Shadow Shot Irish 2 - Shadowy Green

Shadow Shot Sunday 2 takes me back to Ansonia's raising of the Irish flag and the shadows that fell under the fabulous dancers who celebrated the Emerald Isle in the Lower Naugatuck Valley. Not only were the dancers wonderful, the dance instructor also danced (to the right in the right photo). It was cold and windy day, but the dancing made up for that. Happy Easter MMT!

The Weekend Roundup 'M'

It is Saturday and time again for Toms most excellent meme, The Weekend Roundup. The letter "M" is featured, and I had a Merry time finding this weeks's examples :)

I'll begin with the New York City borough of Manhattan. Here is the magnificent Freedom Tower in lower Manhattan, captured from Brooklyn in 2013.

And here is a classic skyline of Manhattan, captured by my grandfather while on the Staten Island Ferry in 1957. The skyline has changed substantially since then!

And here is a restored 1965 Milk Truck.....from Meadowbrook Farms. And of course, the cow says 'Moo'

This week's Favorite is my new Quickie Pulse wheelchair. It was delivered on Monday and needs a couple of tweaks / adjustments before daily use. Have a happy week!

Shadow Shot Sunday 2 - The snow is ablaze

Yes, Spring began last week. Which did not mean that it should not nor could not snow. So of course it did! For Shadow Shot Sunday 2, the always lovely Patti captured our cardinal friend with early morning shadows. Although a fan of a four-season climate, I am not necessarily a fan of snow - but our scarlet avian lets me to change my mind on  occasion...

The Weekend Roundup 'L'

It is a warm(ish) Saturday in March, so again time for Toms fun meme, The Weekend Roundup. My 'L' submittals are as follows...

This Lighthouse is at Five Mile Point on Long Island Sound entering the New Haven Harbor in Connecticut. Built in 1847, it is 80 ft (24 M) tall.

This reception at LuLu Pazzo Italiano restaurant. It was a Luscious array with Lots of fabulous eats including yummy (and hot) stuffed peppers, olives and mortadella. It was a Lovely event!

This old pic is from Luxembourg when I visited in 1982.

Long. This was one my Grandfather's last vehicles before he passed away in 1981. This is a true Land barge, a 1971 Chrysler  Three Hundred. It was really long at 224.7 inches (5,710 mm). I drove it a few times - it was had to keep tack of it...but with a big 440 V-8, it moved along nicely :)

Favorite. How about this squirrel perched upon a Firestone on my Grand Caravan. The squirrels in our yard 

are rather endearing!

The Weekend Roundup 'K'

It is Saturday and time again for Tom's fun meme, The Weekend Roundup. The letter 'K' is featured this week and now I'm reminiscing...

'K' is for Kids and on he left is the first day of school 1995. Our son Cameron was in Kindergarten and his sister Allegra was the (sort of :) older and wiser going into second grade. This is a sentimental favorite...to the right is nine years later and the sentimental parents asked if they could reprise the pic as it was the first day of high school, she (again) the more experienced one going into eleventh grade. Little or big, Kids bring cute memories...

Another (but not unexpected) 'K' is Kitty, and here is our fluffy and furry family feline, Linus McDonald, in the usual places and activities...in a box and fast asleep. Nothing new here!

The favorite this week is the cool view captured The always lovely Patti at Witek Park in Derby CT. It is a great illusory pic that includes the side view mirror looking up. Does the water reflect the sky...or is it the other way around?

Shadow Shot Sunday 2 - Soaring Shadows

It is time again for a long-time favorite meme hosted by MMT, Shadow Shot Sunday 2. Today, I am going back to the Summer of 1984 sans wheelchair in those days. A salesman I worked with had recently received his pilot's license and knew I had an interest - and invited me to tag along in his Piper Cherokee Six. In this view, we are flying over Pratt & Whitney Aircraft in East Hartford on a Sunday morning - the closest building was where I worked M-F. At an altitude of 1500 ft (366 M), plenty of shadows emanate from the structures, trees and parked cars. I cannot climb into an airplane these days, so I am happy to see my workplace then from aloft and not from ground level...

The Weekend Roundup 'J'

The weekend is here so it is time for Tom's fun meme, The Weekend Roundup. The subject letter this week took some research -  and now I am ready!

Given my heritage, there is New Jersey. more specifically, Atlantic City. This is me in 1964, and this bar reminds me of the famous SS Minnow (and I am old enough to remember that reference :) This was long before the glitzy casinos and hotels of today.

Another New Jersey 'J' is in 1969, also on the famous Boardwalk were you could rent a bicycle in the mornings. It was always a Joy to ride a bike in the briny Atlantic air!

Jewelry is on display at a local consignment shop, The Country Cottage in Seymour CT.

The final 'J' is Jaguar (car). I saw this at a local car show, the sign said 1948. I believe this is referred to as a 'drophead', what Americans call a convertible. Not only do we say it differently, I believe we drive on the wrong side of the road too :) That is me looking at this beauty...

This week's Favorite is a cardinal showing up the morning after a snowfall. Patti captured this fellow and his red plumage stands out so nicely against the Winter backdrop.

Shadow Shot Sunday 2 - Demolition

It has been a while, but am back to SSS2 at this new address (thanks MMT :).

On Wednesday, the always lovely Patti attended the demolition of Peck School in Ansonia. It has not been used as a school since 2000 and really cannot be rehabbed for any use as a building. So it was coming down this week.

It was sunny and warm for Feb. 28 (not Sonoran Desert warmth, about 52ºF / 10ºC), so southerly sun shadows were in order. The old school throws a lot of shadows (top, middle) and the city officials (mayor, aldermanic and economic development) are casting shadows as they safely watch the proceedings across the street. 

My favorite though is the photographer's shadow. No socks - it really was a warm day!

We published an article in yesterday's Valley-Voice newsletter - see it Here!

The Weekend Roundup 'I'

It's been a rainy and windy nor'easter today in New England. But it is Friday, so time again for Tom's fun meme The Weekend Roundup (hope you are enjoying the Aloha State :) This week's letter took a bit of searching in the archives but examples were found...

There is Industrial. This is the defunct Ansonia Copper and Brass, closed in 2013. However, our small city owns this complex now, will be demolished, the land remediated and be open for development within the next couple of years...see the slideshow below the photos to see the beginning of an Industrial revival..

This slideshow I created showcases this old Industrial factory in its faded glory...

Another 'I' is Itasca State Park in Minnesota. Lake Itasca is the headwaters of the mighty Mississippi River that travels over 2,300 miles (3,700 km) to the Gulf of Mexico. You can wade across the river as I did in 1983 - I was walking then and I did! These pics are from 1983.

Inside. I looked around and around - and chose when I was Inside my van. Patti took it from the passenger seat along upper State Street in New Haven. 

Here are beautiful stained glass windows Inside St. Margaret Mary Church in South Windsor CT. Aloha Tom!