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!

 

A Tree in Sunlight

I went over to the Nassau County Museum of Art to see their current exhibit.  On the way back home I walked down the path to the parking lot and saw this old tree with the twisted branches, lit by the late afternoon sun.  There was something about the shapes of the branches that first stopped me, in addition to the wonderful light. I thought that it looks like a photo, so I stopped and shot this.  I think I was right...

 

Amy Reading, on Her Birthday

We have been making good use of the front porch lately.  It is such a wonderful place to sit, read, have conversations and coffee.  And when Liz and Amy are home, this is the first place they go to sit and relax because they love it so much.  So here is Amy, sitting on the porch, on her birthday, reading and relaxing.  Looks like a nice place to hang out, right?

 

The Water Bug Goes to the Pool

Vivian LOVES to swim!  And we are lucky because there is a swimming pool for residents at the Dunkin' Donut beach!  Last year when Vivian and Amy came they visited the pool and loved it.  So this year we all went down to the pool. Kathy and I of course just sat in chairs and watched.  I was so surprised to see these brilliantly colored goggles which Viv wears because of the clorine in the pool.  I knew that was a photo right away.

And here they are in the pool!  Vivian is really an amazing swimmer,  and very confident which is wonderful, and she is capable of holding her breath and diving down all the way to the bottom of the  swimming pool!  It is astounding to watch her swim and a joy to watch she and Amy swimming together. 

 

Amy And Vivian Arrive!

We drove to JFK today to pick up Amy and Vivian!  What a joy to see them, especially here at home.  We saw them a month and a half ago in Los Angeles, but it is different when they are here, as Vivian would say, "At Nana and Boppa's House."  I took this photograph because of all the backpacks Amy is carrying.  Such is the life of a traveling mother!  And I love the wonderful light coming through the leaves of the Japanese maple tree behind them! It will be so nice to have them around, and it is not as if we are going to do "important things."  The important things are just to all be together.

 

American Vernacular

This is a private house I have photographed before in the middle of Sea Cliff.  I stopped to mail a letter at the post office just across the street and the sunlight on part of the home and porch seemed interesting to me.  I tried a closer photograph of just the porch but this wider angle, along with the American flag on the lamp post, seemed to complete the photograph.  "Vernacular" architecture I think has been described as particular to the country or region where it has been built.  Stan and I are always looking for "American Vernacular" objects and architecture as we travel around.  Please be sure and click on the image to see all the details of objects that are on the porch.

 

The Ovid Farmhouse

On the way to Rochester we always drive by the abandoned farmhouse in Ovid that I have been photographing for about 20 years now.  This view is looking back toward home.  On the way to Rochester we were looking for the farmhouse and apparently drove right by it!  I couldn't figure out what happened.  I thought that maybe the house had finally been demolished.  So on the way home five days later I looked more carefully and then realized I had found this area full of trees, where the house used to be.  It is still there!  The issue was, we have always traveled to Rochester in the early spring before the trees are leafed out and around Thanksgiving time when the leaves are gone.  If you click on this photograph, in the center of the trees you can see a small part of the remains of the house!

Once I stopped I could see the front of the house more clearly, but it was fully in shadow and all the new grasses were growing in front of it.  No wonder I missed it.  So much of the house has completely collapsed and with all the tress leafed out it was hard to find any good view of what it left.

I walked around to the right hand side of the house, based on the view above, and there was finally something left to photograph, this window against the sky.  How far this has deteriorated in the 20 years I have been stopping to photograph!  

This was the farmhouse back about 6 or 7 years ago, and of course with all the trees bare we can see so much more of the house.  Such an interesting project to photograph this house year after year.  If you are REALLY interested, in the upper left hand corner of the blog page there is an orange "B" and then a white box with a magnifying glass in it.  Enter the word "farmhouse" in the white box and click the magnifying glass and you will see all of my posts  of this house over the years!