The Daily Joe

    Photo of the Day 365/365 Sun Setting over the Creek and on 2023 This was a VERY lucky shot. We were driving down from my in-law's home. After a long time spent cleaning and clearing things out. I wanted to capture scenery where I could. This shot was taken from a moving car and of the shots I was taking, this was the only one that turned out and it was a good one, for me. Happy New Year's Eve!

      Photo of the Day 364/365 Winter Sunset Sky The sun has been hiding behind dark and gloomy clouds since Christmas and I've been waiting for a sunset to try to photograph, since I had the week off from work.  The sky was beautiful yesterday and unusually warm for December. I managed to get out for a walk near sunset and was able to get a few photos of the sky. This show caught my eye - the colors and the clouds leading up and off of the horizon made it "the shot".        

  Photo of the Day 363/365 Dreary Rainy Day over the Old Farm Path I took this photo 2 days ago while out on a walk with my youngest. I had hoped that it wouldn't rain while we ventured out. We got very lucky. After about a 1.5 mile walk, we made it home. There are no sidewalks so all the walking is on the side of the road. It started to rain about 5 minutes after we got home. We likely won't see sunshine for a few more day....sigh.  

    Photo of the Day 362/365 Late Afternoon Sky Across the Field This photo is from my archives - the weather here has been murky on the best days and rainy on the worst for the past week or so, so I decided to go back in time to nicer skies. This scene is about a mile walk from my home and I've walked there many times - the day I took this was beautiful and near to the same time of year as now.   

    Photo of the Day 361/365 Big Sky Just Before the Dawn This photo was taken a few weeks ago. Since then, we've had some really dreary days so I can't get out and shoot (so far) over the holidays - so it's into the archives I go. I love the "big sky" feel to this photo. The pines almost make it feel like a dessert in the old west. The red tinges to the clouds almost make it feel like a sunset, but it's not...    

      Photo of the Day 360/365 Dawn About to Break Through the Trees This was shot a few weeks ago on on of our weekend road trips. We were traversing a back road on the way to pick up my oldest and his wife. I love back roads because we are forced to drive slower and you get to see more scenery. I happened to look to the east and saw, over the hill, the sun just starting to break over through the sparse set of trees. I was able to catch a couple of shots and the scene was more than worth it.

      Photo of the Day 359/365 Spiral staircase dressed up for the Holidays  The first photo is from our recent Yuletide Tour of Winterthur. The museum and grounds went all out, as they usually do, to celebrate the Christmas season. There were Christmas trees everywhere and decorations abounded. The grounds, in winter, are mostly devoid of color (with the exception of some purple berries) ut the buildings were warm and welcoming.              Christmas Sunrise The second photo is from this morning - I looked out from our dining room and saw the sun coming up through the trees and could not pass up the shot.     Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!      

    Photo of the Day 358/365 Wild Sky Just Before the Dawn I shot this photo a few weeks ago and other shots in the series were more to my taste then.  This one seems, to me, to represent the coming day of Christmas. The glory in the sky, the colors, the reds, the golds, the ripples of color throughout the sky.  All call on what is to come. THAT is Christmas -hope in what is to come.  

  Photo of the Day 357/365 Cold Sunset and Golden Sky This photo was  taken from the driveway of a very dear friend. It capped off a great, if not cold, day. I had dropped her off at her home and was getting ready to head out when I looked in the rear view and saw this sight. I had stop, get back out and shoot this view. The brilliant colors only lasted a minute or two but so worth it.

      Photo of the Day 356/365  Really Missing those Summer Sunsets Yes, this was a summer sunset shot taken, I believe, in August. I took many photos that month and posted some some of them then, but not all.  This photo popped up when I was going through my recent unposted photos and it caught my eye. It made me nostalgic for the warmer air and easy walks.  Isn't that the way it always goes. We remember the past fondly and risk missing the present. I still try to get the sunsets (usually still in my office) or sunrises - (again, usually in my office already) but while on Christmas break, I hope to get out and capture some  "present moments".    

