Day 111: April 21st
Day 110: April 20th
The houses surrounding the casinos in Atlantic City
“Bennington,” (1945), as part of the exhibition “Grandma Moses: Grandmother to the Nation.
Speaking of Grandma Moses...Wikipedia says the following about this American Treasure:
Anna Mary Robertson Moses (September 7, 1860 – December 13, 1961), better known as "Grandma Moses", was a renowned American folk artist. She is often cited as an example of an individual successfully beginning a career in the arts at an advanced age. Moses had ten children but five died at birth. Although her family and friends called her either "Mother Moses" or "Grandma Moses," she first exhibited as "Mrs. Moses," yet the press eagerly dubbed her "Grandma Moses," which stuck." [1] LIFE magazine celebrated her 100th birthday by featuring her on its September 19, 1960 cover.
Day 109: April 19th
First Infantry
An army of rickshaws advances down the boardwalk in Atlantic City. I took a brief hiatus there. A little time away from the stress. I'm sure some think I go there to secretly gamble, but I don't gamble...not a single quarter of mine goes into a slot machine. Work is too hard to give the earnings away to the likes of Donald Trump. The last time I checked, he was doing just fine, so I'll keep my quarters thank you very much.
The best part of this break was the fact that the temps were really warm. I got a little sunburn in the part of my hair. The beach was nice enough to sit on, but of course, it is too early to go into the water. Hallelujah, there is no snow!
Day 108: April 18th
Day 107: April 17th
Hosta Sprouts
Tax day wasn't too bad this year. I waited until the very last day (the 14th) before I had mine done. Every year I say I won't wait until the last minute, but every year I do. So what? I'm not punching a time clock - they are done. I'm happy. The government is happy.
Day 106: April 16th
What the Cat Saw
Lately, I have been thinking of my nephew Brian. He is stationed in Iraq and even if he wasn't, he is always someone worth thinking about. He has a hard edge that makes him a soldier's soldier. He's had a sort of edge since he was a little kid. I remember once when he was little, he was sort of rubbing it in my face that he had McDonald's food and I didn't. Of course, he called it "DaDonalz," but I knew what he meant. He was only about three then. Now he's a grown man in a war zone. He's strong and handsome and in my letters to him I urge him to be kind whenever possible. That's so when he comes home he will be kind to me if he ever again has DaDonalz and I don't :-)
Day 105: April 15th
Out Back
Spring is now coming fast and furious. Plants are coming up right through the mess of leaves and sticks and the whole mess that winter created in the back yard. For some reason, there is moss everywhere. We never had that before. It's really trying to take over my beloved bricks on the back porch. It's time to get busy and clean up the place.
Day 104: April 14th
Below the Knees
I took this picture by just hanging the camera loosely from my hand, with my arm down at my side. The camera was set on autofocus. The intention was to see what the world looks like from the cat's viewpoint. Turns out it's a lot like Alice in Wonderland after she ate the "Eat Me" and drank the "Drink Me" stuff. You know, when she was really small. The Daffodil blooms were like big umbrellas hung in the sky of Cat-World.
Day 103: April 13th
Little Diamonds
They hide in the leaves after a rain, these little diamonds. I like to think that if I was ever home-bound, I would find enough interest in these worlds within my world.
Day 102: April 12th
Dogwood in the Front
It seems unfair that everyone else's trees in Philadelphia and in Levittown have bloomed and mine are just...well just...well JUST LOOK!!! It has to be my turn soon!
Day 100: April 10th
Al Capone's Jail Cell
This is a wide-angle view of the jail cell occupied by Al Capone in Eastern State Penitientiary. As you can see, it is much like a small living room. Contrast it with the image below, which is a standard jail cell in the same pentitentiary:
Day 98: April 8th
Orange-Winged Blackbird Taking Flight
I like taking brief vacations from my daily routine. These may only last a couple of hours and are generally to local areas. I find that moving out of my usual environment helps me to see things better. This is both figurative and literal. On the figurative side, it's good for the mind to shake things up a bit - talk to new people, get new ideas, see what the world looks like beyond your own wallpaper. On the literal side, when I go into new environs (such as the city or the ocean or the woods), I'm forced to really look at what's around me. If you think about the junk in your house - maybe the corner where you put your mail, bills, and rabies certificate for your dog - I think you will find that you don't even see the junk anymore. It's there, but it has become part of the landscape in your house so it doesn't hold anything that will shock, surprise or delight you. It's just there. When you are a photographer and your passion is seeing things, you have to snap out of that kind of sleep walking and pay attention! That's what these mini-vacations do for me.
This is two pictures of the same bird. It bothers me that I never ever get a good picture of an Orange-winged Blackbird. They are everywhere, yet I can't shoot them to save my life. On this day, I was too far away, fully extended out to 300mm. Sure, I got the moment of flight and the flash of orange, but NOT GOOD ENOUGH!!!
Day 97: April 7th
Sign of the Times
It isn't often you see a pay phone anymore. Who ever thought they would go away? It would be great if all phones went away and televisions, too. Then, people might speak face to face with each other again.
Day 96: April 6th
It's turning out to be a very wet spring and colder than usual. No surprise after this winter we've had. I'm still needing a coat when I take the dog out. When I work from home, I like to take her over to the park at lunch time, but the park is on a little hill and the wind is strong and cold up there. Slowly, better days will come and we are both looking forward to it. When it comes, will we complain about the heat? I remember visiting Bangalore during Januaries and Februaries. Once, we had a thick layer of snow on the ground here in Pennsylvania and it was bitterly cold. It was just the opposite in Bangalore - about 92 degrees Fahrenheit. One day I had an out-of-body experience as I listened to myself saying, "Oh my God, it's so hot!" This says two things to me 1) Opposites of anything often yield the same experience - in this case, discomfort and 2) You cannot satisfy a human being.
