Tag Archives: Travel

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November 28, 2021

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hiking, Nature, Photography, Travel, water

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Photographic Thoughts — 11/21/2021 to 11/27/2021

“Look and think before opening the shutter. The heart and mind are the true lens of the camera.” — Yousuf Karsh

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

Sunday, 11/21/2021: Posted photo — Snow on the Trail.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 200, f/7.1, 1/1000 s, 26 mm.

When on a hike this afternoon to complete my mapping of Wachusett Mountain. I am taking the bearing, elevation, and GPS location of all the trail intersections on the mountain. There are 23 marked routes on the mountain. This includes 18 hiking trails and the five internal service roads with close to 60 trail junctions. Some trail junctions have multiple readings, that is way I said close to 60 trail junctions.

This section of Old Indian Trail is closed during the winter since it crosses for ski trails. There were making snow on the mountain so I did not know if I could cross. This was one of the last two trails I needed to triple verify.

The mountain tries each year to open on the Friday after the Thanksgiving holiday. Most of the years the do so. Snowmaking is the production of snow by forcing water and pressurized air through a “snow gun”, also known as a “snow cannon”. Snowmaking is mainly used at ski resorts to supplement natural snow. They just might make the desired opening date this year.

Here are a couple more photos from the hike. One is Balance Rock, a glacial erratic that I may have posted a photo of previously, and the other is a bridge over a brook on Old Indian Trail.

Monday, 11/22/2021: Posted photo — The John F. Kennedy Eternal Flame.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 400, f/11, 1/500 s, 18 mm.

President John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the Unites States was assassinated on November 11, 1963, less than a year before I was born.

The eternal flame at the burial site of John F. Kennedy was First Lady Jackie’s idea, supposedly inspired by a similar grave flame that she’d seen in fashionable Paris. She lit the flame herself, with a gas-soaked rag on a stick, at the conclusion of JFK’s burial. Read more about the eternal flame here: https://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Explore/Monuments-and-Memorials/President-John-F-Kennedy-Gravesite.

When I first entered Arlington National Cemetery, it brought tears to my eyes. I could just feel the patriotism and the honor of those entomb there. Going to the eternal flame and watching the changing of the guard are the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier are two things, among many, that everyone should experience. Here is a photo of the Tomb of the Unknown.

Tuesday, 11/23/2021: Posted photo — Christmas Cactus.

Settings: Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 3200, f/5.6, 1/8 s, 62 mm.

Christmas Cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii) is a popular, winter-flowering houseplant makes a great addition to nearly any indoor setting. It is not only easy to care for but propagates easily too, making it an exceptional candidate for holiday gift giving. (https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/cacti-succulents/christmas-cactus/advice-for-christmas-cactus-care.htm)

This plant is in an office at work. I was looking for some information and I was drawn to the flower. I know a few people with this plant and know how hardy of a plant it is. Not much more to say about this photo today.

Wednesday, 11/24/2021: Posted photo — Round Meadow Pond.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 200, f/22, 1/6 s, 35 mm.

We were let out of work early today because of the holiday tomorrow. This gave me the opportunity to take a photo in daylight. I like this location, so I took this photo.

Thursday, 11/25/2021: Posted photo — Sweet Potatoes.

Settings: Samsung SM-G930V (Galaxy S7), ISO 80, f/1.7, 1/120 s, 4 mm

The terms “yam” and “sweet potato” are used interchangeably, but they are completely different vegetables. Yams are starchy and have a rough, brown exterior. They can grow up to 45 feet long and are eaten in parts of Latin America, West Africa, the Caribbean, and Asia. Sweet potatoes are a New World root vegetable, have a softer, reddish skin, a creamier interior, and often, a darker interior.

Friday, 11/26/2021: Post photo — After Thanksgiving Hike.

Settings: Samsung SM-G930V (Galaxy S7), ISO 100, f/1.7, 1/120 s, 4 mm

I am currently an Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) leader and today was an AMC after Thanksgiving hike. The hike was six miles long from Crow Hill to Wachusett Mountain along the Midstate Trail.

Saturday, 11/27/2021: Post photo — Snow Fall.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 200, f/7.1, 1/160 s, 20 mm.

We had the first measurable snowfall of the year. Here are some photos.

We also did a 4.5-mile hike with relatives this afternoon. Here are some photos.

