The Weekend Roundup, 'J'

Ah, a refreshingly cool and way less humid Friday has arrived so it's time for Tom's fun meme, The Weekend Roundup. The eighth letter of the alphabet is featured this week, and an subjects are in order...

I'll start with 'J' by showcasing January. I chose the top example as January, 1959 as the print is date stamped. L-R, Aunt Terry, Dad and big sis Michele are  an ice rink in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Another 'J' is the day after another blizzard of snow on Ansonia. The day is January 27, 2011. Looks pretty until said snow has to be removed from the driveway!

Here is Jewelry, more specifically Patti's engagement and wedding rings in 2011. They were cut off before surgery she had that year. But not to worry, they were laser welded together by a very talented local gemologist - you could not see the seam! The other photo shows Patti at a watercolor class in 2015 and the rings are fixed and fitted nicely...   

Patti captured this beautiful Blue Jay on our gutter. What a great looking bird!

Favorite. Here is Colony Pond in our town of Ansonia. it was a very hot and humid day, but despite the climate today, the water looks refreshingly cool. We would never jump in, but it feels a little cooler at lease. Happy weekend to all! 

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 2017.2.20

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...

Friday Hunt, 2017.1.25

The week seems to move with alacrity and so it is Friday and time for Teresa's fun foto meme Friday Hunt. And away we go!

Starts with 'Y'. Like last week's letter, 'Y' has few words beginning with it, and I found one. But if we can bend the rules, New York City contains 'Y', so I'll start there. The year is 1957, the day Easter and here is Grandma Agnes and Aunt Terry in Manhattan for the Easter Parade. To the left is the skating rink at Rockefeller Center and to the right is Terry by the Channel 11 truck. I like the flying saucer hat on her and pencil skirt - she was a stylish 15 at the time...

This of course is a rare double yolk

Week's Favorite. The medical professionals at the Yale-New Haven Transplantation center gave her the okay to start driving again (around town, no highways). So she posed behind the wheel in her Chevy Sonic. The smile is genuine :)

Splash. Our then eight year old son offers us a splash in a hotel pool on vacation in 1999. This pool would be a treat in today's heat and humidity!

Friday Hunt, 2017.1.14

Where'd the week go? The always lovely Patti and I had this odd flu/cold combo that occupied the past seven days. Luckily, I am feeling much better this Friday, perfect for participating in this week's Friday Hunt. Here are my contributions to today's fun meme...

Starts with 'N'. I choose three looks at our neighbor state of New York - and the city of the same name, a place I like to visit on occasion, but prefer the slightly quieter Connecticut suburb in which we live :)

First is entering the Empire State on the Hutchinson River Parkway South. Yes, that is a plush bear sitting on the dashboard with a panoramic view of the road

Next is a look at the skyline of The City, Manhattan (the other four Boroughs of the city, Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island, all agree that Manhattan is The City of New York). I believe this is Easter Sunday 1961 with my father  and his sister (aka: Aunt Terry) on a roof surrounded by the always impressive skyline

Here is another look at the NYC skyline, much newer, taken from the Brooklyn side on a day where the snow ended and the sun is trying to break through

Week's Favorite and Blue. Both are favorites and both are blue. So...let's look at the sunset sky after a day of driving rain and wind. Or the Blue Jay stalking around the forsythia. Both are perfect in either category so I'll use both. Thanks again Teresa!

Friday Hunt, 2017.1.2

It is Friday and time again for Teresa's fun photo meme, Friday Hunt. She gives the clues and now I am ready...

Starts with ‘B’. I have three to share today. The first is bedroom, our kids rooms in mid-1998, the kids aged 9-1/2 and 7-1/2. The boys room also has Bears, the girls with her early collection of American Girls dolls - of course, the historic girls collection is history these days (boo Mattel)…

The next was taken in 1957 in front of our apartment in New York City, Borough of Queens, more specifically, the area known as Bayside. The precise address was 204-07 35th Avenue. My older sister Michele (3), myself (2), Aunt Terry (15) and Grandma are all dressed up for a trip to ‘the City’ (aka Manhattan). Like the grown-up styles of the day, such as a flying saucer hat?

Week’s Favorite. This is a simple gazebo sitting at a park in neighboring Derby. Perhaps is the simplicity of the structure sitting in fresh snow with no footprints - and under a cold Winter sky. 

Creature. Like the look of a male cardinal in its red plumage appearing in a candid shot while relaxing in a leafless forsythia. Thanks Teresa!

Shadow Shot Sunday - Easter 1957

It is time again for Shadow Shot Sunday 2, and I revert to shadowy retro shots. I received these photos from Aunt Terry three weeks ago, and adds more of the story to my SSS post from August 2011. I and my sister Michele got dressed up to travel from Queens to Manhattan with Grandma (Agnes), Grandpa (Ralph) and Aunt Terry. It was the famous Easter Parade on Fifth Avenue - and a great find. Grandma and Aunt Terry are part of a parade of shadows around on April 21, 1957 at Radio City, Fifth Avenue and in front of St. Patrick's Cathedral. What a different era...

Friday Hunt 2016-2.20

It is Friday and time again for Teresa's fun meme, Friday Hunt. She provides the clues and we happily make the hunt for the pics that meet the meme theme...

Starts with 'T': I am going retro for the first pic, my Aunt Terry at home in Steubenville Ohio. I guess this is 1956 or 1957, in front of a massive Christmas Tree with copious amounts of Tinsel. Grandpa loved tinsel, and lots of it!

Also with a 'T' is truck, a beautifully restored 1951 Chevrolet 3100 pickup I captured at a local car show

Week's Favorite: Back to retro and a photo recently found, also of my Aunt Terry. This is Easter Sunday 1957, near the famous Easter Parade. NYC Channel 11, WPIX, I believe was owned by the NY Daily News in those days.

Rule of three. Not being a photographer by trade, I am unsure of what it actually is. Capturing photo frames from the same vantage point? Here are three rows of two pics taken by the always lovely Patti in Paris with our daughter on a school trip in February 2004. If not exactly of the rule, it is a great urban sequence. Follow the white van traveling from right to left. Thanks again Teresa!