While walking in a local park I spotted some branches in the river
I zoomed in to see this
An island for Cormorants! Cormorants are medium-to-large birds with a wing span of 18–39 in. They are fish-eaters, catching the prey by diving from the surface. They are excellent divers, and under water they propel themselves with their feet with help from their wings. 
This guy just stood there enjoying the sun for quite some time, along with his buddy Mr. Turtle
This week Cee asks:
What was one of your first moneymaking jobs (other than babysitting or newspaper delivery)?
I worked summers from the time I was 12 until 15, as an assistant in a playgroup with 4 year olds. I loved the woman I worked with, a young teacher who picked me up every morning in her Kharmann Ghia, which was the coolest thing ever. I opened a bank account and saved up, it was a great feeling having my “own” money. 
What is your favorite month of the year?
May, when spring is springing, the winter is definitely over, and the warm weather arrives. I love the beauty in everything blooming and the birds returning.
What three things in nature do you find most beautiful?
Birds, Flowers, Sky
List at least five of your favorite spices? (excluding salt and pepper)
Turmeric, Cinnamon, Allspice, Paprika, Ginger
This week Paula has chosen size for the challenge, and her photo choice is worth taking a look at.
I passed this home while walking down the beach and was stunned by its enormous size.
The saying goes that every man’s home is his castle, and size has nothing to do with it.
Helen Espinosa has, this week, declared Song-Lyric Sunday’s theme to be a “break up song.”
Back in the late 1970’s, I was involved in a relationship from my late teens into my early 20’s that held a lot of good, but also a lot of not so good. I hung onto it and stayed in it longer than I should have out of fear of change, thinking there would never been anyone else out there, and for assorted other wrong reasons. I finally extricated myself to find this relationship had taught me what I didn’t want and what I did want and need. At that time in my life I was listening to a lot of Jackson Browne, and his song Late for the Sky played incessantly on my turntable. These few lines from the song always rang so true for me: “You never knew what I loved in you, I don’t know what you loved in me, Maybe the picture of somebody you were hoping I might be.” Jackson Browne says that this is one of his most personal songs. “It’s about a moment when you realize that something has changed, it’s over, and you’re late for wherever you’re going to be next.”
The words had all been spoken
And somehow the feeling still wasn’t right
And still we continued on through the night
Tracing our steps from the beginning
Until they vanished into the air
Trying to understand how our lives has led us there
Looking hard into your eyes
There was nobody I’d ever known
Such an empty surprise to feel so alone
Now for me some words come easy
But I know that they don’t mean that much
Compared with the things that are said when lovers touch
You never knew what I loved in you
I don’t know what you loved in me
Maybe the picture of somebody you were hoping I might be
Awake again I can’t pretend and I know I’m alone
And close to the end of the feeling we’ve known
How long have I been sleeping
How long have I been drifting alone through the night
How long have I been dreaming I could make it right
If I closed my eyes and tried with all my might
To be the one you need
Awake again I can’t pretend and I know I’m alone
And close to the end of the feeling we’ve known
How long have I been sleeping
How long have I been drifting alone through the night
How long have I been running for that morning flight
Through the whispered promises and the changing light
Of the bed where we both lie
Late for the sky
I never tire of looking at the sky, its varied shades of blue, the clouds in so many shapes. Somehow it always fills me with a feeling of hope, especially when I see an enormous expanse of it as I captured in these photos. I hope you have sunny skies above you this weekend.
I was walking in a residential area a few weeks ago when a large bird flew by and landed in a tree. I zoomed in to find a bird and a nest, and then another bird flying in. It turned out to be a Yellow-crowned Night Heron. They are a fairly small heron compared to others in the heron family. The yellow-crowned night-heron grows long white feathers from the crown of the head during the breeding season, which you can see in these photos. Unlike the Black-crowned Night-Heron, the Yellow-crowned does not mind living near humans and can be found in wooded neighborhoods, nesting on rooftops and driveways. Such cohabitation may not go smoothly and can create conflicts with humans. There were many nests in the tree above me, and I was excited to have spotted this bird I had never seen before.
so long!
This week Paula is starting something new : She’s giving us five unrelated words that are neither synonyms nor antonyms and asking us to pick one and depict it in photo(s).
