LOOKING FOR LIGHT

HAPPINESS IS

2010-05-14T23:31:00.000-04:00

a new leather couch to curl up on.

DAY IS DONE

2010-05-05T23:31:00.001-04:00

BODY FUEL

2010-05-03T20:35:00.004-04:00

What ever happened to an apple a day?

ORIENT

2010-04-24T12:15:00.002-04:00

CAT NAP

2010-04-18T23:29:00.002-04:00

Lately, I have been seeing things in black and white. I guess that is how my world seems right now. Funny, when I first took photography in high school, I was shooting and processing everything in black and white. I have always loved black and white images, they seem stronger and more compelling. They have a timeless quality to them. Black and white photography is more dramatic, I guess I wish that real life had a little less drama in it.

THREE AM

2010-04-09T21:22:00.003-04:00

On sleepless nights, like last night, I am always reminded of a quote from "The Crack-Up" written by my favorite author, F. Scott Fitzgerald. "In a real dark night of the soul it is always three o'clock in the morning". So true.

TRUMPETING INTO SPRING

2010-04-07T21:58:00.002-04:00

My trumpet dafffodils are always among the first sign of Spring in my garden. Today as temperatures climbed above ninety it felt more like summer. I'm just glad the brutal winter is behind me.

TWILIGHT

2010-04-06T22:32:00.002-04:00

I've always thought of those moments after the sun sinks as magical. Everything looks warm and inviting in the sun's afterglow. Tonight I glanced out the window at the same stuff I see every day which has become rather ordinary and the view was anything but.

EASTER EGGS FOR BOCA BARB

2010-04-04T20:36:00.002-04:00

I think I have been suffering lately from the photographer's version of "writers' block". Hence, my absence from blogging. So this post is for my good friend Boca Barb, who quietly sends emails with visual suggestions that help me to "see" again. Thanks, Barb!

CALLA LILIES

2010-03-24T23:40:00.000-04:00

CHILD'S PLAY

2010-03-21T23:53:00.001-04:00

WINDOW SHOPPING

2010-03-20T23:51:00.000-04:00

A SECOND LOOK

2010-03-19T23:52:00.002-04:00

I couldn't resist shooting another picture of these tulips. In the past few days they have opened fully and they are having trouble holding their heavy heads up high. Some have lost a petal or two. They are past their prime and nearing their end, yet the combination of their grace and translucence somehow make them seem even more beautiful to me.

BOWED HEADS

2010-03-16T19:14:00.002-04:00

The white tulips in my living room were drooping a bit this afternoon. I think they may just be bowing their heads to acknowledge today's Spring-like weather.

THE RENDEZVOUS

2010-03-14T22:13:00.000-04:00

DISHWASHING

2010-03-01T23:35:00.002-05:00

On most winter mornings, I start my day with the breakfast of champions, Irish oatmeal. Loathe to wash the pot I throw some dish washing detergent in it with hot water and let it soak (I never put my pots in the dishwasher). Late in the afternoon when I start thinking about what to prepare for dinner I force myself to scrub the pot. This afternoon some magical late afternoon light created some cool reflections on the granite and made scrubbing the pot almost look enticing.

SOCKS OF MANY COLORS

2010-02-28T23:41:00.000-05:00

IN THE DEPTH OF WINTER...

2010-02-27T22:05:00.001-05:00

... This beautiful floral arrangement has created Spring inside my home.

SUSPENSE

2010-02-26T23:47:00.003-05:00

In the final minutes of her first day as a fifty year old, Sonia unwrapped her last birthday gift.

WHITE OUT

2010-02-25T23:56:00.001-05:00

I remember the movie Endless Summer, but this feels more like an endless winter. The white stuff started falling this afternoon and it is still coming down. I saw this person (through the windshield of a car) trudging through the snow holding an umbrella. What I like is there are so many unknowns--- is the person walking towards me or away from me? Is the person male of female? Everything is occluded by the falling snow.

SLEEPYHEADS

2010-02-23T22:52:00.002-05:00

Slugger wasn't the only one cat napping today.

SCHOOL DAZE

2010-02-21T22:52:00.004-05:00

I got my macbook pro back from the Apple hospital today. It's as good as new. As I walked out of the store I saw this funny moment. Three older women getting a computer lesson from one of the Apple geniuses. My Mom isn't the only one learning new tricks.

