Powder Point Bridge In Winter

It was a chilly day with a biting wind down at Duxbury Beach today (in Duxbury MA) This is the Powder Point Bridge. Shortly after this image was taken, there were some heavy but brief snow squalls blowing through the area.

Wordless Wednesday 12/28/16

Happy Birthday Baby Jesus

Well hello!!! I hope you enjoyed your Christmas Day yesterday, and to all of my Jewish friends and followers, Hanukkah Sameach!!!

We had a wonderful day yesterday with our family. One of the highlights of the day was our birthday party for Jesus. Ryleigh is only three yrs old, but she has an understanding of the true meaning of Christmas, and she amazes me. She wanted to blow out the candles for baby Jesus. :-)

Island Grove Abington MA

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah from my family to yours!!!!!!

Christmas Memories

I hope all of your Holiday plans and "to do lists" are going well. One thing I find very bothersome is when people complain about the "stress" of the Holiday season. This shouldn't be stressful! It is a time for us to celebrate and we shouldn't lose sight of the meaning of the season.

So today I started my holiday baking. It's funny how the little things in life can bring back such strong memories. I'm sure it happens to you as well. As I was making my apple pie, I grabbed the measuring spoons out of the drawer. These measuring spoons belonged to my Mother....they are very old metal spoons, but are still very usable. As I grabbed the spoons and looked at them, childhood memories of me baking with my Mother for the holidays came flooding into my head. I grabbed the spoons tightly and tears came to my eyes. I miss her so much. It will be three years this February since she went home to Heaven but I felt her presence as though she were baking alongside of me today.

It's funny how an object such as measuring spoons can do that to you.

And here's the final product........an apple crumb top pie that I bake for my Father every year. He loves this pie and I love to bake it for him.

Wordless Wednesday 12/21/16

Seagull Landing

                                                   "Shelter From The Storm"

Juvenile Swan Island Grove Abington MA

We had some snow here today so I went down to the local pond (Island Grove) with my camera to take some pictures.

This is a first year juvenile swan.......with an attitude. Typical teenager......

Wordless Wednesday 12/14/16

Country Christmas Tree

Most of the house is all decorated for Christmas. I put everything up about a week ago. The only thing not up yet is the "Family" Christmas Tree. I have my small "country" tree up in the living room. It is decorated with all ornaments that I love.

 The Family Christmas tree goes up in the family room. The ornaments and decorations on that tree are simply treasures to me. Many of the ornaments we have had since we were married. Then there are all of the ornaments the kids made in school throughout the years. Plain and simple.......these are priceless.

Here is one of my ornaments from my "country" tree.

Isn't he adorable?????

Marshfield Pond VT , Black and White

I was thinking about what to post today on the blog, and while going through my images, I decided to make one of my Fall images into a black and white photograph. I'm a lover of color, and don't usually do much black and white photography but decided to go for something different today.

A good black and white photograph has pronounced shadows and shapes. It also has a good deal of contrast. A good black and white image also has white "whites", black "blacks", and various tones of gray. I decided that I would give one of the Fall images I made after sunrise at Marshfield Pond in VT a go with black and white processing. I used Nik's Silver Effex Pro2.

I was fairly happy with the result.

Wordless Wednesday 12/07/16

First Snow Of The Season

And so it begins........

We had or first few flakes of snow for the season today here in Southeast Massachusetts.

I phone picture taken out the window at work today.

Doggy Belly Rub

It's been forever since Rudy has made an appearance here on the blog. I was sitting here watching the Pats game (how about Tom Brady!!!!) and Rudy jumped up on me to get a belly rub. I happened to have my camera with the 35 mm f1.8 lens attached right beside me. I thought it might be fun to document the belly rub.

Someone needs a bath and a haircut as well..........

Christmas Photo Shoot Test Shot

Yesterday was a fun but very tiring day. I set up a pseudo photography studio in my bedroom, and had all 3 Grand Kids over to shoot their Christmas photos.
I tip my hat to all of the professional portrait photographers out there.....especially the ones who shoot children. It's a lot of work and it's not easy.  At ALL!

The image I am sharing today is the very first picture that I shot of the day. I had Ryleigh lay on my bed to do a test shot. (I set up Christmas lights hanging off my headboard)

I was fairly happy with this image, and I loved the bokeh that I got from the Christmas lights. I was thinking "this is going to be easier than I thought." Boy, was I wrong!!!! It was extremely difficult to get a decent shot of 3 year old Ryleigh with her 2 and 1/2 month old brother. One would look good, the other one not so much. And visa versa.  Then there was almost 7 month old Henry who refused to smile for Nana's camera. He would just stare at it with a straight face. It took an act of Congress to get him to smile.

