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April 3, 2022

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2022

“Taking an image, freezing a moment, reveals how rich reality truly is.” — Anonymous

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

This week I will be posting a few highlights of one of my trips. We called this trip our norther National Part trip. We traveled through Montana, Alberta, Banff, Jasper, Washington state, Idaho, Wyoming, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa during this trip. This trip included visits to many national parks in the United States and Canada, visiting family, visiting natural movie sets, and when to an amusement park in the Mall of America in which I held with the design of a few of the rides.

Sunday, 03/27/2022: Posted photo — Lake McDonald.

Settings: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, ISO 100, f/8, 1/400 s, 75 mm.

The first stop on our northern national park tour was in Glacier National Park in Montana. What a wonderful park. It does have many glaciers, some growing and some receding.

Monday, 03/28/2022: Posted photo — Mountain Goat.

Settings: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, ISO 100, f/5, 1/125 s, 200 mm.

While we were in Glacier National Park, we took a hike out to Hidden Lake. On the way out to the lake, we had a few mountain goats walk along the trail with us.

Tuesday, 03/29/2022: Posted photo — Hidden Lake.

Settings: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, ISO 100, f/9, 1/160 s, 25 mm.

This was a destination, Hidden Lake in Glacier National Park. For your information, this hike took place on July 4 and we did most of our hiking in the snow.

Wednesday, 03/30/2022: Posted photo — Johnston Canyon, Lower Falls.

Settings: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, ISO 200, f/11, 1/4 s, 33 mm.

Johnston Canyon to Lower Falls is an extremely popular and scenic trail in Banff National Park, in addition to being one of the busiest in the Canadian Rockies. We were driving around Banff and found the falls. We camped in Baff on our way to Jasper National Park.

Thursday, 03/31/2022: Posted photo — Lake Louise.

Settings: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, ISO 200, f/13, 1/250 s, 29 mm.

Lake Louise is world famous for its turquoise lakes, the Victoria Glacier, soaring mountain backdrop. We went to Lake Louise on a weekend, so it was very busy. We took a few photos and then went on our way.

Friday, 04/01/2022: Post photo — Diablo Lake.

Settings: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, ISO 200, f/13, 1/250 s, 35 mm.

On our way back from visiting family in Bellingham Washington, we took a trip to Northern Cascades National Park. One of the hikes we took was out to Diablo Lake.

From an information search, it was verified that Diablo Lake is a reservoir in the North Cascade mountains of northern Washington state. It was created by Diablo Dam and is located between Ross Lake and Gorge Lake on the Skagit River at an elevation of 1,201 feet above sea level.

I really like the color of the water in the lake.

Saturday, 04/02/2022: Post photo — Mount Rainier.

Settings: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, ISO 200, f/11, 1/250 s, 42 mm.

Mount Rainier National Park. I am impressed every time I see this mountain. Either up close or from the city of Seattle. One time we flew past the mountain. That must have taken about five minutes to do since the girth on the mountain is so great.

Mount Rainier is a large active stratovolcano in the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest standing at 14,411′ in elevation. The volcano last erupted in 1894, and when Mount St. Helens erupted in 1980, all eyes were on Mount Rainier since the mountains are in the same chain. It is very interesting to camp in an area that has warnings about the possibility of lava flow. If the mountain erupted, I would think that the lava flow would be the least of our worries.

When we travel to Mount Rainier, we like to visit the Paradise area. I have photographed a few waterfalls in Paradise. When we visited this time, the snow was still very deep. Remember, this was early to mid-July. There was one waterfall that I wanted to photograph in the snow, and I could not find it. I had the GPS coordinates from the times before that I took photos of it. Looking at the GPS coordinates, I came to realize that I was standing on top of the falls.

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

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

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March 27, 2022

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Photographic Thoughts — 03/20/2022 to 03/26/2022

“There is one thing the photograph must contain, the humanity of the moment.” —Robert Frank

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

This week I will be just posting photos of posters that I made from various trips. I have been too busy and tired since I went back to the office midweek.

Sunday, 03/20/2022: Posted photo — Prince of Wales Hotel.

Settings: N/A.

Prince of Wales Hotel, Waterton Lake National Park, Waterton Park, AB

Monday, 03/21/2022: Posted photo — Indian Pipe.

Settings: N/A.

Indian Pipe from my backyard in Westminster, MA.

Tuesday, 03/22/2022: Posted photo — Mountain Sunset.

Settings: N/A.

One of the amazing sunsets seen from the summit of Wachusett Mountain in Princeton, MA.

Wednesday, 03/23/2022: Posted photo — Bison.

Settings: N/A.

Part of a herd of bison in Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota.

Thursday, 03/24/2022: Posted photo — Washington HQ.

Settings: N/A.

General George Washington’s Headquarters in Valley Forge National Historic Park.

Friday, 03/25/2022: Post photo — Arethusa Falls.

Settings: N/A.

One of the many waterfalls in the White Mountain National Forest.

Saturday, 03/26/2022: Post photo — Devils Tower.

Settings: N/A.

The inside of an ancient volcano. Devils Tower in Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming.

Here are a couple of bonus posters for this week.

The Bean in Millennium Park in Chicago.

Half Dome in Yosemite National Park in California.

