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February 16, 2025

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2025

“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

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

Sunday, 02/09/2025: Posted photo — Snowshoeing.

We had a little snowfall last night. Only about 7 inches of snow fell. This gave me the opportunity to take my snowshoes out and hike on out property. There were many challenging areas to hike. I when up and down steel hills and through some swampy areas that were frozen over.

I used today to do a test run of my snowshoes. I will bring them with me during my hike tomorrow and hopefully I will be able to use them.

Monday, 02/10/2025: Posted photo — Mountain Laurel.

Here are some mountain laurel covered in snow. I saw this during my hike today.

I did not use my snowshoes, just carried them. Since I went the day after the snow, the trails were packed down. I used my microspikes and stayed on the trail. If I was not leading a group, I would have put them on and hiked off the trail. When I am leading a group, I need to be responsible for the fun and safety of all.

Tuesday, 02/11/2025: Posted photo — Snow on Swing.

There was still snow on the swings in our backyard. These swings have not been used for many years. One of our grandnieces was one of the last ones to use them. The photo of the snow on the swings is a photo that I take every year. The weather is going to warm up tomorrow so this may be the last opportunity before the snow next Saturday to take this photo.

I have been doing this project since January 1, 2010. After a while there is repetitiveness in my photos and photography topic. I need to branch out and take more photos of people.

Wednesday, 02/12/2025: Posted photo — Familiar Place.

Speaking of creatures of habit, I take a photo of this location often. Besides the moon, this location is my second most photograph location in my project.

A few years back I took a photo on the 6th of the month, every month of every year, at this location to see how it changes. I put a video of my photos together. Let me know if you would like to see it and I can figure out a way to post it in this blog.

Thursday, 02/13/2025: Posted photo — Snow Moon.

This month’s full moon is called the Snow Moon.

There is typically cold and snowy weather in February, so the full moon was given the name snow moon. Storm moon and hunger moon are other common names.

I took this with my 300mm lens, and not my “moon” lens because of the wing. My long “moon” lens is only manual and does not have a stabilizer making it difficult to take photos of the moon in the wind.

Friday, 02/14/2025: Post photo — Icicles.

As the temperature fluctuates, icicles begin to form. These photos were taken in the morning. One is a photo of the icicles on a building, the other of icicles on a handrail.

These were gone later in the day when the temperature rose slightly and the wind picked up.

Saturday, 02/15/2025: Post photo — Looking Up.

Blue sky this morning before the snow tonight. We are expecting several inches of snow, followed by sleet and rain tonight into tomorrow.

Spent the day getting ready for the storm.

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

“Sumens imagines consolatur et inspirat me.”

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February 9, 2025

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Photographic Thoughts — 02/02/2025 to 02/08/2025

“Photography for me is not looking, it’s feeling. If you can’t feel what you’re looking at, then you’re never going to get others to feel anything when they look at your pictures.” — Don McCullin

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

Sunday, 02/02/2025: Posted photo — Bouquet.

A bouquet of flowers in a store today. With the dismal state of the world, higher gas and food prices, shortage of food in the stores, and many people losing their livelihood in the last few weeks, I wanted to start this week with something positive.

Monday, 02/03/2025: Posted photo — Summit Sights.

Today’s hike was messy. Not that it was rainy or anything, the snow was just like mashed potatoes, sticking to the bottom of my microspikes and balling up. I did not know what would be more dangerous, keeping the microspikes on or going bear boot. I decided to keep them on and clear the bottom of them often. As an editorial note: the temperature dropped on Tuesday and the Tuesday night group had not issues with the snow.

The trail I took passed the top of one of the ski trails. I have posted photos of this location in the past. I took this photo just to have one for today.

Also on the summit is a plaque paying tribute to the U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain Division and its service in Italy during World War II. This plaque was covered in snow. Next time I am on the summit, and if the plaque is still covered, I will remove the snow. Honorary plaques should not be covered.

Tuesday, 02/04/2025: Posted photo — Succulent.

The word succulent comes from the Latin word sucus, meaning “juice” or “sap”. Succulent plants have thickened stems, or leaves. Succulents may store water in various structures, such as leaves and stems.

