an ending

1. If you found this photoblog through a search engine, and you're looking for a particular search term or image, try typing those keywords into the search box up on the left-hand side of the menubar (technically, "navbar") at the very top of this blog, above where it says "Ocean Township Daily Photo." (up there ^ )

2. If you're looking for newer photos from JosyC, check out Snapshot Optimism.

3. If you're wondering about this post, my mother and I are driving to Chicago tomorrow. I will not be returning to New Jersey for the forseeable future. (See yesterday's post for details.)

Tschüss!

down the shore

A big trend nowadays on the Jersey Shore is using your car to proclaim that you're a local (and not, heaven forbid, a benny) AND what town you're from (in the manner long practiced by European countries). They make stickers like these for all of the shore towns, but these were the only ones I saw A) on parked cars B) while I had a camera handy.

new trails

Three days a week, I drive south on the Garden State Parkway and marvel at a rickety footbridge that passes overhead. At some point, it occurred to me, "OH! That must be the Manasquan Bike Path!" [It's formally known as the Edgar Felix Bike Path.) And, since it seemed to be on my way to and from Ocean County College, and since I like to try new places to in-line skate, I decided I'd stop and check it out at some point.

I read that the eastern portion (the beginning in Manasquan) was rough (not fun if you're on skates with unforgiving hard rubber wheels), so I began at the western portion (the ending in Allaire Village's parking lot).

At first, it was pretty enjoyable. There was some debris in the trail, a few annoying road crossings, nothing major. And then I arrived at the part I'd been looking forward to: the bridges over the Garden State Parkway!

Eagerly, I rolled one foot onto the bridge.

And almost fell over.

The wooden planks were UNEVEN, UNSTABLE, and had GIANT GAPS between some of them: my wheels kept getting caught!

(The video below is poorly shot and may make you dizzy. Watch at your own risk.)

If you watch that video, the "thunk th-thunk" sound is one of the loose planks making racket as I tap it with my foot. Timewise, because my one-handed video skills suck and you may not know what you're looking for, you can see it move around 0:07. NOTE THE TRAFFIC zooming below (at 65mph in a 55 zone. They just changed the speed limit from 65 to 55 within this past year, and drivers haven't embraced the change yet.).

After it became very clear that skating wasn't working, I managed to make my way across the bridge by grabbing a railing (see that thing in the top picture that's hanging in pieces? that.) and pulling myself across the bridge, hand over hand, slowly and very unsurely.

I repeated this procedure for the second bridge. (Two bridges for two directions of parkway traffic... and one median between them.)

On the way back, I actually took off my skates and walked across both bridges in my sock feet. I have never been desperate enough to do that before.

I didn't manage to do the whole trail. Shortly after a really obnoxious road crossing...

(I looked at this and said, "You've got to be KIDDING me"), the trail becomes so bumpy and gravel-like that skating without falling over becomes impossible. I turned around and headed back.

This is a bike path. It wasn't set up with Rollerbladers in mind.

the fair! (5)

When we go to the Monmouth County Fair, of particular interest to my family is the antique tractor tent. My grandfather, born and raised in Kansas, possessed two International Harvesters, which he used to mow his fairly substantial lawn until he was 90 years old (when someone finally succeeded in convincing him that mowing the lawn in 95 degree heat was a poor idea at his age). When my midwestern uncle had to spend a few years in New Jersey, he lavished his attentions on a small yellow tractor (a Cub Lo-Boy--again, an International Harvester). And when all these tractors needed to find a new home, my cousin began using them for his landscaping business.

So it's kinda fun to go look through the tent and decide which tractors on display are most similar to the tractors that my family knows and loves.

This concludes our five-day retrospect of the five-day fair. But TOMORROW there is something VERY AWESOME planned for this photoblog, so be sure to tune in!

the fair! (2)

I know in this day and age it's kind of assumed that kids are scared of clowns. But I don't exactly see any of the kids in this photo clinging to their mothers, bawling their eyes out 'cos THEY DON'T WANT TO MEET THE CLOWN. Perhaps the clownhood still has a chance.

This friendly fellow drives around the fairgrounds every year beeping his horn, playing loud dance music, giving out random silly goodies to children, and generally making the fair more fair-like.

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.

TRAFFIC OMG

DO NOT GO TO SANDY HOOK ON A WEEKEND.

They've decided that the Highlands Bridge needs to be replaced (with... a non-drawbridge. how this is going to work, I don't know). This unfortunately obstructs the ONLY ROAD out of Sandy Hook. Traffic is like this for several miles, and it was like this for the entire time we were there (from about 6:00-8:00PM on a Saturday--not exactly prime beach time). Construction of the bridge is supposed to continue for 3 years. Three years of this! Egad. You'll probably only get archive photos of Sandy Hook from me from now on.

