| November 20, 2010 Magic Wings and Windmasters Field Trip By Debbi Donofrio On November 20th, I led 16 other CAP members on a trip to Magic Wings and Wingmasters. We took over Magic Wings Butterfly conservatory in Deerfield, MA, from 7-9 a.m. The weather was cold and drab outside but we were all nice and warm inside. Magic Wings had just celebrated their 10th birthday the day before. Check out Magic Wings at http://www.magicwings.com/ or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/South-Deerfield-MA/Magic-Wings-Butterfly-Conservatory/106827612675357.
After two hours of flower and butterfly photography, 12 members continued to Wingmasters in Leverett, MA, where we photographed birds of prey outside from 10 a.m. to noon. The skies were overcast when we left Magic Wings and miraculously the light improved just as we arrived to Wingmasters. We were greeted by Lacota, the Golden Eagle, and of course Jim and Julie. Most of the owls were set in trees with the leashes hidden behind the branches. We even had the pleasure of having two set of birds together on the branches: two different colored screech owls and two same colored saw whet owls. Both sets of birds had never seen each other before nor had they been on a branch together! The birds photographed were a brown screech owl, a gray screech owl, two saw whet owls with different colored eyes, a barred owl, a great horn owl, a red tail hawk, a peregrine falcon, a golden eagle and finally an American Kestrel. All of Julie's and Jim's birds are injured and could never live in the wild. The peregrine falcon just came to Julie on Thursday after being hit by a plane at JFK and loosing its right wing. Check out Wingmasters at http://www.wingmasters.net/ or on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=285799386104. It was a wonderful experience for everyone.
I am running two more trips to Wingmasters with hopes of some snow on February 5th and 6th from 9-11 a.m. The cost is $50 per person. More information on the upcoming trips can be found by clicking on Upcoming Events in the menu at the left.
October 23-24, 2010 Poconos Field Trip By Hazel & Dave Meredith On Saturday & Sunday, October 23rd & 24th, fifteen CAP members enjoyed beautiful fall days in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. We started out at Childs Park with the opportunity to photograph three waterfalls on a walk led by National Park Ranger Dan Mohr. Dave & Hazel met Ranger Dan when scoping out locations in September - he was quick to share his endless knowledge of the area and "secret" locations to photograph. He is a terrific photographer in his own right as well. We then visited Dingman's Falls, where we also had a picnic lunch, and went on the hunt for more foliage as directed by Ranger Dan. After a couple of wrong turns, we found the ponds, but the foliage in those areas was past peak. We then made a quick shopping stop, and then enjoyed a relaxed dinner at Muller's Family Restaurant. After checking in at the hotel in Bartonsville, we gathered for a drink to celebrate the birthday of Lisa Keller and confirm plans for Sunday. After breakfast at the Comfort Inn, we headed down the road to the quaint town of Jim Thorpe, where participants had the options of a train ride through the Lehigh Valley, a tour of "The Old Jail" (purported to be haunted), and lots of great architecture to photograph. We met for lunch at Molly McGuire's and then began the trek home. I think everyone would agree that this area is calling out for more CAP trips! Stay tuned! 
(Back row L-R): Pat Benham; Barbara Curri; Bill Barnett; Mike Amodeo; Dave Meredith; Hazel Meredith. (Front row L-R): CK Rha; Lori Rha; Margi Montanaro; Edie Francoeur; Lisa Keller; Bert Schmitz. Missing from photo: Rich Medica; Jeff Dawson.
Pocono Field Trip
March 13, 2010 Loretta and Josh's Wedding On Saturday, march 13, 2010, Loretta Paul, former president of CAP, and Josh Goldin were married at Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Massachusetts. A few pictures from the wedding are shown below.
February 7, 2010 Bikes on Ice Fieldtrip On Super Bowl Sunday a number of brave CAP souls ventured outdoors to photograph the bikes on ice races in Sturbridge. It was a super photo day with many great pictures taken as you can see from the samples below. We have to admit it was bitter cold standing on the snow, with the low temperatures and wind blowing. But we were warmed by the thought of the wonderful pictures that were being taken. There were a lot more cameras at the races then they are used to seeing. The track announcer asked one of our members why so many photographers. The reply was that we are part of a photography group from Connecticut and are here to take pictures. Two photographs taken that day by Harold Sisken are shown below.
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