INFRARED FISH

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!

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.

THE RED DOOR

Every door of the college I graduated from was painted red. The door of my own home is red. So, of course, as soon as I saw this red door on the shed of a country house I had to photograph it. I liked the shadows and sense of texture, as well as the wear on the door knob. The age of the door gives it character and makes it more interesting. I like talking with older people. I like to hear their stories and I have learned a lot from them. I can only imagine the history of this door and the stories it could tell.

MAPLE LEAF

I was in the yard preparing for the coming cold weather when I decided to bring in the birdbath. It was a birthday present from my Mom about five years ago. I always store the top to prevent it from cracking during the winter. I was surprised to see that the birdbath was bone dry and the only thing in it was a small maple leaf! I just liked the composition of this photo and the rich color in the leaf.

COFFEE OR TEA

This picture was an accident. I shot something today and when I came home the compact flash card could not be read in my computer. The images didn't even show up on the card. I raced upstairs to my home computer where they could be read and puzzled over the variables. In the end the pictures were retrieved, but the card was not trustworthy. So I formatted the card and shot a test in my kitchen. Surprise, I liked the way the stainless tea kettle separated from the granite yet it all had a monochromatic feel to it. Funny, I am a coffee addict, a Starbucks devotee and a coffee purist. I never drink tea (unless I am sick), but I have inherited my Mom's love of teapots. I like the different styles, shapes and themes. I particularly like the short, squat ones. I really don't like this stainless one at all, but I love the way it looks in this "test" photo. That's what I love about photography... the surprises!

SUGAR

I was taking pictures of a vintage sugar bowl today and just really liked the detail and design of the lid. The bands of color lends a sense of depth and movement and then I cropped it to make the circle fit into a square. Maybe I learned a little more than I realized in that high school geometry class.

ALWAYS ALEX

My Mom always told me that when one door closes another opens. And so it is in life and in death. I have known Blake for years, but until recently we didn't know each other well. She is half my age and I remember when she was dating a handsome guy named Alex. I remember when they married. I remember when we all shoveled snow together, laughing and complaining at the same time. I remember the day I learned that Alex had died very suddenly and much too young at age 26. Blake launched Always Alex to commemorate him and to honor his life. Rich in detail and design this extensive line of handcrafted gorgeous jewelry for men and women includes many striking pieces. These designs can be found in exclusive shops on the North Shore of Long Island and The Hamptons too. Always Alex is a stunning line of jewelry designed with the same kind of creative spirit that Alex embodied. From his death, Always Alex was born and continues to grow. Anyone interested in seeing these designs is welcome to email me.

SWEET ONIONS

I walked through a local farmer's market today filled with fresh produce. The colors of all the produce made me think of a crayon box. I was drawn to the color and shape of these onions. I liked the gentle curve of their stalks and the sense of texture created by their wiry roots. There were plenty of vegetables that would have made a really pretty picture, but I thought this was an interesting composition.

TO SLEEP

It was drilled into me to make my bed before leaving the house in the morning. Okay... in college I always had an unmade bed, but for the rest of my adult life it was made before breakfast. I usually change the sheets on the weekend, so I left the bed unmade because I figured I would do it when I got home from work. I never figured I would get home this late and have to face my self-imposed rules of very tight sheets with hospital corners! Note to self...big mistake, if you can't change the sheets in the morning....make the bed! This was a tough lesson.

SWEET GUM

As my Mom left me today she handed me this woody looking sphere and said, "Do you know what this is?" Puzzled I shook my head. "Sweet gum", she replied and continued, "Remember that post you did about sycamore trees (March 27), well you were wrong they were sweet gum trees". Mom told me she did some checking and actually found this sweet gum pod or seed ball to show me. She had been driving around with it for several months. I couldn't believe that she pursued this, but then if you know my Mom you know she is tenacious when it comes to education and learning (especially the New York Times Sunday crossword). I turned the pod over in my hands, touched the sharp prickly edges and marveled at how intricate it was. All dried it looked interesting and I liked the way the light hit it. I mused about how such a thorny, prickly thing could be from a sweet gum tree! Just another conundrum to think about.

FLIP FLOP

I've been thinking a lot about flip flops, not only the footwear but how we flip flop in life. I love to wear flip flops and look forward to the day that I can live on the beach and flip flops are the footwear of choice. I just don't like it when things and people that you count on flip flop. Lately, it seems there has been a lot of that in my world. So today seemed to be the perfect day for a flip flop photo. This photo is filled with all kinds of shapes, colors and patterns, yet somehow it all works together. If only it were that way in life.

TOOLS OF THE TRADE

My afternoon in the garden was cut short by a very dramatic thunderstorm that continues tonight. I got some of my plants in, but not nearly what I had hoped to. It was probably a blessing in disguise since my knees aren't what they used to be. This year I even caved in and bought some blue kneepads to cushion them when I plant. They make quite a fashion statement!

MY SHARE

Like Kermit the Frog, I am going green. Okay everybody is buzzing about "green", but this year I joined a CSA (community supported agriculture) and every week about a mile from my house I pick up "my share" which is trucked in from the farm in Aquebogue. The share changes weekly depending on what is harvested but it always includes farm fresh eggs, vegetables, fruit and a fresh bouquet of flowers. It's a small step but I like the idea of supporting local farmers and besides my eyes are green!

LET THERE BE LIGHT

I love the warm light cast by this lamp, the way the light is reflected by the cream walls and the way the rich orange shades created by the light passing through the lampshade make the goldfish on the lamp look even warmer and make the fish come to life. In the wee hours of the night when I look at this lamp I remember the day my Mom and I went shopping for it in a big New York department store. I had moved into my very first apartment. The department store went out of business years ago. Although the store is gone, the lamp has been lighting my way for more than twenty five years. It's a keeper.

ON THE ROAD

Today was the kind of day that I wanted to remain inside with a good book. Sometimes life points us in different directions and today even the markings on the road seemed to be telling me where to go and what to do.

LIFE PRESERVER

This is what vacation looks like. When I shot this photo I just liked the simplicity of it and the strong geometry of it, even if the life preserver belonged to a noisy little toddler who disturbed an otherwise wonderful afternoon in paradise. As I looked at this photo I liked it on many levels, especially the metaphor it represents. A vacation is like a life preserver. The ability to get away and kick back, to put your feet up and let go of your troubles for even a few days, can save your life. It renews and restores you and enables you to jump back into the deep end of the real world.

DINNER AT EIGHT

Seafood kebabs (salmon and tuna) on the grill with a buttery chardonnay. I will always favor red wine, but tonight for the first time in probably ten months I reached for a white wine. A sure sign that warmer weather and summer is approaching!