It's Been A While

So I'm posting a little drivel and some pictures from a recent road trip to Maine.

Drivel: three dolled up Flamingos. Feather'd crowns and sparkly beads and heels. This little ornament adorns my sister's Pink Bathroom Pink Flamingo Tree ... (I have one too ... but mine is currently hiding in the kitchen drawer)

A fresh water marsh in Gardiner, Maine.

The 'big beach' at Kennebunk, Maine.

Water rushing through a sluice, Gardiner, Maine.

I have no idea where the time goes or why I don't have my camera with me every single time I leave this house. I miss way too many good picture opportunities.

Got to get myself in the habit.

Halloween Past

I'm still sorting through the thousands of digital images I have on both my pc and the in-house server. It's quite an interesting and fun project but does take lots of time.

Here are a few pictures from Halloweens Past.

Our 2008 store bought (or perish the thought) cake!

Emily and Buzz! 2008

A decorated boat, Pickering Wharf, Salem MA 2007

Full Moon rose while we waited for the train. 2007 Salem Depot

2007 Aye Matey!

2003 A very scary witch to be!

October 2003 from this ...
... to this ....

Happy Halloween!

I'm slowly, but surely, organizing my digital photos on the PC. I have been making new folders, giving more meaning to labels ... ie: 2007 Emily Bday or 2008 Salisbury Beach, that sort of thing. Labeling by year and event works well. At least, it appears to work well. But I have years worth of photos that are just 'there' waiting patiently to be sent to a folder or have their own folder.

Today, I was sorting and came across a few ... that I thought I'd post. Nothing terribly special, just some shots, that at the time of the taking were interesting to me. For some reason.

2008 Late afternoon in late summer at the golf course.

2007 'shrooms growing in the lawn

2008 Early fall afternoon sky

2007 Organic Twins

2007 Bee or wasp nest fallen from the eave

2007 Garden Snake

Today and always, God Bless America

I went to bed with 9/11/2001 on my mind and I woke thinking about that horrible day. Like all of you, I can tell you precisely where I was, who I was with, what I was doing when I heard the news and how for a brief moment in time we believed that the news we were hearing was about a horrific crash and not a terrorist attack.

At our office, there was a scramble to locate a television of any size and condition so that we could see with our own eyes ... and when we finally got a tiny portable TV to work, the shock sank in.

Today I was hoping to post a remembrance of one of the victims or heroes of 9/11/2001, the day America was attacked; I was late getting over to Project 2996, http://project2996.wordpress.com/ and so I won't be getting one done today.

However, we can all go over to Project 2996 and browse through the list of names, memories, tributes posted by and linked to other bloggers.

Today I offer a prayer for the victims, heroes, and families of those directly affected by the attack and I offer a hope that America and her citizens will remain vigilant against oppression and terrorism and work together to keep each of us safe and secure in the knowledge that we are a great country of many.

God Bless America. Today and always.

cross posted @ Flamingo Feathers.

Storm Clouds Over The Merrimack River

Looking inland following the Merrimack River

Across the River to Plum Island

Facing out to sea

Our group cooking on a grill, facing inland

Facing inland as clouds form

Along the horizon, barely able to view the skyline of Newburyport

Facing out to sea at the mouth of the river as it goes out to the Atlantic. Local fishermen surf fish on both sides of the river. This, the Salisbury side and directly across the river, Plum Island.

One week ago today as New England dealt with the thunder storms of Hurricane Bill -- who fortunately stayed way off the coast -- we were at a Mexican Feast at Salisbury Beach State Reservation http://www.essexheritage.org/sites/salisbury_beach.shtml with our friends up visiting from Florida.

Great food prepared by Norma and Wendy, lovely way to spend the afternoon ... but a bit wet around the edges.

Two BackYard Beauties & Cape Ann Golf Course

Queen's Tiara Iris

Lacy Ruff Iris

Cape Ann Golf Course

This is part of the view from the fourth hole at Cape Ann Golf Course. Yes, the clubs are there purposefully. The lighter color at the line of the horizon are the dunes of the 'back side' of Crane's Beach.

The sun was shining, the ocean breeze was constant and if I hadn't been golfing I could have been birding. Today was an amazing golf day.

