New England Blogs

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Happy Halloween

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I don't know anyone who is into Halloween as much as my friend Patrick. This is Patrick and Heather's house, tonight..........with the very first silent movie about Dracula (titled Nosferatu from the year 1921) playing on the front of the house, beside the side door. The steps leading up to the porch were lined with lit jack-o-lanterns. So cool!
They always home-make the kids costumes every year. The final touches to these transformer costumes were finished at 3:00 this afternoon, just in the nick of time. The boys looked great! 



I hope you all enjoyed your Halloween evening!

Saturday, October 30, 2010

In memorium

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We lost a good friend on Thursday, after a brave battle with Colon Cancer. Michael was a childhood friend of Mr. S, and he was a groomsman in our wedding party. I have so many happy funny memories of times spent with Michael.
We hung out together in high school. There were 2 bridges to get into the neighborhood......the old bridge, and the new bridge. The girls all had to be home by midnight. Michael was dating a girl who was easily made jealous and she was rather posessive of him. Michael had a secret code.........."one, two, three, O new bridge". I don't think his girlfriend ever figured it out....in fact, it took me a little while to figure it out. :-) After the girls went home, the guys would meet at the new bridge at 12:30 .........to either have a few beers, or go out to Bickfords for breakfast, or God only knows what it is these boys did at the time. :-)
My one, two, three, O photo is dedicated to a boy who grew up to be a wonderful husband and father. Our hearts go out to Michael's wife JoAnne, their 3 children, Mr. and Mrs. Blanchard, and the entire Blanchard Family.

Friday, October 29, 2010

What a bunch of good spirits! :-)

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Halloween came just a bit early at the hospital today!!!!!!!!!!!
Starring in the role of Chubaka is my friend Matty. (This is not his first appearance here on the blog :-)) Matt is a sweetie and there is a story behind his Chubaka role (chewy) but we will keep that story between us LOL. Following Matt, is my very good friend Marlene who is starring in the role of a cowgirl. Giddyup Marlene.........I think Kenny Chesney is waiting for you *wink* *wink* :-) Next to Marlene is one of the newest members of our team......starring as a crab......but let me tell you.....she is no crab at all and she is a pleasure to work with.........is Robbie. Next to Robbie is my friend Mary who is starring as the one and only Lois Griffin from the family guy. Mary has a smile that will light up the world, and that smile lights up the faces of all of her patients on a daily basis! Last but not least is Ashley, starring as the role of a witch. Ashley is just too adorable for words, and she makes the cutest witch ever!!!!!!!!
Thanks guys for allowing me to put you up as my photo of the day today. I consider myself lucky to work with you all. :-)
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I'd like to take a moment to give special thanks to a few more people. First off, to my son N for allowing me unlimited use of his laptop while I waited to get my other one replaced.
I also want to thank my good friend Patrick for installing Photoshop CS3 into my new laptop for me.
Yes.........I am back in business!!!! I hope you all have a happy and safe Halloween weekend.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

I'm almost back in business

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Mr S bought me an early birthday present tonight.........a new laptop! I left it at Best Buy.....the Geek Squad is going to do all of my installations for me and it will all be up and running when I pick it up tomorrow. I hope to get Photoshop installed in it ASAP (Ahem.......Patrick........you will be hearing from me.....my good buddy Pal! :-)  ) Once Photoshop is installed, I will be back in business.
The Specs:
Panasonic LX3, ISO 80, 1/30, f2, selective color done in Picasa


Wednesday, October 27, 2010

The waiting game

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It was a cloudy showery day here. I stopped off at Whitman's Pond in Weymouth after I dropped the folks off. There were a pair of swans that I was trying to photograph, but together, they were not cooperating.....one would duck under water to fish, then the other one would, then one would look my way, but the other would turn it's head.........this went on and on......then one swam away from the other so I couldn't get them both in one frame. Needless to say, my groceries were melting in the car and I couldn't wait it out...... to get the shot I wanted. I settled for just one swan......at least I got the Fall colors in the background to add a little something to this shot.
The Specs:
Nikon D90, 18-200 mm lens, ISO 200, 1/125, f5.6, -2/3ev
Today's BONUS PHOTO from VT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Camel's Hump is Vermont's third highest mountain, and one of the most recognizable mountains due to it's distinctive profile.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Fresh Fruit

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Mr S received a HUGE fruit basket from his Dad as a get well gift. We all have been picking away at it, and this is what's left. It's still nice and fresh.
Today's BONUS PHOTO from VT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is a horse stable in Waitsfield VT. It is located directly across the street from the inn that Louise and I stayed at.

