UP OR DOWN

I have driven past this school hundreds of time. The geometry of this elementary school has always attracted me. The staircases, going up or down (depending on your point of view), the different shapes and intersecting lines all caught my eye.

MESSY

The icing on a really, really rough week was today's snow and sleet. Is there a message in all of this?

LIMBO

With less than a week until Christmas I still don't know if I will survive the cuts at my company. My friends don't know what to say to me and I see the troubled looks on their faces.

LOOKING UP

Sometimes things look better when you just try to change your perspective. So, today I just kept trying to look up!

WAITING

Eventually, given enough time most things become apparent. I guess it is the unknown that seems interminable. Living in limbo, not knowing how things will unfold is the worst and cruelest way to wait. It is that kind of time, when one waits for some kind of resolution that is the hardest to endure. Yes, time will tell, but how much time will it take?

HOTEL EMPIRE

A WATCHED SUPPER DISH

Never fills. Slugger's wondering how Ghandi did it?

TREE TRIMMING

I haven't been in the holiday frame of mind at all. Today I forced myself to put the Christmas tree up and to put the garland around the French doors. It took the better part of the day, but with the help of my Mom, my cousin Jimmy, Sonia and a few other friends Christmas has arrived at my home. I made sure the special ornaments got on the tree. I hung the old and very heavy green German kugel ornament that my maternal great-great grandmother brought with her when she came to the United States in 1858--- exactly 150 years ago. The lens ornament my friend Pam made for me from a cardboard toilet paper roll and plastic wrap 34 years ago is nestled among the branches. I recall that all I wanted was a 105mm lens that Christmas. Each ornament has a special memory. The one shown here is a handblown glass baseball player that my Mom bought for me in lower Manhattan years ago. There are no presents under the tree, but these memories are a special gift--especially this year.

SLEEP

Slugger senses something is bothering me. He follows me around and sticks even closer to me lately. He is always just a few feet away. At least someone in this house is still sleeping like a baby!

WORRIED

I've been preoccupied and worried about what is ahead lately. I spend a lot of time lost in thought, although I seem distracted and can't concentrate most of the time. I'm not good company. In Barnes & Noble I looked over and saw this worried expression on Sonia's face. I guess that sums it all up. Yet I know that this too will pass.

TAIL LIGHTS

Heading East along the Long Island Expressway service road in rush hour is always a test of my patience. I liked the way the elevated highway and high retaining wall on the righ seem to be swallowing up the long line of vehicles. This picture just seems to have a lot of geometry and angles to it which I think make it interesting.

HOLIDAY LIGHTS

Columbus Circle is all torn up with construction, but the holiday lights on the Time Warner Center are magnificent. When you sit in traffic and stare at them for a while they even look better!

THE GENIUS BAR

This isn't the genius bar at the Manhattan Apple Store, these college students are deep in thought and hard at work on a school project. I just liked the mood, the expressions and the light emanating from the light boxes under their laptops.

LAUNDRY DAY

From the looks of things, these women will be spending a lot of time in the laundromat!

SURVIVAL

I've had this Christmas cactus for well over twenty years. It was tiny and in full bloom when I got it. It started to grow and I had to repot it. I kept it in the kitchen of my then one bedroom apartment. For weeks it would go without water as I traveled on business or just plain forgot about it. It never bloomed again. Eight years ago I moved into my current house. I almost left it behind, but a friend retrieved it. Ever since I have been in this house the cactus blooms faithfully at Christmas. Today as I struggled to make sense of things and grabbed at straws, I saw in this plant a metaphor. It was neglected and moved from one place to another. It survived the changes and bloomed in spite of it all.

THIRTY YEARS

After the sudden and devastating news this afternoon, that the entire photo department of my newspaper would have to take a buyout or be laid off, I thought about not posting tonight. How do you measure thirty years in one place? What does it look like? How many perp walks and press conferences... how many hurricanes and blizzards? How many tennis matches and baseball games has it been? I can try to put a face on thirty years, but I can't begin to fill the hole in my heart. I love the newspaper industry and I hate what is happening to it. From the time I was fifteen all I ever wanted to do was be a photojournalist. This hurts more than I can even begin to say. It feels like a death in my family. Today a part of me died.

TIS THE SEASON

Late this afternoon I forced myself to begin some holiday shopping. I didn't get much done, but as I left a Starbucks latte in hand I saw these little white lights which looked like stars against the dark blue twilight sky. I had my camera and "played" with the image...shooting it a few different ways. Tis the season....

116 STREET, NYC

I like Manhattan best early in the morning. The light is edgy, the shadows are long and you can hear yourself think. Of course, in the city that never sleeps, that has to be very very early in the morning.

