Into the sunset

For the last day of National Blog Posting Month, a shot taken back on the 2nd.
30 posts in 30 days, with only 1 day missed - not too bad. Maybe next year I'll nail it.

Wetlands

The story behind this shot is not so much the subject matter (or the fact that it's overexposed a bit - oops) but where I took it: from the shoulder of the Garden State Parkway.
I'd always admired this view of the Swimming River as I drove on this overpass on my way home from Red Bank everyday. Finally, in August of '06, I pulled over and snapped a couple of pics. The late afternoon sun made it tough to get the shot, but the detail visible here (hadn't noticed the boat previously) was worth it.
A very scenic spot amidst the teeming New Jersey suburbs.

Lost Childhood

Found at Bread Lock Park in Stewartsville, NJ.

More from the park, part of the Morris Canal Greenway, to come...

Green Stone Church

The United Methodist Church in Washington, NJ is one of the more unusual churches I've ever seen. The reason being the green and terra cotta color scheme. I don't know how the stones came to be those colors, but it is eye-catching.

Thanksgiving Sunset, continued...

Another pic from last Thursday.

Glendinning Steps

Taken on 11-11-06 in the Glendinning Rock Garden along Kelly Drive.

Thanksgiving Sunset

We've had some crappy weather this month, but we've also had some breathtaking sunsets. This was taken on Thanksgiving, after a cold front had moved through bringing a swift downpour and heavy winds. Then the clouds began to break, showing the multi-layered sky above. I stood and watched as much as I could, and grabbed my camera when the high cirrus clouds were set ablaze.

More shots to come.

A WWII Horsa Glider?

Google Earth is a wonderful thing for many reasons, not the least of which is the Google Earth Community - users who post all kinds of interesting info onto the maps for the general public's perusal.
My job has been taking me to various locations in the Skylands region of North Jersey, so I'll often take a quick look at the area in GE to see if there's anything noteworthy near my project sites. Sure enough, I found this posting from user RobbyR of various sites mentioned in Weird N.J. - particularly about what might be the remains of a World War II era Horsa Glider in the woods above Thompson's Auto Body on Rt. 46 between Oxford Furnace and Hackettstown.
I had searched for site a few times in the summer, finding Thompson's (even though RobbyR's location is a bit off, it's actually between mileposts 15 & 16) but not daring to actually park and look around. But a couple of weeks ago (during the same excursion when I captured the migration shots), I actually pulled up on the shoulder of Rt. 46 outside of Thompson's, and looked up the hill.
And there it was! The dense summer foliage probably hid it from view on my earlier trips, but now it's plain as day ("plane" as day? har har).
The numerous "No Tresspassing" signs would seem to indicate that this is the correct site. Whether or not this is actually the remains of a WWII military glider is debatable (it appears to be in awfully good condition for something allegedly 60+ years old), though the shape is seemingly appropriate.
I took these shots from the bed of the pickup truck I was driving, but I believe the frame would be visible from ground level on either side of the highway (so if you seek it out, leave the good folks at Thompson's - and their property - alone).
The location is at 40°51'52" N, 74°55'17" W.

Thanksgiving Day, 2007

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

The Other side...

This is the "back" side of the TRENTON MAKES, THE WORLD TAKES Bridge, between Trenton, NJ and Morrisville, PA. It was taken during the same trip as this shot.
I'm using it for this week's Photo Hunt .

Kona on watch

Another San Clemente dog on patrol - this is Kona, who lives across the street from Katie & Jason's old place. She keeps a close eye on everyone's comings and goings!

Truth in Signage (Part I)

Seen in San Clemente, California (from our trip this summer).

For "Truth in Signage, Part II," click here.

What is that?

At first glance, it could almost be mistaken for the skull of some prehistoric animal. But closer inspection reveals that it's just some wood - remains of a tree recently taken down, arranged interestingly.

This "found-art installation" was in the front yard of a house on Leighton Avenue in Red Bank, NJ - just off Rt. 520. I first remember seeing it in 2006, and it was still there in August of this year.

City Hall

For the "Tall Building" challenge of the Photo Hunt (Season 8, week 1), I'm submitting this shot of Philadelphia's City Hall. I took this about a year ago.
This building is always a bit confounding to look at; it's proportions always make it seem only a few stories tall. But indeed, the top of William Penn's hat is 548 ft. above the ground!

Red Bank Graffiti

Some examples of graffiti I shot in Red Bank in June of '06:
Top - a statement about gas prices that's truer today than it was then. Found on the sidewalk on White St.
Middle & Bottom - Also from the White St. area - some stenciled tags urging the public to obey - that's right - Bob Saget.
These two have been painted over since, but you still might find one or two on the sidewalk in the area...

Silos

The miserable weather this week has me longing for cool, sunny autumn days like the one pictured above. This was taken a couple of weeks ago in Norristown Farm Park - an oasis of rolling farmland and wooded trails in the middle of the teeming Montgomery County suburbs.

