It's Alive!

About a week after the 'Death Row For Orchids', post, I went to Aldi and shockingly, they had orchids. The kids and I looked through all of the potential victims and settled on a traditional looking white and purple orchid. It still had some buds, so we figured, it at least had a chance. I'm happy to report, it is still alive. I guess the orchids from Trader Joe's don't like my house. Too often, we look to ourselves for the reason why things happen in our environment when really, we have very little to do with it.

Creative Thursday - Butterflies

An A-mazing Saturday.

Went to the Sussex Sunflower Maze with a photography group on Saturday. I carpooled with another member of the group and we arrived at around 11:40a.m.. The day was perfect and we all fanned out amongst the amazing field of golden flowers on solid hairy green stalks. The flowers weren't as tall as they could have been, but that did not detract from their beauty. The insects that visited the flowers and field buzzed or hopped around and posed for random vacation shots.

The photography group was about ten people strong and though, spread out, we all had the same goal. Take great shots in the maze and of the surrounding farms. It was a new experience for me. I am so used to packing up my gear and taking short trips with the girls or alone, that being around real photographers made me try to, 'bring up my game'.

I kept alert and planned my shots carefully. Not having a tripod, I had to use my flash, more often than I liked.

The group met up for lunch and we stopped at a roadside cafe style restaurant. When lunch was done we traveled down the main road looking for unique farms and scenery to shoot. Four of us joined together and we ended up at a farm called the castle. The castle was a unique structure. Outside, and away from the building, were four run down silos. The building itself was a burned out, decrepit piece of interesting architecture with an all rock silo attached. In it's hay day (pardon the pun), it must have been a bustling dairy farm.

One of the photographers and I decide to venture through the tall grass and to an opening in the now dying structure. Walking through garbage, we found the inside of the building was filled with chain-ups, piping, cleaning channels and troughs. Parts of the ceiling had collapsed under foliage that invaded the floor above. We explored further and the other photographer found the door to the stone silo. Inside the silo was magical. A plant had grown up the far wall into a tree like aberration. Looking up, I felt like the boy who fell down the well, Sadly, Lassie had probably died years ago.

Returning to the, once, working part of the dairy, my mind struggled to reconstruct the past. As the visions slowly dissipated, the reality became sullen. A piece of amazing architecture; a piece of amazing history; a piece of America was dying slowly and no one was there to save or protect it from the inevitability of obsolescence.

Exiting the old building, my heart screamed, “Where are the keepers of Americana? Where are those government farm subsidies. Where are the mom and pop farmers that got up with sunrise and worked until sunset feeding our nation with not only food, but with pride?”. In the rattling of empty silos, and bustling of overgrowth, the answer was carried back, “Industrial food suppliers were the fire burning down the amazing structure once known as the farming industry.”

We made our way back to the cars and drove farther seeing farm casualties along the way. Even the next farm would have looked abandoned, if not for a couple of horses and a cow, out in an overgrown field. Some newer farm equipment looked out of place against the backdrop of broken unpainted wood and slanting foundations.

The day ended with a car show. The last of the group to leave stopped for a bite and some refreshments. We laughed and talked until it was time to head back towards home.

Seeing the other photographers pictures was interesting. There were so many great shots. Some very unique and others, slight variations on a theme. The experience was a learning one for me. I learned a lot about style, technique and some of my photographic inadequacies. I made friends and will be going on more of these group trips, as they become available. It was a day I learned a lot and any day you can say that about is a great day.

Making History On The Navesink.

I spend a lot of time road tripping to local 'attractions' in N.J.. This past weekend, the kids and I went to Twin Lights Lighthouse in the Highlands. Yes, I'm sure I have more blogs about it, we go there often. This blog is not so much about our trip as it is about 'The Pledge of Allegiance.'. Bet you didn't see that coming.

It turns out the dedication of our nations pledge was done at the Twin Lights, in 1893. Naval vessels from all over the world awaited off shore. For the occasion a large flag was hoisted 135 feet up into the air on a flagpole dubbed the, 'Liberty Pole'. In reverence, the words, “I pledge allegiance to my flag and to the Republic, for which it stands, one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”, were spoken, for the first time, as our nations official pledge.

