“You don’t take a photograph, you make it.” — Ansel Adams
Thank you for all the new views and likes from last week, it helps keep me inspired.
Sunday, 09/10/2023: Posted photo — Trail Marker.
Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 200, f/7.1, 1/25 s, 31 mm.
This is an old trail marker on Wachusett Mountain. There are a few trails on the mountain that have the trail name carved into stone. When I see these markings, I wonder how long it took for someone to carve the marking.
I took this photo to show how the trails were marked many years ago.
Monday, 09/11/2023: Post photo — Koldinghus.
Koldinghus is a Danish royal castle in the town of Kolding on the south-central part of the Jutland peninsula. The castle was founded in the 13th century and was expanded since with many functions ranging from fortress, royal residency, ruin, museum, and the location of numerous wartime negotiations.
I took this photo with my very first digital camera. The light off this castle was amazing and was very surprised of the way this photo came out.
Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 200, f/7.1, 1/250 s, 79 mm.
Today I needed a quick photo, so I took a photo of Wachusett Mountain over Round Meadow Pond.
Wednesday, 09/13/2023: Posted photo — Heart.
Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 200, f/7.1, 1/250 s, 135 mm.
People see items in ordinary item in the strangest places. This weekend I saw this rock looking like a hike at the trailhead of the Hancock’s in the White Mountains.
Seeing familiar objects or patterns in otherwise random or unrelated objects or patterns is called pareidolia. It’s a form of apophenia, which is a more general term for the human tendency to seek patterns in random information.
Thursday, 09/14/2023: Posted photo — Mushroom.
Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 3200, f/7.1, 1/30 s, 87 mm.
Have you noticed that there are many more mushrooms this year then in the past? At least here in north central Massachusetts and in the mountains of New Hampshire. The photo I took today was on one of the trails on Wachusett Mountain. I took this photo on my way to the summit. I was planning on taking a sunset photo tonight but there was cloud cover at the summit. I was happy that I took this photo so I would have something to post today.
Friday, 09/15/2023: Post photo — Abstract Painting.
Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 400, f/7.1, 1/8 s, 31 mm.
Abstract art is art that does not attempt to represent an accurate depiction of a visual reality but instead use shapes, colors, forms, and gestural marks to achieve its effect. Abstract art is made up of six basic elements: Line, Texture, Shape, Form, Color, and Value. You can go online to find more about these elements.
Saturday, 09/16/2023: Post photo — Lego Land.
Nyhavn made from Lego bricks at Legoland in BillundDenmark.
Nyhavn is a 17th-century waterfront, canal and entertainment district in Copenhagen, Denmark. Stretching from Kongens Nytorv to the harbor front just south of the Royal Playhouse, it is lined by brightly colored 17th and early 18th century townhouses and bars, cafes, and restaurants. That is all for now. Until next week, be safe.
“Photographs open doors into the past, but they also allow a look into the future.” — Sally Mann.
Flags on the 48 event this week. Here some photos of past FOT48 hikes I have done.
“On September 11th, 2001 the consciousness of United States of America was undeniably altered by overwhelming and devastating acts of terrorism, so far reaching in their intensity that our country will forever carry the scars. Thousands of lives were lost in a fleeting moment, immeasurable families shattered and countless hearts broken.
We in the hiking community continue to honor the deceased with a tribute: flying the American flag atop all 48 four-thousand foot and higher mountains in New Hampshire on Sunday, September 11. By demonstrating our steadfast unity in this challenging endeavor, we also hope to express our unwavering support to the families, friends and communities whose losses are beyond comprehension and whose suffering we remember in our hearts.” https://www.flagsonthe48.org/
“Garfield Mountain is a 4,500 foot mountain in Franconia, New Hampshire (Grafton County) in the White Mountains. It lies in the Franconia Range along with Mount Lafayette, Mount Lincoln, Mount Flume and Mount Liberty. It is also along the edge of the Pemigewasset Wilderness.”
Fighting rain and wind. We dedicated this hike to both the victims of the 9/11 attack and the Boston Marathon bombing.
