Sunday Stills: Brown and Gray Days
Wordless Wednesday
November Square Shadows
Go Achilles!
I came upon a post on social media during the NYC Marathon, about an organization called Achilles International. It is a global organization that operates in 18 countries including the US, transforming the lives of people with disabilities through athletic programs and social connection. It piqued my interesting and I decided to join a local chapter in my area to sign up as a volunteer “guide” that runs or walks along side a person with a disability. My first walk was this past week and I wanted to share it with you.
I arrived early and was greeted by some other guides who told me I’d be paired up with someone once everyone was there. The park we were walking in my husband and I frequent often, it is a paved path that winds through many towns, a total of 10.5 miles. There are turn arounds along the way, man made ponds, and the scenery along the way is beautiful. Our walk began at 8:30am, and it was up to us to decide how far to go. I was paired up with a young man, whose mother comes to run as a guide with someone. She actually ran 10 miles! Because there were more guides than people to assist, 3 of us walked along with this young man, who I’ll call E. He had brought a large portable carry along speaker with him and chose the music from his phone. It kept us going! One guide was a sophomore in High School, the other an older man. The weather was gorgeous, in the 50’s and bright sun.
Group photo before we began and everyone shouted GO ACHILLES!
And we’re off!
E. kept changing the songs and the young guide was definitely into it! E decided to make it a game by picking a song to see if the guide would dance or not.
As we neared the end, both guides were into it!
We had a great morning together and I got my 2 miles in too. Go Achilles!
November Square Shadows
Becky’s Shadowy Reflections the other day reminded me of a photo I had taken years ago, and inspired me to go in search of it. I didn’t find the actual one I was looking for, but did find these. They were taken on the Asbury Park, NJ side of the lake, looking at Ocean Grove.
November Square Shadows
The Numbers Game
It is #221 today! To play along, go to your photos file folder and type that number into the search bar. Then post a selection of the photos you find that include that number
November Square Shadows
There’s No Place Like Home
This may look like an empty, vacant lot in a residential neighborhood. But as I walked past one morning I thought I saw something.
When I zoomed in I realized it was a deer (buck) who had taken up residence.
I came back the same way about 45 minutes later, and he was still there, he just shifted position. He was munching on the greenery.
What a great use of a vacant lot where a house once stood. There’s no place like home.
Guilty As Charged
These deer were on a lawn right near the sidewalk and startled me as I walked past. Momma had her head in the mums, but Baby had spotted me and Momma looked up. I told them to move it along, those pretty flowers were not for them. They obliged and left post haste.
November Square Shadows
This beautiful Great Blue Heron stood still long enough for me to capture him with the lens.
November Square Shadows
Monochrome Madness: Clocks & Timepieces
Wordless Wednesday
November Square Shadows
This photo came about in an odd way. It was September 2020 and we were back in the classroom. Covid was running wild, no vaccines, masks mandatory. Some of us wore shields that came up over our face too. Including me. I happened to be standing in front of the Smart Board in the classroom and looked up to see my shadow/silhouette cast on the board. Looked pretty interesting so I took a photo.
November Square Shadows
My first attempt at Pilates on a mat, on the boardwalk at the beach at eight in the morning. Let’s just say it did not go as planned. I am a walker/runner and it became apparent I have no Core muscles. I laughed my way through most of the class as the teacher continued to encourage me. It was a one and done for sure.
RDP Tuesday! Absurd!
Well, Martha Ann Kennedy has decided to learn Algebra, which reminded me of how I find most math ABSURD
Math. My brain is just not able to make any sense of it. I managed to learn how to add, subtract, multiply and divide, but pretty much stopped there. Fractions? Adding them? Forget it. Word problems? That is when I would break out in a cold sweat. My brain could just not wrap itself around what was being asked.
My kind of kid.
