FIRESIDE SCRABBLE

I'm tired of winter. I'm sick of shoveling snow and being cold all the time. Tonight I made dinner for Mom and we spent a nice warm evening playing Scrabble in front of the fire. Mom had some real good words.. quota (ten points just for the Q) was especially good. I managed to win, but all those Sunday New York Times crosswords give Mom an unfair advantage.

POTS 'N PANS

TOO MUCH TECH

As I was winding down tonight I looked at the kitchen peninsula and saw my blackberry on top of my laptop. Nearby was the digital camera and some lenses and of course the ubiquitous cup of coffee. Who needs the coffee... I'm wired enough or is it wi-fi enough?

INTERSECTION

After a long day of driving in snow, sleet, ice and finally fog I was stopped at an intersection not to far from my home. I have driven through this spot countless times. Today as I looked at the tree silhouette which seemed even more dramatic in the fog, I also saw the symmetry of two stop lights and two telephone poles. I like the stark appearance of the tree, and there is something I like about the parallels of the telephone poles and the telephone lines. The punctuation of the red lights add depth. I guess I just like seeing this familiar spot in a new way.

A LONG DAY

From the look on my colleague's face it is apparent that he has had a long day. There is something so honest about his expression and by looking at him we recognize and feel his frustration. I like his expression and I like the use of space in this portrait too.

WAITING

I spent the better part of my day waiting. I wasn't alone, some of my colleagues were waiting too. I glanced over at one of my colleagues and thought her body language summed up the day rather well. I liked the folds in the oversized shirt and the texture... but I sure didn't like the wait. In a thirty year career, I wonder how many weeks or months I have spent waiting for "the moment".

DIFFERENT WORLDS

I find myself in a Starbucks almost every day. Sometimes I wonder what I did before Starbucks made it to the East coast. Of course, I go for the lattes but sometimes I set up shop and transmit photos using their wireless. I watch as people come in and order their very specific drinks, some rush out purposefully, but some linger. Some meet friends and some conduct business meetings. It's amazing all strangers and in very different worlds, but each in search of that cup of joe.

WARM HANDS

CORNER TABLE

I like the ambiance of this little Italian restaurant on Amsterdam Avenue. It is a real contradiction... a quiet corner table on a busy avenue. A warm,inviting place on a cold, dreary night. Besides the light is always interesting here.

WINDOW LIGHT

Late this afternoon as daylight began to fall off I went to turn on a light in my living room. That's when I saw the neat light and shadow play on the shade of one of my lamps. I really liked the reflections of the window panes on the shade and the shadow of the shade cast on the wall which is given life by the single patch of light. So often during the day I wonder where I will find a picture for my blog. This one was right in front of me.

TIME FLIES

FRESH SNOW

Today as America ushered in a new administration that engenders hope and promises change, this scene resonated with me. Fresh fallen snow with a fence that seems to be endless made me think about limitless possibilities.

THE MODEL

I got out my studio gray seamless paper and set up my new lights, eager to see how they looked. Not a person to model... so Slugger cooperated for a few very short seconds. Even his favorite salmon treats couldn't lure him back onto the stool!

HOLIDAY OBSERVANCE

The expressions of these two women caught my attention. Their attention focused on the speaker and their expressions so serene. The moment seemed so harmonious and isn't that what it is all about?

AT PEACE

At first my eye was caught by the sunlight pouring in through the library window. Dressed in his fatigues this solider looked oddly peaceful, yet out of place.

OLD SOUL

My cousin Jimmy's dog Angus, a Cairn Terrier visited tonight. Angus has a gentle spirit and gets along with all sorts of animals, including Slugger. In this photo Angus has such a sad look... like an old man or an old soul.

WINTER TREES

The days are getting longer now, but today's brutal cold was a constant reminder that we are still in the midst of the winter doldrums. The trees and their leafless silhouettes are beautiful in a strange way. They aren't as showy or in your face as they are when the leaves are full of color in autumn. Yet, they are majestic and pretty in an understated sort of way. Winter is a monochromatic season, you have to look harder to see the beauty in things. Maybe that's because everything seems so much harder in the chill of winter days.

STOP AND GO

Driving home from work was a slow stop and go sort of thing, but the sunset was easy on the eyes.

