Resiliency

Day 162/Year2

These are pictures of some streams I took a few years ago up in Vermont. It was so beautiful and peaceful the days these were taken.

As I am blogging this entry, I am watching "Chronicle" on wcvb tv in Boston. This evening's show is all about the great flood of 1927 in Vermont. So interesting.... and so unbelievable that this happened.... and has happened again just this week. But, my images are a reminder that Vermont and it's people are very resilient. She will be back, as beautiful as ever.

I am so touched!

Day 161/Year 2

I would like to give thanks to all of those who have emailed me over the past two days regarding the damage in Vermont from Hurricane Irene. I can't even begin to tell you how touched I am by those who have reached out to me. It means so much to me!

As far as I know, our house up in Barton has not sustained any damage. Mr. S spoke with one of our friends up there yesterday and was informed that the Barton River did rise and flood and do some damage. I have received emails and heard from some of our Vermont friends, and so far, everyone is ok. I am still waiting to hear back from Cheri and Doug.....the owners of The Red Sky Trading Shop (which I frequently blog about) Their property sits on the bank of the Barton River so I emailed them to see how they were doing, and haven't heard back from them yet. I pray that everything is ok with them.

I am truly blessed to have such caring, compassionate, and wonderful people in my life. Thank EWE from the bottom of my heart.

The latest report I have gotten from my good friend Phil, who lives in Johnson VT and is the unofficial Vermont "Foliage King" (Truly, this man is a gem, a salt of the Earth guy, who knows every single road in the state of Vermont inside and out....he is amazing.....and I am planning on blogging about him this Fall, with his permission of course!) Anyways, his latest report is that the main roads in Vermont should be repaired in time for the foliage season, but many of the side roads will probably still be closed due to being washed out and bridges damaged. I hope and pray that this years foliage season will bring lots of tourist and money to the already hurting economy in the state of Vermont. The good news is that the leaves are all still healthy.

Today's image was taken last weekend at the Orleans County Fair.

Vermont's destruction to a happier time

Have you seen the news reports coming from Vermont about the severe flooding from Tropical Storm Irene? It's devastating to see, and it has upset me so much. We all know it......I LOVE Vermont. It has a very special place in my heart that is indescribable. So, with a heavy heart, I will share with you a link with images of the flooding:
http://www.facebook.com/WCAXTV

I feel so blessed to have gone through this storm virtually unscathed. Times like this allow us to take a step back and reflect on what is really important in our lives. First and foremost is family. I have "permission" from N to share this image which I took last Saturday night at the Orleans County Fair in Barton Vermont. Who ever would have thought that just one week later the state of Vermont would be facing such devastation? This was a happy time shared with those we love. Here's my 3 kids, all with their "significant others". We are so blessed........all 6 of these kids are very special people!

Awwww......just look at all of those smiles. They just melt my heart! :-)

Did you notice something about Jay? Look closely...............

The lip bling is gone!!!!!!! Yes siree......it's actually been gone for a few months now. Is he handsome, or what?

Good night Irene

I hope everyone was safe and spared any kind of property/personal damage from the storm. Thank goodness it was not too bad around here.......we were lucky.....as it could have been worse. But, it's always better to prepare for the worse and hope for the best.
As I stepped out the door at 5:15 this morning to head to work, I was immediately aware of the "feeling" of the air. It was very tropical, and it was just a little breezy. But the air was very saturated and very humid. We were hit with the outer bands throughout the night, but at this hour, the center of the storm was still south of New York.
 I took my camera with me out to the cafeteria when I took my lunch break around 12:45, as the winds were really strong........."just in case anything exciting happens" were the words I said. Well, we were sitting at our table, when suddenly there was a loud crash. We all jumped up and ran to the window and saw that part of the brick exterior wall of our building was blown off. The hospital is undergoing a massive construction project, so I am sure this wall was weakened from all of the recent work.

Day 159/Year 2

The cafeteria is on the second floor. What you see is a first floor overhang, and then some of the fallen bricks. Luckily, nobody was out there at the time. I was able to leave work at my scheduled time of 2:00. The rain had stopped, and it was very windy. I saw a few tree limbs down, and of course lots of leaves and some smaller twigs were everywhere, but all in all, we were spared of any big damage in my neck of the woods. As I turned onto my street, this is my next door neighbors house, and the fence that separates our yard from his.

Again, nothing serious, thank God. I wanted to take a drive to the beach so that I could take some photos, but knew I'd be safer at home, so home is where I stayed.

There's no place like home!

