Old Cape Cod!

Estuary

"An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea."~google search~ 

This photo is part of the Red Boat Chronicle series, I added Kim Klassen's dream-it texture at 100% first layer, at 47% on the duplicate layer both on soft light. I then created a mask and erased some texture from the trees. 
Sharing with: Kim Klassen @ http://www.kimklassencafe.com/thecafe/tag/texture-tuesday

Just a little song below for you to hum today! Remember this one?
Old Cape Cod, Patti Page
If you're fond of sand dunes and salty air
Quaint little villages here and there
You're sure to fall in love with old Cape Cod
Cape Cod, that old Cape Cod

If you like the taste of a lobster stew
Served by a window with an ocean view
You're sure to fall in love with old Cape Cod

Winding roads that seem to beckon you
Miles of green beneath a sky of blue
Church bells chimin' on a Sunday morn
Remind you of the town where you were born

If you spend an evening you'll want to stay
Watching the moonlight on Cape Cod Bay
You're sure to fall in love with old Cape Cod 
Such beautiful memories! Enjoy!

Retirement Mode!

362/365
Amazing that we have been retired for a little over four years now it has really flown by. 
While working I use to think that I had everything in my life that I needed except time with my husband. 
Time, precious time a gift that is sometimes unaffordable. 
We can make time, use time, spend time, and loose time but we still need time to do it! 
Retirement comes and all of a sudden we have loads of time. 
This time comes with it's blessings and challenges! 
"Finding a purpose seems to be my greatest challenge and having the time to explore it my greatest blessing."~Rosemary Aubut~ 
Time, precious time a precious gift, there for the using, never for abusing!
Therein lies the comfort in knowing that time spent wisely is time to cherish!

The Glory of Friendship!

Fisherman's Village, Punta Gorda, Florida 
"The glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, nor the kindly smile nor the joy of companionship; it is the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when they discover that someone else believes in them and is willing to trust them."~Ralph Waldo Emerson~ 
Such an inspirational quote today, mindful of the fact that I am so fortunate to have such wonderful friends! 
A great lunch was enjoyed at a funky little restaurant, then off to Punta Gorda, enjoyed by some retail therapy later on at Fisherman's Village! Laughs, giggles and great conversation was the theme of the day. 
It's so nice to just be yourself and the bonus, they still like you at the end of the day! 
Life certainly has it's blessings!

Clouds Add Texture!

Clouds
"Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky."~Rabindranath Tagore~ 

We were sitting on a bench appreciating the beauty of the Caloosahatchee River the other evening, enjoying the cloud formations and all that Mother Nature had to offer! Spending time with her seems to be an addiction I have developed of late. I have learned to love clouds and cloudy days. Finding familiar objects in their formations is a fun game to play. Cloudy days are best for photographing, allowing one to rest from the sometimes, blistering sunshine! 
Clear blue skies are wonderful to witness but clouds build character, adding interest to nature's canvas and character to one's soul. Another layer of texture in the fabric of life!
No man is beyond a little rainfall, it's how we weather the drops that matter! 
Examine the clouds as they are sure to clear leaving one wiser to truly enjoy the blissful sunshine!

Shy & Demure! Right?

Brown Pelican
Don't let this sweet little face fool you! 
I have photographed Herron, Blue Herron, Great Egrets, Egrets, Wood Stork, Ibis, Anhingas, Spoonbills, Flamingo, Sandhill Crane, Frigatebird, Ducks, Geese, Swans, Turkey, Vultures, Eagles, Pelicans, Chickens, Hawks, Osprey, Kites, Caracara, Gulls, Pigeons, Owls, Hummingbirds, Woodpeckers, Parrots, etc., etc. It is fair to say that anything my camera can capture with wings in their natural state is a love of mine. 
The state of Florida has an abundance of wildlife and I really never have very far to go in order to capture it's beauty!
There is no bird that amuses me more than the common Pelican, however! Watching them mull around fishing piers especially, can be quite entertaining. Really quite goofy looking to begin with, waddles like a duck, keen like scavengers and hunters they never miss an opportunity to dine and delight. Cleaning a fish on deck or dock, there is sure to be a pelican close by to collect the remnants. I highly recommend keeping your bait under lock and key! An unattended bucket of temptation is a full course dinner waiting to be served!
Flying gracefully and swiftly scanning the ocean for a morsel, when spotted they dive down suddenly like a ton of bricks creating quite the event. SPLASH!!! If you did not witness the intense capture you have surly heard it! 
I love these pesky waddling darlings, maybe I'll just have to go to the ocean and capture me a few more photos! 
Ahhh! Mother Nature, the best show in town! 
Have a wonderful day!

Face the Sunshine!