RISE AND SHINE

The light that streams through the window of my master bath is from the southeast and on sunny mornings it can be very bright. The light reflects on the walls of my shower stall and my eyes which usually want to remain closed, struggle to adjust to it. I like the light and the way it filters in and by the time I am out of the shower I peek out the bathroom window to see what birds are having breakfast at the feeders.

EIGHTH AVENUE

As I crawled up Eighth Avenue in midtown today I couldn't help but marvel at the hodgepodge of architectural styles... old and new, a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Somehow it all works. As I looked at it through my camera it was a bit dizzying. When I look at it now it almost reminds me of an Escher print. Okay, so maybe the silver lining to sitting in traffic is that I see things I would miss otherwise!

THE GUGGENHEIM

I seem to be in a museum mode and after my trip to The Metropolitan Museum yesterday, I found myself at The Guggenheim today. I don't get to this museum very often. Whenever I do I marvel at Frank Lloyd Wright's spiraling design which always reminds me of the inside of a chambered nautilus seashell. The museum is really conducive to just ambling along and being surprised by one exhibit after another. Today was no exception. I just have to keep myself from continually looking up at the architecture.

THE CRITICS

I never tire of wandering around the Metropolitan Museum of Art. My Mom used to bring me here as a child and I am fortunate that she instilled her love for art in me. No matter how often I come here I always discover something new. I stumbled across this man sketching today and liked the idea that he was making art while surrounded by art. Like so many artists he had several critics looking over his shoulder.

SERIOUS SCRABBLE

The faces of my childhood friend Sara and her two girls (my Godchildren) tell you that this game of Scrabble was a real competition. We don't get to see each other often, usually only a few times a year. It's always special when we do, no matter who wins the game.

TURKEY LURKEY

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

CAT TAIL

Invariably when I am working on the computer Slugger will find his way next to my laptop. He positions himself so that he is looking out the window and his rear end is directed toward the keyboard. He has his window on the world and I suppose since I am online, I have mine. I have often been accused of getting "lost" online, surfing various sites and blogs and answering email. After awhile, I get the message that time is up. Slugger's tail starts to creep across my keyboard. Time to pet the kitty cat.

IT'S GREEK TO ME

AFTERNOON STROLL

In the late afternoon as the day became gray, a harbinger of the rainy weather that was approaching, this woman looked determined to get in her walk. I liked the loneliness of this photo. The gray sky, bare tree and even drooped shoulders of the woman combine to give a real sense of isolation.

RECYCLING

This man is very serious about his recycling efforts. His shopping carts and plastic bags add a lot of color to the streetscape too.

CANDY MAN

I was so surprised to see this cotton candy vendor on Amsterdam Avenue near 133rd Street that I grabbed the photo from my car. He seemed out of place in the midst of this urban landscape. Everything looked so gray that the pastels of the cotton candy just jumped out at me. I shot it so quickly, that I didn't think I had much. However as I looked at this image I started to like it more and more. I like the parallel vertical lines of the street sign, the pole holding the cotton candy and the corners of the buildings. These repeated vertical lines give the picture a kind of energy. When I shot it I wished I could see the face of the vendor, but I think his anonymity is an asset. I think seeing his face would have completely changed the focus of the photo. New York City is filled with characters, but not all of them are as colorful as this one.

CITY REFLECTIONS

I loved the graphics of this image, the way the building under construction is reflected in the windows of the building across the street and all the strong lines and angles. And the one lone person gives a sense of scale to it all.

LUCKY

Some people carry a lucky rabbit's foot. In college I used to rub the foot of a statue on campus that legend said brought good luck before exams. I don't consider myself to be very superstitious, but sometimes when I feel I need just a little bit of luck I will rub Slugger's rear paw before heading out the door. It certainly can't hurt!

FIFTH AVENUE AT TWILIGHT

As the sun was getting lower and the temperatures getting cooler the warm light emanating from the Fifth Avenue entrance of the old B. Altman department store seemed very inviting. The store was a favorite of mine. I sure wished I could pop in there to buy a pair of gloves tonight!

AL DENTE

This tiny restaurant is located on Manhattan's Upper West Side. I like the warm light and cozy feel of the place and of course the food. But what I really find fascinating is that despite the restaurant's intimacy, everyone in this photo seems to be lost in their own world.

SWEATER WEATHER

Whenever I see skeins of wool I think of my Mom. She was an avid knitter, making sweaters, scarves, socks and caps--countless caps. For more than thirty years she knitted watch caps for The Seaman's Church Institute. Those caps were distributed to sailors in their holiday packages. Mom's hands were always busy. She had the uncanny ability to knit and watch tv, a trailblazing multitasker, before multitasking was fashionable. Today I wore one of my winter jackets and when I put my hand in the pocket I found one of the watch caps that she made me! Mom doesn't knit much any more, if only I had paid attention and learned to knit!