ENOUGH

2010-02-16T23:33:00.001-05:00

I suppose it looks pretty, but I have had more than enough of the white stuff. Life is hard enough without the weather ganging up on us too. I'm beginning to understand that golden years (when they arrive) = Florida.

APPLE DOCTOR

2010-02-15T23:53:00.000-05:00

Separation anxiety has already set in. My mac is sick and needs a new video card. It will be a five to seven day recovery period.

TUNING OUT THE WORLD

2010-02-14T23:59:00.000-05:00

SHADOW PLAY

2010-02-13T23:49:00.001-05:00

I loved the shadow play in this and the illusion of a table for two. After all tomorrow is Valentine's Day. Okay... today. Yep, I am late again with my post. That said, I like the geometry of this image.

SUNNY SIDE

2010-02-11T23:58:00.000-05:00

After the snow shellacking we got yesterday, Pistachio was delighted to bask in the sun on a porch cleared of snow.

SNOWED IN

2010-02-11T00:42:00.002-05:00

Long Island got hammered with a big blast of snow today. Periodically, during the day I glanced out to see just how much more snow had fallen. I have a big pine tree that has stood on my property since the house was built in 1946. I could tell the limbs were hanging low under the heavy, wet snow. In the early evening I heard a loud crack and a big limb was down. Across the street, one of the neighbor's daughters was sledding over mounds of snow piled up by her dad. She hit the bump, flew off her sled and rolled in the snow. I couldn't help but remember the proverb, "A young tree bends an old tree breaks". And so it is with people too. Note to self: be flexible.

HAPPY 92nd MOM

2010-02-09T23:17:00.004-05:00

Mom was born in 1918 during the flu epidemic that killed more people then all who perished in World War One. Needless to say, Mom is a survivor. Tonight we celebrated her 92nd birthday. I decided to omit the nine candle from her cupcake, because Mom is not your average nonagenarian. She expressed no concern about the massive amounts of snow and blizzard like conditions forecast for tomorrow. After all she said, "I got to the hospital to deliver your brother during the blizzard of 1947!" She's remarkable, always has been. Happy Birthday, Mom!

TOOLS OF THE TRADE

2010-02-04T23:43:00.002-05:00

My favorite room of the house is the kitchen. After almost ten years here, I realized only today, it is because of the light. I just love the way the light changes how the room looks. Soft and bright in the morning. Hard lines, sharp contrast and long shadows in the late afternoon. I'm not sure which light I like best.

LOST IN THOUGHT

2010-02-03T23:51:00.002-05:00

FROM BED

2010-02-02T23:56:00.000-05:00

It isn't exactly a room with a view, but it's home.

OLD SCHOOL

2010-02-01T23:48:00.001-05:00

This cupola on the junior high (now middle school) in my hometown was always a landmark for me. I spent seventh, eighth and ninth grade at this school. In all the years I have driven past it I just never noticed the cupola illuminated. You know how you look at familiar things without really seeing them? In this case, I'm guilty. Maybe it was the light, but I really saw it this time around! (One other thing I am guilty of... failed to post on time because I was really under the weather.)

KEEPING AN EYE ON HIS DISH

2010-01-31T23:41:00.000-05:00

The sun was pouring in through the kitchen window and Slugger was soaking it up. Of course, he was also keeping an eye on his empty dish. I liked the shadows cast by the window mullions on him... they almost make him look like a bandit.

R.I.P ANGUS

2010-01-30T23:50:00.002-05:00

Last January 19th, I posted this photo of Angus on my blog. In that post I talked about his gentle spirit and how he had the eyes of an old soul. Sadly, he passed away suddenly and before his time. I will always remember his sweet disposition, his sturdy, chunky body, how well he got along with Slugger and how devoted he was to my cousin.

FIRESIDE

2010-01-29T23:45:00.003-05:00

There is perhaps, nothing better than spending a cold night watching the flames of a roaring fire dance.

