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Phriend and I had planned our weekly daytrip, this time we were off to Jenkinson’s Aquarium. Can I just say it was one of the most difficult places to take a photograph with any kind of clarity. It was dimly lit to say the least. We played with exposure, we played with shutter speed and I did the unthinkable and raised my ISO to 3200. This resulted in me, alone, taking 810 photos. Yes, 810! After uploading I deleted 588, after taking a closer look at them I was happy with about 29 of them, a little less than 3%. Was it a successful day? Yup, cause we had a blast!

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Each step, on the winding trail, took us deeper into the dark and mysterious forest. We heard the scrambling of feet, first to the right, than to the left. We turned and saw nothing. Again, this time behind us. Were we being followed or stalked? Seeing nothing, we stopped and listened. “Over there,” she said. I still see nothing. “Where?” “There under the brush.” She points. I see it, so camouflaged in thicket, I strain my eyes to see.

I am please to announce my Friday's entry was chosen as one of Jennifer's "Fabulous Five".

She has an awesome Friday linky going on. Go check it out.

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This morning one of the most respected, known, trusted and, might I add, cutest weathermen announced Spring will be delayed this year. Perhaps, several of her rays need repair.

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Anyone who personally knows me will testify to the fact, I am getting downright ugly. Living through this endless winter is now just plain old and I am starting to whine, cry, and complain about it at every chance I get. It as 16 degree when I awoke this morning. Ugghh!

Yesterday, Phriend and I attended a free Nikon, 2 hour, photography class. It was taught by a reprehensive from Nikon. An informative class in which many questions were asked and answered. After the class, in hopes of lifting my winter blues, Phriend suggested we stop by a botanical garden and to our delight there was a green house. We raced inside in hopes of soaking up some of the warmth and fabulous spring floral blooms. We spent an hour taking over 600 photos between us. In fact, I took so many photos, I became “sea sick” from watching all the focusing through my lens. It was so worth it.

join the marco monday fun over @ Lisa's place.

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I recently learned of the Japanese legend, folding 1000 paper cranes will granted a wish, such as long life or recovery from illness or injury. I can think of no better time to start folding origami paper.

Paper Cranes for Japan

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Shyla ♥ celebrated her 13th month birthday on the 21st. She will only be with us for a few more months before returning for her evaluation and harness training.

At the bimonthly meeting on Wednesday evening, I put in a request for my next Seeing Eye puppy, my 14th. I did not request a certain breed. I only asked for a female. So when the newest little "baby girl" arrives I will be surprised as to the breed and B ... well, he's just be surprised! :-)

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This winter seemed longer than most. We suffered through had several major snow storms, endless days of freezing temperatures and strong winds.  The old man continues to fight a good battle and is not retreating.  I am so ready for him to pack his stuff and move on, make some room for the Spring Lady.  In preparation of her visit, the windows have been washed, the clocks were set back, the days are longer and this pass week the calendar marked her arrival. In my mind I picture my snow jacket, hat and gloves packed away. I can see the kayaks being lifted to the top of car and the gear gathered.  I see bursts of color emerging from the flower buds.  Sadly, none of this is happening. The forecast called for snow. We, luckily, dodged the white blanket and instead received heavy rain, resulting in a indoor photo.

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Lucy from yesterday’s photo stands at the south end of Absecon Island. The north end of the Island is home to the Absecon Lighthouse and the famed Atlantic City, the city of the original Monopoly board. In the 1920s, the boardwalk was made famous by it’s steel pier and Diving Horses. When Resorts International purchased the pier, in 1978, the last horse made the 60 foot dive into the 10 feet of water which filled a small pool.

Today the City is home to many gambling casinos. B and I are not fans of the tables or the slots however we do enjoy a nice walk along the boards, and this lovely lady enjoys the view.


store front window, steel pier, Absecon Lighthouse, photo of Diving Horse off the web



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"There is the story of o­ne young seaman o­n his first voyage, who had the early evening watch as his ship made it up the coast (of the Jersey Shore) o­n its way to New York harbor. After first reporting "All's well" he suddenly yelled "Elephant!!"

The captain thinking the seaman had gone berserk rushed to the deck. Lifting his looking glass to the shoreline he also exclaimed: "Elephant!" Wiped off his glass and after a second look, confirmed the fact that there was a giant beast standing among the dunes and eel grass of lower Absecon Island."

Since 1881, Lucy the Elephant has stood watch over our shore lines. Today I went to stand with her.