A while back my husband and I went to a street fair. It was a beautiful day and unseasonably warm for the beginning of fall. The street was lined with booths with craft items, information handouts, plants, and then this:
What a way to ruin a lovely day. Just seeing the sign sent chills down my spine and my head to start spinning. The evil X of Algebra. X=? Yes, I never was able to figure that out. EVER. It just made no sense to me. When I googled Algebra this is what it said: “Algebra is about finding the unknown or it is about putting real life problems into equations and then solving them.” Are they kidding? Real life problems into equations? Not my real life problems. Never have I turned to Algebra to solve my real life problems. “The x replaces the unknown that we are trying to find out.” Oh, okay now that makes it clear. NOT. I always like to find the answers to things I don’t know about, learn new things, but using an x as an unknown is just not how I need to do it. I know Algebra must serve some purpose in the lives of some people, but not for me. However, I could see the wheels turning in my CPA husband’s head, and sure enough he got the answer in no time.
It wasn’t bad enough I couldn’t do math, in 7th grade I ended up with the oldest, sternest math teacher in the school. He was tall and thin, NEVER smiled (of course not, he was a Math teacher) bald and wore small round wire rim glasses. While explaining some absurd mathematical concept to us he would take his glasses off, blow on them, and clean them with the hanky he kept in his pocket. I was usually more mesmerized by this ritual than whatever it was he was saying. He would tower over me as I sat at my desk with my brain exploding while reading some problem over and over and trying to decipher its meaning. The one time I ventured to ask, “Am I on the right track?” His booming voice responded, “Are you on the right track? You’re on the wrong railroad!!”
I managed through the rest of my school years barely passing, and not really caring as I didn’t think logarithms and cosines would be playing much of a part in my future.
As an adult my ability to figure out percentages became stronger with the advent of 20% and 30% off sales- as an avid shopper I have no problem figuring out my final price in my head in a matter of seconds.
And I ended up marrying an Accountant.
November Square Shadows
This is an “underpass” tunnel in my town that allows one to cross under the railroad tracks. There is a bridge a little farther away, but to get to the shopping area and park this is the closest way to go. When I was growing up we NEVER used this tunnel, we just crossed over the tracks. Sometimes we could see the train’s light in the distance and would wait to wave to the conductor. Crossing the tracks ended years later when a fence was installed to prevent this. It is better kept these days than when I was a child, but I still hold my breath as I run through it.
The Numbers Game
It is #220 today! To play along, go to your photos file folder and type that number into the search bar. Then post a selection of the photos you find that include that number
Sunday Stills: All the Leaves Are…
RDP Sunday: Sepia
Venice, Italy 1983
Another from my trip to Europe. Atop Notre Dame in France
Houses in Ocean Grove NJ
Asbury Park, NJ
The old Carousel in Asbury Park
November Square Shadows
Whenever we visited our Aunt we could not leave empty handed. She passed away four years ago, at the age of 93. Still cooking and baking up until the very end of her life. I took this photo as she packed up some cookies for us to take home. Sun shining, casting shadows on the moment.
RDP Saturday:Blink
In the blink of an eye…
I was taking a selfie when I realized I could see the reflection of the inside of the restaurant in my own eye. Made for an interesting photo I thought
November Square Shadows
Happy Birthday Cee
When I began blogging 11 years ago, I discovered Cee and her wonderful “challenges”
Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge, The Odd Ball Challenge, Which Way, Cee’s Black & White, Flower of the Day. Share Your World was Cee’s too. A great way to learn about each other by answering the questions she posed. When I was out I would constantly be looking for things to fit the challenges. Her compliments on my photos always made me feel like a million- she was such an experienced and talented photographer, that she found a photo of mine a “winner” inspired and encouraged me to keep going.
Here is a Dahlia for Cee today
And a Which Way 2016
Black & White Challenge : Reflections 2016
An Odd Ball from 2018
Happy Birthday Cee. Thinking of you.
November Square Shadows
The month of squares has dawned; it is time for us to shadow box says Becky. wherever there is light there will be shadows, dark areas, and silhouettes. shadows can also be a reflected image, an illusory image, a remnant of a thing, an imitation, an inseparable companion and of course partial light.
November Squares: Shadows
The month of squares has dawned; it is time for us to shadow box says Becky. wherever there is light there will be shadows, dark areas, and silhouettes. shadows can also be a reflected image, an illusory image, a remnant of a thing, an imitation, an inseparable companion and of course partial light.
