Friday Hunt 2017.2.25

It is time again for Teresa's fun meme, Friday Hunt. Next week means the completion of four series of this fun meme and I've so enjoyed them all. Thanks Teresa for hosting and I hope your school workload can lessen by the end of the school year...onward to the prompts.

Starts with 'Y'. Yellow works for me as in this sunset from our back yard on a warmer day.

This pic is from 1990 and is my friend with his vehicle du jour a yellow 1977 Chevy Monza. I believe its days were numbered when the photo was taken...

Here is around Christmas 1975, the yellow family home in East Hartford, CT. Six of the seven Villers children are posing for Grandpa, the photo-taking patriarch.

'Y' can also mean young. Allegra (2 years 1 month) and her baby brother Cameron pose for Mom. They were quite young then. I have no Idea what the baby fund so amusing :)

Tree. The aforementioned children were climbing a tree when they were caught in the act...

Another tree, this fabulous birch tree at the Ansonia Nature & Recreation center. This three trunk beauty was planted in 1994, this photo captured in 2016.

Shadow. It was a chance to capture my reflection as a photographer in the mirror on the this old Chevy Nova. A nice shadow was the artistic upshot.

Friday Hunt 2017.2.24

It is a cold Friday in CT and my outdoor activities have been limited, so indoors is the place to be for Teresa's fun meme Friday Hunt. Onward to the prompts... 

Starts with 'X'. I don't have any pics that start with 'X'. However, when filing all pics from Christmas, I include in the filename the word 'Xmas' and the year for easier sorting. Since 'Xmas' is a common abbreviation for the holiday, I'll take the liberty of using this for the letter. These are from, I believe, 1946 and they are my wonderful Aunt Terry and Grandma (Agnes) during that season. The photo file names are captioned.

File: 1946_Xmas-01.jpg

File: 1946_Xmas-02.jpg

File: 1946_Xmas-03.jpg

Craft. Our friend Rich is an artist (in any medium) including watercolors. He holds a number of watercolor classes at local libraries for free or nominal prices. This was at the Derby CT Public Library, and he is a great teacher for those who want to try watercolors.    And Patti tried her hand at watercolors in one of his classes, the subject cardinals. 

Change. It is amazing the change from potted pepper plants in our yard to these yummy (and hot) peppers harvested in August. This was a very tasty change indeed! Also these pics look so nice in and far warmer than today!

Friday Hunt 2017.2.23

Friday arrives the day before our first nuisance snowfall in Southern New England, so it is a perfect time to participate in teresa's great meme, Friday Hunt. This week's prompts offer a challenge, which is why it is so fun. So onward we go...

Starts with 'W'. The first is Wine, these from the Savino Vineyards in Woodbridge, CT. It is less than 2 miles (3.2 kM) from home. The wine was nice, too when we visited the lovely vineyards and winery.

Then there is White, the color of snow. Never fear though, this pic was taken on 1 Feb. 2011. There were so many big snowfalls that winter, and more than one roof collapsed in town. Since there was an ice storm the next day, and not wanting a roof failure, we hired someone to shovel the roof. This was our patio when the job was complete.

Weightlifting. This old print was taken be me at the weightlifting venue at the 1984 summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The faded colors impacted the image, but not my memories: when the weights hit the floor after the lift, you felt it in your seat. 

Dense. The foliage growing on the Savin Rock in West Haven CT is quite dense indeed. 

Texture. I think my sister's cat Jake is a fine example of a soft and furry texture!

Shadow Shot Sunday - Ornamental

Shadow Shot Sunday 2 arrives the day after the small town of Ansonia (19,000) Christmas/Holiday tree lighting. We don't often think of shadows in the dark, but the ambient nighttime lighting in Veterans Park next to city hall - however, the always lovely Patti captured shadows emanating from the inflatable ornaments on the ground. Never say 'never' when searching for shadows!

Friday Hunt 2017.2.22

It is the first Friday of December - shorter and colder days perhaps, but like every Friday, time for the great meme, Friday Hunt, kindly hosted by Teresa. Onward to the prompts...

Starts with 'V'. That one is easy! My last name is Villers, the family and I owned Volkswagens and the Villers family went on Vacations in the distant past, so the vacations in today's post are today are Vintage.

A Vintage Villers Vacation in 1961 in the briny Atlantic low tide in Brigantine, New Jersey. Only five children watched over by Aunt Terry.

In Atlantic City, 1965. A great Vacation, and notice how mom picked matching plaid for the girls - and coordinating plaid for my shorts!

Here is an early slideshow of the 1965 vacation in Atlantic City

My brother at age 4 by the family 1964 VW Beetle. Our family also owned a 1968 VW Type 2 Microbus. Cool kid in '69, he's the sibling who lives in Utah.

