Summer Wrap Up

Well as it usually seems to happen summer has come and gone all too fast. There is a very big discrepancy between what I wanted to do and what I did this summer. I was, however, able to get out for a good hike with my beloved sister a few weeks ago on Monadnock Mountain in New Hampshire. It was a nice hike that didn't beat around the bush, the ascent is pretty much straight up the fall line. We couldn't have asked for better weather, it was in the high sixties with bluebird skies pockmarked with clouds.

A note to make, for those interested in making this climb. While it is very accessible from the Boston Metro area, it is a challenging climb. I would rate it as a 7 out of 10, with 1 being a meander down Mass Ave, and 10 being a hand over hand scramble up a steep exposed face. The second half of this hike is quite steep over exposed rock, so not for the faint of heart but well worth the view.
My sister and I, who I would like to think are in above average physical condition, put in a decent amount of effort to attain the summit. That being said it is a short hike, we made the round trip in just under 3 hours, so it is a nice hike without ruining your whole day.

Facts and info can be found HERE .

Now onto the pictures,

Enjoy.












The rest of the pictures can be found HERE.

The North Shore Concours d'Elegance

Being a newly transplanted New Englander I was curious to learn how my interests would mix in with the natives. Luckly I was able to find out this past weekend, my sister invited me to the North Shore Concours d'Elegance which was held at Essex College.

Despite no Wayne Carini sightings it was a very nice show that hosted many quality vehicles with plenty of cranberry Bermuda short and penny loafer wearing locals. The show was broken up into two sections, there was an area for the not so serious, as well as the full monty all or nothing concourse show for the heavy hitters.

I liked the diversity that was present. There was a good mix of American Muscle, European, and Classics which helped keep the interest up. I hate going to a show that is full of the same 3 cars over and over again.


The view looking out over the show.


PORSCHE 356A!!! with the rare factory sunroof!!!!! all original!!!!!!!


I will own a cherry numbers matching 1970 Chevelle 454 4spd someday...


This had the cleanest interior of any S30 I have ever seen.

I of course would have liked more participation from the Porsche community, but lets be honest they were all probably out actually driving their wonderful cars not rubbing them with a diaper. I also could have gone without looking at the loaded Acura TL that was among the few new cars on display; now I will have to keep myself from taking a trip to the dealership with my checkbook.

The rest of the album can be found HERE.

Enjoy.

Fourth of July Weekend

I have been quite busy the past month. I finished my final semester of college in June and graduated with a Mechanical Engineering Degree. I landed myself a fancy big boy job that required a move to Worcester, Massachusetts. I hope they are ready for a Giants supporter in Patriots land. My move took place over the July Fourth weekend, with the help of a U-haul and my family I successfully moved into my new digs Saturday.


A shot of my living room, the sparse walls will change soon but I need some funds before I go crazy...I got my big tv what else do I need right?

On the fourth I embarked on a hike with my father and sister to find the Snow Hole check out the Wiki to learn more.

The hike in entailed following the Taconic Crest Trail which runs along the New York and Massachusetts border. It was a very nice trail that offered quite a few amazing views of the valley below along the way:



Unfortunately we were probably two weeks late to see any actual snow in the Snow Hole; however, it was cold enough in the bottom to see your breath, which was quite hard to leave back into the summer heat above ground. I was surprised by its location which is not overly populated with exposed rock. I had built and image in my head of a dramatic fissure on a steep fall line, when in fact it was quite the opposite. More simply a hole in the ground in the middle of the woods, still very cool. Especially looking at the engravings past hikers left including ones from the 19th century.


It was difficult to get a good perspective shot of the scale but it was roughly 20-30 ft deep at the far end which I am standing in looking back towards the exit.

Overall I would rate this as a nice beginner hike, it took the 3 of us an hour and twenty minutes to get in, and about an hour to get back out. The trail is well marked and relatively easy on a scale of 1-10 with 1 being easiest I would rate this hike a 4, it has a decent amount of elevation change but nothing crazy.

Check out the rest of the shots HERE

Keep an eye out for future content as I work the get the lay of the land in my new city. From what I have seen the past few days it seems to have quite a bit of potential.

Enjoy

Northern Michigan

This past weekend was my fraternities annual retreat. We, 3 of my roommates and I, set off Friday evening from Flint headed for the great outdoors of Northern Michigan. I was a bit nervous during the days leading up to the trip as the weather was quite terrible with cold temps and rain, but the weekend was absolutely beautiful. We met up with the rest of our brothers at our cabins in Wilderness State Park just in time to watch the sunset over the lake.







All three of these photos are presented pretty much as shot, with only minor cropping and exposure adjustments. This was one of those moments that you knew right away you were capturing a perfect sunset.

