Site Updates

New features or changes on Michael’s Piece of the Web

22
Dec
2024

Northern Lights over NJ Photos

Seeing the aurora has long been on my bucket list. It still is. I want to go somewhere in the far north and see it. However, thanks to some serious geomagnetic storms and clear skies, my wish was partially granted when they appeared over New Jersey. We drove out to rural Burlington County away from the light pollution of home and saw some faint northern lights. They were strong enough to notice with the naked eye and were very visible to my phone’s camera. I didn’t bring my real camera along since I was just shooting from the car along the road and a tripod wasn’t feasible. Enjoy the Northern lights by viewing my photos here.

Posted by Michael in Photography, Site Updates, 0 comments
19
Dec
2024

Renault Winery Tour Photos

I’ve been to Renault Winery before but we thought it would be fun to take a tour of the winery and learn about its history. It turned out to be a really fascinating experience. I had no idea exactly how historic the property was! We had a really good guide who showed us the massive building. Even though wine is no longer produced there and it’s largely become an event venue, I’m glad to see the latest owners are still interested in preserving the history of the place too. Explore with me by view my photos here.

Posted by Michael in Photography, Site Updates, 0 comments
16
Dec
2024

Swedesboro, New Jersey Photos

Swedesboro is a local town (borough, technically) that I’ve been to and through a million times, but I’ve never stopped to explore. There’s a lot of history there. After learning about the Swedish history of Delaware during and after our sail on the Kalmar Nyckel (see those photos here), it only seemed fitting to check out the extension of that story on the NJ side of the river. Walk through Swedesboro with me in my photos here.

Posted by Michael in Photography, Site Updates, 0 comments
13
Dec
2024

Woodstown Central Railroad Photos

While looking for day trips around South Jersey, we found the Woodstown Central Railroad. It’s a tourist train that runs through Southern Gloucester County. Despite not necessarily being big train buffs, we always seem to wind up on trains since they’re a relaxing way to spend a day seeing some scenery that we might not otherwise see. Plus, this one is close to home. Go along for the ride with my photos here.

Posted by Michael in Photography, Site Updates, 0 comments
10
Dec
2024

Silverdale, Washington Photos

I’ve posted photos from my trips to Silverdale before. They’re just work trips which means there’s not much sightseeing. However, as beautiful as the Pacific Northwest is, it’s hard not to snap some photos each time I’m there. Take a look at my photos here.

Posted by Michael in Photography, Site Updates, 0 comments
07
Dec
2024

Corning, New York Photos

When you hear Corning, you think glass. That’s why we spent a most of our day there at the Museum of Glass. We saw glass being made, learned about the history of glass and, most importantly, learned how glass shaped this city. We also walked around downtown, walked across the river and had lunch at a neat old café. Visit Corning through my photos here.

Posted by Michael in Photography, Site Updates, 0 comments
01
Dec
2024

Lancaster County Photos

We took a short overnight trip to Lancaster County, PA to do a little sightseeing and cash in on a coupon we had for dinner at one of the “smorgasbord” restaurants out there. It was a last-minute trip so the only Hilton property available was a Tru hotel. It was a different sort of hotel experience. I don’t need luxury, but a closet, furniture or a carpet would have been nice. It was fine for one night though and we enjoyed Lancaster as we always do. Take a look at the photos here.

Posted by Michael in Photography, Site Updates, 0 comments
25
Nov
2024

Kalmar Nyckel

I’ve been aboard a number of tall ships, but had never actually sailed on one. Now I can say that I have. The Kalmar Nyckel is a reproduction of its namesake that brought the Swedes to Delaware almost 400 years ago. We sailed from their shipyard in Wilmington along the Christina River passing through a number of drawbridges and learning about the history of this incredible vessel. A park ranger from the National Park Service happened to be aboard for the trip. When we returned, he invited us to take a walk to Old Swedes Historic Site for a tour. Of course, we took him up on it. Follow along with my photos here.

Posted by Michael in Photography, Site Updates, 0 comments
22
Nov
2024

Niagara Falls Photos

I visited Niagara Falls once before as a kid. That time we stayed on the Canadian (Ontario) side of the falls. We decided to visit again, staying on the U.S. (New York) side this time even though it’s the less interesting side. We planned 1 day in Canada but ran out of things to do in New York and wound up spending 2 days north of the border. Of course, we also researched everything there is to do in the area and made of side trips to see other things that ranged from the Erie and Welland Canals (including locks), a power plant, an aquarium, a Jell-O Museum and more. Take a look at the many photos I took right here.

Posted by Michael in Photography, Site Updates
16
Nov
2024

National Harbor Photos

Visiting National Harbor in the Washington, DC suburb of Oxen Hill, MD for Christmas was on my list for a while. Marriott puts on a yearly Christmas extravaganza at all of its Gaylord hotels and National Harbor is the most convenient for us. The centerpiece is their “ICE!” display which features 2 million pounds of ice carved into a walkthrough display kept at 9 degrees. Don’t worry, they provide you with a parka. When I heard the 2022 theme was A Christmas Story, we decided to make this one of the first trips we took as the COVID pandemic was in its last throes. It was a fun trip and certainly put us in the mood for Christmas! Take a look at all of the photos here.

Posted by Michael in Photography, Site Updates