"Mommie! There's a Creepy Guy in the Yard!"

I have a rational explanation for this, I do!  I wanted to fly my drone over the back yard to see how bad the lawn was in terms of poor growth areas.  But it was sunny.  The controller I use for the drone has a clip that holds my small iPhone.  On the iPhone is all the information I need for flight - altitude, speed, control mode, and battery life, and I can see what the drone camera is seeing, and I take the picture with a button on the iPhone.  So in bright sunlight, as you may know, you can NOT see the screen of the phone clearly.  So I thought, "What if I put a black cloth over my head to block the sun?"   It worked PERFECTLY - I could see all the information on the screen of the phone.  But I knew that I looked stupid, so I got one of my cameras so Kathy could take a picture of me.

Tiny Ferns

You are all familiar with our famous Japanese maple tree.  It has gotten quite large, so much so that the lawn underneath parts of it has been taken over by moss.  The moss actually is pretty and I don't have to mow it!  Additionally, really tiny ferns have started to grow in between the moss.  It is amazing to see these ferns - they are so tiny.  Some are only 2 or 3 inches long.  I used a close-up lens to take this photograph, and being so close to the ferns may make the ferns look larger than they are.

Paola, Lucia and Janet

We drove by the hair salon we both use yesterday, and noticed that it was open.  So I called for an appointment for today.  When I arrived I saw Lucia, the owner,  in the center, with Paola on the left in the photo, and Janet on the right, sitting outside with masks on, getting some sun.  What a perfect photograph for our times!  It was so nice to see them all, because it has been more than three months since I have had a haircut!  There were only three of as customers, due to the required spacing.  Usually the salon is full of women and I love all the voices of the ladies talking and chatting.  I guess it must seem strange that I love being here, usually the only guy, but there is such a sense of life here.  I come away with that affirmation, as well as a really nice haircut.

The Line at COSTCO

We went to COSTCO yesterday.  We needed some towel paper and toilet paper, and now that they have restocked, there was plenty of both available.  No more hoarding, thank you.  Kathy and I were trying to guess the best time to go there.  She said late in the afternoon, and I thought we should go in the middle of the day.  Guess who was wrong?  I was.  There was a long line that went all the way down to the end of the building and around the corner!  Fortunately, the wait was only 17 minutes.  Shopping was quick because the limited the number of people in the store, and checkout was a breeze for the same reason.  It was worth the wait.

A Treasure from the Lost Hard Drive

When I was working for the paper, I made many trips to the North Fork of Long Island.  There were so many interesting things to photograph, and I stopped frequently to collect treasures like this.  I cannot remember where this is, but it is such a "perfect" shot, with the house and tree together.  When I found it on the misplaced hard drive, I knew I needed to post it for everyone to see.

No Dunkin' Donuts, Week 13

It was an absolutely beautiful day today, for our Dunkin' Donuts breakfast at the beach.  I think the temperature was about 76 degrees and there was a really nice breeze off the harbor, so, for the first time, we got out of the car and used a picnic table.  Not the table I photographed last week, which looked kind of scummy.  But that wouldn't have mattered because, unknown to me, Kathy brought a little tablecloth!  So our breakfast was quite civilized.

Here is a portrait of Kathy and I with our bounty!

Montauk, NY 11954

Yeah, I used to be a good photographer...  This is one of my favorite shots that I did for my Montauk Zip Code story that never ran in the paper.  It was taken late in the afternoon at Ditch Plains, the favorite beach and surfing spot.   I don't remember anything about doing this shot.  I probably saw these kids with their boards, and told them I was from Newsday, and asked if I could do a portrait.   I just love the warm, soft light in this portrait - the light there is just amazing.  And I love that each of these young men is the perfect archetype of an east end surfer kid!