    Photo of the Day 355/365 Throwback to Nauset Light on Cape Cod I took this photo on our Thanksgiving trip to Cape Cod. It was a memorable trip and one I hope to repeat. This shot was a Nauset Lighthouse. It was a sunny, cold day on Cape Cod and the wispy clouds were overhead. I took this photo using an app called Firstlight in an "infrared" mode to get that deep dark sky with much separation between sky and clouds. I find it very close to a Wratten red filter on film. I think the backlit lighthouse and the sky pair up for a neat photo and I miss that place.      

      Photo of the Day 354/365 A Single Blade of Grass Stands up at Sunset  I shot this photo a few weeks ago on one of my "walks" before the cold and early darkness settled in. I remember wanting to get a walk in before the rains came and before it got too dark. It was very cloudy and the sun had set and I wasn't expecting much in the way of photos. I noted the red glow on the horizon and decided to try a few subjects out when I chanced upon this single blade of field grass and I managed to get it before the red went away and the rains came. I like the shot.      

  Photo of the Day 353/365 Fire in the Sky Over the Hills While on the way to our Karate School, where I teach, it is my ritual to call my wife to check on the day. Last evening, she said, I might want to stop on the way to grab a photo or two and that the sky was great. She wasn't kidding. whether zoomed in or "big sky" - the photos were wonderful. This was zoomed in so I could see the wisps of fiery clouds at the very edge of the sunset.  

    Photo of the Day 352/365 Smoky Looking Clouds Just Before Sunrise This photo was taken "on the road" to get my oldest and his wife before heading to Winterthur. We got an early start and the December morning was brisk by the sky promised a nice day. Just before the dawn we passed in front of these trees on a hill and I managed a couple of shots before we were gone down the road.  

  Photo of the Day 351/365 Pump House at the Pond I took this photo yesterday while taking a celebratory trip with my oldest and his wife to Winterthur Museum and grounds. Even in December, the grounds are beautiful and we were lucky as we got a warm December day (for December) with sunshine. The scenes, like this, were plentiful but I've always liked this spot.  

    Photo of the Day 350/365 Sunset Glow into the Clouds This shot was taken in early autumn on a sunset hunting trip. When I took it, I almost removed it as there was no "subject" but I kept it. I realized the glow of the sun in the sky WAS the subject. I'm glad I kept this photo. The glow made the the shot.

    Photo of the Day 349/365 Stalk of Grass Against a Sunset Sky This photo was taken a few weeks ago on a cold morning on the way to work. Sunrises always have my attention, but at times, there needs to be more.  Most of the trees were devoid of leaves and I was trying to find something to photograph other than the sky.  The sky, while pretty, seemed to be just 'the same" so I found this lone stalk of grass and worked to get it into focus against the sky. I think it came out great.      

    Photo of the Day 348/365 Band of Clouds at Sunset I shot this photo a few weeks ago. There wasn't much of a sunset sky that day for a "big sky" view so I decided to use the telephoto lens to get closer to the horizon. This small band of clouds hovered close to the trees and I did my best to capture the subtle reds that were in that band of clouds against the bright blue.  

Photo of the Day 347/365 Sweeping Big Sky Sunset Across the Valley I took this photo last evening after dropping off my co-worker at her home. This scene greeted me as I turned around in her driveway. I had to run across the country road and snap a few photos while the sun was setting. I was i the right place at the right time. I love sunrises and sunsets and this is a keeper.  

      Photo of the Day 346/365 Cold Late Autumn Sunset This photo was taken last evening on the way from work to the karate school where I teach. I was on the phone with my wife when I spied that sunset sky as I drove out of the woods. The clouds were almost on fire and I put her on speaker while pulled off the road, parked the car and got this shot. So worth it.  

      Photo of the Day 345/365 Last of the Autumn Trails I took this photo earlier this year. The colors and the lighting really caught my eye. Autumn is undoubtedly my favorite time of the year and I try to capture the colors when I can. This trail, at our local lake, is on the far side from where I normally hike so it was also a "discovery" for me. I hope you enjoy it, too.

