oatmeal anyone? (365 # 60)

On my walk today I something new on the lone bill board I pass. I had to ask myself just what folks were thinking when they came up with this particular concept...It definitely does not have the desired effect on me! 

365: #38-at winters end...

I RAN home from work and RAN out to take more photos and spend more time in the COLD! As I look at the weather forecast for the next few days I see warmer temps and rain...maybe this is the last snowfall of this winter? So I tried to capture scenes that would remind me of what it all looked like and felt like. It was the visual equivalent of  the process squirrels go through in fall  as they  find and then store acorns for eating  in the coming  winter. 

I love footprints , of any kind (and even tire tracks) in snow. 

I love the way snow settles onto tile roofs. 

I love the way the setting sun glimmers among the cold trees.

I love how this particular type of snow sat atop everything and is still there, one day later.

I love the way bare bark looks against the snow. 

I love the way still attached tree leaves look against the winter background. 

I love the way poor Job looks in this setting. I think he was made to look up at God in the bleakness of winter time. In the lushness of summer, his plight will not seem so valid. (but stay tuned and we will find out, together.) 

I love how the intertwined tree tops look against the sky. Be sure to look up before  spring comes and all is green and leafy. 

There are some things photographs  could not capture and that is were words come in: 

I love the silence snow creates. It is an audio buffer to all the sounds created by life. 

I love the many different sounds made from walking on snow. (You can blame my love of radio for this.) Do you know what snow sounds like? Have you ever stopped to listen? 

I love how the air smells and feels. It wakes me up! It makes my face rosy. 

Last but not least: I love how snow has made me SEE this winter. Really look at things, sometimes the same things day after day. You really see when you start to look in that way. And I think you begin to appreciate all that is around you when you really see it for all that it is.  I have spent my whole life in N.Y. and I am so glad as I have gotten to taste and appreciate each and every season in all it's glory ,power & beauty. 

365 # 37-41

Today-SNOW!!!!! As I stepped out into the white winter wonderland I realized how boring everything looked yesterday and how amazing  the same views looked today. I guess I am going to have a tough few weeks as the landscape transitions to spring and bloom. 

There are pine forests in the park and in the areas of oldest growth the trees are fighting for sunlight and all of their lowest branches are missing. 

This is the 11th snow of the season & the beauty of it all leaves me hoping it is not our last snowfall. 

365 # 33

Today was all snow, rain & SLUSH = no photos today. But, as usual, I have my back up ready-a magical place nearby. A nearby home has the most amazing  front "garden"- overflowing with  flowers into which are mixed holiday decorations. It is up year round and the effect is of a magical garden, created by ...elves? I pass by every now & again just to see what has been added or changed. But it is the overall effect that I love most-you happen upon it unexpectedly and it really is like something out of a fairy tale. I have been lucky enough to meet the family and their sweetness only adds to the magic! 

365 # 31 / 32

First: "my" Karmann Ghia. It may not be much but it's mine. Or something like that...

Next: John Updike died today. Kind of a shock as I grew up reading him and you somehow figure folks like him will always be around.

Finally, regarding this photo a day thing: it can be very hard! I actually thought I would not find something today. On the last leg of my walk I spotted the vibrant red lights that mark a dead end street. They are so mesmerizing. They also have graffiti on them which kind of ruins the effect but from far away you do not see it. 

365 #25,26,27,28-LOST DOG ALERT***

Have you noticed? : The days-they are getting longer. And the light-it is getting stronger. On Friday , before I returned to work after a quick lunch-I returned to my lovely habit of sitting outside in the fresh air and sun light for a few minutes. There still was snow to be seen, here and there. And I had my hot cup of tea in my cold hands for added warmth but it was wonderful to be out and folks all noticed the feeling of ...Spring. 

Consider my posting of the photo "LOST"  to be a kind of a public service announcement. The poor guy has been missing almost  one month. If you reside in Queens, New York and have seen him-have him call home. Here is an idea: if you live in Queens-mention this on your blog or create a link-perhaps (wishful thinking, I know) we can work together to get this guy home to his loved ones. (I would be broken hearted if my 2 cats went missing. )

The broken mirror is not MINE! Don't want any bad luck in this New Year! I passed it by yesterday but made a mental note to snap it today and I love the 2 images for what they each are. One has the dark stained cement as the focus and the other zeros in on the reflection of the bare tree top above. Cool. I took the shard home to use in a collage. 

Finally: snapped "Jim's" foot prints today after passing them day after day for weeks. Wonder who "Jim" is? Wonder how many years ago he stuck both his feet into wet cement?  Wonder where he is now? If he's out there, reading this:"Hi Jim!". 