Monday, 09/04/23: Posted photo — 2014 Zealand.
“Mount Zealand is a 4,260 foot mountain located in Whitefield, New Hampshire. The mountain is in the Twin Range (along with 8 other mountains; 7 of which are 4,000 footers) of the White Mountains. Zealand Mountain stands on a spur ridge, northeast of Mount Guyot.”
Nice hike. Not much of a view at the summit of Zealand.
“Mount Carrigain is a 4,700 foot mountain located in Livermore, New Hampshire. It is located in the Pemigewasset Wilderness in the White Mountains. The mountain is named after Phillip Carrigain, New Hampshire’s Secretary of State from 1805-1810. One of the sub peaks of Carrigain is Vose Spur, which is on the New England Hundred Highest hiking list.”
“Mount Tecumseh is a 4,003 foot mountain in the Sandwich Range of the White Mountains. It is the shortest mountain on the AMC’s official 4,000 footers list.”
The first of my AMC hikes. I was not a leader at the time, one of my brothers was the leader. I did one more hike with the AMC before leading this year’s hike.
Thursday, 09/07/2023: Posted photo — 2019 Mount Moriah.
“Mount Moriah’s summit is 4,049 feet and is located 5 miles Southeast of Gorham, NH. It is part of the Carter-Moriah Range in the White Mountains. The shortest route up to the summit is up the Carter-Moriah trail, which goes over Mount Surprise (2,194’) before reaching Mount Moriah. The trail is relatively easy, compared to other NH 4,000 footer mountains, but, it can be very dangerous when wet, because a big portion of the Carter-Moriah trail is solid rock. (very slippery when wet, or icy!)”
Back to the regular group. The round trip on Moriah is over 10 miles. Much on the trail is on steep ledge.
Friday, 09/08/2023: Post photo — 2022 Mount Hale.
“Mount Hale is a 4,055 foot mountain in the Twin Range in Bethlehem, New Hampshire, Grafton County in the White Mountains. The mountain is named after Reverend Edward Everett Hale.”
First major hike after I fractured my ankle in February 2022. On this hike, I finished my second round of climbing the 48 four thousand footers in NH.
Saturday, 09/09/2023: Post photo — 2023 Middle Carter.
“Middle Carter Mountain is a 4,610 foot mountain in the White Mountains. It sits in the Carter-Moriah Range, which runs along the northeastern side of Pinkham Notch.
The summit itself is wooded, so there are no views. But you can enjoy some great views shortly before and after the summit along the Carter-Moriah Trail, which is also part of the Appalachian Trail.”
The group I normally hiked with, did not do the hike this year so I hiked as AMC leader. This hike certified me as a three-season upcountry hiking leader.
Here is the complete list of peaks that my group flew the flag. Some of these hikes had other 4000 foot mountain peaks that were bagged along with them:
Garfield 4500 ft — 9/14/13 Zealand 4260 ft — 9/12/15 Carrigain 4700 ft — 9/11/16 Tecumseh 4003 ft — 9/9/17 Hancock 4422 ft — 9/8/18 Moriah 4049 ft — 9/14/19 Monroe 5384 ft — 9/12/20 Willey 4285 ft — 9/11/21 Hale 4054 ft — 9/11/22 Middle Carter ft 4610 — 9/9/23
“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
Thank you for all the new views and likes from last week, it helps keep me inspired.
The Sumner Tunnel is named for William H. Sumner, son of Gov. Increase Sumner, who served from 1797 to 1799. Opened to traffic June 30, 1934. It was originally a two-way road that carried traffic in both directions, until the opening of the parallel Callahan Tunnel in 1961.
The twinned Sumner and Callahan tunnels, after all, begin and end in the same place on both sides of the harbor, a single entity for the casual observer. They were built decades apart, the Sumner in 1934, and the Callahan in 1961. With increasing volume, a single tunnel with traffic moving on one lane in each direction proved dangerous and inadequate, and the Turnpike Authority opened the Callahan on Nov. 11, 1961. Workers toiled 24 hours a day, six days a week crafting 14,500 tons of steel into the nearly mile-long tunnel.