This was a succulent that I saw while shopping tonight. There were many items out for St. Valentine’s Day. I keep thinking to myself that if you purchased flowers or other items this week, or when the first arrived in the stores, they would die before St. Valentine’s Day arrived.

Wednesday, 02/05/2025: Posted photo — Sunflower.

There is no reason that I posted this photo of a sunflower that I took today. When I saw it, I wanted to practice making a HDR photos using only one photo in GIMP. I have made single photo HDRs in Paint Shop Pro, but I am moving away from that program and using GIMP more.

This is the results of my experiment. Enjoy.

Thursday, 02/06/2025: Posted photo — Tracks.

Snow fell this afternoon, so I took this opportunity to walk to and from work so that I did not have to drive home on bad roads. I have used my new shoeshoes only once. When I got them, I took a loop around our property. Every time that I was going to hike with them, the conditions were not correct. They were mostly conditions for the use of microspikes or crampons, too much ice and not enough snow.

These photos are from my walk home. There is a photo of one of my snowshoes (if I took a photo of both, my shadow would be in the photo), my snowshoe tracks, and the tracks of a wild rabbit. I have seen deer tracks, bear tracks, coyote tracks, and what I think were mountain lion tracks in the past. Today I only saw rabbit tracks.

It was good to finally test out my snowshoes. I may use them on Wachusett on Monday since there is a prediction of almost a foot of snow in this area on Sunday.

Friday, 02/07/2025: Post photo — Puddle.

For my photo challenge this week, I am to take a photo of a reflection in a puddle. The problem this week was that we did not have many puddles. Most of them were frozen over. Today there was a brief period of melt, but the wind was blowing. I was able to take this photo of clouds in a puddle. I am not happy with it. You just have to take with Mother Nature gives you. At least I have a photo that fits this week’s topic.

Saturday, 02/08/2025: Post photo — Competition.

Today I competed in a cubing event for the first time. The event took place at the school our son teaches so it was a great opportunity to do so. We have been to many comps over the years and our son’s friends keep asking us if we can solve. We say “yes”, and then they ask if we compete, we say “no”.

I took the plunge. I did not finish last, just next to last to someone that did not complete all their solves.

Today I competed in the 3x3x3 and the 2x2x2 events. I have posted my times below. For the 2x2x2, there were three solves when I thought I was solving the cube and it looked to me that nothing had happened. I gave up on one. Some of my son’s friends were laughing at me because they saw something that I should have done.

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

“Sumens imagines consolatur et inspirat me.”

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February 2, 2025

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Photographic Thoughts — 01/26/2025 to 02/01/2025

“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.

Sunday, 01/26/2025: Posted photo — Something Old.

Photo challenge of the week — Something old.

Many have posted old house, jewelry, or other items. I have posted a Cub Scout award that my brother received back in the 1960’s. My brother would have aged out of Cub Scouts in 1961 making this 64 years old. I have this memento to remember him along with some other items from his youth and his time in the Peace Corps in the late 1960’s.

Monday, 01/27/2025: Posted photo — Sunset.

This was taken just as is leaving the office. The colors were past peak but still wonderful to see this time of year. This was the first opportunity that I had to take a sunset photo as I was leaving work. As the days get longer, I am looking forward to getting on the local mountain and seeing the sunset from the summit.

Tuesday, 01/28/2025: Posted photo — Garlic.

Another shopping day. I tend to do my grocery shopping on Tuesday nights. The only time I do not is when I go hiking with the Tuesday night hiking group.

Garlic can reduce the severity of common cold symptoms, helping manage cholesterol and blood pressure, boosting heart health, and reducing the risk of liver injury.

Wednesday, 01/29/2025: Posted photo — Sunrise.

We had a few inches of light, fluffy snow last night. It was snowing off and on during the day with little more accumulation that in the morning. Since there was overcast sky this morning, the sun was just poking through the clouds.

I also took this photo of the flag against the snow. The flag was changed today since the high winds of the last few days had torn it.

Thursday, 01/30/2025: Posted photo — Boots.

