Tag: Shaan

Shaan Joshua Aaron Williams is Eighteen today

As I reviewed the photos and wrote the words for this post, I could not help myself. I cried like a heartbroken teenager. So many memories of so many moments, but they all seem like they just happened yesterday.

Eighteen years ago, a nurse handed us a 7 pound 6 oz sack of flesh and wished us luck. Seriously! The only instruction received was some minimal advice to my wife on how to express organic baby formula from her breasts. Oh, I got some help with the baby seat.

So we looked at each other with a look that expressed complete and utter dread. We knew we were supposed to feed, cloth and love this thing with every fibre of our being. Any regret we had was dashed away with every breath he -- oh yeah the thing was a small male person -- took. Nature had filled our brains with s rush of hormones that made it nigh impossible to dislike the thing.

It was a cruel joke. The thing -- we decided at the hospital to name it Shaan -- refused to eat and a few weeks later we took it -- I mean Shaan -- back to the hospital. He had developed a skin colour more akin to a Star Trek alien than a human youngling. We spent 48 hours in the ICU while the doctors tuned his system.

I knew then that that would be the worst moments of my life and that if Bhavna and I could weather that, then the rest would be a piece of cake. After all, we were never really doing this alone.

He was surrounded by knights ready to protect from the dangers of life, wizards, and witches who could heal any injury with a kiss, seers who would teach you about the wonders of the universe, and jesters ready to entertain at a moment's notice.

Mehta, Patel, Raval, Williams Family
Mehta, Patel, Raval, Williams Family
Mehta, Patel, Raval, Williams Family
Mehta, Patel, Raval, Williams Family

We were given eighteen years. Eighteen years to take a lump of human flesh and turn it into a human being. We didn’t always do our best. We made mistakes.

In our trying to make him perfect, sometimes our words and action left scratches, and we hope the dents can be smoothed out over time.

Fortunately, he had an in-house advocate who was always by his side. She kept us honest. She jokes that she's his twin.

But the mistake was in the trying. You see, our son was born perfect. He was given to us fully formed. Complete. His care was given over to us for those eighteen years so we could share him with you.

Thank you all.

And so to you, my baby boy — you’ll forever be our baby — I want to thank you. Thank you for challenging me in ways more rewarding than any career; for reminding me daily about the wonders of the world; for allowing us to be vulnerable enough to put our love out into the world.

I know that you will do great things with your life.

If I had just one wish
Only one demand
I hope he's not like me
I hope he understands
That he can take this life
And hold it by the hand
And he can greet the world
With arms wide open

Shaan, Tae Kwon Do
S. Williams

Changing Seasons April 2017

April brought more rain but also more opportunity to be outside.

I have picked up my exercise. Though I will admit I am not exercising as much as I should be doing, I know I need to do much more. The issue is trying to deal with the stress in my professional world, relaxing enough by the time I get home, and then going out for a nice walk o hike sometime after dinner just to let my body relax a bit and get the exercise it needs. However, I also know that the winter months bring cold, wet, and gloomy skies, and I will not be motivated for any outdoor activities.

With that in mind, my wife and I agreed to buy an exercise bike. We did some online research, looked at Consumer Reports reviews, visited a store to try out different bikes, and ultimately purchased a Schwinn IC2 Bike from Amazon. I set myself the goal of working out for about fifteen minutes every evening. My goal is to work my way up to thirty minutes, then sixty minutes, and a bike ride from my home to the local brewery for a stretch goal. I am motivated.

Hiking Devil’s Half-Acre Boulders

rocks, sourland mountain, boulder
Ridge Trail
We had some excellent weekend weather for the Easter weekend. On Good Friday, my wife Bhavna and I went for a hike in the Sourland Mountain Range. We drove over to the Sourland Mountain Preserve, located between Hillsborough Township and Montgomery Township in Somerset County. The large parking area near the pond was nearly full. I think residents wanted to enjoy the incredible spring weather we have had this week—clear, sunny skies with temperatures in the teens (ºC).

Located in Somerset and Hunterdon Counties, the Sourland Mountain Range is aptly named. The underlying geology, igneous rock from the Late Triassic and Early Jurassic age, could not support the farming and living needs of the early Dutch and German settlers to the area. One Wikipedia suggests that the name may be derived from the word 'sorrel' which German explorers used to describe the reddish-brown soils in the area or "sauer landt" because the region was not suitable for farming by 17th-century Dutch settlers.

people, rocks, sourland mountain
We chatted with other hikers along the Ridge Trail
rocks, sourland mountain, boulder, woman
My wife Bhavna.
rocks, sourland mountain, boulder
Ridge Trail

We have hiked other trails in the Sourland Mountain Preserve, but we wanted to try something new. I suggested that we hike the Ridge Trail to Devil's Half-Acre Boulders, the most popular bouldering area in the Sourland Mountain Preserve. Devil's Half-Acre Boulders is a fairly open section of the mountain with a cluster of boulders among the trees. There is also a handful of isolated boulders nearby the main cluster which I could not resist climbing.