I was stuck in traffic as a passenger and was able to take this photo of the entry point of the tunnel.
Monday, 08/14/2023: Posted photo — Farm Stand.
Along the roadside this time of year are farm stands. The vegetables this year seem to be larger than in past years due to all the rain over the last few months. We stopped at this farm stand looking for some corn, but they only had zucchini and summer squash. We gathered some. Fresh fruits and vegetable are great to eat.
Tuesday, 08/15/2023: Posted photo — Fire Pit.
Sitting by the lake and having a fire is one of the most relaxing things to do during the summer. We had a family reunion on my wife’s side of the family and sat around the fire making smores. My wife and her sisters took out their guitars and we had a musical performance. I cannot play the guitar, but my wife and son can play. I played keyboards a long time ago and have not played in a while.
Wednesday, 08/16/2023: Posted photo — Candles.
Christians adapted the use of lit candles (and oil lamps in the Eastern Roman Empire) for Mass, liturgical processions, evening prayer ceremonies, funeral processions, and, again, to show reverence to the reserved Blessed Sacrament. Moreover, there is evidence that lit candles or oil lamps were burned at the tombs of saints, particularly martyrs, by the 200s, and before sacred images and relics by the 300s. St. Jerome (d. 420) in his Contra Vigilantium attested to this practice. Note, however, that this practice probably existed well before our available written evidence.https://catholicstraightanswers.com/why-do-we-use-votive-candles/
These candles are in the vestibule of our church. I have posted a photo of these in the past. I wanted to post a photo of them again since so many of the have been lit. The stand that these candles are on was dedicated to one of my friends and his family.
Providence is the capital city of Rhode Island. Providence was one of the first cities in the country to industrialize and became noted for its textile manufacturing and subsequent machine tool, jewelry, and silverware industries.
This photo was taken during the wedding rehearsal dinner for my niece. It was a great dinner on a rooftop restaurant overlooking the city.
Friday, 08/18/2023: Post photo — Purple Loosestrife.
Purple loosestrife is a wetland plant with showy purple flowers arranged on flower spikes.
Leaves are lance-shaped with smooth edges and grow up to four inches long. They are usually arranged in pairs opposite each other on the stem and rotated 90 degrees from the pair below. Leaves sometimes appear whorled (radiating out from a single point) around the stem. A recognizable feature is the square-shaped stem, which is generally four to six-sided. A single plant is made up of multiple woody stems.https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/aquaticplants/purpleloosestrife/index.html
These Purple Loosestrifes are near one of the trailheads on Wachusett Mountain.
Saturday, 08/19/2023: Post photo — Chicken of the Woods.
A highly sought-after top edible mushroom, Chicken of the woods is excellent for beginner foragers. There are no real lookalikes, and the bright orange shelf-like growth makes it easy to see. Finding Chicken of the woods (Laetiporus sp.) is known to inspire wild chicken dances in the middle of the forest. With this dense, meaty textured mushroom, you’ll eat well for days.
This mushroom has a lemony, meaty taste. Some think it tastes like its chicken namesake; others describe the flavor as being more like crab or lobster. Whatever your opinion, the chicken fungus makes a great substitute for meat in almost any dish.https://www.mushroom-appreciation.com/chicken-of-the-woods.html
Saw these as I took a hike the morning of my niece’s wedding. I took out my Seek app to identify them. I do not like to eat fungi, so I did not try them out. It is good to know that they are edible. If I am ever lost in the woods and of need of food, I would try them out.
“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 post is a re-post. People liked this post so I am uploading it again so that some new followers can enjoy its content.
Animals from past vacations.
Sunday, 08/06/2023: Posted photo — Prairie Dog.
One of the campsites we were camped, was a remote campground in Badlands National Park. In this campground and the surrounding area, there USGA was doing a study on Prairie Dogs. These were some that were near my tent.
Monday, 08/07/2023: Posted photo — Camping Bison.
