Author: David Mathre

I am a scientist by training (Eckerd College, BSc; Caltech, Ph.D.). I worked for 27 years as a Chemist in the Pharmaceutical Industry developing processes to manufacture medicines for human and animal health. I now spend my time as a photographer and world traveler. My interests include the natural world, wildlife, landscapes, sky, and seascapes, travel, and astrophotography. I look for unique ways of viewing the world and presenting my images. I have traveled to over 55 countries in six continents, often on Semester at Sea voyages. While at home in New Jersey, I spend time on home renovation and expansion of a wildflower garden/meadow.

Sunday (09-February-2020) — New Jersey

Wintertime in New Jersey — Maple Syrup Production.

This was the third neighborhood maple syrup boil down this winter, although I was not here for the first two. The weather has not been conducive for maple sap production (cold nights below freezing and warm days above freezing). The following Little Planet Time-lapse Videos were recorded with a Garmin VIRB-360 camera. Approximately 80 gallons (~300 L) was boiled down to 11 quarts (~10.4 L) with a density of 1.14 g/mL. The material needs to be further concentrated to get to a sugar concentration of 66 wt%. We had issues near the end of the day where some of the solution burned so there will be a smokey flavor issue.

Daily Electric Energy Used (75.2 kWh) from Sense Home Energy Monitor and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (43.3 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Sunny most of the day. Actually, the most solar energy produced since 05-October-2019. Still not enough to completely power the indoor hydroponic gardens, keep the house warm, and power the Synology image servers. A deficit of 31.9 kWh.

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Sunday (09-February-2020) — New Jersey

Backyard Wintertime Nature in New Jersey.

Blue Jay letting the smaller birds know that he had arrived, and they need to leave the bird feeder.


Click on the above image to access my PhotoShelter Gallery with the individual images in the following slideshow.


Daily Electric Energy Used (75.2 kWh) from Sense Home Energy Monitor and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (43.3 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Sunny most of the day. Actually, the most solar energy produced since 05-October-2019. Still not enough to completely power the indoor hydroponic gardens, keep the house warm, and power the Synology image servers. A deficit of 31.9 kWh.

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Sunday (09-February-2020) — New Jersey

Indoor Wintertime Nature in New Jersey.

Finally, one of the Red Poppy flowers has bloomed. It has taken about four days for the flower to open completely. There are a couple of other buds that I hope will open in the near future. It has been 96 days since the seeds for the Red Poppies were planted. I’ve also added images of Pink and White Zinnia flowers.

Red Poppy Flower. Image taken with a Fuji X-T3 camera and 80 mm f/2.8 OIS macro lens (ISO 160, 80 mm, f/8, 1/60 sec) (DAVID J MATHRE)
Red Poppy Flower. Image taken with a Fuji X-T3 camera and 80 mm f/2.8 OIS macro lens (ISO 160, 80 mm, f/8, 1/60 sec) (DAVID J MATHRE)
Pink Zinnia Flower. Image taken with a Fuji X-T3 camera and 80 mm f/2.8 OIS macro lens (ISO 160, 80 mm, f/8, 1/60 sec) (DAVID J MATHRE)
Pink Zinnia Flower. Image taken with a Fuji X-T3 camera and 80 mm f/2.8 OIS macro lens (ISO 160, 80 mm, f/8, 1/60 sec) (DAVID J MATHRE)
White Zinnia Flower. Image taken with a Fuji X-T3 camera and 80 mm f/2.8 OIS macro lens (ISO 160, 80 mm, f/8, 1/60 sec) (DAVID J MATHRE)
White Zinnia Flower. Image taken with a Fuji X-T3 camera and 80 mm f/2.8 OIS macro lens (ISO 160, 80 mm, f/8, 1/60 sec) (DAVID J MATHRE)

Daily Electric Energy Used (75.2 kWh) from Sense Home Energy Monitor and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (43.3 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Sunny most of the day. Actually, the most solar energy produced since 05-October-2019. Still not enough to completely power the indoor hydroponic gardens, keep the house warm, and power the Synology image servers. A deficit of 31.9 kWh.

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Saturday (08-February-2020) — New Jersey

Backyard Wintertime Nature in New Jersey.

Something completely different today. There were some heavy winds as a front came through. We have had a lot of rain and the ground is saturated. One of the wind gusts blew over the table where one of my outdoor video cameras was mounted. When I reviewed the video, I noticed what looks like an Eastern Red-backed Salamander running away from the camera. The video has been slowed down 10x.

Daily Electric Energy Used (83.1 kWh) from Sense Home Energy Monitor and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (34.3 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. The sun finally came out for some of the day! A deficit of 48.8 kWh.

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Friday (07-February-2020) — New Jersey

Backyard Wintertime Nature in New Jersey.

House Finch and Tufted Titmouse. It is interesting watching how the different birds deal with sunflower seeds. Cardinals and Finches are able to crack open the seed and eat the meat within their beak. Most of the other birds have to hold the seed with their feet and knock at the seed with their beak until they crack it open. Some do it at the feeder and others fly away to a tree branch or other hard surface.


Click on the above image to access my PhotoShelter Gallery with the individual images in the following slideshow.


Daily Electric Energy Used (74.2 kWh) from Sense Home Energy Monitor and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (9.8 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Cloudy most of the day. A deficit of 64.4 kWh.

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