What a difference a week makes

A week ago today, I was relaxing at the beach at Crystal Lake in Barton VT........it was a beautiful sunny day wth temps in the 80's and a mild breeze. Just lovely! Today is different. It's cloudy. It's humid and sticky. We are experiencing the first of the outer bands of heavy rain from Hurricane Irene. As I type this, there is no rain coming down. But looking at the radar, I see there is more on the way.
Just thought I'd reflect on what it was like a week ago today.
"Follow the Leader"

"Stretching her wings"

I just love to watch all of the Mallard Ducks at the lake. Just love the motion blur that I was able to capture on these 2 images. Not only do I hope the people along the Eastern US remain safe, but I hope all of our feathered friends and other wildlife remain safe as well.

The Specs:

Nikon D90, 18-200 mm lens, ISO 200

Photo one: 1/250, f5.6

Photo two 1/200, f5.6

Photo three: 1/160, f5.6

The calm before the storm

Day 157/Year 2

We are waiting the arrival of Hurricane Irene here in Southern New England. I hope that all of those on the Carolina/New Jersey. NY etc. coast will be safe and I hope that the damage along the Atlantic coastline will be minimal. We are preparing, but it looks like we will be spared the worst here. Time will tell and we are hoping for the best.

I just know come Sunday, there's no way this fly would just be sitting and chilling on a flower head. I think it's going to be a bit too windy. :-)

Twenty Benjamins

Day 156/Year 2

I had some really good luck today. The best. Ever. My friend Marlene and I went to Twin River Casino in Rhode Island. I didn't even really want to go, but she did. Marlene is my gambling buddy. She'd also be my drinking buddy if I drank a lot. But, I don't. She'd be a really good drinking buddy I bet. In fact, I know she would. :-) But, that's beside the point. The point being..........I hit a jackpot on a 2 cent slot machine. I was destined to win. Why? Well, the name of the machine was "Money Storm", and well, with  Hurricane Irene coming up the coast, why not have some luck on a machine about storms? And I did. Two thousand and eighty dollars worth of luck!!!

I'm not a big gambler. I only brought one hundred fifty dollars with me today. I couldn't lose today even if I tried. I've never been so lucky. I came home with twenty-five hundred dollars.

Now I'm just trying to decide what lens to buy myself............:-)

Well, that is if there's any left over after this wedding............:-)

The Pork Chop Review

As promised, and as you may have guessed, our final show at the fair was a pig show. These pigs were adorable......and smart......and sweet as can be! I loved this show. Here's a sample of what we saw:

Just "precious" :-)

The Banana Derby

A night at the races!!!!!! Here's the jockey:

Errrrrr........not the woman, but the monkey.

Here's the horse:

Errrrrr......I mean dog????

And they're off!!!!...............

Coming around the club house turn............

And he won by a nose.......errrrrr......I mean snout.

This is one of the funniest things I have ever seen in my life. I'm not sure the pictures portray how humerous this was. We met up at the fair to watch the 8:15 Banana Derby Race. I'm so glad to have shared this with my family. We all were cracking up. :-)

Immediately after this show, we all "hoofed" over to the other side of the fairgrounds to catch an 8:45 show. I won't tell you what it was until I blog about it tomorrow, but the fact that we "hoofed" over to see the show, and that we all were "squealing" with delight as we watched, might give you a hint. :-)

The sights, smells, and sounds of the fair

This is a random selection of images taken at the orleans County Fair in Barton VT on Saturday evening.

Day 153/Year 2

I think I'm caught up with blog entires from the weekend. I posted two tonight and two last night, just in case you missed them they are below.

Stay tuned for tomorrow night's entry........crazy funny stuff that I couldn't make up even if I tried!

The Specs:

All of the images from the fair were taken with the trusty Panasonic LX3.

4H exhibit at the county fair

Day 152/Year 2

This group of shots all have the kind of light that photographers crave. You may have heard the saying "It's all about the light", and in every good image, you will find some good light.

We were passing by this arena at the Orleans Coubty Fair in Vermont in the early evening on Saturday. My kids weren't particularly interested in seeing the 4H cow competition (hmmmm....wonder why?) :) But, as we passed and I looked in and saw the light.......well........I just HAD to stop to take some photos.

Serenity

"Young love"

Day 151/Year 2

Backyard Baggo Game

You've seen me post many scenics from Vermont. As much as I love to do my Vermont landscape photography, moments like THESE are what I love even more!

Phyllis Diller?

