“Most things in life are moments of pleasure and a lifetime of embarrassment; photography is a moment of embarrassment and a lifetime of pleasure.” — Tony Benn
For this week’s post, I will just post a photo and pretend this is a photo book. You can fill in the words on each page.
Sunday, 07/09/2023: Posted photo — Mother and Babies
“If you want to be a better photographer, stand in front of more interesting stuff.” — Jim Richardson
Thank you for all the new views and likes from last week, it helps keep me inspired.
Sunday, 07/02/2023: Posted photo — Pratt’s Falls.
Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/15 s, 22 mm.
Pratt’s Falls, a 137 ft ribbon or cascade style waterfall located in Manlius, NY. The site was originally a sawmill and was the site of Onondaga County’s first mill operation in 1796. The hike out to the falls is only a half mile long (one-mile round trip) and could be step for some. There are stairs that take you down to the lower viewing location.
Photo tip of the week — Lessons learned from taking waterfall photos.
Set you camera to manual with a slow shutter speed. I use between 1/4 sec to 10 sec depending on the lighting.
Set your aperture to a value between f/16 and f/22. I sometimes open up, or close up, my aperture depending on the light and how I am taking the photo (with a tripod or handheld).
Use a tripod with image stabilization off. If you do not have a tripod, find a tree or other object to hold yourself steady.
Turn you ISO to the lowest setting. I use ISO 100 for my shots.
Use a ND filter if you have one. I use from a ND3 to a ND10, depending on the lighting.
Take time to get your composition the way you would like to have it. Try both portrait and landscape photos of the falls.
Pick a focal point, such as a rock or a tree near the falls. It is difficult to focus on the water.
Lighting is important. Take your photo in the morning or in the evening when the light is not on the waterfall. If it is on the waterfall, use the appropriate ND filter.
Use a remote, or your camera’s timer, for your shot to cut down on camera shake.
Monday, 07/03/2023: Posted photo — Tinkers Falls.
Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/32, 1/6 s, 79 mm.
Tinkers Falls in the Labrador Hollow Unique Area and is about 50 feet tall. The Labrador Hollow Unique Area is a 1,474-acre (5.97 km2) conservation area located in Cortland and Onondaga counties, New York, and was the first property to be designated as a Unique Area by New York. A unique area, according to the state New York Department of Environmental Conservation, is “land owned by the state that was acquired due to its special natural beauty, wilderness character, or for its geological, ecological or historical significance.”
When I took the photo of these falls, I did not use my tripod. I was practicing my handheld long exposure photography. I was either leaning against a tree, sitting on a log, or using long exposure breathing techniques. The hike to these falls is very short, only about a quarter mile, and the trail is relatively flat.
Bonus photo tip — how to breathe and hold your camera for long exposures.
The way you hold your camera can have a big effect on the amount of blur caused by your own movement. Hold the camera with two hands close to your body and make sure your feet are shoulder-width apart. Being conscious of your breathing can further minimize shake. Inhale or exhale and then take a gentle half breath in and hold it there in a relaxed way.
Tuesday, 07/04/2023: Posted photo — Peas.
Settings: Samsung SM-G930V (Galaxy S7), ISO 125, f/1.7, 1/60 s, 4 mm
A pea is a cultivated climbing vine having compound leaves and edible seeds enclosed in a green, elongated pod. The seed of this plant is used as a vegetable.
I often wonder who the first person was to eat peas and how they knew that they could open the pod to get the seeds out.
You can look up the health benefits yourself for details on each of these benefits.
Wednesday, 07/05/2023: Posted photo — Bryn Mawr Glacier.
Settings: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, ISO 200, f/25, 1/30 s, 48 mm.
Bryn Mawr Glacier flows southeast for about 4.5 miles (7 km) to Harvard Arm of College Fjord in northwestern Prince William Sound, about 45 miles west of Valdez and 44 miles northeast of Whittier, Alaska (61° 15′ 13″ N, 147° 49′ 29″ W). As you travel into College Fjord, the glaciers on the left are named for women’s colleges and those on the right are named for men’s colleges. The names are Amherst, Barnard, Bryn Mawr, Harvard, Smith, Vassar, and Yale). Harvard Glacier is the biggest – its face is a mile and a half across.
