Sunrise over the Atlantic

 

Evan had to be at weigh-in at seven this morning for wrestling tournament. It was a perfect morning to stop and walk along the beach. It was a fruitful morning.

Ice

I made these two ice photos on the golf course at Timber Point in East Islip. They reminds me of arial photographs.

It was a beautiful day today and it was great for a long walk with the camera. I was able to make a few keepers which always makes for an excellent day.

These were made with the Canon 5d and processed with ACR.

Holly

 

I went for a long walk in the woods to air out my head. There's been a lot going on up there. Can ya smell the wood burning? There's been little said about the offer of full-time employment as the town photographer. So I've been taking freelance work. I have to cross the double bookings bridge when I come to it.

As I walked into the woods up in Riverhead, I came across some Cedar Trees that had mos growing on the trunks. I kept walking deeper and deeper until I realized that I was walking on a snow covered, frozen bog. On the way out I found a couple of Holly's. I used the Canon G10 and processed this with ACR.

 

Kreativ Blogger Award

I was speechless today when I saw that Mrs. E has nominated this blog for a Kreativ blogging award. There's a few conditions I need to complete that are listed below.

1.Thank the person giving the award. 

2. Copy the award to this blog. 

3. Place a link to their blog.

4. Name 7 things people don't know about you. 
5. Nominate 7 bloggers who you admire.
6. Place a link to these bloggers.

7. Leave a comment on their blog notifying them of the award.  


Thank you Mrs. E for the Kreativ Blogger Award. 


Seven things people don't know about me.


1. I'm loyal to brands, retailers and the like... to a fault.
2. I hardly ever proof what I write, and I'm a poor speller. So I usually write my blog in open office or word and copy and paste it so I get the benefit of spell check.
3. I don't mind chick-flicks... if they are good.
4. I always wanted to live in Manhattan.
5. I don't mind the cold.
6. I sometimes visit a blog and don't comment.
7. I don't always say what I should when I should.
(that was harder then it looks)



Seven blogs I admire.
http://scriptorsenex.blogspot.com
Always interesting and sometimes very funny. 
http://elainaavalos.blogspot.com/ 
Some cool photography and writing.
http://silaartphoto.blogspot.com/
Lidija has a great eye. She is a gifted photographer especially in black and white.
http://stevengravano.blogspot.com
We share the same name and are not related! We found each other through blogging. A very talented artist.
http://homegrownstringband.blogspot.com
The Jackofsky's are a family band full of tradition. I've know Rick for a number of years and always enjoy their music. Their blog site is informative, just needs more posts!


Well, I'm gonna have to own you two more blogs, because the three other bloggers that I love to visit have been nominated or have already received the award. They are, in no particular order:



http://thesmittenimage.blogspot.com
Even though I'm really new to it, Hillary has a great blog. She has some beautiful photographs.
http://itsjusthowiseethings.blogspot.com/
Georgia's blog was just nominated by S.Etole another blogger I wanted to nominate.
Georgia is the living definition of creative. She's a true muse of the blogging world.
http://susan-moment.blogspot.com
Just_a moment is my spiritual grounding in the blogging world. Susan is a very special person and her blog is a worthwhile stop to find peace and beauty.

A Pair of Oak Leaves

On my walk in the woods the other day I noticed some green leaves belonging to a vine. They were withered, but still green. I made a few photos from different angles but was not happy with any of them.

I prefer these Oak leaves that caught some of the falling snow.

I used the Canon G10 in macro mode for these photos. It's one of my favorite things about this little camera, the macro setting. Bother were processed with ACR.

Nine

Today was a long day. We volunteer as a family to cook breakfast for a homeless shelter here on the east end of Long Island. Maureen's Haven is a non-denomination not-for-profit that arranges dinner, a warm place to sleep and breakfast to the homeless. They work through local churches that host the program. Our church doesn't host but supplies volunteers to St. Mary's who can do double duty so to speak because of this arrangement. We'd like to host the program at our own church, but we have storage issues and have no place to store the bed rolls, pillows and air mattresses.
Last year we did a breakfast in January and another in March. This year will be the same. This morning we saw the largest group in our five years as volunteers. I'm sure it's a combination of the very cold weather and the bad economy. This was the first time I saw a bit of rudeness towards one of the volunteers. Enough of the guests thanked us to make up for it.
Today's photo could have been a snow photo, but I decided I would add to my numbers series. This nine was on the front grill of a old brush truck parked at the Middle Island Fire Department. I was there for an Boy Scout Eagle Scout and the old truck caught my eye.
Made with the Canon d5 MkII, processed with ACR.

