Category Archives: Valley Moments

Art, Biophilia, Inquiry, Massachusetts, New England, Projects, Research, Science

Workshop: PVMA – Microscopy Workshop

Leave a comment

LEEDS, MA – Last weekend, I attended the mycological association’s microscopy workshop and learned how to create a slide and use a microscope. This is something I’ve been wanting to get into for awhile now, and now that I have moved and have my own space I can plan/save some money to buy a microscope. I’ve been seeing some of my friends’ microscopy images and I think it might be a cool and interesting project to do microscopic images with my electrography, as they too in some respects are microscopy.

The leader of the association had a home lab setup and microscopes for us to use. I really enjoyed learning in an environment that wasn’t stressful nor as formal as a classroom and aim to find more workshops like this in the valley.

\

Blog, Excursions, Lifestyle, Projects, Studio Wrap Up

Photography: Photo Projects Wrap Up

Leave a comment

 

 

New Electrography Images

Sometime back in May after starting my new job, I went to the Vermont Center for Photography to expose a new round of electrographic images. The last time I think I did this was Italy I believe. I can’t believe it really had been two years since I created new images. Time flies when yer hustlin’…

I haven’t decided if any of the above are portfolio worthy. I have many plans to return after my life has settled and regained some stability. A colleague of mine suggested I do some sort of oracle deck regarding plants and flowers and was trying to figure out the best divination method for this. While talking to someone since moving here, I have realized a method to do this functionally however it will require a lot of trial and error. It came about after being inspired by how Italian artists decorate the streets for the Bishop’s arrival on easter and how one of my pieces resembled fish jumping out of the water. This symbology sparked an idea of how I could go about making an oracle deck and going back to ancient times and how psychics and seers would through bones and sticks to tell a fortune. The image would be the fortune and whatever is seen in the image would be what would be predicted. Kind of like a tea leaf reading as well.

I also have begun a traditional photo project that I started in my traditional photo class in college that required spinning objects on a lazy Susan and capturing the light streaks swirling around the object. I have been thinking a lot lately about my mission and how to go about visualizing it. One of the hardest parts about working with art and science is that you have to visualize scientific ideas, and my mission came to me through a psychic experience – while completely understanding that this experience is what I saw and made available to me not necessarily everyone around me is going to see the same, nor saw the same experience. Seeing the world through its’ depths isn’t exactly easy as we’re trained to see what our eyes see.

 

My Sweet Life

This past Sunday I began a project shooting photography with a woman who owns a very small Maple Farm in Worthington, MA. We seem to get along well and started the project off well. I go back again next Sunday to continue this work.

So a lot of project stuff has been going on especially photography related projects. If you follow me on Instagram you might catch a post on some graphic design projects that I’ve been doing at RVC. However, I’ve mostly been keeping graphic design work at RVC and have kept most of my freelance clients at bay… once my life settles down, I really want to start blogging more frequently. So much to explore, and do around here. I have to think about what would make great content. 🙂

SaveSave

Biophilia, Blog, Excursions, Massachusetts, New England, ◆◆◆

Activities: Mushroom Walk

Leave a comment

[vc_row][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_empty_space][vc_custom_heading text=”Activities: Mushroom Walk” google_fonts=”font_family:Abril%20Fatface%3Aregular”][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]

Last Sunday, I went on my second mushroom walk. Unfortunately, it was cut short due to unexpected rain. A member of our group did find black American truffles, though. Next walk won’t be until Sunday, July 16th.

[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_empty_space][vc_custom_heading text=”Other Posts” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Roboto%3A100%2C100italic%2C300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C500%2C500italic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic” el_class=”widget-title”][vc_masonry_grid post_type=”post” max_items=”4″ element_width=”6″ gap=”10″ item=”masonryGrid_OverlayWithRotation” grid_id=”vc_gid:1535591099985-95d84209-d214-4″ taxonomies=”247″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Activities, Biophilia, Excursions, Massachusetts, New England, ◆◆◆

Activities: Mushroom Walk

1 Comment

WEST CHESTERFIELD, MA – Last Sunday I went on my first mushroom walk with the Pioneer Valley Mycological Society! It was great meeting like-minded people and getting to know the area a bit. We went to Chesterfield Gorge in West Chesterfield. It’s about 35 minutes from work. I actually ran into someone from work who went on the walk as well.  Below are the mushroom species that we found during the walk. It was overall pretty uneventful.

