Changing of the seasons....

Well we all know what the snow did to us this weekend....before that happened last week I spotted this lone red bunch of leaves and berries on a very green bush.....it made me think that the change is

National Chocolate Day!

A day of celebration!!! Yea it's National Chocolate Day!!! Indulge your sweettooth!!!

Hot Air Balloons....

I have loved Hot Air Balloons ever since I saw my first one! In my old house I lived right in their flight pattern and occasionally they would land in my yard, if not they drifted over and had conversations with us!

You can imagine how I felt when I got to take my first ride in one....amazing...the feeling of serenity and complete weightlessness was something else!











I saw this one drifting around the other morning and followed it to see where it landed! Couldn't get much closer than this, but I see it was a safe
landing!


So coooool!

Old Tug Boat

After roaming around the Newburgh Waterfront the other day
With my friend Bob taking pictures he took me to a place he
had been before where he had seen this old Tug.


She was really quite interesting. Sad to see though that
she had deteroiated to this point.














One can only image the tales she would
have to tell about her adventures on the
water during the missions she performed
likely in long years of service.


























It appears that kids have decorated her with graffitti...sad and not befitting her former station in life!

Fall Colors....

You gotta love the colors of fall even if you don't like the change in the temperature!

Driving past this line of trees the other day I had to stop and turn around and get the shot....

I thought that they were so pretty and all the same color and height and very monochromatic!

Newburgh Water Front Boats....

I grabbed a shot of the River Rose coming back into Port at the Newburgh Water Front on Sunday while there to capture more pictures of the Lynx. She was motoring in...wish I could have gotten the picture with the paddles running!











The old and the New....a larger boat crusin along while the Lynx was starting out on it's Sunday Cruise....










A Tug which is one of the ones that we see a lot going up and down the Hudson

The Lynx ~ America's Privateer .... continued....

I took another trip down to the Newburgh
Waterfront on Sunday Afternoon to see the Lynx go out for a two hour tour....This picture shows her starting out by motor to move away from the dock....it almost looks like the geese wanted to accompany her....














As she got further out into the harbor she let her
sails down and unfurl to show her beauty and
majesty! So amazing!!!


















She seems like an amazing boat to be on.....


















I would imagine it would be a serene ride....
That is if I wasn't so chicken of such things....!



Enjoy the pictures!

Lynx ~ America's Privateer

Scooted out of work a little early yesterday
and ran down to the Newburgh Water Front
to get a glimpse of the Lynx. She is an amazing
Top-Sail Schooner which was designed for Marine Education. She was built as a replica of a privateer or navel schooner from the War of 1812.

This time of type of ship was among the first of the ships which defended America's Freedom at the time.








This beauty is at the Newburgh landing until Monday 10/24. Worth the trip down to see it!

This type of ship was known for it's swiftness, and maneuverability. It was very effective as a blockade runner and an offensive weapon of war.

This particular ship flies pennants and flags from the 1812 era and even has period ordnance (weapons & ammo) making her a floating museum! So very cool if you are a history buff!


It was pretty cloudy yesterday afternoon when I got there, so these pictures don't really do her justice. I think that I will have to take a trip back on Sunday to see if I can catch a shot or two when she is underway with full sails....that should be spectacular!!!

Cows

Driving around the other day I spotted this lone cow laying down and a great tree and the corn crib would make an interesting photo...so here we go.....I kind of really like it!

I think cows are cool actually, they do so much for us...leather everything, beef for dinner and burgers and milk to quench our thirst!






at the same farm over a ridge came this lone cow and even though it was bright daylight....the shot lent itself to look like dusk....I thought it was really kind of cool!

National Cupcake Day!

It's National Cupcake Day! Splurge and enjoy! It's not to late!

Pictures of Pine Island.....

Took a drive Sunday through the Pine Island Black Dirt area. It is so beautiful!

This area takes its name from the dark, extremely fertile soil left over from an ancient glacial lake bottom augmented by decades of past flooding of the Wallkill River. The 26,000 acres (10,400 ha) of muck left over is the largest concentration of such soil in the United States outside the Florida Everglades.



The harvested fields look amazing with a back drop of the trees and hills!












I think this shot is my favorite of all the pictures I took this day....the new lettuces and the contrasting black dirt looked amazing.....








Another shot of the harvested fields showing the impressive back ground with a view of the High Point New Jersey Monument...


It was an amazing day taking "pretty pictures" of beautiful scenery!

Sophia's First Birthday Cake!

I was invited to make a birthday cake for my friends daughters first birthday! So exciting. Her Mom has very specific ideas about incorporating the number one and putting a crown on top! And having lots of sugar flowers. The last requirement was to have two tiers that were square.

Other than that she told me to let my creativity run....Hence since we were doing so many different types of sugar flowers in a rich fall colors, I felt a basket weave icing was in order. So I hand piped both layers with a basket weave and a rope finish to approximate a basket for the
flowers to flow out of....

I have to say that I was pretty pleased with the results and the cake did travel well to the venue! (thank GOD) I am always a bit nervous when I have to deliver a cake....what if someone runs into me....always a bad "B" scenario in my head....but thankfully it was a lovely uneventful drive on a beautiful day to a beautiful venue!

Crystal Springs Garden Room at the Crystal Springs Resort in Hamburg, NJ.

From all the pictures I have seen, the party was a huge success and the cake made a big hit, which is very pleasing to me!



A very special cake for a very special little girl!

Vanilla three layered cake for each tier and vanilla icing. Tons and tons of sugar flowers and leaves!





I really had a great time making and creating this cake and was extremely pleased that everyone enjoyed it and was pleased with it's appearance!


Happy 1st, birthday Sophia!!!!

Making Cookies

I made cookies last night with my buddies Lauren & Tommy McNamara! They certainly are creative when it comes to putting sprinkles and decorations on the cookies! Almost as many got on the cookies as in the tummies prior to the baking!

They sure did a good job!!!

Sculpture

The other day I was traveling to Warwick and got detoured twice....the last and final time I snuck through the industrial park in Chester....sometimes you just never know what you are going to encounter! I had to do a double take and turn around and grab this picture!
I thought it was an amazing sculpture that was on the front lawn of Brakewell Steel, how cool! What craftsmanship!!! My picture doesn't do it the justice that it deserves, however it makes me happy. Take a ride by and see the details that I wasn't able to catch on film....I love it there are teeth in the people and lots of minute details!