A Small Project

I was rummaging around in the garage the other day and found this!  It is one of the four small windows in our attic.  At one time, clearly, I had started to fix it up.  I had removed the three cracked panes of glass and cleaned the old putty where the missing windows were. Then I painted it with primer and then forgot about it.  Well, now that I have a newly painted dormer, it is time to fix this up completely and put in place in the front dormer.  It will make the house look better.  Look how it appear when I am done.

The reason the glass window was unfinished and in the garage is that in the summer the attic gets really hot, so I replace the glass windows with window screens which I made some years ago. And after the screens were in I forgot to replace the glass windows for winter.

 

Cozy

This wedding venue in Connecticut is called the Salem Herbfarm and everything about the grounds is just perfect for an outdoor wedding.  There are wonderful lawns and walkways and patios and open tents to shield you from the sun.  But after the sun went down and there was a chill in the air, I noticed this elevated fire pit, which was powered by natural gas.  It was so nice to walk up to it and put my hands out and feel the warmth of the fire.  There were chairs in a ring around it as well if you just wanted to sit and watch the fire for a while, which was really a relaxing thing to do.

 

The Photographer

I was idly watching one of the two photographers as she moved around the table where the bride and groom were going to sit by themselves at the reception. When she lifted her camera to photograph the table I quickly lifted my camera and shot one frame!  I like this because the scene is mostly very light tones, and the photographer is all in black, and she is almost symmetrical with the camera to her face. After she took her photograph, she lowered her camera and laughed.  I guess when she shot her picture, I was in the photograph and she saw me photographing her.

 

Moonset

This photo was great luck.  As the evening went on I was a bit cold so I decided to go out to the car and get a fleece.  I had only walked about 100 feet when I saw the crescent moon setting between a roof and a tree!  This building with the cupola and weathervane on top is one of the main buildings of the facility.  I think that it is the cupola and weathervane are what makes this shot!

 

Brendan and Megan's Wedding

We drove up to Connecticut this morning for Brendan and Megan's wedding.  It was at a spectacular venue outdoors on a beautiful fall afternoon.  Here they are saying their vows.

This is the walkway before the wedding.  Isn't it just beautiful.  There is a stone wall at the end and then a pond, behind a live archway of some kind of leaves.

The audience awaits the arrival of the groom, and then the procession with the bride and her dad.

A more formal portrait of the bride and groom during the photo session after the wedding.

This was where the dinner was in a structure with a tent top and solid walls, with one side open to the outdoors.  It was perfect, and really beautiful!  I have never seen a wedding venue as beautiful as this one is!

A tender moment as the new bride and groom dance.  They are a beautiful and loving couple.

 

At Least the Lawn Looks Great!

The drought this summer was brutal.  I should have flown my drone over the lawn back in the spring - this yard looked like a well maintained golf course!  Not any more.  And I refuse to waste good water to keep it green.  Theoretically the dead parts are merely the grass going dormant.  I hope so.  If that's the case I should have a nice green lawn in the spring.  One can hope.

 

Grace and Her Dolls

These are dolls that Kathy gave to Vivian to play with when she is visiting us.  Kathy had them out and all lined up for when Vivian arrived.  This is one of Grace's favorite places to sit and look out the window at the world.  I just thought this was so interesting, the contrast between a cat and pretty and colorful dolls.

 

Fun With Ladders

Fun with ladders!  Now that I did all the engineering work to get the roof jacks on the porch roof, today I could use that horizontal ladder to support part of a stepladder so that I could reach the peak of the dormer so that I could scrape all the loose paint off.  Then I sprayed all of the dormer with a mildew remover and all the black seemed to melt off.  After that I used a garden hose to spray the whole front of the dormer to wash off the mildew remover.

Wow, I am way up there!  But there is no other way to paint this part of the house.  I could use my tall extension ladder but it would be at a 45 degree angle and way too steep to stand on.  So now that the hared work of preparation is done, after a day to let everything to dry, I get to paint!  That's the most fun!