Day 150/Year 2

Look at this chick!!!!! This is a Polish Crested Hen Chick. How adorable is she????? She is residing at the hen house located at one of my favorite Vermont places. The Red Sky Trading Shop in Glover. I have blogged about this spot quite a few times. If you are ever in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, you MUST stop in to the whimsical place. I just love it here! Doug, the owner, brought me outback to the hen house to show this little one off. It was love at first sight. I wanted to take her home with me.

Just look at her!!!!!!!!!

She kind of looks like Abby when Abby is having a bad hair day. :-)

Here is one of her relatives:

Lastly, here's another hen. I'm not sure what variety this one is......but she doesn't go to the same hairstylist as the previous two. She has a much more conservative look about her:

We had a wonderful weekend in Vermont with all 3 of our kids and their significant others. The "Griswold" family vacation was full of laughs and love. It couldn't have been any better!

Predawn sky

Day 149/Year 2

Predawn at Wollaston beach in Quincy MA

****I will be away for 3 days with my family. I may not have a chance to blog the next few days. I will post the days I am missing when I return. Didn't want you to worry about me during my absence.**** :-)

Have a wonderful weekend!

64 cents?

Day 148/Year 2

Guess what I've been doing all day???

We're getting down to the wire.....very exciting! :-)

The Specs:

Panasonic LX3, ISO 100, 1/30, f2

Photojournalism at it's best :-)

Day 147/Year 2

Big happenings at WalMart today. I was shopping with my Mom in WalMart. My Dad was in the other side of the store. The fire alarms went off. They were loud! Then a voice came over the intercom telling us the store needs to be evacuated. Please make your way to the front of the store to exit.

So, Mom and I started walking to the front of the store, with everybody else. My mother was panicked. "What about your father???? Where's your father?????" I told her not to worry, that I was sure he would make his way out of the store ok. She said "But I am worried." She was sooooo upset because my father wasn't with us. It was so sweet. They worry about each other so much.

As we were exiting, we saw my father exiting the door on the left just a few feet ahead of us. Knowing my father can't see, I yelled out his name so that he knew we were there, and then we made our way over to where he was standing.

Whew!

My mother wanted to go back into the store when we got the all clear message, so while we were waiting, I pulled the Nikon out of the car to document the big happenings at WalMart.

No, there was not a fire thank God!!

A tisket a tasket

Day 146/Year 2

Remember the other day when I wrote that I made a purchase at Summer Gardens? Well, my purchase is the table centerpiece. I just love the basket and dried hydrangeas.

I'm on the hunt

I haven't seen any good wildlife for a year or two, and I think I'm overdue. I've seen and photographed the typical wildlife.......the deer, the chipmunks, the squirrells, the songbirds etc. Well, come to think of it, I did get the Peregrine Falcon a few months ago so that was a good score.

But I need to find the big ones again. The moose. The bear. The coyote. I've been in a bit of a slump when it comes to the big exciting wildlife shots. Perhaps this upcoming weekend I will have some luck? I hope so.

This bear was walking along Hinton Hill Road in Westmore VT (this was 2 years ago). It was funny.....as we were approaching, Mr. S insisted that it wasn't a bear, it was a dog........I got my camera ready......I knew EXACTLY what it was! :-)

Summer Gardens

Day 144/Year 2

After we bought the peaches, Nancy and I then went to Plympton to browse through Summer Gardens,

http://www.historicsummergardens.com/store/Default.asp

I have blogged about this quaint shop in the past. I haven't been down there for a while, and it was so nice to go back and visit....browse through the barn......I bought myself an adorable accent for my house....perhaps will show you it this week here on the blog. I then went out to the BEAUTIFUL gardens and had a ball with my camera:

If you have been a follower of my blog since last year, you will remember that I am a Fall Fanatic. Look what's growing.............

There's been an almost Fall feel to the air in the mornings and evenings lately. Just another sign that my favorite season will be coming soon!!!!

Just peachy!

Day 143/Year 2

How beautiful is this peach? It's not quite ready to be picked yet.....almost! Nancy I and I went out carousing again today. We first stopped at the "peach man" on Rte 58 in Halifax MA. It dawned on me as I was preparing to write this blog.......I have no idea what the real name of this peach stand is. We always call it "the peach guy".

We stop by here every August and pick up a bucket of peaches....freshly picked off the trees located right there on the property.

Love them! :-)

The Specs:

Nikon D90, 18-200 mm lens, ISO 200

Photo one: 1/320, f5.6. -2/3 EV

Photo two: 1/125, f5.6, -1/3 EV

Photo three: 1/40, f5.6