Last week, my new Sony A7R6 arrived, and I have spent countless hours over the last few days configuring it to my shooting style. Virtually every button and dial can be assigned to any function, allowing you to set the camera up exactly for your own needs and preferences. My original plan was to sell my A7R4, pictured above, and use my Sony A1, pictured below, as my second body. I have now decided to sell my A1 as well and purchase a second A7R6. The reason for this is that the A1 has a different button layout and less programming flexibility. Once I build my muscle memory for the new camera, I don’t want to (and am increasingly unable to) remember a different set of function assignments for my second camera. Also, the A7R6 battery is not compatible with the older models, complicating charging and battery management, especially when traveling. You might wonder why I keep a second camera body. The main reason is so I can have two different lenses mounted and at the ready. I normally keep my “backup” camera mounted to a 600mm telephoto with all the settings optimized for “birds in flight.” When I see something interesting outside, I can grab this setup and be shooting within a few seconds. It is how I captured this Bald Eagle. My main body is normally mounted to a 20-70mm lens, which is what I shoot 90% of my photos with. I also use two bodies when I travel to places that are cold, windy, dusty, and/or near bodies of salt water. One will have a telephoto zoom and the other a wide-angle zoom, allowing me to shoot wildlife or landscapes without swapping lenses. A single grain of salt can ruin a camera sensor, so the last thing you want to be doing is changing lenses in the field. Later this year, we are traveling to Antarctica, where the tour company specifically warns about changing lenses outdoors.

As of today, both my A7R4 and A1 are up for sale and I have an order in for a second A7R6.

Last week, our resident squirrels discovered that Jeanine’s recipe for hummingbird food makes for a mighty tasty afternoon aperitif. After some trial and error, she fashioned a couple of aluminum pie tins into an effective squirrel barrier. Unfortunately, with the slightest wind, it also worked as an effective hummingbird deterrent. Today, I installed a more conventional solution, but it remains to be seen if this “tippy” dome will do the job.

Friday’s online edition of the New York Times featured a front-page article about the US National Amputee Soccer Team including a nice section about Nico.

In soccer news not worthy of the New York Times, my team remains undefeated this season after a hard-fought 3-1 win this morning. I scored a fourth goal but was ruled offside. Unbelievably, after the game, the ref admitted to one of my teammates that I was not offside, but he did not want the score to become too lopsided as tempers were beginning to flare. It was a pretty left-footer past one defender and the goalie.

Jeanine and I set out on the final leg of our road trip after enjoying breakfast with Alissa. Our first stop was the Emma Willard School, a prestigious, independent university-preparatory day and boarding school for girls (grades 9–12 and postgraduate), founded in 1814. As the first women’s higher education institution in the United States, it remains a premier trailblazer in girls’ education. The campass has a certain Hogwarts feel to it.

Williams College’s 450-acre campus in Williamstown, Massachusetts, features over 125 buildings seamlessly blending historic and modern architecture. Pictured below, from left to right, are Hopkins Hall, Thompson Memorial Chapel and Griffen Hall

Natural Bridge State Park is home to the only natural white marble arch in North America. According to geologists, the park’s namesake natural bridge, made of 550-million-year-old marble bedrock, was carved into its iconic arch by the forces of glacial meltwater over 13,000 years ago. Today, the bridge spans the Hudson Brook as it twists and tumbles through a steep 60-foot gorge.

The last time we visited Taughannock Falls, it was dry. What a difference a season makes. It was our first stop on the journey home, and we were treated to the full volume of spring runoff. Taughannock Falls features a breathtaking 215-foot plunge, making it the tallest single-drop waterfall east of the Rocky Mountains. Next, to break up the drive, we stopped at Howe Caverns, the largest show cave in the Northeastern United States. It was disappointing compared to almost every other cave we have visited, as it had almost no interesting geological formations. To be fair, the narrow, snaking Winding Way passage at the end was a lot of fun.