Here is the list of the 45 fungi species found on the June 11 PVMA walk at Chesterfield Gorge: GILLED: Agrocybe acericola, Agrocybe praecox, Gymnopilus sapineus, Gymnopus dryophilus, Hebeloma sp., Inocybe sp., Inocybe calamistrata, Laccaria longipes, Mycena sp., Mycena haematopus, Mycens leaiana, Pluteus sp., Pluteus cervinus, Psathyrella sp., Rickenella fibula BOLETE_LIKE: Leccinum scabrum, Suillus granulatus CORALS: Artomyces pyxidatus PUFFBALLS: Lycoperdon perlatum JELLY: Dacrymyces chrysospermus, Horomyces aurantiacus POLYPORES & STEREUMS: Cerioporus varius, Fomes fomentarius, Fomitopsis betulinus, Ganoderma megaloma, Ganoderma tsugae, Hymenochaetopsis olivacea, Irpex lacteus, Neofavolus alveolaris, Pycnoporus cinnabarinus, Stereum complicatum, Stereum ostrea, Trichaptum abietinum, Trichaptum biforme, Tyromyces chioneus, ASCOMYCETES: Annulohypoxylon fragiforme, Chlorociboria aeruginascens, Cudonia circinans, Kretzschmaria deusta, Xylaria hypoxylon, Xylaria polymorpha: SLIME MOLDS: Ceratiomyxa fruticulosa, Ceratiomyxa fruticulosa var. poroides, Lycagola epidendrum, Stemonitis sp.

Activities, Excursions, Exploration, New England, Vermont, ◆◆◆

Exploration: High Meadows Farm

3 Comments

This week I started a full-time job as a graphic designer at River Valley Co-op! I’m super excited to start this next chapter in my life! The job is also in a town/region that I love. This week has been a whirlwind of understanding and learning about the co-op life. For example, today my manager and I went to High Meadows Farm and did a photoshoot for their advertising and rebranding. I took behind-the-scnes photos which you can see below. So today’s activity post is inspired by my new job!

Discover Local

If you are vacationing in a rural/country region one unique activity to do is visit the local farms and learn about what products they have to offer. Below’s list is from CISA – Community Involved Sustainable Agriculture.