Went to a new store near us. It was called the Boot Barn. I wanted to go into see if they had any hiking boots. They did not (not that I saw).

When I walked into the store, I felt like I was back in Houston Texas. The store was full of cowboy boots and hats. It did have some work boots, but most of the store had the ranch theme. I do not know how long the store will be there since there are not many ranchers in our area, but I did find the price of the shoes and hats as expected.

I thought of my niece and her children when I saw these boots. She lives in Washington state and lives on a farm with her family. She loves cowboy boots and pink.

Friday, 01/31/2025: Post photo — Blue Sky.

This week’s theme is blue. We had some snow last night and the sun was out today. I took a photo of the blue sky. Nice contrast between the snow, trees, and the sky.

Saturday, 02/01/2025: Post photo — Flowers.

Some flowers to close out this tiring week. Been editing procedures this week at work and have not gotten much sleep.

I almost fell asleep writing this.

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

“Sumens imagines consolatur et inspirat me.”

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January 26, 2025

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Photographic Thoughts — 01/19/2025 to 01/25/ 2025

“No place is boring, if you’ve had a good night’s sleep and have a pocket full of unexposed film” — Robert Adams

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

Sunday, 01/19/2025: Posted photo — Leading Lines.

Photo challenge of the week — Leading Lines. I took many photos today to try to fit this theme. This was the winner. The lines are leading you down the seawall along the beach at Hampton Beach NH.

It was a cool day to be on the beach. When walking with the wind to my back, it felt warm. When I was walking into a headwind, you can tell it was frigid outside with the wind chill.

Monday, 01/20/2025: Posted photo — Cigar Box Guitar.

My bother made this one and just electrified it. He made one for one of his granddaughters during the summer and wanted to make one for himself.

As you can tell by the inscription, he is also a hiker. He was the past chairperson of the local chapter of the AMC and is now on the AMC Board of Directors.

Tuesday, 01/21/2025: Posted photo — Dekopon Mandarin.

Imagine the perfect citrus — super easy to peel, extra juicy and amazingly sweet. This is a hybrid of the satsuma, navel and mandarin orange varieties developed in 1970’s.

I have posted many times before, the supermarket that I go to every week has a great assortment of fruits and vegetables. I like taking photos of them and doing research on them before purchasing them.

Wednesday, 01/22/2025: Posted photo — Coating a Japanese Yew.

Some snow on a Japanese Yew at my office. I like the contrast of colors.

Thursday, 01/23/2025: Posted photo — Moon from Office Window.

I looked out my office window last week and saw the full moon. I took out my camera and took a photo for the moon through the office window.

I have people tell me that my moon photos are great and they wished I had something in the foreground, do I took this photo with the branches in the foreground.

Friday, 01/24/2025: Post photo — New Hampshire Marine Memorial.

“It started as a grave marker… and became a monument!” This started out from a father wanting a grave marker for his son lost at sea in 1945. What his efforts brought after many years of endeavor, was a memorial at Hampton Beach to all New Hampshire sons and daughters lost or buried at sea during World War II.

This monument is across the street from the location of a cubing event that took place last weekend. I saw this monument as we entered for the competition and I went out to take it before the snow.

Saturday, 01/25/2025: Post photo — Training Hike.

Today I held a training hike to introduce people into winter hiking. I know that we are part way through the season but it was the first opportunity for a training hike. A few weeks ago, we (the Wachusett Hikers) had a conference call with people that wanted to learn about winter hiking. It was an informative call and some people wanted a hike planned to practice we talked about.

I set up this hike to be the training hike. There were some that signed up for the hike and canceled last minute, as with typical hikes. Even if there were only one person signed up, I was going to do this hike. The temperature today was in the low 20’s (F) and the sun was shinning. This was so far the warmest day of the week.

I showed them my full winter gear and talked about which item was needed for local hikes and upcountry hikes. We also discussed layering for heat control, how to used microspikes, what type of microspikes to purchase and what type not to purchase, how to keep your water from freezing, how to properly adjust their hiking poles and how to use them properly, and other topics. It was a great hike and it made the two hikers that joined me more confident in their abilities. That was the main purpose of the hike.