BURNING THE MIDNIGHT OIL

2010-01-28T23:34:00.002-05:00

LABOR OF LOVE

2010-01-27T23:01:00.003-05:00

I remember it like it was yesterday. Forty three years ago today, my Dad who was a ship's officer died at the age of forty seven in a faraway land. My Mom was left with a mortgage, two kids and the need to find a job in a hurry. By September, Mom was teaching elementary school in the community I grew up in. At night, after correcting papers and making lesson plans I remember her sewing, knitting or needlepointing. Mom is artistic and creative. I like to think I got that gene from her. For years she knitted watch caps and donated them to an organization that distributed them to sailors. Of course she did this to remember my father. I recall the day, some twenty years ago that she decided to participate in a church project--needlepointing kneelers. She wanted to do this in my father's memory and was determined that it depict a ship and the sea. It took her months. Because her breathing is so compromised she hasn't been inside the church in years and for me it has been even longer. Today, I went there to see if her labor of love was still there. It is.

THINKING

2010-01-26T23:52:00.002-05:00

IT'S COMPLICATED

2010-01-25T23:44:00.000-05:00

The older I get the more complicated things seem to become. Funny, thirty years ago I thought it would be exactly the opposite. Nothing is simple any longer.

RACING HOME TO SEE THE GAME

2010-01-24T23:53:00.001-05:00

VOTE NO

2010-01-23T23:19:00.005-05:00

I love the newspaper business. I feel privileged to have spent the past thirty one years at the same newspaper doing what I have wanted to do since I was fifteen years old and took my first photography class in high school. Tomorrow the members of that newspaper's union will be voting on a proposed contract agreement. Sadly,this is how I will be voting.

NOT JUST AN APPLE A DAY

2010-01-22T23:54:00.000-05:00

The shelf in the kitchen is beginning to look a lot like a medicine chest. For an eight year old cat, Slugger has a lot of health problems. Just a few months ago he was diagnosed with asthma and another pill was added to the cocktail. The minute I reach for the pill vials Slugger's ears get flat and like Houdini he disappears. He doesn't get too far before I scoop him up and return to the kitchen. Once I have him he takes his pills like a champion and then the reward... a few treats.

ENDURANCE

2010-01-21T23:49:00.000-05:00

I looked out the kitchen window this afternoon and saw a blob on the lawn. Immediately I thought that a bird had met some awful fate. I went out to inspect and was relieved to see a tired looking pine cone. In the far corner of my backyard I have a pine tree that has probably been on the property since the house was first built in the late 1940s. The red bellied woodpecker loves it as do the squirrels. Every fall it drops a boatload of pine cones in the yard. I hate picking them up because they are sticky, but by Spring they seem to be gone. I was amazed that this one had survived not only the twenty inches of snow that had buried it, but the cats who seem to love batting the pine cones around.

2010-01-21T23:47:00.000-05:00

POKER FACE

2010-01-20T23:57:00.000-05:00

THINGS MAY APPEAR

2010-01-19T23:56:00.004-05:00

Today was a very troubling and difficult day. Sitting in the passenger seat of a friend's car reflecting on the day's challenges, I saw the "objects in the mirror are closer than they appear" warning. Sometimes they are larger than they appear too. As Yul Brenner said in The King and I, "Is a puzzlement".

CAMERA SHY

2010-01-18T23:55:00.006-05:00

OLD DOG, NEW TRICKS

2010-01-17T22:46:00.003-05:00

Mom has really gotten the hang of her Christmas Kindle, so much so that she seems to be overcoming her Internet/computer trepidation. Tonight she came over for dinner and a game of Scrabble. True to form, she arrived with her completed New York Times Sunday crossword puzzle. She informed me that before we ate, she wanted to look at a crossword blog that discusses the puzzle's theme and also shows the answers. She wanted to make certain that she had it all done right. I think Mom's Christmas Kindle may have created a monster! She sure is warming up to using a Mac. Oh boy, her birthday is less than a month away.

TWAS THE SEASON

2010-01-16T22:42:00.001-05:00

LIGHTS OUT

2010-01-15T23:30:00.001-05:00

ENNUI

2010-01-14T23:58:00.004-05:00

I am learning that my photo opportunities are quite limited now that my Achilles tendon is immobilized and I have to wear a "boot" from my knee down to the very tip of my toes. Slugger is becoming my subject of choice. After my knee surgery he seemed to be hanging very close to me, but after I was "booted" he seemed a little frightened. Gradually he he has been checking it out. Although I still am fascinated by some of the things he does, positions he gets in and his knack for following every spot of sun around the house, he is bored with my being home all the time and my camera. He makes it very clear just whose house it is.

