Blue Jay

I love this time of year because when I put feed out in the bird feeders, the blue jays come in droves.  This one was on the lookout for the squirrel that was attempting to steal the suet.

RYE, NY

Rick and I went to Rye, NY today to view the damage from the most recent storm, Hurricane Sandy.  Unfortunately, we were unable to get close to the boardwalk because of the damage.  We were able to get some nice shots of the beach just as the sun was getting ready to set.  We also visited the nature center as well as the Church Rick used to go to when he lived in Rye many years ago.  Here are some pictures from our day...

Bulls Bridge & Kent Falls, Kent CT

 

FROGS

FrOGS is dedicated to the protection and preservation of the Great Swamp of Dutchess and Putnam Counties through science and education. The Great Swamp watershed covers 6000 acres and is one of the largest freshwater wetlands in the state of New York.  My sister and I often go kayaking in the Great Swamp between Pawling and Brewster.  Sunday, we went to the "Sense of Place" art show at Christ Church on Quaker Hill in Pawling, NY.  While there, I was able to catch a few pics of a beautiful falcon.

SATURDAY

Spent 5 hours today driving around taking photos of Smithfield for the "Four Seasons" show in 2013.  Also came across a few farm animals on the way.   Here's a sampling of the pics I got today.

OPUS 40

Last weekend, I visited Opus 40 which is a sculpture park and museum in Saugerties, NY.  Covering more than 6 acres, it is made of hundreds of thousands of tons of finely fitted bluestone, constructed stone by stone over a period of 37 years.  It is all the work of one man, sculptor Harvey Fite.  You can walk around, and over it, from the deepest recesses of its lower pathways, around the pools and fountains and up to the nine-ton monolith that is the center and summit of Opus 40.  On the grounds is a Quarryman's tools and artifacts museum.  Henry Fite worked alone using hand tools , for most of 40 years and the museum honors the indigenous tools or our area.

 

Inside, looking out of the Quarryman's Museum

 

"Junkyard Dog"

MORE FALL FOLIAGE:

Took some more pictures today of the fall foliage using my new Canon 24-105mm lens.  Also took a few shots using the Macro lens -- tried to catch the morning frost before it melted off.

PEAK TIME FOR LEAF PEEPERS

Only about a week left and then the leaves will be past their peek color and we will be reminded that winter is just around the corner.  These photos were taken about 2 weeks ago just as the leaves were beginning to turn so there is still a fair amount of green.

FALL FOLIAGE

Most trees are in full color. There are a few deep reds but bright yellows prevail. Some green vegetation still remains.  Some of these pictures were taken during my trip to PA last weekend and others were taken of the local area.  We will probably have one more good weekend or two to take photos of the leaves and then most will be past.  Also included is a picture of my cat Larry...just because he's cute!!

 

 Abandoned Rail Car

Pond at Trinity Pawling School

Larry

SMITHFIELD PHOTO SHOW
The Smithfield photo exhibit closed today.  We went to the church to pick up our pictures and to my surprise, I only had 2 photos left -- meaning I sold 2 photos!!  This was my first photo show so I had no expectations to sell any photos so this was quite a surprise.   Rick sold 4 photos so overall, it was a very successful show for both of us.  Hopefully there are many more to come...  These are the two photos that I sold. 

Adirondack Balloon Festival 2012
This weekend, we spent two days at the Adirondack Balloon Fest in Queensbury, NY, just a few minutes south of Lake George, NY.  On Friday, the winds were too much for the balloons so after waiting for a few hours, we had to leave with only a few pictures...an no balloons.  We went over to the "Moonglow" event and due to the high winds, we were only able to catch about 15 minutes of the balloons lit up at night (there were only 3 balloons so a little disappointing).    We got up early the next morning (3:30 AM!) and arrived at the airport hanger for breakfast. After breakfast, we waiting for the sun to come up so that we could finally see some balloons! As daylight came, the efforts to blow up the balloons began and once it did, it was non-stop for about two hours.  Balloons were everywhere!! There were about 100 balloons for the festival to celebrate the 4oth anniversary of the event.  Here are some pictures from the day as well as a few from the "Moonglow".