Nana was very tired by the end of the photo shoot. :-)

I will share some of the Christmas pictures I got of them, along with the set up that I used in a few weeks. (Don't want to put them out publicly in case they use them for their Christmas cards.)

In the meantime I hope you enjoy this picture of my pretty little Ryleigh!!! xxoo

Porch Sitting

I had to put on the brakes and then back up the car when I saw these two sitting on the porch as I was driving by. This was one photo op I didn't want to miss. The Fall reflection in the window was an added bonus.

Wordless Wednesday 11/30/16

Autumn Abstract

An abstract in nature taken this Fall in New Hampshire.

Christmas Wonder

I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving Day yesterday! I worked and then had dinner at my Sister In Law's. Our kids came over in the evening to visit. So much to be thankful for!

And so it begins.........now that Thanksgiving is over the focus can shift to Christmas. I visited The Christmas Place in Abington with N and Melissa and Henry today. Oh my sweet baby Henry!!!!! He was filled with amazement as he is experiencing his very first Christmas and all of the wonder and excitement that goes along with it!

Wordless Wednesday 11/23/16

xxooo

Sugar House Along Hazen's Notch Road, Vermont

Hazen's Notch (rte 58 from Irasburg to Montgomery VT) is a pretty forest road that I usually travel through at least once each Fall. This is a pretty sugar house along the road that I stopped to photograph last month.

Lord's Creek Covered Bridge, Irasburg VT

Hill West Road Montgomery VT

Not to be confused with nearby "West Hill Rd."........Hill West Road in Montgomery opens up to a beautiful open field where you will find some beautiful horses grazing. The Fall colors were particularly beautiful on my visit to this road on Oct 5th.

Westmore Community Church, Westmore VT

A beautiful Fall day in Westmore Village VT. Photo taken on Oct 6th.

Wordless Wednesday 11/16/16

Farm View, Barton VT

There are some days when we wish we could transport ourselves back in time and place. This is one of those days for me. I so wish I was sitting in one of the Adirondack chairs at Windswept Farm during peak foliage. Just for a little while........

Super Moon From Fort Revere Hull MA

Super moon rising in front of me, as sun was setting behind me.

The Risen Moon

Veterans Day

My handsome Father In Law.....a proud Veteran!

Wordless Wednesday

A new weekly feature on the blog.......

One of the bloggers that I follow has a "Wordless Wednesday" that she posts each week. I always enjoy these Wednesday posts, and now I have been inspired to do the same on my own blag. Thank you to https://wickeddarkphotography.com for the inspirations. Please check out her blog, as she has some wonderful images to share.

Martin Luther King Jr Quote

Election Day 2016

The day has finally arrived. This Presidential election has left me literally sick to my stomach. I'm worried for America, and I'm embarrassed by my own country. I can't believe that this election has come to this point.
I'm heading out to the polls in a little while and can't morally cast my ballot for either of the major candidates. As an American, I will due my civic duty and will cast my vote for one of the third party candidates, which the thought of that doesn't thrill me, but at least I can hold my head high and stick to my own personal moral values. Yes, my vote will be "wasted" but I will have at least cast my ballot.
Just my opinion on my own blog........I do value others opinions so I certainly hope you will allow me the same.

God Bless America........these words are truly needed during these volatile times........

The Farm Stand At Holly Hill Farm Cohasset MA

Yesterday's blog post was about the trails at Holly Hill Farm, and today the blog is about the vegetables available for sale in the farm stand. As you know, I am a lover of all of the Summer fruits and veggies that I purchase at the farm stands, and here is a look at the Autumn harvest.

Yum!

Holly Hill Farm Cohasset MA

I had a fun day yesterday with some friends walking the trails at Holly Hill Farm in Cohasset MA.

 It was a beautiful late Fall morning......was a bit chilly when we met up, but once we got moving we warmed up.
There was some nice late Fall color on the trees. Many trees are bare and stripped of all their leaves, but the late turning trees still had some color.
We took the trail that brings you out to the Ice Pond, which is a pretty little  (very little) pond surrounded on one side by a granite cliff, and surrounded on the other three sides by woods. This is my friend Diane taking in the beauty of the pond.

One of the stone walls with the last of the Fall color that we came across

This is Pumpkin. a 30 year old pony.

I'll share a few more images from here in another blog post.