Orchid in the Air

Happy Monday!
With love and hugs.
xo

To Our Birthday Girl

A  beautiful little blossom for our beautiful Birthday Girl!

You see,

Long distance separates us,

she is

living her dreams

in the far away land of

Cheese and Crackers,

Beer, and Packers..

but our hearts remain forever close,

our love remains forever true,

and,

Little Miss Tiff,

we are so very happy

and

 so very proud of you!

Happy Birthday, Tiff!

With love, hugs, and dreams come true.

Doubled!

xo

11.11.11

Once every one hundred years we see 11.11.11. Seems like once every hundred years I see my little sister. Today is her day, and it's a big one for sure! See's far from us, way down south in her new home in Southport, North Carolina. With her soul mate, her new pet fox, her new beach hang out, her friends, and for Christmas, her girl.
I see alot of chatter online about project 11.11.11. So, my project is my blog post dedicated to my little sister Nancy. Here's a Happy Birthday to you, Nan! I hope the lights remain bright for you throughout the coming year, that you enjoy your new digs, and that your heart bursts with Love and Happiness!

I miss you,
Happy Birthday!
With love and hugs.
xo

For Anthony

Today just might be a hard one at my office.
You see, it's the Birthday of my friend's son.
Who passed away, ever so quietly in her arms.
After 26 years. She's been talking about today,
and a part of her is pretty scared. It's that hole
in a Mother's heart when sad things happen to a child.
But Lynn is a member of a different kind of club.
It's the I lost my son club. Or, I lost my child club.
Fewer members than the PTA. Or the local Book club.
But the stronger part of Lynn is prepared. Head on.
Like a ship in a storm.
With love, with memories, and balloons.
Anthony was never able to speak words.
He was never able to walk,  nor did he ever play sports.
He was her angel. He entered our lives, whispered Hope, taught Love, and disappeared. Into the heavens. And Lynn moves forward.
With a vibrant self, a new found determination that will bring down walls. She demonstrated a dedication and Love to Anthony like you've never seen.

To you, Lynnie. And  to your little boy.
Peace.
With my love and hugs.
xo

11.9.11

A certain day became a presence to me;
there it was, confronting me-a sky,air,light:
a being. And before it started to descend
from the height of noon, it leaned over
and struck my shoulder as if with
the flat of a sword, granting me
honor and a task. The day's blow
rang out, metallic-or it was I, a bell awakened,
and what I heard was my whole self
saying and singing what I knew: I can.
   ~Denise Levertov, from Breathing the Water

Live Your Best Day!
With love and hugs.
xo

Back on Track...

...Well, sort of!
You all know by now that we loose power. Alot.
But, we're bright again.
Part of the annoyance of loosing electricity is that every single digital appliance we own goes down. And, then, it's sort of like re-boot.
Re-set. Clocks. Ugh. Just reset all of the clocks, and then, it's the end of daylight savings time. More clocks. The good thing about "fall back" is more sleep time in the morning. My husband gets up very early, so the fall back is a treat to him. Except this morning! I woke him up accusing him of not turning his clock back, but I was the one! I forgot to turn the other little bedroom clock back. Because...I just re-set the darn thing from our power outage! UGH. Small little pest annoyances.
Being woken up way too early! Sorry, Wes!

Happy Monday!
With my love and hugs.
xo

PS...Happy Birthday, Tom!
Bet you didn't mind getting up too early!!

Last Saturday...

Last Saturday morning I was playing around with this photo. This is my neighbor's tree. There were electric wires to delete. I painted the sky a bright shade of dangerous and I saved it. My plan was to post it on Mischief Night, with a little caption of "Painting the Town". Well,with an unexpected twist of fate from Mother Nature, instead of me deleting the wires, the wires deleted me! It has been one crazy mess here in Northwestern New Jersey, but today is different. Autumn is back with her blaze of color. In all of her glory.  The snow has melted. The mellow sound of the electric bass once again harmonizes our home, the lights are glowing brightly, it is warm, and all is calm.
I am forever grateful.
For water.
For light.
But mostly,
I am grateful
for Love.

Have a happy weekend!
With love and hugs.
xo

Long Days and Long Nights









Each day

 presents

 an opportunity

 of Hope.

And beauty.

And resolve.

And light.

And darkness.

There may be some light at the end of this dark tunnel.

I still could not drive on my road today,

it was too crowded with JCP&L trucks!

Fingers crossed.

With love and hugs.

xo



Hello, November!

Good Morning, World!
I shot this photograph on Sunday morning a short distance from where we live.
We've been treated to a new round of challenges by Mother Nature. Again.
A fury of a storm flew in Saturday morning, hung around most of the day and night, and on Sunday the sky was the most beautiful shade of blue that one could only imagine. There was an Autumn beauty like we've never seen. The kiss of color beneath a heavy snowfall. Only one problem. We're in the dark once more. The weight of more than a foot of snow has crumbled the land. And my spirits. It's another long journey until we see the light.
But, as Wes and I sipped some leftover coffee in front of the fire early this morning, we both agreed that it's just one more challenge that makes our bond  truly unbreakable.

Here's hoping we have a few milder days and nights.
And, Happy November, my friends!
With my love and hugs.
xo

Psst!

BOO!

Happy Halloween!

With love and hugs.

xo

Fire and Ice

Wasn't it just Summer?
Brr...it's cold outside.
Time to cook up a little fire.
And get ready for the snow.
My camera is waiting.

Hope it's a fun weekend!
With love and hugs.
xo

Rainy Thursday

There's a little chill in the air today.
It's dark and dreary.
Wet and a bit windy.
But the colors...they take your breath away!
Here's a festive little home town diner
from my home town to yours.