 

Back to Painting

Well I painted the sides of the dormer.  It looks like it was simple work, but it was really difficult to do, reaching underneath the eaves to scrape the paint without seeing what I was doing, and painting the same way. And I was sitting on a sloping roof to boot.  So it wasn't a lot of painting, but a difficult area to paint!  So now I am about to paint the front of the dormer.  A lot more to paint, but believe it or not, much easier.  I will explain.  This a "roof jack" which I made from 2x4's.  It gets nailed to the front porch roof and then a ladder will be laid across the top of it, and  I will stand on it and put smaller stepladders on it to paint.  

So this is one of the jacks and you can see how it supports the aluminum ladder.  This ladder is part of a big extension ladder taken apart.

So here's where you can see the beauty of this setup.  I have put plywood on top of the ladder rungs and now I can walk around painting as if I were standing on a sidewalk!  Easy Peasy.  What was not easy was making the two jacks then carrying them up and nailing them to the roof, then carrying up the large ladder and then cutting the plywood to fit and dragging all that up.  SO, a lot of setup work but in terms of painting I will be standing up or standing on smaller ladders and the painting itself will be so much more comfortable.  I am looking forward to enjoying the painting here!

Ken on the roof, just to prove he was not afraid to get up there!   :-). And, of course, an orange safety climbing rope fastened up inside the attic to a 2x4 nailed in place.  Always a safety line for this old guy!

And here is the overall scene so you can see how everything fits together!  I will do another photograph when I use the tall stepladder leaning up against the front of the dormer, with me on top, scraping  the loose paint before I begin painting.  It will be beautiful and look so new when it is done!

The Garden in Infrared

I got out my old SONY a200k that I bought when I retired and used for 10 years or so and then replaced with a Canon T7i.  Then I had the SONY converted to infrared sensing, and you have seen some of my photographs of trees and plants photographed with that camera.  Because plants with chlorophyll in them reflect a lot of infrared light, those plants appear white.  I know a simple trick when I run out of creativity, but sometimes it makes for beautiful images.  This is a pot with plants that Kathy planted at the start of the season, and behind it are some grasses in the garden.  I think this all makes for an interesting photograph.

 

Doors

I haven't been shooting much lately, because I am working around here, and out observing until late at night.  So I have been looking at things I have shot but not posted.  I was walking around the grounds of Mass MoCA and I passed these doors.  I was attracted to them as a photograph because the scene is monochromatic - all one color.  But I liked the subtle differences in the brightness and tone throughout the picture, and the small bits of rust here and there.  Something different, I thought.

 

Cassiopeia and Perseus

This is a pretty subtle photograph of the night skies.  It is not often that I have something more spectacular.  The night sky and stars, in wide angle views, which this is, is a very subtle thing.  But to stand under the stars and begin to look for familiar things is such a rich experience.  So to make this have some kind of interest, I have drawn the constellation lines that define the two constellations of both Cassopeia and Perseus.  But look at all the stars.  It is such a shame that most people never get to see the stars like this, because of light pollution created by man.  Please click on this image to see a larger version with more detail.

 

Observing the Stars in Orient

                            

I had a spectacular night observing the stars in Orient.  This location is a boat launch ramp in the middle of nowhere and is perfect for observing if you don't mind being all alone in the middle of nowhere at one o'clock in the morning!  Some of you will remember the catboat in the lower left corner of this photograph.  It was featured in a post the last time I was out here.  The boat is still moored there and so I tried to get something differnent, and used a wide angle lens to capture this scene.  Pretty peaceful, this scent is, and it was so quiet last night, away from all the noise of the rest of the island.  Good for the soul this observing the stars.  Please be sure and click on this to see it larger, and to see more stars.

Tree With a Haircut

I was on my way back home after grocery shopping and as I approached this corner I was stunned to see this tree.  It looks as if it had been butchered!  Or got a really close haircut!  So this photograph is not all that interesting, but its not that dramatic, I just want to show you what I first saw.

I think this is a much more dramatic photograph of the "haircut."

And this is a photograph from the other side of the tree, but from down low looking up.  This makes the tree look the strangest.