Alaska is such an amazing place to visit. The landscape keeps getting better and better as we headed north from Vancouver on our cruise. Here are a few more photos taken in College Fjord.
Thursday, 07/06/2023: Posted photo — Just Floating.
Settings: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, ISO 200, f/25, 1/30 s, 48 mm.
Here are a couple of seals that were just floating on a small iceberg. Look at the heartberg floating with them.
Friday, 07/07/2023: Post photo — Cashews.
Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 3200, f/5.6, 1/20 s, 106 mm.
Cashews are low in sugar and rich in fiber, heart-healthy fats, and plant protein. They’re also a good source of copper, magnesium, and manganese — nutrients important for energy production, brain health, immunity, and bone health.
I needed a photo; I had some cashews in the house, so I took this photo.
Saturday, 07/08/2023: Post photo — Just a Mountain in Alaska.
Settings: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, ISO 200, f/25, 1/30 s, 48 mm.
To finish of this week, I am posting a photo of another mountain that we saw in Alaska. I just love the mountains in Alaska.
Settings: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/100 s, 20 mm.
Desert View Watchtower, South Rim Grand Canyon National Park.
We arrived at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon just before sunset. We spent the last couple of nights camping and hiking along the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and would be spending time on the South Rim. I have been to the Canyon before, but never from this entrance.
From the National Parks Service: “A National Historic Landmark, the Watchtower was constructed in 1932.The design by Mary Colter, is based on the architecture of the Ancestral Puebloan people of the Southwest. This particular tower was patterned after those found at Hovenweep and the Round Tower of Mesa Verde.”
We have been to Hovenweep and to Mesa Verde and agree with that statement.
Settings: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, ISO 200, f/16, 1/400 s, 49 mm.
The Four Corners Monument marks the quadripoint in the Southwestern United States where the states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah meet. It is the only point in the United States shared by four states.
Tuesday, 06/27/2023: Posted photo — Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve.
Settings: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, ISO 200, f/13, 1/800 s, 90 mm.
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, Mosca, CO.
One of the amazing things about the Great Sand Dunes is that you can see them from miles away. As you turn off the main road and head towards the dunes, they are right in front of you. We spent the day hiking the dunes pretending we were in a desert. When you look at this photo, you see a couple of dots in the sand. Those are people. The sand was hot. According to Park Service, the sand surface can reach 150 degrees F (65 degrees C) on a summer afternoon or drop to minus 20 degrees F (minus 29 degrees C) on a winter night. It was close to the 150 degrees when we were walking on the sand.
From the National Parks Service: “The tallest dunes in North America are the centerpiece in a diverse landscape of grasslands, wetlands, forests, alpine lakes, and tundra. Great Sand Dunes National Park is a complex geologic story going back millions of years. Intense volcanic activity built the San Juan mountain range to the west of the modern day dunes and tectonic activity raised the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the north and east.”
Wednesday, 06/28/2023: Posted photo — Hiking the Narrows.
Settings: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, ISO 200, f/9, 1/2050 s, 18 mm.
Zion National Park Springdale, UT.
This is a photo my wife took of me as we were hiking the Narrows in Zion National Park. It was a refreshing hike on a hot summer day. When you hike the Narrows, you need to be very aware of the weather. Because it is so narrow, there is no escape route if there happens to be a flash flood.
From the National Parks Service: “The Narrows is the narrowest section of Zion Canyon. This gorge, with walls a thousand feet tall and the river sometimes just twenty to thirty feet wide, is one of the most popular areas in Zion National Park. You can see The Narrows by hiking along the paved, wheelchair accessible Riverside Walk for one mile from the Temple of Sinawava. If you wish to see more, you will be walking in the Virgin River. This can involve wading upstream for just a few minutes or it can be an all day hike.”
Thursday, 06/29/2023: Posted photo — NRAO Very Large Array.
Settings: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, ISO 200, f/10, 1/800 s, 165 mm.
NRAO Very Large Array, Magdalena, NM.
One of the most interesting places to visit. As you can see from the description below, the array can be very large. When we visited, there were 26 radio antennas pointing in one direction and one pointing in an opposite direction. We thought that was strange. They told up that the odd one was scanning the sky.