OLD COUNTRY ROAD

I hate it when the clocks "fall back" and the days get shorter and shorter. Today as I was driving west on Old Country Road, a road I have been driving on since I got my license I saw the last remnants of the sun slipping below the horizon. I liked the counterpoints of the dark sky and headlights/taillights with the bright spot of the sun. I saw this road and intersection in a way I had never seen it before. At the end of the day (no pun intended), isn't that what photography is all about?

THE SUNDAY TIMES CROSSWORD

It has been a ritual for as long as I can remember, Momma and The Sunday New York Times crossword puzzle. My Mom has been doing the puzzle for longer than I have been alive. Of course she does it in pen and she always finishes it---usually in less than a day. It begins on Saturday morning with a phone call in which Mom tells me her opinion of the puzzle's theme and difficulty. For those of you who live outside of the New York metropolitan area, the Sunday New York Times delivers some of their Sunday sections (including the puzzle) on Saturday to their subscribers. After the call, Mom surrounds herself with her resources: dictionary, thesaurus, Bartlett's Quotations, Maltin's movie guide and various other volumes. In the past couple of years it has become a joint effort with me "Googling" some particularly tough clues. I point out to my Mom, a former teacher, that this is really cheating. Mom chalks it up to part of the educational process. At ninety, she is learning about computers, rap music and all sorts of things from the crossword clues. And Mom is still polishing off the puzzle in a few hours. I'm beginning to think that crossword puzzles might just be the secret to her longevity.

MAKING MUSIC

I just like the simplicity of this photo... it's a fast read. Right now all I can read is a bedtime story. Exhausted and heading to bed.

IN THE PINK

On a perfectly miserable, gray, rainy day the bright spot was this pink umbrella. I liked the faceless person reflected in the window of the car that she is struggling to get into. I also liked that most of the photo is composed of dark angles with that one big bright pink umbrella. Into each life a little rain must fall... I wonder if it falls more easily on a pink umbrella?

BIKE LIGHT

I just loved the lines and the light of this image. The red bike jumped out from the background and the geometry of the lines in the bike rack just created an interesting geometry.

STARS AND STRIPES

When I saw these flags I thought of those veterans who are gone and I thank those who who have served and those who are currently serving.

TWILIGHT

As I was heading to physical therapy this evening I couldn't help but stop to take a picture of the sky. Temperatures dropped significantly today, but the sky reminded me of warmer weather and sunnier times. However the bare trees tell the real story.

COURTING DISASTER

DITCHED

As I walked into a Starbucks I saw this sad little dog anxiously looking for his owner. The dog looked kind of funny sitting upright in the driver's seat, but clearly, this little fellow thought he had been ditched. He was staring out the driver's side window hoping to catch a glimpse of his owner. The owner did eventually return, latte in hand.

SPIN CYCLE

This sign caught my eye as I crawled along Brooklyn's Atlantic Avenue in traffic. The sign certainly portrays doing laundry as cute and appealing. Now that's a real spin cycle.

DINNER OUT

Another cold dreary day called for dinner at a warm inviting familiar place. We headed out to a favorite little spot and had to wait at the bar before being seated. The wait provided me with my blog photo (loved the candles reflected on the top of the bar) A glass of red wine not only warmed me, but went down way too easily!

STORMY SKY

It was a gray cloudy day, but the sun still managed to peek through the clouds. I like the way the sun highlighted the relief on the facade of the building, yet the sky was cloudy and gray. There is color here, yet the photo has a monochromatic feel to it.

RED, WHITE & BLUE

SEASONS

This year more then any I can remember, autumn is giving us quite a show. I have been keenly aware that the leaves seem more brilliant, the color saturation deeper and more vibrant. This year almost daily as I drive around Long Island I see one tree more beautiful then another. I don't remember being this wowed by the foliage before. I know if I were to move I would miss autumn, but not the season that follows.

STAINED GLASS

I always slow down for stained glass windows. I get lost in the design and intricacy of them. As a child my Mom instilled an early appreciation for stained glass art in me. She told me how painstakingly some of the glass was cut and the leading that secured the glass in place. Mom used to give tours in our local church and of course the stained glass windows and their stories were the centerpiece of her tour. My art history classes in college reinforced Mom's art appreciation efforts. So today when I passed this window I stopped for a moment and then I had to take a picture.

THE FOX

For the past several years I have come to feel that the Long Island I was born and raised on is vanishing. Some days I feel like it has simply disappeared. Almost daily I lament the traffic and congestion and the loss of open space to developers. I was really surprised to see this red fox in a local park. I haven't seen a fox here in more than twenty years and at first I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. The fox population is diminishing as more and more houses are built. I was so happy to see this fox it; reminded me of the bucolic Long Island I grew up on.