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

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

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March 20, 2022

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Photographic Thoughts — 03/13/2022 to 03/19/2022

“In photography there is a reality so subtle that it becomes more real than reality.” — Alfred Stieglitz

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

Starting to take more photos. Still will be posting photos from past trips for a little while longer. Sill a long recovery ahead of me.

Enjoy some more travel photos from past trips.

Sunday, 03/13/2022: Posted photo — Low Key.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 2500, f/3.5, 1/40 s, 18 mm.

A low key image is one that contains predominantly dark tones and colors. Low key photography conveys atmosphere and mood. One of my photo projects had a low key image challenge this week. I was thinking about what photo to take to meet this challenge. I would have had many options if I had not just been operated on. With limited mobility, I thought about what there might be around the house. Since low key images contain predominantly dark tones and colors, I took a photo of the fire in our wood stove.

Monday, 03/14/2022: Posted photo — Cameron Falls.

Settings: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, ISO 100, f/22, 10 s, 28 mm.

Cameron Falls, Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta.

Cameron Falls is a very uniquely shaped waterfall of about 75 feet in height found in the heart of the Waterton townsite in Waterton Lakes National Park. After heavy rainfall, the waters upriver from the falls get stirred up with a red mudstone called argillite. As the water flows towards the falls, it turns to a beautiful pink hue when light reflects on the mineral water. We did not see the pink falls since the weather was dry when we visited Waterton Lakes National Park just after we visited Glacier National Park in Montana.

Tuesday, 03/15/2022: Posted photo — New Boot.

Settings: Google Pixel 2, ISO 195, f/1.8, 1/60 s, 4 mm.

I had a post op follow-up today a week and a half after surgery. My recovery is going as planned. I was fitted with this very uncomfortable boot. I still cannot put pressure on my ankle for another four weeks. Need to go back on Tuesday for another follow-up since the first one was close to my surgical date and the doctor would like to see my progress and remove some items from my ankle.

Wednesday, 03/16/2022: Posted photo — Harvard Glacier.

Settings: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, ISO 200, f/8, 1/2000 s, 160 mm.

Harvard Glacier, College Fjord, Alaska.

The glacier has a 1.5-mile (2 km) wide face where it calves into the College Fjord. It is 300 ft thick and covers 120,000 acres of Chugach National Forest. The Harvard Glacier is the second largest glacier in the Prince William Sound, after the Columbia Glacier.

It is amazing to see how large a glacier is when you look at it from a distance. In this photo, we were about a mile from the glacier.

The names of the glaciers in College Fjord are: Amherst, Barnard, Bryn Mawr, Harvard, Smith, Vassar, and Yale. The glaciers of the northwest side feature the names of women’s colleges, and the glaciers of the fork and the southeast side sport the names of men’s colleges. What of Princeton? According to my research on the names, the scholars that named the glaciers took delight in ignoring it since none of them were Princeton alum.

Thursday, 03/17/2022: Posted photo — Cairn.

Settings: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, ISO 200, f/11, 1/200 s, 34 mm.

On the trail near the Athabasca Glacier, Jasper National Park, Alberta.

A cairn is a mound of rough stones built as a memorial or landmark, typically on a hilltop or skyline. This cairn is shaped like a person. In Canada this is called an Inuksuk.

The Athabasca Glacier is one of the six principal ‘toes’ of the Columbia Icefield, located in the Canadian Rockies. The glacier currently loses depth at a rate of about 16.4 feet (5 meters) per year and has receded more than 1 mile (1.5 km) and lost over half of its volume in the past 125 years.

From the Canadian Encyclopedia: “Inuksuk (also spelled inukshuk, plural inuksuit) is a figure made of piled stones or boulders constructed to communicate with humans throughout the Arctic. Traditionally constructed by the Inuit, inuksuit are integral to Inuit culture and are often intertwined with representations of Canada and the north.” — https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/inuksuk-inukshuk

Friday, 03/18/2022: Post photo — Pall (and Rekard).

Settings: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/160 s, 55 mm.

These are my two buddied from Denmark. Earlier on in my photo projects, I featured Pall every week with Pall telling a story about his life. When I went back to Denmark, I picked up Rekard. They ventured together for next year or two. Might be time to bring their adventures back.

Saturday, 03/19/2022: Post photo — Crater.

Settings: N/A.

Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument

From the USGS:

“Prior to 1980, Mt. St. Helens had the shape of a conical volcano sometimes referred to as the Mount Fuji of America. During the 1980 eruption the upper 400 m (1,300 ft) of the summit was removed by a huge debris avalanche, leaving a 2 x 3.5 km horseshoe-shaped crater now partially filled by a lava dome and a glacier. It is primarily an explosive dacite volcano.”

Quick Facts:

Location: Washington, Skamania County
Latitude: 46.2° N
Longitude: 122.18° W
Elevation: 2,539 (m) 8,330 (f)
Volcano type: Stratovolcano
Composition: Basalt to Rhyodacite
Most recent eruption: 1980, 2004-2008
Nearby towns: Castle Rock, WA; Olympia, WA; Vancouver, WA; Yakima, WA; Portland, OR
Threat Potential: Very High

Dacite: Volcanic rock (or lava) that characteristically is light in color and contains 62 to 69 percent silica and moderate amounts of sodium and potassium.

