
This burl is at the junction of the West Side Trail and Old Indian Trail on Wachusett Mountain. The section of Old Indian Trail that we are hiking is considered by most, myself included, as the second most difficult part of the mountain. It is long and steep and then gets steeper towards the end of the incline.
The Red Elderberry is a large native deciduous shrub or small tree. It produces clusters of tiny white or cream flowers in early spring, followed by bright red berries in mid-July through early August.
These are found on Wachusett Mountain during my hike.
Wednesday, 07/03/2024: Posted photo — Newt.
Newt is generic name used to describe several partially terrestrial salamanders. An interesting fact about newts from the Encyclopaedia Britannica, some newt larvae can become terrestrial juveniles, but remain aquatic as adults. Adult newts that return to water to breed may undergo a partial “reverse metamorphosis” back into a larval state.
There are many newts on Wachusett Mountain. When you hike and the ground is wet, you need to take your steps with care so you do not step on a newt.
Thursday, 07/04/2024: Posted photo — Tiger Lilly.
Tiger Lilies symbolize wealth, prosperity, and strength, reflecting cultural significance.
Tiger lilies are one of the most interesting flowers to me. They almost look fake, like plastic, and I like their colors.
Friday, 07/05/2024: Post photo — Annual Fleabane.
Annual fleabane is an annual native to the eastern United States but introduced across much of North America.
These are in my in-law’s flower patch. They are native flowers but look like weeds to me.
Saturday, 07/06/2024: Post photo — Daylily.
Daylilies are rugged, adaptable, vigorous perennials that endure in a garden for many years with little or no care. Daylilies adapt to a wide range of soil and light conditions. They establish quickly, grow vigorously, and survive winters with little or no injury.
This is another flower from my in-law’s flower garden.
“To me, photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place… I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.” — Elliott Erwitt
Here are some mountains that I have seen during my travels.
There were many great views of the mountain in the park. Took this photo was in the morning when the water was calm. There was someone sleeping in a hammock just outside the frame of this photo.
Monday, 06/24/2024: Posted photo — Grand Teton National Park.
Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
The Tetons are great and majestic mountains. Took this one just after sunset in the golden hour.
Tuesday, 06/25/2024: Posted photo — Lake McDonald.
Glacier National Park, Montana
This was my first view of Glacier National Park. We did some hiking with a mountain goat and her children on this trip.
Wednesday, 06/26/2024: Posted photo — Prince of Wales Hotel Waterton Lake.
Waterton – Glacier International Peace Park, Alberta
When we arrived at the park, the ranger saw that I had a camera. She told me of the spot to take this photo. It was up a private road used just by the rangers.
Thursday, 06/27/2024: Posted photo — Along the White Pass Yukon Route Railway.
Alaska
We took a ride on the White Pass Railroad on our trip to Alaska. We did go into the Yukon to turn around. This is one of the mountains along the way. This photo is in color.
Friday, 06/28/2024: Post photo — Lake Louise.
Banff National Park, Alberta
I did not know that Lake Louise was a famous lake. We just stopped in to take in the views. It was crowded when we arrived in the morning and was very crowded in the afternoon when we continued our journey.
Saturday, 06/29/2024: Post photo — Mount St Helens National Volcanic Monument.
Washington
Been to Mount St Helens many times since it erupted on May 18, 1980. I am amazed with the way nature is recovering. The first time I went there was ten years after the eruption and there were still logs floating in Spirit Lake.
The usage of votive candles is a pious practice which continues today in many churches. The symbolism reminds us that prayer is the light of Christ, allowing our souls to be filled with His light, and letting that light burn on in our souls even though we may return to our other activities. These candles are usually lite in memory of or for pray for someone we love and care for.
Theses candles are in the back of our church. As mentioned in past posts, the holder for these votive candles is dedicated to a friend who passed with ALS and his family. It is good to see people using the candles.
Monday, 06/17/2024: Posted photo — Hiking Group.
We had a good time hiking tonight. One member of the group took this photo to capture the closeness of the Monday night hiking group.
If you live in around Wachusett Mountain and would like to join the group, please let me know. The group once had 12 regular hikers and is down to 5 or 6 regulars. We hike year-round and hike at the speed of the ability of the people that hike that evening.
Tuesday, 06/18/2024: Posted photo — Pinecones.
This year there have been many more pinecones on the ground than I can remember. Maybe my memory is not that great, but this was the first year that I have seen them around in our yard.
I do not have any pine trees on my property and have seen pinecones in the yard. These pinecones were on the croquet course at the cottage. They had to be raked to the side so that the croquet ball can make it to a wicket with fewer obstacles.
Wednesday, 06/19/2024: Posted photo — High Bush Blueberries.
This is another repeat/progress photo. A few weeks ago, I posted a photo of these high bush blueberries starting to flower. Today I took a photo of them starting to ripen. It will not be long until it is time to pick them and use them for breakfast and deserts.
Thursday, 06/20/2024: Posted photo — Baby Robins.