FARM WHAT’S GROWING DISTRIBUTION TOWN
Barberic Farm Herbs, Dairy + Eggs, Meat, Spreads, Specialty, Baked Goods, Dry Goods, Fiber, Breeding Stock Farmers Markets Shelburne
1 mi
Johnson Hill Farm Herbs, Family Fun Buckland
2 mi
The Atherton Farm Vegetables, Herbs, Nursery + Flowers, Grains + Feeds, Specialty
integrated pest mgmt		 Farmers Markets, Farm Stand Buckland
3 mi
Kenburn Orchards Fruit, Nursery + Flowers, Family Fun Farm Stand, PYO Shelburne
3 mi
Wheel-View Farm Meat, Nursery + Flowers, Pet Food, Breeding Stock Farm Stand Shelburne
3 mi
Spring Water Farm Fruit, Vegetables, Herbs, Wood, Nursery + Flowers, Spreads, Specialty, Baked Goods, Fiber, Family Fun
chemical-free		 Farmers Markets, Farm Stand, Restaurants, Wholesale Ashfield
3 mi
Pioneer Valley Popcorn Dry Goods Restaurants, Wholesale Shelburne
3 mi
Hart Farm Fruit, Vegetables, Herbs, Honey + Maple, Dairy + Eggs, Meat, Nursery + Flowers, Beverages, Specialty
chemical-free		 Farmers Markets Conway
3 mi
E & J Scott Orchard Fruit, Vegetables, Dairy + Eggs, Wood, Beverages, Breeding Stock Farm Stand Buckland
3 mi
Apex Orchards
profiled farm		 Fruit, Vegetables, Honey + Maple, Nursery + Flowers, Specialty, Family Fun
integrated pest mgmt		 Delivery, Pickup, Farmers Markets, Farm Stand, PYO, Restaurants, Schools, Wholesale Shelburne
4 mi
Graves-Glen Farm Honey + Maple, Nursery + Flowers, Grains + Feeds Farm Stand Shelburne
4 mi
Pine Hill Orchards Fruit, Vegetables, Beverages, Family Fun Delivery, Pickup, Farm Stand, PYO, Schools, Wholesale Colrain
4 mi
Wilder Brook Farm Vegetables, Honey + Maple, Dairy + Eggs, Nursery + Flowers
chemical-free		 CSA Charlemont
4 mi
Wilder Hill Gardens Fruit, Vegetables, Nursery + Flowers, Specialty Farm Stand, PYO Conway
4 mi
Foxbard Farm Meat, Wood, Grains + Feeds Farm Stand Shelburne
4 mi
Open View Farm Fruit, Vegetables, Herbs, Meat, Fiber, Family Fun
some organic		 Conway
4 mi
Shinglebrook Farm
profiled farm		 Meat, Nursery + Flowers, Breeding Stock Shelburne
4 mi
The Pieropan Christmas Tree Farm
profiled farm		 Nursery + Flowers, Specialty Ashfield
4 mi
Good Bunch Farm Vegetables, Herbs
chemical-free		 Pickup, Farmers Markets, Restaurants, Wholesale Conway
4 mi
K & L Organic Growers Fruit, Vegetables, Herbs, Dairy + Eggs, Nursery + Flowers, Grains + Feeds, Specialty, Dry Goods, Pet Food
chemical-free		 Delivery, Pickup, SideHill Farm, Pine Hill Orchards, Avery’s Market, Farm Stand, Restaurants, Wholesale Colrain
4 mi
Stonegate Farm Honey + Maple Conway
4 mi
Clark Brothers Orchards, LLC Fruit
integrated pest mgmt
GAP certified		 Farm Stand, Wholesale Ashfield
5 mi
New England Wild Edibles
profiled farm		 Vegetables
some organic		 Farmers Markets Colrain
5 mi
Red Gate Farm Education Center
profiled farm		 Vegetables, Honey + Maple, Dairy + Eggs, Meat, Nursery + Flowers, Spreads Buckland
5 mi
Sunrise Farms Vegetables, Honey + Maple, Meat, Wood, Grains + Feeds, Specialty Farmers Markets Colrain
5 mi
East View Farm Dairy + Eggs, Meat Colrain
5 mi
Lyonsville Farm Fruit, Vegetables, Herbs, Dairy + Eggs, Nursery + Flowers
chemical-free		 CSA, Farmers Markets, CSA, Restaurants, Wholesale Colrain
5 mi
Burnt Hill Farm Fruit Pickup Heath
6 mi
Clarkdale Fruit Farms Fruit, Vegetables, Beverages
integrated pest mgmt		 Farmers Markets, Farm Stand, PYO Deerfield
6 mi
Cranston’s Tree Farm Honey + Maple, Wood, Nursery + Flowers, Grains + Feeds, Family Fun
integrated pest mgmt		 Farm Stand, PYO Ashfield
6 mi
Natural Roots Fruit, Vegetables, Herbs, Dairy + Eggs, Meat, Wood, Nursery + Flowers
chemical-free		 Delivery, Pickup, Farm Stand, CSA, Restaurants, Wholesale Conway
6 mi
The Benson Place Fruit, Spreads, Family Fun
organic certified		 Farm Stand, PYO Heath
6 mi
Martin’s Farm Compost and Mulch Nursery + Flowers
organic certified		 Farm Stand Greenfield
6 mi
Whitney Acres Farm Dairy + Eggs, Grains + Feeds, Fiber, Family Fun Ashfield
6 mi
Bear Swamp Orchard Fruit, Honey + Maple, Dairy + Eggs, Beverages, Wine + Liquor, Spreads, Specialty, Baked Goods, Fiber
organic certified		 Pickup, Farm Stand, PYO, Restaurants, Wholesale Ashfield
6 mi
Sidehill Farm
profiled farm		 Dairy + Eggs, Meat, Breeding Stock
some organic		 Delivery, Pickup, Most Pioneer Valley CSAs, Farm Stand, Restaurants, Schools, Wholesale Hawley
7 mi
Steady Lane Farm Meat, Pet Food, Fiber
chemical-free		 Pickup, Farm Stand, CSA, Restaurants, Wholesale Ashfield
7 mi
Bug Hill Farm Fruit, Nursery + Flowers, Beverages, Family Fun
organic certified		 Farmers Markets, Farm Stand, PYO Ashfield
7 mi
Wandering Brook Farm Fruit, Vegetables, Grains + Feeds PYO, Restaurants, Wholesale Greenfield
7 mi
Boyden Brothers Maple Honey + Maple, Nursery + Flowers, Specialty Farm Stand Conway
7 mi

See more here: http://www.farmfresh.org/food/farms.php?zip=01370

Snapshots

Excursions, Massachusetts, New England, ◆◆◆

Montague Book Mills

Leave a comment

[vc_row][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]

Last Thursday I had an interview at a local farm in Western Mass. I took the time afterwards to do some site seeing. Amongst my artist circle many have known about the Montague Book Mills. It is a cute converted building that – as you guessed it – used to be a book mill. Back in the day of book mills, mills in general used to be located right near riverbanks for the use of water power. Today they are often converted into restaurants, galleries and book stores. A Montague Book Mills, it was all three! There was of course a large book store, art gallery and a restaurant called Lady Killigrew.

