If you're looking for something fun to do this weekend, why not go to the Heifer Parade in downtown Brattleboro Vermont, this Saturday, June 2nd at 10am.
Here is a video featuring pictures of this event, taken by Yours Truly (that would be me) :-) featured on the Scenes of Vermont website. Take a look here:
http://www.scenesofvermont.com/2009Reviews/Paradeofheifers/index.html
You never know......you just may fall a little in love with Vermont and it's bovines just like me!
For more info:
http://www.strollingoftheheifers.com/
Mooooooooo!
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Vermont......... It's all I need
My good friend CT called me last week to see how things were going with my Dad. During our conversation, we began talking about a trip she will be taking to visit her daughter in Hawaii and asked if we had any trips planned. I told her nope. Nothing special........"just going to Vermont. It's all I need." She told me we should make bumper stickers with that slogan. This could be the new Vermont tourism slogan. (I LOVERMONT is soooo yesterday anyways) :-)
So,if you start seeing bumper stickers saying "Vermont......It's all I need", you will know where they came from.
T-shirts may follow. :-)
Which brings me to todays photos and todays blog.
For the past 21 days straight, I have been visiting my Dad in the hospital.....some days staying for 10-12 hours a day. I needed to decompress. Mr. S knows exactly what I need.....and all it took for him to say was "Let's go to Vermont for the day", and I was there.
We drove up at 5 am this morning. Just me and Mr. S on a roadtrip to my happy place.......my favorite place on the planet. There were no sights, sounds, or smells from the hospital. There were no words exchanged between us such as pain, TPN, ileus, fistula, bowel movements, foley catheter and CT Scan. There were no sounds from IV pumps, heart monitors, blood pressure cuffs and footseps of Drs., nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, and portable x-ray machines.
I see and hear these things on a daily basis while doing my job at work. But, when the patient laying in the bed is someone that you love, these sights, sounds, and smells somehow become exaggerated, and hit a nerve.
Yes, today was a day to decompress and get away from it all. As soon as we pulled up to our house in Vermont and got out of the car, two kids were driving tractors down the road. The smell of manure was wafting in the air from the farm across the street. I was in my glory! These are the sights, sounds, and smells that bring me peace. (Yes, I find comfort in the smell of manure....does that make me strange? Perhaps....but I don't care) :-)
Vermont......It's all I need.
So,if you start seeing bumper stickers saying "Vermont......It's all I need", you will know where they came from.
T-shirts may follow. :-)
Which brings me to todays photos and todays blog.
For the past 21 days straight, I have been visiting my Dad in the hospital.....some days staying for 10-12 hours a day. I needed to decompress. Mr. S knows exactly what I need.....and all it took for him to say was "Let's go to Vermont for the day", and I was there.
We drove up at 5 am this morning. Just me and Mr. S on a roadtrip to my happy place.......my favorite place on the planet. There were no sights, sounds, or smells from the hospital. There were no words exchanged between us such as pain, TPN, ileus, fistula, bowel movements, foley catheter and CT Scan. There were no sounds from IV pumps, heart monitors, blood pressure cuffs and footseps of Drs., nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, and portable x-ray machines.
I see and hear these things on a daily basis while doing my job at work. But, when the patient laying in the bed is someone that you love, these sights, sounds, and smells somehow become exaggerated, and hit a nerve.
Yes, today was a day to decompress and get away from it all. As soon as we pulled up to our house in Vermont and got out of the car, two kids were driving tractors down the road. The smell of manure was wafting in the air from the farm across the street. I was in my glory! These are the sights, sounds, and smells that bring me peace. (Yes, I find comfort in the smell of manure....does that make me strange? Perhaps....but I don't care) :-)
Vermont......It's all I need.
I hope my two sisters and my mother can find a happy place to get away from it all too. It's good for the soul. My brother has arrived from Ohio, so our whole family is together. My father was transported to a hospital in Boston this past week. I will update again at some point.
By the way......hope you have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!
Saturday, May 12, 2012
We are family
Hi there. Long time no me. I apologize for the absence, and I figured I would post an update as to my whereabouts. My father has been in the hospital the past week. It has been a roller coaster of a week, and at one point, we were prepared that we could lose him. He's a fighter and today was a much better day. We are still not out of the woods and have a very long way to go but for today he was stable, had a good day, and for that we are very thankful.
I learned one thing this week. Our family travels in a pack and when the chips are down, we are all stuck together like glue. There haven't been enough chairs in the hospital to accomodate the number of us who have been by my Dads bedside this week. I am so proud of all of the adult grandchildren (my own 3 included) who have been up there every single day. Today, my nephew Greg and his wife Jess actually brought Rowan in for a visit. (My dad is out of ICU and is on a telemetry floor for now) You all remember Rowan, don't you?
