The Daily Joe

  Memory of a trip to Maine. Miss that place and will be back soon. It's "throwback Thursday", so I decided to go back through some of my treasures and found this one of Portland Head lighthouse. Maine is one of my favorite places on the planet. The rocky coast, the crashing waves, the people, the everything.  The winters are the reason I don't live there. But I do love the place. And I'll be back there soon.

  Boating out on the lake on a blue sky day The sky was so blue with just some puffy clouds - so blue that the water could not help but reflect the blue. The hills and the fisherman in his boat just make this photo so peaceful.

  Cows on a misty morning   Out on an early walk some time ago - I spied the cows in the pasture in the mist.  The fog blanketed the ground and kept sounds to a minimum. The peace and quiet was almost unreal - almost otherworldly. The cows acted like I wasn't there -just relaxed and enjoying the peace.

  Simple portrait of roses  While walking from one meeting to another on campus where I work, I saw these roses with light purple flowers as a backdrop.  I decided to take a few moments and find a good "pose" to get the shot I wanted.  A simple, pretty photo of beautiful flowers.

  Out of the dark woods into the light While walking in the woods, on the lakeside trails at our local state park, there are many times where the trail winds it's way close to the lake and then away, based on the terrain.  This particular time the trail was leading from the deeper wood towards the lake, with the morning sun reflecting it's light at the lake shore. Darkness into the light!

  Heron at the lake   Last week, while hiking at the lake, I saw this heron hiding in the tall grass - hiding (or at least that's what I surmised).  This view was the only spot I could see it from.  There were closer spots on the trail, but there wer no ways to view the water from those points on the trail.  I had to use my zoom lens to get this one.  They are magnificent birds.

  Wispy clouds and horses in the field I take walks because I need the exercise - especially as I usually sit behind a desk all day. This day - I was out on such a walk in the afternoon when I looked across the neighbor's pasture and saw all of his horses out. The clouds just seemed to lead your eye and reminded me of the "big sky" country photos from the western US.

  Warm morning at the lake There are those times when I'm out for a hike on the trail and see an image that just says "this is it".  This shot represents all that this particular morning was, for me.  It was warm, clear, and just, plain beautiful.  The hike was more than peaceful and invigorating to my soul.

  First summer sunset sky Yesterday was the summer solstice - the longest day of the year. The sunset was very late in the day, but what a beautiful sunset it was. The colors changed minute by minute.

  Boats waiting to go out on a clear morning I had yest4erday off and wanted to get some lakeside photos.  A beautiful, clear morning.  I loved the blue sky, but making the photo in black and white emphasized the clearness of the sky for me. The boats askew just waiting to be taken out made the day off seem even more relaxed.

  Sunset in the rear view mirror Last week was a week of sunsets. This one was captured from the car. Time was not on my side that evening.  The weather was seeming to turn and the clouds were darkening - but the sun had just set and the sky lit up.  We had to go so I decided to get this shot and, surprisingly, it came out OK.

  Pond on a beautiful day We took a day trip to Winterthur yesterday and on the way into the grounds, I noticed this pond.  While we were there, we got a little off the regular path and passed by that same pond.  I decided to walk ahead and get some photos before my fellow travelers caught  up. The day was just warm enough to be comfortable and cool enough for long walks.  An almost perfect day.

  Sunshine through the morning mist in the woods So I took off yesterday to do some extra recharging and get some things done. I wanted to go out exploring some trails before the temperature became too hot. It was also very humid in the morning.  This scene greeted me when I was walking on the trails. I could not pass up the sunbeams through the mist.  They seemed to point the way forward.

  Streaks of red in the sky just before the storm I got home from teaching last evening and the clouds in the west were thick and grey.  However, when I pulled onto our road, I happened to see a little bit of color in the sky. After I parked the car and got out, I saw the streaks of red. It was a beautiful, albeit short, respite from the storms of the evening.

    This photo is from one of my family's early trips to Bar Harbor, Maine and Acadia National Park. I truly love being in that place. The ocean, the rocky shore, the sounds, the smells - all seem to call me every time. I will be there again in a few weeks and I can't wait.

