Saturday (04-December-2021) — New Jersey

Autumn Backyard Nature in New Jersey.

Meditating Troll. (David J Mathre)
Meditating Troll with Hot Peppers. Image taken with a Leica Q2 Monochrom camera and 28 mm f/1.7 lens (ISO 100, 28 mm, f/2.8, 1/60 sec). (David J Mathre)

Birds of the day viewed at the birdfeeder and in the backyard: Mourning Dove, Blue Jay, House Finch, Dark-eyed Junco.


Birds of the day. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Time-lapse videos. (1) Installing a Thule bike rack on White Rhino to carry my Elby bike. (2) Adjusting the TentBox connections on White Rhino.

White Rhino, TentBox, Elby. (David J Mathre)
White Rhino with the TentBox, Thule bike rack, and Elby bike.. Image taken with a Leica Q2 Monochrom camera and 28 mm f/1.7 lens (ISO 100, 28 mm, f/2.8, 1/50 sec). (David J Mathre)

Daily Electric Energy Used (57.6 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (23.8 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. Sun and clouds. Geothermal HVAC heating the house. Deficit of 33.8 kWh.

Friday (03-December-2021) — New Jersey

Autumn Backyard Nature in New Jersey.

Birds of the day viewed at the birdfeeder and in the backyard: Mourning Dove, Black-capped Chickadee, Blue Jay, Dark-eyed Junco.


Birds of the day. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.


Blue Jay Drinking from the Birdbath. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Red Rover time-lapse videos. (1) Installing a set of Pat’s Easy Change System for category 1 three point mounts on Red Rover. (2) Moving black mulch, used to cover the center driveway Holly and Pine tree section, and to cover the front yard Japanese Maple tree section.

A couple of notes about the Pat’s Easy Change System installation. I was looking for something to make it easier to change items attached to the Category 1 three point system on Red Rover. Like the quick change system on the front loader that I use to go between the front bucket and the forks. The installation documents for Pat’s Easy Change system were relatively straight forward. There was a note indicating that the system adds 4 inches to the length of the tractor lift arms, and that some tractor models may require a longer top link. That should have been in the information I read before purchasing the item. The first difference between the installation instruction and the package I received was they switched from using set screws with jamb nuts to hex bolts with jam nuts to align the Easy Change System. Also, my parts bag was missing the 0.25 inch roll pins used to hold the shims used to make the hitch parallel with the lift arm. I ended up using bolts and nuts to hold the shims in place. The rest of the instructions were straight forward. The installation gave me the opportunity to relevel the lift arms, and adjust the width between the arms to 26 inches. When I went to use the Easy Change system to re-connect my rear weight & tool holder to Red Rover, I found that I had to extend the top link to its maximum length (~25 inches). I may need to get a slightly longer adjustable top link. I will need to test the Easy Change system with my 3 point implements that use the PTO. Does the power drive connection to the implement extend the extra 4 inches?

Black & White images from a Leica Q2 Monochrom camera.


Black & White images from a Leica Q2 Monochrom camera. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Daily Electric Energy Used (51.4 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (29.8 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. Sun and clouds. Geothermal HVAC heating the house. Deficit of 21.6 kWh.

Tuesday (09-November-2021) — New Jersey

Autumn Backyard Nature in New Jersey.

Troll trying to protect his large autumn mushroom from the Leopard Slugs.

Troll Protection the Mushroom Crop. (David J Mathre)
Troll protecting a Mushroom from the Leopard Slugs. Image taken with a Leica SL2s camera and Laowa 24 mm f/14 fisheye lens. (David J Mathre)


Leopard Slugs Dinning on Mushrooms. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Daily Electric Energy Used (42.9 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (25.8 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. Mostly sunny. The Geothermal furnace is now on to heat the house. Indoor temperature set to 64° F. Deficit of 17.6 kWh.

Wednesday (20-October-2021) — New Jersey

Autumn Backyard Nature in New Jersey.

Colorful clouds at dawn. Composite of 12 images taken with a Leica CL camera and 23 mm f/2 lens.

Dawn. (David J Mathre)
Colorful Dawn Clouds. Composite of 12 image taken with a Leica CL camera and 23 mm f/2 lens. (David J Mathre)

Birds of the day viewed at the birdfeeder and in the backyard: Mourning Dove, House Finch.


Birds of the day. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Daily Electric Energy Used (41.0 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (32.6 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. Sun. Deficit of 8.4 kWh.

Wednesday (13-October-2021) — New Jersey

Autumn Backyard Nature in New Jersey.

Birds of the day viewed at the birdfeeder and in the backyard: Northern Flicker, Black-capped Chickadee, American Robin, House Finch, Carolina Wren, Northern Cardinal.


Birds of the day. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Flowers and Bee. (David J Mathre)
Honey Bee and Cosmos. Image taken with a Nikon D850 camera and 400 mm f/2.8 lens. (David J Mathre)

Daily Electric Energy Used (46.0 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (12.4 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. Cloudy Deficit of 33.6 kWh.