Red-Spotted Purple Admiral

 

Yep, it's a Red-Spotted Purple Admiral butterfly. Although blue to my eyes, I guess it's deemed purple. You can just make out the reddish spots at the top of its wings. I found this little guy one summer day at the Bridgewater Train Station (NJ). He was a cooperative model for the photo shoot.

Retro NJ Transit

Perhaps not retro for some of the rail lines, but my NJ Transit line (Raritan Valley) has had double-decker trains for a number of years now.

What's With This Winter Stuff?

 

Dear Mother Nature,

Okay, we've seen the snow. We've felt the cold air. Spring can come now. Thank you!

Reflection

A building is reflected on a building in Manhattan.

Sunrise at the Station

Just before sunrise approaching the Plainfield Train Station. Oh, not this morning. I don't think the sunrise was much more than a lightening of the skies today. Although the amount of snow we got was nothing like what was forecast, it snowed well into the afternoon.

Eek! Help Me!

 

EEK! A cicada killer wasp is flying right at me! Eek!

Oh, wait. They don't sting. They hover, dart and fight with other male cicada killer wasps for territory. How do they fight? They beat each other with their wings. It's loud, but funny!

Hot! Hot! Hot!

Hot, hot, hot! Let's pretend it's summer! Now, I'm not a big fan of summer. I enjoy spring and fall. Winter and summer, not so much. With winter, it's not the cold that bothers me the most -- it's the aftermath of snowstorms with ice and snow remaining on the sidewalks and streets.

So, with a blizzard warning up, I'd even rather summer heat. At least with a blizzard, chances are that I don't have to be out in it if the roads are terrible and they cancel the trains. In the summer, they never cancel the trains because of heat!

Um, let's go for spring instead.

Contented Cat

 

Okay, my last shot was a bit depressing.

But a contently napping Vincent cat should make it all good once again!

The World Passes By

I edited this shot so only the greenery of the passing world remains in color. I feel the photo screams futility. On a cold grey winter day with rain-sogged snow, it does seem pretty futile. Unless you're inside baking cookies, that is.

Ralph Kramden Reporting for Duty

 

A statue of television's biggest NYC bus driver, Ralph Kramden (Jackie Gleason) from The Honeymooners stands on duty in front of the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan. I'll admit to sitting on its base sometimes awaiting time for my bus home. It's definitely better than sitting on the ground! Plus, much easier to get up from, too.

Not For Eating!

 

Oh, no. You definitely don't want to eat these! Beside the fact that I don't know if they're poisonous, they're most certainly beyond their prime. I edited this shot to make them appear a bit more illustration-like.

Fungifence

Fungi growing on an old tree stump abutting a chain link fence = fungifence! I took this shot years ago. Only the bark from the stump still exists entwined with poison ivy.

A Storm Moves In

No, no ... while we expect some snow, it's not like this! I took this shot as a storm moved from inland as I was on The Outer Banks. We had some really cool thunderstorms there while I was on vacation a few years ago! Nothing like lightning over the ocean!

Let's See Flowers!

 

We're supposed to have a dusting up to a few inches of snow tonight with a possible significant storm over the weekend. One day it will be spring once again with new life sprouting all over the place.

But, not today.

Pining for the Crocus

 

We've really been lucky around here so far this winter. We've had negligible amounts of snow compared to the last few winters. While it's been cold, we've also had days when the temperatures were almost spring-like. 

But, nonetheless, it is indeed winter. The trees are barren. Everything is a dull brown or grey even on a sunny day. Yes, I'm pining for spring.

Abandoned Food

I noticed these canned goods sitting on a bench one day. They looked new, not dirty and didn't seem dented. I don't know the story behind their appearance on the street bench. Of course, I really personally don't need to find food -- I have plenty of canned goods in my pantry at any given time. But, I can bet that if someone who really needed food came across them ... they would probably wonder why no can opener was left with them.

The Tale of the Tiger

 

Sometimes I think we all might need a tiger on our porches. I mean, no one's going to break in there with that big tough tiger sitting guard! I see he's even got a mattress to pull out at night!

Goosed

 

A goose in Mindowaskin Park tries to stare me down.

Uh-oh.

The goose wins!

Urban Warrior

 

A man in a New York City subway station stands on the platform as a train rushes by. This is amongst the first photos I took with my first digital point and shoot camera. It helped fuel my addiction.