Foggy Day

Since it is a foggy day today, I'm posting these foggy shots taken in 2006 with Old Camera.

The location is outside of Freehold, NJ.

On Alert

This shot comes from the Pottstown 5K Run-Walk-Bark event held in April of this year. I've got tons of shots from this that I never got around to posting.
I liked how the dogs in this shot were so alert and looking at the same thing at the same time.

Perryville, continued...

Another shot from the Perryville site.

Wee Little Stick Man

We did indeed end up seeing The California Guitar Trio last night. Fantastic - as always!
Playing with the Trio last night was Tony Levin , one of the Gods of Bass (in all forms). Tony's new album Stick Man was available at the merch table, so I picked up a copy - shown above.
(For those unfamiliar, the thing he's holding is a Chapman Stick , a 10-stringed instrument played with both hands tapping the strings on the fingerboard. Tony is widely acknowledged as a master of the Stick.)

I love this cover, not only because it's a cool shot of Levin with the Stick, but also because of the little tiny photo on the inside spine (bottom pic).

This songs are pretty damn good, too!

Happy Birthday USMC!

In honor of the 232nd Birthday of the United States Marine Corps, I'm posting these 2 photos of the Marine Memorial in San Clemente, CA. (In the top photo, I managed to get Venus in the shot.)

Happy Birthday and Thank You to all of our Marines!

Semper Fi!

Migration

Today while in North Jersey for work, I witnessed a part of a massive bird migration. I managed to pull over and get some shots from the bed of the pickup I was driving. This was in Warren County along Rt. 46, west of Hackettstown.
One shot just didn't convey the incredible number of birds, so I posted four. I still doesn't due the flock justice, but you get the idea.

Guitarist on Chestnut Hill

I'm in a guitar-oriented state of mind this week, after having seen Robert Fripp & The League of Crafty Guitarists on Monday night, and hopefully seeing The California Guitar Trio this Saturday night. So I searched my archives for a guitar-oriented photo, and found this one of a performer at a street fair in Chestnut Hill from this past May.

Trenton flower

During the jaunt to get this shot, I also got this macro shot in Trenton's Riverfront Park.
This is a perfect example of an old shot that I've wanted to post for a long time.

Under the Pier (for Katey & Jason)

I have a ton of shots from our California trip this past summer that I haven't yet posted.
This shot was a request from our hosts Katey & Jason, who wanted a photo taken of this view under the San Clemente Municipal Pier. I think this one was their favorite.
As they are now in the process of relocating back to the East Coast, I hope this shot reminds them of the good times they had out west.
Best of luck, guys!

Happy Guy Fawkes Day!

Remember remember the 5th of November
The gunpowder treason and plot...

I almost forgot that today was Guy Fawkes Day - what with the panic as I realized I had forgotten to post anything yesterday.
This photo was taken during the same session that produced this shot .

Hope our friends in the UK are enjoying the fireworks!

Tumblin' down

Like this section of wall at the Bethlehem Baptist Church site, my posting record has already crumbled - only 3 days into National Blog Posting Month. Oy.
So, gonna try to make up for it today with 2 posts. Look for another later this afternoon.
I must post to my blog... I must post to my blog...(ad nauseum)

Outside, looking in (and back out!)

Another shot from the series I started yesterday: this is Bethlehem Baptist Church ruin in Perryville, NJ. The POV is looking through the front window to the back wall.

Cemetery Wall - Perryville, NJ

Funny how things work out...
I was hoping that my participation in NaBloPoMo would allow me to post a lot of old pictures. But here it is, only day 2, and I'm posting a brand new one!
I passed a wonderful historic church ruin and graveyard this morning after a job-site meeting in Perryville, NJ.
The site is the former Bethlehem Baptist Church, founded in 1837. The congregation was disbanded in 1906, but folks were still buried in the cemetery up into the 1920s.
This is a portion of the largely intact cemetery wall. The moss and the light filtering through the colorful leaves caught my eye.
More pictures from this site to come in the next few days...

Wow - I can't remember the last time I posted a photo the same day it was shot. I feel so... bloggy!

Towpath Mules

At my friend Chris' recent wedding (congratulations to you and Karin, sir!) in New Hope, PA, we were treated to an unusual diversion: a ride in a barge along the remnants of the Delaware Canal. Shown here are one of the guides with the mules (count the legs, there ARE two) up on the towpath.
As you can see, those mules were HUUUUGE. When the barge-tours were over, the guide above mounted one and rode them back to their stable.
Did you know mules can eat poison ivy without harm? So said our barge pilot!

This post is also my first entry into National Blog Posting Month. Ani over at Syndicate Product encouraged me to take part, and this year it seemed like an especially good idea. I've certainly been guilty of neglecting my poor little blog over the years, usually in favor of the neato, featured-packed Flickr page. But I've got a lot of un-posted pix that (I feel) deserve to be seen, hence this great opportunity to post post post!

Wish me luck!