Tag: Walking

The Weekend

Bhavna and I both dislike cold weather, but on sunny days we can persuade ourselves to bundle to get outside. Normally at this time of the year, I would look forward to the weekend, waking up early to take a walk along the D&R Canal or a hike in the Sourland Mountain Preserve. January is ending and, with the exception of a short hike along Beden Brook, we have had little outdoor activity.

It was cold and damp again yesterday and I feel that yet another weekend has been “wasted” inside streaming content on Disney+ and Netflix or drinking ales from one of the local micro-breweries. My midsection grows softer and larger each day. 😊

It rained all day yesterday, so much that many local roads we flooded. I can only imagine that the hiking trails are soggy and slippery.

I am starting to feel the effects of the “winter blues”, from the cold, grey skies all day, and the limited exposure to sunlight. It’s frustrating that I can not do any of the suggested remedies.

Carnegie Lake | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR at 16 mm

Last weekend, after a super short and finger freezing photo session near Carnegie Lake with had exhausted my battery, I came home to prep my photo bag for a course I was taking the next day. I wanted to be sure that my batteries were charged and my equipment was ready. I discovered that my Fujifilm X-T2 would not turn on. I tried one battery after another, but the rear LCD and viewfinder remained blank. I connected the camera via USB to my iMac and the camera came on in USB mode. I took it to the Fujifilm service centre in Edison where I hope they can restore my camera. I am scheduled to attend a food photography workshop in March.

Carnegie Lake | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR at 16 mm

Our kids are both attending university so Bhavna and I have more time to spend with each other. In another week, we’ll drive to Oberlin, Ohio to return the youngest to college. I’ll miss her and her cat, Camilla, but with her return, we’ll have more freedom.

Despite my health challenges over the last few years, in 2018 we visited Seneca Lake in the finger lake region of New York staying at the Grist Mill Inn and Brewery. The previous year we did some road trips west into Pennsylvania stopping to tour the local breweries along the way.

The Hudson Valley Brewery in Beacon, New York has been on our tour to-do list for a few years. Hudson Valley produces some of my favourite sour IPAs.

The sun is out this morning so tie for a break. I’m heading outside for a walk around the neighbourhood. Gotta keeps my spirits up.

FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | 35.3 mm | f/8.0
Carnegie Lake | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR at 55 mm

St. Michael's Preserve Aunt Molly Trail

On Saturday, I woke up, got dressed and drove to Aunt Chubby's in Hopewell for breakfast. Before my health challenges started, Aunt Molly was my favourite weekend treat, but I hadn't been there in several months. I packed my Fujifilm X-T2 + Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR, iPad and Bluetooth headphones. Aunt Chubby is within walking distance from most of the homes in Hopewell. I wanted to get to Aunt Chubby's just as they opened to avoid the early morning local crowd, get a seat in the corner, and read blog posts while listening to music. I found parking right out front, which is rare, but now I know how to avoid the weekend breakfast crowd.

I found a table near the rear of the restaurant, and my attentive table attendant took my order, avocado toast with a poached egg on top and a cappuccino. The restaurant was mostly empty, with one man sitting at the breakfast bar and a few friends sitting in the other room.

During my commute last week, I caught up on listening to episodes of the FujiCast podcast, which I missed while going through my health challenges in the previous few months. The universe must be sending me a message because, on this particular FujiCast episode, Ian MacDonald was a guest talking about how photography helps him treat and overcome PTSD caused by years working in emergency medical services (EMS).

This got me thinking about how much I missed my form of stress reduction therapy, being outside [walking] around with my camera on the nature trails of the Sourlands. I finished eating, and while waiting for my check, I looked up as Jeff Hoagland walked in and sat at the breakfast counter.

Jeff Hoagland is a lifelong naturalist and the Education Director for the Watershed Institute. The institute is championing the environment of 950 acres of streams and woodlands in Hopewell Township. I met Jeff over a decade ago when I took my then elementary school children on an ambling nature walk along one of the streams in Montgomery Township. My kids had a blast; we took many more hikes with Jeff over the years. He's also a fan of American craft ales, and we often see each other in line during a crowler release at Troon Brewing.