As a bonus, we saw a bald eagle flying at the summit. By the time I took out my phone camera, it had flown out of range.

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

“Sumens imagines consolatur et inspirat me.”

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January 19, 2025

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Photographic Thoughts — 01/12/2025 to 01/18/ 2025

“It’s weird that photographers spend years or even a whole lifetime, trying to capture moments that added together, don’t even amount to a couple of hours.” — James Lalropui Keivom

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

This week will only be photos. Did some commentaries on my photos that I wanted to post this week, but did not have the opportunity to finish so I am posting only photos. I will finish this week’s photos for next week’s blog.

Sunday, 01/12/2025: Posted photo — Grand Tetons.

Monday, 01/13/2025: Posted photo — Alaska.

Tuesday, 01/14/2025: Posted photo — Bird in Bryce Canyon.

Wednesday, 01/15/2025: Posted photo — Route 66.

Thursday, 01/16/2025: Posted photo — Glen Canyon Dam.

Friday, 01/17/2025: Post photo — Mesa Arch.

Saturday, 01/18/2025: Post photo — Olympic National Park.

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

“Sumens imagines consolatur et inspirat me.”

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January 12, 2025

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Photographic Thoughts — 01/05/2025 to 01/11/2025

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

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

Sunday, 01/05/2025: Posted photo — Mary and Jesus.

Mary and Jesus next to the Paschal candle. Today was the feast of the Magi but the kings were hiding at the time I took this photo. When I was putting up the numbers for the hymns, I liked the look of this setup. The Paschal candle is lite at Easter and represents the light of Christ coming into the world.

Monday, 01/06/2025: Posted photo — End of the Line.

I posted a photo of the ski lift last week when the snow was melting and the trails were wet. This week, the temperature was in the low 20’s F with the wind chill making the real feel temperature of around 3 deg F.

Tuesday, 01/07/2025: Posted photo — Gardner City Hall.

I had my yearly physical yesterday and took this photo. Gardner is the 92 our of the 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts.

Wednesday, 01/08/2025: Post photo — Brussels Sprouts.

Brussels sprouts are named after Brussels, Belgium, where it is believed they were first widely cultivated in the 16th century.

Thursday, 01/08/2025: Posted photo — Abstract Moon.

When I took a photo of the moon today, it came out looking a little abstract. This is due to the fact that the mount of my lens was loose so there was too much movement in the lens. I knew it was loose, but I thought that it would not effect my photos. Guess I was incorrect.

Friday, 01/10/2025: Post photo — Trip Planning.

I am finalizing my plans on my second leadership hike this winter so that I can receive my Winter Upcountry credentials. I am looking for a hike in the White Mountains. I will be selecting a hike that is not one of the 4K mountains, yet the mountain will be challenging. The full planning of the hike is the last requirement for my credentials. I have planned many winter hikes in the Whites, including some of the taller 4K mountains, but none of them for the AMC.

The most difficult part of this hike is to get the one or two mentors that are needed to evaluate me. There are only a few people in the chapter that are qualified and there is another hiking series going on at the same time. Once I am credentialed, I will be able to lead hikes year round, both locally and upcountry in the higher, more dangerous, mountains.

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

The inch of snow that was predicted turned into three plus inches. Not much snow for this time of year. The temperature will be getting warmer and then a freeze will happen, so I went out today to clean off our driveway, walkway, and deck before the freeze.

That is it for now. Stay safe.

“Sumens imagines consolatur et inspirat me.”

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January 5, 2025

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Photographic Thoughts — 12/22/2024 to 12/28/2024

“Photography has nothing to do with cameras.” — Lucas Gentry

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

Sunday, 12/29/2024: Posted photo — Jicama.

I was looking for information on this vegetable that I saw while out shopping today. I found this information on webmd.com: “Jicama is a root vegetable with thick, brown skin and white flesh. It tastes like an apple but not as sweet. It’s a bit like a potato but with a lot fewer carbs. The jicama plant grows mostly in Mexico and Central America on a long vine. But the part you eat is the root.”

This was another vegetable that I saw and did not purchase. I want to find out more about the foods that I purchase and their nutritional values before I try something new.