Remember back when this nest was found so that I could not power wash a deck? The eggs have hatched, and three of the four babies survived. There is one big bird and two smaller birds (you can see the beaks of the smaller birds in this photo). The mother was feeding them and teaching them how to fly. It will not be long until they leave the nest and live on their own.
Friday, 06/21/2024: Post photo — Fish.
Sitting by the lake today, I saw these fish looking at me. When I moved the fish shifted position to look in my direction. It was strange.
Saturday, 06/22/2024: Post photo — Promise.
Today is our 33rd wedding anniversary. This is one of the gifts that I gave my wife a few years ago.
Bonus Image:
Here is a 3D image of boats under a tree.
Look at the image cross-eyed and the 3D image will appair in between the photos.
“If you want to be a better photographer, stand in front of more interesting stuff.” — Jim Richardson
Photo for the week. Comments welcome.
Sunday, 06/02/2024: Posted photo — Mowing.
I wanted to do this technique for a little while. I have done it in the past and wanted to do it again. I have switched photo editing software from Paint Shop Pro to just using GIMP. I switched because I was having issues installing the last few releases PSP on my computer. I have been using PSP since X2 many years ago and have been using GIMP over the last 10 years off and on.
The technique is called multiplicity. I set my camera on a tripod and set it to take a photo every minute. I shoot RAW so it was easy to edit my photos to all have the same exposure. You do the technique by importing each photo into a different layer. Once they are in the correct order, you use a layer mask to either hide or expose areas of the photos.
Hope you like it.
Monday, 06/03/2024: Posted photo — Koi.
This is a Koi Pond on the summit of Wachusett Mountain. There is a fence around the pond now since the wall around the pond needs work. These Koi have been on the summit for many years.
Koi are colored varieties of carp. The ones on the summit of Wachusett can be seen year-round. In the winter you can see them swimming under the ice.
Tuesday, 06/04/2024: Posted photo — Hickory.
When I was out hiking, I spotted this tree with the bark seeming to be peeling off. I took a photo of it to identify it and my identification app called it hickory. For someone who spends many hours outdoors, hiking in the wilderness, I should be able to identify trees and plant much better than I have been doing.
Wednesday, 06/05/2024: Posted photo — Sundog in the Clouds.
Sundogs are colored spots of light that develop due to the refraction of light through ice crystals. They are located approximately 22 degrees either left, right, or both, from the sun, depending on where the ice crystals are present.
I was looking up at the coloring in the clouds and spotted this sundog.
Multiflora rose is a large, dense shrub that was used for ornamental and conservation plantings and is now a serious invasive plant. Multiflora roses can become thick and dense that will stop native plants from growing. This density of the plant can be impenetrable and detrimental to nesting birds and reduce the forage areas for animals.
Friday, 06/07/2024: Post photo — Relay for Life (RFL) Day 1.
The American Cancer Society Relay for Life was a 24 hour relay for cancer research. It is now an 18 hour relay. Many want it to go back to 24 hours.
Here are photos of one of my sister-in-laws lighting the torch, the luminaria, and a few other photos from the first day into the night.
Saturday, 06/08/2024: Post photo — Relay for Life (RFL) Day 2.
“Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever… It remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything.” — Aaron Siskind
Photo for the week. Comments welcome.
Sunday, 05/04/2024: Posted photo — USS Constitution.
Built in Boston and launched in 1797, USS CONSTITUTION is the oldest commissioned warship afloat in the world today. During the War of 1812 the ship gained fame and its name “Old Ironsides.” The USS Constitution remains both a training and ceremonial ship for the Navy, as well as an educational experience for visitors.
Here are some facts: The USS Constitution was launched on October 21, 1797 at Edmund Hartt’s Shipyard in Boston, Massachusetts and first sailed July 22, 1798 from Boston Harbor. As I was walking away for the ship, after taking these photos, I heard the canons go off and Reveille being played. Then the sailors came off the ship to do their exercises. What a great experience.
Monday, 05/06/2024: Posted photo — Onions.
I cancelled my hike tonight since I had some people sign up and then drop out. I was in Boston all weekend taking my wilderness first aid re-certification class, so I took the opportunity to switch my hiking day until tomorrow. I told myself that I would hike with the Tuesday night group once a month and it has been three months since I hiked with them.
While shopping, I saw these colorful onions. Onions are not high on my food intake list, but I did like the colors. These are yellow onions, white onions, red onions, and vidalia onions.
Tuesday, 05/07/2024: Posted photo — Hiking.
Today I hiked with the Tuesday night group for the first time in a while. This is an invitation only group of experienced hikers. We did a four mile loop around the mountain. I had an opportunity to verify bearing at a few trail junctions. I needed to verify these bearings for my map and compass navigation class I will be teaching in a few weeks.
It is always great to get out and hike with different people. This group knows me as the person who broke his ankle. At the summit, I met more of my friends in the hiking community. One of those people finished his trace of Wachusett Mountain in his kilts. Sorry, no photos of him.
Wednesday, 05/08/2024: Posted photo — Path of Freedom (Freedom Trail).