My dad was put in the chair and his bed had just been changed with clean sheets when Rowan arrived sound asleep in Greg's arms. Greg laid her on the clean bed.
I am sharing this image I took today because to me it is an image of love, life,and hope.
I learned one thing this week. Our family travels in a pack and when the chips are down, we are all stuck together like glue. There haven't been enough chairs in the hospital to accomodate the number of us who have been by my Dads bedside this week. I am so proud of all of the adult grandchildren (my own 3 included) who have been up there every single day. Today, my nephew Greg and his wife Jess actually brought Rowan in for a visit. (My dad is out of ICU and is on a telemetry floor for now) You all remember Rowan, don't you?
My dad was put in the chair and his bed had just been changed with clean sheets when Rowan arrived sound asleep in Greg's arms. Greg laid her on the clean bed.
I am sharing this image I took today because to me it is an image of love, life,and hope.
This is real, this is my life, and I know you all have been hearing about the folks and seeing the folks appear on this blog for the past two years.
Please keep us in your prayers.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Into the Mystic
A few more images to share from Mystic Seaport CT. Mystic Seaport is a "Museum of America and the Sea", featuring old whaling ships, and a 1700's village depicting life in an American Seaport during that time. Here are a few windows that caught my eye:
The Blacksmith Shop: the reflection in the trough of water is what initially caught my eye.
The Blacksmith Shop: the reflection in the trough of water is what initially caught my eye.
A Cherry blossom Tree in full bloom, in the backyard of one of the colonial homes:
The old vs the new. A few modern-day sailboats getting ready to head out into the water for a lesson were reflected on the window of one of the old buildings:
Another window reflection:
A view from the inside looking out:
The song "Into the Mystic" by Van Morrison kept playing in my head..............
"We were born before the wind
Also younger than the sun
Ere the bonnie boat was won as we sailed into the mystic
Hark, now hear the sailors cry
Smell the sea and feel the sky
Let your soul and spirit fly into the mystic
And when that fog horn blows I will be coming home
And when the fog horn blows I want to hear it
I don't have to fear it
And I want to rock your gypsy soul
Just like way back in the days of old
And magnificently we will flow into the mystic
When that fog horn blows you know I will be coming home
And when that fog horn whistle blows I got to hear it
I don't have to fear it
And I want to rock your gypsy soul
Just like way back in the days of old
And together we will flow into the mystic
Come on girl..."
Also younger than the sun
Ere the bonnie boat was won as we sailed into the mystic
Hark, now hear the sailors cry
Smell the sea and feel the sky
Let your soul and spirit fly into the mystic
And when that fog horn blows I will be coming home
And when the fog horn blows I want to hear it
I don't have to fear it
And I want to rock your gypsy soul
Just like way back in the days of old
And magnificently we will flow into the mystic
When that fog horn blows you know I will be coming home
And when that fog horn whistle blows I got to hear it
I don't have to fear it
And I want to rock your gypsy soul
Just like way back in the days of old
And together we will flow into the mystic
Come on girl..."
The Specs:
All Nikon D90, 17-55 mm lens, ISO 200
Photo one: 1/640, f2.8, -1/3 EV
Photo two: 1/2500, f2.8
Photo three: 1/2000, f2.8
Photo four: 1/800, f2.8, -1/3 EV
Photo five: 1/2000, f2.8
Monday, April 30, 2012
Mystic Seaport
Hi there. I hope you enjoyed your weekend. I had a great weekend off......spent most of Saturday with Mr. S and we watched the movie "WE Bought A Zoo" Saturday night. It was adorable, and I recommend it.
Sunday was spent with my camera club down in Mystic Seaport CT. Not sure if you remember, but I had mentioned back at New Years that Mystic Seaport was on my list of places that I wanted to photograph this year. It was my first time visiting here, and I loved it. The weather was perfect, and it was early enough in the season that there were no crowds, which really helped from a photography standpoint.
Here's some of the ship and ocean scenes that I captured:
Sunday was spent with my camera club down in Mystic Seaport CT. Not sure if you remember, but I had mentioned back at New Years that Mystic Seaport was on my list of places that I wanted to photograph this year. It was my first time visiting here, and I loved it. The weather was perfect, and it was early enough in the season that there were no crowds, which really helped from a photography standpoint.
Here's some of the ship and ocean scenes that I captured:
The Mystic Seaport Lighthouse:
Ship's rigging and a sail:
I have lots more to share with you from this outing so will be posting more this week.
