DAY IS DONE

ORIENT

TWILIGHT

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.

CHILD'S PLAY

ENOUGH

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.

OLD SCHOOL

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.)

WET

STORM CLOUDS

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.

WHITE OUT

I was up and out before seven this morning looking for weather art while navigating the slippery Long Island roads. We got hammered today. But between images of cars stuck in the snow, people digging out and kids building snowmen there was another picture. A simple beautiful scene that reminded me of Long Island's intrinsic beauty.

REWARD

I've been getting home later recently and there are usually a myriad of errands to run after work. Tonight as I walked to my car after completing the final task I felt stressed and overwhelmed. I looked up and saw the sky's "afterglow" following the sunset. It felt like a reward at the end of my daily race.

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.

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.

WINTER TREES

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

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.

AUTUMN

Although it still feels like summer with temperatures in the 70s, there are signs everywhere that Autumn is here. The temperatures are supposed to change and become chilly on Friday. As for the trees they have already begun change and put on their annual show.

NIGHT COMES EARLY

I like autumn, but I don't like the days getting shorter and knowing that winter is just around the corner. I like wearing sweaters, crisp days and hearing leaves crunch under my feet. I don't like driving home from work in the dark and feeling like I have missed the best part of the day. Although it does make it easier to photograph the sunset!

PICTURE FROM THE PENTHOUSE

There are penthouses and then there are penthouses in paradise. Life is really good when you have a penthouse in paradise with a breathtaking view. It doesn't get much better then this. This is the stuff dreams are made of and I am dreaming about a penthouse with a view....one of these days.

DUSK

The days are getting shorter and cooler, a telltale sign that summer is saying goodbye. As I watched the pink and orange tones punctuate the sky tonight.. that magical time just after sunset, I thought about how many things I didn't do this summer. I'm not going to indulge myself with platitudes like "there's always next summer", but I am going to try to slow down so that I see more sunsets. No regrets, just a wake-up call.

CALM AFTER THE STORM

Long Island got a good soaking today with periods of torrential rain. It was a good day for staying at home, which is exactly what I did. What a luxury. Tonight as the day gave way to night, I meandered outside and saw clear skies. Tomorrow promises to be a better day at least weather-wise. But sometimes a rainy day is not only good for watering the plants, it can offer people a chance to breathe.