(Click here to see a map of where Sandy Hook and Atlantic Highlands are in relation to each other. Leave a comment for me if the link doesn't work.)

bridge 6

Shaaaark R'v'r Bridge is op'ning up, op'nin up, op'ning up
Shaaaark R'v'r Bridge is op'ning up,
My fair lady

(Okay, so you've already seen this drawbridge a few times.)

2CV

Who doesn't love a Citroën?

I mean, if I had to drive one, I might be a little out-of-love with it.

But since I don't, God bless those who DO drive 'em and give us onlookers that pleasure. :)

Edit: it was brought to my attention that the above text may be a little esoteric for those who aren't familiar with the car. To those people, I offer the following information:

2CVs ("deux chevaux [vapeur]") were produced as an economy car after the second World War as sort of an "umbrella on wheels" for French farmers to haul stuff from Point A to Point B. The seats were hammocks suspended from the roof by wires. The windows didn't roll down, they folded down. And the engines were "notoriously underpowered." To quote Wikipedia,

"When asked about the 2CVs performance and acceleration, many owners said it went 'from 0-60 in one day'. Others jokingly said they 'had to make an appointment to merge onto an interstate highway system'."

One of my mother's old buddies would sometimes drive friends around in his Citroën 2CV; my mom's stories indicate that she'd prefer never to set foot inside one of these cars again. ;)

drawbridge!

Gahhhh. I took like twenty shots of Shark River's Route 71 drawbridge opening (in a fairly inappropriate setting, at great embarrassment to myself), and ALL of those shots are ATROCIOUSLY OVEREXPOSED. (Entirely my fault. I decided to shoot on manual and apparently didn't pay enough attention to the meter.)

I seem to recall that last year in my Photo I class, the teacher told us that it was better to overexpose film (resulting in a "dense" negative) than underexpose it (resulting in a "thin" negative) 'cos if you overexpose it, at least you have exposed the film to the information and the information's THERE somewhere.

I can't help thinking that the opposite rule applies to digital photography. I can always lighten a dark photo pretty easily, but once a photo's overexposed, the highlights get completely blown out. There's no hope for 'em--the information's just GONE.

Anyway.

I am (still) in North Carolina (or maybe Virginia or Maryland today--I should be back by tomorrow), so I will A) be relying on "automatic posting," B) will not update the archive until I return, and C) will be unavailable for comments.

the whole tooth

A lifeboat. With teeth.

I know when I'm drowning, flailing my arms in the water and terrified for my life, that's EXACTLY what I want to see coming my way--SHARP POINTY TEETH.

I am (still) in North Carolina for a few days, so I will A) be relying on "automatic posting," B) will not update the archive until I return, and C) will be unavailable for comments.

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.

QQ

Man, Josy. What is with all the car photos? Like seriously.

Yesterday was the Colts Neck business fair and antique car show... so there were, shockingly, some antique cars sitting around. Why this particular one? I've always had a thing for woodies (NO JOKES), and apparently my grandmother used to drive one of these old Chryslers.

Normally, I'd blur out the license plate, but I thought it was worth a mention that historic cars in New Jersey can be identified by their "QQ" plates. (I actually call the cars 'QQs,' as in, "Hey look, a QQ just drove by!" but I think I'm the only person in the state who does this.)

street sweepin'

I was lucky enough to catch this guy as he was sweeping through our neighborhood!

belmar bound

Spring Lake train station at dusk. I was actually trying to get a picture of the last glow of sunset, but by the time I'd jogged up the street (in shoes not intended for jogging), that last bit of pink had disappeared.

I make no apologies for the lens flares/moisture on the lens.

Guess what! Yesterday, when I was in Ocean Grove for a concert, I saw some kid taking the exact photo I'd already posted yesterday. Ohhhh well, we always knew I was unoriginal! The sky wasn't nearly as awesome yesterday, though. His loss.

overpass

This photo was 100% luck.

I tried to replicate this shot under the next few overpasses (sitting in the passenger seat, going 65mph) and got nothing. Overexposed blurs, underexposed blurs, blurs that couldn't figure out where to focus, blurs with glare from the windshield behind which I was sitting, etc. etc. etc.

Someone else in my position might get frustrated that her lucky shots often have as much merit as the ones with careful attention to exposure and composition, but me? I'm a casual snapshot photographer anyway, so it doesn't bother me one bit.