Stratovolcano: Steep, conical volcanoes built by the eruption of viscous lava flows, tephra, and pyroclastic flows. They are usually constructed over tens to hundreds of thousands of years and may erupt a variety of magma types (basalt to rhyolite). They typically consist of many separate vents. Synonym is composite volcano.

I have been to Mt. St. Helens a few times over the years. The first time was about ten years after the eruption, and we saw the logs floating in Sprit Lake. I just pictured Harry Truman looking up at the mountain from his lodge and wondering why he did not leave. Then again, there were may false alarms in the past. I am amazed on how nature is recovering in the area. I can still remember the first time that I drove into the blast zone. Very lush, dense forest along the road, turn the corner and nothing. Trees looking like toothpicks laying down in the direction of the blast. There were some cars left for visitors to see how powerful the eruption was.

That is all for now. Until next week, be safe. For more photo of other project I have work, visit my website: https://photobyjosephciras.weebly.com or visit me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PhotobyJosephCiras/.

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March 13, 2022

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Photographic Thoughts — 03/06/2022 to 03/12/2022

“When I have a camera in my hand, I know no fear” — Alfred Eisenstaedt

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

Surgery went well last Friday. I have plenty of hardware in my ankle. It will be a while until I am able to hit the mountains again in full force. My goal to finish my second round of hiking the 48 highest peaks in New Hampshire will be delayed for at least a year until my ankle fully recovers. Thank you all for your words of encouragement and for all your support.

Enjoy some more travel photos from past trips.

Sunday, 03/06/2022: Posted photo — Desert View Watchtower.

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.

Desert View Watchtower, 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.

Monday, 03/07/2022: Posted photo — Four Corners Monument Navajo Tribal Park.

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, 03/08/2022: 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.

Sand Dunes with the Sangre de Cristo Mountains as a backdrop

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, 03/09/2022: 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.

Hiking in the murky waters of the Narrows in Zion National Park

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, 03/10/2022: 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, 03/11/2022: 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.

Dimensions

Height: 106 feet (32 meters)
Span: 180 feet (55 meters)
Width: 27 feet (8 meters)
Thickness: 9 feet (3 meters)

Saturday, 03/12/2022: 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.

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

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

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February 6, 2022

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Photographic Thoughts — 01/30/2022 to 02/05/2022

“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, 01/30/2022: Posted photo — Squire Dustin House.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/640 s, 35 mm.

This is the first in what I hope will be a weeklong series of some of the historic houses around town. I will look for any information I can find on these houses. I have done a search of these housed prior to my starting my blog. There might me more information on them now.

The Squire Dusting house was built in 1810 and is located near the town commons.

Monday, 01/31/2022: Posted photo — Upton School.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 200, f/7.1, 1/250 s, 35 mm.

“Westminster philanthropists Charles Upton and Frank Fenor donated the money and land to build the school, which opened in 1912 and taught all grades for the town. In 1927, it became crowded, and the last three grades were taught in neighboring towns, like Fitchburg and Gardner.

The grades got cut back again when the Oakmont School was built in 1960 for grades 7 through 12. The Upton School was supposed to close in 1993, when the Meetinghouse School was built. However, the roof of the new school building leaked and classes went on for an additional three months.” — Fitchburg Sentinel @ Enterprise, October 13, 2012.

Some of my relative remember going to school in the Upton Building. There still is some talks in town about what to do with the building. Should they renovate it, donate to some charity or organization, move a town office into it? Only time will tell.

Tuesday, 02/01/2022: Posted photo — Broken.

Settings: Google Pixel 2, ISO 604, f/1.8, 1/40 s, 4 mm.

Last night was my weekly Monday night Wachusett Mountain hike. Snowshoes were not needed but did help on the hike. Without the snowshoes there would be some “potholing”. I made it to summit and part of the way down before the heal strap on my left snowshoe broke. I did not expect it to last that long on the hike. The strap broke once already last year, and I was able to make some adjustments to make it last longer. The good people at the Tubbs will be sending me replacement straps to install.

Pays to spend some money on snowshoes of you used them as much as I do in the winter. These are the pair that I am using hiking to work; on Wachusett Mountain and other local mountains; and in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

Wednesday, 02/02/2022: Posted photo — 1815 Reverend Cyrus Mann House.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/8, 1/125 s, 38 mm.

Year built: 1815

Here is a continuation of my historic houses around town week.

The view of Wachusett Mountain from the Rev. Cyrus Mann House in on the Westminster town seal.

One of the houses in Westminster Village-Academy Hill Historic District in Westminster, MA. The district was founded in 1734 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. I just love the look of this house along with the other houses in this district.

Thursday, 02/03/2022: Posted photo — Philip Bemis House.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 400, f/6.3, 1/1000 s, 33 mm.

This house was built in 1759 by Philip Bemis who owned the Old Mill nearby. The Old Mill is now the Old Mill Restaurant. I go to the Old Mill often to photograph the duck and geese that live in the duck pond year-round. They have covered walkways at the Old Mill that frame a waterfall.

“History of the Old Mill:

From its earliest beginning, the Old Mill has served a useful purpose in the community. Originally a sawmill where logs were processed for the new homes of the neighborhood, the Old Mill and its whirling saw sang a song of progress and industry through five generations of ownership before its wheels were stilled and it fell into disrepair in the late 1800’s.