It was no mistake having it at the lighthouse overlooking the Navesink. The Twin Lights are on the highest point of land on the Atlantic Coast. This made them the first sight to greet weary travelers looking for a new start, in a land of opportunity, as they approached New York Harbor and Ellis Island.

I love finding little historical factoids out about places. Living in NJ, it's not hard. You can't travel far without finding a location where something historical has happened.

Creative Thursday - 'Life On The Edge' and 'Solitary'.

Life On The Edge

Solitary

Snagging Memories.

A couple of weeks ago we went fishing on a party boat for fluke. I'm not big on fishing for fluke, they are not a real challenging fish. I do like fishing for Blues but the crowd I was with wanted to go fluke fishing, so up at 5a.m. to drop my eldest daughter at my moms and pick up my nephew. My eldest daughter has an irrational fear of party boats and today was not the day to deal with that, so she opted out. We got on the boat at 6:30a.m. and secured a position and poles. A friend and his daughter met us there. The five of us were eager to go fishing. Lizzy had never fished on a party boat before.

The glass like calm of the water was amazing. Even in motion,the boat was no more unsteady than a car on an average road. As the boat approached the first spot, we baited our hooks and dropped them deep to the bottom of the dark green unknown. After a few nibbles on our bait my friends daughter struck first blood and brought up a small flounder. Not a keeper but a promising sign. Next my buddy struck, then Lizzy, then my nephew. The only thing I brought up was a hook that had the small bait minnow adeptly removed by a fish, that got a free meal. My friends daughter had several more strikes. Right before poles up, the first mate put a skate on his head and used it as a hat.

We went farther out. The water was deeper and darker. My friend, his daughter and Lizzy had several more strikes but no keepers. While they were catching fish, I was feeding them, one minnow at a time. Finally,I got a strike. As the fluke came up, the first mate measured it, not a keeper. Another skate was caught and when the first mate asked my nephew if he would wear it as a hat. He agreed. I started taking pictures. Lizzy also agreed to wear the fish. While taking her picture, the first mate manned my pole. He handed it back to me and said, “Here's your pole, there is one on the line.”. I reeled the fish up and sure enough, the only keeper we had.

The whole day was filled with laughter, fun and fish on the line. We may not have caught many keepers that day but we snagged a lot of memories.

Creative Thursday- Nothing Like a Firm Knee, Slow Shutter and Moving Water.

Not 100% happy with the composition of the shots but love the effect.  Also, tough to use your knee as a tripod when standing on a muddy decline.

Don't See People as Projects.

I read the title to this blog on a speaker's notes and realized it sums up the relationship advice I've been giving people for the last two weeks.  Yes it is hard to believe people ask me for relationship advice, the two dates and out guru.   Most of my friends are women though and want a male's perspective.

Women love to make boyfriends into projects. They say things like, “He'd be perfect if only he would change.”, “I like him but am really not into him.", "Why doesn't he call me back, I'll txt him.” or ,”He says he wants to be friends, but I want more. He'll come around!”.  From a guys perspective, this all seems like such a waste of time.

Sometimes free advice is actually worth more than you paid for it, provided you take it.

Emotional Purging.

It amazes me how writing can release feelings that are deep within the recesses of our souls. Sometimes when I start writing, I don't really know where it is going, I just sit back and take the incredible journey that unfolds before me. I often wonder if people who do not write can consciously experience the feelings of reliving parts of their lives. When memories flow to paper, they become more vivid, more current, more alive.

What brought about this particular nights writing was a question asked by a friend, it was about regret. I started to write a simple, dismissive answer. As I sat down, moments poured to paper like rain. I tried to hold back but each word, left a loud thud slowly filling dark spots of memory on the pavement of my emotions.

Before I knew it, the raw footage of my life was showing on the inside of my heart.  My wiser perspective critiqued and reviewed until something strange happened.  An epiphany of understanding.  In clarity I saw regrets but they had not stood the tests of time and scrutiny.  I assume the few current regrets will do the same.

I'm sure the person who asked the question was expecting a simple dismissive answer, they didn't get it.  If they had, I probably would have regretted it.