“The Very Large Array, one of the world’s premier astronomical radio observatories, consists of 27 radio antennas in a Y-shaped configuration on the Plains of San Agustin fifty miles west of Socorro, New Mexico. Each antenna is 25 meters (82 feet) in diameter. The data from the antennas is combined electronically to give the resolution of an antenna 36 km (22 miles) across, with the equivalent sensitivity of a dish 130 meters (422 feet) in diameter.” — http://www.vla.nrao.edu/
Friday, 06/30/2023: Post photo — Owachamo Bridge.
Settings: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/125 s, 18 mm.
Owachamo Bridge, Natural Bridges National Monument, UT.
Owachomo is the smallest and thinnest of the three natural bridges in the National Monument and is commonly thought to be the oldest. We had a great hike out to the bridge.
We like to travel to the lesser know parks. These parks are lesser know mostly because of location. They are not close to any major city or town. We like to say it is great to have a park to ourselves.
Saturday, 07/01/2023: Post photo — Spruce Tree House.
Settings: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, ISO 200, f/5, 1/50 s, 20 mm.
Spruce Tree House, Mesa Verde National Park, CO.
From the National Park Service: “Spruce Tree House, the third largest cliff dwelling (Cliff Palace and Long House are larger), was constructed between about 1211 and 1278 CE by the ancestors of the Pueblo peoples of the Southwest. The dwelling contains about 130 rooms and 8 kivas (kee-vahs), or ceremonial chambers, built into a natural alcove measuring 216 feet (66 meters) at greatest width and 89 feet (27 meters) at its greatest depth. It is thought to have been home for about 60 to 80 people.”
We were lucky enough to get to the park prior to 2012 during one of our northern National Park tours. We were able to explore the Spruce Tree House. We went into some of the rooms and into the kivas. Due to the unstable cliff about the Spruce Tree House, the entire site was closed to the public in October 2015. We have visited the park since then since I have a relative that works at the park. We were able to obtain permits to do some backcountry hiking with my relative guide to some dwellings that are off limits to the public.
“Taking pictures is like tiptoeing into the kitchen late at night and stealing Oreo cookies.” — Diane Arbus
Thank you for all the new views and likes from last week, it helps keep me inspired.
This week is full of sunrises and sunsets.
Sunday, 06/18/2023: Posted photo — Sunrise at the Beach.
On one of my past vacations, I took a sunrise walk on the beach with my camera. During the walk, I saw this great sunrise. I stopped and took this photo.
I just loved the way the sunrise looked as we walked to the beach. I timed it to get the bird in the photo.
Tuesday, 06/20/2023: Posted photo — Sunrise at the Pier.
One of my trips to Jacksonville Beach Florida, I took another sunrise walk. I saw this heron near the shore and near the pier. I just loved the silhouette of the bird, so I took this shot.
Wednesday, 06/21/2023: Posted photo — Lightning at Sea.
We had a condo on the beach and there was a storm at sea. I set my camera on my tripod and set the timer for 15 second. I liked the way this photo came out but was disappointed that I did not set my timer at 30 seconds.
Thursday, 06/22/2023: Posted photo — Sunrise on Wachusett.
Moring winter hike up Wachusett Mountain for sunrise. There was a small coating of ice on the summit. The sunshine on the ice took a great photo.
Friday, 06/23/2023: Post photo — Sunset at the Cape.
One thing my wife and I do is have a weekend away on Cape Cod during the off season. This was one of the sunsets we saw.
Saturday, 06/24/2023: Post photo — Sunset on Wachusett.
Here is a pleasant sunset from the summit of Wachusett Mountain.
“The best thing about a picture is that it never changes, even when the people in it do.” — Andy Warhol
Thank you for all the new views and likes from last week, it helps keep me inspired.
Phots from Yellowstone National Park.
Sunday, 06/11/2023: Posted photo — Old Faithful.
They call it Old “Almost” Faithful. Old Faithful goes off plus or minus a half hour from its scheduled time based on the height of its last eruption. Still wonderful to see.
Grand Prismatic Spring is one of more than 10,000 thermal features in Yellowstone.