In 1921, the sawmill was converted into a tea-room and operated as such during the summer months by Miss Keough, until 1942 when war restrictions forced her to close. Upon his return from serving in World War II, Ralph Foster and his wife Ruth bought the Old Mill and reopened it as a restaurant, making it a year-round operation, thus the mill was reborn.” — http://www.1761oldmill.com/about.html

Friday, 02/04/2022: Post photo — Freezing Rain.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 200, f/7.1, 1/50 s, 64 mm.

Once again, I need to pause my photo tour of the historic houses around town. We are in the middle of a rain/snow/sleet/freezing rain event, and I want to do as little driving as possible.

During a storm, I like to walk into work. Today I did not walk into work since the storm was mostly a heavy rain event in the morning and I wanted to get to work before the sleet and freezing rain arrived. If it is raining heavy and I was going to do a five-mile hike in the wood, or hike up a mountain, I would not mind the weather. Walking to work in the heavy rain is another story.

Other colleagues told me about all the accidents on the road when they arrived. Cars were off the road and a few of my colleague saw cars speeding down the highways and slipping off the road when they hit a patch of slush or ice. They came in after the change in weather. There was about an inch of slush in the parking lot at work. The maintenance people did a great job of keeping the parking lot clean.

I will wait for the rain to slow down before I go out and clean out my driveway and walkway.

Saturday, 02/05/2022: Post photo — Black and White.

Settings: Google Pixel 2, ISO 252, f/1.8, 1/120 s, 4 mm.

Cool morning today. I left the house early to run some errands. I was planning on hiking Wachusett Mountain this morning and it turned out to be an afternoon hike.

During the day I liked the way the sun was glistering off the ice-covered trees, so I took this photo. I needed a black and white photo for a photo project I am working on, so I converted the photo to black and white.

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

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

My Weebly website is back up and running. I am looking of suggestions on how to make it look better.

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January 30, 2022

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Photographic Thoughts — 01/23/2022 to 01/29/2022

“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.

Sunday, 01/23/2022: Posted photo — Music.

Settings: Google Pixel 2, ISO 252, f/1.8, 1/120 s, 4 mm.

Psalm 23, The Lord is my shepherd…

This is best known psalm out of the 150 psalms in the Bible. There are five books and four literary styles in the psalms. The styles are hymns, prayers of thanksgiving and petition, religious lyrics, and didactic psalms. You can go online or ask your religious leader for more information on the psalms.

Songs, or hymns, at mass are used to enhance the service. I played the organ/keyboard during Mass when I was in college. My family still plays and sings in the choir during Mass today. A good song will lift your spirits.

I did not intend to use this photo today. I used it because it was one of the only photos that I took and it was the one that I liked the best.

Monday, 01/24/2022: Posted photo — Dusting of Snow.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/5, 1/15 s, 50 mm.

Last week we received heavy and wet snow. This week we received a dusting of snow.

In taking this photo, I was practicing depth of field (DOF) in my photos. I am in my 13 year of taking photos every day and I still need on practicing various techniques so my photos are of my liking. I am my own worst critic.

I did go on a great hike tonight. This is my normal Monday night hike on Wachusett Mountain. The trails were in great shape from all the people that have been hiking after the last snowstorm. Microspikes are needed. Some people say no to microspikes since there is no exposed ice on the trails. If I am leading a hike, I am requiring the use of microspikes, or other traction devices, since there is ice under the snow and the spikes give you better traction. I am cautions in a group situation.

Microspikes are great for hiking or in thick ice, nanospikes are good for walking the in areas where traction is needed, but they are not as aggressive as microspikes. I would not recommend the use of nonspikes while hiking since they do not have the grip you need on the snow or ice, or the inclines and declined on a hiking trail. A more aggressive means for traction is the use of crampons. I use my crampons in the higher elevations of the White Mountains, or on a very icy trail. When I hike in the winter, I carry two sets of microspikes: my inexpensive “rock” microspikes and my “good” microspikes and have my crampons with me. Occasionally I will also attach my snowshoes to my pack if there has been newly fallen snow and I know that trail that I will be hiking is an underutilized trail. The difference between my inexpensive “rock” microspikes and my “good” microspikes is the length of the spikes and the quality of the product.

Tuesday, 01/25/2022: Posted photo — Snow White.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 800, f/36, 1/50 s, 93 mm.

Light dusting of snow received last night. This makes for a wonderful winter scene. When I was walking around yesterday, I was thinking of the challenge for the 52 frames project https://52frames.com/photographer/20931. The challenge is for this week is to take a minimalistic photo. This is my first minimalistic photo of the week. Look for a different photo later in the week.

Wednesday, 01/26/2022: Posted photo — Colors.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/160 s, 115 mm.

Last week at this time, I posted a sunrise photo. Today I did the same.

I would like to talk about the colors in a sunrise/sunset. When the sun is low on the horizon during sunrises and sunsets, the sunlight travels through more of the atmosphere. Shorter wavelength colors (blues and violets) get scattered out. This leaves more of the longer wavelength colors like yellow, orange, and red. Therefore, sunrises often take on such colors. Some of the colors of a sunrise or sunset are #95382c, #141b24, #4f3c54, #223444, and #9c4a44 for the more technical people that read my post. Sunrises and sunsets are also in the 1000–2000 K range. Other base settings for sunrise and sunset photos are f/6–f/16 and a shutter speed of 1/500 s. I also like to take my photos one step underexposed to bring out the colors. Shoot RAW so values can be adjusted post process if required.