Monday, October 25, 2010

It's my Nanee's birthday!!! :-)

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We went to my nephew Christopher's house this evening to celebrate my sister Nancy's birthday. My great-nephew Ashton was very excited during the festivities! :-)
Happy Birthday Nancy!!!!!! I love you!!!!!! :-)
Today's BONUS PHOTO from VT!!!!!!!!!!

I spent a lot of time photographing on Common Rd. in Waitsfield VT. This particular morning, I was looking for some unusual perspectives. I don't know why, but I liked this row of mailboxes that were on a corner of the road that intersects Common Rd with another road. The antique piece of farm equipment is what first caught my eye. I got down low, and could see the cows grazing through the farm equipment. I thought....why not......and took a few shots. I was pretty happy with this unique view. I hope you like it too!

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Engagement photo session

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I'm not a portrait photographer, and I certainly don't pretend to be one. I'm much more comfortable photographing a landscape,or a cow, moose, bird etc.
A very big thing these days in photography is "the engagement portrait session." Many of the wedding photographer's that I have looked into for Miss J's wedding include an engagement photo session in their price. It's expensive! So, with Miss J and her fiance Steve's blessing, I decided to give it a go myself .


 Their dog Stanley waited patiently in the car, and before we finished up, Stanley made an appearance in front of the camera.
  
This is just a sample of some of the poses we did today. We had a fun time!I miss my Photoshop terribly, and none of the photos from today will go to print until I get my new computer and I get Photoshop back to work on them.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

The waning colors of Fall

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There's still a bit of color ro be found around here in SE MA, but it's waning and will not be around much longer I'm afraid. :-( But, I'll do my best to find it, until the last leaf drops.
The Specs:
Nikon D90, 18-200 mm lens, ISO 320, 0.6s, f20
Today's BONUS PHOTO from VT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have no idea where I was when I took this. I shot this the day I drove from Barton VT to Waitsfield VT,,,,,,,a one hour and 45 minute drive.(Someone has mentioned to me I should look into getting GPS for my camera. I really should look into that.) I drove past this pond, and just HAD to turn around. The reflections were calling my name, so I went back and shot a few photos.

Friday, October 22, 2010

Just a punkin'

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The hospital holds a yearly pumpkin decorating contest. Today, the pumpkins were picked up by all of the participants. There were several leftovers, which the employees in my dept. could take home. I took this crooked pumpkin and left the better ones for those people who may want to carve. I have other plans for mine. Stay tuned.........hopefully you'll see what I do with it within the next week here on the blog.

Todays BONUS PHOTO from VT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This photo is dedicated to my friend Al from Minnesota, because it makes me think of him. No....he's not a cow!! :-) He is a very talented photographer and there are several things that I know he likes to photograph. One thing he likes is "layers". This shot has several different "natural" layers in it....obviously the cow in the filed is layer one.....then the lower level foliage lit by the sun.......then the mid section of the mountain behind in shadow, then the upper part of the mountain lit by the sun, then the final level is the sky. 
Come to think of it, Al has given me his "top 5" list of my VT photos, and this one didn't make his top 5 list. Hmmmmmm.......maybe I'm seeing something that he isn't? I'm sure he'll be reading this at some point, as I know he visits here. I'll be expecting an email. :-) Anyways, thanks Al for helping me to "see" things in a new way!!!!!

Thursday, October 21, 2010

The unexpected

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A coldfront blew through this afternoon and along with it came some pretty funky clouds, and even some hail.I stopped at Island Grove in Abington to photograph the clouds, when suddenly this Great Blue Heron decided to do a fly-by. 


Silhouettes was my only option for these due to the light conditions.
We then headed to Nantasket Beach where we saw more dramatic light.

