The Branches are so Delicate!

It was such a nice day today that we went up to the top of the back yard where we have two white Adirondack chairs, thanks to my sister Joan.  The two chairs are lovely to see up there, seen from the street.  And when we sit in them we can oversee our house, garage and side yard.  Well today it was nice and warm and we sat.  And then I looked up and saw all these delicate branches overhead, from the other Japanese maple tree.  That tree is in our neighbor's yard, just over the fence from our yard.  It is impossible to describe the delicacy of these branches which are so very thin, and which will soon be filled with leaves.  I am posting a larger photo so if you click on it you may be able to see some of the finer branches.

 

Tools of the Trade

Dude, wow, that is one ugly looking coffee cup!  You need to either wash that or toss it. Wait, is that a Sandra Boynton cup?  It looks like her drawings.  Yes, it is a Sandra Boynton cup.  I photographed her at her home and farm many years ago up in Massachusetts, and she gave the writer and I some cups to take home.  But this is not a coffee cup.  It is used for something else, and has been for years.

Look at this!  It is immaculate inside.  There is not a speck of dust inside.  It is my varnish cup.  When I am varnishing a table top that I am refinishing or a telescope I have built or a wood telescope mount, I use this cup to hold varnish. I keep it clean as a whistle inside but don't worry about the outside.  But it is so interesting with all the layers of dripped varnish on the outside that it has collected over the years.  Just one of my tools of the trade.

 

Happy Birthday, Karen!

We drove to Connecticut today to have lunch with my three sisters.  The celebration was for my older sister Karen, because it was her 80th birthday!  It was nice to get together and spend time with all my sisters.  Because we are hours away from each other, we don't get to see each other that often.  We were lucky that traffic was light and our trip both ways to Milford was relatively easy.  A wonderful way to spend a Saturday, with family!

 

The Remains of Fall

I have watched this pot and the grasses, all winter long.  The pot is on one of the back steps so I pass it each day.  I keep looking at it and love the monochromatic tan colors. I have photographed it but was never satisfied until on this day.  I think the colors have changed in subtle ways during the winter.  I like the two different textures, between the plant and the grasses.  Spring will soon be here and all this will change, which will be welcome.

 

A Table Setting

On my walk each time I pass a marina and storage yard that has all kinds of stuff up on the land in storage. Boats, an old crane, cars, a truck and who knows what else.  One time there were tables set up out on the sidewalk and they were selling all kinds of stuff, including this stuff.  I remember all these plates and silverware.  Clearly, when it was over they just put this piece of plywood with all this stuff on the ground and I bet it has been here for 5 years.  I always look through the fence to see if there are things I want to photograph and I saw this the other day.  "A Table Setting."  Well, not exactly, but what an interesting collection of stuff!  I did have to shoot through a chain link fence so this photograph is not as clear and sharp as it should be.  Please click on this image - there is so much stuff to see here!

 

A Cat in the Sun

One of Grace's favorite places.  On the top of the staircase  right above the second landing, she curls up in the sun to sleep.  Sam also uses this spot as well.  How nice is it to be a cat and then find a patch of sunshine and then to just lie in the sun and fall asleep.  I could like the idea of doing that, except how could I sleep with the sun in my face?  Sometimes she and Sam put one of their paws over their eyes, and they are fast asleep.  Ahhhh....  The life of a cat...

 

Looking Out to Sea

As I was walking back home on my 2.6 mile walk, I suddenly noticed this young woman, all in white, leaning on the railing, looking out to sea.  How many times have we all  done this?  Lots and lots of times.  When you stand on the edge of the water, it is such a natural thing that we are compelled to do, to look out into the distance,  I guess to see how far we can see. Something about the water brings to mind distance and perhaps travel.  All of us lost in our own private thoughts.  So that's why I took this photograph.  What's funny is, that I thought it was a woman standing alone.  Imagine my surprise when I enlarged this image to full size and then realized that she has a man companion standing on the far side of her, but so little of him shows.  What an interesting surprise!  If you click on it to enlarge it, you can see parts of her companion.