As always, practice sunrise and sunset photos to find out the best settings for your camera.

Thursday, 01/27/2022: Posted photo — Sky.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/640 s, 24 mm.

Here is another minimalistic photo for the week. I like this one better than the snow photo so this is the one that I may post for the 52 frames project.

Some of the elements of minimalistic photography are simplicity, negative space, powerful composition, isolation, color, and lines and shapes. Minimalist photography shows the power of a simple solo object. In this case, it is the contrail against the blue sky.

Looking at the simplicity of this photo, my watermark may be taking away some of its impact. Need to think about that next time. There is a debate whether to watermark photos. It does take away from the aesthetic quality of some photos. I watermark the photos that I post and not the ones that I display in gallery showings or the ones that I sell.

Friday, 01/28/2022: Post photo — Hook.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/5, 1/15 s, 62 mm.

I see a hook, a needlenose shark, or a stitch puller. What do you see? This is another pareidolia photo.

Today I am not writing much about this photo since I need to prepare our house for the snow storm that will happen tomorrow.

Saturday, 01/29/2022: Post photo — Looking Down the Street.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/80 s, 29 mm.

We received about 10 inches of snow out of today’s storm. It is much less than originally predicted. The storm moved out to sea, and we were on the outer edge of the storm.

I did go out every two hours today to shovel the snow. The first few times out there were a few inches of show to shovel. As the day went on, the shoveling was easier and quicker. Winter storm Kenan was another let down for us. Only 10 inches of snow. We are still waiting for the first big storm of the year.

Kenan was a bomb cyclone. A bomb cyclone is a storm that undergoes bombogenesis. Bombogenesis is a rapid intensification of a low-pressure system in which we measure in millibars. The lower the pressure is, the stronger the storm.

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

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

My Weebly website is back up and running. I am looking of suggestions on how to make it look better.

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January 23, 2022

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Photographic Thoughts — 01/16/2022 to 01/22/2022

“Character, like a photograph, develops in darkness.” — Yousuf Karsh

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

Sunday, 01/16/2022: Posted photo — It’s Cold Outside.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/30 s, 113 mm.

Last week I wrote about how cold it was in this area. Here is a photo of this morning’s temperature. As you can see, it is still cold in this area. The temperature will warm up tomorrow since we are expecting eight inches of snow. Looks like I will be snowshoeing to work tomorrow.

From AccuWeather:

A question meteorologist get asked all the time during the cold winter months is “can it ever be too cold to snow”? Well, the short answer is no.

The ingredients for snow are:

1. A temperature profile that allows snow to reach the surface
2. Saturated air
3. Enough lifting of that saturated air to allow snow to develop aloft and fall to reach the surface

The phrase “it’s too cold to snow” probably originated as a misapplication of the relationship between temperature and the maximum amount of water vapor that can be in the air. When temperature decreases, the maximum capacity of water vapor that can be in the air decreases. Therefore, the colder it gets the less water vapor there will be in the air.

Monday, 01/17/2022: Posted photo — My Commute.

Settings: Google Pixel 2, ISO 186, f/1.8, 1/60 s, 4 mm.

It snowed last night, and it was snowing during my morning commute. I like to say that my commute took longer that usual to get to work. What normally takes me five minutes, took me 45 minutes. It is much safer for me to walk to work in the snow than it is for me to drive in the snow. A little more than half of my hike is on the Midstate Trail. It is nice to live so close to a trail junction or trailhead.

During my three mile hike to work, I may see one or two cars and a half dozen plows. On my way home from work, there will be some more cars, depending on the road conditions. People stay home from work when it is snowing. The funny thing about that is that I live in north central Massachusetts, in a snowy part of New England, so people should be used to driving in the snow.

I did not go on my normal Monday night hike on Wachusett Mountain today. If I were to hike it, I would have to leave work a little early, take the three mile, 45 minute hike home; get in my car; and then hike three to four more miles on the mountain.

Walking generally occurs on flat paths, while hiking often occurs in areas of high elevation. It can include hills and mountains. Some people think of hiking as anything that has above a 500 foot change in elevation.

Tuesday, 01/18/2022: Posted photo — Moon — Handheld Practice.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/16, 1/250 s, 300 mm.

The full moon was yesterday. It was snowing yesterday so I did not have the opportunity to do my full moon without a headlamp nighttime hike on Wachusett Mountain. As written yesterday, I walked to and from work because of the weather.

This morning I saw the moon and wanted to take a photo of it for this month.

From the Old Farmer’s Almanac: “It’s thought that January’s full Moon came to be known as the Wolf Moon because wolves were more likely to be heard howling at this time. It was traditionally believed that wolves howled due to hunger during winter, but we know today that wolves howl for different reasons. Howling and other wolf vocalizations are generally used to define territory, locate pack members, reinforce social bonds, and coordinate hunting.”

Wednesday, 01/19/2022: Posted photo — Sunrise.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 200, f/7.1, 1/30 s, 50 mm.