Our first stop when we reached my hometown of Schenectady was Civitello’s. Featuring the best Italian lemon ice in the world, I was a frequent visitor as a youth and throughout my life anytime I found myself within a hundred miles. Sadly, the original owners have retired and sold the business. You cannot imagine my disappointment when I took my first taste of this cherished treat. It was not the same. I asked the new owner if he had changed the recipe. He said that it was the same, except he had added a “stabilizer” to prevent it from freezing. Why would you buy a business and alter its most popular offering? Unfortunately, this will be my last visit.

Located on the same block as my childhood home, the Unitarian Church I attended growing up was our next stop.

Located behind the church is a memorial tree we planted in honor of my mother. I am happy to report that it is thriving and has more than doubled in size since we planted it.

Our final stop in Schenectady was Union College, where I earned my degree in electrical engineering. The campus continues to evolve with several new buildings and gardens.

My sister Alissa prepared a veritable feast for us as we dined together on her lovely patio before relaxing to watch a “drive-in-style movie” on an outdoor projector. The perfect way to spend the last evening of our short road trip.

Watkins Glen State Park features 19 waterfalls packed into a 1.5-mile stretch along the Gorge Trail. These waterfalls were carved by Glen Creek, which drops 400 feet through a rocky, 200-foot-deep gorge. It is a photographer’s dream, offering lovely compositions around every bend. Jeanine and I were last here ten years ago in the fall. I remember thinking at the time that it would be wonderful to return in spring when the falls are fuller. That instinct was correct, and this morning we were first into the gorge for another series of wonderful photos. Regretably, construction of a new bridge in the park left one of the most beautiful sections of the gorge off limits. Even more irritating (to a photographer), park management has allowed vegetation to grow unchecked, blocking some of the most ideal views of the falls. Had I thought to pack loppers, I would have put them to good use. Even with these limitations, our visit was magical.

After we toured the park, we had breakfast in town before exploring more waterfalls in the immediate area. First up was Aunt Sarah’s Falls.

Eagle Cliff Falls normally attracts a horde of people frolicking in the basin. It was still early enough in the day that we had the place to ourselves.

Hector Falls can be easily photographed from a pullout on the bridge that traverses it. I was all too happy to do so, given that my knees were starting to complain about all the climbing of the past few days. If not for Jeanine’s observation, I would not have realized that three-quarters of the cascade was on the other side of the bridge, visible only from Seneca Lake or by drone.

Today, Jeanine and I drove from Alexandria Bay, NY, to Watkins Glen, NY, stopping every hour or so to enjoy another magnificent waterfall. Pictured above is Shequaga Falls, where the lighting was perfect.

Ithaca Falls were equally magnificent. Flat lighting and a slow shutter speed yield my favorite renderings of waterfalls.

The lighting was very poor when we arrived at the Chittenango Falls, but the cascade was still quite impressive. I shot images from the ground and with my drone. This illustrates how a small change in shooting position can yield a dramatically different perspective of the same scene.

The sun’s position when we arrived at Salmon River Falls was terrible, and I will need to return here one day when I can arrange to arrive in the afternoon.

Finally, we have the Triphammer Falls located on the campus of Cornell University. Between 1990 and 2010, 27 people died by jumping from bridges spanning the gorges in Ithaca. A tragic cluster of six student suicides in the 2009–2010 academic year prompted the university to implement extensive preventive measures, including the installation of steel-mesh safety nets under seven bridges in 2013. One can be seen encroaching on the photo below.

Even though neither of us is a big racing fan, Jeanine suggested we visit the Watkins Glen International Raceway, “the Glen.” By the time we arrived, the gates had just closed, so I used the drone to get a bird’s-eye view of the track.

Boldt Castle is a grand unfinished castle on Heart Island in the Thousand Islands region of New York. It was built in 1900 by millionaire hotelier George C. Boldt as a lavish gift for his wife, Louise, but construction stopped in 1904 after her sudden death. The castle sat neglected for decades before being acquired in 1977 and restored as a tourist attraction. Today, it is one of the best-known landmarks in the Thousand Islands and is closely associated with a tragic love story. Jeanine and I spent several hours touring the castle after a boat tour of the islands and lavish homes in the area, both on the US and Canadian side of the border.