More snow

It snowed all day today with little accumulation, maybe an inch or two. It felt good to get out and walk around in it. There was no wind and it must have been just cold enough for snow, it was comfortable to stay outdoors for a while. I walked through the woods and everything was white and still.

These three photos were made in Hampton Bays, by the railroad tracks. They were made with the Canon 5d MKII and processed with ACR.

Paw Prints

These tracks in the snow probably belongs to one of my sister-in-law's cats, Oreo or Louie. I've seen them both in my yard at various times. Our cat, Sasha is strictly an indoor cat, but I think they know she's in here.

These foot prints remind me of my life. I never venture too far from what I know. The photo only shows a small part of the tracks, and even though they cross and look like they separate; they start and end-up in the same place. Creatures of habit, both the cats and I.

Shells

So, I was offered a full-time job as a photographer yesterday that caught me by surprise.  There’s a lot to think about, I’m still a bit dumbfounded. One the one hand, I’m 52 and could use the security that comes with vested benefits, this is especially important being diabetic. On the other hand, I’ve worked very hard to get to this point to get the stable of clients I have. Working full time would mean giving up the majority or all of them.

This morning I spent some time photographing these shells my wife keeps in a basket. I placed them on the floor in the sunlight and made a few exposures with the macro mode of the Canon G10. This is the one I liked the best. 

Dance Zone

I think that's what the sign says, dance zone. I made this photo at Agawam Beach in Southampton, there must be a lot going on there in the summer.There's hardly anyone there when I'm there, so I don't know when the dancing starts.
Today was the annual organizational meeting for the Suffolk County Legislature. All eighteen members, the County DA and Sheriff and the legislative clerks and council all get sworn in. So there's lots of photos, lots of work today. I'm a little silly at this point in the night. Silly and tired.

Sedum in Snow

I have Sedum growing in a few spots in my yard and usually I cut them to the ground in fall. This fall I just didn't have time to cut them back, lucky me.
I made this photograph yesterday when there was little wind to blow the light snow off the dead flowers. Today, they are covered with snow again.

Isabel turns nine.

If it wasn't for the tattoo in her ear, we would know when Isabel was born. Both ears have tattoos, one is a serial number given to all greyhounds and the other is her date of birth and litter order.

Here she is not looking happy, she doesn't like photographs, the cold or snow. It's snowing and I'm trying to get a photo of her, two out of three of things that annoy her the most.

We adopted Isabel in 2003, she was two years old and came from a track in Seabrook New Hampshire. She didn't know how to go up or down steps and she ate really fast, both of which she has overcome.

She's a real mush and loves people.

New Years Day 01.01.10

We had a light snow yesterday morning. It's a good thing it was light, because it was wet and it would have been difficult to shovel. Along with the snow, there was no breeze, so the snow just stayed on the branches or whatever else it landed on.

 

Blue Moon 2009

Tonight is the second full moon in December 2009. In modern times this is called a Blue Moon. I've heard may explanations of where the term came from or how this particular phenomenon inherited the name.

Two full moons in one month happen approximately every thirty months or so. But the last blue moon to happen on a News Years Eve was in 1990. The moon doesn't look any more blue than any other full moon. It's just the name for the second full moon in a month.

Today's photo I made yesterday on the way home from work. I was amazed at how beautiful the sky looked with all the blues and grays and the almost full moon. As I drove, the sky kept changing, so I looked for somewhere to pull over to make a photo.

It looked so peaceful, maybe some how it could be a sign of what is to come in 2010. Optimistic I know, but I can still wish everyone a peaceful, happy New Year.

Frozen Cold Spring Pond

Today's post is of the frozen Cold
Spring Pond on Christmas night. Cold Spring Pond is not a pond at
all. It is said that the strip is man made, put there to make an
expensive development. Most of the homes on the strip are seasonal.
I'm not sure about the the A frame on the left, but my boys were in
school with the children that live in the other lit house. I think
the strip is beautiful this time of year, especially from our side of
the pond.

