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August 11, 2024

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2024

“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.

Wednesday, 08/07/2024: Posted photo — Ambient Light.

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.

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

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August 4, 2024

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Photographic Thoughts — 07/28/2024 to 08/03/2024

“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.

Tuesday, 07/30/2024: Posted photo — RB Bicketts Falls.

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.

Wednesday, 07/31/2024: Posted photo — Ozone Falls.

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.

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

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July 14, 2024

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Photographic Thoughts — 07/07/2024 to 07/13/2024

“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.

Wednesday, 07/10/2024: Posted photo — Endangered Area.

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.

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

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July 7, 2024

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Photographic Thoughts — 06/30/2024 to 07/06/2024

“The whole point of taking pictures is so that you don’t have to explain things with words.” — Elliott Erwitt

Sunday, 06/30/2024: Posted photo — Negative Space.

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.

Tuesday, 07/02/2024: Posted photo — Red-berried Elder.

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.

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

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June 30, 2024

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Photographic Thoughts — 06/23/2024 to 06/29/2024

“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.

Sunday, 06/23/2024: Posted photo — Reflection Lakes.

Mount Rainier National Park, Washington

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.

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

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June 23, 2024

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Photographic Thoughts — 06/16/2024 to 06/22/2024

“One doesn’t stop seeing. One doesn’t stop framing. It doesn’t turn off and turn on. It’s on all the time.” — Annie Leibovitz

Photo for the week. Comments welcome.

There was a heat wave this week in our area, so most of the photos are from the cottage.

Sunday, 06/16/2024: Posted photo — Votive Candles.

Happy Father’s Day!

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.

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

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June 16, 2024

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Photographic Thoughts — 06/09/2024 to 06/15/2024

“In photography there are no shadows that cannot be illuminated.” — August Sander

Photo for the week. Comments welcome.

Not much to say on some photos this week.

Sunday, 06/09/2024: Posted photo — Oriental False Hawksbeard.

I have this weed growing at the end of our driveway. Took a photo of it before cutting it down. The name, Oriental False Hawksbeard, was given to me by my Seek app. This app is part of iNaturalist, and I use it to identify plants and animals when I hike.

Monday, 06/10/2024: Posted photo — Crossing the Ski Trail.

For the hike this week, I took the group up a trail that starts at the Wachusett Mountain ski area. I normally do not hike starting at this trail because it is on the busy side of the mountain, and I like hiking in less crowded areas and less crowded trails. This time of year, once the lifts stop, the hiking trail crosses three of the ski trails.

Tuesday, 06/11/2024: Posted photo — Web.

Walking around at work today, I spotted this web at one of the entries. I took a couple photos of it attempting to a good photo.

These are not the greatest since the sun was shining on them. It would have been better in the morning when there was dew on them.

Wednesday, 06/12/2024: Posted photo — Petunia.

Some petunia that I saw today. Petunias symbolize emotions like comfort, passion, and hope. Potted petunias can be seen outside of many stores this time of year.

Thursday, 06/13/2024: Posted photo — Rabbit at Work.

I have seen bear, turkey, great blue heron, deer, red-tail hawks, snapping turtles, and various species of birds over the years at work. Today was the first time I saw a rabbit.

I thought I scared it away when I pulled up to my parking spot. When I got out of my car, it was just waiting to have its photo taken.

Friday, 06/14/2024: Post photo — Flag Day.

Flag day celebrates the anniversary of June 14, 1777, when the Continental Congress approved the design of a flag for the United States, which at the time featured 13 stars and 13 stripes, representing the 13 colonies.

The principal acts affecting the flag of the United States are the following, based on information from the Smithsonian Institution:

Flag Resolution of June 14, 1777, stated, “Resolved: that the flag of the United States be made of thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation.”
Act of January 13, 1794, provided for 15 stripes and 15 stars after May 1795.
Act of April 4, 1818, provided for 13 stripes and one star for each state, to be added to the flag on the 4th of July following the admission of each new state.
Executive Order of President Taft dated June 24, 1912, established proportions of the flag and provided for arrangement of the stars in six horizontal rows of eight each, a single point of each star to be upward.
Executive Order of President Eisenhower dated January 3, 1959, provided for the arrangement of the stars in seven rows of seven stars each, staggered horizontally and vertically.
Executive Order of President Eisenhower dated August 21, 1959, provided for the arrangement of the stars in nine rows of stars staggered horizontally and eleven rows of stars staggered vertically.

This flag in this photograph is outside my office.

Saturday, 06/15/2024: Post photo — Championship Game.

My son, father-in-law, and I went to Polar Park today to watch the MIAA Division 3 state championship. Oakmont High School, the number 1 seed, versus St. Mary’s of Lynn, the number 2 seed. My father-in-law was one for the original teachers at Oakmont and has a conference room named after him. My son is an alumnus of Oakmont and has taught there. The second game of the day was my alma mater, St. John’s High School, the number two seed, playing BC High, the number 1 seed in the Division 1 state final. Oakmont won the state title for the second year in a row. My team lost their game. Both the number 1 seeds have won.

Here are some photos from the ballpark.

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

Here is a bonus photo. I did a new edit of an old Milky Way photo. I think it looks overprocessed.

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June 9, 2024

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Photographic Thoughts — 06/02/2024 to 06/08/2024

“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.

Thursday, 06/06/2024: Posted photo — Multiflora Rose.

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.

Photos from the second day.

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

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June 2, 2024

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Photographic Thoughts — 05/26/2024 to 06/01/2024

“Life is like a camera. Just focus on what’s important and capture the good times, develop from the negatives and if things don’t work out, just take another shot.” — Unknown

Photo for the week. Comments welcome.