Gifts of The Day
"If you always face the sunshine, the shadows will always fall behind you." ~Walt Whitman~ 
Always look on the bright side, would be the easiest way to interrupt this quote, wouldn't you say? 
The funny thing about shadows is that they are always cast when there is sunshine. Sometimes we notice them, children play childlike games with them, and sometimes we live in a shadow, cast by one! 
I captured this photo the other day, loving the way this lonely beach chair blatantly faced the sunshine displaying her vibrant colors against the paled sand. 
Her shadow cast well behind, determined to enjoy the gifts of the day! 
So much to learn from this solitary place of rest, a place in the sunshine!
 Have a wonderful day!

Drink The Wild Air!

Drink the Wild Air
"Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air."~Ralph Waldo Emerson~
I know I've written about my love for the ocean before but I think it deserves repeating here!
Standing on the Naples Pier, I couldn't help notice how the waves were forming. Shooting from the same spot, each of the dozen or so photos I captured displayed a different personality. 
Waves rolled in gently creating a subtle bulge on the ocean surface ending effortlessly on the sandy shore. While others crested high creating foamy peaks falling shy of a musical crescendo. With a fury, some crashed all the way to shore swallowing all that lay in their path, creeping higher and higher. All so captivating and mesmerizing, Mother Nature's calming elixir for all that ails the soul. A lullaby so to speak, a gentle whisper to cradle us in the moment, if only for just a short while! 
When I found this quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson I was surprised to read his more than enthusiastic words. Do you think maybe he was a surfer dude? Read the quote again!!!
Have a wonderful day!

Another Adventure!

Come Sail With Me click on photo for larger view
Ships sail East and Ships sail West
And the selfsame breezes blow;
It's the set of the sail and not the gale
That determines the way they go.
 As the ways of the sea are the ways of the world
As we travel along through life:
It's the set of the soul that determines the goal.
And never the storm of strife. 
~Ella Wheeler Wilcox~ 
This photo was taken yesterday in Naples, Florida. Naples is a place of vast abundance, where beauty and opulence are easy to find. Along with some friends we enjoyed a great lunch, shopping on 5th Avenue and a visit later to Naples Pier. Some of the shops were offering 50% off, which made the clothing almost affordable, somewhere in the price range of Bealls before the coupons! Love those coupons!
Visiting the pier gave me the greatest joy, watching families enjoy the outdoors, fishing, just strolling along, enjoying the gorgeous weather! 
A very tattered dolphin graced us with her playful antics! Such a joy to watch but difficult to photograph. The sailboat, however, was easier to capture and kind of summed up the day! 
The poem above was sent to me by my cousin Joanne. I loved it from the moment I read it and thought you would enjoy it too! Have a wonderful day! 
Darn those friends, still have to clean and do a large grocery order, not to mention working in the yard! Somehow I know I have my priorities straight though! Life is just to darn short!

Things I Will Miss!

Until We Meet Again
Is there anything dearer to a mother's heart than to celebrate round the dinner table with all of her family? Last night along with the newlyweds, we feasted on lobster, clam boil and stuffed quahogs.  
All New England style of course! No bibs in place we all wore a little bit of our dinner. The sounds of lobster being cracked, music to my ears. Simply can't watch them going for a steam bath though, just feel their pain. Seem to get over it when dipping that first chunk in melted butter, however!
Why the celebration? We are heading south tomorrow! Our journey will take about three days with no specific itinerary in place. We stop when Will is tired. My guess would be somewhere in Virginia on the first night. The second night around Savannah, GA. On to Fort Myers, Fl, on the third day. No little side trips planned this year. Think we have had all the excitement we can possibly handle for a while. 
The wedding such a beautiful highlight of our summer!
I will miss my children most, they have such busy lives and we were so glad to care for our grandchildren this summer. They have grown so big and are needing us less and less. 
I guess independence is what we strive for in our children and they are all doing so well.
 So it's time for old Mother Goose and PAPA, job well done, to hit the road once again!!! 
I have spent most of the week saying goodbye to extended family and friends and having coffee with a couple later this morning. 
Goodbye dear family and friends we love you all! 
Until we meet again!

Rehearsal!

Rehearsal 
Rehearsal for the wedding party took place Sunday afternoon. The ceremony will take place in the north garden at Blithewold. Dinner followed with twenty five people in attendance.
It was a glorious day, two beautiful young people will be joined in marriage while two families are joined forever in friendship.
Allicyn's grand-mother and Chris's  grand-mother (my mother-in-law) began talking, thinking that each looked familiar. Well you guessed it they grew up across the street from each other and hadn't seen each other in many years! Just another one of those coincidences!
Can't wait till Friday! No hurricanes in sight, thank goodness, just a little on the cool side! 
I'll take it!

A Path Well Taken!