365 #22,23,24

Went here for great eats tonight. If you happen to be in Queens, N.Y. stop here for a burger. ( I normally do not encourage the eating of animals  but if you must -try here. ) You'll be enveloped by the scent of all things good and surrounded by the fascinating melting pot that is N.Y.C. &, in many ways, America. 

On my absolutely freezing & wildly windy walk today I  found this :I call these "architectural details"-you often overlook them and yet they are the coolest little details. This is at the base of a flag pole. Focusing on it made me wonder what type of flower it might actually be. Stunning, whatever it is!

And then there was this:both odd & funny...I am still floating in a post-Obama inaugural haze of cautious bliss...

365 #14,15,16 & 17

More snow fell today leaving everything covered in a fluffy layer of white. On my daily walk I came across this bench-someone had laid newspapers down so that they might be able to sit down . The coffee cup has been sitting atop a wall for several days, it's blue color calling to me. It just looks so odd & so right covered in snow. The foot prints are from a staircase that crosses over an old rail road bridge . The first photo is taken from the bedroom-love the color!

365 #12

On my walk today I came upon a snow angel. This is what a several days old snow angel looks like!

Feast or famine...

Some days there are millions of photos to take. Other days-NOTHING! Yesterday there were sights to see. Today, I really had to look to find something. "FEMALE" was taken from the ladies "room" at the park. It reminded me of this great show we saw on PBS last week on the type face Helvetica. It delved into the history of the face and old school typesetting and it was fascinating to listen to all the designers give their impressions of this widely used and interpreted type face. Turns out so much of the world's typography is :helvetica. "FEMALE" is definitely not helvetica. (Funny thing is, I was never big on Helvetica. Not my favorite face. But I would love to see PBS shows that focus on all the other big typefaces. Caslon, Bodoni...)

Project 365 / photos no. 11,12,13 & 14

Today's photos had a small bit of a theme: "bird", birdhouse=tree house, tree  &  back to "bird"

I should add that I came upon the small bird (a wood pecker?) at a nearby sledding spot. I actually thought it was a colored feather from some sort of children's toy-from my vantage point of several feet away. As I walked over to take a closer look I recognized the poor bird -my husband will tell you my heart breaks every time I see animals who are injured (pigeons with limps are quite common for some reason) or dead. I used to take walks along the North Fork and if you take enough walks you come across dead seagulls, dogs , fish and even (large, soft shell ) turtles. There is a definite sadness to this kind of sight, for me. The bird house sits in another  nearby park. I do not think it has ever been inhabited. The tree caught my eye because of it's "seeds" hanging like Christmas balls, against the blue sky. And the last bird is my attempt at window decoration from a window painting kit.  

365 # 6,7,8,9 & 10

I took a great walk today and was bombarded by unusual sights as I scanned the  landscape, covered in a thin dusting of snow & ice. I love how snow transforms everything it touches.  This time of year everything can be camouflaged in shades of brown & gray . Even a little bit of snow gives shapes definition and drama. 

"Project 365": #2

We are supposed to have really rainy weather tomorrow so I'll use that as the excuse to post photo #2. (Real reason is just after spotting Job I walked past the children's section of the park and caught site of ...a bird house! Funny how -  once  you start really LOOKING you see things you never noticed before. Perhaps that is another benefit of a year long project like this=developing a keener eye...) Perhaps the most charming feature of this faux birdhouse is the 5 small birds that perch nearby. They are so small that I did not at first see them. That camouflage is something that happens with "real" wildlife too.  As I went for the remainder of the walk I would often hear leaves rustling -an audio indication of birds or squirrels nearby. I have to stop  & closely  study the leaves and branches to be able to spot the actual creature since they blend into the landscape so very well this time of year. 

" Project 365" : #1

Today I quickly squeezed in my walk before any snow/freezing rain or other foul weather hit our area. As I walked by the park I spotted a statue I had seen a million times but never really gone over to investigate. Over the last few days I have come across some blogs that deal with the "365 project" :the idea being you carry your camera with you always and chose one photo from what you have shot each day to represent the day. At the end of a years time you'll have quite a documentation of one year and you'll have honed your eye and your skills. (The project can be done as art work as well but photos seem the easier route to actually keeping to the daily posting AND there is not pesky build up of tons of art work (and materials expense) at the end of the project to deal with-an important point to keep in mind when living in a small space, trying to simplify & trying to be as low impact as possible.) 

So here is my photo for the day. The statue is of Job & what attracted me was how he seemed to be looking out into the sky, filled with bare branches and cold, gray color.