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~ On this first full day of Spring, this is the only bloom I can find, a snowdrop. 

Seems fitting, after a 77 degree day on Friday, snow is in the forecast for tomorrow. ~

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I had read last evening's moon was 30% brighter and appeared 18% larger then ever before. I was glad when I received a text message from Phriend. We had to head off to the bay beach to try and capture this event. We arrived at sunset, which was a splendid show. We waited for the moon to appear and I can honestly say I do not ever remember watching the moon rise. I picked the perfect night for this first. The spectacular colors of the sunset were reflecting off the moon's surface creating a brilliant orange color.
While I really like the composition of the photo, clarity and sharpness are lacking. I had my settings at ISO 200, f/6.3, 30 sec. There was a strong cold wind blowing, which caused the camera to shake, even though it was mounted on a tripod. I should have raise my ISO to at least 1600 so I could lower my exposure time. I guess my brain was frozen as I didn’t even think of that while standing on the icey cold beach.

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With temperatures topping out @ 77 degrees, there was no better place to be than at the beach with toes in the sand.

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~ the joy of a mud puddle ~

hop on over to camera critters to see other great critters!

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Ever since I saw a photo of cloning, I had been wanting to try it. After deciding on a historic park as the backdrop, Phriend and I gathered up our cameras, tripods and remotes. We spent some time playing around with different settings and different poses. We took 100s of photos, allowing for more options when “cloning”. We had a blast and plan on doing this again with several themes in mind.

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"St. Patrick's Day is an enchanted time,

a day to begin transforming winter's dreams into summer's magic."

~~By Adrienne Cook.~~

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Asbury Park is not a place which is currently frequented by many. In it’s day it was claimed to be the “Jewel of the Jersey Shore”. Sadly, over the past two decades it has become an area of high crime, full of fallen, decaying buildings.

After my recent trip, documented by many photos, and a local program featuring this town, B’s interest was peaked. Photos of the ornate carousal house, the old Casino building, and the artful graffiti begged to be visited. Today, bright and sunny, proved to be an excellent day to venture up to this lost town.

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At the dock of the bay ~
I really like the textures of this rope and the way the sun had picked an area to highlight.

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After seeing several people photograph bubbly fruit, Phriend (you can see her awesome shots here ) and I knew we wanted to try our hand at it. We waited for a rainy day, as to not waste any day light, day time outside photos. We gathered our poster board, the flat vase, the desk lamp, seltzer water, salt and an assortment of fruits. We moved the bench over to the slider doors for the best natural light, placed our cameras on tripods and let the fun begin.

Join the Marco Monday fun over @ Lisa's place.

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I took a walk over to the bay. I went to visit a neighbor, he was preparing to have dinner.

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After a visit from our Vet the Miracle Man, Murphy is finally putting weight on his injured leg. While this is wonderful, he has been told he “needs to hang up his dancing shoes”, and will not be able to run in the fields ever again. The concern is for his other leg. Since it will be supporting his backend he needs to rely on it’s strength but it will now be prone to easily be injured. The result of this would not be good. By the look on his face, he seems to understand and isn’t happy about it. Being a retired senior isn't much fun at times.

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I want to thank everyone who has been nice enough to stop by to visit my little place in space. Your kind and thoughtful comments are a sure way of keeping me inspired to continue with the Project. A heartfelt thank you to each of you. ♥

To address a few questions I’ve been asked. I am always happy to answer questions so feel free to ask.

~ The “floating” strawberry was actually a hanging strawberry. I tide a white thread to the top of the berry, around the stem. Tide the other end around a knife and hang the berry into a clear, square vase. I placed the vase against a white poster and my camera on a tripod. I waited for the berry to stop swinging and I shot through the glass.

~ The many Lighthouse I have been visiting are open. Visitors are always welcome to walk around the grounds they are standing on. The East Point Lighthouse, which stands at the mouth of the Delaware River, has been abandoned.  The Historical Society continues to raise funds which will allow them to restore the building. Many of the others are open, for inside tours, during the summer months and on the weekends during the winter. I do not care for heights and rarely venture up the 100s of open spiral stairs to the top.

~ Dana, (Phriend) and I have known each other for over a decade. We lived in the same neighborhood and for many years, both of us planned our next crafting project at worked for a local craft/fabric shop, which closed 3 years ago. The family of friends we made there continue to stay in touch. Dana and I knew we had a mutual interest in photography but only recent started taking on our big ventures together.

