Friday (06-September-2013) — New Jersey

Late Summertime Nature in New Jersey.

Yellow Swallowtail Butterfly on Late Summer Yellow Wildflowers (Bearded Beggarticks?). Near the Pond at Sourland Mountain Preserve in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D4 camera and 300 mm f/2.8 VR lens (ISO 100, 300 mm, f/8, 1/320 sec).

Yellow Swallowtail Butterfly on Late Summer Yellow Wildflowers (Bearded Beggarticks?). Near the Pond at Sourland Mountain Preserve in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D4 and 300 mm f/2.8 VR lens (ISO 100, 300 mm, f/8, 1/320 sec). (David J Mathre)
Yellow Swallowtail Butterfly on Late Summer Yellow Wildflowers (Bearded Beggarticks?). Near the Pond at Sourland Mountain Preserve in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D4 camera and 300 mm f/2.8 VR lens (ISO 100, 300 mm, f/8, 1/320 sec). (David J Mathre)

Wednesday (04-September-2013) — New Jersey

Late Summertime Nature in New Jersey.

Kermit the Bullfrog in a Pond at the Sourland Mountain Preserve. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V2 camera + FT1 + 70-300 mm VR lens (ISO 800, 300 mm, f/5.6, 1/40 sec). [FOV Equivalent to ~ 810 mm on a 35 mm image sensor]

Kermit the Bullfrog in a Pond at the Sourland Mountain Preserve. Summer Nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V2 + FT1 + 70-300 mm VR lens (ISO 800, 300 mm, f/5.6, 1/40 sec). [FOV Equivalent to ~ 810 mm on a 35 mm image sensor] (David J Mathre)
Kermit the Bullfrog in a Pond at the Sourland Mountain Preserve. Summer Nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V2 + FT1 + 70-300 mm VR lens (ISO 800, 300 mm, f/5.6, 1/40 sec). [FOV Equivalent to ~ 810 mm on a 35 mm image sensor] (David J Mathre)

Wednesday (28-August-2013) — New Jersey

Weather, Technology, and Power Out.

It was raining this morning. Before I could run the recovery/restore from the HomeServer the power went off. The UPS systems all started beeping, and my Garmin which includes a National Weather Service radio woke up and announced a sever thunderstorm warning. Before the computers shut down I sent a note to PSE&G that the power was down. It wasn’t just my house that lost power since I heard the neighbors generator go on. The e-mail response back from PSE&G was that the power would be restored by 10 PM on 22-August (six days ago????). I shut down all of the computers, and decided to spend the night at a local Marriott Residence Inn. I had credit for one free night at a Marriott facility that coincidently would have expired today. It gave me a chance to do some laundry at the Residence Inn while I wait for my new washer dryer to be installed.

Electricity to my house has been off for more than 24 days during the last 3 years — due to hurricanes, Nor’easters, and snow storms. For all the years that I lived in Florida, I don’t remember the power being off for more than a day. I’ve thought about solar cells and a storage battery system, a generator (natural gas), or just moving somewhere else.

Two-Years Ago (21-August-2011) — New Jersey

Summer Nature at the Sourland Mountain Preserve.

American Goldfinch on a Thistle.  Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 300 mm f/2.8 VR lens + TC-E III 20 teleconverter (ISO 250, 600 mm, f/5.6, 1/500 sec).

American Goldfinch on a Thistle. Sourland Mountain Preserve, Summer Nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 300 mm f/2.8 VR lens + TC-E III 20 teleconverter (ISO 250, 600 mm, f/5.6, 1/500 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro 6, Nik Define, and Photoshop CS5. (David J Mathre)
American Goldfinch on a Thistle. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 300 mm f/2.8 VR lens + TC-E III 20 teleconverter (ISO 250, 600 mm, f/5.6, 1/500 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro 6, Nik Define, and Photoshop CS5. (David J Mathre)

Monday (19-August-2013) — New Jersey

Summertime Nature in New Jersey. Sourland Mountain Preserve.

Bumblebee with Orange Pollen saddlebags on yellow  ragweed flowers. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V2 camera + FT1 + 70-300 mm VR lens (ISO 500, 300 mm, f/8, 1/500 sec). [FOV Equivalent to ~ 810 mm on a 35 mm image sensor].

Bumble Bee with Orange Pollen Saddlebags on Blooming Ragweed. Summer Nature in New Jersey at the Sourland Mountain Preserve. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V2 + FT1 + 70-300 mm VR lens (ISO 500, 300 mm, f/8, 1/500 sec). [FOV Equivalent to ~ 810 mm on a 35 mm image sensor]. (David J Mathre)
Bumble Bee with Orange Pollen Saddlebags on Blooming Ragweed. Summer Nature in New Jersey at the Sourland Mountain Preserve. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V2 + FT1 + 70-300 mm VR lens (ISO 500, 300 mm, f/8, 1/500 sec). [FOV Equivalent to ~ 810 mm on a 35 mm image sensor]. (David J Mathre)