Wednesday (04-December-2013) — New Jersey

Home Renovation: Washing Machine & Dryer.

I have been doing my laundry elsewhere for some time. Both the washing machine and dryer have not been working. While trying to fix the dryer, I pulled an amazing amount of lint out from around the drum. Fortunately, it never caught fire. Both units are at least 25 years old, so I decided it was time for an upgrade. While in Norway earlier in the year I saw a washing machine & dryer combo that used a lot less water, and did not require an external vent. After some searching I found a direct drive combo from LG. The new unit gets delivered tomorrow, so I need to disconnect and remove the old appliances.

Lint dug out while trying to fix the dryer. Both the washing machine and dryer are getting replaced. Image taken with a Nikon Df camera and 58 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 900, 58 mm, f/1.4, 1/60 sec). (David J Mathre)
Lint dug out while trying to fix the dryer. Both the washing machine and dryer are getting replaced. Image taken with a Nikon Df camera and 58 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 900, 58 mm, f/1.4, 1/60 sec). (David J Mathre)

Tuesday (03-December-2013) — New Jersey

Late-Autumn Backyard Nature in New Jersey: Mile a Minute Vine.

The invasive “mile-a-minute” has become a problem. It was transported into the yard a few years ago by the deer. It grows even faster than the wild grape and poison ivy vines. It has already killed several trees and bushes in the rear section of my yard. In the fall, the vine dies and turns brown, but the damage is already done.

Lonely white-plastic chair over run with dead "Mile-a-Minute" vines. Late Autumn Backyard Nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon Df camera and 58 mm f/1.4G lens (ISO 100, 58 mm, f/8, 1/60 sec) (David J Mathre)
Lonely white-plastic chair over run with dead “Mile-a-Minute” vines. Late Autumn Backyard Nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon Df camera and 58 mm f/1.4G lens (ISO 100, 58 mm, f/8, 1/60 sec) (David J Mathre)

Monday (02-December-2013) — New Jersey

Late Autumn Backyard Night Sky Over New Jersey.

Star Trails and Time-lapse Video using the new Nikon Df camera and the 58 mm f/1.4G lens that came with the camera.

Star Trails. Backyard Night Sky Over New Jersey. Composite of images from 19:29-22:12 taken with a Nikon Df camera and 58 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 100, 58 mm, f/2, 30 sec). Images processed with Capture One Pro, and composite created with Photoshop CC Pro (scripts, statistics, maximum) (David J Mathre)
Star Trails. Backyard Night Sky Over New Jersey. Composite of images from 19:29-22:12 taken with a Nikon Df camera and 58 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 100, 58 mm, f/2, 30 sec). Images processed with Capture One Pro, and composite created with Photoshop CC Pro (scripts, statistics, maximum) (David J Mathre)


Saturday (30-November-2013) — New Jersey

Backyard Nighttime Autumn Sky Over New Jersey.

Into the Vortex. Early Morning Backyard Star Trails (and one meteor trail). Composite of 300 images taken with a Nikon D3x camera and 14-24 mm f/2.8 lens (ISO 100, 14 mm, f/4, 59 sec) over a 5 hour period combined using startrails.exe.

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Into the Vortex. Early Morning Backyard Startrails. Composite of 300 images taken with a Nikon D3x camera and 14-24 mm f/2.8 lens (ISO 100, 14 mm, f/4, 59 sec) combined using startrails.exe. (David J Mathre)

Six-Years Ago (17-November-2007) — Colorado

Autumn Wildlife in Colorado.

Eight Tundra Swans on a Windy November Day at Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge. Image taken with a Nikon D2XS camera and 200-400 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 400, 400 mm, f/8, 1/2000 sec).

Tundra Swans. Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge. Image taken with a Nikon D2XS and 200-400 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 400, 400 mm, f/8, 1/2000 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro 6, Photoshop CS5, Nik Define, Nik Color Efex Pro 2. (David J Mathre)
Tundra Swans. Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge. Image taken with a Nikon D2XS camera and 200-400 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 400, 400 mm, f/8, 1/2000 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro 6, Photoshop CS5, Nik Define, Nik Color Efex Pro 2. (David J Mathre)