 Notice some sort of a rainbow in the distance? 

 I also liked this shot.....a simple composition with much warmer light as the sun was going down behind me.

Now for today's BONUS PHOTO from VT!!!!!!!! Yup, you're still getting a bonus, even though I already posted so many photos from today due to being so indecisive. 

I hope I already haven't posted this on my blog....this photo goes along with the funky skies from today's photos.

Taken on Bragg Hill Rd in Waitsfield VT.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

DOH-nut!!!!!!!!

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Jay got a flat tire at his friends house last night, from a sheet rock screw. He replaced the flat with his donut. .Mr. S showed Jay how to repair the tire this afternoon............even while recovering from major abdominal surgery. He's such a good Dad!

Today's BONUS PHOTO from VT!!!!!!!!!!!

I think I liked the days better when Jay was out riding on two wheels as opposed to 4.......errrrr.......make that 3 plus a donut. :-)


Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Here's the church, and here's the steeple..............

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This is the church where our camera club meetings are held. Each Tuesday night, I always look up to see how pretty the steeple looks, all lit up. 
This shot was taken with my point and shoot........Panasonic LX3......handheld in IA mode. A total no brainer. I just love this little camera. I would have used noiseware on this....it would have cleaned it up nicely....but as you know, I don't have any of my "good stuff" to use since my laptop fried.
The Specs:
Panasonic LX3, ISO 400, 1/30, f2.4
Today's BONUS PHOTO from VT:

This was taken along Rte 5 in Barton VT when I was out with my photography friends for a sunrise shoot. The fog really played havoc with us that morning. We all wanted fog, and well, fog is what we got! :-) We never really did get any "sunrise" shots, but we all agreed that we all got a few "keepers" that morning. I'm so sentimental......I will never drive past this area again, without thinking of that special morning.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Muskrat Susie or Muskrat Sam?

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  This little critter scared the sh*t out of me this afternoon down at the cemetery pond. I was NOT expecting him to come along, and he ran in front of me and went in the water for a swim and some lunch.
Notice the noise in this shot? Oops.........the ISO was left on 1600 from last night. Duh! You think I would know better by now. I hate when I make these stupid mistakes.
Today's BONUS PHOTO  from VT is another DAILY DOUBLE!!!!!!!!!!!
Yesterday's bonus was the herd of cows. Todays photo of the day was a muskrat........so in keeping with the animal/critter theme, here are 2 shots I took one evening on Common Rd in Waitsfield VT. I think these guys are waaaaaay cuter than the muskrat, so they kind if make up for the eeew gross factor of the muskrat. 

 These are among the few photos that I was able to process using Photoshop CS3, before the laptop fried for good. I used the PS filter called Poster Edges on these 2 shots. It's my favorite PS filter and I like to use it on photos just like these.
This second shot.......I really liked the light from the setting sun that was coming in through the barn window.

 I hope you liked them too!

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Cushing Pond Hingham MA

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I met up with about 20 photographers from my camera club at 4:00 this afternoon to photograph Cushing Pond in Hingham MA. We were allowed access to the backyards of 2 beautiful homes right on the water. The foliage was beautiful, and the weather pretty much cooperated. It became mostly cloudy right before our meet-up, but we certainly got several breaks of sun to work with. I had just as much fun socializing today as I did photographing. :-) I just love being out with other photographers. I've said it before, but I'll say it again......I have met the most wonderful people through my photography. It is such an added bonus of this hobby for me.
The Specs:
Nikon D90, 18-200 mm lens, ISO 500, 1/60, f13
I've been really bad about not posting the specs since my VT trip. Sorry about that!
Today's  BONUS PHOTO from VT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
 Here's the Working Girls of Vermont:
I stumbled upon this herd of cows crossing the road one early morning in Waitsfield VT. I just love when these unexpected photo ops come along! I jumped out of my car and started rifling away.......a smile on my face the whole time. :-)

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Local Foliage

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I took Mr S out for a ride this afternoon. It was a very blustery day! I took some photos at a few different places, but this one was my favorite from today and I felt it deserved to be today's photo. I also am trying something new with framing and titling the images. I'd like any feedback if you have any thoughts.....positive or negative with this new framing.
Here's today's BONUS PHOTO from VT!!!!!!!!!