Tuesday, 06/13/2023: Posted photo — Moose.
A female moose seen along the road. One of many different forms of wildlife found in the park.
Wednesday, 06/14/2023: Posted photo — Hot Springs.
Mammoth Hot Springs. One of the areas in the northern part of the park. This is the area that received the most flooding.
Thursday, 06/15/2023: Posted photo — Formation.
This is one of the formations caused by the sulfur in the hot springs.
Friday, 06/16/2023: Post photo — Tower Falls.
A spectacular waterfall in the part. Tower Fall is a beautiful, accessible waterfall in Yellowstone located in the northeastern part of Yellowstone near Tower Junction, the fall plunges a stunning 132 feet.
Saturday, 06/17/2023: Post photo — Bison.
Imagine seeing this by the side of the road. Such a docile looking animal. Not very docile and very fast. The people that get attacked by the bison get to close.
“The camera is an excuse to be someplace you otherwise don’t belong. It gives me both a point of connection and a point of separation.” — Susan Meiselas
Random thoughts and ideas for this week.
Happy Mother’s Day to all who are mothers and who care for others as if they were mothers.
More flower and plant educational posts this week.
Sunday, 05/14/2023: Posted photo — Mother’s Day.
I love this photo and I post it almost every year for Mother’s Day. This is my mother bringing home my youngest brother in 1968. No there is not three sets of twins, just one. I am a twin and am one of the small boys next to my mother. The tall two are the oldest, three years apart. The middle two are numbers three and four, three years apart from them and the number two. Then there is five years between the middle ones and me and my twin and then three years between me and our youngest brother.
Flower of the day: Sand Cherry
The Purpleleaf Sand Cherry boasts deep maroon foliage well accented with white and fuschia blooms in its growing season. This is a low maintenance, medium sized shrub. It tends to establish itself very quickly. This sand cherry is at my in-law’s house.
Monday, 05/15/2023: Posted photo — Robert Goddard.
“In 1926 Robert Goddard was considered crazy when he launched the world’s first liquid-fueled rocket from his Aunt Effie’s farm. The Auburn Rotary Club felt that the Rocket Man deserved recognition on the landscape, so it built Goddard Park, which opened in 1970. Unable to afford a NASA rocket as a centerpiece, the Club instead settled for a Polaris Missile. Although visually satisfying, the missile is, awkwardly, a solid-fueled rocket.” https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/15412
Robert Goddard was born a few streets away from where I grew up in Worcester, MA. My friends and I would often ride our bikes by his childhood home, daydreaming about what it must have been for him to launch that first rocket. This is the same Robert Goddard that the Goddard Space Flight Center is named after.
I have visited Goddard Park many times as a child and was in the area today and decided to make the Polaris Missile and the full-size replica of his rocket my photos for today.
Flower of the day: Fiddlehead
Technically a fern, fiddleheads are sweet like asparagus, grassy and snappy like a great green bean, with a touch of broccoli stem. They grow in the month of May in this area. Fiddleheads are rich in potassium, iron, antioxidants, and omega-3 fatty acids.
Tuesday, 05/16/2023: Posted photo — Dragon Fruit.
Dragon fruit is a tropical fruit that’s low in calories and high in fiber and antioxidants. Some people say it tastes like a cross between a pear and a kiwi. You can slice and eat the fruit as-is, try it with yogurt, or add it to a smoothie or salad. I did not pick one up to try. I wanted to do some research on them before purchasing to see how to eat them. Next time I go shopping, and if they are still in the store, I will purchase on and report out on how they taste.
Flower of the day: Canna
Cannas are spectacular summer bulbs that thrive in the heat of July and August. Sometimes called “canna lilies,” these perennials are unrelated to true lilies. In warm climates (USDA hardiness zones 8 to 10), canna bulbs can be left in the ground over winter, and the plants perform reliably as perennials, coming back year after year. These cannas were in a flow assembly ready for purchase at one of the stores that I shop on Tuesdays.
Monday night is hiking night and Tuesday night is shopping night every week.
Wednesday, 05/17/2023: Posted photo — Oak Pollen.
It’s the time of year that trees start to bloom. We have may hardwoods in our yard. This is some of the pollen from our oak trees. Out yard is covered with this pollen, and it will take a few windy days and hours of yardwork to get rid of it all.
