Monday (07-February-2022) — New Jersey

Wintertime Nature in New Jersey.

Birds of the day viewed in the backyard, at the birdfeeder and on the patio: Mourning Dove, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Black-capped Chickadee, Dark-eyed Junco, Song Sparrow. A few birds returned.


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

AeroGarden Hydroponic Updates. The Bok Choi in AeroGarden Bounty-01 at Day 22 continues grow fast. I’ve started harvesting the largest leaves. The plants are drinking lots of water and going through the liquid fertilizer. In Bounty-02 the Rouge d’Hiver and Black-seeded Simpson lettuce are growing well, along with the Genovese Basil and Dill. One Thai Basil is growing, the other one remains small. In Bounty-03 the two transplanted 22-day Genovese Basil and Dill are doing well. The other 13-day herbs only the Parsley and Chives have sprouted. Bounty-04 with the seed sprouting tray at day 13 has more seedlings: Swiss Chard (4/5); Kale (5/5); Collard Greens (5/5); Spinach (1/5); Mustard Greens (5/5); Oregano (5/5); Rosemary (2/5); Tarragon (4/5); Thyme (5/5); Sage (5/5). After taking an image of the seedlings, they were transplanted to Farm-03 and Farm-04 in the basement.



Bounty-01, Bounty-02, Bounty Elite-03, Bounty Elite-04. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.



Farm-01L, Farm-01R, Farm-02L, Farm-2R, Farm-08L, Farm-08R, Farm-09L, Farm-09R. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Daily Electric Energy Used (94.6 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (9.2 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. Clouds and rain. Deficit of 85.4 kWh.

Wednesday (26-January-2022) — New Jersey

Wintertime Nature in New Jersey.

Birds of the day viewed at the birdfeeder and in the backyard: Downy Woodpecker, Red-breasted Woodpecker, Blue Jay, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, House Finch, Song Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco.


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

AeroGarden Hydroponic Updates. The Bok Choi is growing fast. The two Classic-6 gardens were retired and replaced with two Bounty Elite gardens. The pods with seedlings were moved to Bounty-02 or Bounty Elite-03. New herbs and green seeds were started in Bounty Elite-03 and Bounty Elite-04 (fitted with a seed starter tray). About half of the poppy seedling in Farm-09R were moved to Farm-08L, Farm-08R, and Farm-09L.



Bounty-01, Bounty-02, Bounty Elite-03, Bounty Elite-04. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.



Farm-08L, Farm-08R, Farm-09L, Farm-09R. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Daily Electric Energy Used (112.9 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (41.6 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. Cold outside. Whenever the external temperature drops below 10°F, the resistance heaters kick in to assist the Geothermal HVAC heating the house. Deficit of 71.3 kWh.

Tuesday (13-June-2017) — Florida

Gone to See Florida. Day 2: St. Petersburg..

Walkabout in an urban farm & garden in St. Petersburg, Florida. After below normal rain at the beginning of the year, they are now in the daily monsoon season — with heavy thunderstorms and rain every afternoon. My troll got a chance to get out and sit on a large mushroom. The red chicken manages the location, as well as providing an egg every morning.

Troll with a purple wildflower on a big mushroom. Image taken with a Fuji X-T2 camera and 100-400 mm OIS lens (ISO 200, 138 mm, f/5.6, 1/170 sec). (David J Mathre)
Troll with a purple wildflower on a big mushroom. Image taken with a Fuji X-T2 camera and 100-400 mm OIS lens (ISO 200, 138 mm, f/5.6, 1/170 sec). (David J Mathre)
Old Red Hen -- Garden Manager. Backyard urban garden in St. Petersburg. Image taken with a Fuji X-T2 camera and 100-400 mm OIS lens (ISO 200, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/100 sec). (David J Mathre)
Old Red Hen — Garden Manager. Backyard urban garden in St. Petersburg. Image taken with a Fuji X-T2 camera and 100-400 mm OIS lens (ISO 200, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/100 sec). (David J Mathre)



Five-Years Ago (25-June-2011) — New Jersey

Early Summer Nature in New Jersey.

Two views of a local farmer’s wheat field in the morning. The sun was just coming out from behind some low clouds and there was still a bit of mist.

Wheat Field at Morning in New Jersey. Image taken with a Leica X1 (ISO 100, 24 mm, f/4, 1/125 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro, Focus Magic, and Photoshop CS5. (David J Mathre)
Wheat Field at Morning in New Jersey. Image taken with a Leica X1 (ISO 100, 24 mm, f/4, 1/125 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro, Focus Magic, and Photoshop CS5.
Wheat Field at Morning in New Jersey. Image taken with a Leica X1 (ISO 100, 24 mm, f/4, 1/125 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro, Focus Magic, and Photoshop CS5. (David J Mathre)
Wheat Field at Morning in New Jersey. Image taken with a Leica X1 (ISO 100, 24 mm, f/4, 1/125 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro, Focus Magic, and Photoshop CS5.

Five-Years Ago (07-January-2011) — Patagonia

Gone to See Patagonia 2010/2011. Photography Workshop with Thom Hogan. Day 12: Estancia Lazo, Chile.

Photographer Working the Windmill at Estancia Lazo in Patagonia. Near Torres del Paine National Park, Lago Verde, Chile. Image taken with a Nikon D3x and 28 mm f/4 lens (ISO 100, 35 mm, f/11, 1/80 sec).

Photographer Working the Windmill at Lazo Estancia in Patagonia. Near Paine National Park and Lago Verde. Image taken with a Nikon D3x and 28 mm f/4 lens (ISO 100, 35 mm, f/11, 1/80 sec).120 (David J Mathre)
Photographer Working the Windmill at Lazo Estancia in Patagonia. Near Paine National Park and Lago Verde. Image taken with a Nikon D3x and 28 mm f/4 lens (ISO 100, 35 mm, f/11, 1/80 sec).120 (David J Mathre)