Monday, 12/30/2024: Posted photo — Monday Night Hike.

We had a very warm day today. Most of the ice and snow that were in our yard and on the mountain have melted and have been washed away. The streams on the mountain were flowing almost as fast as they do in the spring. The trails were very muddy and wet.

For the route tonight, I brought the group by the ski area. As members of the group were taking photos, one of the regular hikers on the mountain came off the lift. His alter ego is working for the ski patrol. He came off the lift shortly after I took this photo. The mountain must have had a good base since they lost a lot of snow with the temperature change.

Tuesday, 12/31/2024: Posted photo — New Year’s Eve.

This is a tradition at my house. My wife, son, niece and her husband (one of my son’s friends) come over to do a puzzle. This year was a mystery puzzle. You solve the puzzle and them separate part of the puzzle to solve another puzzle that fits inside that one. Hard to explain. I do not help solve the puzzles since my mind wonders too much.

The did not finish the puzzle last night. The puzzle was finished on New Year’s Day.

Wednesday, 01/01/2025: Post photo — Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all. 2025 will be an eventful year.

Let’s up that people have the Moxie to stand up for our freedom.

Be safe out there and be kind to others. John 13:34: “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.” It does not say protest or discriminate against those who are different than us.

Thursday, 01/02/2025: Posted photo — Worcester City Hall.

Worcester City Hall. Worcester MA is the second largest city in New England and is my home town. The top ten cities in New England are: Boston MA (population 675,647), Worcester MA (population 206,518), Providence RI (population 190,934), Springfield MA (population 155,929), Bridgeport CT (population 148,654), Stamford CT (population 135,470), New Haven CT (population 134,023), Hartford CT (population 121,054), Cambridge MA (population 118,403), and Manchester NH (population 115,644). The biggest city in Maine is Portland (population 68,408) and ranks 29 in New England. The largest city in Vermont is Burlington (population 44,743) and ranks 59. There are 154 cities and towns in New England with a population over 25,000 based on the 2020 census.

Some history city hall: “Worcester City Hall was designed by Peabody & Stearns and built by the Norcross Brothers in 1898. The Italianate structure was built with a granite exterior, and was partly modeled after Italian Renaissance palazzos. The building was built on the site of the Old South Meeting House, which was the original town hall. The Old South Meeting House was built in 1763 and was the site where Isaiah Thomas first read the Declaration of Independence in New England in 1776.”

Friday, 01/03/2025: Post photo — Sunrise Hike.

It was raining out on New Year’s morning so my traditional New Year’s sunrise hike was canceled. It was rescheduled until tomorrow, but I can not make that hike. I decided to do my sunrise hike this morning.

It was a cold morning and the sunrise was spectacular. The best one this year and one of the better ones in my lifetime. Here is a photo of me enjoying it. I do not know how to take selfies, so forgive the poor photo.

Saturday, 01/04/2025: Post photo — Moon and Venus.

I received a text message for a friend asking me to take a photo of the Venus next to the moon since he only uses a cellphone. I went outside and took this photo. Thank you John.

While I was outside taking this photo, two things were happening. The first thing was that the clouds were rolling in so I had to quickly take this photo. I went out later to take more photos, but the moon had already disappeared in the trees or had already set.

The other thing that was happening was that there were coyotes in the woods near my house fighting. I heard one of them warn the other, and then heard the confrontation. The sound was getting very close to me so I went inside. When I could no longer hear them from inside my house, I went outside to take more moon photos. That is when I noticed that the moon was in the clouds. I went out later and did not see the moon since it either was already set or was too far into the trees for me to see it.

That is it for now. Stay safe.

Happy New Years to all and wishing everyone a safe 2025.

“Sumens imagines consolatur et inspirat me.”

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December 29, 2024

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Photographic Thoughts — 12/22/2024 to 12/28/2024

“Photographs open doors into the past, but they also allow a look into the future.” — Sally Mann

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

Sunday, 12/22/2024: Posted photo — Never too Old.

You are never too old to believe. This is our son with Santa, his grandfather. My nieces and nephews all know that my father-in-law is the real Santa.