SPRING TRAINING SQUIRREL

Like many of us, this plump little guy wonders how long until pitchers and catchers report. In Tampa, the New York Yankees pitchers and catchers report on February 13. I am willing to bet this guy is a Yankees fan. If he wants to remain in my backyard, he better be!

EARLY LIGHT ON 125TH STREET

The first thing I noticed as I walked to my car on West 125th Street was the crisp light on the facades of these buildings. Then I noticed how they look like a bunch of building blocks, stacked on top of one another and next to each other. A hodgepodge of buildings that have had their raison d'etre reinvented time and again. I guess in that respect the lives of buildings are not unlike our own.

A WINTER BBQ

I love to barbecue in the summer. As the day gets shorter and the temperature drops, cooking becomes an inside activity. Not so for a good friend of mine who has been known to grill outside in single digit weather while standing on snow and ice. Perhaps it is my imagination, but the steaks seemed to taste even better on a winter grill. Maybe it was the side dish of warm summer memories that came with the steak.

READING ROOM

Today's snowy weather provided the perfect reason to curl up at home with a good book. I was surprised by how many people braved the elements to do just that at this bookstore! I liked the way each person here is engrossed in their own world, miles away from where they are, yet inches from one another. When I was in elementary school I remember my Mom telling me that books were my best friend because they were my window on the world and could take me anywhere. Mom was right (of course) and she instilled in me a lifelong thirst for reading.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

My very dear friend Pam and I have been friends for 41 years. We grew up together and although she has lived in New Orleans for twenty five years, we still see each other many times during the year. Her parents still live in the town we grew up in. So, whenever she visits them I benefit too! Today was her father's 84th birthday and we all gathered to celebrate. I couldn't resist taking a few photos.

SHOW OFF

My cousin Jimmy's cat Oscarina was just begging for attention today when I stopped by. Jimmy is out of town and Oscarina is lonely. She was really showing off, rolling over, purring and doing anything to get some pets. Of course I thought she looked a little thin, but then compared to Slugger any cat would look slim! Jimmy is home this weekend and no one will be happier than Oscarina.

STILL LOOKING FOR LIGHT

JUST HANGING OUT

Today was a tough day at the office and a very long one. When I finally got home Slugger didn't bother to greet me at the door. I found him hanging out in the kitchen waiting to be fed. I'm glad someone in this house is living the life of Riley!

WINTER TREES

I liked the simplicity of this image. The bare tree limbs and the intersecting telephone lines made for an interesting juxtaposition.

CANDLE LIGHT

I love candlelit dinners. Just seeing candles makes me slow down and lowers my blood pressure. We had dinner tonight at a charming French bistro with lots of little white candles on the tables. This multicolored candle was also on our table. I enjoyed watched the colorful reflections dance on the wall as I took a deep breath and sipped a pinot noir.

CAT NAP

I wish I could fall asleep as easily as Slugger. During the day I will see him curled up on the heating vent or on the couch (I need a new one, but since one side of it is gray thanks to him I'm not rushing into anything) and even on the bed. He curls up and often puts his paw over his eyes (to block out the light?) and is off to dreamland. Lately I struggle with sleep. I get in bed and my mind goes into overdrive. Sleep used to come so easily, but in the past month or so the wee hours of the night pass very slowly.

AT NIGHT

When I was reading F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Crack Up in college I came across a line that has always stuck with me: "In the real dark night of the soul it is always three o'clock in the morning...." I think of this often when I wrestle with things late at night. Both thoughts and images can appear very different when shrouded in darkness. Something I might pay no attention to as I pass it during the day, becomes interesting at night. I have passed this building many times and never felt compelled to photograph it. Yet at night with the walkway lights reflected in the snow it looked both inviting and mysterious. The glass blocks added a sense of texture too and all of a sudden I saw things in it that I would never have seen in by the light of day.

NEW YEAR REFLECTIONS

Late in the afternoon of the first day of a new year I decided to try to create order where there is none--in my closet. This is a task akin to opening Pandora's box. As I rooted through some clothes, sorting through sizes and styles, I noticed the reflection of the window and blinds on the outside of the closet doors. I watched the reflection change from clean simple lines to stronger more confusing lines. Not at all unlike what was going on in my closet and my mind as I reflected on the year that has past and the one that has just begun.