The sky caught my eye this morning, so I took a photo of it. The photo itself will explain why. What great colors. Too bad a photo does not do it justice.

Thursday, 01/20/2022: Posted photo — Aialik Glacier.

Settings: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, ISO 200, f/11, 1/640 s, 75 mm.

The Aialik Glacier is a glacier in the Kenai Peninsula Borough of Alaska. It drains into Aialik Bay. Part of Kenai Fjords National Park, it drains the Harding Icefield. Aialik Glacier, a little over 15 miles from Seward, is the largest glacier in Aialik Bay.

Icefields are expanses of glacial ice flowing in multiple directions. Like ice caps, icefields usually cover less than 50,000 square kilometers (19,300 square miles), so they are much smaller than the ice sheets blanketing Greenland and Antarctica. In contrast to ice caps, icefields are interrupted by peaks of the underlying mountain ridges, and those mountains influence the flow of the icefield.

This is one of the amazing sites in Alaska.

Friday, 01/21/2022: Post photo — Morning View.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/160 s, 101 mm.

What a great view this morning. As I walk around, I am seeing the sunrise more since the sun is rising earlier in the day. The colors this week on the sunrises have been spectacular.

Saturday, 01/22/2022: Post photo — Colors.

Settings: Google Pixel 2, ISO 124, f/1.8, 1/125 s, 4 mm.

I am posting to another website weekly, https://52frames.com/photographer/20931. This week’s theme is Complementary Colors. I had to go to the store today to get somethings to repair my roof and took this photo of the color samples. There are many sets of Complementary Colors in this shot.

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

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

My Weebly website is back up and running. I am looking of suggestions on how to make it look better.

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January 16, 2022

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Photographic Thoughts — 01/09/2022 to 01/15/2022

“When I photograph, what I’m really doing is seeking answers to things.” — Wynn Bullock

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

Sunday, 01/09/2022: Posted photo — Tricky Santa.

Settings: Google Pixel 2, ISO 193, f/1.8, 1/125 s, 4 mm.

This figurine looks like my in-laws. My father-in-law is Santa to many people during the holidays. He goes to many parties and events as Santa. Before Covid, he took calls from children on the local cable channel. He likes to eat cookies.

My mother-in-law bakes cookies around the holiday. Some of the cookies she bakes look the cookies on this tray. She is Mrs. Clause to some people since my father-in-law is Santa. Tricking Mrs. Clause to sneak cookies is something my father-in-law would do.

I took this photo today because it is a figurine that I often photograph during the holiday season. We took our tree and decorations down today, so I wanted to post it this year since I have not done so.

Monday, 01/10/2022: Posted photo — Ice.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/60 s, 42 mm.

Not one of my best shots. I took this photo to show how cold it is her today and will be for the remainder of the week. I was hoping the photo came out better than it did. After posting photo for 4393 days in a row, there are a few you do not like.

Tuesday, 01/11/2022: Posted photo — Cold.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/60 s, 106 mm.

Yesterday it was cold. Today it was frigid. The temperature did not get out of the single digits (°F) and it was windy. The wind chill was well below 0° F. Last night’s hike was very cold, but it was 10–20° F warmer than today. The cold and the wind do not bother me since I know how to dress for it. Dress in layers.

Your layering system is as follows: a base layer that wicks sweat off your skin, a middle layer that is an insulating layer to retain your body heat and protect you from the cold, and an outer layer that shields you from wind and rain.

“The wind chill temperature is how cold people and animals feel when outside. Wind chill is based on the rate of heat loss from exposed skin caused by wind and cold. As the wind increases, it draws heat from the body, driving down skin temperature and eventually the internal body temperature. Therefore, the wind makes it FEEL much colder. If the temperature is 0°F and the wind is blowing at 15 mph, the wind chill is -19°F. At this wind chill temperature, exposed skin can freeze in 30 minutes.” — From the National Weather Service.

Wednesday, 01/12/2022: Posted photo — Droplets.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/0, 1/125 s, 50 mm.

This is one of my favorite photos. I took this during the summer when the grass in our yard was tall and needed cutting. I saw the water droplets glistering in the sun and wanted to capture it.

I was very happy with the way this turned out.

Thursday, 01/13/2022: Posted photo — Playground.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 125, f/7.1, 1/100 s, 18 mm.

I had a follow up appointment today and took my camera to take a photo in the daylight. The appointment was near Dunn State Park, so I decided to take my photo there. Hiking, canoeing and kayaking, boating (non-motorized), fishing, and cross-country skiing can all be done at Dunn State Park. Sometimes there is a great shot of the water, trees, snow, and blue sky. The sky was gray, so I did not get that shot. What I did see was one of the play areas in the park. It looked to be a great photo that would tell a story about how cold it has been around this area in the last few days. I have hiked the easy one mile trail around Dunn Pond a few time, just hiking it and looking for Geocaches.

“Dunn State Park is named after its benefactor, John Ainsworth Dunn (1831- 1915) who had a lifelong career in the chair manufacturing industry, eventually founding the John A. Dunn Company with a large factory in Gardner and offices across the country. Dunn was seen by the people of Gardner as a man of strong personality who made the city known in the woodworking/chair industry. He was also very involved in the civic life of Gardner. In his will, Dunn gave this park property to the city of Gardner. At that time, a picnic area, 7-acre pond, field for baseball games, tennis courts and horseshoe pits were added. Over the years, Dunn Park grew to the current 120-acre day area that includes a 20-acre pond, playground, beach, picnic area and trails for us all to enjoy.” — From the Dunn State Park Trail Map.