Flower of the day: Phlox
Phlox is one of those dependable summer flowers any large sunny flowerbed or border shouldn’t be without. There are several different kinds of phlox. Garden and meadow phlox produce large panicles of fragrant flowers in a wide assortment of colors. There are many patches of phlox around my house. These are some that I took on a hike around the neighborhood.
Thursday, 05/18/2023: Posted photo — Star Trail.
This is a composite of 640 photos. I set my camera on my tripod before going to bed, set it to take consecutive 17 second exposures, and then stacked them all together in a star stacking program. The 17 second exposure uses the 500 Rule. The 500 rule is the classic rule for taken photos of the stars without having star trails. The other rule I could have used is the NPF Rule that considers the magapixels of my camera. With the NPF Rule, my exposure time would be 14 seconds.
Flower of the day: Indian Paintbrush
Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja miniata), taken in Jasper National Park, Alberta. Castilleja, commonly known as paintbrush, Indian paintbrush, or prairie-fire, is a genus of about 200 species of annual and perennial herbaceous plants native to the west of the Americas from Alaska south to the Andes.
Friday, 05/19/2023: Post photo — Rabbit Again.
The rabbit was just eating my grass as I was leaving to go shopping for tomorrow’s cake sale. I needed to pick up some fresh fruit to put on the cakes. This rabbit was not bothered by me and allowed me to take this photo. One of these days I will take a photo of this rabbit with my DSLR and not my cellphone.
As a side note: on Saturday morning I saw two rabbits in our yard.
Flower of the day: Hydrangea
From a garden care website: “Blooming in spring and summer, the hydrangea is considered a shrub. But despite their ability to be rather large showstoppers in your yard, how to grow hydrangeas isn’t a question even the novice gardener will need to ask – these beauties all but grow themselves. Reaching up to 15 feet in height, the hydrangea grows quickly and often fills in a space in just one summer.” https://gilmour.com/hydrangea-care
Saturday, 05/20/2023: Post photo — Cake.
This is a vanilla cake with chocolate buttercream. One of the many cakes for sale for our teams ACS Relay for Life team. We are selling them after all the massed this weekend at our church in Ashburnham MA. Our house has been full of cakes for the last few months with this week being decorating week. To help out our team go here: https://secure.acsevents.org/site/STR?fr_id=104259&pg=personal&px=57692320. Currently I have not donations on my page. The start of my fundraising is the cake sale. Please help me out. Thank you.
Flower of the day: Japanese Maple
Well not a flower but a tree. We planted this Japanese maple a few years ago and it is still growing strong. We will have to transplant it soon because we are adding on to our house in the next few years an the maple would be in the middle of our new garage if we did not move it.
Last week I posted a photo of a votive stand. Today I am posting a single votive. I am posting this because I am in a 52 week photo project and the topic of the week was single light source.
Monday, 05/01/2023: Posted photo — Flow.
Water flowing during my Monday night hike. On photo is of a stream, the other of a trail. This trial was almost like a river with water flowing over the rocks.
Tuesday, 05/02/2023: Posted photo — Roots.
Here are two edible roots, garlic, and onions.
Wednesday, 05/03/2023: Posted photo — Corn.
Corn while eaten sometimes as a vegetable and sometimes as a grain, it is classified by botanists as a fruit, as are tomatoes, green peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, and other squashes.
Thursday, 05/04/2023: Posted photo — Selfie.
Here is a hiking selfie. Great to complete the hike with daylight.
Friday, 05/05/2023: Post photo — Sunrise.
Nice sunrise this morning. The clouds have great red shadows on them. Photos do not do sunrise justice.
“My life is shaped by the urgent need to wander and observe, and my camera is my passport.” — Steve McCurry
Random thoughts and ideas for this week.
Sunday, 04/23/2023: Posted photo — Votive Stand.
Church candle stands are known as votive stands. Votive means something that is ‘offered or consecrated in fulfilment of a vow’. It represents the prayer that is being said for one’s self or someone else, which is why they’re also known as a ‘prayer candle’.
