We have a toy room still, as if waiting for the next 3 year old to walk through the door. Among all the guns, blocks, puzzles, airplanes, trucks, balls, dolls, animals, cards, noise makers and construction sets, there is this wooden toy based simply on gravity. Simple wooden cars (singles and doubles) traveling down a curved wooden track flipping down a level and reversing direction and flipping once again and reversing direction yet again.  The hours I have spent along side the little ones dropping one car then the next.  How a simple event can be such a cherished memory is hard to say, but it is. 

D610, 1/60 second at f/3.3. ISO 100, 105 mm - 4355

The sunset this evening was pretty special. The clouds hid the sun from view but that made things all the more brilliant. You can see a glow over Wachusett Mountain in the distance on the left, in fact, that glow runs the horizon. It is about 15 miles away. This photo is taken from Prospect Hill Road, Harvard, Massachusetts. 

Nikon D610, 1/30 second at f22, ISO 200, 17mm (17-35mm f/2.8) - 4147

The nights are still cold, but the afternoon sun is spectacular. The melting crystals of snow merge together and sparkle in the sunlight. Just another sign the the stronghold of winter is loosing its grip. Pictured here are the edges of a massive glacier that slid off a smooth black rubber roof,  As the sun warms the surface, the icebergs slip over the edge of the roof a foot or more and eventually crack and crash onto the deck below.

Nikon D610, 1/1000 second at f/19, ISO 400, 105mm - 4018

The early spring run-off and melting snow create a swift current saturating the low lands. This is said to be one of the strongest aquifers feeding Wachusett Reservoir and it really shows this time of year. How long it seems we have waited to see color.  Even on a gray and cloudy day, glimpses of  green give us hope

Nikon D610, 1/6 second at f9.5, ISO 100, 35mm (17-35mm f/2.8) - 3912

There is evidence all around that left alone, all man's creations will fall prey to nature's fair and equitable justice. Alas, aren't we all destined with the same fate. This remnant, very close to the end of life, enjoys the view of gentle hills in the distance and fittingly, a nearby cemetery.  We all should be so lucky when our time comes.

Nikon D610, 1/180 Second at f/4.0, ISO 100, 35mm (17-35mm f/2.8) - 3784

Many of these reeds have been buried for months under the weight of a winter. It is a feat of pure strength and resilience that they bring themselves vertical to once again wave at the sun. Muddy Pond, once the source of Sterling Peat Moss, is now a wildlife refuge and protected wetland (which I discovered first hand sinking to my knee in some spots while shooting this picture).

Nikon D90, 1/1600 second at f/16, ISO 800, 10.5mm - 8832

If you take a very close look, you will see what I believe to be bats. Lots of bats.  I might be mistaken, but I don't think so.  It is the perfect place and the perfect time of day.  I love bats and I was afraid they had disappeared.  Please, if you know better, don't bust my balloon. Click on the image to open up a magnified view of the bats in the upper right sky.

Nikon D610, 1/350 second at f8, ISO 100, 19 mm (17-35mm f2.8) -3721

The lighting is wonderful on this Baptist church in Holden, Massachusetts.  It looks grand against the crisp evening sky. I love how this lens captures the height and proportion of steeples and how Adobe Photoshop can correct the vertical distortion that results from shooting up. It is remarkable.  I will see if I can contact them and get that light replaced. 

Nikon D610, 2 seconds at f/2.8, ISO 100, 19 mm (17-35mm f2.8) - 3720

I selfishly resist taking pictures of artwork because it celebrates the artistic works of someone else, but here I make an exception.  I have always loved this piece and thought I would try to capture some of its beauty. We found it in an obscure shop in a wonderful town in Canada just north of Niagara Falls, Niagara on the Lake, during Peach Festival.  If you have not been, I highly recommend you visit in early August when the streets are for strolling replacing automobiles with 8 foot peaches, steamed corn carts, peach pie and other delights.

Nikon D610, 1/6 second at f2.8, ISO 100, 19mm (17-35mm f2.8) - 3646

The thaw is beginning. The water levels are on the rise. The sun is making more progress every day. Even though we had another inch of snow, it quickly disappeared.  Crystal clear waters and swift currents prove that spring is beginning to show itself.  After a winter like we have endured, it is really exciting.

Nikon D610, 2 seconds at f19, ISO 100, 17mm, Neutral Density Filter ND8 - 3600

It might be a NASA photograph of a galaxy far off in space, but it is just a knot in a board aged for thirty years giving it a warm patina. Such is the character of wood.   

Nikon D610, 1/30 second, f6.7, ISO 100, 105mm (105mm f2.8) - 3557

I love this bridge! At night it is even more special.  The color and geometry is really quite beautiful. One of these days, I will need to photograph the bridge when it is in operation. 