Google Earth, Hopewell Township, St. Michael's Preserve
St. Michael's Farm Preserve

I closed my check and walked to the breakfast counter to say. Jeff and I chatted for a bit. He noticed the camera and suggested I try walking a section of the St. Michael's Preserve which is accessible from Aunt Molly Road. I have walked another part of the St. Michael's Preserve earlier this year and was happy for Jeff's recommendation of something new.

In the Borough of Hopewell, St. Michael's Preserve includes 396 acres of preserved land, mainly between Hopewell-Princeton Road and Aunt Molly Road, but a portion of the preserve lies on the east side of Aunt Molly Road and is preserved by the D&R Greenway Land Trust. This is the section that Jeff stated was his favourite section of the preserve trails.

In 2004, the Diocese of Trenton asked D&R Greenway to preserve the property for $11 million. Working with our state, county, and local partners, we secured $8 million in public funding—the remaining $3 million needed to be raised from private sources. Faced with the frightening prospect of unwanted development, in the summer of 2006, a group of concerned Hopewell residents stepped forward to raise the remaining funds required to preserve the St. Michael's Preserve land.

The St. Michael's Preserve property had been owned by the Diocese of Trenton since the 1890s when an orphanage and industrial school were built in 1896. The facility closed in 1973.

Aunt Molly Road is about a five-minute drive from Aunt Chubby. I parked, donned my headphones, and started streaming Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon while I hiked along the icy trail, stopping to take photos of the woods and trail path with the changing morning light streaming through. I could hear the crunch of frozen dirt, grass, and ice underfoot.

A man with a dog approached from a fork in the path. I removed my headphones, said hello and commented about the cold. It was cold. I have not walked this trail before, so I had no specific plan for images. I listened to Dark Side of the Moon, stopping to photograph whatever light caught my eye. I stopped and stood to stare at the light, getting lost in my mind. Relaxing.

Despite gloves and thick socks, I got as far as the bridge before the cold air started to gnaw at my fingers and toes.

Aunt Molly Trail | 22 Dec, 2019 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | © Khürt Williams
Aunt Molly Trail | 22 Dec, 2019 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | © Khürt Williams
Aunt Molly Trail | 22 Dec, 2019 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | © Khürt Williams
Aunt Molly Trail | 22 Dec, 2019 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | © Khürt Williams
Aunt Molly Trail | 22 Dec, 2019 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | © Khürt Williams
Aunt Molly Trail | 22 Dec, 2019 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | © Khürt Williams
Aunt Molly Trail | 22 Dec, 2019 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | © Khürt Williams
Aunt Molly Trail | 22 Dec, 2019 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | © Khürt Williams
Aunt Molly Trail | 22 Dec, 2019 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | © Khürt Williams
Aunt Molly Trail | 22 Dec, 2019 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | © Khürt Williams
Aunt Molly Trail | 22 Dec, 2019 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | © Khürt Williams
Aunt Molly Trail | 22 Dec, 2019 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | © Khürt Williams
Aunt Molly Trail | 22 Dec, 2019 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | © Khürt Williams
Aunt Molly Trail | 22 Dec, 2019 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | © Khürt Williams
Aunt Molly Trail | 22 Dec, 2019 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | © Khürt Williams
Aunt Molly Trail | 22 Dec, 2019 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | © Khürt Williams
Aunt Molly Trail | 22 Dec, 2019 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | © Khürt Williams

Orange & Black

I noticed that the woman had orange coloured hair, had wrapped her shoulders in an orange shawl and that her sunglasses have an orange frame. She was wearing black tights.

I noticed that the woman had orange coloured hair, had wrapped her shoulders in an orange shawl and that her sunglasses have an orange frame. She was wearing black tights.