Golden Standard?

 

Okay, I severely edited this one. But, in all honesty, McDonalds is really no golden standard at all except for perhaps obesity.

Comfy Cat

 

Vincent never seems to have a problem getting comfortable.

Freakin' Winter Wonderland

 

While the thought of snow on a summer day is nice, the reality not so much. A solitary man walks through the narrowly cleared sidewalks of Plainfield, NJ.

Retro Halloween Cat

 

Hey! Isn't this the very same cat of cat clock fame? I want his autograph!

Windows to Your Soul?

 

Okay, perhaps not the windows to your soul. More like the windows of empty city apartments begging for new tenants.

Enough Already

 

Make it stop, make it stop, make it stop. Oh no, let it snow!

Along Came a Spider

 

And he sat down beside her ...

Scoot On Over

 

An abandoned scooter, tossed aside in the high grass. I'm sure it was once loved.

Feet Off Seats

 

Yeah, this means YOU! Get those stinky, stanky, nasty feet off the seats!

Golden Leaves

 

Autumn leaves back-lighted by a streetlamp. 

Lamp on Drugs

I shot a lamp against darkening clouds because I liked the colors. But then I felt the need to play with it. Thus, Lamp on Drugs. The original shot is below.

Mumsy

 

I love me some mums. I also love me photo editing software.

Oh. And I love cats.

It Could be Many Things

 

 It could simply be an abandoned bicycle. It could be an abandoned stolen bicycle. It could be an abandoned due to its bizarre colors bicycle. But there it is, abandoned.

But Is It a Real New Jersey Diner?

 

It is diner-ish. It is New Jersey. Is it a diner or a restaurant? Inquiring minds want to know! 

Broken Window Theory and Reality

 

The Broken Window Theory runs amok when old factories get more dilapidated over decades. 

Plainfield Train Station at Night

 

The NJ Transit train station is bustling as a train brings home commuters from the city to the waaaay smaller city.

Fresh Seafood

 

What can I say? It was there; I shot it.

Snow Parking

 

East Front Street in Plainfield is a main drag through town. That bus heading into Manhattan takes up almost all of the available lane space due to snowbird cars. And, yeah, that sign prohibits parking when streets are snow-covered. Go figure.

Oh, wait! Can I catch that bus, please? I gotta get outta here!

I Kill Vampires

 

Graffiti on a bench in Plainfield, NJ. Is there something going on that I should know about?

Gulls on a Pole Gone Wild

 

Yeah, I messed a bit with this one.

They Paid Good Money for This?

 

"Neigborhood?" "NEIGBORHOOD?!?!" Sheesh. It's "neighborhood." Not only did they probably pay good money for this awning's lettering, but it's been there for years. Every time I go by it, I think naygborhood in my mind. Am I the only one who notices these things?

Booted

 

Now, who would leave behind a single good boot like this? 

Fabrication Man

 

Some people are strange yet oddly intriguing. Who is the Fabrication Man of Plainfield, New Jersey?

Telephone Building

 

The precursor to pay phones. You had to carry a building around. Plainfield, NJ.

Aren't All Calzones Italian?

 

I'm glad they have Italian zeppoles and calzones. Those Hungarian ones are just horrible! On a side note: they seriously need to lose that apostrophe in the Oreos on the bottom sign. Extraneous apostrophes bug the heck out of me.

Train Station Lamps at Dawn

 

I love the aesthetics of the Plainfield Train Station (New Jersey Transit). I'm sure there's many of them to come. You've been warned.

Why New Jersey Drivers Suck

 

Self-explanatory, methinks.

Let Sleeping Bats Hang

 

 Aw, isn't his little foot so cute?

Grave Observations

 

Thankfully we've worked out those pesky spacing issues in engravings on tombstones over the years. Right, Ma

ry?

Oh My

 

But not for the amigas? Oh my. 

Got Snow Tires?

 

This wouldn't be my preferred mode of transportation during a bad New Jersey winter!

Queens-Midtown Tunnel

 

I suppose I could have highlighted the bald dude's head. But that wouldn't be polite.

Eagle-eyed Starling

 

A Starling on a wire lookin' all kinds of Jersey tough.

Shh. Mums the Word

 

Yeah, I definitely edited this shot. Can you tell?

I Will Survive

 

In its autumn colors, Virginia Creeper brightens an old stone wall.

Cat Through Etchings of Frost

 

A cat sits in an abandoned rental car garage on a cold day with the etchings of frost, as well as dirty glass, between us.

Tossed Salad

 

Somebody decided they didn't like their vegetables?

Peace on Earth Sale

 

Hey, let's all get in on that action!

Cattitude

 

This is my cat, Vincent. You'll be seeing a lot of him. Usually not with such a nose up in the air attitude ... I hope.

New Vacuums Rebuilt

 

Sounds like an oxymoron to me ... kind of like jumbo shrimp! 

Pray for Pills

 

190 Bowery Street in NYC. Since the mid-sixties this old Germania Bank building was owned by a photographer who lived on the upper floors. He sealed off the lower floors and let graffiti go wild. New owners recently bought the building and apparently flipped it. The end of an era is at hand.

Pray for Pills is a fairly popular stencil graffiti in the city. I'm not sure if it's related to the song 'Pray for Pills' by Small Leaks Sink Ships.

Make My Day

 

I don't think that's quite legal in New Jersey.  

Fungi Like Brains

Mmm ... BRAINS!

Any zombie should like this one!

Welcome to My World

Yep, it's me. This blog is a combination of photos I've taken -- some artsy, many just what has caught my eye -- and thoughts. Perhaps you'll get some insight into my personal psyche and sometimes it's all just whimsical.

As you peruse this blog, you'll note that some of the photos are edited. Most are resized down for posting. I like to mess with photo editing, but there are many shots which I'm pleased with just the way they are. I've always enjoyed photography, but the costs of film and developing in the olden days was prohibitive. Now I can shoot what I see and delete it if I wish.

Since my first digital camera in 2003, I've become an addict. Goodness knows, I don't have the technical savvy or patience to deal with heavy-duty photography equipment. These photos have all been taken with Canon and Pentax point and shoot digital cameras or my rather dated Nikon DSLR camera. And I haven't even figured out the proper settings for that!

People keep telling me I should put together a book. This is probably as close as I'm going to get. These photos are not in any sort of chronological order. I've just been going through my digital files. Heck, we all like to see snow in the summer ... right?

All photos on this blog are copyrighted to me. If anyone wishes to purchase a photo, I do have better resolution images available for most.

Thank you for stopping by!

--Jackie