From my home to yours…
Merry Christmas!
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Music in the Air!
There’s music in the air…and that’s not the only thing! A dusting of snow covered the ground during the night. Perhaps we’ll have a White Christmas after all!
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Sunday, December 4, 2011
A Lesson on Food Photography
Michael Miller of Memories Photography Studio gave a hands-on demonstration of food photography at our club meeting this week.
To tell you the truth, I wasn’t especially interested in that topic (boring!!!) and nearly stayed home that evening. But I forced myself to go, thinking what the heck…I’d give it a shot!
As it turned out, the joke was on me. I came home enthused and hungry to apply my new knowledge.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Jukebox: The Original iPod
A jukebox…the original iPod…is a treasured relic from the past. Recently I had the good fortune to view one man’s impressive collection of jukeboxes. The bright, colorful lights of these machines caught my attention.
Here are Bits ’N Pieces of my favorites…
The iPod is an excellent example of the technological advances made in music-playing devices. But I still miss the Happy Days era of the jukebox.
“There was a magic to it that made me want to be a part of the world it came from. ” ~Bob Harris
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Ice-Cream Parlor
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Terry's Antiques
“I collect antiques. Why? Because they’re beautiful.” ~Broderick Crawford
Sunday, November 6, 2011
DOWN WITH FRACKING!
A few months ago, Sharon Springs sprang into battle against hydro-fracking by holding a “Day of Action.” Community members were urged to express their thoughts and concerns about fracking. Color fabric markers and blank flags were provided…along with music and cookies! The unique results can be seen blowing in the wind, creating a beautiful statement of protest.
To read more about the campaign against hydro-fracking, click on this link:
Sunday, October 30, 2011
North Creek
After last week’s posting, a friend of mine expressed disappointment that I only showed one image from our recent train trip to North Creek. I promised her that I would post more this week, and true to my word, here they are.
Friends make the path of life worth traveling! ~Author Unknown
Sunday, October 23, 2011
DC Metro People: Adirondack Style
DC Metro People:
“This photo blog aims to capture all the fascinating people who ride and depend on DC Metro. The people featured are unaware they are being photographed. All photographs were taken and processed with an iPhone.”
My son lives in the D.C. area and is a frequent traveler on the Metro. He discovered this site and, knowing my love of photography, shared the link with me. Surreptitiously capturing a slice of everyday life is fascinating to me, which is why I find DC Metro People so intriguing.
A couple of weeks ago, some friends and I took a train ride in the Adirondacks to enjoy the beautiful fall foliage. We are all photographers, and of course, didn’t leave home without our cameras. Can you guess where I am going with this story? If you said that I wanted to emulate DC Metro People by photographing train passengers without their awareness, you were right!
I don’t own a smart phone, so I had to make do with my DSLR. Easier said than done, as pointing a big camera at someone is rather conspicuous! I tried covering up my actions by pretending to photograph my friend sitting next to me. In actuality, I was focusing on the family sitting across the aisle from us!
As promised, here is the answer to last week’s “Guessing Game”:
When my sister was here a few weeks ago, we paid a visit to a museum called Town Line Garage…a local treasure that is dedicated to the 1950’s and 60’s. The museum is actually closed for the season, but the owner was very gracious in allowing us to stop by.
Sitting in the middle of the old-time soda shop, was a huge display cabinet that housed a diorama. I thought the scene was beautiful and took a quick snapshot of it.
The owner, apologizing for the disarray, told us that the diorama had come from Guy Park Manor (a local historic site) and had been damaged in the recent flooding that ravaged the area. He had been asked to repair the diorama, was still in the process of working on it when we visited that day.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Guessing Game
Can anyone guess where this photo was taken?
Hint: Things are not always as they appear.
Check next week’s posting for the answer!
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Just Another Pretty Face
Isn’t he cute? One of the many fun things my sister and I did during her visit was to attend an open house at a nearby Alpaca farm.
Alpaca yarn is so soft! If I had more time, I’d knit myself a sweater!
Animals are such agreeable friends - they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms. ~George Eliot
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Me and My Sister
My sister, who I rarely see because she lives out of state, is here visiting. There has been lots of laughter and fun…and a few surprises…as we created many wonderful memories this past week!
A sister is a gift to the heart, a friend to the spirit, a golden thread to the meaning of life. ~Isadora James
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Sunday, September 18, 2011
sil·hou·ette n
1“An outline of somebody or something filled in with black or a dark color on a light background, especially when done as a likeness or work of art.”
America’s Got Talent 2011 (Season 6):
And the winner is ... Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr.!
Ooops…there goes my story! I had it all planned, too. I visualized “And the winner is…” followed by a drumroll…“THE SILHOUETTES!”
I was going to post an image of my favorite AGT-2011 contestants in action,
and then honor the winners with my own silhouette. The best laid plans…[sigh]…well, there’s no sense in feeling sorry for myself.
Actually, I have a confession to make. Wednesday night, I was glued to the TV waiting for the big announcement. It was down to the final two acts: The Silhouettes, a large group of young, very talented dancers, and Landau Eugene Murphy Jr., a guy with a golden voice like Sinatra’s, trying to provide for his family on a poor car washer’s salary. The American Dream versus the American Dream.
As America waited, the silence was deafening. Suddenly, I found myself secretly rooting for Landau. How could that be? Sure, those kids deserved the million bucks. But by the time it was divided among 40 zillion children and taxes were taken out, how much money would that really be for each of them? I thought of Landau, and what a million dollars would mean for him and his family.
I crossed my fingers and furtively hoped my husband’s first choice would win. He did. In my heart, though, all of the very talented finalists are winners!