~ and for those who asked me about the "follow" button, I am flattered and added it to the bottom of my sidebar.

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Ever since Courtney posted a tutorial on creating starbursts, Phriend and I have become obsessed with been creating them. Our biggest challenge has yet to be won. We have made several attempts, in this neverending winter, at capturing a night starburst using the revolving light a top our favorite Lighthouse. When the weather warms we will be out trying again. In the meantime, we'll just have to settle for creating these fabulous bursts during daylight hours using the reflecting sun.

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When I decided to undertake Project 365, I wondered if I would be able to take a photo everyday. Well, sure I could, but would it be anything of interest?

I have lived in NJ all my life. I knew of several lighthouses, 3 in fact, but was recently surprised to discovered, we are home to 10 land based lighthouses, 2 light towers, 2 lightships, and 13 water based lighthouses. This peaked my interest. Perfect these would help to complete my 365. I made a plan to visit each of the land based. Today, with my trip to the East Point, I can say I have completed this quest.

I have been to 1 lightship and 1 of the water based, I hope to see the others. A fact which I found of interest, the Statue of Liberty is considered a Lighthouse.

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Strawberries are one my favorite things about summer. I put them on my Cheerios, I put them in my salad, I mix them with other fruit and I eat them right off the vine. And of course, I eat them covered in chocolate. I can’t get enough of them.

It was difficult to control my excitement when I saw them sitting in produce section of the grocery store yesterday and better yet, they were on sale. Can’t hate that! Ahh, summer can’t be far behind.

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Before I had met B in person, I knew the sound of his voice. I could hear his velvet “pipes” coming from inside my radio. I loved the sound and found it addicting. I listened every afternoon. He kept me company at work, in my car, while I fixed dinner and folded laundry. It was a comforting sound.

A number of years ago, I read these words, in what has become one of my favorite books.

How did Nicholas Sparks know how I felt?

join in the Marco Monday fun over @ Lisa's place.

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I love our flag and everything it stands for. I have flown the US flag outside my house everyday for the last 30 years and have a small one, being held by a statue boy, sitting in my entrance way. So when I peeked in the window of this old small town museum and saw it leaning there I had to take a photograph.

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Secure the socks and shoes! Our little thief, Shyla ♥ is back!!

While she was away, she celebrated her first birthday.  Reaching this milestone means, she will remain with us for an additional four to six months before returning to The Seeing Eye for her formal harness training.

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For several months now, while blog hopping, I have read many moms post about just how difficult it is to photograph their young children. I read about how they swarm around, they don’t stand where you want them to, and they wouldn’t smile nicely. Pretty much they are unwilling to take part in the photo session.

Last evening B and I were out and about, the sunset was breathtaking and I’ve been playing with silhouettes and starbursts. This was the perfect set up.
Me ~ “ B please pull the car over, no there, right there, no over there.”
Me again ~ “I know it’s freezing but I really need you to get out and stand still for me.”
Me yet again ~ “Ok now hold your hand up, a little higher, now over a bit, no my right, and lower your hand a little more.”
Me one more time ~ “Now stop moving, ok let me check it, oh darn, no starburst.” “Let me check my settings and try again.” “Hon, why did you move?” “oh come on, just a few more.” “I know you told me it was freezing.” “Now stand there, no, come on I said there.” “ Yes put your hand back up, no a little lower.” “ See if you didn’t move this would be easier.”

And you young ladies talk about your children! Good thing this man loves me. ♥

~ view other beautiful skies over at SkyWatch Friday ~

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Recently I took an Ornithology class. I have always had an interest in birds, so when I was able to take a college level class, I jumped at the opportunity. Many of our classes were held at the Forsythe National Wildlife refuge. It has become one of my favorite birding spots. During my trip there today, I spotted this beautiful Short Eared Owl.  I am really wishing I had rented the 150 - 500mm.

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I have driven pass this majestic black beauty on several occasions.

Today he was beckoning me to photograph him.

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In hopes of taking a winning photograph for a winery's monthly photo contest, Phriend and I spent a little over 3 hours setting up and clicking. We walked among the vineyard, rearranged their wine bottle displays, and played with corks. We waited for the sun to hit the window at the best angle to create a silhouette and we strung Christmas lights to enable us to get some awesome custom bokeh. Between the two of us, we have won the last four consecutive months. We're trying to “click it up a notch" as the pressure is on to make it 5.  (that's the vineyard reflecting in the glass)