These photos were taken at an exhibit in Wave Hill Gardens in Riverdale, NY in 2019. The exhibit was made by Geoffrey Owen Miller, and titled “Dreams of our Future Nature” He constructed a moving tableau of flora and fauna out of clear plastic that was suspended upside down over a black mirrored surface. Peering down, visitors experience the reflections as something otherworldly and vibrant. The hanging sculptures composed of industrial materials contrast with their reflected images below, invoking a spirit world. His transparent sculptures are transformed through the use of filtered light that renders the colors visible in their reflections. The intense colors of light that are captured in the installation are similar to that of the sunrise and sunset in his home state of New Mexico.
Wordless Wednesday
November Squares
The month of squares has dawned; it is time for us to shadow box says Becky. wherever there is light there will be shadows, dark areas, and silhouettes. shadows can also be a reflected image, an illusory image, a remnant of a thing, an imitation, an inseparable companion and of course partial light.
Becky’s post today reminded me of a Sunday trip we made to Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where my husband was born and lived until he was five. We visited the apartment building he lived in, and strolled the streets. Walking behind this mother and her daughters, I captured the moment, a street scene typical of Williamsburg, a mother and her girls, all dressed in matching outfits. I loved the shadows reflected on the building and their dappled appearance on the sidewalk.
The Numbers Game
Today’s number is 219. To play along, go to your photos file folder and type that number into the search bar. Then post a selection of the photos you find that include that number
November Squares
The month of squares has dawned; it is time for us to shadow box says Becky. wherever there is light there will be shadows, dark areas, and silhouettes. shadows can also be a reflected image, an illusory image, a remnant of a thing, an imitation, an inseparable companion and of course partial light.
Last on the Card: October 2025
Brian invites us to post the last photo on your SD card or last photo on your phone for the 31st October or whenever your last photo was taken. No editing – who cares if it is out of focus, not framed as you would like or the subject matter didn’t cooperate.
We had our 20 year old dining room chairs recovered. What a difference. No longer sitting in a hole!
My great niece came to spend the weekend
New glasses!
Monochrome Madness: Farm Animals
Many years ago we visited the Woodstock Animal Rescue Farm in High Falls, NY. I wrote about it at the time, you can read it HERE. Many of these photos were taken there. The Woodstock Farm Sanctuary provides shelter to cows, pigs, chickens, turkeys, ducks, sheep, goats, and rabbits who have been rescued from cases of abuse, neglect and abandonment. Originally located in Woodstock, NY, it outgrew the 23 acres it was on, and moved to the nearby town of High Falls on 150 acres.
Walktober
Dawn says: It’s time to stand up, step out, get going, and plan your walk or drive or skip or hop or swim or jog for this year’s Walktober! Take us somewhere that you love to go, or somewhere you’ve never been before.
Hard to believe it is the end of October, but here we are. The colors on the trees where I live are spectacular. I walk every morning and take in the views.
We’ll start with a beautiful sunrise
Well good morning to you
Autumn display on a local walk over bridge
A Wasp nest, didn’t see any activity though
Lots of flowers still blooming
The Numbers Game
Today’s number is 218. To play along, go to your photos file folder and type that number into the search bar. Then post a selection of the photos you find that include that number.
We’ll start with eating.
Of course the beach
Yep.
Always birds
A Tribute to Trent
I just received news of the unexpected passing of Trent, known to many through his blog
I “met” Trent on WordPress probably ten years ago, through his “if we were having coffee” shares. Sitting down as if we were actually having a coffee together, he shared, I shared, many bloggers shared the latest goings on in our lives. It was through these “shares” that a bond of friendship was created. Trent also had a “challenge” called The Weekly Smile, where he invited us to share something that had made us smile that week. Another great way to gain insight into another person.
I feel I have lost a friend, even though Trent and I never met in person, only had conversations through comments on one another’s blogs. I have often told my friends in “real life” that the bonds that are formed through blogging run deep and strong. I share things through my blog that I would not necessarily bring up in conversation in person. Through our photographs, the music we listen to, our travels, our hobbies, our losses and the good and the bad, we all get to know each other.