This was my favorite vehicle, a 1982 VW Rabbit L, manual transmission and A/C, basic. But it was reliable and fun. I only sold it because we both owned 2-door VW's with a baby on the way and the older one had to leave the nest...

 

Festive. This was from a surprise 60th birthday party at our home in 1991. I think the Garfield balloon and streamers gifts give a festive air the day after.

Wood. Our kitchen was renovated awhile back. The cabinets and trim were made of wood. I think :)

Wordless Wednesday - Giving

The art of giving is shown best when we consider those in need. Here is the Thanksgiving food distribution at St. Vincent de Paul in Derby CT. To help those in need with the making of a fine meal is important. Giving without recompense is the ideal...See more WW at NC Sue!

Shadow Shot Sunday - Shadowy Son

This week in the US included Thanksgiving Thursday. Coincidentally, Thanksgiving is the birthday of our son Cameron. Thus for Shadow Shot Sunday 2 this week, I looked for (and found) a few shadowy pics to use as a thankful retrospective of a great kid - always!

Friday Hunt 2017.2.21

It is the day after Thanksgiving in the U.S., which means it is the day for a favored meme, Friday Hunt hosted by Teresa. On to the prompts!

Starts with 'U'. Here is my brother Christopher's home, the 45th state admitted to the Union. Upon retiring from the USAF at Hill AFB, he and his family settled in suburban Salt Lake City. My niece was a Utah State Ute, hence the flag. It seems like a wonderful place to live. If one likes cold an snow that is...

My brother sent me this Utah pic a few years ago. At one of their favorite ski places, Snowbasin, they saw a para-ski instructor who posed for him. How cool, a single ski device for someone who cannot stand. Not that I have tried it...but who knows someday?

Collage. I took a wheelchair height photo of a 1936 Dodge awhile back - sitting low, I tend to see things a bit differently - and the wide whitewall and chrome hubcap is so retro stylish! I made a few other edits to make a collage of cool style...

“I ate this” I didn't eat the whole pie - really! This is a fabulous white pie at a local pizzeria, made of Mozzarella and Romano, escarole, white beans and (lots of) garlic. Great eating - and your brownies not only look divine, but would be a perfect ending to this meal!

Shadow Shot Sunday - Harvested

Yes, the harvest was completed a couple of months ago. The corn stalks lie on a fallow field and the only growth is the shadow alongside the old tractor. Shadow Shot Sunday 2 allows us a look at the past as we await the new growth next Spring...

Friday Hunt 2017.2.20

It is Friday and time for this week's fun photo meme, Friday Hunt kindly hosted by Teresa. Here are the pics and prompts...

Starts with ’T'. What’s obvious, at least in our Ansonia backyard, is tree. So first we have a sunset over the treeline in September.

Next, and not to jump the season is the lighted holiday tree at Veteran’s Park next to Ansonia’s city hall. This was from last year and on a clear cold night, it is beautiful.

Next is combination of ’T’ and Black & White. I believe this to be 1957, and my Aunt Terry sitting in front of Grandpa’s famous Christmas tree, and he loved Tinsel, which this tree has lots of! He really loved it as we can see :)

Now I combine Black & White and Paper. This is a fun shot from 1985 where Patti and her newspaper colleagues posing with a newspaper at the defunct (in 1992) Evening Sentinel. More fun is a look at early office computers and 1980s hair styles. I grew up in a home where ‘the Paper’ meant a newspaper. I miss ‘the Paper’ in this digital media age...

Shadow Shot Sunday - Food collection including turhey

Shadow Shot Sunday 2 is back this day in November, the month with Thanksgiving Day in the US. We give thanks for or blessings including the food we need. Alas, many do not. So Shelton CT dentist Dr. Bruce Sofferman, his wife and daughter (and yes, a turkey too ;) continue their tradition of collecting frozen turkeys and non-perishable foods for local food bank Spooner House. It is a nice tradition and a feast of shadows occurs as the generosity of local residents and businesses step up to help feed those in need...

Friday Hunt 2017.2.19

Friday returns as does a great meme, Friday Hunt posted by Teresa. Onward to the prompts…

Starts with ’S’. Given my heritage, Steubenville, Ohio is my first ’S’, this being a parking structure in the city in 1955. Called pigeon hole parking, here the steel bodied cars are stacked nicely…

Here is a marquee on the Strand Theater in our neighbor of Seymour CT. Patti and I saw this collection of one-act plays by David Ives performed by the local Sterling Lion theater group in June. It was witty and fun!

Here are stained glass windows. I was impressed with these views at St. Margaret Mary Church in South Windsor, CT.

Metal. I think this is metal - but what kind (or what it may be) is a mystery.

Mineral. I choose diamond. These are Patti’s rings that had to be cut off six years ago prior to surgery. Not to worry, a local jewelry maker laser welded them back together and looks as seamless as ever. Nice prompts this week Teresa!