The Specs:
All Nikon D90, 17-55 mm lens, ISO 200
Photo one: 1/1000, f8, -2/3 EV
Photo two: 1/640, f11, -2/3 EV
Photo three: 1/4000, f2.8, -2/3 EV
Photo four and five: 1/640, f11, -1/3 EV
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Burrage Pond
I FINALLY went out today. I've spent the past few weeks in the house.....only time I've gone out is to go to work......so it felt really good to be outdoors getting some fresh air and exercise. Although I am still not 100% better, I NEEDED to do this. Yes, I'm still coughing......a lot........but my breathing is improving and I'm not as short of breath as I have been the past few weeks. It's looking up from here! :-)
Today was a great day spent with my sister Nancy. We went to the Burrage Pond Wildlife Management Area in Hanson MA. Neither one of us had ever been there before, but wow, we will be going back. We decided it's going to be our new favorite place to go walking. There are miles and miles and miles of walking paths/trails. Here's some info about this area:
"The Great Cedar Swamp and Burrage Pond area of Hanson and Halifax was a very large Atlantic White Cedar Swamp, which was diked and altered for cranberry bogs. In 2002, the Mass Department of Fish and Wildlife bought approx 1700 acres here from the Northland Cranberry company. Located off Pleasant St, the preserve is composed of cranberry bogs, Burrage Pond, Red Maple Swamps , Atlantic White Cedar, and grassy marshes and numerous small streams.
Large numbers of bird species either live and migrate though this area. Osprey, immature eagles, hawks, swallows, red-wing blackbirds, warblers, river otters are just a few examples of what can be sighted here. Also, it's quite a spectacular place to be during the fall migration of the monarch butterfly."
Excerpted from http://www.grumpymagz.net/burrage%20pond.htm
Here are a few images from today:
Today was a great day spent with my sister Nancy. We went to the Burrage Pond Wildlife Management Area in Hanson MA. Neither one of us had ever been there before, but wow, we will be going back. We decided it's going to be our new favorite place to go walking. There are miles and miles and miles of walking paths/trails. Here's some info about this area:
"The Great Cedar Swamp and Burrage Pond area of Hanson and Halifax was a very large Atlantic White Cedar Swamp, which was diked and altered for cranberry bogs. In 2002, the Mass Department of Fish and Wildlife bought approx 1700 acres here from the Northland Cranberry company. Located off Pleasant St, the preserve is composed of cranberry bogs, Burrage Pond, Red Maple Swamps , Atlantic White Cedar, and grassy marshes and numerous small streams.
Large numbers of bird species either live and migrate though this area. Osprey, immature eagles, hawks, swallows, red-wing blackbirds, warblers, river otters are just a few examples of what can be sighted here. Also, it's quite a spectacular place to be during the fall migration of the monarch butterfly."
Excerpted from http://www.grumpymagz.net/burrage%20pond.htm
Here are a few images from today:
I didn't want to push myself too far, so we never made it all the way out to the pond, but are planning on going back as soon as my lungs are capable. I'm looking forward to exploring more of this area, and yes, I will surely bring my camera along with me when we return here!
The Specs:
All images taken with the D90, 17-55 mm lens, ISO 200
Photo one: 1/640, f9, -2/3 EV
Photo two: 1/500, f9, -1/3 EV
Photo three: 1/640, f9, -1/3 EV
Photo four: 1/640, f9, -2/3 EV
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Textures
Hey there! Hope all is well with everyone. I'm still battling the bronchitis and dealing with the Prednisone mood swings. Not a fun week, but won't complain. Better days are ahead. My biggest disappointment this week was missing two photography workshops that I had previously signed up to attend.........a waterfall workshop on Tuesday, and a sunrise workshop at Nantasket Beach this morning. These workshops are being offered by my buddy Greg Lessard and are being paid for by a grant through the Mass Arts Council. See Greg's blog post for more info:
http://blog.greglessardphotography.com/2012/03/capturing-natural-beauty-fo-south-shore.html
I have taken this weeks down time and put it to use by practicing with some post production textures on some of my images. It's a fun thing for me to take some of my images and transform them into a different look. Here are some of the results:
This is from a beautiful tulip plant that my son "N" gave to me for Easter:
http://blog.greglessardphotography.com/2012/03/capturing-natural-beauty-fo-south-shore.html
I have taken this weeks down time and put it to use by practicing with some post production textures on some of my images. It's a fun thing for me to take some of my images and transform them into a different look. Here are some of the results:
This is from a beautiful tulip plant that my son "N" gave to me for Easter:
An early morning image taken a year ago in Middleboro with some texture added:
A gull closeup:
A textured view from Franconia Notch NH:
A less is more approach:
I hope you enjoyed viewing these as much as I enjoyed making them.
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