I used the Canon 5d and Photomaxtix
Tone Mapping Program for this image.

Bay Skiff

The frigid cold hit Long Island today. Since early this morning, we've had high winds and temperatures in the twenties before the wind factor. The wind is sill blowing relentlessly, and it's a mere seventeen right now. I'm glad I'm in for the night. My wife walked to a neighbors house a few doors away. He sister and mother, the neighbor Lorraine and my wife get together every so often and play games. As of late, they've been playing Nintendo Wii games. Tonight, as I understand it, my mother-in-law wants to play Rock band. I'm sure it's a sight to see, bur it's way too cold for me to venture out into the night air for entertainment. Even if it might be really funny.

Today's photo is from the dock around the corner, in fact, it's a few yards from Lorraine's house. This is one of the skiffs used by the baymen to harvest clams and oysters that grow in Cold Spring Pond. Except for the inlet into Peconic Bay, the pond is frozen over. After today, the inlet and Peconic might also be mostly ice.

 

Black Sand

Today's photo came from a walk I took on the beach. I'm not sure I'd ever seen sand this color sand in Southampton. Maybe, it's the winter tide or how much of the beach has eroded these past few months.

Whatever the reason it looked beautiful and I had to make a couple of photographs.

My wife and I rented the movie My Sister's Keeper with Cameron Diaz last night. If you like tear jerkers, this gets five stars. It's about an eleven year old's quest to get medical emancipation from her parents who had her as a child donor to keep her lukemia-stricken older sister alive. It's a bit jumpy, I felt like I was paging through a family photo album from various parts of the album. Other than that it was a great tear jerker. The actors and actresses did great job in the movie, even Alec Baldwin.

 

A day of quiet.

Christmas comes and goes so fast sometimes. This was one of those years for me. The blizzard we had last weekend didn't help. It took us two days of shoveling and snow throwing the driveway to get the cars out. There's a lot a work preping for the Christmas Eve dinner with the in-laws. Christmas Eve mass and putting the gifts under the tree makes for a long day.

It's nice to have a day that's close to the normal routine.

Today's post is of a flag waving snowman in Hampton Bays I passed on my way to pick-up the fish order for Christmas Eve dinner. With today's warmer weather and the rain, I'm not sure she'll be around for long.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas and a happy, health and Peaceful

New Year.

Shoveling

Evan Cel and I spend all day shoveling out and I'm not sure we'll be able to get out tomorrow

Needless to say, I an very tired.

My oldest son, Brian is driving home tomorrow form Potsdam. They felt it would be better to leave a day latter. I'm so glad I didn't suggest that.

Isabel does know what do do with the three foot drifts. She's not fond of snow.

Careful what you wish for.

I've been so looking forward to snow, but of all times to get it, it's the weekend Brian and Adam are coming home from school Brian and a couple of friends are driving back form Potsdam. The weather maps all show the heaviest of the snow here on Long Island. They should be fine, but I still worry.

Adam is taking Amtrak in Manhattan like he did for Thanksgiving. It's a lot safer than driving, but I still worry.

I made this photo at about four o'clock , it hasn't stopped since. The meteorologist are saying we'll get between six and twelve inches before five tomorrow. I got what I wished for.

 

Homeless for the Holiday

Last night, Sayville was transformed into something magical. Unbeknown to shoppers as they walking from shop to shop looking for holiday gifts. Quietly, like a nighttime snow, half a block away homeless families from Suffolk County Shelters are dining on prime rib and listening to a jazz trio and gospel singers. Not just any jazz trio, a phenomenal group of brothers, without formal musical training, the youngest, an eight year old drummer; they also are homeless.

Every Child's Dream, the not-for-profit who organizes the night for five hundred guests also arranges to have a Santa and gifts for all the children, and it’s all donated.

Bill Lindsay, the Presiding officer of the Suffolk County Legislature and Wayne Horsley a legislator from Lindenhurst collect gently used coats, hats and gloves. The families are free to browse through the racks of garments for whatever they need.

Buses were donated from a local company for those who needed to get back and forth.

I left as the volunteers were changing the table setting for the second seating.  As I stopped at the light two blocks from the festivities a bus from Little Flower Children’s and Family Services pulled up beside me. The glow from the children on that bus out did the holiday lights that adorned the well-decorated village shops.

