It snowed all day Saturday. An overcast, gray and very cold day. Sunday morning brought a beautiful sunrise and I ventured out before the snow would begin to melt and fall from the trees and while most of the world was still asleep. I walked the streets around my home, taking in the stillness and capturing the morning beauty. Wishing you all a good week with sunny skies!
Becky at The Life of B has gone square again for the month of December. Her daily photo challenge – a square photograph, and the theme is sky.
Becky at The Life of B has gone square again for the month of December. Her daily photo challenge – a square photograph, and the theme is sky.
Becky at The Life of B has gone square again for the month of December. Her daily photo challenge – a square photograph, and the theme is sky.
Becky at The Life of B has gone square again for the month of December. Her daily photo challenge – a square photograph, and the theme is sky.
Becky at The Life of B has gone square again for the month of December. Her daily photo challenge – a square photograph, and the theme is sky.
Becky at The Life of B has gone square again for the month of December. Her daily photo challenge – a square photograph, and the theme is sky.
Freedom Tower Lower Manhattan view from Hoboken NJ
Becky at The Life of B has gone square again for the month of December. Her daily photo challenge – a square photograph, and the theme is sky.
sagacious: having or showing keen mental discernment and good judgment; wise, clever,intelligent,knowledgeable, sensible, sage.
Our Uncle Yakob. He lived to be 107 years old, and was in good health and living independently (still doing his own laundry and cooking and grocery shopping) until a week before he died. I always turned to him for advice, or to listen to the stories of his life.
portrayal
of a Queen on a Tatoo
The remains of an owl pellet. Barn Owls are unable to digest the fur and bone of their prey, which they usually swallow whole. The indigestible parts are regurgitated (coughed up through the beak) in the form of an owl pellet. This was probably a small bird. The cycle of life.
Becky at The Life of B has gone square again for the month of December. Her daily photo challenge – a square photograph, and the theme is sky.
Becky at The Life of B has gone square again for the month of December. Her daily photo challenge – a square photograph, and the theme is sky.
Becky at The Life of B has gone square again for the month of December. Her daily photo challenge – a square photograph, and the theme is sky.
This past Sunday we took a ride about 2 hours North of where we live to visit Olana, the home of artist Frederic Church. Here is some background:
Olana State Historic Site was the home of Frederic Edwin Church (1826–1900), one of the major figures in the Hudson River School of landscape painting. The centerpiece of Olana is an eclectic villa composed of many styles, which overlooks parkland and a working farm designed by the artist. The residence has a wide view of the Hudson River valley, the Catskill Mountains. Olana’s 250-acre naturalistic landscape is one of Frederic Church’s great works of art, and it exists today as one of the most intact artist-designed landscapes in the United States.
Showing early artistic talent, Church’s parents arranged for him to study with Thomas Cole in Catskill, New York. Cole had already established himself as an important landscape painter, and Church studied with him between 1844 and 1846.
Impressed by the architecture he saw in cities like Beirut, Jerusalem and Damascus, he envisioned a home that incorporated Middle Eastern elements and designs. Eclectic furnishings fill the house, gathered from the long trips abroad, from shops in New York City, and even from a missionary in Persia. You can read more about it here
The house overlooks the Hudson River, and because it is set so high atop a mountain the views are breathtaking. The bare trees allowed us a fairly clear view across the river and below. Here you can see the Rip Van Winkle Bridge that we crossed over the Hudson River. The Catskill Mountains seem to go on forever in the background.
The view from one of the verandas
Yes it was very windy and cold!!
Here is a slideshow of some of the interiors and exteriors. It was a day trip well worth the drive. We were told the second floor is open for tours in the spring and summer, so we hope to go back and take in the views when things are in bloom then!
Ok, so the lyrics by Simon & Garfunkel really say December, but that is how it felt today. The wind was howling making the 40 degree temps feel like the low 30’s. The sky was overcast and gray. It was COLD!! We ventured out about an hours drive away to a small town North, over the border from New Jersey into New York. It is home to many local artisans and used to be a thriving artist community. Sadly, we found the town has become run down and there are only a few shops left lining the main road. Most of them sell oils and stones for healing, one sold homemade soap. One woman insisted I smell a lavender “potion” that she told me would surely boost my mood everyday. Sorry, not buying it.
The most eventful part of the day was seeing about 20 Turkey Vultures perched in an Evergreen Tree- they looked like ornaments on a giant Christmas Tree all sitting on the branches, and then taking flight all at once. The sound of their flapping wings was remarkably loud. I was able to capture just one close up of one of them, because of the overcast day and their blending in with the branches I could not capture them all sitting up there. Not to mention I was in such a state of shock when I realized there were so many of them in the tree I couldn’t get a grip (literally and figuratively) on myself and the camera. They have a huge 6 foot wingspan, and soar with their wings in a V shape moving side to side- quite a sight.
Though we weren’t that far from home, it felt like we were, a small day trip before the start of a new week. Have a good one all.
Here are some of the things found in my kitchen
Depression glass
Corner cabinets filled with china and my collection of Vernonware Pottery from the 1960’s
and what I love most about my kitchen, my garden window
Paula is for the third year in a row, and for the tenth time this year asking us to participate in a Traces of the Past challenge. This month it is a photo challenge in colour.
Do you all remember these? Traces of the past…..
A Day In The Life 
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