  Backroad into the woods  A short drive into the country and down some back roads in my area can lead to some peaceful scenes.  This road is near our old cabin and that place was  just so peaceful - a respite from the crazy real world.

  Streaks of sunset in the backyard A few nights ago, I got home from classes and saw the beautiful sunset.  I decided I only had a few moments, so I got out of the car and walked into the backyard. This view greeted me across the neighbor's property. Streaks of gold against the pale blue sky. A nice way to end the evening.

  Just after sunset at the lake   Just another afternoon at the lake. The pastel colors in the sky were outstanding.  The cloud reflections were slowly drifting by. A nice end to the day.

  Wispy clouds make a colorful sunset sky We went out last evening with another couple to celebrate our anniversaries.  It was a truly fun time full of laughs and just plain adult conversation.  It a really nice time.  On the way home, my wife drove and we noticed the sunset.  She tried to find a spot for me to take a photo or two.  This was the best one from a hill in the road.  Luckily, there wasn't much traffic so we just stopped and I took this.

  Warm afternoon in the field It's been a rough week with seeing a dear friend pass and trying to go through thousands of photos to find ones of him, photography hasn't been center stage.  This photo just seemed to exude peace and calm.  A warm peaceful spring afternoon walking in the fields. On top of that, it's my 39th Wedding Anniversary to my patient and loving wife!

  Fire in the sky for a June sunset This photo was taken last evening. I arrived home after a very emotional gathering of our karate school after the passing of our school's owner. It was good to talk, cry, and reminisce.  When I arrived home, some of my family went for a brief walk with the dog.  The sky just lit up and almost seemed like it was on fire.  It seemed to burn away some of my negative feelings and giving some happiness.

  Mist in the valley on a warm spring morning This photo, taken a few years ago was very similar to a scene yesterday morning. Same farm, same valley, same type of weather.  Yesterday morning, I was late and couldn't capture it, so I decided to post this one instead.

  Sunset sky across the fields and hills  This photo was taken near our old church a few years ago. I haven't taken much the past couple of days. I lost a good friend on Monday and just haven't been "in the mood". It'll come back in a bit, but I've been looking at the past photos and this beautiful landscape came up. Enjoy your loved ones while you have them, all.

  Dragonfly in the wild I managed to capture this dragonfly while we were at my father-in-laws last weekend.  He was just sitting quietly on top of a single blade of grass - sunning himself. A warm day when nature just trudged right on.

  Late afternoon clouds over the field and trees This Spring has been really nice for clouds in the late afternoon.  I've seen so many beautiful skies this year.  I've posted some already. This sky was over the end of the neighbor's field.  His field abuts the church's graveyard.  You can see a couple of tombstones to the rights.  The sky, though, makes the photo.

  Warm spring day down at the pond We drove my son and his wife to see see my father-in-law. While my wife and her father went to get lunch, my son, his wife, and I walked down to the pond. It was a fantastic late spring day. They had fun looking for tadpoles and skipping rocks.

  Tree line at the storm line I took this photo from the car while my wife was driving a few weeks ago.  I had forgotten about it but when I went back, I was pleasantly surprised that I caught the tree line just at the brightening line in the rain clouds. Serendipity and luck.

Simple pink peony in the afternoon sunshine My wife and I were walking our dog when she said, "look over there, the pink peonies have finally bloomed!".  The white ones had been blooming for about  a week, but the pink ones had lagged behind.  This one just seemed to stand out from the others and the light on the flower and the texture of the leaves just stood out to me.

Ancient ship along the shore This photo is a scan from one of my father's collection. In his early retirement, he traveled the coast of New England almost every year. I'm not exactly sure where this was taken, but I'm very sure, if he were alive, he could have told me exactly where this was. His memories still live on and I hope you enjoy them.

  Trees against the sunset sky   There have been many beautiful sunsets lately. For this one, thought, I couldn't see the sun, but could catch the colors in the sky.  The trees seem to be standing and watching the beautiful colors, too.