LATE AFTERNOON LAMP

2010-01-13T23:32:00.004-05:00

When the sun is out, I love the way the late afternoon light spills in through the French doors in my living room. The Benjamin Moore Philadelphia cream walls start to look like very rich butter and the shadows start to grow long, like the day. Today I noticed the long shadows cast by one of the lamps and I liked the geometry of it all.

HIS WINDOW ON THE WORLD

2010-01-12T22:36:00.000-05:00

WASHING UP

2010-01-11T22:33:00.002-05:00

I was so happy to see the sun shining through my kitchen window. As I stared out the window looking at the play of shadows in the late afternoon light, I heard the rhythmic sound of Slugger grooming himself. I turned to see that I wasn't the only one happy to see the sun. Slugger had positioned himself perfectly in a spot of warm sunlight and was grooming himself, as he always does before he takes a nap. What a life!

PRICELESS

2010-01-10T23:28:00.005-05:00

The Christmas tree came down today. There is a method to the madness, almost each ornament has a home in a certain box. As I carefully wrapped each ornament in tissue paper and tucked it away for another year I thought about the person who gave it to me and the history behind it. Besides the ornament my great-great grandmother brought over from Europe more than 150 years ago, one hand made decoration that has a special place in my heart is the one my very dear friend Pam made for me. Pam and I have been friends since we met riding the bus to junior high school. Pam was there when I first fell in love with photography as a sophomore in high school and recalls how each Christmas I always wanted another piece of camera gear. My freshman year of college I started working on my school newspaper. There were lots of portraits to be shot and I wanted a Nikon 105mm lens in the worst way. Despite the hefty price tag, My Mom came through and it was under the tree. The lens is long gone, but the Christmas ornament Pam fashioned out of a toilet paper roll, plastic wrap, tape and glue has been on my tree every year since 1973. Pam even added a gift tag with the price of the lens and my Mom's comment on the cost, "Aw Gaawd"! It really is priceless.

PAWPRINTS

2010-01-09T23:20:00.004-05:00

The older I get the less tolerance I seem to have for snow. This winter we have already had one major snowstorm and several dustings. Whenever I hear snow forecast I worry about the outside cats. After the twenty inches that fell in December, I didn't see them for almost a day and feared the worst. I called my Mom and told her how worried I was and she assured me they were fine and reminded me of the book The Incredible Journey which tells of the adventure shared by two dogs and a cat as they travel 300 miles through the Canadian wilderness searching for their beloved masters. In this book it is the cat who really saves the day, hunting to provide food for itself and the dogs as well as being the cheerleader of the group. The cat is really the best equipped to survive in the wild. Now even when we have a dusting of snow, I am relieved when I spot pawprints in the snow. I'm also thinking a lot about warmer climates.

POINSETTIA

2010-01-08T23:54:00.003-05:00

My life has been pretty sedentary lately as I recover from knee surgery and try to manage acute achilles tendonitis. I had another MRI yesterday and am waiting to learn what the next step (so to speak) will be in my recovery/rehab. Since late November I have spent most of my time on the couch in my living room. Directly in front of me on the coffee table is a poinsettia that arrived around Thanksgiving. I have spent a lot of time looking at the different pigments and designs in the flower. It is so different from the standard poinsettia fare. I am happy to report that it is still thriving for which I am grateful. It has been good company and in a quiet way has cheered me on. Hopefully, I will be up and around soon too.

ME 'N MY SHADOW

2010-01-07T22:51:00.000-05:00

RINGTAIL

2010-01-06T22:20:00.004-05:00

I've seen a lot of stray cats pass through my back yard, looking for a morsel or two. Pistachio and Hazel are permanent residents, but a banged up stray who has been coming through for about two years has also taken up residency. He has managed to worm his way into my heart. At first I was put off by his ragged looking coat, scratched up nose and ears that looked like serrated knives. I thought he was nothing but a trouble maker and kept my distance. He started rubbing up against my leg and he let me pet him. I knew then that he had belonged to someone and was "ditched". So, Ringtail joined the dynamic duo, Pistachio and Hazel. In fact, he even earned his own house out back. Now, I often walk into the kitchen to see Pistachio sitting on one window ledge and Ringtail on the other. He has a lot of battle scars, but I love seeing his chewed up ears through my window. He has settled in and I think he knows he has a home now too.