Turbidity, Restlessness, Transience, Prolific, Decrepit
Turbidity is caused by particles suspended or dissolved in water that scatter light making the water appear cloudy or murky. Particulate matter can include sediment – especially clay and silt, fine organic and inorganic matter, soluble colored organic compounds, algae, and other microscopic organisms. Turbid water can also be caused by heavy rains stirring up sediment.
The pond I frequent appears very murky after a heavy rain, and sometimes even when it hasn’t rained.
There are two fish lurking right below the surface of this turbid water in the pond- can you see them?
Jude would like to see see native wild flowers found in the hedgerows, woodlands, farmland, meadows, by the coast, up a mountain, on the heath and even in your own garden. Those plants that haven’t been planted, but occur naturally.
I don’t know what these flowers are, they line one of the trails I walk along. Their color is a very pale pink- just a hint of color. I love their yellow centers.
If something is spare, according to the dictionary, it is available to use because it is extra, set aside for a particular purpose, to give or lend, as from a supply, especially without inconvenience or loss, being in excess of present need, and free for other use.
Spare books people have donated to this wonderful boardwalk library
Ailsa said this week: While bright colors are great at attracting attention, gentle neutrals allow the eye to linger over details.
The Chrysler Building is a classic example of Art Deco architecture and considered by many contemporary architects to be one of the finest buildings in New York City. Built in 1930, its design remains timeless, standing out and holding its own in contrast to the buildings built long after it.
Helen Espinosa has, this week, declared Song-Lyric Sunday’s theme to be a song that we love from a movie. I have chosen a song from the musical Wicked, which will be released as a movie some time later this year. “For Good” is sung as a duet between Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West) and Glinda, as a farewell to each other. The song’s music and lyrics were written by composer Stephen Schwartz.
I have always loved the lyrics, as they tell how both Elphaba and Glinda have been changed by their friendship with each other. It strikes a chord with me as I too feel my life has been changed by many of the friends in my life.
I’ve heard it said,
That people come into our lives
For a reason
Bringing something we must learn.
And we are led to those
Who help us most to grow if we let them.
And we help them in return.
Well, I don’t know if I believe that’s true
But I know I’m who I am today
Because I knew you.
Like a comet pulled from orbit
As it passes a sun,
Like a stream that meets a boulder
Halfway through the wood.
Who can say if I’ve been changed for the better
But because I knew you.
I have been changed for good.
It well may be
That we will never meet again
In this lifetime.
So, let me say before we part:
So much of me
Is made of what I learned from you.
You’ll be with me
Like a handprint on my heart.
And now whatever way our stories end
I know you have rewritten mine
By being my friend.
Like a ship blown from it’s mooring
By a wind off the sea.
Like a seed dropped by a skybird
In a distant wood.
Who can say if I’ve been changed for the better
But because I knew you…
Because I knew you…
I have been changed for good.
And just to clear the air
I ask forgiveness
For the things I’ve done,
You blame me for.
But then I guess,
We know there’s blame to share.
And none of it seems to matter anymore.
Like a comet pulled from orbit
(Like a ship blown from it’s mooring)
As it passes a sun.
(By a wind off the sea)
Like a stream that meets a boulder
(Like a seed dropped by bird)
Halfway through the wood.
(In the wood)
Who can say if I’ve been changed for the better.
I do believe I have been changed for the better.
And because I knew you…
Because I knew you…
Because I knew you
I have been changed…
For good.
Join redstuffdan in Sunday Splash
Summer has arrived, the temperature today reaching 88 degrees. I am not a lover of the cold so you will hear no complaints from me. I looked out into my backyard to find two rabbits lounging there, one in the shade of a bush, the other in the cool grass. They looked quite content to me. 
When I looked out again a few minutes later a Robin had taken the place of the rabbit and was taking a breather under the bush. The heat must have gotten to him too. I can’t say I have ever seen a bird sitting on the ground before, but he did fly away a few minutes later when the rabbit came back to take his spot there, so I guess he was ok, just hot.
Hope you have time to relax this weekend too!