Now much to say about the photos the last couple of day since relatives were in the area. Spent more time with family and friends then with writing this blog.

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 I have not been able to post to my Weebly page for over a week, so the photos are a little behind there. Weebly technical support is still working on the issue.

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July 7, 2021

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Photographic Thoughts — 06/27/2021 to 07/03/2021

“Taking pictures is savoring life intensely, every hundredth of a second.” — Marc Riboud

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

Enjoy this week’s rambling mind of a mechanical engineer and photographer.

This is the last of the “catch up” series of blogs.

Sunday, 06/27/2021: Posted photo — Bridge.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 400, f/7.1, 1/3 s, 18 mm.

This is one of the bridges in Watkins Glen State Park. This bridge is over Central Cascade, one of the 19 waterfalls that are in the park. We camped at the state park three nights, enjoying the Glen in-between storms.

Monday, 06/28/2021: Posted photo — Yahoo Arch.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/7, 1/250 s, 24 mm

Yahoo Arch has a height of 17 feet and a base of 70 feet. It is in McCrary County, Kentucky. You get there by hiking 1.5 miles, one way, on a spur trail that brought you to Yahoo Falls. The height of Yahoo falls is 113 feet.

Tuesday, 06/29/2021: Posted photo — Clouds.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/1000 s, 44 mm

Now that we are back home, I needed a photo. The air was very humid, and clouds were forming near Round Meadow Pond.

Wednesday, 06/30/2021: Posted photo — St John’s Wort.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/25 s, 69 mm.

“St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum) is a flowering shrub native to Europe. It gets its name from the fact that it often blooms on the birthday of the biblical John the Baptist. The flowers and leaves of St. John’s wort contain active ingredients such as hyperforin. St. John’s wort is available as a supplement in teas, tablets, liquids and topical preparations. People use St. John’s wort to treat depression and menopausal symptoms.” — Mayo Clinic

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These wildflowers are in an area that I hike often. I stopped to take this photo since I was in a rush to take one for the day.

Thursday, 07/01/2021: Posted photo — Round Meadow Pond.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/25 s, 18 mm.

This is a new month, and I wanted a good photo for the first day of the month on my web page. This location is one that I photograph often and is one of the favorite locations for those who look at my photographs.

Friday, 07/02/2021: Post photo — Raindrops.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 400, f/7.1, 1/200 s, 113 mm.

Rainy day today. No opportunity to get outside to take a photo. I took this when walking between buildings at work. This photo can also be used as a historic record of today’s weather.

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Saturday, 07/03/2021: Post photo — Mangos.

Settings: Samsung SM-G930V (Galaxy S7), ISO 64, f/1.7, 1/120 s, 4 mm

“A mango is a popular tropical fruit that is eaten in sweet and savory dishes around the world. It can be green, yellow, orange, red, or a combination of these colors, and has yellow or orange flesh surrounding a flat, hard pit. The fruit is typically peeled and cut away from the pit before use. A mango can be eaten raw unripe or ripe, or cooked into desserts, curries, and chutneys. It’s a moderately expensive piece of produce per fruit, but many varieties are large and heavy. It is also a popular dried fruit.” — The Spruce Eats

Back to a “normal” blog next week.

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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July 4, 2021

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Photographic Thoughts — 06/20/2021 to 06/26/2021

“Photograph: a picture painted by the sun without instruction in art.” — Ambrose Bierce

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

Enjoy this week’s rambling mind of a mechanical engineer and photographer.

Sunday, 06/20/2021: Posted photo — Mass of Thanksgiving.

Settings: N/A.

Today was the Mass of Thanksgiving for Fr. Matt Duclos. What a great turn out for the mass. The reception following was full of family and friends. You could see how proud my wife’s cousin and her husband were of their newly ordained son.

Now off to Watkins Glen State Park.

Monday, 06/21/2021: Posted photo — Watkins Glen.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 400, f/9, 1/3 s, 18 mm

“Watkins Glen State Park is the most famous of the Finger Lakes State Parks, with a reputation for leaving visitors spellbound. Within two miles, the glen’s stream descends 400 feet past 200-foot cliffs, generating 19 waterfalls along its course. The gorge path winds over and under waterfalls and through the spray of Cavern Cascade. Rim trails overlook the gorge. Campers and daytime visitors can enjoy the Olympic-size pool, modern playground, scheduled summer tours through the gorge, tent and trailer campsites, picnic facilities, and excellent fishing in nearby Seneca Lake or in Catherine Creek, which is renowned for its annual spring run of rainbow trout.” From the park website.