INFRARED FISH

2010-01-05T20:58:00.002-05:00

A friend grilled this spectacular looking red snapper for dinner. I had to take a picture with my iphone and then wondered how it would look with an infrared filter. I have never done anything with infrared before, but I like the way this almost looks like a pen and ink drawing. By the way, the red snapper was as good as it looks!

AN AFTER CHRISTMAS GIFT

2010-01-04T23:33:00.004-05:00

Late this afternoon, as I sipped a cup of coffee in my kitchen my eye was drawn to the way the light was hitting my Christmas cactus. I've had this cactus for more than twenty years and despite some real neglect over the years, like a good alarm clock it announces the arrival of the holiday season by bursting into bloom. Like a peacock it transforms itself from a solid green leaved plant into stems laden with bright blossoms. It is easy to overlook it during the year. It isn't showy and certainly doesn't draw attention to itself. But today sitting all alone near the window on my kitchen counter, I noticed how interesting it is even without the flowers.

UNDER COVER

2010-01-03T12:26:00.004-05:00

I can hear the wind blowing and whipping around outside the house. The gusts are so strong they are knocking over the garbage cans. It is a perfect day to stay in bed, but I forced myself to get out. First thing I did was make coffee to warm up. Next step, feed Slugger (which is usually the first step because he meows up a storm wanting to be fed in the morning). All of a sudden I realized it was very quiet and Slugger was nowhere to be found. Somebody decided not to get up this morning!

BOOST TO THE ECONOMY

2010-01-02T23:49:00.000-05:00

PEEKING IN ON A NEW YEAR

2010-01-01T23:59:00.003-05:00

There are some habits that even a new decade won't change. Every night Pistachio one of my outside cats jumps up on the window ledge and peers into the kitchen. It is almost impossible to see him because he is a black cat, but I hear the bell. It's our ritual and regardless of the weather I head out and give him a few treats and tell him to be safe. Usually, I come back in and treat myself to one last cup of coffee and a cookie. Coffee tonight, no cookie....that habit is going to change.

OLD AND NEW

2009-12-31T23:41:00.003-05:00

I write this with only minutes left in 2009 and can't help but reflect on the things that have transpired this year and wonder what 2010 holds. This past Christmas, Mom surprised me by expressing interest in a kindle, because font size could be increased. Always an avid reader at 91 she was finding her reading choices limited to large print books. Santa didn't deliver the kindle in time for Christmas, but she got it today in time for a New Year filled with all sorts of new books. If Mom can embrace technology then I know the year ahead is filled with all kinds of possibilities. With this new year comes a new decade and with it an abiding hope that the road won't be too bumpy and that the rough patches will be eased by joyful moments and memories.

METROPOLITAN STUDY

2009-12-29T01:04:00.004-05:00

I watched this young artist study the torso he was about to sketch. He examined the sculpture piece for a long time without ever drawing a line in his sketchbook. As I watched I thought about my blog and how it is my empty canvas. Over the past nine months I have missed the discipline of blogging. Curiously, I only realized this very recently. It is a place that is all mine and a home for photos that would never see the light of day anywhere else...especially not in a daily newspaper. It makes me a better photographer. So a promise to myself, a New Year's resolution if you will... to begin blogging on a regular basis again in 2010.

A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE

2009-10-31T23:37:00.000-04:00

WET

2009-10-28T23:57:00.000-04:00

A LOST SON

2009-09-29T23:10:00.001-04:00

LAW AND ORDER

2009-07-14T08:58:00.002-04:00

This neo-classical style courthouse in lower Manhattan was built in 1927 and is probably best known as a backdrop in the TV show law and order. It's facade has been used in that show countless times. But I kind of like a less common perspective-- from the top of the steps looking out at Foley Square and Manhattan.

ALL SMILES

2009-06-30T23:50:00.000-04:00

This little boy had the most magical smile. His ebullience was unmistakeable and really did light up the whole room. I couldn't help but photograph him.