In the same campground, there was a bison that used the site markers as scratching posts. This bison also showed up in the morning. The remote campground had only 10 sites. All eyes were on the bison. People did come out of these tents as the bison moved away.
Tuesday, 08/08/2023: Posted photo — Ducks.
These ducks were in one of the rivers at Yellowstone National Park. I did look up the type of ducks these are but did not write it down.
Wednesday, 08/09/2023: Posted photo — Elk.
This elk came to visit us at the first campground we had in Yellowstone.
Thursday, 08/10/2023: Posted photo — Bison by River.
At the second campground in Yellowstone, we took a walk in the morning and saw this bison by the river. There was a plaque at this location that stated that this was the exact location that the idea to make Yellowstone a national park was born.
Friday, 08/11/2023: Post photo — Mini Cow.
One of my sister-in-law’s animals.
Saturday, 06/25/2022: Post photo — Feasting Bald Eagle.
This Bald Eagle just caught a fish, brought it to the top of this tree, and had its dinner.
“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.
“And if I go, while you’re still here… Know that I live on, Vibrating to a different measure, Behind a thin veil you cannot see through. You will not see me, So you must have faith. I wait for the time when we can soar together again, Both aware of each other. Until then, live your life to the fullest, And when you need me, Just whisper my name in your heart, …I will be there.” — Emily Dickinson
A small tribute to my oldest brother. My he rest in peace.
Sunday, 06/04/2023: Posted photo — Baby.
10 months and 6 days after my parents were married, my oldest brother was born. What a life and many adventures that were ahead of him. 16 years, 6 months, and 29 days later, our youngest brother was born. The first four were each three years apart from each other. Number five, me, came 5 years later. Another brother came four minutes later and then three years later.
Monday, 06/05/2023: Posted photo — Poetry.
My brother was a poet. He wrote hundreds of poems and started a company that wrote poems for weddings. He wrote on anything. We found poems on items from the backs of tickets, backs of envelopes, notepads and electronically. We have a few large boxes full of poems that one of my brothers will type and publish.
Tuesday, 06/06/2023: Posted photo — Family.
He loved family. These are two of my favorite photos. There are not three sets of twins, just looks that way. The one with our mother was the first time all seven of us were together. The other photo is my favorite Easter photo. People enjoy looking at us in our Easter best with our dog in front of our Easter egg tree.
Wednesday, 06/07/2023: Posted photo — High School Graduation.
Here is a photo of his high school graduation. We all ended going to the same high school.
Thursday, 06/08/2023: Posted photo — Peace Corps.
The adventure in his life stared by joining the Peace Corps. The Peace Corps brings together skilled, committed Volunteers with welcoming host communities for service opportunities in more than 60 countries.
Volunteers live and work side by side with community members on locally prioritized projects, building relationships, exchanging cultures and knowledge, and helping transform lives for generations. He spent in time in the Peace Corps in Marrakesh Morocco teaching English and poetry to the children. That was an experience that he talked about during his life.
Friday, 06/09/2023: Post photo — Baseball.
He loved baseball. The Red Sox was his team. And as stated by one of his friends at his funeral Mass, It was always “wait until next year” starting on opening day. Hid and my Red Sox never won anything. My son’s Red Sox won four championships.
This is a photo of my brother at Polar Park in our hometown of Worcester. The WooSox, as they are called, are the AAA team for the Boston Red Sox. AAA is the highest level of baseball before the players make it to the major league.
Saturday, 06/10/2023: Post photo — The End was too Soon.
This is a modification of his prayer card. The photo that originally picked was good, but I like this photo and I wanted to use it in this post.
My brother passed away very unexpectedly last week at the young age of 72. He will be truly missed by all who met him. The people in his apartment complex only said good things about him.
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord.
And let perpetual light shine upon him.
May he rest in peace.
Amen.
May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
“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 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.
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 10th 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.
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)
“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.
“Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst.” — Henri Cartier-Bresson
Random thoughts and ideas for this week.
