ITAP...looking at Potash Mountain from my family's property in Lake Luzerne, NY...

I Took A Picture looking at Potash Mountain.  I was standing in what we call "the meadow" on my grandfather's property in Lake Luzerne, N.Y. This will be the first of many posts of this beautiful place, so I will take time to tell you about it.

I grew up spending most summers here^ in the Adirondacks.  It is and always will be my favorite place on the planet.  My grandfather, Wally, built a one-room cabin on the 17 acre property about 30 years ago and started calling it "Wally World." There is a small stream that runs through which connects to the Hudson River. In the picture the stream is located just at the base of those two giant evergreens.  It is surrounded by woods with a main path that opens up to the big beautiful meadow with a breathtaking view of Potash Mountain.

Also in the meadow is a tiki bar equipped with a small TV, refrigerator,  bar stools, as well as happy hour and various beer signs.  Just off to the right of the tiki bar is an outhouse we built last summer complete with the half moon symbol carved out of the door.  Looking out of the tiki bar you can see a view of the mountain, the troublesome hand-cranked water well, and keep score of the horse-shoe game going on along the stream.

In the middle of the meadow is a large gazebo with a dining set, a couple rocking chairs, and yet another small TV. This is where the barbecues take place before moving into the tiki bar.

My whole life my brother and sister and I were privileged (some might call it subtlety spoiled) enough to have go-karts, quads, and snowmobiles to ride around the meadow for hours on end. I am extremely lucky and grateful to have had  parents and grandparents able to provide us with sophisticated, "grown-up" toys such as these. We had so much fun just riding around in circles, they would have to drag us inside when it got too dark.

Things have changed over the years. The cabin is now bigger with two bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room, and a dining area off of the living room.  My parents have a 45' permanent trailer on the property, and my grandfather retired up there and built a brand new house.

Whenever I have a few days off from life, I love to get up there and relax.  It is such a peaceful, serene retreat where there is no cell phone service and no internet connection.  I believe that everyone needs a place like this where they can get away from the daily stresses of life. To live only in the present time, and remember what's important in life.   It's where I am in my purest form, and where my entire being is at peace.

That place is Wally World in Lake Luzerne, N.Y.

ITAP...of a heart shaped tree...

I Took A Picture of a heart shaped tree.  This tree sits on a small hill just off from the road in my community.  It is a road I travel on every day, multiple times.  There is a trick to seeing this tree, however. Most people do not even know that it can be such a beautiful image.  You have to be at just the right angle to see the shape of the heart.  I probably drove past it a couple million times before noticing, and when I show people who live around here they are very surprised and wonder why they themselves haven't seen it.

You've probably heard it a thousand times; digital cameras do all the work.  You push a button and the camera takes a beautiful picture.  If you have a good camera, you get good photos.  The truth is that you can take a beautiful picture with a simple point-and-shoot type camera, as well as lousy pictures with the most expensive Nikon.

A photographer holds the power to great photos.  It’s up to them to capture and frame the elements into a pleasing pieces of art.

A couple important things to remember: 

1. Be patient.  You cannot go out to take photos and be on a schedule.  Look around and wait for inspiration.  Many great shots come from observing a subject and returning to it when it looks best.

2. Keep your eyes open. You should always be looking. The more you look, the more you see worth photographing. Better yet, SEE. Don't just LOOK.

3.  Passion. Shoot what you like. If you don't care about the subject, the results won't be good.

Those are just a few things I like to remember while taking photos. Believe me, I am no expert.  I have a lot to learn about photography.  These tips are just things I find myself thinking about while looking for good shots.  I'm patient, I look at things from different  angles (where this post's picture came from) and I shoot nature and the earth which are things I am passionate about. 

So, what you think is just another tree on the side of the road, could be a completely different subject from a step to the left.  Try it!

ITAP...of an injured hawk in my backyard...

I took a picture of an injured hawk in my backyard this past April.  I had gone outside to check out the weather and watch my golden retriever play in the yard when I noticed an animal just sitting in the yard.  I walked down off the deck to get a closer look and realized it was an adolescent red tailed hawk.  

As I got closer to it, it seemed nervous but did not move.  I noticed flies flying around the little guy and particularly its right foot.  At this point I knew the hawk was injured and tried to get close enough to see the injury.  It let me get closer to take a look at it's foot.  The foot was very swollen and discolored.  

My dog started getting closer as I did and I could tell it was making the hawk uncomfortable.  I quickly ushered my pup inside and called for my mother.

I told her about the hawk and she came outside with me to check it out.  At this point, the poor guy was even weaker than before. My mother and I both knew we had to do something to help this beautiful young bird.  

Time was of the essence. Each time I went out to check on him he was weaker than before. He was deteriorating quickly and I had to act fast.  I got on the computer and started looking for phone numbers of someone who could help me help the raptor. As I would get a hold of one person, they would give me another phone number and direct me to someone else.   

After a good two hours of networking, I found a woman who was very interested in saving the young red tailed hawk.  She was too far away to come and help me but again gave me a number to someone else.  It was a man named Heinz Meng and he lived in New Paltz, NY, about a half hour from my house.  I was relieved as he answered my call and was interested in helping the injured bird. 

To my surprise he was not going to come to my house, but rather I had to capture the bird and drive it a half hour north to his house.  He explained to me on the phone how I was going to capture it.  At first I said to myself, "NO WAY am I going to actually pick this bird up and put it in my car!" It didn't take much to convince me as I went back outside to the bird and saw the condition it was now in.  His eyes were closed and he was looking really weak and ready to go. I had to get him help, and I had to do it fast. Heinz coached me through the process of capturing this bird of prey.  