I highly recommend checking out Montague, it may be a small town, but it does have its’ gems. Plus it’s near South Deerfield, home of Yankee Candle Co.!

Easy Getaway

This trip can totally be combined with a stop in Greenfield, South Deerfield and Montague. One of the things I love the most about Western Mass is all of  the small little towns. A stop in each means you see more. Lots of interesting artistic, unique places that are gems to the Pioneer Valley. Book an Airbnb and you’ve got an inexpensive getaway. I’ve included an easy hotel map below that you can use to book your next weekend getaway.

[tp_hotelmap_widget coordinates=”42.587586, -72.599534″ width=500 height=500 zoom=12 subid=”Montague”]

 

 

SaveSave[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]

Montague Book Mills

 

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Articles, Inquiry, Research

Solving E=MC2?

Leave a comment

[vc_row][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_custom_heading text=”Inquiry: Solving E=MC2?” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Roboto%3A100%2C100italic%2C300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C500%2C500italic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:100%20light%20regular%3A100%3Anormal” el_class=”widget-title”][vc_column_text]While thinking about the conversation I had lately about the manifest world being an interference and that spirals are expressions of intersections of light, I thought about Einsteins’ equation… and remembered that not too long ago I applied the golden mean, 1.61 to Einsteins’ E=MC2… I think I may be getting somewhere with all this physics stuff and think that conventional physics is extremely wrong in some things… but then I realized I already came to this conclusion last March when I wrote my “Traveling Faster than the Speed of Light” post.

E = 12.0107 (amu of carbon) x 2.61803399 (golden mean squared, c2).

E= 31.4444

If we move the decimal point over, it would be E=3.14 and that would be Pi; or the intersection of linear and non-linear reality!

So Carbon would travel 3.14 miles per second*. 

E= 15.9994 (amu of oxygen) x 2.61803399 (golden mean squared, c2).

E= 41.8869 or E=4.1886  … oxygen would travel 4.18 miles per second. 

* this means that it would travel 3.14 miles each second

 Silver would travel…

E= 107.8682 amu (amu of silver) x 2.61803399 (golden mean squared, c2).

E= 282.4026 … E=28.2402 miles per second

According to this treatise… Pi (3.14) is the intersection of linear and non-linear reality. This would also correspond to the idea that spirals are expressions of intersections of light. If carbon is a fundamental element of the manifest world, it could perhaps speed up or slow down light helping to create the interference. Pi creates a spiral, which is seen in nature… http://www.maa.org/mathland/mathtrek_09_02_02.html

E= 1.00794 (amu of Hydrogen) x 2.61803399 (golden mean squared, c2).

E= 2.6388 / 10

E= 0.2638

Hydrogen would travel 0.2638 miles per second

If we wanted to find how fast water traveled, it would travel 4.7162 m/s. ( Hydrogen + Hydrogen + Oxygen)

0.2638 + 0.2638 + 4.1886 = 4.7162 miles per second[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_widget_sidebar sidebar_id=”sg498_8790gxe”][vc_custom_heading text=”Support the Research” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:25px|text_align:left|color:%2311322a” google_fonts=”font_family:Playfair%20Display%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][vc_custom_heading text=”New Products” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Roboto%3A100%2C100italic%2C300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C500%2C500italic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:100%20light%20regular%3A100%3Anormal” el_class=”widget-title”][vc_masonry_grid post_type=”post” max_items=”4″ element_width=”6″ gap=”10″ item=”basicGrid_NoAnimation” grid_id=”vc_gid:1568585838966-fda97a3f-40cd-3″ taxonomies=”579, 632, 631, 580, 582, 581″][vc_custom_heading text=”Other Posts” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Roboto%3A100%2C100italic%2C300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C500%2C500italic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:100%20light%20regular%3A100%3Anormal” el_class=”widget-title”][vc_masonry_grid post_type=”post” max_items=”4″ element_width=”6″ gap=”10″ item=”basicGrid_NoAnimation” grid_id=”vc_gid:1568585839015-43bc38dd-ef21-4″ taxonomies=”132″][/vc_column][/vc_row]