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Yesterday's Gone
This week the school bells rang, summoning children back to their classrooms. While autumn has not officially arrived, summer fun is over.
I dream of yesterday...
…but yesterday’s gone.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Good Riddance, Irene!
I’m sure by now that everyone has had his or her fill of Irene. Can you stand one more story?
The hurricane, which was downgraded to a tropical storm by the time it reached us, did more damage to our community than I ever imagined. At least, nothing like I’ve ever seen in my lifetime!
Last Monday morning, with the storm safely behind us, I arrived at work and was stunned to see our school parking…normally a huge empty lot…filled to capacity with travel trailers, motor homes, trucks, and school buses. The county fairgrounds, located at the bottom of our school hill and next to the Mohawk River, had flooded. The annual county fair, set to open the very next day, was postponed and carnival workers were evacuated and moved to our school parking lot.
Later, I would see photos…taken high above from a helicopter…that showed water up to the roofs of the colorful striped carnival tents. Park Street, directly across from the fair entrance, had morphed into a huge lake. The ice-cream business, located on the corner of Park Street, had raging water up to its counters! Beyond that sits the bus garage, which now housed six feet of water instead of school buses…which had also been moved to our parking lot.
Beyond the obvious damage done by raging water and flooding, roads and bridges were closed, and thousands were without electricity or phone service. With the NYS Thruway and Routes 5 and 5S closed in both directions, State officials hastily put together a plan to re-route traffic from Amsterdam going west via Route 29 to Route 67. Unfortunately, officials did not realize that their plan forced traffic…including huge tractor-trailers…to snake through the small downtown streets of Johnstown. This resulted in one gigantic mess…with bumper-to-bumper traffic stretched for miles. Thank goodness for businesses with big hearts. The Stewart’s in Johnstown offered their restroom facilities…and I heard that the line snaked out the door and around the block!
The above photos were taken on Monday afternoon. By that time, the tremendous floodwaters had receded a great deal. Bright, sunny skies disguised the havoc that inflicted the area only hours before.
Now, nearly one week later, things are considerably calmer. The majority of roads and bridges have re-opened, and electricity has been restored to all of Fulton and Montgomery Counties. The “carnies” moved back to the fairgrounds, and the 170th Fonda Fair finally opened its doors on Thursday evening; ironically, as rain fell from the sky.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
The Intersection: Images I Saw
As I write this, the effects of Hurricane Irene can be seen – and heard – as the wind pounds rain against my windows. Gazing at the storm outside, it’s incredible to think that just a few days ago I was out there, enjoying a picture-perfect summer day…doing what I love best.
My friend, Linda, and I were in the city of Albany, shooting with Canons to our hearts’ content. (Don’t get the wrong idea…there was no gunfire…just the sweet sound of the shutter clicking!)
This outing was planned weeks ago, with the stipulation that we wouldn’t go unless the weather was good. Perfect weather, actually. We wanted a pretty day with blue skies. Fortunately, Lady Luck was on our side. For not only were we blessed to have a sunshiny day with lovely blue skies and fluffy white clouds, but the temperature was perfect, too!
Standing at the intersection of Clinton Avenue and North Pearl Street, these are the images I saw:
Rain, rain, go away
Please bring back
Another shooting day!
Sunday, August 21, 2011
FOR SALE
123 Balsam Avenue, Caroga Lake...
Only a short walk to the beach!
Here’s a peek at the newly renovated inside:
Interested? For more information, check out:
http://www.www.campcaroga.com/BALSAM.html
Sunday, August 14, 2011
He's home!!!
…and I’m enjoying every minute of it!
There is an enduring tenderness in the love of a mother to a son that transcends all other affections of the heart. ~Washington Irving
Sunday, August 7, 2011
It won't be long...
…before the pitter-patter of little (and big) feet will be heard in the halls along the banks of the Mohawk.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
The Mulberry Tree
Once upon a time, in a faraway land, a Baby Mulberry Tree grew alongside a little house. Inside the little house lived Papa Bear, Mama Bear, and Baby Bear.
Many years passed. Baby Bear grew up. So did the Baby Mulberry Tree. Even the house got larger!
One summer day, Papa Bear told Mama Bear, “It’s time to trim that Mulberry Tree.” You see, that tree had gotten so big and heavy, it split in half and its long branches swooped over their house. So Papa Bear got out his chain saw. Whrrrrrr went the saw as Papa Bear trimmed the Mulberry Tree. “Gee, that looks better!” Papa Bear exclaimed.
In fact, Papa Bear thought that the tree looked so good, he’d trim a little more. After all, he reasoned, more would be even better! Whrrrrrr went the chain saw as more branches fell to the ground. “Gee that looks better!” Papa Bear exclaimed.
A few weeks passed and one day, Papa Bear looked at the Mulberry Tree and thought to himself, “Hmmm…that Mulberry Tree needs a little more trimming.” Whrrrrrr went the chain saw, over and over.
Papa Bear called Mama Bear outside. “Look at this Mulberry Tree!” he cried. “It’s ugly and it doesn’t provide any shade for our house. It’s time to chop it down!” he shouted.
Goodbye, Mulberry Tree…I’m going to miss you!
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Faceless Portraits
(For best viewing, please click to enlarge)
The photo group I belong to met this week for another round of the 4 GF’s: great friends, great food, great fotos (theirs…not mine!), and great fun!
At our meetings, we share the results of our latest “homework” project. This month, it was Faceless Portraits…a delightful photo assignment (thanks, Linda)! I’m always amazed at the various interpretations that come out of these assignments. The other photographers in my group do spectacular work, and this month’s results were no exception.
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