It took us about 30 minutes to get to the boulders of Devil's Half Acre, with the trail winding steeply through interestingly shaped rock formations with trees growing through cracks and crevices. The park is 12.24 km2 (3,025 acres), but we used one of the connecting trails to shorten the trip back from Devil's Half-Acre Boulders. We hiked about half of the 8.0 km (5-mile) Ridge Trail. According to my iPhone, we hiked about 2.6 km and climbed the equivalent of 21 floors. My calves ached from the exercise.

flower, sourland mountain, rue anemone (thalictrum thalictroides)
rue anemone (thalictrum thalictroides) is a herbaceous perennial native to woodland in eastern North America.
The Sourland Mountain Preserve is “home to several rare and threatened plants and animals, including: trout lilies, wood anemones, ginseng, spotted salamander, pileated woodpecker, bobcat, wood turtle, barred owl, bobolink, Cooper's hawk, grasshopper sparrow, Savannah sparrow, upland sandpiper, and the scarlet tanager.”

Along the sides of the trail, I saw a number of wildflowers including Spring Beauty, Rue Anemone (thalictrum thalictroides), and Bloodroot (sanguinaria canadensis).

flower, sourland mountain, Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)
Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)
Bhavna was annoyed each time I stopped to focus my camera and take photos. The slight breeze made handheld focusing challenges. I had the AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 G VR lens with attached macro extension tubes but even using my miniature Manfrotto PIXI mini tripod required patience and persistence. Minor body shake exaggerated the smallest movement in the subject (or my hands), and the photos would be blurry. Bhavna felt my photography was slowing us down, but it gave my body a chance to rest in actuality. At one point, my blood glucose fell below 70, and I had to swallow twenty carbohydrate grams of glucose gel. Stopping to take some photos helped my body recover.

We took the shortcut across a boardwalk back to the trailhead and discussed our plans for the next day. We decided that we would return and complete another Sourland Mountain Preserve trail. Bhavna had never visited Roaring Brook, but I hiked that trail with my friend Prasanna a few years ago.

I enjoyed the walk, which made me realize I truly want to get back into nature more. It is a way to be out and moving, enjoying the warmer weather, but getting out into nature while getting some exercise with a purpose is nice.

bhavna, board walk, sourland mountain
Bhavna walking the boardwalk shortcut back to the trail head.

Hiking to Roaring Brook

On the Saturday after Good Friday, Bhavna and I decided to hike the other half of the trail to Roaring Rocks Boulders.

The day started cooler and cloudier than Friday. The parking lot at the trailhead was almost full.

grass, cards, sky, clouds
It was an overcast day but the parking area at the Sourland Mountain Preserve was nearly full.
Some parts of the trail were muddy, but mostly it was dry. On the way back, I strained a muscle in my left foot. I assumed the pain was just from pushing my ankle muscles too hard. Nevertheless, the next morning I awoke with pain in the middle of my foot. We iced it for twenty minutes on and off for the whole day. There was a little improvement on Monday morning, but Bhavna and I agreed it was time to see a doctor. In any case, The injury shortened our hike to Roaring Rocks Boulders, and we took a connecting trail back to the parking lot.

water, pond, trees, clouds
I wished I had brought my tripod and neutral density filter for some long exposure photography of the pond and the sky.
I will let the photos tell the story.
boardwalk, sourland mountain, trees, woods, woman
Some of the trail had boardwalks which made walking much easier.
woods, trees, underbrush
Some of the woodland plants had tiny new leaves. But mostly the trees were bare and the ground was covered with dead leaves. Need we be concerned with fire?
trail, water, sourland mountain, trees, woods, woman
Other parts of the trail wound through the woods.
rocks, water, sourland mountain, trees, woods, woman
Bhavna and I cross some rocks areas where a stream had formed from run-off from the mountain.
rocks, sourland mountain, boulder, woman
My wife Bhavna.
people, rocks, sourland mountain
We chatted with other hikers along the Ridge Trail

When we arrived at a clearing where the Roaring Brook was visible through the trees, we stopped to take some photos. I practised the Brenziner effect. I chose that photo as the featured image for this post.

Bhavna was quite patient while I found a spot in the middle of the brook from which to shoot. The rocks were slippery, and I was at risk of going ankle-deep into the water.