I have a flower of day this week. I am attempting to change the format of this blog to have one or more educational items per day to make reading my blog more interesting.
Sunday, 05/07/2023: Posted photo — Pyx.
A pyx is vessel containing the consecrated bread used in the service of Holy Communion. Although pyxes were made in various shapes, the most common form was that of a small cylindrical box fitted with a cover, which is generally conical. The pyx in this photo is the one that I use every week to give Holy Communion to the choir.
Flower of the day: Pericallis
Pericallis senetti provides daisy-like blooms in early spring when the weather is cool. They produce vibrant blues, magentas, violets, and can be bi-colored. They can tolerate low temperatures but are sensitive to frost. These are located outside our church.
Monday, 05/08/2023: Posted photo — On the Trail.
What would Monday night be without a hike? Don’t know. Every Monday that I hike does not happen is a disappointment. The good thing about missing a Monday night hike is that I can spend more time with my family. Today was a wonderful day to hike. The temperature was in the goldilocks zone, not to hot and not to cold. The black bugs were not bothering me as much as other members of the hiking group.
Flower of the day: Hobblebush
“Viburnum lantanoides, hobblebush (also known as moosebush, witch-withy, witch-hobble, witch-tangle and tangle legs) can grow more than ten feet tall, and often at least as wide, in its sprawling, errant, fashion. Branches extend outward, arch and descend, re-rooting where they touch the ground, forming a small copse. This lissome habit is most evident in winter when the hobblebush is leafless and the shrub’s structure can be traced. What appears to be a solitary shrub is usually an aggregate of clonal offspring called ramets.” https://wildseedproject.net/2015/06/viburnum-lantanoides-hobblebush-adoxaceae/
Came home from shopping tonight and saw this rabbit in our yard. I took out my phone to take this photo. I took this photo from a distance so that I did not disturb the rabbit. It looks like my camera went into the digital zoom range causing this abstract effect. You can see the tree debris that I still need to clean up in this photo.
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.
Wednesday, 05/10/2023: Posted photo — Start of Third Leg.
I am leading a mystery hike in a few weeks. The group is meeting at a trailhead, and I am giving them direction at trail junctions. The directions will only consist of bearings and distances. This is the location of the third leg of my trip.
Thursday, 05/11/2023: Posted photo — Dam at Round Meadow Pond.
Here is a photo of the dam at Round Meadow Pond. This is a location that I photograph often.
Flower of the day: Bluets
Common bluets produce both nectar and pollen. Their short flower tubes make their nectar accessible to our short-tongued native bees. Quite a few species of native bees including small carpenter bees and some of our sweat bees will visit common bluets. Several of our smaller species of early butterflies will also visit common bluets.
Friday, 05/12/2023: Post photo — Hitting Off the Tee.
My son purchased a hitting tee for the junior high baseball team he coached. I did some hitting practice. Have not swung a bat in a while. I swung the old way with two hands on the bat as Ted Williams did. He attempted to coach me by having me remove my top hand off the bat as the modern hitters do. I like the old way of hitting.
Flower of the day: Malus baccata (Siberian crab apple)
Siberian crab apple inhabits northerly areas of New England, although certain cultivars grow as far south as Florida. The tree produces white-pink, non-hairy (glabrous) flowers in spring along glabrous branches. With a pleasing, rounded crown, abundant flowers and small, edible fruits, this crabapple has been introduced widely as an ornamental tree.
Saturday, 05/13/2023: Post photo — Lilac.
I have a photo challenge this week that is titled detail. Chances. Details are having your eyes instinctively lock on to a small part of the image before looking at the whole picture. I attempted this by putting a mononuclear on my cell phone and taking this photo.
Flower of the day: Azaleas
Azaleas are typically deciduous while other rhododendrons are evergreen. Azalea flowers are funnel-shaped, somewhat two-lipped, and often fragrant. These azaleas in our yard have survived the last heavy snow that fell. The bush was heavily loaded with snow. There is still a large area of the bush that has not yet bloomed.
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.
Photo by Joseph Ciras 