This one in our church was dedicated last week to one of my friends and his family. He passed away a few months ago from Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. His wife passed away a few years ago from cancer, and his oldest son passed away about 15 years ago from a car crash. They were such active members in our parish. He and I were among the founding members of our church’s men’s Bible study group.
Monday, 04/24/2023: Posted photo — Hiking.
Weather was great for a hike tonight. It seems that most of the time that I lead a Monday night hike, it needs to be cancelled because of the weather. The cancellations happen more in the winter and spring because getting wet is more dangerous that in the warmer months. I took this photo of the flowing water along the trail with my phone. One of the days in the next few weeks, I will hike with my DSLR to take better photos, if the water is still flowing.
Tuesday, 04/25/2023: Posted photo — Graffiti.
“Solon”. Graffiti on the mountain carved by Solon Heywood. He also has his full name carved into stones on the summit. Solon was the son of Seth Heywood, one of the founding fathers of a neighboring town. Solon Heywood passed away on Aug 6, 1883, at the age of 48 so this graffiti is very old.
Bitter orange (Citrus aurantium), also known as sour orange and Seville orange, is a citrus fruit with a multitude of uses. It’s commonly used in complementary medicine, herbal weight loss supplements, and certain foods and toppings like marmalade.
I never heard of a sour orange before. It is great to go shopping to find new and interesting food.
No, I did not try it.
Thursday, 04/27/2023: Posted photo — Progress.
Two weeks ago, I posted a photo of our sugar maple budding. Two weeks later, here is the progress.
Friday, 04/28/2023: Post photo — Burls.
Tree knots are also known as “burls”. Burls form on the outside of trees as a reaction to stress. Wood from a burl is prized by woodworkers for its intricate design, and some will pay top dollar for it. These are at the junction of the West Side and Old Indian Trails on Wachusett Mountain. They most likely we formed after a lightning strike on the tree.
Saturday, 04/29/2023: Post photo — Artwork.
“Artrageous is a troupe of multi-talented Live performance artists, world-class singers, and recording artists, highly trained dancers, and audience motivators, and veteran musicians hailing from the high desert of New Mexico.” https://www.artrageousshow.com/.
We went to the show last night. The audience lived it. I was not too crazy about the show. Here is some of the artwork that was created at the show.
“When I say I want to photograph someone, what it really means is that I’d like to know them. Anyone I know I photograph.” — Annie Leibovitz
Random thoughts and ideas for this week.
Sunday, 04/16/2023: Posted photo — Clock.
There is a photo project that I am involved with other than my 365 photo project. It is called 52 frames. Each week a topic is posted, and you are to take a photo that complies with that topic. This week’s challenge was dreamscape. My photo was one of the top 52 photos submitted during the week.
It is called Droste effect. The Droste effect describes a specific type of recursive picture in which a smaller version of the larger image is featured within the larger image. I added a little twist to mine photos since the object was round.
This week’s challenge is Blue Hour.
Monday, 04/17/2023: Posted photo — Yellow Roses.
No hike this week due to the weather. We are getting some cold rain and fog, so it was not safe for me to take a group out under these conditions. I stayed home instead and thought about what photo I would use for today. I chose a photo of a yellow rose.
Yellow roses are universally known as symbols of friendship, most people give them to each other for their birthdays or to celebrate the love between two good friends. I just like taking photos of them when I am out shopping.
Tuesday, 04/18/2023: Posted photo — Moxie.
The first bottled carbonated beverage made in the America. Moxie has a distinctively different flavor. It as first bottled in 1884. Moxie was designated as the official soft drink of the State of Maine in 2005. I just love the taste of Moxie. Most people do not. I even have a bright orange shirt that has Moxie on it and “Distinctively Different Flavor” on the back.
Wednesday, 04/19/2023: Posted photo — Clouds.
Morning clouds. My cellphone does not capture the color well.
I may edit this photo and use it for blue hour challenge. Blue hour in the morning is when Civil twilight begins, and Nautical twilight ends. Nautical twilight is a deep dusk — dim bluish sky, bright planets visible. In civil twilight, the sky is light all over though the sun is not visible.
Thursday, 04/20/2023: Posted photo — Mountains.