GIRAFFE

2009-06-28T17:16:00.002-04:00

STORM CLOUDS

2009-06-22T23:33:00.001-04:00

I had several outside shoots scheduled for today and given the kind of weather we have been having on Long Island I wondered just how prudent it was. I reminded myself that I don't schedule assignments, I just take the pictures as I gathered my rain gear together. When I got to the venue I walked around the field trying to figure out a good location and as I looked up saw these dark clouds gathering. I managed to get the shoot done and moments later the rain came.

PLAYING WITH LIGHT

2009-06-20T23:25:00.001-04:00

I was fooling around with my camera's flash tonight. Momma was over for dinner and a game of Scrabble. The Scrabble game got quite competitive and Momma's glasses were knocked from the table. A lens popped out, hence the tape on the corner of her lenses! I liked the edginess of this light, but Momma wasn't thrilled with the photo. In high school when I first got interested in photograhy, my Mom was my first subject. She wasn't thrilled with his photo, but nonetheless she continues to make photo sacrifices for me!

CRYSTAL BALL

2009-06-18T10:51:00.004-04:00

The oft talked about crystal ball that offers a glimpse into the future is a pretty concept (although I am not sure I would want to know what my future holds). One of my most treasured belongings is a different kind of crystal ball. It can't tell me the future, but this Waterford crystal baseball was given to me years ago by a very dear friend. The faceted baseball graces my coffee table, plays with the light and reminds me of my boys of summer, the New York Yankees.

MOVING ON

2009-06-17T07:37:00.005-04:00

There's something about attending a commencement which always engenders in me an odd combination of hope and melancholy. It starts with hearing the traditional Pomp and Circumstance and ends with the usual tossing of the mortarboards. I look at the happy faces full of joy and ready to run towards their future. I think of where I was the day I graduated and where I am now. No regrets, although I wonder what my life would be like if I had listened to my Mom and chosen the career path she wanted for me. Like this image, life is full of reflections.

RAINDROPS

2009-06-09T22:43:00.001-04:00

WINDOW LIGHT

2009-06-01T23:20:00.002-04:00

The first photography class I took was my sophomore year of high school. Of course we were shooting black and white and learning to develop film. I was at a neighbor's house and shot a picture of a plant in their window. It was backlit, but I really liked the shot and I considered it an early success. When I saw this photo forty years later it reminded me of that picture I took so many years ago. The technology has changed a lot, but it's still all about the light and the composition.

CHARACTER

2009-05-27T21:58:00.004-04:00

The weathered look of this building caught my attention, but I was in a hurry. I knew there was a photo to be made, but I also knew I would have to hunt for it a bit. I liked the geometry of the composition, the angles and the tonal range created by the peeling paint lends interest. A little wear and tear builds character, not just in buildings but in people too!

AT LAST

2009-05-25T23:52:00.000-04:00

It seems that summer is the season that takes the longest to get here. In the bitter cold of January as I shovel the driveway, I pin my hopes on the promise of warm summer days. Today it felt as though summer had finally arrived. Memorial Day is the traditional summer kickoff and this was a beauty....even if I was working today.

EAST END ART GALLERY

2009-05-24T18:17:00.002-04:00

I stumbled upon this simple scene when I popped into an art gallery in Riverhead. I was shooting an assignment and cutting through the art gallery was a shortcut to where my car was parked. It was pure serendipity because I lingered looking at the exhibit and couldn't help but take a picture of this scene. Sometimes the shortcut winds up taking you a little longer, but it was worth it. Things happen for a reason.

MILK AND COOKIES

2009-05-02T23:42:00.002-04:00

Almost every night I venture into my yard to give Pistachio some treats. It has become a ritual of sorts. He jumps onto the kitchen window ledge, a signal that he is looking for his treats. He has become so domesticated (born feral, but now just a real love bug) that I regret not bringing him inside. I tell myself, Slugger (king of the house) would never have put up with an interloper. Now I wonder and assuage my guilt, by spoiling Pistachio with "milk and cookies".

HOT STONE MASSAGE

2009-04-30T23:22:00.002-04:00

As I watched the smooth stones that were being used for a hot stone massage I thought about the bumpy road I have been on lately. Life has been anything but smooth, but I'm trying to see the silver lining. Maybe it's time to try a hot stone massage.