Saturday we awoke ate breakfast and got prepared to adventure out to Mackinac Island. This is a pedestrian island that is a 20 minute ferry ride from Mackinaw City. We rode out on the open upper deck of the ferry with the May Flies, a good view of the Mackinaw Bridge, and some light houses along the way.





There are no cars allowed on Mackinac Island, so transportation centers around horse drawn carriages, bicycles, and your own feet. Our group choose to stick to our feet while exploring the main drag, vast network of trails, and historic buildings that make up the island.




As we were climbing the hill to the upper part of the island we passed this black bird which was very photogenic.


When we finally got to the top of the hill we were rewarded with a great view of another one of the islands lighthouses.


This shot required me to again face my fear of heights to get and I have to say it was well worth it as this shot came out awesome.


We found a really cool trail that followed the top of a ridge that lead down to the lake on the Eastern side of the island. There were many areas of sheer cliff face that also tested my fear along the way, much to my companions amusement.


The vastness of the Great Lakes can not be appreciated until you actually see them, I kept having to tell myself that I was not on the ocean despite how much it felt like it, even without the salty breeze.


We covered quite a bit of ground exploring the island and all the trails both paved and not were immaculate, especially considering the amount of rain we have been getting in this neck of the woods.

Overall the trip was a great success. I would definitely recommend visiting this interesting little island in Northern Michigan if you have the chance. It has quite a bit to offer in its relatively small package.

Enjoy

A First Time for Everything

Well I have been talking quite a bit with a friend from work about doing a photo shoot of his car, a pretty cool John Cooper Works Mini. Of course I was excited about doing a shoot and we decided to meet up in Albany while I was back in town for a few days. We were kind of pressed for time and didn't venture to too many spots but there are plans for a future shoot so if you like these keep an eye out for more!

Enjoy.

Upside Down

After a brief pause in submitting photos for the Gizmodo Shooting Challenge. I am back this week. The challenge was to take a shot upside down. This shot was not premeditated, I went to check out Niagara Falls this weekend and decided that this shot was my gem. I think every time I look at it I see it in a different perspective so give it a couple of views.



There were some other shots that were keepers from the adventure as well and they are posted below. Included is a shot proving I faced my fears and went out onto the observation deck which I don't care to know how high above the river bed it is, all I know is I wasn't thrilled being out there.

Note: Please excuse the imperfections in some of these shots, there was a bit of mist in the air, there is 6 million cubic feet of water going by per minute after all!







Enjoy.

Double Exposure

Well this weeks Gizmodo Shooting Challenge is Double Exposure. This is definitely something I have never done and to be honest I still haven't.
Here are the details directly from the site:

http://gizmodo.com/#!5755839/shooting-challenge-double-exposure

I looked at the contest for this week and was quite perplexed since I shoot with a digital camera. I was kinda bummed about having to fake the look of a double exposure during post processing. While thinking about buying a disposable film camera to perform this task I sat down to watch an episode of Top Gear when I had an epiphany. I decided I would fake a double exposure by trying to capture a screen grab while transitioning from one scene to another on my monitor, this proved to be easier than I thought and came out pretty good. I did not do any post processing on this photo and think that it is a pretty cool, definitely the best out of the bunch I took.





Enjoy

Levitation Follow-Up

Check out the other entries as well as the featured winners of this weeks contest. Some of these shots are amazing, with a lot of effort put in.

http://gizmodo.com/#!5754864/98-incredible-photos-of-levitation

Enjoy.

Friendly Competition

Well I was prompted by a friend to start participating in the Gizmodo Shooting Challenge. Every week they post a topic with rules and you are to create a photo and submit it in hopes of being one of the featured shots. I liked this idea because it forces you to expand beyond your normal comfort zone and shoot photos that aren't necessarily your forte.

This weeks theme is Levitation, in addition to the photo you are to submit a story about the photo, instead of describing the influence and set up of the scene I decided that a made up story would be much more fun especially for something as inexplicable as a levitating beer can in your living room, so my story is more clever and definitely fiction.



The Story:
After a rough week of work, what work week isn't rough? I arrived home on Friday and cracked into the Coors to relax and welcome in the weekend. Well one turned into many, as is usually the case, and soon I found myself in a hops induced sleep. I was dreaming of the weekend ahead which would involve shoveling out the inevitable Buffalo snow and enjoying the company of friends while watching the Super Bowl. While engrossed in my slumber a great feeling of supreme power came over me and I awoke to find the last casualty of my post work binge hovering above taunting me as if to say I should be more mindful not to dent the discarded, or perhaps I should not have checked out of the consumption game so soon. Regardless I was alone face to face with a hovering can of frothy goodness. A picture was the only thing between me and a sudden lack of friends and the urge to wear a colander on my head while waiting for the invasion. I am switching to Pabst from now on.


Enjoy.