I put on some work gloves and brought a towel outside. I slowly approached the bird from behind and gently laid the towel on its back and over its head.  Then I put my hands on both of its wings, picked it up, and put it in a cardboard box I had prepared for it.  I almost freaked out with the bird in my hand because the flies that had been flying around his wound were now flying all around me. I was able to remain calm for the sake of the hawk.  

My mother and I raced her SUV a half hour up the Thruway to New Paltz with the hawk in the back seat.  She drove so I could keep an eye on the bird.  We finally got to Heinz's house and he was outside waiting for us.  He was an interesting man. Dressed in German clothing with a German alpine hat on, he examined the sick red tailed hawk.

I thought he was sort of rough with the wounded bird.  He verified to me that it's foot was indeed infected. Heinz held the bird by its feet and spread its wings and examined the rest of its body and showed me the things he was looking for.  In his younger days he was very involved with these birds of prey. Heinz told me he was going to bring it down to the hawk house and try to feed it.  I looked down the yard and there was in fact a large hawk house towards the back of his property. I asked him if I could come check it out. I followed him down to the house and inside were about four large rooms on each side of a narrow hallway. He brought the bird to one of the rooms and put it on a stack of hay.  I was getting upset at this point because the bird could no longer stand. He fell over onto his side when Heinz put him down.  

Heinz, however did not seem upset.  I asked him a little more about what he does and figured out why he wasn't too upset.  He explained to me that he has been teaching at SUNY New Paltz for around 50 years. I asked him if he could save the beautiful creature. He told me it doesn't look good and that it is practically dead already.  I'm sure he saw the grief in my face because he proceeded to tell me "not to worry." He explained that even if the hawk does not survive, he will still get use out of it.  I was confused.  I asked him "how?" Heinz then revealed to me that he was a TAXIDERMIST and that it will be his next PROJECT!

I was frozen with sadness. I thanked him for his "help" and my mother and I drove off.  

It was a long ride home. Here I had just spent an entire day trying to save this very beautiful, adolescent red tailed hawk and I knew Heinz was just going to let him die down in that house so he could stuff it. I was on the verge of tears thinking about the bird on the way home. I had done everything I could to save him and he was still going to die. 

As I thought more and more about it in the next days I developed a different attitude.  I was no longer too upset about what had happened.  I realized that maybe it was a still a good thing that I brought him up to Heinz.  At least now he could get use out of the beautiful bird as an educational tool and others could still enjoy it. Otherwise it would have been thrown away as food for another animal. I felt good about what I had done and decided to give the hawk a name. I named it Harmon. The name Harmon is of German origin (like Heinz) and means "brave warrior."

Now, in a way, Harmon the hawk will live on forever. 

Harmon, growing very weak as I searched for a way to help him. You can see here the infection on his right foot, which made him too weak to open his eyes.

In Loving Memory of Harmon the Hawk

R.I.P

ITAP...of my favorite view in the town where I live...

I took a picture of my favorite view in my small hometown of Salisbury Mills, NY.  Believe it or not, this picture was actually taken on October 30th.  Yes, one day before Halloween! As a shock to many, our first snowfall came in the middle of autumn this year. 

Now, I didn't mind because I love the snow but it left many of my peers snowed in and upset about missing all the weekend Halloween parties, not to mention losing power and cell service.  It was a very wet and heavy snow which weighed down the electrical wires and eventually broke many of them.  My house lost power for about five days.  It's quite amusing to me when this happens.  With all the electronic technology in today's time, people just don't know what to do with themselves when the power actually goes out!  What made this time even funnier was that even the cell phone towers were down! Now just imagine the distress of all these usually "connected" people.  We are all so used to being in constant contact with other people, its sad really. My sister is one of those people who ALWAYS have their iPhone in hand and constantly rely on the TV or computer to occupy her time.  She had no idea what to do with herself.  I witnessed her almost go crazy without her electronics. 

On the other hand, I thoroughly enjoyed this time.  I finally got to read! I read two books by candle light.  I always have a hard time reading during the school semester because I feel guilty reading for my pleasure rather than reading my textbooks for school.  It was a great time to slow down, disconnect, and have some nice quiet time alone and with my family! 

So next time this happens, please try to enjoy it.  Read a book. Talk with your family. Reflect on your thoughts. Don't Panic!!!

Anyways, back to the picture.  This picture is taken from my favorite area in my town.  It is the Metro North train track going over Moodna Viaduct from Orrs Mills Road in Cornwall, NY. Better know to locals as the Salisbury Mills Trestle. 

It is located at the base of Schunemunk Mountain. I grew up hiking the trails of Schunemunk. There are 22 miles of trails through the small mountain range.  At the top of the mountain there is another BEAUTIFUL view of the trestle below and the adjacent towns and villages.  Perhaps later in the blog I will provide a picture from the top.

This is the town I live in.  While many of my peers think it is boring and want to leave, I could stay here forever.  It's a motto of mine that "only boring people get bored."  I make the best of my time here and enjoy the beauty of nature right in my backyard!

My small community is called Beaver Dam Lake.  This is a picture of the lake a couple days after the storm. My family, friends and I get a lot of use out of it. We kayak in the summer and party on the ice with snowmobiles and quads in the winter.