You can read his bio on his blog HERE and his obituary HERE to learn about the interesting, good person he was.
I will surely miss him.
(CWWC)Which Way Challenge : Any Which Way with Autumn Colours
Wordless Wednesday
The Numbers Game: October 20th
Today’s number is 217. To play along, go to your photos file folder and type that number into the search bar. Then post a selection of the photos you find that include that number
The Numbers Game: A Week Behind
Found this in my drafts, oops, never posted. Better late than never I suppose.
The number for October 13th was 216. To play along, go to your photos file folder and type that number into the search bar. Then post a selection of the photos you find that include that number.
Sunday Stills: Let’s Go Black
Last On The Card: September
September seems to have flown by, and I am late to this party, but what the heck.
Last photos for the month of September
Morning walk in town
The Numbers Game
Today’s number is 215. To play along, go to your photos file folder and type that number into the search bar. Then post a selection of the photos you find that include that number
Google Maps Car spotting on a local roadway!
My favorite coffee shop in Spring Lake NJ
The Numbers Game
Today’s number is 214. To play along, go to your photos file folder and type that number into the search bar. Then post a selection of the photos you find that include that number
So many selfies over the years came up!
Wordless Wednesday
The Weekly Smile
Trent asks “What made you smile this week?”
For me it was an overnight stay at the shore with my BFF. Sometimes a two day get away can feel much longer than 2 days, and can be just enough to change up the weekly routine. I left Monday morning, parked my car and headed for the boardwalk to take in the view.
My BFF arrived about an hour later and we headed out for lunch a short drive from where we were staying. All the summertime visitors are gone now that September has arrived, which is quite a contrast to the traffic and congestion during the summer months.
Heading back to the Inn after lunch, we changed and headed for the beach, which is down the block from the Inn. Empty but for a few people, we sat enjoying the sound of the ocean and catching up.
We took a walk on Main Street, also quiet, and wandered in an out of many shops.
The room we took at the Inn is an apartment, with 2 floors. There is a bedroom and bathroom on one floor, and a spiral staircase that leads upstairs to a living room, kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. Both floors have terraces facing the ocean. After the beach we came back and sat on the terrace and talked some more. We are never at a loss for conversation. We have been friends since we are 12, and have been there through everything life has thrown at us. Next stop was dinner, we changed again and headed out.
We always go to the same restaurant when we go away, and even though our visits are months apart, the server always remembers us and asks, “Your usual table?” It makes us laugh every time. The menu had changed since last we were there, as there is a new owner and new chef. Dinner was delish!
I never miss an opportunity to see the sunrise when at the shore, and this time was no exception.
I walked down the beach, but the wind was blowing at 17 mph so headed back for breakfast. We packed up and headed to another favorite destination, a nearby town to a coffee shop we love before heading home.
Time to say goodbye and head home… until next time!
The Numbers Game
Today’s number is 213. To play along, go to your photos file folder and type that number into the search bar. Then post a selection of the photos you find that include that number
Our wonderful Tante Leni, my mother in laws sister. She passed away in her 90’s just a few years ago and I miss her so. A powerhouse of a woman, who fiercely loved her family.
My great-nieces make an appearance again, at another family gathering.
BFF’s since we’re 12.
Parade in Asbury Park NJ
Sunday Stills Challenge: Paterson Great Falls
The Great Falls of the Passaic River is a prominent waterfall, 77 feet (23 m) high, on the Passaic River in the city of Paterson in Passaic County, New Jersey. One of the United States’ largest waterfalls, it played a significant role in the early industrial development of New Jersey starting in the earliest days of the nation. The falls and surrounding area are protected as part of the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park, administered by the National Park Service. Congress authorized its establishment in 2009. In 1967 it was designated a National Natural Landmark together with Garret Mountain Reservation.
I have visited the Great Falls many times, as it is not far from where I live. Quite impressive, and the roar of the water quite loud! photos I took are from two different vantage points of the falls.
A Day In The Life 
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