“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

Random thoughts and ideas for this week.

This week’s adventures.

Sunday, 05/21/2023: Posted photo — Angel of Patience

The Angel of Patience statue by Design Toscano is a majestic sculpture. Patience is the ability to endure delay, trouble, or suffering without getting upset. This statue is in one of the gardens at our church. I took this photo between masses while selling cakes for the Relay for Life.

Flower of the day: Alyssum

This aromatic bloom emits a tranquil, spiritual vibe that promotes emotional equilibrium. Apart from being a symbol of beauty, the sweet alyssum protects the wearer from dangerous situations.

Monday, 05/22/2023: Posted photo — Hiking/Newt/Big Dipper.

Monday night is hiking night. Here is a photo of some of the members of the group of hikers I lead tonight. I took them on some of the more difficult trails. Some people may consider Wachusett Mountain not a difficult mountain to hike. I could bring them on some trails that would change their minds.

During the hike, I came across a newt. A newt is a salamander. The terrestrial juvenile phase is called an eft. Newts are semiaquatic, alternating between aquatic and terrestrial habitats.

When I arrived back home from my hike, I saw the big dipper. My phone has a night sky feature so I tried it out on the big dipper.

Flower of the day: Lady Slipper

At one of the trail junctions, we saw some Lady Slippers. A Pink lady’s slipper is a large, showy wildflower belonging to the orchid family. It has two opposite basal leaves with conspicuous parallel veins and a large flower at the end of an erect stalk. The flower is magenta to whitish-pink; sometimes the whitish pink flowers will have darker pink venation. Rarely the flower may be all white. This plant grows 6 to 15 inches tall and flowers generally between May and July. (https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/cypripedium_acaule.shtml)

Tuesday, 05/23/2023: Posted photo — St Anne and Mary.

Saint Anne is the mother of Mary. There were two churches in Ashburnham, St Annes and St Denis. St Annes Church had to close due to safety reasons and this statue was moved to St Denis.

Flower of the day: Lavender

Lavender is a well-known and fragrant perennial plant that will come back every year with gray-green foliage, upright flower spikes, and a compact shrub form. It will grow at a moderate pace, often adding a few inches to its size each year. Lavender can be toxic to pets like dogs and cats.

Wednesday, 05/24/2023: Posted photo — Jack Frost Trail.

Jack Frost is a bipolar trail on Wachusett Mountain. The lower part of Jack Frost is flat, the middle section is what I consider the third most difficult climb on the mountain, and the last third is a mixture of easier and harder sections. A few years ago, the blazes were changed to have a paw print in them. This phot was taken just before the hard section of the trail.

Flower of the day: Azalea

I put out a description of an azalea a few weeks ago. These azaleas are on one of the hiking trails on the mountain. These look different than the ones that I had previously posted. It might be because of the altitude difference between my yard and this location.

Thursday, 05/25/2023: Posted photo — NH 4K Scroll.

As you may or may not know, I have hiked all the 4000+ feet tall mountains in New Hampshire for the second time, completing it last year just after I finished rehab of my ankle. Besides getting a patch to put on my pack, the AMC send out scrolls. There was a banquet to receive your scroll. I could not attend so it was mailed to me, arriving today.

Flower of the day: Lupine

Lupine is a plant of the pea family with deeply divided leaves and tall colorful tapering spikes of flowers.

Friday, 05/26/2023: Post photo — Monument.

There is a memorial at the summit of Wachusett Mountain dedicated to the 10^th mountain division. Since Memorial Day is approaching, I thought it would be appropriate to post.

Flower of the day: Pansy

Pansies are the cheerful flowers with upturned “faces.” They love cool weather and are popular to grow in spring and fall. They’re also edible, adding color to salads, drinks, and cakes. Here’s how to plant pansies and keep them growing and blooming.

Saturday, 05/27/2023: Post photo — Sycamore Tree.

I think this is a sycamore tree. The sycamore tree is an immense durable tree with a rapid growth rate and expansive root system. It has an upright, pyramidal crown when young and as it matures develops a rounded, irregular form, with a scaffold of large diameter branches. The most unique feature of the sycamore tree is its camouflage-looking bark. (https://www.savatree.com/sycamore-tree.html#:~:text=The%20sycamore%20tree%20is%20an,is%20its%20camouflage%2Dlooking%20bark).