On a sadder note, I found out today that my college roommate passed from COVID a couple of years ago. I wished him a happy birthday on Facebook and a mutual friend let me know he passed. So sad that someone so young died from an illness that some people claim does not exist. COVID is real! Be safe.

Monday, 12/23/2024: Posted photo — Weather Front.

Here is a photo of a weather front that came through the area today. I like the look of weather fronts, the crisp line that creates them.

Here is a bonus photos of how some people feel so close to the holidays.

Tuesday, 12/24/2024: Posted photo — Possible White Christmas.

Here is a photo of my neighbor’s driveway. I just love the way the driveway looks in the winter. It is even better with tire tracks.

A white Christmas is a Christmas when there is snow on the ground or it is snowing on Christmas Day or Christmas Eve. The National Weather Service (NWS) defines a white Christmas as at least one inch of snow on the ground at 7 AM local time on Christmas morning. The last white Christmas in our area was in 2009. We had a little snow last night and there might be some more tonight.

Wednesday, 12/25/2024: Post photo — Christmas and Hanukkah.

Merry Christmas to all. Happy first day of Hanukkah.

We have an official white Christmas this year. This was a great year for this hiker. I received new MSR Lightning Explorer snowshoes, CAMP crampons, and heated socks. Friday I will be picking up a new to me ice axe. I should be ready for my above tree line winter training on Saturday.

Jesus celebrated Hanukkah, and it’s mentioned in the New Testament. At that time, Hanukkah was called “the Feast of Dedication” because it commemorated the dedication of the Temple. My family celebrated both Christmas and Hanukkah.

Thursday, 12/26/2024: Posted photo — Day after Hike.

It was a wonderful sunny day today. The temperature was cool and the air was refreshing. I went on a hike today during the day for the first time in a long time. The trails had heavy ice on them in some of the typical locations.

It was a practice hike for me. I had a full pack on me to practice carrying heavier weight. I wanted to carry the weight to practice for my above treeline leadership/safety training on Saturday.

Friday, 12/27/2024: Post photo — Headstone.

I had a day off today so I went to a neighboring town to pick up some supplies for tomorrow’s training hike. On the way back, I went to visit my parents, paternal grandparents, one of my aunts, one of my uncles, and by brother to wish them a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

This gave me an opportunity to see if my brother’s name was on his headstone. It was.

Saturday, 12/28/2024: Post photo — Hike.

Today was a training hike for AMC up-country winter leadership. This was also a practice hike for next weekend when the AMC is leading some hiked up Mount Monadnock. All of the participants for this hike were AMC up-country winter leaders. I was the only Leader-in-Training that went on the hike. The other LIT’s could not make it for various meetings. This was a very good training in leading winter hikes and included the use of crampons. I expect to be fully certified by the end of the winter.

The summit was fogged in and there were winds of an estimated 40 mph. We were dressed for it so the weather did not bother the members of the group. These photos do not show how windy it was on the summit.

An Up-Country Hike is defined as a hike (offered within the state of Massachusetts) that is over 8 miles in length or over 1000 feet of elevation gain or any hike offered outside the state of Massachusetts. A winter hike is defined as any hike that takes place during the time period between December 1 and March 31.

That is it for now. Stay safe.

Happy New Years to all.

“Sumens imagines consolatur et inspirat me.”

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December 22, 2024

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Photographic Thoughts — 12/15/2024 to 12/21/2024

“Photographs open doors into the past, but they also allow a look into the future.” — Sally Mann

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

Little words this week. I was busy getting work done before the holidays.

Sunday, 12/15/2024: Posted photo — Advent.

The altar setup before Advent Mass. This is the third Sunday of Advent.

Monday, 12/16/2024: Posted photo — Wachusett Mountain.

The view of Wachusett Mountain from the summit of North Pack Monadnock.

Tuesday, 12/17/2024: Posted photo — Pattern.

Some interesting pattern on my car door this morning. It is starting to get cold. There will be a 40 degree F drop in temperature over the next few days.

Wednesday, 12/18/2024: Post photo — Ornaments.

Some ornaments on a tree.

Thursday, 12/19/2024: Posted photo — Roses.

