Quill: any of the main wing or tail feathers of a bird
Thursday’s Special: Pick A Word
Paula invites us to “pick a word” for this week’s Thursday’s Special. Here are the ones I have chosen.
soaring
gaiety
prostrating
Pick A Word
Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: Signs
Weekly Photo Challenge: Bridge
The Lowthorp Bridge in Clinton NJ, raised in 1870, is of special significance because of its early date and unique construction. Very few of its type, made with a combination of cast and wrought iron, now survive in America.
Iron Swing Bridge built in 1889, replacing the original wood span erected in 1745 that General George Washington used to cross the river in 1776 during the Revolutionary war. Right in my home town.
Timber Arch Suspension Bridge
Walkway Over the Hudson. steel cantilever bridge spanning the Hudson River between Poughkeepsie, New York, on the east bank and Highland, New York, on the west bank. Built as a double track railroad bridge, it was completed on January 1, 1889. It became a pedestrian walkway bridge in 2009.
The George Washington Bridge viewed from below on the Henry Hudson Parkway in NYC
Weekly Photo Challenge: Delta
For this week’s photo challenge we are asked to share a picture that symbolizes transitions, change, and the passing of time. Photography captures a moment in time; it captures a sliver of any given movement, not the entire motion itself. Only the photographer can see the whole picture.
Fleeting daylight, the sun setting and reflecting off this barn at day’s end. The transition of day to evening, and the hope for tomorrow.
Black & White Sunday: Playtime
For this week’s Black & Sunday, Paula says: It’s PLAYTIME! It’s a weekend after a long and tiring week and some fun is needed. Show me your toys, things you play with, some relaxing time.
I played miniature golf for the first time in my life a few years ago when we were at the NJ Shore. Most of my friends were incredulous that I had made it into my 50’s without ever having played the game. The course was set up like shore, shipwrecked ships, fish and a lighthouse. After the first few holes I got the hang of it and enjoyed playing right up to the 18th hole. Here’s my playtime.
Summertime…..
The beach season has arrived and the weather has cooperated so that we were able to go twice this week. An hour and 1/4 drive and we leave the suburbs behind and arrive on the NJ shore, where the streets are lined with small bungalows and houses with large wrap around front porches.
This year we joined the rest of the beach crowd and purchased a wonderful carry all that is made to wheel on the beach- rather than breaking our backs carrying everything ourselves. What a difference!! There’s a bar to hang our chairs, a spot for the umbrella on the side, and room to spare for the rest of our things. 
Yesterday the wind was wild- we sat near the water for about an hour until we had to seek refuge alongside the dunes which blocked out most of the wind and kept our umbrella from blowing inside out. I have been trying my hand at Sudoku puzzles, but I am really more of a crossword kind of girl. All those numbers and boxes and columns make me crazy, but slowly I am getting the hang of it, and time at the beach allows me to keep practicing. I am also still trying to capture shots of the seagulls in flight- and still failing miserably. These two must have been coasting slowly with the wind allowing me get them.
Blue skies and umbrellas
and of course iced coffee and this year’s wrist bands that show I paid to get on the beach!
The Weekly Smile
I was out for an early evening walk in a local park this week, camera hanging from my neck, always on the lookout for birds, when I thought I saw up ahead of me a very blue bird. I mean very blue. Like Parakeet Blue. As I came closer I saw my eyes had not deceived me, it was a Parakeet. I stopped to chat with the man sitting on the bench holding the Parakeet and he asked if I would like to hold his Parakeet. Of course! The bird’s name was Bernie Sanders and Ben, (Dad of Bernie) said he didn’t know what my political leanings were and hoped I wasn’t offended. That led into a conversation of the state of the States and how could it be possible 45 is running the country. We switched topics to find we had both graduated from the same High School, me in 1976, he in 2012. We talked about growing up in our town and he wanted to know the changes I had seen, seeing as I have never left. All the while Bernie was sitting patiently on my finger. A totally unexpected meeting that left me smiling as I walked back home. What made you smile this week?