Yes Virginia there is a Santa Claus. He comes in all shapes and sizes, all colors and nationalities.  He was big and small, young and old and yes, I think he was even homeless. Everyone left there knowing what Christmas is really all about. 

Pine Cone

I took a short walk today at one of my usual trails. I didn't come across anything of interest but a couple of pine cones on some Black Pine Trees. This is the first one I made a photo of. The way the sun filtered into the wooded area and lit the cone made it stand out against the out-of-focus background. I thought the detail was unreal.

I made this photo with the Canon G20 and processed it with photoshop.

Green Wall

It’s funny how something I see a few times a month can all of a sudden look different. I park against, along or across from this wall whenever I visit the dry cleaner. This one morning I must have been there at the right time to catch the light.

The one spatter of yellow on the green wall just added to the whole thing.

I used the Canon g10 and Photoshop for this image.

 

Christmas Window

 

Inspired by a line in a Mary Chapin Carpenter song, I made a couple of images of store windows dressed for the holiday season. This is my favorite of the two. Believe seems to be a reoccurring theme this Christmas. Macys has it on their bags and this little shop in Hampton Bays has it in their window. I liked the depth this window has and I’m a sucker for white picket fences.

I made this photo with the canon G10 and processed it with ACR.

Leaves and twigs

Looking down, good advise I picked up from a fellow blogger, Georgia at itsjusthowiseethings, brought met his image today. In the steady rain I caught a brake and made this image. Actually it’s three images, all at different exposures for a HDR composite.

The camera was the Canon 5d Mark II and it was processed with Photomatix Pro and Photoshop.

Tree of Honor

Ellen McVeety, the Deputy Supervisor, of the Town of Babylon, has decorated the Town Hall Christmas Tree a bit differently this year. Instead of traditional Christmas ornaments, their tree is dressed with red, white and blue stars as well as white lights and American Flags. McVeety has asked town residents and employees to supply a photograph of an friend or family member in the service, They can be active or in the reserves. The photos are then attached to the stars and hung on the Tree of Honor.

She just wanted people to remember the men and women serving our country during the holiday season.

One mother wrote to Ellen about how difficult it will be this Christmas without her son Matt there. Hopefully all of us can remember the service people and their families this season.

These are some photos of the tree.

More peace; it's still a good idea.

I had to have been really tired last night because I had to edit yesterday’s post twice. It was the photos that had to be changed not my English! Sad.

Today’s photo is the last of the peace wreaths. Maybe when I go back to the village I’ll see more.

Same camera and processing.

Southampton Village Peace

Southampton Village is all decorated for the holidays; the reoccurring theme this year is the Peace Wreath. I did a family portrait Saturday night and my client told me about the wreaths. She said it’s because of the 40^th Anniversary of Woodstock.

These were made with the Canon5d Mark II and processed with Photomatix Tone mapping program.

Patchogue in the rain

Patchogue looked very cool in the rain through the windshield, so I just had to make a photo. This was the best of a half dozen or so images. You can see a red car on the left of the frame.

I made this image with the Canon G10 and processed it with Photoshop.

Purple seed pods

I came across these seed pods on a walk last week. I've seen them before, maybe they're some kind of plant in the milk weed family.

This time I stopped to get a good, close look. I especially love the way they drape down and their color. This group had a seed or two still in one of the pods. It also had the remains of a spiders web around the top.

I used the Canon G10 in macro mode and processed it with ACR.

 

Busy Saturday

It’s a very windy and cold night. We had rain all day sometimes it was mixed with snow. Our house is situated higher than all the property on the north side of us. Cold Spring Pond also sits to our north. When the wind comes from the north, nothing stops it and it sounds fierce. Sometimes I think I’ll find the siding all torn apart, and once it peeled back a piece of the flashing used on the roof. Tonight is one of those nights.

I worked all day today. This morning I photographed Jeffery Canada, a man doing amazing things in education with children in Harlem. He came to speak before the first graduates of The New Beginnings group in Wyandanch; the town Mr. Canada came from. This evening I want to Patchogue, where the Fire Department was holding a surprise welcome home party for a member returning from Iraq. Both were very emotional events.