Pictured below is the Peristyle Archway through which visitors to the island would have arrived by boat.

The Power House, pictured above, described in yesterday’s post, remains my favorite architectural structure on the island, with a close second going to the Alster Tower, pictured below. The tower is a whimsical, eccentric structure, often referred to as the “Play House.” It was designed as a playroom and entertainment space for his children and guests while the massive Boldt Castle was under construction.

A quick ferry ride took us to the Boldt Yacht House, pictured below. It is a massive, historic Gilded Age boathouse built in 1903 to shelter an extensive private fleet of watercraft. It stands out as the last and largest remaining wooden yacht house of its kind on the St. Lawrence River. The main draw of the interior is a curated collection of antique wooden launches, speedboats, and skiffs. Several of these crafts were part of the original Boldt family fleet. A permanent centerpiece of the museum, the Steam Yacht Kestrel, is a 63-foot luxury steam yacht built in 1892 and sits floating directly inside one of the slips.

The US/Canadian border threads between islands along the length of the St. Lawrence River. It runs between the two islands pictured below, both owned by the same family and connected by a footbridge. Reportedly, the husband will leave the country after an argument with his wife. Incidentally, to count as an island in the St. Lawrence River, a landmass must meet three specific geographical criteria: it must remain above the water level year-round, it must be larger than 1 sq. ft. in area, and it must support at least one living tree.

Originally, we had planned to tour the Singer Castle as well as the Boldt, but had to adjust our plans after we missed our boat. We arrived thirty minutes before departure, but a lack of signage had us waiting at the incorrect slip. Had we driven to the docks, it would have been more apparent that there was an additional slip. Because we walked to the docks from the adjacent hotel, we only had a line of sight to the boat we waited on. Alas, we will simply have to visit again, something we are very inclined to do. Until then, I flew my drone out to Dark Island for an aerial photo of the castle and dock.

After breakfast and a group photo with Susan and Jean, we set out for New York State this morning. We crossed the Lake Champlain Bridge and stopped at the Crown Point Campground, where the Champlain Memorial Lighthouse stands as a navigational aid for mariners and a monument honoring French explorer Samuel de Champlain.

Located adjacent to the campground is the Crown Point State Historic Site, dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of the ruins of two fortifications from the colonial wars between the British and French. Long before the American Revolution, these colonial powers both laid claim to the Champlain Valley and this strategically important peninsula known as Crown Point. The French built Fort St. Frederic here between 1734 and 1737 and used it as a base for raids on British settlements in New York and New England. As a result, the British mounted various expeditions to take control of Crown Point, and in 1759, they were finally successful. They immediately began construction of new fortifications that they called “His Majesty’s Fort of Crown Point”. Enclosing over seven acres, this was one of the largest built by the British in North America. All that remains now are the stone ruins of two barracks.

Our next stop, the High Falls Gorge Park, contains what is known as “The Adirondacks’ Most Breathtaking 30-Minute Walk,” featuring a dramatic deep chasm carved over a billion years ago, where the West Branch of the AuSable River plunges over four majestic waterfalls.

We continued our westward journey across the Adirondack Mountains, stopping briefly at Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, and Cranberry Lake before reaching our destination for the evening, Alexandria Bay. There I did a little drone photography, offering a preview of what we wil see tomorrow. Pictured below is the Boldt Castle Power House and Clock Tower. It rises out of the St. Lawrence River from an underwater shoal and is connected to Heart Island by its one-of-a-kind, arched stone bridge. It once housed two coal-fired steam generators that would supply electricity to the entire island.

May was the first month our local electric utility began charging for electricity under a Time-of-Day (TOD) plan. Roughly speaking, we pay 30 cents an hour during the peak hours of 3-7 pm and 20 cents during the remainder of the day and on weekends. When we built the house, I selected a battery backup system to keep it running during a power outage. Incidentally, we had two such events last week. I also wanted a system that could be used to time-shift our energy consumption. It is now programmed to provide electricity for the entire house during peak hours and recharge during off-peak hours. Our bill for May arrived today, confirming that we used zero electricity during peak times. I also programmed our car chargers to avoid peak hours. I estimate the combined savings to be about ~$650 per year.