Friday, 01/14/2022: Post photo — Fan.

Settings: FLIR i5, ISO N/A, N/A, 1/30 s, 7 mm.

This is a thermal photo of the fan on our wood stove. The heat of the stove makes the fan blades turn. The faster the turning, the hotter the fire.

Saturday, 01/15/2022: Post photo — Westminster Crackers.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/320 s, 56 mm.

In my town is the original Westminster Cracker factory. If you ever had oyster crackers, you may have seen this building. The old locals tell me that they use to put out the defective crackers for people to scoop up.

“Not so many years after the American Revolution, at the hearth of a colonial house in Westminster, Massachusetts, our first Master Baker pulled a batch of warm crackers from the oven, and a New England tradition was born. Back then, the bakery’s power came from a horse and treadmill; dough was mixed and rolled by hand, then individually stamped into crackers and baked in a wood-fired brick oven. Neighbors and passers-by delighted in the fresh-baked, hearty goodness of our breads and crackers.” Read more at https://www.westminstercrackers.com/about-wbc.

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

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

My Weebly website is back up and running. I am looking of suggestions on how to make it look better.

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January 9, 2022

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Photographic Thoughts — 01/02/2022 to 01/08/2022

“Only photograph what you love.” — Tim Walker

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

Happy New Year to all!

Sunday, 01/02/2022: Posted photo — Boot Scraper.

Settings: Google Pixel 2, ISO 193, f/1.8, 1/125 s, 4 mm.

Have you ever walked around a historic district and noted a metal “H” shaped object on the sides of stairways? Those are boot scrapers.

Before roads were paved, people walked, or rode horsed to their destination. When they did, their boots became muddy. To keep the insides of their houses clean, boot scrapers were place on the stairway leading to the entrances of the dwellings. Modern boot scrapers use a brush. You might have seen them at golf courses or visitor centers at national park or other hiking trails since they do a better job cleaning boots. They can get into the groves of the treads much better than just scraping boot on a metal rod.

Monday, 01/03/2022: Posted photo — Academy Hill.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 200, f/7.1, 1/80 s, 35 mm.

Westminster Village–Academy Hill Historic District encompasses the historic first town center of my town, Westminster, MA. It was the commercial core of the town in the early-19th century. Centered at the junction Main and South Streets with Academy Hill Road, it contains fine examples of Colonial, Federal, and Greek Revival architecture, including the 1839 town hall. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

Shown in this photo is the gazebo that hosts events, such as band concerts, during the warmer weather and in the background is the Rev. Cyrus Mann House that was built in 1815.

Tuesday, 01/04/2022: Posted photo — Xylophone.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 800, f/7.1, 1/13 s, 50 mm.

This toy xylophone belongs to my son. He used it just over 20 years ago. It is now being used by my almost three year old grandniece. She had a great time this afternoon playing with it, naming the colors on it, and just making up songs.

How do I know it is a xylophone and not a glockenspiel? They both have bars. They’re both melodic pieces of percussion. You hit them with a stick. There is one notable difference: A Glockenspiel is made from metal and a xylophone is made with wood. Glock in German is Bell, ergo the Glockenspiel. The Xylophone is made of Xylos, aka wood. Metal bars and Wooden bars. Glock and Xylos.

Wednesday, 01/05/2022: Posted photo — Off to Play.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 800, f/7.1, 1/25 s, 64 mm.

This compass is pointing to the direction of the mountains in the area. It is the direction that I do most of my playing or hiking and mountain climbing.

Historians think China may have been the first civilization to develop a magnetic compass that could be used for navigation. Chinese scientists may have developed navigational compasses as early as the 11th or 12th century. Western Europeans soon followed at the end of the 12th century.

“The First compass was invented in China during the Han Dynasty between the 2nd century BC and 1st century AD, (we don’t know precisely when). At first, it was used for divination, fortune-telling and geomancy, for finding precious gems and in Feng Shui but in time people discovered that it can be used for navigation and orientation. People knew about magnetite even before then, but it took centuries for it to get at least some purpose.” (http://www.historyofcompass.com/)

The compass in this photo does not work very well. It does not always point in the correct direction, so I use it only for demonstration purposes. It was defective from the first time I received it. REI was very nice to me and sent me a new working compass at no cost to replace this one.

Thursday, 01/06/2022: Posted photo — Sunrise.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 400, f/7.1, 1/640 s, 85 mm.

Some day I take many photos for myself, other days I do not. Today was one of those days that I did not take many photos for myself. I took this photo at work. Not the best sunrise to photograph. I took it just incase I did not take another one for myself during the day. I was correct, I did not. This just proves that you should take a photo of anything during the day just incase you do not have the opportunity to take another.

Friday, 01/07/2022: Post photo — Tree in Snow.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 200, f/7.1, 1/250 s, 50 mm.

Today it snowed. We did not get much, many five inches in this area, but it snowed all day. I walked into work and home from work. A great five mile round trip hike from my house to work and back. I am luck to live within walking distance of work with most of it being through the Midstate Trail. I did not bring my snowshoes since there was not going to be enough snow to use them so I only had my microspikes with me, just in case I needed them.