 

The Exhibition

We went to a photographic exhibition at SUNY Old Westbury which showed the work of Moises Saman.  He was a colleague at Newsday for a number of years, and he covered wars and conflicts before leaving, and he now works for Magnum photo agency.  The photographs were in three different rooms in the gallery.  On the day we visited, there was a woman from Magnum who gave a talk in the galleries talking about Moises and his work.  She is standing, above, on the left, with the director of the gallery before everyone arrived

This photograph, if you click on it, will show you a number of Moises' powerful images.  I have never seen a more committed photographer than Moises is.  He and a reporter years ago were captured by the Iraqi soldiers and they spent 7 days in captivity before efforts of the newspaper and others managed their release.  He and other photographers he was in Haiti with had a close call with murderous soldiers as they were photographing some of the soldier's victims.  He has covered wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Libya, and Sudan for more than 20 years.

This is one of the other galleries with his photographs on the walls, seen as visitors arrive to see the exhibit and talk. In 2025 Moises won a Pulitzer prize for his feature photography of Sednaya Prison in Syria.  He also won another Pulitzer as part of a team for international reporting for the New York Times for their investigation of the conflict in Sudan.

I thought I would show one of Moises' photograph in close up.  It is an amazingly complex composition so beautifully done showing four children, which I find chilling because of worrying about the children in the image. He has said that as a photographer,  "Portraying people's dignity has been my guiding princlple."

This is the gallery director, at left, and the woman from Magnum, on right, at the end of her talk. The afternoon at the gallery was an incredibly powerful experience.

 

SUNY Old Westbury

I went to see an photographic exhibit today at the State University of New York at Old Westbury.  More on that tomorrow.  I haven't been there in years!  The architecture since the very beginning is very modern and is amazing.  This is a walkway from the main parking lot high across a lower roadway, and the walkway takes you to the second floor of the main building.  I always remember this walkway as a cool subject for a photo.  You find the perfect angle and then hope that the light is perfect, anbd then younwait for someone to cross the bridge in order to complete the photograph.  Done and done!

 

Takeout and a Sunset

The Gordons texted us two words "Chinese, Sunday?"  I wrote back "Brilliant.  What time?"  Toward the end of covid we came up with a brilliant idea.  We would both get Chinese takeout and then we would go to the Gordons and have dinner together!  For years we would go to various Chinese restaurants together and suddenly this was a wonderful idea so that we could see each other and have our Chinese dinner!  So we have continued our ritual.  Tonight the weather was perfect so we ate out on their deck ovelooking Hempstead Harbor and Ling Island Sound. We were graced with a beautiful sunset as we had our dinner. There is such a special feeling about rituals with friends  And we also had our dessert, of course, which is ice cream - Black raspberry to be exact.  That is part of the ritual as well.

 

Horseshoe Crab

I found this horseshoe crab on the beach on Dunkin' Tuesday.  Sadly it was no longer alive which is a terrible shame.  Horseshoe crabs have been described as "living fossils", having changed little since they first appeared in the Triassic.  I tried to calculate the date but all I can be sure of is that they are at least 50 million years old!

It didn't move so I gingerly turned it over to see for sure and it was gone.  Horseshoe crabs are often caught for their blood, which contains Limulus amebocyte lysate, a chemical used to detect bacterial endotoxins. Additionally, the animals are used as fishing bait in the United States and eaten as a delicacy in some parts of Asia. In recent years, horseshoe crabs have experienced a population decline. This is mainly due to coastal habitat destruction and overharvesting. To ensure their continued existence, many areas have enacted regulations on harvesting and established captive breeding programs.

Eventually the tide came in and surrounded the Horseshoe crab and it remained sitting on the sand as the water covered it up.

 

The Tomato Plant Lives!

The tomato plant lives!  This is NOT the world's greatest photograph but I have to post this to show everyone that the tomato plant, that appeared to be dying on the back steps LIVES!  Sad Tomato Plant  My sister Betsey and another anonymous reader both said the plant needed more earth.  So we planted it in the garden and added potting soil to the hole we dug for it.  And we were really good about giving it plenty of water.  And look at it now!  It is thriving!  Look what a rich green color it is!  Here is the crazy part - these little tomatoes are not much bigger than the marbles we played with as kids, but man oh man, you would not believe the flavor in them.  I forgot what a real tomato tastes like after buying tomatoes at the store!  But these little beauties reminded me how great a fresh tomato tastes!