Today’s photo is from the Village of Patchouge. I made this image from the Fire House parking lot. I thought the lone Christmas tree in the window looked cool. I made this image with the Canon G10 and processed it with ACR

 

Hard Hat Area

A little irony is always a good thing. With all those hard hats it’s easy to see this is a Hard Hat area. I found this while waiting for a press conference to start at a buildings trade school. The pattern the hats made remind me of the computer game Tetris I used to play. It was so addicting. I just got a Wolverine ESP photo safe that reads media and makes backups. It has Tetris loaded on it. Hey, is that a ladies hat on the bottom right?

Photo was made with the Canon 5d Mark II and processed with Canon’s Digital Photo Professional and Photoshop.

Mr. Cool, calm and collected.

I don’t often post photos made on the job. But I was so impressed with how composed this person was I needed to make this image and post it.

Last Tuesday at the general meeting of the Suffolk County Legislature, this candidate for a commissioner’s spot in the county was there to answer questions.

The legislature grilled this guy. I couldn’t believe how he sat there cool, calm and collected and answered their questions for two and a half hours.

This photo sums up how he looked for most of the ordeal.

Canon 5d Mark II Canon’s Digital Photo Professional, and Photoshop were the tools used.

Blue

Another tiring day, not with a lot of work, just a lot of running around, I even did some Christmas shopping.

Blue. I just had to make a photograph of the side of this storage container; the color just jumped out at me.

Made with the Canon 5d Mark II and processed with Photoshop and Canon’s Digital Photo Professional 

Birch Trees

Today’s post was made near yesterday’s cattail photograph. Nothing  different, Canon 5d Mark II and processed with both Canon’s Digital Photo Professional and Photomatix Tonal Mapping program.

Birch trees are my favorite trees and they make great subjects.

 

Cattail

After dropping my son, Adam off in Northfield Vermont, I stopped to fill the car and get a much-needed coffee. I noticed a few cattails and decided to make a few photographs before leaving.

This was made with the Canon 5d Mark II and processed with Canon’s Digital Photo Professional and Photomatix Tone Mapping program.

 

Cross Sound Ferry, Orient, NY

I’m sitting in my car at the New London Ferry terminal waiting for a spot on an earlier ferry back home. I’ve been in the car almost all day. Adam and I stopped for breakfast in Massachusetts. That was the only stop on the way back to school, once we got there; I took him grocery shopping and then say my good-bys. Now it’s 7:30 and I’m on stand-by for an earlier boat. My reservation was for the last ferry back to Orient Point at 8:45. I was just too tired to hang around up at Norwich, and I sensed that Adam didn’t really what his father hanging out in his dorm.

Part two.

It’s a lot easier to get a good night sleep knowing the boys are safe and back at school. I got back home around 11:30 and was wiped out.

This image was made yesterday morning when we arrived for the first ferry to New London, Connecticut. Made with the Canon 5d Mark II and processed with Photoshop. 

 

The holiday is over. Tomorrow Adam and I leave at five thirty to catch a ferry. I’ll be driving him back to Vermont. Brian needs to catch a six o’clock train from Speonk to meet his schoolmates in NYC. They are driving from Manhattan to Potsdam. I just hate the thought of someone else driving.

My in-laws were here for diner tonight and to say good-bye to their grandsons. It’s a tradition now for the family to gather here the night before they leave. At least tonight was early and I’ll get a good night sleep before my trip to Vermont and back. It was fun having them home and having the whole family together.

Today’s image is from the dock around the corner. Oyster pots. Photographed with the Canon G10 and processed with ACR.

 

The cold, the wind and the rain.

What a cold and rainy day. I’m glad yesterday was better. We had Thanksgiving at my sister-in-laws yesterday. They made a fire in the outdoor stove; it was a beautiful day.

Today’s photo I made yesterday morning when I ran out to get a couple of things. I used the Canon G10 and processed it with ACR.

 

52 and Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving to all. I am most grateful that my family is home and safe. This morning or local newspaper has an article about a young man from SUNY Potsdam, Brian’s school, who was killed when coming home for Thanksgiving break. The car he was in flipped over. All three students in the car were from Long Island.

I can’t image the pain that family is feeling today. I try to teach my boys to be independent and to try and find their own way home. I feel blessed that Brian got a ride and made it back safely.

My prayers go out to the Spencer family.