Off to the left out of sight I could see the Crane Estate's castle ... and then as your eyes pan right you see the great marsh, an island and then further off the picture to the right the mouth of the Essex River, Conomo Point and the Essex salt marsh.

To golf here at this course today was like being on vacation. Add to that my playing ability today -- shocking how well I played!

Ta! Daaaaah!

The very first picture from my new camera. Put the battery in, turned the camera on, pointed and voila! Mac is the subject for that moment.

Tiffy, the cockatoo who came to visit me at work last week. He rode in on his owner's shoulder and then had a nice visit with me while his owner took care of some business.

Snowdrops, I think. These were found the other day on a walk out with my sister. We were at Bradly Palmer State Park looking at one of the old houses there.

Second floor sun room. That's what I want!

The carriage house has fallen to ruin, but I understand that a lease has been signed for this property.

There you have it. Some first shots from the new camera. These are all fully automatic shots. Now I've got to get myself back into the swing of working manually.

Nope. No pictures yet.

A junco looks for sunflower seed in the snow, February 2009. Taken with the Polaroid point and shoot.

In fact, if you want to see anything from me ... you have to visit my other blog, Flamingo Feathers (link in the side bar) for now.

I'm halfway through the manual that came nicely packaged with the camera.

There is a lot to learn about the camera ... forget the photography part ... I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

It's Here!

At long last, I have a new camera. One that I am sure will on the one hand frustrate me as I go through the learning curve, and on the other hand will please me no end once I get the hang of it!

A Canon EOS 1000 set on auto shoot for the moment. I've not had time to fiddle with adjustments or to flip through the manual, but in a week or so when I've not much to do but lay around recovering from a bout with the oral surgeon, I'll have plenty to read!

So don't lose that blogger link just yet! I'll be posting pictures and simple lines of explanation again soon. When AOL bumped us, I opened this blog as my photo blog and my other as my writing blog.

Stay tuned. Please?

"C'est la vie!"

Good News!

I've had an interesting few months what with dental woes, all this snow and 'that darned camera' I broke. Well, it wasn't me, exactly, because the problem was a defect in construction, more or less, I guess.

I digress!

Good News! The box store that my first digital camera was purchased from honored my extended warranty (worth the little bit of money in my case), sent the camera out for repair, sent it on to Nikon, who advised them no repair can be made and I have been authorized to purchase a new camera!

Of course, this purchase must take place at the box store I made the original purchase from just under four years ago ... but that's okay! I have a nearly $500.00 credit and with the stash I've got put aside, I may just be able to move up to the camera I've been hoping for.

"Which one?" you ask. I dunno. I was all set for a Nikon digital SLR and then a Cannon Rebel and then back to a Nikon ... so I am going to shop a bit and then decide.

... and here's a little something for your winter pleasure ... not that we need any more reminders, or anything ...

True Love Isn't Just For Valentine's Day

My daughter holds hands with her boyfriend while waiting to board the charter buses delivering them to Junior Prom. May 2007.

These two? Love each other purely.

And. They demonstrate to others just how love should be.

Camera On The Road to Recovery

Well, I am hopeful. I dug around until I found the almost four-year-old paper work for the purchase of my camera and discovered that the warranty does not run out until May 18, 2009!

This is one time I'm glad I purchased the extended version. Nikon will fix or replace my camera and I am very happy about that. I should have something to work with ... my old baby or a new one ... in about two weeks.

In the meanwhile, here is a file photo from last winter, just around this time.

Bethel Maine, home to Sunday River Ski Resort

Wishing It Were Fall

Last year's shot of an Eastern Bluebird. For the past few years during late January, early February, a small flock has stopped by our back yard for a day or two. Still waiting for them .... in 2009.

January 2007

There isn't much of a difference in how the front yard looked last year at this time and today. We've had lots of snow over the last couple of winters.

Purple teddy bears make for easy siting on the white snow. Grrrr

What?

Winter Blues

Today's Old Fodder

On the Capen Road in Gardiner Maine, last year, this porch entry was buried under the snow slide from the porch roof. Clever of the resident to just make an opening through ...