 

My Other New Invention

I have been painting our house, since we bought it in 1970 because it was gray, up until now when I am painting the front of it, which included the large dormer on the front.  So this makes it 50 years!  Yikes!  Of course when I do paint the house, I only do one side a year, so it is not overwhelming.  The dormer is the hardest thing to paint because I am not standing on a ladder I need to sit on the roof.  And the roof has a pretty good slope to it, and so I was sitting on the roof where this plywood is, and clipped to one of these orange climbing ropes for safety.  But for some reason, I was slowly sliding down the roof so I had to hang on to the safety rope while I painted to keep me in one place.  So I call this invention "the sled" and it is a piece of 1/4" plywood with a piece of 2x4 nailed and screwed to the bottom.  So I sit on the plywood which is tethered to another climbing rope as you can see in this photo.  It is anchored to the peak of the roof.  And when I am painting, even though I am lying on my side on the plywood, I am essentially standing on the piece of 2x4.  It makes painting so much easier!

Here I am with the safety rope (there are two) connected to my industrial harness.  Behind me is the other safety rope which holds the sled in place.  There is some paint on my nose.  And there is some on the house as well!

If you look carefully, on most of the left side of the photo, you can see the new paint which is wet and shiny, and to the right, the older paint waiting to be refreshed.

So this shows the newly painted side of the dormer all bright and white.  To the right is the yet to be painted front of the dormer.  Notice it is dirty and satined.  I sprayed the side of the dormer with a mildew remover  and a bit of the front underneath the eaves.  I have to paint the other side of the dormer, and then I will paint the front.  Stay tuned.

 

The Main Concourse

Growing up in Milford, Connecticut, I would take the New York, New Haven, and Hartford railroad to New York City and Grand Central Station was where I would arrive and depart.  The most spectacular thing would be go get off the train and enter this room!  What an astounding and beautiful room!  It is called The Main Concourse and is located on the upper platform level of Grand Central, in the center of the station building. The 35,000-square-foot concourse leads directly to most of the terminal's upper-level tracks.  The Main Concourse is usually filled with bustling crowds and is often used as a meeting place.  So the Long Island Railroad now has trains to Grand Central Madison, which is deep underneath the original tracks and platforms.  I came to the city to have dinner with 5 of my friends, including Stan.  I arrived early and so spent some time just walking around in this huge space.  I realized that just walking around in all of this with the people was a wonderful experience.  Just being there in this famous place.

 

The Longest Escalator

This is the longest escalator I have ever seen, and ridden on!  It is astounding thing to see for the first time!  It is located in Grand Central Madison, the new Long Island Railroad termanal connected to Grand Central Terminal.  The escalator is 182 feet long and serves as the longest and steepest escalator in the MTA system, descending 90 feet vertically. It takes approximately 1 minute and 38 seconds to ride down to the LIRR mezzanines, providing a connection between the station's concourse and the new subterranean platforms.  I have posted about Grand Central Madison before but I was reminded yesterday what an amazing terminal it is!  It is brand spanking new, and clean and white and there are fewer people and it is a joy to arrive and depart from here.  Be sure and click on this to se it larger!

 

My New Invention - REVEALED!

I am stunned and so pleased.  My friend Ken, who I refer to as "Primo" because he was born before me, has figured out my invention!  He posted his answer in yesterday's comments!  Astounding analysis and thought process.  Yes, this is a device that can hold a can of paint on a sloping roof.  I have painted this house of ours a number of times since we bought it in 1970.  For the life of me, I cannot remember how I held a gallon can of paint - only partially filled  - while I painted the sides of the dormer.  There is nothing like a ladder to hang the can of paint from, so I am guessing I just kept it in place, tilted, of course, against my leg or something.  I just can't remember but this is the perfect solution.  I cut a piece of foam rubber to sit on because I was sliding down the roof a bit and the foam rubber had enough friction that it kept me in place. So then I thought of putting some foam rubber on a piece of plywood, and then somehow figuring a way to attach a flat board to that.  Eventually I cam up with this solution.  It is astounding - the asphalt roof shingles are actually quite rough and they snag the foam rubber and it just won't slide!  You would be surprised at how firmly it is attached to the roof.  This will make painting much simpler, not having to worry about the paint can sliding or tipping and making the roof unsightly.

 

My New Invention!

I made a new invention today!  This is it!  It is a really cool invention.  Any idea what it does?

There are four more views below to help you try and figure out exactly how it looks.  Now, what does this thing DO?  Answer tomorrow!