Here are the photos from day one.

Tuesday, 06/22/2021: Posted photo — Watkins Glen Day Two.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 400, f/6.3, 1/2 s, 47 mm.

More photos from Watkins Glen before traveling to Cumberland Falls, Kentucky.

Wednesday, 06/23/2021: Posted photo — Moonbow.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 800, f/5, 44 s, 18 mm.

Cumberland Falls is one of the few places in the world that regularly produces a moonbow. The “moonbow,” also called a white rainbow or lunar rainbow, is formed just like a rainbow—light is refracted in tiny water droplets—and appears for the two or so days, as long as the sky is clear, on either end of the full moon.  The other place in the world that a moonbow occurs regularly is Victoria Falls.

This photo was taken at 11:30 p.m. on a great moonlit night.

Thursday, 06/24/2021: Posted photo — Cumberland Falls.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/4.6, 1/83 s, 18 mm.

Enjoy more photos from the park.

Friday, 06/25/2021: Post photo — Yahoo Falls.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 200, f/7.1, 1/6 s, 55 mm.

Today we left the park to hike to Yahoo Falls and Yahoo Arch. Enjoy the photos.

Here are more photos on our hike out to Yahoo Arch.

When we came back to the park, we watch nature at work. Here is what happens when a grasshopper gets caught in a spider web. The grasshopper did put up a good fight.

Saturday, 06/26/2021: Post photo — Hanger.

Settings: Samsung SM-G930V (Galaxy S7), ISO 50, f/1.7, 1/238 s, 4 mm

There is a black bear that frequented the campground at Cumberland Falls. The sites have hooks on there posts to have garbage so the bear could not get at it.

Today we travel back home.

Next week’s blog will be the same as this week. They it will be back to normal.

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/.

COVID is real! Be safe out there, keep your social distance, and remember to always wear your mask and wash your hands. Get your vaccine!

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July 2, 2021

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Inspiration, Photography, religion, Travel

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Photographic Thoughts — 06/13/2021 to 06/19/2021

“I don’t trust words. I trust pictures.” — Gilles Peress

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

Enjoy this week’s rambling mind of a mechanical engineer and photographer.

Sunday, 06/13/2021: Posted photo — Star Trails.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 1600, f/3.5, 16 s, 18 mm.

This photo is a stacked composite of 399 sixteen second exposed photos. It has been a while since I took a star trail photo. There are two different methods for taking star trails: one is by taking multiple shots and stacking them, the other is by doing long exposure shot. I have done star trails both ways. The longest exposer I took was a 45-minute exposure at Craters of the Moon National Monument and Reserve in Idaho a few years ago. The sky was very, very dark at this park. So dark, you had a difficult time seeing your outstretched hand. I the area I live, staking is the best way of doing star trails.

Here is how I prepare for my star trail photos. I setup my camera before I go to bed pointing in a northerly direction. Then when it gets to astronomical twilight, I turn the camera on to start taking photos and then go to bed.

Here are some definitions for your and my reference. All angles are the position of the Sun to the horizon:

  • Nighttime (below -18°)
  • Morning twilights (from -18° to 0°)
    • Astronomical Twilight (from -18° to -12°)
    • Nautical Twilight (from -12° to -6°)
    • Civil twilight (from -6° to 0°)
  • Morning magic hours
    • Blue hour (from -6° to -4°)
    • Golden hour (from -4° to 6°)
  • Daytime (above 6°)
  • Evening magic hours
    • Golden hour (from 6° to -4°)
    • Blue hour (from -4° to -6°)
  • Evening twilights (from 0° to -18°)
    • Civil twilight (from 0° to -6°)
    • Nautical Twilight (from -6° to -12°)
    • Astronomical Twilight (from -12° to -18°)
  • Nighttime (below -18°)

Why 16 seconds? Sixteen seconds is based on the aperture, pixel density, and focal length (NPF) rule. This considers the megapixels of your camera to make the stars still. With my camera and settings, a shot of 15.17 s or less will not show moment in the stars if you zoom into the picture. It is not necessary for star trails, but I use this rule for Milky Way shots. The better-known rule is the 500 rule. This is the classic rule for making the star stand still.