This little House Wren is making his home
Today the 5th grade had a day of fun in a local park. It was a scorcher of a day, bright sun, 88 degrees, you could smell the suntan lotion for miles. Bottled water was in abundance. There was a soccer game, relay races and assorted other fun things to take part in. I was fortunate to have the job of sitting on a bench in the shade with 2 girls who could not take part in the games due to previous injuries. The park was not far from school, but we needed to take a school bus there. I have not been on a school bus since I was 9 years old and our class went on a trip to a museum. The girls piled onto the bus, and you would think taking a seat would be easy. Not so easy, as this one gets nauseous and can’t sit in the back, that one doesn’t want to sit next to her- there is a lot of drama going on in 5th grade. Finally everyone was seated with one exception- me. No seats left. The other 2 teachers did offer me their seats, but I declined, falling back into my old commuter routine when I took the bus into NY for 30 years. I stood in the aisle, planted my feet firmly in place and leaned my back against the seat behind me. The bus took off, all the windows down and the breeze rushing in, a welcome relief from the heat. Then the singing began. 99 bottles of beer on the wall. I laughed out loud, wondering how this song had survived the generations, how it was possible that I had sung it close to 50 years ago, and now here in the year 2016, a school bus holding students was singing it once more. Some things never grow old I guess. One difference was the selfie the girls insisted I take on the ride- bringing me back into the present. 
I had always loved to bake, trying new recipes, enjoying making fancy cookies and cakes, but after being diagnosed with gluten intolerance 16 years ago, I lost my love for baking. Last year someone gave me a gluten free bread mix, so I decided to try it. The result was good- the consistency a little less dense than bread with gluten, but close enough to make eating it feel like the “real thing” to me. 
“Oh it’s just a phase she’s going through” was the constant refrain I heard all through my teens. The usual teenage angst brought out the worst in me, moody, sulky, trying to find myself. Thankfully it was just a phase, and life moved on. The phases changed as I grew, I learned to play guitar and spent alot of time singing until I found other things to use my time for. I took up embroidery, then moved on to needlepoint and then to quilting. I later phased into knitting, and crochet, the drawers filled with scarves. I took a Sign Language course and spent every morning and evening practicing until I didn’t anymore, that phase replaced with blogging, my time spent at the computer used for writing words rather than using my hands to say them. I began taking photographs which has now led me to the phase where I view the world around me through the lens of a camera and how to set up a shot. I do feel blogging and photography are not just a passing phase, but something that have really become a part of my my life, of me.
The moon has eight phases, they wax and wane and then are new again, just as life can be.
An amazing example of Architecture is the Lyceum Theater in New York City, which opened in 1903. It is one of the three oldest surviving Broadway venues. It is the oldest continuously operating legitimate theater in New York City, and the first Broadway theater ever to be granted landmark status (1974). The theater maintains most of its original Beaux-Arts design, made of gray limestone-colored terra cotta. I passed it when I was in NYC last week and had to stop to photograph its beauty.
Driving West past New York’s Kennedy Airport the other night, the sunset was just beautiful. As my husband drove,I couldn’t resist trying to capture the beauty though the fences, street lights and wires kept getting in the way. The cloud cover above the sunset added to its beauty.
I have done nothing to alter the color in this photo- the sky was really this intense. 
As luck would have it, a plane came into my view finder as it approached the airport, and I was able to catch it. I did not have to zoom in- the plane was very close. Airports are no longer built as LaGuardia and Kennedy were- so close in proximity to major highways. The planes fly very low over major thoroughfares – especially on the Grand Central Parkway, where the landing gear sometimes feels like it will hit the roof your car!
What is your favorite go to beverage? Water, coffee, tea, coke, soda (non-alcoholic)
I need coffee first thing in the morning to get me going, and I usually have 2 more cups throughout the day.
I do drink water all day long, I try to drink four 16.9 ounce bottles a day.
Can you change a car tire?
NO way, no how, that is what I have AAA for. For those who don’t know, AAA is The American Automobile Association, a federation of motor clubs throughout North America. You join for a little over $100 and in the event of an issue with your car, you call, they come. Battery charging, flat tire etc. They also provide maps and years ago before google maps I would call and order a “triptik” a travel planner that mapped out your trip – with a marker- on a map.
Are you a listener or talker?
I am more of a listener. I can do my fair share of talking but overall I like to listen.
Would you rather have no internet or no cell phone?
No cell phone. I am definitely more attached to the internet than I am to my cell phone.
Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week?
Getting together for dinner with my aunts and uncles this week- all of whom are in their late 80’s and early 90’s. It is a blessing to still have the opportunity to do so. And my 89 year old is the one who made dinner!
Jubilant: feeling or expressing great happiness and triumph;gleeful, euphoric, ecstatic
I sat on the beach watching the fun this man was having with some kids- they all seemed jubilant as they conquered each wave that rose before them.
More!
A Day In The Life 
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