Day 95: April 5th
Doused and heavy with spring rain
Daffodils bend low to the ground
Paying homage to a warmer wind
And nodding
Their broad yellow faces
In total agreement
Winter is done!
Day 94: April 4th
Samantha and the Sky
Things on my mind: taxes...gotta get my taxes done; hair...gotta get my hair done; the basement...would like to remodel it - maybe put in a small gym and replace the rugs; retirement...will my money last as long as my body or will I die and so I shouldn't worry about it? The neighbors are another thing on my mind - why won't they spay/neuter their 25 cats? I wish that was an exaggeration, but it's not. Health is on my mind - need to get my bloodwork done so I can get my statin refilled at the end of the month. Hope my cholesteral level is down. Poetry: I'd like to write to Billy Collins, U.S. poet laureate in 2008. His poetry inspires me. He seems like a normal quirky guy and anyway, what does a Poet Laureate really do?
Day 93: April 3rd
Far Afield
Trapsing through these fields and woods is a treat on any day. If I lived near a canyon or in the Alaskan outback, chances are I would never make anything of myself, because I'd be too busy hiking. Unfortunately, after an exhilirating hike like this, there is still the grocery store to maneuver - another kind of wilderness!
Day 92: April 2nd
The sky! The sky!
Had a great day at Lake Towhee today. Sammy was happy to be out and about, my knee was cooperative, and so were the clouds. A spectacular sky like this does a lot to elevate my spirits. We walked in the woods and along the water's edge. Sam forgot herself and took a sudden swim in the lake. It was sort of disgusting, as the lake is full of decayed lily pad roots and goodness knows what else. Her wild abandon was a joy to see, though. Even though she smelled bad and was muddy all over, I let her back into the car for the ride home. Once there, I set about scrubbing her up. She DID NOT enjoy the cold bath under the hose!
It's days like this that give hope during the dark winter.
Day 91: April 1st
Maple Buds
Sure, they look innocent enough, but truth is that they are causing my "allergy induced asthma" to flare. Who can breathe anymore??? I am very fond of maple trees, though, and the return of leaves will be most welcome. This is one tree I can see from my bed. I like to lay there and watch this beautiful tree with its full compliment of leaves sway in the breeze on those long lazy summer days.
Day 90: March 31st
Farm Road at Night
Looks creepy, I know, but this is a most excellent road at any time of the day or night. Not much happening on this night, but there are often deer on the road - crossing it or just staring, um, like a deer in the headlights. Once I came upon two baby fox brothers wrestling in the middle of the road. They tumbled around until I think one must have said to the other, "Hey, do you feel like you're being watched?" They sat up abruptly, regarding my big black beast of a car and then ran off into the woods.
Just to prove how truly juvenile I can be - sometimes when I reach the middle of the bridge (which is actually where this picture was taken), I stop the car and turn off the headlights. It is the only way to really understand the phrase "pitch black."
Day 89: March 30th
The Big Thaw
Lake Nockamixon - admittedly not taken on March 30th...it was actually taken on February 19th. Since I didn't have a picture for today, this is the one I thought should get air time. At this point, there were still people out on the ice fishing. Couldn't pay me to walk on that lake once the thaw is this far underway. Nutters!
Day 88: March 29th
Happy Beyond All Doubt or Reason
Her world looks like this: Happy, happy, happy, hungry, eat, happy again, happy, happy, happy, do your business, do your business, happy happy happy, WALK IN THE PARK??? AAAHHHH!!!! WHO CAN BELIEVE IT? A WALK IN THE PARK!!! OMG OMG OMG OMG!!!! nap, nap, nap, happy, happy, happy, eat, do your business, do your business, happy, happy, happy, sleeeeeeeep.
Day 85: March 26th
This is my neighbor's field. The young man who owns this property has made a business of tree management. That is, anytime our tress fall down he comes with his heavy equipment to clean up the mess. Abused terribly as a child, he has a tendency to lash out, sometimes violently. In my brief conversations with him, it is clear that he struggles every day to be the best he can be. For him there is no choice, but to struggle. If he gives in and gives up, then the life he is working so hard to build could be completely obliterated. While most of us can get lazy in the struggle to be our best, my young friend begins his struggle the minute he wakes up until the minute he goes to sleep. He seems to have varying degrees of success, but overall appears to be winning. His business is thriving - you can see him any time of day out there with his big trucks and his girlfriend (who is tireless alongside him). He now has about three dogs - and he loves dogs. His property is tidy and he always has a wave and a hello for me.
Day 84: March 25th
Reflections
"Reflections on the water, like shadows in my mind speak to me of passing days and nights and passing time..."
John Denver
These shadow trees sprout right up out of the front steps. I like how they dance and move with the breeze. Of course, one shouldn't spend too much time staring at walls - it could be construed as madness...
Day 83: March 24th
Day 82: March 23rd
Day 81: March 22nd
I love the bricks that lead from the back porch into the yard. They are old and mossy and uneven, but there is something about worn and imperfect things that give a house character. In the summer grass grows up between them and little frogs try to hide underneath them. Sometimes they come loose and when I pull them up to put them back into place, a whole world of creepy crawlies reveals itself.
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