300/365
I happen to know where this path leads, an easy and safe track, where the ocean in all it's splendor awaits me. 
We are shown many paths in life some we choose to take, some we reject, while others lead to a fork in the road causing us to suffer chronic indecision for a very long time. 
Still there are unknown paths that we know we should take but fear keeps us from taking that first step. Sometimes it takes a little extra push, eradicating all excuses from one's vocabulary. 
It is the Path of Chance to prove to ourselves that, yes we can. 
Scary, tripping and taking hold at times, knowing that no journey worth it's while is an easy one. Triumphs along the way with the encouragement from others and self belief, can lead us to enormous self-discovery. 
There are oceans of possibilities that await us down that less trodden unknown, Path of Chance! 
Just take the first step! 

MOM, She Won't Share!

It's Mine, I Saw It First
Caught these two gulls bickering over a poor little crustacean. For a while it was a tug of war, somehow the crab remained intact, struggling with all his might. Smugness on the face of the victor as she scurried away! Had I a little cocktail sauce I might have joined in on the tussle. 
The ocean intoxicated, regurgitating objects of all shapes and sizes, indigenous and foreign to it's environment. Amazing what a hurricane can conjure up! 
The beach littered with giant globs of seaweed, most of which the ocean will reclaim as the rhythmic waves return to their normal beat. 
Mother Nature, at her worst and best, convincing mankind of the respect She is worthy!
Watching the antics of these amusing birds, a gift of mindful gratitude. 
Have a wonderful day!

Goodnight Irene!

Horseneck Beach, Westport, MA

Not sure I know anyone who enjoys a hurricane more than a surfer, here in the northeast. 

The obvious answer, waves, big waves! My son still a diehard surfer use to track storms for days, planning surf expeditions. The size of the wave depended on what board one would ride, a strategy well planed, shared with fellow surfers. 

The above photo was captured yesterday around noon. The state beaches were closed and I just had to get a shot. Hubby drove me down a private road to view Mother Nature's, impending wrath. Will, guarded the car from being ticketed, while I walked up and over the dunes to capture the magnificence and magnificent it was.

Not sure which was pounding harder, my heart from the climb or the roaring surf, while catching my first glimpse. The sounds almost deafening, except for an occasional gull scavenging the shoreline.

Not even a slight breeze approaching the dunes, the air heavy, muggy, like rain suspended in midair, a thick fog blanketed the landscape. A definite calm before the storm. 

Not a good hair day, for sure!

I waved to the young man in the above photo as he ran towards the surf, aspiring to ride the perfect wave, thinking of my son all the while.

The day rather ominous awaiting Irene, an un-welcomed guest. Hurricane food purchased, tubs filled with water awaiting the royal flush, flashlights ready for service. No power no water, no shower, no coffee, NO INTERNET! Yikes! 
Just a wait and see approach, fortunate to be just a little inconvenienced in this modern day and age. Let's see if I feel the same way after a few days of roughing it???

"You cause me to weep, you cause me to mourn

You cause me to leave my home

But the very last words I heard her say

Was "Please sing me one more song

"Good Night Irene. I'll see you in my dreams."

~lyrics, Steve Earle~

Sailor Take Warning!

Posted to: http://www.susannahconway.com/the-august-break-2011

Old Friends!

Westport Point

“Good friends are like stars...You don't always see them, but you know they are always there”~unknown~

Attended a birthday party for an old friend on Westport Point, last evening. 
Loosing  and keeping in touch with old friends when one moves 1500 miles away just seems to happen, for no particular reason. Getting caught up in all the newness and will call tomorrow, tomorrow comes and you will call next week, and so on and so on! 
It was great to see everyone and catch up, right where we all left off without skipping a beat. 
A friend is a friend no matter how much time lapses, there is a history where old and funny stories just seem to emerge without provocation.
They just accept you for who you are, the relationship remains constant, uninterrupted, so to speak, until you meet again. 
"Good friends are like stars," according to the quote, last evening they were shining ever so brightly!

A Relaxing Kind Of Day!

What A View
Judy and I enjoyed a relaxing day at Round Hill. We visited with my sister-in-law and had a wonderful lunch by the pool which overlooks the ocean. Joann, took us for a tour of the grounds, when we came upon these gorgeous tents. The workers were finishing up the final details for a wedding the following day. I love the primitive look of this photograph and choose it for today's blog. It captured the essence of the day, windy, warm, with a slight hint of muggy, cloudy, foggy, just a relaxing kind of day.
The guys enjoyed a well deserved round of golf. Pizza and beers followed, compliments of my mother-in-law and father-in-law. Off to the Cape, later, maybe!!!
Have a wonderful day!

The Home Of Moby Dick!