My soccer team secured a first-place finish in our division with a 6-0 win over Danvers. Two games remain in the regular season, but even if we lose both, we have enough points for the title. The regular season is followed by two playoff matches to determine the league champions. The key now is to keep the squad healthy, as we already have three players sidelined for the remainder of the season.

After the game, Jeanine and I set out for a week-long road trip to New York state by way of a stop this evening in Burlington, VT, to visit her sister.

What a difference two years make. Our patio area has been transformed from a barren construction site to a lush oasis.

The creeping thyme we planted last year (the tiny plugs in the foreground of the photo below) has spread to cover 70% of the area where we planted them, and I suspect it will achieve full coverage by the end of summer. Landscaping our yards seems like a never-ending effort, but seeing how much progress we have made in a relatively short period of time is quite energizing.

This evening, we had the pleasure of hosting a retirement celebration for Maile Hulihan, CEO of the Concord Bridge and a cherished family friend. Over her two and a half years of leadership, she transformed the paper into a vital cornerstone of the community, earning numerous accolades along the way.

The Bridge will not be the same without her; we can only hope it continues to uphold the standard of excellence she so firmly established.

Jeanine offered the following toast:

Maile, Today we are celebrating your two and a half years of leadership at the Bridge. Driven selflessly by your commitment to the highest values of journalism: truth and accuracy, independence, fairness and impartiality, humanity, and accountability. While we surround you this evening as you turn the final page of the paper…we are here to remind you that there will be an incredible next chapter free from all the drama and early mornings and late evenings that you’ve had to wade through these past two years. While I have seen you in a very different light – a professional, driven by your desire to create the best community newspaper in the country – I’ve admired and learned a lot about how to keep people accountable to the values of journalism. I have to say I’m so glad you’re rejoining us to have fun and freedom during your 70’s and longer. May the work that you have contributed to building the Bridge to be the best community newspaper in the country – sustain itself after your departure. We toast you into this next chapter of your life as a true and loyal friend above all the roles you’ve had to fulfill at the Bridge – this one is going to continue and we will be here for many new adventures!

In the past few days, our rhododendrons have started blooming. We have red, purple, lavender, and white flowers lining the driveway. They will only last for a few days, making the explosion of color all the more exceptional. Pollinators are busy everywhere, fueling their bodies with the nectar while we humans have a chance to nourish our souls. Spring in New England is brief, but by God, it is glorious.

The Concord Bridge is doing an article on Conantum, the neighborhood in which we live. I was asked to provide several aerial photographs, including an overview showing its full extent, as well as shots of our common lands and Carl Koch-designed homes. I had nearly completed the assignment, having just finished shooting the community dock, when my drone experienced a mid-air failure and crashed. The last transmitted GPS location before radio contact was lost puts it right in the middle of the Sudbury River. The last video transmission, shown above, suggests it may have landed on the riverbank. I took out a kayak to search the shorelines to no avail. I have reviewed the video a hundred times, and my best theory at this point is that the drone was overcome by high winds. It did not seem windy at the time, but when I was paddling on the river, I encountered several powerful gusts. In the video, we see the drone recover from a 90-degree roll, ascend for a few more seconds, and then start to veer to the right, and then do a 360-degree flip before it tumbled to the earth. This is consist with a gust of wind followed by an even more powerful one, strong enough to cause one or more motors to over-current and shut down. My second theory, much less likely, is that the drone was attacked by a bird protecting its territory. I am careful not to disturb wildlife with my drone, and I saw no birds present during my flight or in the final video. An even more remote possibility is that the drone experienced a motor failure, but it is fairly new, and I have found this brand to be quite reliable. This makes three drones I have lost. The first two were pilot error. This one feels more like bad luck. Fortunately, I have a backup drone and hope to complete my assignment tomorrow. I also ordered a replacement drone, which is a much larger model capable of flying in substantially higher winds.