Monday, 06/14/2021: Posted photo — Sweet-Williams.

Settings: Samsung SM-G930V (Galaxy S7), ISO 50, f/1.7, 1/171 s, 4 mm

“Sweet William is an irresistible, colorful, biennial flower. It grows for two years, blooming in the second year. Native to Europe, this colorful, compact plant is grown all over the U.S.

Sweet William varieties include perennials and biennials. The perennials are often grown as biennials. Plants grow 7-18 inches tall, depending upon variety. Flowers blooms are produced in clusters in the spring. Colors include white, red, pink, crimson, scarlet, purple, and bi-colors.

The compact size of Sweet Williams make them great for containers and pots. Try them in a windowsill or vertical planter. In flower beds, put these small plants at the front of the garden. Despite their small size, they make good cut flowers. All they need for indoor splendor, is a small vase.

The Raging Name Debate — There is much debate over who Sweet William was named for. The list of honorees includes: William the Conqueror, Saint William of York, and Prince William Augustus, the Duke of Cumberland.

Plant Height: 12”–24”

How to Grow Sweet William Annual Flowers. For a better flower garden, follow The Gardener’s Network. (gardenersnet.com).

These Sweet-Williams were in a flower patch near one of the parking lots at the Wachusett Mountain ski area. I passed them on my way to my Monday night hike and stopped to take a photo of them on my way back from my hike. I did not have my DSLR with me, so I took this with my cellphone. I do not like the quality of this photo. Then again, I do not like many of my cellphone photos.

Here are some more photos of that flower patch.

Tuesday, 06/15/2021: Posted photo — Monkey HDR.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 1600, f/5.6, 1/13 s, 52 mm.

This monkey is a trinket in my mother’s china cabinet. The definition of a trinket is a small ornament or item of jewelry that is of little value. The trinkets in my mother’s collection have emotional and sentimental value.

A china cabinet is a piece of dining room furniture, usually with glass fronts and sides, used to hold and display porcelain dinnerware. Her china cabinet is filled with unicorn trinkets and other trinkets that she has collected over the years with my father. He good china and silverware are also located in the cabinet.

This cabinet was “no-touch” in our house when I was younger. With six brothers, she did not want any of the items broken. We were able to go into the cabinet when company was coming over.

I edited this photo with as a High Dynamic Range (HDR) photo because the light was bad in the room, and I wanted to save this photo. It was one of the only photos I took today, and it was of the best quality.

Wednesday, 06/16/2021: Posted photo — Wildflowers.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/20 s, 52 mm.

These flowers are called purple crown vetch. According to my Seek app, Securigera varia (synonym Coronilla varia), commonly known as crownvetch or purple crown vetch, is a low-growing legume vine. It is native to Africa, Asia and Europe and is commonly used throughout the United States and Canada for erosion control, roadside planting and soil rehabilitation. It has become an invasive species in many states of the US.

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These were on a roadside. I passed them during one of my walks today. As written many times in different ones of my blogs, I take many photos during the day and pick out one to post.

Here is another photo I took today. My niece purchased these cookies for a party that did not happened today. She brought them to my mother’s house for all the aids to enjoy.

Thursday, 06/17/2021: Posted photo — Cookies.

Settings: N/A.

Some cookies left by one of my nieces at my mother’s house. She was going to have a party at work that did not happen. I do not know why. All I know is that there are many cookies around to be eaten.

Friday, 06/18/2021: Post photo — Feather.

Settings: N/A.

Some poor bird lost its feather. I took this photo since I was getting ready to travel from my vacation (holiday) and needed a quick photo.

Saturday, 06/19/2021: Post photo — Ordination or Holy Orders.

Settings: Samsung SM-G930V (Galaxy S7), ISO 200, f/1.7, 1/24 s, 4 mm

My wife’s cousin’s son was ordained a priest today for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany NY. We were invited ordination to the deaconate last year in Rome that did not happen due to COVID. We had planned to go to this ordination and glad that we could attend. Congratulation Fr. Matt Duclos!

Here are some more photos from the day.

I am not sure when I will post my blogs for the next two weeks due to commitments. I will see if I can post a partial blog later in the week and follow up with an update to that blog.

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/.

COVID is real! Be safe out there, keep your social distance, and remember to always wear your mask and wash your hands. Get your vaccine!