New England Blogs

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Hurricane Sandy.....The Day After

As hurricane Sandy made landfall on the Jersey Coast yesterday, we felt the effects of her up here in Southern New England with heavy rain and very strong winds. There was coastal flooding at the time of high tide even up here, hundreds of miles away from the center of the storm.
The surf was still rough today, but not nearly as bad as it was yesterday. Here is Peggotty Beach in Scituate MA taken this afternoon.



Road cleanup down by Scituate Light.


The skies were extremely changeable. Notice how the fog was rolling in on the photo above, compared to blue skies on the photo below.


I hope you and yours survived the storm with minimal to no impact.


Tuesday, October 23, 2012

The colors of late Fall in SE MA

This was another very strange year for the foliage here in New England. The season started off with a bang up in Northern NE beginning the last week of September into the first week of October. Then things stalled. There was no frost further south of there to help with the progression of the foliage changing. Many trees just lost their leaves while others remained green. Last week we got our first frost from Southern VT and NH down through MA, CT, and RI. We then had some sun (finally) and the trees that still had leaves on them turned quickly, almost overnight, and we had a few days of pretty decent color around here. There were some vibrant reds and oranges and it was pretty darn good! We then got some heavy rain and wind this weekend which caused a lot of leafdrop here in SE MA. However, there still is some color to be found, and I went out today with 2 camera club friends and had a fantastic morning.
Here is Wompatuck Pond located behind the town hall in Hanson MA. The early morning warm light really gave the scene a beautiful warm tone,



We stopped at my favorite farm, Lolan's Farm, on Thompson St in Middleboro.


I love to wander around this farm. You've seen many pictures here on the blog that I have taken here and each time I visit, I always find something different to photograph. I was happy to find this Mama Cat nursing her kitten in front of this tractor!


I like the 'layers" in this next image, which I added a texture filter to give it a bit of a different look. I like the colors of late Fall, and I like to see bare trees mixed in with tress that have the rust and golden colors of the late turning leaves.



Lastly, I thought all the cranberry bogs in the area had all been picked by now, so I was thrilled to find this bog that was flooded but not completely picked. The colors were this vibrant in person. It was spectacular.


I still have many more images from this Fall to process and share, but wanted to share these ones from today. I hope you enjoyed them. It was a beautiful morning to be outdoors!

Friday, October 19, 2012

Owl's Head Groton State Forest

Groton State Forest in Vermont is a beautiful place to visit in any season, but the Fall is my favorite time of the year to visit here. The next few blogs that I write will be about different areas of this state forest, and todays blog is about Owls Head Mountain.
There is a long, narrow, dirt road that leads you up the mountain to a small circular parking area. Once there, there is a trail marker to a trail that is a short steep hike to the top of the mountain. This is a very popular hike. What most people don't know about, is there is another trail that you can take which is flat and opens up to a beautiful view. This trail is located on the right hand side of the parking lot. The foliage was brilliant the day I was there. It was peak and it was gorgeous. If it had been a clear day with blue skies, the view beyond would also have been beautiful, but I am not complaining at all with the view that I had!






Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Killington VT

On one of the days of our recent VT vacation, Mr S and I traveled 3 hours from Barton to Killington, where we met up with some friends for a fun afternoon and a delicious lunch. It was a foggy rainy morning, but after the lunch, the clouds lifted a bit and we decided to head out and explore the Killington area......a place I have never been to before and I really wanted to see.......despite the weather.
One of our first stops was to Kent Pond........a beautiful scenic pond with a mountainous backdrop. Unfortunately, the low clouds and fog prevented us from seeing the hillsides beyond the pond, and the lighting was very flat, but I was happy just to be there. Of course I hope to return on a nicer day weatherwise at some point!
There is a pretty waterfall located at Kent Pond that we had a fun time exploring.

From here we decided to drive up to the Gondola at Killington Mountain. One of my friends, a Vermont native, was hoping that perhaps if we took a gondola ride to the top of the mountain, we may be above the clouds. This would have been really great, but we were told that the top of the mountain was socked in with zero visiblity. The best laid plans..........




It was difficult to find a scenic spot on the mountain worthy to photograph, so I was happy when we stopped a little further down the mountain at this spot.

Despite the weather, I really enjoyed the day at Killington. The colors (that you could find not fogged in) :-0) were really beautiful.


Sunday, October 14, 2012

Recent Happenings

Besides chasing the foliage all over Northern New England, I've also been busy with a few other things over the past week. Fun happy times!!!! The day after Mr S and I returned from our week in VT we attended the wedding of Hope and Chris.
Here is Hope and her Dad (who is not only a cousin in law, but also one of Mr S's best buds)
How gorgeous is Hope???? And how about the look on Darrell's face as he is ready to give his little girl away!
Here is Hope and Chris's first official kiss as husband and wife. It was a beautiful ceremony,

Here are Hope's parents, Barbara and Darrell........they look so beautiful and handsome!


This weekend brought more happy celebrations. Yesterday we attended a 30th anniversary barbecue for our good friends Carol and Larry. It was such a fun relaxing time. I had a ball! Here's a few from this event:




This afternoon I attended a bridal shower for Kaitlyn and Joe. The wedding is coming up in December and I am so looking forward to it. I have known these two since they were in kindegarten!!! How gorgeous is Kaitlyn?

The girls in the bridal party:


I just have to share this one with you. This is one of the gifts I gave to them. You may remember this "LOVE"  image from appearing here on the blog.

Kailtyn's Aunt made the cake. It was not only gorgeous, it was deeeeelicious!

Katie and Joe....how cute are they?????