"Call Me Ishmael" ~Herman Melville~

"Ignorance is the parent of fear."~Herman Melville~
Moby Dick, written by American author Herman Melville and first published in 1851, is widely considered to be a Great American Novel and a treasure of world literature."~google search~ 
When you grow up in an area, I guess one takes for granted the local history. Our good friends from Florida, Judy & John, are here to visit, after a sixteen hour car ride the day before, we decided to stay local and show them some of the sites where hubby and I grew up. 
Our day started out by driving down to the ocean in Westport and then off to Westport Point, to observe the fishing fleet and panoramic views. It was an absolutely gorgeous day, just the right temperature and a bit overcast, perfect for photographing. Then off to breakfast, followed by a trip to the New Bedford Historic Waterfront, visiting the Whaling Museum, Seamen's Bethel, and the New Bedford fishing fleet. The photos above are that of the Historic Waterfront, paved with cobblestone streets. My favorite street is called, Johnny Cake Hill and very picturesque. New Bedford is the inspiration for Mr. Melville's novel, Moby Dick. 
A visit to the home of my husband's parents and then off  to dinner at one of our favorite restaurant's. A great day for all, we were so proud to share our heritage of a hard working people that still to this day, make up one of the greatest fishing ports in the world. 
Off to Newport, Rhode Island today to seek out old and new adventures. Stay tuned and have a wonderful day!

More On Dynamic Light!

Overcooked HDR
This photo was taken on vacation in Madeira, Portugal, last year. I captured this from my balcony overlooking the ocean. The hotel next door was beautifully landscaped and I absolutely loved the three palm trees in the center of the above photo. Using the Overcooked HDR effect on the Dynamic Light, app I believe I turned a pretty photo into something that really captures my attention. The sky holds more interest and the palm trees seem more animated, in a graphic sort of way. Also love the depth! 
I can smell the salt air, feeling it's gentle spray.  Can you?
I am having a blast playing with my new toy and I am sure you have not seen the last of my Dynamic Light, makeovers. Kind of like the HGTV of photography. Get carried away sometimes, just can't seem to help myself. Hang in there, stay tuned, as one never knows who I could be channeling in next! 
Have a wonderful day!

Dynamic Light!

HDR Effect
 "In image processing, computer graphics and photography, high dynamic range imaging, HDR is a set of techniques that allow a greater dynamic range of luminance between the lightest and darkest areas of an image than current standard digital imaging techniques or photographic methods."~google search~
Sounds complicated and it is, tried this once to no avail. My skill level is just not there even following a tutorial. Can you imagine my delight when I found out about an app that creates this effect in just a few clicks! 
Viewing my cousin Joann's, European vacation photos, I was amazed at the difference in her two photo albums. One contained regular processed photos and the other was done in a HDR and Orton Effect technique. Wow what a difference! She said, "this is what you do with your cast away photos." 
 Wow, sign me up! "The first album is what you see, the second is what you feel when you see," she went on to say. Brilliant observation, Joann!
I purchased the Dynamic Light app for my IPHONE and was also able to purchase it for my IMAC. I know it works on an IPAD but not sure about an IPOD. Crazy with all these I's, guess I'm just an apple kind of girl. If you own an Apple, device I highly recommend it. Just a whole lot of fun with great results in no time at all!!!

Point Of View!

Thru The Ropes
Aboard The Tall Ship Eagle, I shot this photo of it's rope ladder, loving that I could also capture the town of Fairhaven, across the harbor. Except for cropping it is SOOC, (straight out of the camera). 
It was a gray overcast day, warm and muggy, the air still and heavy, just an all around great day to tour and photograph. Hope you enjoy this photo as much as I do. Lots to do today!
Have a wonderful day!

The Tall Ship Eagle!

Barque Eagle
"USCGC Eagle is the sixth U.S. Coast Guard cutter to bear the name in a proud line dating back to 1792. The ship was built in 1936 by the Blohm and Voss Shipyard in Hamburg, Germany, and commissioned as Horst Wessel.
Originally operated by Nazi Germany to train cadets for the German Navy, the ship was taken by the United States as a war prize after World War II. In 1946, a U.S. Coast Guard crew, aided by the German crew still on board, sailed the tall ship from Bremerhaven to its new homeport in New London, Connecticut."~google search~
We had lunch yesterday at a restaurant we were checking out for rehearsal dinner. It is located in downtown New Bedford, Massachusetts in the Historic Waterfront District. It was a bonus day as the Tall Ship Eagle was docked in the harbor, manned by cadets in training for the USCG. Touring the ship was very interesting and the day just perfect for photographing. 
My husband and I were both born in New Bedford, I was raised in Fairhaven across the bridge and he in the southend of New Bedford. Sights and sounds we are very familiar with, yet we enjoyed it all as any tourist would. The history here is very rich in fact and folklore and I will share with you more photos someday soon.
Have a wonderful day!