Some roses to brighten your day.

Friday, 12/20/2024: Post photo — Colorize.

I attempted to do a different colorization today. Normally I would colorize using black and white. Today I wanted to use sepia.

Saturday, 12/21/2024: Post photo — Simplicity.

This week’s theme is simplicity in black and white. This is my submittal for the week.

That is it for now. Stay safe.

Happy holidays to all.

“Sumens imagines consolatur et inspirat me.”

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December 15, 2024

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Photographic Thoughts — 12/08/2024 to 12/14/2024

“If you see something that moves you, and then snap it, you keep a moment.” — Linda McCartney

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

Sunday, 12/08/2024: Posted photo — Organ.

Organ music is played at church because it has a historical association with religious ceremonies, its powerful and sustained sound is well-suited to accompany congregational singing, and it is considered a dignified and solemn instrument that enhances the atmosphere of worship.

In my younger days, I played the organ at church when I was a college undergrad. I also played keyboards in a jazz band in high school. It has been a while since I have played the organ. The one in my house is an older model that needs tubes and some of the broken tubes are hard to find.

Monday, 12/09/2024: Posted photo — Candle.

Candles represent the Star of Bethlehem that guided the Magi to Jesus’s birthplace. The candlelight symbolizes the light of Christ coming into the world and the hope he brought.

In our church we have candles with real flames and candles with fake flames. The real flames are on the altar and represent the presence of God at the altar and at the tabernacle. The fake flames, such as the one in this photo, are placed on the windowsills near the stained glass and in areas were there might be a fire hazard. I am a traditionalist and like the real flames but understand the reason for safety for the fake flames.

Tuesday, 12/10/2024: Posted photo — Droplet.

It was slightly warmer today than normal. It was in the high 50’s F and low 60’s F. This causes the icicles to melt causing droplets.

If you have been following me for a while, you know that I try to post droplet photos at least once a year. I do this to practice my high-speed photography.

Wednesday, 12/11/2024: Post photo — Sunrise.

I know, I know — would Joe get creative and stop posting sunrise photos? Well, I was not going to post one this week.

I was at my office on the west side of the building and saw the red trees outside my window. I walked to the other side of the building, took out my cell phone, and took this photo.

Thursday, 12/12/2024: Posted photo — Wabi Sabi.

Wabi-sabi is a Japanese aesthetic, philosophy, and way of life that embraces imperfection and transience.

I found beauty in these old roses. They were dried out and I just liked the delicateness and textures in them.

Friday, 12/13/2024: Post photo — Sensor Check.

Every once and a while I check the sensor on my camera to see if it needs cleaning. You can tell if a sensor needs cleaning because there will be some smudges, sometime hard to see smudges, on the sensor.

Looking at this photo, my sensor looks clean. The only thing that I see is a little vignetting in the corners. This might have been caused by my lens hood. Vignetting is a photographic effect that occurs when the edges of an image are darker than the center. A lens hood is primarily used to block stray light from hitting the lens, preventing unwanted lens flare and improving image contrast by shading the front element. The vignetting occurs when I zoom in to closely to an object and the camera’s angle of view is wider than the opening in my lens hood.

Saturday, 12/14/2024: Post photo — North Pack Monadnock.

North Pack Monadnock or North Pack Monadnock Mountain is a 2,276-foot monadnock in south-central New Hampshire, at the northern end of the Wapack Range of mountains. It lies within Greenfield and Temple, New Hampshire; the 22-mile Wapack Trail traverses the mountain. We hike along the Wapack trail during today’s hike doing a 5.5 mile loop.

Today I co-lead a hike up North Pack Monadnock with the AMC. It was my first official upcountry winter hike lead. I need one more lead to be fully certified as an upcountry four season hiking leader. I have hikes and lead hikes upcountry. I decided to make it official this year.

The hike was a learning hike for participants. We were hoping for snow so that we could practice snowshoeing but there was just ice due to this week’s rain and warmer temperatures. We had everyone carry their snowshoes so that they could practice carrying weight. We did have a great day teaching how to use microspikes. Some have never used them properly previously.

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

“Sumens imagines consolatur et inspirat me.”