Happy Everything!
With love and hugs.
xo

What Is Photography?

Photography is
creative writing
without any words.

Have a photographic Tuesday!
With love and hugs.
xo

A LITTLE RED FLOWER

To my far away friend on her Birthday, who always grew the most beautiful zinnias. And cooked the most delicious meals. And made me laugh the hardest!

Happy Birthday, Cath!
With love and hugs.
xo

Good and Beautiful

'That which is striking and beautiful
 is not always good; but
 that which is good is
 always beautiful.'

~Ninon De L'Enclos


Hope today brings you good and beautiful.
With love and hugs.
xo

Flower Power

It's still rather dark here at almost 8:00 in the morning.
A sort of gloomy day in the hills of Hardwick.
The only golden glow being the hint of Autumn from a window.
A cool, steady drizzle bids farewell to the last buds of Summer.
No sign of birds, nor song, nor sun.

But there is beauty in today.
I hope you enjoy my little splash of love.
It is from a pretty, sweet veranda in Cape May.
It's where I left my heart.

Happy Wednesday!
With love and hugs.
xo

Monday, Monday

So we made it to Sandy Hook!
A beautiful but chilly morning greeted 14 motorcycles as we headed South from Warren County. It was a fun ride down, but the magic of the day really began when we crossed over the bridge into Sandy Hook.
The vista was magnificent! It made me feel like I was in Monterey California! Really! The view startled me. There's something about life on a bike. Everything becomes so real and in your face. The slow descent from the bridge into the park was so beautiful. The ocean was choppy. The sea spray was exhilarating. There were fishermen, kites, windsurfers, and kite surfers. And bikers and runners and walkers and bikers. This was our "South" destination point for a badge we earned in our club. The North point was High Point State Park, West point was Split Rock in Pennsylvania, and  the East point was Turtleback Zoo in West Orange. We experienced insane wind, traffic, beautiful sunsets, bikers full of road  camaraderie, tractor trailer trucks, race cars, barking dogs, stares and lots of thumbs up! We stopped in Atlantic Highlands for lunch at a beautiful ocean front restaurant, in a beautiful little seaside town, and if I ever win the lottery....that's where you'll find me! It's back to the grind Monday, and I look forward to the 2012 patch...where will it take us?

Ride your own!
With love and hugs.
xo

2 Wheelin' Weekend

Off to Sandy Hook State Park this morning.
Yesterday, it was Turtleback Zoo
with Mother Nature kickin' up her heels.
I'm finishing up the points and destinations
required for the "Curvz" patch from my
motorcycle club.
Enjoy your day, wherever it takes you!
With love and hugs.

I hope this doesn't happen!

Quiet

Sometimes the quietest moments

yield the loudest messages.

I hope you find your quiet today.
With love and hugs.
xo

My Little Kestrel

We went to a hawk demonstration in Cape May!

This little one stole my heart....right out of the can.

He's the smallest member of the hawk family. He's an American Kestrel. It is "easily identifiable" by the 2 black stripes on his face, it's blue grey wings, and chestnut back and tail. Perhaps one of the most colorful raptors (birds of prey) in the world, they grow to full size in only one month.An interesting fact is that hawks can sometimes attain speeds of 150 MPH when diving, and most mate for life.

Their sense of hearing is excellent, and their eyesight is the best in the animal world. Not only can hawks see greater distances than humans, but their visual activity (the ability to see clearly) is eight times greater than ours. Hawks also see in color!

It is illegal to capture or kill a hawk, or possess a hawk alive or dead, without proper permits from the State of NJ and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

Because they are predators, hawks have historically been regarded by many people as vermin. In the past, they were seen as wanton killers-

cruel and harmful creatures. Fortunately, with ecological knowledge we now realize they are neither harmful nor cruel. They are, like all living things, important parts of a diverse and intricate natural world. The protection of that world is of paramount importance to their well-being, and to ours.

And let me tell you ....they are down right adorable.

Long live the hawks.

With love and hugs,

xo

Love

if i had a little green notebook

i'd fill it with love.

in the morning

on a park bench

on a street corner

in a rain storm

at 3AM

on a dark highway

under

a full moon.

with love and hugs.xo

Smart Birds

Smart food makes smart birds.
Happy Friday!

With love and hugs.
xo

Cape May

Beach flowers

Coffee shack at Sunset Beach

Raw Surf at Higbee Beach



Beautiful Dusk



We encountered some wispy weather last weekend, a cold front was approaching and the winds picked up with great gusto. I love the Jersey shore at the end of Summer. There's something so peaceful and calming in just observing what I've loved since I was a young child. It sucks me in. Walking along the ocean shoreline, I found myself thinking alot about my Dad. I used to love "scrounging"the shoreline with him after a storm. Barefoot and sunburned, it's when he found his most prized fishing lures, and I was able to collect those infamous shark eggs, sea glass and driftwood. The beach  would be scattered with fishing lines all tangled up with goodies inside. And the surf would be riddled with seaweed and jellyfish. The shells were plentiful, the sand crabs busied themselves hiding from me.
I miss those days, I miss the ocean, and I really miss my Dad.

With love and hugs.
xo



iSad

"Thanks for showing
 that what you build
 can change the world."

~Mark Zuckerberg,
  Facebook Founder
 ...on the passing of Steve Jobs tonight.

With love and hugs.
xo

Roar to the Shore

Friends of ours have a house or 2 in Cape May, NJ.
The end of the line along the Jersey shore.
We were invited down for a long weekend!
Three of us rode our '2 wheels' down the long stretch
of Parkway to destination Ardis.
I snapped this shot with my iphone.
I have lots more to come.
Cape May has my love forever.
Thanks again, Laurie and Bob!
With love and hugs.
xo