I will be making seperate albums of each of these events for those of you waiting, but for now I have these few images of each event processed. I have been out straight and I will let each of you know when the rest of your pictures are done.
It was great to share these happy times with all of these special people who are in our lives. We are truly blessed!
xxoo

Friday, October 12, 2012

Chandler Pond Farm

I made a visit to photograph Chandler Pond Farm in Wheelock VT with some of my camera club friends. Here is a description of the farm taken from their official website:

"600 scenic acres of fields and forests with 50 acres of pond and wetlands, located in Vermont's beautiful Northeast Kingdom. Chandler Pond Farm is a family farm operated by Rob & Tamara Martin using organic practices. The Martins are committed to small scale sustainable production of a wide diversity of vegetable, dairy and meat products."
Here is a link to their website:
http://www.chandlerpondfarm.com/
The owners were very welcoming to us and our cameras. They told us how to get to the sugarhouse which was down the road and up a path on the property.

Unfortunately for us, it was raining pretty hard the day of our visit. You can see the raindrops in the out of focus area in this next image where I focused on the side of one of the barns and let the foliage in the background go nice and soft.


The cows didn't mind the rain one bit!



The farmstand was full of fresh veggies, real VT maple syrup that was canned right there at the farm, and lots of pumpkins! I bought a few things and can attest that everything was delicious and nice and fresh. I always support the local farmers whenever I can.



We had an enjoyable visit, despite the rain. I am planning on going back to visit here again and again. One could spend a half a day photographing on these beautiful grounds. The pond is located behind the main barn, but we did not take any pictures of the pond due to the weather conditions. I can't wait to go back here!!

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Green River Covered Bridge, Vermont

I really need an intervention. My obsession with Fall in Vermont has come to an all time low. Or is it a high? I think it's a high. Others may disagree. :-) So what? After spending 7 days in Vermont I came home and then turned around and went back up to VT yesterday just for the day. I left my house at 5:30 am and got home last night at 9:30pm. Is there really anything abnormal about that? I didn't think so........

Yesterday was a trip to Southeast VT and SW NH. These are areas I have yet to explore. It was a cloudy day (surprise surprise.....what else could we expect with the way this Fall has been going) But, it never rained and the clouds actually were helpful as we visited some waterfalls and were able to take slow shutter speed shots without too much worry of blowing out the highlights.

The Green river Covered Bridge in Guilford VT was my favorite place we stopped to photograph yesterday. This scene is like a step back in time, and it was wonderful to explore this whole area on foot with camera and tripod in hand.

The two red barns on the hill behind the bridge make this scene extra special.
Nikon D90, 17-55 mm lens, ISO 400, 1/20, f16

The Green River Timber Dam runs alongside the bridge.

Nikon D90, 17-55 mm lens, 1/10, f22, -5ev


Nikon D90, 17-55 mm lens, 1/6, f22, -4ev


Nikon D90, 17-55 mm lens, ISO 400, 1/20, f16, -1/3 ev


Nikon D90, 17-55 mm lens, ISO 400, 1/10, f22, -4 2/3ev
I'm so glad that I took this daytrip. It was worth it! More to come from this trip but I also have more to post from the previous week I spent in VT. Stay tuned!

Monday, October 8, 2012

Thurman Dix Reservoir (E Barre VT)

I just love it when really good things come from making a mistake. After we left Seyon State Park in Groton VT we were going to head to Groton State Forest. We got to the main road, and I mistakenly told Mr S to take a right, when we actually should have taken a left. After a few miles, I realized my mistake. We stopped at a gas station to fill up and use the restroom. We also bought a few sandwiches for a picnic lunch at the State Forest. (I knew there was nowhere else to get food for lunch once we hit the state park, and I need to keep Mr S happy and well fed) :-) I told the cashier about my mistake and she recommended we turn onto Reservoir Road on our way back because she said it was beautiful there with beautiful reflections. So, we followed her advice and it was beautiful there!
Nikon D90, ISO 200, 1/30, f8, +1/3ev
We drove to the end to "scope out" the place and stopped at the end where there was a woman photographing the birds. I got out of the car with my camera and joined her. She was very kind and told me about many of her experiences photographing here. As I was leaving, we exchanged business cards. I looked at her card and realized that this woman is someone whose work I admire and respect. She is a well accomplished wildlife/landscape photographer from VT named Linda Baird White. Here is her website:
One of the images I made while speaking with her:
Nikon D90, ISO 200, 1/160, f9
A few more images resulting from my "mistake":

Nikon D90, ISO 200, 1/50, f22, +1/3ev

Nikon D90, ISO 200, 1/50, f22, +1/3ev
Life is full of surprises!!

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Seyon Pond Groton VT

I am back home. After spending 7 days in Vermont I managed to find 2-3 hours of sunshine. Luckily for me, the sun made it's appearance the morning I was photographing at Seyon State Park in Groton VT. I had my best day of photography of the trip on this particular morning. There was virtually no wind which made perfect reflections on the water. I was also blessed with some clouds which added some interest to the sky. It doesn't get much better than this when there is peak foliage. This was my "Vermont Moment" for 2012.

Nikon D90, ISO 200, 1/20, f20, +1ev

Imagine yourself sitting in one of these adirondack chairs.


Nikon D90, ISO 200, 1/60, f20, +1/3ev


Nikon D90, ISO 200, 1/25, f20, +1/3ev


Nikon D90, 1/25, f20, +1/3ev


Nikon D90, ISO 200, 1/15, f22, -1/3ev

This last one is my favorite image of the season so far. I titled it "Heavenly". I was all alone at the lake. Mr. S took a hike (literally) :-) around the entire lake while I was photographing. The way the clouds were in the sky and reflected in the water on such a beautiful calm morning of solitude made it an almost spiritual exerience for me. One that I do not take for granted nor I will never forget.


Nikon D90, ISO 200, 1/25, f20, +1/3 ev