....okay, I'm a little annoyed.

earle 2

Last January, I featured a photo of Naval Weapons Station Earle due west of Sandy Hook.

The part of Earle shown above--a rail line used for transporting weapons and such--is located much further inland. Earle, as it turns out, is actually two bases ("Main-side," located around Colts Neck [marker A], and the "Waterfront Area," located around Sandy Hook [marker B]) connected by Normandy Rd., a 15-mile rail/road line.

For more information, read Globalsecurity.org's summary.

numbers

Guess what day it is! No, not May Day. Give up? It's THE FIRST OF THE MONTH, which means it's City Daily Photo Theme Day! And the theme this month is NUMBERS! I was so thrilled when I found a subject (a NJ Transit train engine--this was taken at Long Branch, a major transfer stop along the North Jersey Coast Line) that wasn't a street number or a speed limit. As an added bonus, "4426" appears TWICE. As an EXTRA added bonus, "1179+46" is written on the right-hand vertical beam! Pretty numerical, huh?

If you want to see MORE numbers from ALL OVER THE WORLD, click here to see most of them on one page, or check out the participating individual sites below!

Albuquerque (NM), USA by Helen, American Fork (UT), USA by Annie, Arradon, France by Alice, Aspen (CO), USA by IamMBB, Athens, Greece by Debbie, Auckland, New Zealand by Lachezar, Austin (TX), USA by LB, Avignon, France by Nathalie, Barrow-in-Furness, UK by Enitharmon, Barton (VT), USA by Andree, Belgrade, Serbia by Bibi, Bellefonte (PA), USA by Barb-n-PA, Bicheno, Australia by Greg, Bogor, Indonesia by Gagah, Boston (MA), USA by Cluelessinboston, Boston (MA), USA by Sarah, Whit, & Leyre, Bucharest, Romania by Malpraxis, Budapest, Hungary by agrajag, Buenos Aires, Argentina by Karine, Busan, Korea South by iamnbinb, Canterbury, UK by Rose, Chandler (AZ), USA by Melindaduff, Chateaubriant, France by Bergson, Cheltenham, UK by Marley, Chesapeake Daily Photo (VA), USA by ptowngirl, Chicago (IL), USA by Focused Light, Christchurch, New Zealand by Michelle, Clearwater (FL), USA by Smaridge01, Clearwater Beach (FL), USA by Smaridge01, Cleveland (OH), USA by iBlowfish, Cologne, Germany by April11, Concordia Sagittaria, Italy by Patrizia, Coral Gables (FL), USA by Jnstropic, Corsicana (TX), USA by Lake Lady, Dallas (TX), USA by turtle, Darmstadt, Germany by Elsch, Dunedin (FL), USA by Smaridge01, Durban, South Africa by CrazyCow, East Gwillimbury, Canada by Your EG Tour Guide, Evry, France by Olivier, Forks (WA), USA by Mary, Geneva (IL), USA by Kelly, Glasgow, Scotland by Jackie, Greenville (SC), USA by Denton, Gun Barrel City (TX), USA by Lake Lady, Hamilton, New Zealand by Sakiwi, Hampton (VA), USA by ptowngirl, Helsinki, Finland by Kaa, Hobart, Australia by Greg, Hong Kong, Hong Kong by Rachel A., Hyde, UK by Gerald, Inverness (IL), USA by Neva, Ioannina, Greece by Christos-Ioanna, Jackson (MS), USA by Halcyon, Jefferson City (MO), USA by Chinamom2005, Jogjakarta, Indonesia by Jogja Portrait, Joplin (MO), USA by Victoria, Katonah (NY), USA by Inkster1, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia by Edwin, Kyoto, Japan by Tadamine, Larchmont (NY), USA by Marie-Noyale, Las Vegas (NV), USA by Mo, Le Guilvinec, France by ds2944, Lisbon, Portugal by Maria João, Lisbon, Portugal by Sailor Girl, Lodz, Poland by ritalounge, London, UK by Mo, London, UK by Ham, Mainz, Germany by JB, Malaga, Spain by Paula, Manila, Philippines by Heyokity, Maple Ridge, Canada by Susan, Marseille, France by Alex, Medan, Indonesia by KT, Melbourne, Australia by Mblamo, Melbourne, Australia by John, Memphis (TN), USA by SouthernHeart, Menton, France by Jilly, Mexico City, Mexico by Poly, Mexico City, Mexico by Carraol, Minneapolis (MN), USA by Greg, Minneapolis (MN), USA by Mitch, Minsk, Belarus by Olga, Misawa, Japan by misawa mama, Monrovia (CA), USA by Keith, Monte