Boston’s iconic 2.5 mile-Freedom Trail connects 16 nationally significant historic sites, each one an authentic treasure. The sites are the Boston Common (Established in 1634, Boston Common is America’s oldest public park), Massachusetts State House, Park Street Church, Granary Burying Ground, King’s Chapel & King’s Chapel Burying Ground, Boston Latin School Site/Benjamin Franklin Statue, Old Corner Bookstore, Old South Meeting House, Old State House, Boston Massacre Site, Faneuil Hall, Paul Revere House, Old North Church, Copp’s Hill Burying Ground, USS Constitution and the Bunker Hill Monument.
I have visited most of these sites in my life. One day I will take the short 2.5 mile hike to these historic sites in one journey.
Thursday, 05/09/2024: Posted photo — Sugar Maple.
Earlier this year I posted a photo of the sugar maple starting to bud. Here is some progress.
The leaves are starting to bud after some rain and warmer weather.
Friday, 05/10/2024: Post photo — Bluet.
Also called Quaker Ladies, their sweet petite blossoms attract Little Carpenter bees, Green Metallic bees, small butterflies, and the Meadow Fritillary Butterfly.
These wildflowers are in my lawn. If the weather is good tomorrow, I will cut my lawn for the first time this year.
Saturday, 05/11/2024: Post photo — Northern Lights.
The Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, have been on my photo bucket list. I always thought that I would have to travel to see them. If they are in this area, they are close to the horizon, not very bright, and not high in the sky.
Last night I had the opportunity to see them and photograph them. I was unprepared to photograph them since I normally do research on camera setting. I had my camera and cellphone with me and no tripod or monopod, these photos are either handheld or with my cellphone. I heard talk about the northern lights happening soon but did not realize it was last night until a friend of mine posted photos from his house.
My cell phone has a night setting, so I had to test it out. I am happy about these photos but not overwhelmed by these photos. Next time I will be more prepared. It is amazing that I saw a total solar eclipse and the northern light just about a month apart. Normally there is cloud cover when events like this happen.
“I never have taken a picture I’ve intended. They’re always better or worse.” — Diane Arbus
Photo for the week. Comments welcome.
Sunday, 04/28/2024: Posted photo — Leading Lines.
I needed a photo for one of my photos projects this week. The topic was leading lines. I kept my eye open for the perfect photo opportunity and did not find it. I saw the lines in the ceiling leading to the altar, so I took this photo to post if I did not see anything else that met the topic today.
Monday, 04/29/2024: Posted photo — Off on a Hike.
Monday night is hiking night, as you know if you have been following this blog. The last couple of hikes started and ended in daylight. The trails have been drying up over the last few weeks, so more people are out hiking.
These are some of the members of the Monday night hiking group enjoying the good weather.
This is the trail junction of Harrington and Semuhenna on Wachusett Mountain. Semuhenna trail a 1.1 mile connector trail. The trail I took tonight was a 0.5 mile sections between Harrington and West Side. Most of the time I go up Harrington. The section of Harrington after this trail junction is the steepest section on the mountain. It is steep and there are many scrambles for novice hikers.
Semuhenna is not an old Indian name, as most people believe. Looking at the name backwards, it is Annehumes or Anne Humes, the name of the wife (or daughter according to some people) of the person who made the trail.
Wednesday, 05/01/2024: Posted photo — Texture in the Sky.
When I looked at the cloudy sky tonight, I saw textures in the clouds. There is rain coming in tonight. I do not think that this photo does this justice. Sometimes it is difficult to relay the emotion of nature into a photo. Sometimes the photo puts more emotion into nature. I think this photo is too blown out to have the intended emotional value.
Thursday, 05/02/2024: Posted photo — Fiddleheads.
Fiddleheads are the tightly coiled tips of ferns that are eaten cooked. These delicate delights are available only in early spring when ferns grow their new shoots. These fiddleheads are growing near my mailbox. I may have posted photos of fiddleheads earlier this year and they are still growing. They are around for a very short period.
Friday, 05/03/2024: Post photo — Mount Rainier.
This mountain always inspires me. Either seeing it from Seattle, hiking on it, viewing from different sections of the national park, or flying past it, Mount Rainier is majestic. I feature Mount Rainier on the cover of my first photo book (portfolio book).
An active volcano, Mount Rainier is the most glaciated peak in the contiguous U.S.A., spawning five major rivers. I have camped at Mount Rainier a few times and always remember the signs stating that this is an active volcano, and I am camping in a lava flow path.
I took a photo of a waterfall one spring and went back a couple of years later to take a photo of the waterfall with more snow cover. I had the GPS location but could not find it. After looking at my path, I was standing on top of the waterfall and could not see it because of the snow cover.
Saturday, 05/04/2024: Post photo — Historic Marker.
I have Wilderness First Aid (WFA) training today and tomorrow. This class will certify my in doing first aid on people that are more than 1 hour away from definitive care. That means when I am leading groups or hiking in the mountains or a remote location.
On the way to the training, I passed this historical marker in the John Havard Mall adjacent to the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) headquarters.
Photo by Joseph Ciras 