Luminance HDR 2.6.0 Tonemapping parameters: Operator: Fattal Parameters: Alpha: 1 Beta: 0.9 Color Saturation: 1 Noise Reduction: 0 —— PreGamma: 1

This photo was taken during the day while it was still snowing. There was going to be not much of an opportunity to take outside photos today and I did not want to take an indoor photo because I wanted to show the day as a snowy day for historical purposes.

Saturday, 01/08/2022: Post photo — Motor.

Settings: Google Pixel 2, ISO 332, f/1.8, 1/60 s, 4 mm.

This motor is off my father’s lathe. My father passed almost 29 years ago so the lathe has not been turned on for at least 25 years. Not that I have it, I plan on cleaning it up to use. The motor was made in 1952 by the name plate. It will be great to get it working and to turn some wood on my father’s old lathe.

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

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

My Weebly website is back up and running. I am looking of suggestions on how to make it look better.

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January 2, 2022

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Photographic Thoughts — 12/26/2021 to 01/01/2022

“If I could tell the story in words, I wouldn’t need to lug around a camera.” — Lewis Hine

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

This week’s post will have short descriptions each day since I am getting ready for Christmas.

Sunday, 12/26/2021: Posted photo — Ice on Mountain Laurel.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/25 s, 78 mm.

Another day of freezing rain today. The good news is that it was only in the morning. We postponed our Christmas gathering until today because of the bad weather we had yesterday.

When I went out to clear off the driveway and to warm up the car, I decided to take a photo of the ice off the mountain laurel that is in our yard.

The other possible post for today was that of the nativity seen at church. Before mass today, I took photos of the crèche and the wooden hanging on the lectern. I have also taken a photo of the altar from the choir loft.

Monday, 12/27/2021: Posted photo — Y12 D361 Wachusett Mountain.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 800, f/5.6, 1/1250 s, 91 mm.

Tonight’s challenge, hike Wachusett Mountain on ice covered trails.

Usually not a challenge for me and my experienced hiking partners, it is more challenging when you hike with a group of various abilities. Some of the people in the group have not hiked in the winter.

During the hike, I had on my “rock” microspikes because of the ice cover and not much snow. These spikes are inexpensive, so I do not mind if they get damaged during the hike. That is what happened tonight. One of the chains broke on them so I need to order a new pair. I use my “rock” spikes so that I do not damage my “good” microspikes on the trail. It is less costly for me to replace the “rock” spikes than the “good” spikes. My inexpensive spikes were purchased off Amazon and my “good” spikes are Hillsound Trail Crampon.

Tuesday, 12/28/2021: Posted photo — That Spot Again.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 200, f/22, 1/10 s, 35 mm.

Had to run out and do some errands today. I went shopping during the day since it was a day off for me. Because it was daytime, I wanted to take a photo of the dam at Round Meadow Pond. This is a usual spot for me to take during the year and it is many people’s favorite location to see in my photos.

Wednesday, 12/29/2021: Posted photo — Top of the Cascade.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 200, f/14, 1/10 s, 62 mm.

A few weeks ago, I did a hike with the AMC leaders and we went past this Cascade in Worcester, MA. Today I was in the city go do some cleaning at my mother’s house when I decided to stop by the cascade with my good camera to take a photo of the falls. This photo was a handheld photo by leaning on the bridge that overlooks the falls.

Thursday, 12/30/2021: Posted photo — Sand Dunes.

Settings: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, ISO 200, f/13, 1/800 s, 95 mm.

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, Mosca, CO

The tallest dunes in North America are the centerpiece in a diverse landscape of grasslands, wetlands, forests, alpine lakes, and tundra. Elevations within the park and preserve range from 8,200 feet to 13,604 feet and keep changing due to the weather. In summer months during mid-day, sand temperatures can reach 150 degrees F. Hike during the morning or evening to avoid heat exhaustion and/or burned feet. Wear closed-toe shoes. This is something that we experienced in the park. We were there in the summer of 2012 and could feel the heat through our shoes.

An amazing thing about the park is that you can see the dunes and the Sangre de Cristo mountains from miles away. When you turn off the main road to the access road, there they are.

Our national parks are wonderful, and everyone should have the opportunity to explore them all.

Friday, 12/31/2021: Post photo — Mom.

Settings: N/A

This year my mother passed at age 95. I did not know what photo to post for the last one of the year, saw a photo of my mother, and posted the photo of her with all her boys.

For your information, here are the final count of photos for the year 2021:

	Total
Portrait	6
Still Life	82
Landscape	105
Food	8
Sports	9
Wildlife	25
Macro	5
Event	11
Documentary	1
Weather	35
Architectural	22
Long exposure	8
Flowers	48

Saturday, 01/01/2022: Post photo — Cushion.

Settings: Google Pixel 2, ISO 556, f/1.8, 1/120 s, 4 mm.

Happy New Year! The start of year 13 of my project. I started on January 1, 2010 and have been taking and posting a photo a day.

The seat cushion on my wife’s aunt’s couch. We had our annual gathering at her house. I normally post a photo of the sunrise on New Year’s morning, but the weather had something to say about that.

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

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

Please note that my Weebly page will be working soon.