Nikon D610, 1.5 seconds at f3.3, ISO 100, 17mm (17-35mm f2.8) - 3477

In the light of night, most structures shine.  This white elephant cries out desperate for attention in the cold night air. There is no hiding its plea for help, its appeal for love and attention, it's unyielding hope to become the shining cornerstone it once was.  This poor church has been transformed time and again.  Once a Congregational Church a century and a half ago and then a Unitarian Universalist, later an antique store and more recently, an office building. Left in disrepair for almost a dozen years, it still holds on to a glimmer of possibility, dim though it may be. Please?

Nikon D610, 15 seconds at f/8, ISO 140, 30mm (17-35mm f2.8) - 3388

If you want to step back in time, just stop into Woody's for a haircut.  Betty is the proprietor these days.  Three generations  preceded her and there is yet a 5th in the wings. This shop on Main Street opened in 1912. Betty's Dad, Grandfather and Great Grandfather cut hair right here in Sterling, Massachusetts.  If the nostalgia doesn't grab you, a haircut for ten bucks might.  But like any great barber shop, you get so much more.  Want to catch up on the news?  Just visit Woody's.

Nikon D610, 1/30 second at f2.8, ISO 140, 17mm (17-35mm f2.8) - 3345

If you let your mind wander, you might imagine that Emerson just walked by or Dickens is just beyond the tree. The sound of the horse drawn carriages are racketing behind you. The gas lights are being lit and the children are rushing home for dinner. Some might consider Clinton, Massachusetts to be a bland town lacking any charisma at all,. But you wouldn't know it at night. Somehow the night brings beauty and elegance. The evening colors enrich Central Park and the buildings surrounding the square. It hearkens back to times long gone by.

Nikon D610, 4 seconds at F3.3, ISO 140, 17mm (17-35mm f2.8) -3313

It was an epiphany when I learned about the relationship between light and a camera's sensor. I thought I would share it with you. When you open the shutter,  it will happily collect and accumulate all the light it receives until the moment you close the shutter.  Accumulate!  An ember barely visible to the naked eye will be seen by the camera sensor for as long as the shutter is open. Hold the camera still and more light will accumulate in the same spot on the sensor. Move the camera and, well you see here, the light dances. Think about -- light accumulating. Wow!

Nikon D610, 30 seconds at f/8, ISO 200, 28mm (28mm - 300mm f3.5-5.6) - 3203

Shooting a 4-year old is a lot like trying to get a tropical fish to smile. But you learn so much about photography.  Did you ask yourself all the necessary questions?  Are you on auto-focus or manual.  Is the ISO set properly.  Does everything fit in the frame properly. How many assistants do you have to manage the environment. Is your back drop large enough. Is your lighting set up to prevent shadows. Here is an example of a great shot except for the answer to many for the questions above. Thanks for the lesson Braylon!

Nikon D610; 1/90 second at f5.6, ISO 200, 28mm (28-300mm f3.5-5.6) -2816

Depth of Field.....  There is really only one screw in focus in this picture. That is a result of a very shallow depth of field. A telephoto focal length of 250mm and a fairly wide aperture of 6.7 results in a very shallow depth of field. In fact, it is less than 1/100 of an inch. 

Nikon D610, 1/125 second at f/6.7, 250mm (28-300 f3.5-5.6) - 2638

They say these sparkling reeds are invasive to these protected wetlands.  I have trouble believing they aren't good though. After all, the way the sway in unison gathering the golden light as if they are collecting energy is beautiful. How can that be a bad thing? I wanted to get closer, but I would have surely broken through the melting layer of snow and been lost forever.

Nikon D610, 1/750 second at f/8, ISO 200, 17mm (17-35mm f2.8) - 2521

I wasn't yet a teenager when I got my first microscope. I was a young scientist for sure looking at everything between the two slides of glass as I reflected the mirror through the lens. I no longer have a microscope but may as well have. Looking at things close up somehow changes your perspective. It just proves I enjoy photographing almost anything.

Nikon D90, 1/80 Second at F/22, ISO 1600, 105mm - 8828

Those who know me at all know that I am bonkers about Walt Disney and love Disney World. So it won't surprise you that my favorite collection is the Disney World buses made by Matchbox  Ably assisted by my dedicated wife, I have been collecting them since 2001.  Unfortunately, there are a few years I am missing. 2004, 2008 and 2009. So be on the lookout for me!

Nikon D610, 1/45 second at F4.5, ISO 400, 52 mm, 28-300mm f3.5-5.6 - 2296

It never get's old. Who hasn't played with bubbles since they can't remember. Generations of parents use bubbles to entertain their children and children s children. It never fails. After five decades, it is still fun to play! Does it matter that viscosity is the state of being sticky due to the internal friction of molecules? Not really. But what would life be without them?

Nikon D610, 1/180 second at F4.2, ISO 3200, 105mm (105mm f/2.8) Flash Fired -2213

The moon set early behind the trees.  It must have heard that the clocks jump ahead tonight. The camera picked up a reddish orange glow that the eye could not see. It was almost on fire. Gorgeous! I took more than a thousand pictures today with two different events, this was 12th from the last. You just never know.

Nikon D610, 2 seconds at F6.7, 34 mm (28-300mm f3.5-5.6) -2196