Thursday’s Special: Over
Wordless Wednesday
Thursday’s Special: Vision
Travel Theme: Abroad
Seeing this week’s Travel Theme topic took me back to July 1983, when I was taking my first ever trip to Europe. Traveling with my sister to France, then on to Italy by train with our Eurail passes, to see the sights in Venice, Rome and Florence. We did make a short unexpected detour to Milan for 2 hours to catch a glimpse of the Last Supper. My sister spoke a tiny bit of Italian, and all I knew how to say was Quanta Costa-How much does it cost-and would then turn to my sister to translate the amount for whatever fabulous item I had found. We stayed in inexpensive hostels with shared bathrooms. Oh to be 25 years old and not mind sharing a bathroom with strangers.
We were traveling on the train, seated in a compartment that had a rattling sliding door, with bench seats that faced each other. It was just me and my sister, no other travelers were sharing the compartment with us. The ticket collectors kept coming into our compartment at every stop to check our passports. I had my Walkman headphones on, music blasting as we made our way from Florence to Rome. We became accustomed to pulling into the stops and waiting as the train idled before leaving the station once again. At one point it did seem that we were idling longer than usual, but I didn’t think much of it. Until suddenly a ticket collector appeared interrupting my musical reverie, gesturing wildly and yelling something in Italian including Andiamo! Andiamo! My sister had fallen asleep so I quickly gave her a shove and asked her what they were saying with such urgency. It seemed the car we were sitting in had been unhooked from the train, and the train was leaving the station. Without us. We needed to grab our duffle bags post haste and run to find another car to sit in, near the front of the train as only those cars would be going all the way to Rome. I remember running through the cars, opening the ancient sliding doors between them, then shutting them behind us, slowed down by our cumbersome duffle bags. We raced to find room in another car. Finally we found seats, and then we burst out laughing at the ridiculousness of it all- picturing ourselves sitting unknowingly in a detached car while the train moved on to Rome. Here are some of the photos from that time, when I traveled abroad
On the street in Florence
Shopping In Florence
Black & White Sunday: Typical
Cee’s Which Way
The Weekly Smile
School ended yesterday. For those of you who don’t know, I am an assistant teacher in a first grade class. While I was out of the room, the head teacher had the kids write down on a post it note something about me. Most wrote thank you for helping me, thank you for marking our papers, thank you for being the best assistant ever. The one that really made me smile the most was this one
Apparently I was not the only one who thought I had done a major amount of cutting this year. Funny the things that kids notice. What made you smile this week?
Wordless Wednesday
Song Lyric Sunday: Dance
This week the topic is Dance! I’ve chosen an old favorite of mine sung by Aztec Two Step. I started following them in 1972 and this song was on their third album released in 1976. They are still around and I saw them at a local venue a few years ago. Their upbeat folk sound and incredible guitar playing and harmonies still there. The following recording was made in 2007.
Black & White Sunday: Headshot
Thursday’s Special: S Curve
This week Paula invites us to share an s curve. She says: Curves are nice, attractive and fun, aren’t they? I love them too, especially in nature.
Here are my picks for this week’s challenge
Sidewalk Chalk Fun-The Weekly Smile
I took a walk after work last night and as I passed a local school came upon some drawings in chalk on the sidewalk out front. They made me smile and lifted my spirits after a long day. My smile of the week.
I loved this one especially- it said “SCHOOL”S ALMOST OVER!” to me. What made you smile this week?
Black & White Sunday: Traces of the Past
One Word Photo Challenge: Giraffe
A Photo a Week: Moving Waters
Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: Buildings
Thursday’s Special: Portrait vs. Landscape
This week, Paula invites us to post a portrait and landscape format of the same scene. She says we may be surprised at how much different they look and what each one reveals. That’s the only requirement for this challenge. The subject is up to us.
A Day In The Life 
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