EAGLE EYE

2009-04-17T14:35:00.002-04:00

I've used the expression "eagle eye" often and like to think that because of my craft I am fairly observant. Until recently I had never seen the eye or beak of an eagle so closely. I know they are a bird of prey (check out that killer beak) but what keen eyes they have. They can see forward and to the side at the same time and can see fish in the water from several hundred feet above. No telephoto lenses needed. They are majestic birds, gorgeous and impressive up close. I am so glad Ben Franklin's wish to make the wild turkey our national symbol never took flight.

GREENE AVENUE, BUSHWICK

2009-03-27T23:52:00.002-04:00

I was taking the side streets to try and avoid rush hour traffic today when I spotted this truck covered with graffiti. Graffiti isn't unusual in New York City, it is everywhere. However, this truck made me do a doubletake.

A YEAR

2009-03-25T22:36:00.004-04:00

I began this blog exactly a year ago with an entry called Another Season. Of course it was baseball themed and I am still particularly fond of that photo. It seems fitting that I close out the year with a baseball photo...literally. I spent yesterday touring the new Yankee Stadium and today touring the Mets new stadium, Citi Field. In a few short weeks the season will begin again and both teams will play in new ballparks on new grass. One of my favorite quotes is by the late A. Bartlett Giamatti, who was commissioner of baseball. "The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone." Thanks for stopping by to look, thanks for all your comments too. This blog has been a good discipline for me. Frankly, I can't believe I posted daily for one year. Because of it I took pictures I might not have taken. I have learned a lot from the process. I am not jumping ship, just taking a breath and thinking about where the blog goes from here. I don't think I will be posting daily, but I will be posting.

RELAXING

2009-03-24T22:37:00.002-04:00

After a long day it is nice to be able to sit in my kitchen and stare out at my garden. Not much in bloom yet, but sometimes the cats really perform. Pistachio seems to love sitting in the birdbath. He'll be surprised when there is water in there.

EIGHTH AVENUE PRIMARY COLORS

2009-03-23T22:59:00.002-04:00

Lost in thought as I was walking up Eighth Avenue these bright storefronts caught my attention. Predictably one of them is for rent. I'm still wondering about the yellow store which offers "well drinks" (whatever that is) for five dollars during happy hour. I'm sure we can all use a "well drink"!

A SIGN OF SPRING

2009-03-22T23:10:00.002-04:00

I walked around my backyard this afternoon and spotted my first sign of spring. One brave little yellow crocus had bloomed and in an instant I felt more hopeful. Ah, the promise of spring.

JUST MARRIED

2009-03-21T23:46:00.002-04:00

Wandering around lower Manhattan this afternoon this couple that had just been married seemed oblivious to all the passersby.

ON BROADWAY

2009-03-20T23:33:00.002-04:00

Saw a Broadway show tonight and as I walked to my car played with the light and color of Times Square at night. So often I am in here working during the day. It looks so much different at night.

MOVING ON

2009-03-19T23:50:00.002-04:00

Today was Sonia's last day at HSBC and since she is the last one left in that particular office I stopped by to help her carry stuff out. Even though it was her decision to leave (because another bank approached her about working for them) it is hard to separate from something that has been a part of your life for several years.

WINDOW SHOPPING

2009-03-18T18:10:00.002-04:00

You just never know what you are going to find when you go window shopping in New York.

SHADOW DANCE

2009-03-17T23:22:00.000-04:00

IN A CROSSWALK AND AT A CROSSROAD

2009-03-16T23:26:00.002-04:00

At work I have been shooting only video for the past week, no stills at all. Without my still camera my daily hunt for an image to post has been seriously impeded. With the year anniversary of my blog just about a week away I am at a crossroad. How do I continue a photo driven blog when I am not shooting still photos. This is really a puzzlement.

WALK THE DOG

2009-03-15T23:25:00.001-04:00

As I walked west on 23rd Street I passed these folks walking their stuffed dog. Hummm... only in New York!

NEW AND OLD

2009-03-14T23:53:00.000-04:00

As I was walking on Lexington Avenue I looked up to see the juxtaposition of this new building with the old one. I just really liked the interplay.

ON THE BENCH

2009-03-13T23:38:00.000-04:00

As I walked past this scene I did a double take. I just loved the way the woman is engrossed in her book completely oblivious to the statue next to her. The statue appears equally indifferent, content to people watch. Found moments like this come easy to some photographers, sadly I am not one of them.

BROOKLYN

2009-03-12T22:57:00.000-04:00