Holi Hai

In the latter part of April, we were invited to celebrate the Hindu spring of Holi hosted by an organization at the Bharat Sevashram Sangha in South Brunswick. Around India, Holi is a lunar calendar harvest festival celebrated in March by Hindu’s of all sects. This year’s Holi was March 1 in India. Spring arrives one month later in the North Eastern USA. In March, the weather is too cold and dreary for an outdoor festival that signifies the victory of good over evil, the arrival of spring, the end of winter, and for many a festive day to meet friends and family, play and laugh, forget and forgive, and repair relationships. My wife’s birthday was the same week, and this Holi festival celebration makes her birthday special each year. The first year we attended, the celebration fell right on her birthday.

A Boy is a Man

Shaan and high-school friends
Shaan and high-school friends | Friday 28 April, 2017 | Nikon D5100 | AF-S DX Nikkor 35 mm f/1.8G | 1⁄40 sec at f/5.6 | ISO 100

It feels like it was just months ago when I held him in my arms. He was so small, pale, and helpless. I worried that I would not know what to do as a father, but that morning a piece of my heart (and Bhavna’s) broke off and became this person.

Shaan, Yejin, Luke, Raymond, Josh | Friday 28 April, 2017 | Nikon D5100 | AF-S DX Nikkor 35 mm f/1.8G | 1⁄30 sec at f/5.6 | ISO 100

That helpless baby grew into a handsome, warm, caring, capable man who loves his mother and dotes on his sister. My “baby boy” is eighteen next month. He is graduating from the Montgomery Township high school in June and attending the Honors College at Rutgers University, where he will be studying biology.

Shaan Williams
Shaan Williams | Friday 28 April, 2017 | Nikon D5100 | AF-S Nikkor 85 mm f/1.8 G | 1⁄160 sec at f/4.0 | ISO 100

The Changing Seasons Monthly Photo Challenge is a blogging challenge by photographer Max a.k.a Cardinal Guzman. Each month I will post a photo that I think represents the month. It's also a chance to write a narrative of my adventures.

Tuesday Photo Challenge - Red, Green/Yellow, Blue

Frank’s choice of theme for the challenge this week was not well-timed. It's not Frank's fault. I saw lots of red, blue or green (RGB) during the last week. Barns, flowers, buildings, clothing. And, of course, people.

Sometimes there was an opportunity to capture what I saw. And sometimes, not. I live in Montgomery Township, New Jersey, which in many aspects is is still rural with some historic small towns for neighbours; Princeton; Hopewell.

But my town is mostly homes, streams, parks and farmland nestled into the foothills of the Sourland Mountain Range. Our roads are narrow and lack sidewalks. There are ditches on either side of these country roads. Pulling over to capture a sunset with a farm or open pasture in the foreground means stopping the car in the middle of the road. Doing this is not advisable. It's dangerous and inconsiderate for the other drivers on the way to work.

I could have taken a photo of some random object with red, green and blue colours. But that would be throw away photography. I want my photographs to have an impact.

Fog blanketed the area Friday morning. I knew that I could find opportunities for photography. I ate breakfast and left for work early to give myself time to stop should an opportunity present itself. I took a route that I knew would take me past some scenic areas: Princeton Community Park North, the edge of downtown Princeton, Princeton Battlefield Park, Quaker Road.

When I saw the tree, I pulled over into the parking area on the northbound side of Quaker Road near the Delaware and Raritan Canal. The D&R canal is part of the state park system, but the parking area is just a patch of gravel on the western bank of that section of the D&R Canal. The sun was coming up over the treeline and shone through the fog, creating a lovely haze in the background.

The area where the tree grows is wetland overgrown with thick patches of grass.

After taking the photo, I continued on my drive to work. I went back to thinking about how I could accomplish the RBG challenge. I suddenly realised that there was another way to look at the challenge. One idea is to take a single image that incorporates all of the colours. Another way is to disassemble; use a different picture with each of the colours as the primary colour. One image with mostly red, one with mostly blue, and one with green/yellow.

Red | Saturday 22 April, 2017 | Nikon D5100 | AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 VR

I had just taken my green/yellow image. Earlier in the week, I had taken a photo of red flowers on one of the neighbourhood trees. I needed blue.

My son is graduating from high-school. He applied to several colleges. Although he did not apply to the program, Rutgers University invited him to attend the Honors College. He’s very excited, and so are we.

My son and his friends are enjoying their last year of high school. Today is the senior prom, and even though dance is not his thing, he agreed to attend with some of his buddies. They are all nerds. They love Pokemon and video games. Anyway, it was fun to watch them all dressed up and being goofy.

Shaan and his high-school friends | Friday 28 April, 2017 | Nikon D5100 | AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G

Oh wait, what about blue?

Shaan Joshua Aaron Williams | Friday 28 April, 2017 | Nikon D5100 | AF-S DX Nikkor 85mm f/1.8G

Created by photographer Frank Jansen, the Tuesday Photo Challenge is a weekly theme-based challenge for photographers of all kinds to share both new and old photography. This week's theme is RGB.