    Photo of the Day 344/365 Bits of Autumn Color and Moving Water I took this photo back in October on our trip to northern Pennsylvania for a long weekend. We were touring to see many covered bridges. We had a seen a rare double bridge when I came across this scene. It isn't grand and it isn't overwhelming your senses with color - but it is very subtle. The colors are bright but sparse - but the moving water makes the photo, to me, wonderful. I took at least 6 other exposures during the few minutes I had here but this one was the best!

  Photo of the Day 343/365 Ripples of Sunrise Clouds over the Pines This photo was taken on the way to work a few weeks ago. I pulled off and walked up through the tall grass that was still standing. The light above lit the grass and the pines almost covered the gold and yellows of the coming of the rising sun. I tried a couple of techniques to get the camera higher, but alas, I am only  5'1" and there's only so much I can do in a "short" amount of time. I still love the red ripples on the purple clouds - and they make the photo wonderful.

    Photo of the Day 342/365 Trail into the Sunlight I took this photo while on our vacation to Cape Code. We happened upon a Visitor's Center in Massachusetts with a nature trail behind it. We decided to see what was on that trail. It turned out that the trail was well over 1.5 miles long and meandered along an inland salt marsh, ponds (complete with ducks and geese), woods and just beautiful scenery. The only reason I took this is because my wife told me to turn around and this view presented itself. I'm so glad she said something!

    Photo of the Day 341/365 Cold Blue Day on Cape Cod National Seashore I took this photo over the Thanksgiving holiday and it epitomizes the ocean scenery for me. The sand, the clear blue sky, the sea grass, and the gulls in the water - all come together to make it a classic beach scene. I will remember this past trip for quite some time. I will go back, hopefully when it's a bit warmer, though.

     Photo of the Day 340/365 Late Afternoon Sky over the Inlet I shot this while on the trail to see "the Knob" on our Cape Cod vacation. The evening was cool but clear and comfortable. The skies were amazing. We hiked for quite some time and saw some really cool trails and scenes. This was one of those scenes. The lapping water and the colors in the sky were amazing.  

    Photo of the Day 339/365 Stairs on the Trail to the Sunset I shot this photo on what I thought was the last attempt to see the sunset on one of our hikes on Cape Cod. We were trying to get to the setting sun on "the Knob" and following trails. We had no map, but the spit of land was not very big and we figured "why not?". We knew the direction of the sunset and you can see the light just touching the grass at the top of the stairs. We DID make it and saw the setting sun, but this image was one which I will treasure for the memory of that moment.

    Photo of the Day 338/365  Sand, Sea, and (cold) Salt Air on Cape Cod I took  this photo over the Thanksgiving Holiday on our mini-vacation to Cape Cod. We were walking down to the beach from one of the lighthouses we saw when I came upon this scene. It just seemed to scream BEACH at me.  It had all the elements of ANY beach scene and while iconic, still so pretty.  

    Photo of the Day 337/365 Nobska Lighthouse through the Sea Grass Another favorite from our Cape Cod adventure over the Thanksgiving holiday. This was shot from a pull off where there was a private beach with what looked like abandoned changing rooms. The view of the lighthouse from there, with the sea grass and the old fence just seemed so beachy to me - had to take it.  

  Photo of the Day 336/365 Sunset Sky Behind Highland Light This photo was taken as the sun was setting behind the Highland Lighthouse on Cape Cod. The sky almost exploded at the end of the day. On the drive, I wasn't thrilled with the sky and had given up on a good sky with the lighthouse. This was our first trip to Cape Code, so every site was exciting and new, so no site was disappointing but I was hoping. Well God, or nature, or Gaia gave me this gift.

Photo of the Day 335/365 Soft Afternoon Clouds over the Sea Grass I took this photo last weekend at Cape Cod. We had just reached a lighthouse as the late afternoon sun was sifting through the clouds and after I took a number of shots of the lighthouse (at least one was shown is a previous post) - I turned around and saw these clouds over the ocean and sea grass. The pastel colors and the stark blues of the ocean and golden sea grass made this photo beautiful to me.