Flower of the day: Sweet William

Sweet William (Dianthus barbatus) is a short-lived, herbaceous perennial or biennial with a height of about 2 feet that is often planted as an annual flower. The flowering plant, with average pointed green leaves, is ideal for use in cottage gardens, perennial beds, or containers. The flowers come in many vibrant shades and are attractive to pollinators like butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds. (https://www.thespruce.com/sweet-williams-growing-guide-5200995)

For more photo of other projects I have work, visit my website: https://photobyjosephciras.weebly.com or visit me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PhotobyJosephCiras/.

“I love the people I photograph. I mean, they’re my friends. I’ve never met most of them or I don’t know them at all, yet through my images I live with them.” — Bruce Gilden

Random thoughts and ideas for this week.

Sunday, 03/26/2023: Posted photo — Organ.

History lesson of the week.

“The earliest known organ was the hydraulis of the 3rd century bce, a rudimentary Greek invention, with the wind regulated by water pressure. The first recorded appearance of an exclusively bellow-fed organ, however, was not until almost 400 years later.” More information here.

“The Valère organ: The gothic organ is regarded as the oldest instrument of its type still in working order in the world. It is thought that it was installed in Valère between 1430 and 1440. It has barely three octaves, and the keys are much smaller than those on a modern instrument.” More information here.

Monday, 03/27/2023: Posted photo — Long Exposure.

This is from Machias Pool at a trailhead on Wachusett Mountain. I noticed that the camera on my phone has a long exposure setting so I was trying it out. I will need to try it out at the waterfalls at the end of Round Meadow Pond and at the Old Mill to see how it really works.

Tuesday, 03/28/2023: Posted photo — Bat House.

One of the best ways you can support bat conservation is to put up an artificial roost, like a bat house. Since bat populations have decreased significantly, bat houses can be very useful in providing secure roost sites for bats. This bat house is at one of the trailheads on Wachusett Mountain. It has been installed for a few years and is in great shape. There might be bats in there. I have hiked the mountain at all times of the day and during every season and have not see a bat use it.

Wednesday, 03/29/2023: Posted photo — Tomatoes.

Tomatoes take 60 days to more than 100 days to harvest, depending on the variety. Due to their relatively long growing season requirements (and late planting date), most gardeners plant small “starter plants” or transplants instead of seeds after the weather has warmed up in spring. Many gardeners purchase their transplants at a garden center or nursery but you can certainly grow you own from seed indoors.

Tomatoes contain lycopene, which may help lower your “bad” cholesterol and blood pressure levels. Lowering these numbers helps lower your chances of heart disease.

Thursday, 03/30/2023: Posted photo — Town Pound.

In the historical district in town, there is the old Town Pound. The pound is just a stone wall with a wooden gate. I can imagine the field filled with cows and goats in the old days.

Friday, 03/31/2023: Post photo — Melting Snow.

The temperature has been fluctuating between warm and cold around this area. The three feet of snow is still melting on our street. These are some pieced of wood that I need to split this summer to burn during the winter. There is still snow in our yard and in the mountains here in north central Massachusetts. The snow in our yard last longer than the surrounding area because we have many trees on our property that shade the sun.

Saturday, 04/01/2023: Post photo — St John’s High School.

I went to my high school today to watch our son compete in a cubing competition. I was in the class of 1982. He competes in a few events but mostly enters the data. He will be entering data for the cubing national championships this summer.

The place has changes since about 1990, the last time I was on campus. A few new buildings have gone up, the brother’s resident has been moved and a couple of state-of-the-art academic centers have been built. Here are a few photos from around campus.

Information from the school website. I would write its history the same way. “Saint John’s High School has educated young men under the sponsorship of the Xaverian Brothers since 1898. Saint John’s High School enjoys a unique history, one that is deeply rooted in the development and traditions of the Catholic Church in Central Massachusetts. The school was an outgrowth of both the first Catholic Church (1834) and the first parochial school (1873) in Worcester. It also has the distinction of being the first of many high schools operated by the Xaverian Brothers in New England.”

Have a good rest of the week and a Happy and Holy Easter next week.

For more photo of other projects I have work, visit my website: https://photobyjosephciras.weebly.com or visit me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PhotobyJosephCiras/.