Carlo, Monaco by Jilly, Monterrey, Mexico by rafa, Montpellier, France by Marie, Moscow, Russia by Irina, Mumbai, India by Kunalbhatia, Mumbai, India by Magiceye, Nancy, France by yoshi, Nashville (TN), USA by Chris, Nelson, New Zealand by Meg and Ben, New Orleans (LA), USA by steve buser, New York City (NY), USA by Ming the Merciless, New York City (NY), USA by • Eliane •, Newport News (VA), USA by ptowngirl, Norfolk (VA), USA by ptowngirl, North Hampton (NH), USA by Amy, Norwich, UK by Goddess888, Nottingham, UK by Gail's Man, Ocean Township (NJ), USA by Josy, Omsk, Russia by Nataly, Orlando (FL), USA by OrlFla, Oslo, Norway by Lothiane, Owasso (OK), USA by Jennifer, Paderborn, Germany by Soemchen, Paris, France by Eric, Pasadena (CA), USA by Can8ianben, Pasadena (CA), USA by Petrea, Penang, Malaysia by Maltelda, Perth, Australia by Elevation7, Phoenix (AZ), USA by Cheryl, Pilisvörösvár, Hungary by Elise, Port Angeles (WA), USA by Jelvistar, Port Elizabeth, South Africa by Sam, Port Townsend (WA), USA by raf, Port Vila, Vanuatu by Mblamo, Portsmouth (VA), USA by ptowngirl, Prague, Czech Republic by Honza03, Quincy (MA), USA by Cluelessinboston, Rabaul, Papua New Guinea by Jules, Ramsey, Isle of Man by babooshka, Riga, Latvia by Riga Images, Rollag, Norway by Stormel, Rotterdam, Netherlands by Ineke, Saarbrücken, Germany by LadyDemeter, Saigon, Vietnam by Simon, Saint Paul (MN), USA by Kate, Salem (OR), USA by jill, Salt Lake City (UT), USA by atc, Salt Lake City (UT), USA by Eric, San Diego (CA), USA by Zentmrs, San Diego (CA), USA by Felicia, San Francisco (CA), USA by PFranson, San Francisco (CA), USA by Louis la Vache, Seattle (WA), USA by Chuck, Seattle (WA), USA by Kim, Selma (AL), USA by RamblingRound, Seoul, South Korea by Phil, Sesimbra, Portugal by Aldeia, Setúbal, Portugal by Maria Elisa, Sharon (CT), USA by Jenny, Singapore, Singapore by Keropok, Sofia, Bulgaria by Antonia, St Francis, South Africa by Sam, Stanwood (WA), USA by MaryBeth, Stavanger, Norway by Tanty, Stayton (OR), USA by Celine, Stockholm, Sweden by Stromsjo, Stouffville, Canada by Ken, Subang Jaya, Malaysia by JC, Suffolk (VA), USA by ptowngirl, Sunshine Coast, Australia by bitingmidge, Sydney, Australia by Julie, Székesfehérvár, Hungary by Teomo, Tacloban City, Philippines by agnesdv, Tel-Aviv, Israel by Olga, Terrell (TX), USA by Bstexas, Terrell (TX), USA by Jim K, Tokyo, Japan by Tadamine, Torun, Poland by Glenn, Torun, Poland by Torun Observer, Toulouse, France by Julia, Turin, Italy by Livio, Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina by Jazzy, Twin Cities (MN), USA by Slinger, Vichy, France by Delphsnl, Victoria, Canada by Benjamin Madison, Vienna, Austria by G_mirage2, Virginia Beach (VA), USA by ptowngirl, Wailea (HI), USA by Kuanyin, Washington (DC), USA by Rachel, Wassenaar, Netherlands by Rich, West Paris (ME), USA by crittoria, West Sacramento (CA), USA by Barbara, Weston (FL), USA by WestonDailyPhoto, Williamsburg (VA), USA by ptowngirl, Willits (CA), USA by Elaine, Yardley (PA), USA by Mrlynn

wring wring

I get a huge kick out of peoplewatching. I think everyone does, really. It's fascinating to imagine what's going through their minds--why they're in the same place as me today--where they're going--where they came from--what they're going to do when they get home and why they're going to do it--who they know--et cetera et cetera et cetera.

steamroller

There is a little steamroller by the side of the road on Route 33 in Farmingdale. I don't know what its history is, but according to my dad, it's been there as long as he can remember (and he's lived in NJ for the vast majority of his life). Given that the steamroller has not rusted into the ground but instead sports a fresh coat of vivid red paint, someone has apparently maintained it. A sign on its roof seems to read--as far as I can tell-- "EAS EMT."