Sunday, 05/26/2024: Posted photo — Lupine.

Lupines attract butterflies and pollinators and are deer-resistant and low-maintenance. This is a small group of lupines. I have been to places were there are fields of lupine in the past. One of nature’s most interesting flowers due to their shape.

Monday, 05/27/2024: Posted photo — Boats.

Today is Memorial Day. Memorial Day is a holiday observed on the last Monday of May honoring the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military.

It was a beautiful weekend weatherwise, Saturday and Sunday. Today it is rainy and very foggy. Here is a photo of what the lake looked like most of the day. Here also is a photo of some canoes and kayaks that were not used today since it is dangerous to go out on the lake in the fog.

Tuesday, 05/28/2024: Posted photo — Nest.

A robin in her nest. Robins use their nest for about 5 weeks. I had to look that up since I want to power wash the deck near the nest. The deck is very slippery due to some moss on it.

This nest was discovered when the ladder was going to be used to clean branches off the roof of the garage at the cottage. Before moving the ladder, the nest was discovered, and the robin was seen building her nest.

Wednesday, 05/29/2024: Posted photo — Buttercups.

Some buttercups in the lawn prior to the lawn being mowed. Buttercup contains toxins that are very irritating to the skin and the lining of the mouth, stomach, and intestines.

Thursday, 05/30/2024: Posted photo — Snapping Turtle.

Every year I look for snapping turtles on my way to the work. This morning, I saw one in the middle of the driveway. Here is a still photo of the turtle walking across the driveway to lay her eggs. I see them almost every year digging the hole to lay eggs.

Friday, 05/31/2024: Post photo — Rhododendron.

This is one of our rhododendron bushes. Over the last week, the bush bloomed due to the rain and sun we had this week.

Saturday, 06/01/2024: Post photo — Balance Rock.

From an earth science paper I found. “Thousands of years ago a glacier (ice sheet) moved across New England pushing rocks and sediment. As the glacier traveled it carried large and small boulders with it, often for many miles. When the glacier melted, the boulders it was carrying were randomly dropped at new locations. Boulders that have been transported by a glacier are called glacial erratics. Balance Rock is an example of a glacial erratic. These two boulders were pushed on top of each other by a large sheet of moving ice and have been balancing on top of each other for thousands of years! Balance Rock is evidence of the glacial activity which helped shape Wachusett mountain.”

I took this photo today during my map and compass training on the mountain. I used it at as a location for the people in my class to take a bearing to our next trail.

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

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May 26, 2024

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Photographic Thoughts — 05/19/2024 to 05/25/2024

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

Photo for the week. Comments welcome.

Sunday, 05/19/2024: Posted photo — Angel of Patience.

Angel of Patience statue in the gardens of the rectory at our church. This weekend was spent selling cakes for the Relay for Life after the Masses.

The RFL cake sale has become more popular over the years and is our team’s biggest fundraiser. Baking has been going on in our house for over a month with over 60 cakes baked and decorated. We do not know the exact count of cakes.

Here is a sample of what was left for the last Mass. There were four more stacks like this that almost sold out. Any cakes leftover will be sold during the RFL team captain’s meeting on Wednesday night.

Monday, 05/20/2024: Posted photo — Mountain House/Grand View.

About 150 feet into the Mountain House Trail on Wachusett Mountain, there is an old stone foundation. In 1764, Elisha Hobbs built his farmhouse here. In 1855–56, Daniel Howe purchased this farm, expanded it, and converted it to take on borders. This house operated from late spring through early fall from 1856 to 1914.

I always knew there was a foundation at this location. This is the first time that I saw the marker that gets scanned to show this information. It may have been there a while; I just do not hike this trail as often as I have in the past. Mountain House Trail is a straight up and down trail and I like doing loops. Pre-injury I would hike Mountain House every Thursday night.

Tuesday, 05/21/2024: Posted photo — Sour Orange.

Some information off the web: “Bitter oranges, sometimes also known as Seville oranges or sour oranges, are a citrus fruit that is a hybrid of mandarin oranges and pomelo, or grapefruit. They have thick, yellow-orange skin, and their flesh is extremely sour and bitter. Though the raw fruit itself is not usually eaten, their juice, rind, and zest are used in various cuisines around the world.” https://www.thespruceeats.com/what-are-bitter-oranges-5208746

I am always amazed at the variety of food that our local supermarket has to offer. It is a regional chain that has been rated one of the top supermarkets in the country many times.

Wednesday, 05/22/2024: Posted photo — Clock Tower.

This is the back of the clock tower at Gardner Town Hall. I was at the town hall tonight for the final Relay for Life meeting before the relay. I have taken photos of the town hall and posted them in the past.

Tonight our team sold some remaining cakes from the weekend’s cake sale. People were looking forward to tonight. Many of them mentioned how great the cakes were last year and how they were looking forward to this year’s sale. We even made some special cakes for people that have purchased them in the past.

Thursday, 05/23/2024: Posted photo — Azalea.

Last Thursday I posted a photo of our red azalea. This week I am posting a photo of our pink azalea (with a visitor) and a photo of white azalea that I took last Sunday during our cake sale.

Friday, 05/24/2024: Post photo — Oak.

Oak flowers are all around us this week. We had rain earlier in the week and they fell from the trees. Now my lawn and roof are full of oak flowers.

Saturday, 05/25/2024: Post photo — Deck.

Started to power wash our deck today. I think it needed it.

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