vetchling 2
This, I believe, is a meadow vetchling. But why it only has two blossoms, one of which is a sickly orange, is beyond me.
Showing posts with label sky. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sky. Show all posts
in plane sight
I am SO DARN PUNNY.
One thing we see with a certain amount of regularity in the summer months is PLANE ADVERTISING. This is the Jersey Shore, and there are an awful lot of people on the beach during the day; what better target audience is there than a large group of people who already have their wallets out to pay for beach badges and spend their days looking up at the sky?
A few days ago, I actually saw some skywriting above my house (which is much less common than banner-dragging). Unfortunately, the writing was, from my perspective, upside down and partially obstructed by trees, so I could only make out a word or two (involving "1-800" or ".COM") and the advertisement was totally lost on me.
This plane here was actually part of a fleet of five. They were spaced out enough that I couldn't even see them all at the same time, much less get them all in the same frame. Having closely examined my photographs of their individual banners, they all seem to be advertising a local cable/voice/internet provider.
Common as they are, I still like looking at 'em. They strike me as being a little bit old-fashioned, like Burma-Shave signs.
sunset 11
Okay. So. I know I've shown the sun setting over Sandy Hook before, and I know I've shown the kitesurfers in Sandy Hook Bay before, but have I shown them TOGETHER?!
Seriously, though, this blog has been totally devoid of color lately. It's summer! I thought I could leave the drab browns and grays for winter!
Soooooo here's a colorsplash.
kaboom!
Fireworks at Joe Palaia Park for the USA's Independence Day! Viewed from a slightly distant supermarket parking lot with all kinds of trees and power lines in the way.* I had loads of company in that parking lot--many families threw little tailgate parties for the event. Due to the limited visibility, though, I heard sarcastic teenagers-who'd-been-dragged-along comments, like "OH MY GOD! THE FIREWORKS ARE AMAZING!" when the explosions didn't quite clear the trees.
*Okay, technically, I was in the middle of a field that I probably shouldn't have been in. Okay, technically technically I wasn't in the middle-- I was about 12' away from the edge of Route 35. But I did park in that parking lot.
go fly a kite!
Some people get a kick out of flying kites at the beach. After 5:00PM, there's plenty of space, it's still beautifully light, and the shore winds are pretty good.
(Did I know the family whose kites I was photographing? No.
Did I introduce myself to the family whose kites I was photographing? No.
Did I do ANYTHING except stand in the middle of their fun and aim my camera upwards? No.
Is this rude and sketchy? Yes.
On the plus side, I didn't make any motion to conceal the fact that I was taking photos of the kites, which is a step for me.
Baby steps, baby steps...)
passing by
This is New Jersey. There are both huge public international airports and small private airports all over the place. C'est la vie.
STOKES
Rev. Ellwood H. Stokes, along with Rev. William B. Osborn, founded Ocean Grove in 1869 as one square mile of land along the Jersey shore for Methodists to come and meet in the summer.
Why exactly there is a statue of Rev. Stokes outside the Great Auditorium (outside view) and no statue of Rev. Osborn is beyond me. Maybe Stokes was more statue-genic.
...actually, to my understanding, Stokes was the first president of the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association, so he gets some special recognition. (The OGCMA still meets every summer; the waitlist for one of the tents [kind of like private beach cabanas, which also have insanely long waitlists, except you live in the tent all summer] is something like 15-20 years long.)
bypass
Just to confuse anyone unfamiliar with the road, Rte-33 splits into two separate Route 33s: 33 Business, which cuts through town (Freehold, I think), and 33 bypass, which bypasses town. But they're both Rte. 33.
(See here for a map of the 33s splitting.)
(If you take the wrong one, don't worry too much: they do merge back together eventually.)
grapefruit sky
Even though New Jersey is "the garden state," (especially known for our Jersey tomatoes and corn, but farmers grow berries, squash, gourds, etc., too) we don't produce much in the wintertime. Fortunately, lovely citrus fruits can be shipped up from places with warm winters, so we Jersians can enjoy sort-of-fresh produce all year long.
sunset 7
I keep looking at my archive, and--aside from the big ugly "THIS PHOTO IS UNAVAILABLE" icons from Zooomr that should be gone by the end of the week--the total lack of color bugs me. So here is some color!
(I'm sorry for so many sky photos, but seriously, almost NOTHING has any color this time of year)
cleavage
("Cleavage" also refers to how rocks cleave. And cloven hooves. And so forth.)
Incidentally--and this is something that's been bothering me for a little while, so even though it's stupid, I feel the need to mention it--I apologize for not being very personal with this blog. I have my reasons. I know it makes this blog a lot less interesting to read, but, well, so it goes, and for that, I'm sorry.
...And a huge huge HUGE thanks to the people who read it anyway.
reed my lips
The reeds... or... some form of tall marsh-weed in Joe Palaia Park (formerly known as Deal Test Site).
cross my heart
It's a big wooden cross stuck in the middle of beach sand, lest you forget that Ocean Grove is actually a Methodist townlette.
(I don't think that "townlette" is an actual word, but it's... a teensy town subset of Neptune Township.)
It is SO Methodist, in fact, that Ocean Grove was the source of a nationwide civil union controversy. (Speaking from my own experience and observations, the structure in question is NOT a religious place; it is a roof supported by four wall-corners--very shack-like and very open to the public.)
cry for me
This is similar to one of my top-ten year-end nominations (see next paragraph), but today was kinda wet, and I still like this photo, so...
In case you're wondering about the new poll on the sidebar and the funny footer (scroll down a few more inches), it's time to vote for OTDP's photo of the year! I've narrowed it down to my top 10 (which may have changed since the last time you looked), and linked them in the bottom footer (click to see any of them larger). Vote for as many as you like (preferably less than all 10) or, if you have another favorite, note it in a comment somewhere and I'll take it into consideration.
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