Here are two photos of mountains that I have visited during my travels. Pu’u’ula’ula at Haleakalā National Park in Hawaii and the other is Waterton Lake Sunset Alberta during blue hour.
Friday, 04/21/2023: Post photo — Eclipse.
Like the mountains I posted yesterday, here is a photo of a lunar eclipse and a solar eclipse taken during my travels. The lunar eclipse was taken in my back yard and the solar eclipse was taken in Tennessee a few years ago. The next total solar eclipse in our area will take place on Monday, April 8, 2024. Look for photos of this event.
Saturday, 04/22/2023: Post photo — Score Card.
This is the difference between our son’s time, world rank 23133, competition place 35 and Tymon’s time, world rank 7, competition place 1.
“The world I was trying to show was one where I felt good, where people were nice, where I found the tenderness I needed. My photos were like a proof that such a world could exist.” — Robert Doisneau
Random thoughts and ideas for this week.
John sent me another quote to use. Thank you, John.
Sunday, 04/09/2023: Posted photo — Easter Sunday.
The following information was taken from the History Channel.
Easter is a Christian holiday that celebrates the belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the New Testament of the Bible, the event is said to have occurred three days after Jesus was crucified by the Romans and died in roughly A.D. 30. The holiday concludes the “Passion of Christ,” a series of events and holidays that begins with Lent—a 40-day period of fasting, prayer and sacrifice—and ends with Holy Week, which includes Holy Thursday (the celebration of Jesus’ Last Supper with his 12 Apostles, also known as “Maundy Thursday”), Good Friday (on which Jesus’ crucifixion is observed) and Easter Sunday. (https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/history-of-easter)
Woke up this morning to see the Easter bunny outside of my window.
According to some sources, the Easter bunny first arrived in America in the 1700s with German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania and transported their tradition of an egg-laying hare called “Osterhase” or “Oschter Haws.” Their children made nests in which this creature could lay its colored eggs. Eventually, the custom spread across the United States and the fabled rabbit’s Easter morning deliveries expanded to include chocolate and other types of candy and gifts, while decorated baskets replaced nests. Additionally, children often left out carrots for the bunny in case he got hungry from all his hopping.
From a Christian perspective, Easter eggs are said to represent Jesus’ emergence from the tomb and resurrection. Decorating eggs for Easter is a tradition that dates back to at least the 13th century, according to some sources. One explanation for this custom is that eggs were formerly a forbidden food during Lent, so people would paint and decorate them to mark the end of the period of penance and fasting, then eat them on Easter as a celebration. (https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/easter-symbols)
Monday, 04/10/2023: Posted photo — Summit Photo.
What would Monday be without a hiking photo. Here is a photo of my pack on the fire tower on top of Wachusett Mountain.
Tuesday, 04/11/2023: Posted photo — Garlic.
Garlic is the edible bulb from a plant in the lily family. It was traditionally used for health purposes by people in many parts of the world, including the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Chinese, and Japanese. Currently, garlic is most promoted as a dietary supplement for conditions related to the heart and blood vessels, including high blood cholesterol and high blood pressure. Fresh garlic, garlic powder, and garlic oil are used to flavor foods. Garlic may be used topically (applied to the skin).
Wednesday, 04/12/2023: Posted photo — Daffodil.
Daffodils are a hardy perennials that come back year after year, spreading and often naturalizing. They are one of the first signs of spring. These just seem to appear overnight in our yard. The snow is almost clear and the daffodils are starting to blossom.
Thursday, 04/13/2023: Posted photo — Aunt Leona.
Today is the 30th anniversary of my father’s passing. It is also a day that I went to my aunt’s wake. She was my mother’s oldest sister and passed away at the age of 98. There is only one more sibling on my mother’s side. She is in here early 90s. All the siblings that passed due to natural causes passed into their 90s. One of her brothers was lost at sea.
Friday, 04/14/2023: Post photo — Mount Monadnock.
Mount Monadnock at sunset is such a great thing to see.
Saturday, 04/15/2023: Post photo — Buds.
The sugar maple plants are starting to bud in this nice weather.
On a side note: now that the snow has melted, it is time to get out into the yard and clean up all the broken branches and cut down some damaged trees.
Photo by Joseph Ciras 