What a Mess!

You're not going to believe this one!  Our next door neighbor texted me in the late afternoon and asked if we had water - she did not.  We did have water, fortunately.  Well about 2 hours later we no longer had water.  So she heard that there was something going on down on Shore road - it looked like this!

Turns out that the gas utility has been installing new yellow gas lines under Shore road.  They use a method called "Horizontal Drilling."  The cut a hole in the road and insert a drilling head that can be "steered" as they drill a horizontal hole under the road for about 100 feet, to another hole they cut through the concrete.  Well...  Unfortunately the gas line drillers didn't know about a water main below this road, because the water main is so old.  So their drill, drilled right through the water main.  In two places!  There was water everywhere!

Then the people from the water company needed to come in with heavy equipment, find where the water main was damaged, cut through the concrete roadway, and then repair the broken main.  What a mess!  This is where one of the broken mains was.  Then they need to dig down and find the exact spot and make a larger hole in order for the workers to have room to make the repair.

Here one of the repair workers in standing in a water filled hole where a repair needs to be made.  They have a huge truck with a long snout that they they put into the water filled hole to pump it out, so they can make the repair.  They worked non-stop to do all that in two places, and our water was back on well after dark - perhaps around 9 PM!  I got to talk to a number of the workers and ask what happened and how the repair method worked.  They wear all very friendly and were happy to explain what had happened.  I love knowing about stuff like this!

As darkness falls, they have about finished the first break, and they will work on this break, which is right at the foot of Laurel Avenue.  What an amazing process this is, isn't it?

 

Amy & Vivian, on Their Way to France!

As I write this blog post, Amy and Vivian are half way to Paris, France!  We took them to LaGuardia airport and dropped them off at noon.  I will spare you the cancelled flights and late departures, but right now they are just south of Greenland, and half way to France!  Here they are at their favorite place here on Long Island, Tappan Beach, the "Dunkin' beach, where they love to be in the swimming pool.  In France they will be driving to Normandy and then to Aviginon where they will be staying with friends of Amy's from her times working in New York City.  We can't wait to hear details of their adventure!

 

Snug as a Bug in a Rug

Mother and daughter all curled up in bed together, hanging out and reading or using a phone for email and reading the news!  So cozy.  They both look so comfortable. I love the white headphones that Vivian has so she can hear the sound of the movies she is watching on her iPad.  Isn't that a great old bed we have in what was Liz' room?  I think we got it at a street sale years ago.

 

Cedarmere, Home of William Cullen Bryant

 Historic Cedarmere was the home of William Cullen Bryant, a poet, newspaper editor, anti-slavery advocate and confidant of President Abraham Lincoln.  It is located on the shore of Hempstead Harbor in Roslyn.  We dedided to go here today as an activity that we would all love, and that Vivian would enjoy as well.  She loved wandering around in this garden because it seemed like some kind of maze.  You can see Viv and Amy in the distance in this photograph.

This is a photograph of the house, which is only open for tours on Thursdays.  But it was a perfect day to wander around the grounds because it was cool and overcast.  We really enjoyed being outside in a perfect comfortable day.

This is the beautifully restored Gothic Revival Mill, built in 1862, and restored in 2013,  that got power from a water wheel, and the machinery in the basement inside includes lathes, saws, grindstones, and other tools used on the estate. The second floor has been used for painting classes.

This is the mill pond that furnishes water to the waterwheel outside the Mill, to power all the tools..  It is such a beautiful pond and so calming to walk around the edge of. In the far distance is a stone bridge that crosses over the water at that end.

I have spent time her photographing in the past but had forgotten the beautiful gardens!  They are maintained by volunteers from the "Friends of Cedarmere" and are so beautiful!

And here are a few familiar faces, posing for a portrait, sitting on one of the benches around the grounds, where you can just sit and relax and look out on to the southern end of Hempstead Harbor.  I was an afternoon enjoyed by all.  Even Vivian, who is a reluctant participant in this photo!

Learning to Sew

Kathy was looking for something to do with Vivian, and so she decided to show Viv how to use a sewing machine, certainly something a 6-year old could do!  Believe it or not, Vivian very carefully fed the material through the machine and sewed the edges together.  She ended up making a small pillow for herself.  She listened to instructions and very carefully followed them to make her first sewing project.  Grandmother and Granddaughter were really enjoying their time together on a rainy afternoon.

 

Umbrellas at the Beach

The day that Amy and Vivian went to the pool and then the beach, after they were done swimming, Amy wanted to go to the restaurant on the beach to have a drink, just to celebrate being here.  So we found a table under these umbrellas and each of us had something to drink.  While I was sitting there I happened to look up at the brightly colored umbrella and saw all the other umbrellas going away into the distance and thought it might make an interesting picture.  Please click on this because it will be more striking in terms of design when you see the image larger.

 

An Unusual Night of Fireworks!

We went over to Larry and Nancy's for their usual Fourth of July dinner and fireworks watching session, as we have done for so many years now.  But we got a surprise.  There was a line of thunderstorms moving from west to east in the distance on the north side of Long Island Sound.  The sky turned a deep gray color and the brilliant white sailboats jumped out at us from their place in the dark water, with storm clouds overhead.  It was a spectacular scene!

Because of the storm coming they started the fireworks when it was still daylight, I guess because they wanted the show to be over before the storm arrived.  So usually we can only see the fireworks and the dark sky, but with there being light in the sky we could see more details everywhere.

The other spectacular thing that was also going on were bolts of lightning from the thunderstorm!  What a combination of things to see all at the same time.  I was unable to capture a lightning bolt, however.  But we could see the smoke from the fireworks which added to the strange and mysterious atmosphere.

I love this photograph because it is subtle and is monochromatic as well - the only tones of color in this image are blue tones.  And seeing the smoke as well adds to the atmospheric effect.  This night of fireworks will be one to remember!