I liked the way the fence creates a leading line in this composition. I shot this shack from a number of different angles and views, but this one seems to be my favorite. I hope you like it too!


Friday, October 15, 2010

Stupid old Nor'Easter!

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Look what the Nor'Easter that blew through here last night left behind. Lots of leaves on the ground! Ugh!!!!! It's still very windy here today and will be tomorrow as well. Double ugh!!

Here's a close-up of the same puddle which I rotated 180 degrees:

 Now on to today's BONUS PHOTO from Vermont!!!!!!!!!

This is a view from the window of a covered bridge in Northfield VT.

Where I'm heading

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                                                 It's 5 minutes before midnight. I totally forgot to take a photo today. This is the first time that's happened! I have been feverishly working on my VT photos all night and just realized that I never took a photo today. I'm exhausted and can't wait to go up those stairs and climb in my comfy bed. I know,,,,,this is a very lame photo but it's where my brain is at, at the moment.
Today's BONUS PHOTO!!!!!!!!!!!

I only had one morning the whole week that I was in Vermont for a true clear sunrise. This particular morning, I was all alone, up on Bragg Hill Road in Waitsfield VT. I liked the way the sun was shining through this foliage on this hillside.....this was taken about 10-15 minutes after the sun rose. 

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Keep Looking up!

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It appears as though the foliage is peaking here in my neck of the woods......the south shore of Boston area. As I predicted (I'm such a foliage geek) :-) the colors are not as vibrant as past years, but it's still pretty around here nonetheless. I stopped to photograph these backlit leaves on my way home from the hospital this afternoon. Mr S is doing better today, and will be coming home tomorrow.

Today's BONUS PHOTO is a daily double!!!!!!!!! I'm sure you can't stand all of this excitement! :-)
In keeping along the looking up theme, here are 2 versions of a photo I shot while looking up at St. Paul's Church last week in Barton VT.



Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Vital Signs

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This photo was taken today in the recovery room at South Shore Hospital. Mr S went in for a scheduled surgery this morning. I spent the day by his side in the recovery room. He was in a lot of pain, but was resting comfortably as long as the pain meds kicked in. He was finally admitted up to the floor around 7 pm. When I left him, he was as comfortable as can be expected. :-(
On another note, while I was waiting in the OR waiting room, my cell phone rang.........it was the computer repair shop calling to tell me that my laptop is fried. :-(
Talk about having a bad day.................
Although, the day ended in a bit of an upswing. I went to camera club (late for the meeting but I went anyways) and won second place in the Nature Category, and second place in the advanced category this evening. I was pretty happy about that. This is my first year competing in the advanced category, and I'm not expecting to do too well, so this was a nice surprise for me and I needed a bit of a pick me up! Also, the two images that did well tonight were both from my photo a day blog...........so this project is really helping me!
Here's today;s BONUS PHOTO

I shot this great blue heron in flight while visiting my friend bm's in-laws (Geez, I forget the name of the town sorry) They had a little pond in their backyard, so I went out to take a few photos and was so happy to see this guy standing by the waters edge. I took several shots of him, and then I went up close to him, knowing he would fly away (they are very shy birds). I tried the best I could to capture a decent shot of him in flight. This is just a bit soft, and I cut off his little feet (darn it!!) but I am dedicating this shot to Mr S tonight in hopes that he will get better quickly and soon be soaring!!!! :-)

Monday, October 11, 2010

Simplify

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I need to follow this advice which is hanging on the wall in my kitchen.! I'm making myself nuts with my laptop problems. Jay had it fixed for me, but now it's broken again today. Grrrr. He has my laptop rigged up to a spare monitor, but the monitor needs to be calibrated and it's useless for photo processing. The colors and contrast are just way too off. I have so  many wedding photos that still need  to be  processed, as well as my hundreds of photos from VT.
Okay, enough of my complaining. Here's today's BONUS PHOTO:

This was taken last Saturday somewhere over near the Pittsburg NH area.