Wild Horses

 

Wild mustangs on the beach at Corolla, North Carolina -- the Outer Banks. This is something you never see "down the shore" in New Jersey! 

The Banded Peacock

While I was on vacation in Texas a few years back, we went to one of those butterfly enclosures. This butterfly was kind enough to pose for a moment. I looked him up online -- it's a Banded Peacock Butterfly. What surprises me is that there are two distinctively different butterflies with the same name. The Banded Peacock of South America is very different. Hmm. They shouldn't do stuff like that to me. I'm easily confused!

Like Little Castles

 

The twin towers of the San Remo apartments as seen from Central Park in New York City. Almost like some kind of fairytale, I can only imagine what life is like living in the lap of luxury.

Meanwhile, I keep looking out my window hoping to catch sight of the fox.

So Tired

Now, you KNOW she dresses that way and sets up begging under the SO TIRED sign on purpose! This is in a subway tunnel under the streets of Manhattan. There are signs relating to the end of a day's commute set up in the old Burma Shave style along the tunnel's ceilings.

The Ghost of Gimbels

 

I love spotting ghost signs. This old Gimbels sign is in Manhattan. 

Still Dreaming

 

Keeping with my earlier dreams of warmth ... even dandelion type weeds and little stingy type critters! Yes. 

Dreaming of Warmth

 

Even though spring and summer bring about critters that I might be allergic to, bring the spring on! It's way too cold out there right now. That said, I'll take the cold temperatures over all the ice and snow we had last year.

Great Skates!

Roller skaters at the Skaters Circle in Central Park, NYC, gather to talk for a moment. Each weekend in the nice weather months, the Central Park Skate Dancers have free skating and a DJ cranking the tunes. Bring your own skates!

Gulls on Pilings

 

Gulls (or could the be terns?) gather on pilings on the bay between the Outer Banks and the mainland. While today is a grey day here, it certainly was much warmer when I was there on this particular grey day!

War and Peace

 

A dove perched on barbed wire.

Who You Gonna Call?

 

I think you'd probably be pretty desperate to call anyone from this pay phone! Would even Ghostbusters answer the call? I doubt it.

Flowers DO Bend With the Rainfall

 

While we can continue to continue to pretend our lives will never end and flowers never bend with the rainfall ...

They do.

My apologies to Paul Simon. His words, my photo.

Cat in the Window

 

While this cat has an escape route out of the window, it's not necessarily a good thing. Where the cat lived is surrounded by city traffic. An outdoor/indoor cat probably has the same or a shorter life span average than a feral cat.

Shackin' Up

 

This shack used to stand guard over a parking lot in Plainfield, NJ. It was demolished some years back. But I can only wonder its original state. After all, those seem to be actual slate shingles. At one time, someone cared about it. Now, no one does. Few probably even remember its existence.

But I remember. I have proof. I have a photograph.

Bunny for the Blues

 

Here's the cure for the winter blues! A baby bunny! How could anyone resist such cuteness? Obviously I didn't take this shot today. It would be a frozen little bunny statue.

Is It Cold Enough For You?

 

Let's all pretend it's summertime and flowers are conquering the fences.

Um.

That's not working. It's still way below freezing here!

Guarding the Feast

 

NYPD officers stand (lean) duty at one of the street closures for the Feast of San Gennaro in the Little Italy section of Manhattan. Organized crime buffs might pick up Umberto's Clam House in the photo -- where the mob hit on Crazy Joey Gallo (and all the gory photos of said hit appeared in the Daily News) took place. It is, but it isn't at the same time. This relocation is two blocks north of the original restaurant. In the place where the original restaurant was is a restaurant called Da Gennaro. It's all Italian to me.

I Before E

 

EXCEPT AFTER C! Sheesh! I can understand the average layperson with spelling or grammatical mistakes. But what I can't understand is someone with a sign business, nor the business paying for said signs, with these kinds of errors! If it were my business receiving the sign, I would have refused it and made them reprint it right. Yeah, I'm picky like that.

I'd Like Spring, Please

 

As I post this, we have our first true snow more than just a dusting as well as the lowest temperatures so far this season.

Okay, I've had enough.

Spring can come!

Watching the World

 

A young child watches the world at the Chinese New Year Parade in Chinatown, NYC. I too watched the world that day and decided I will never go to the Lunar Year celebration again in the city. I think it was the closest I ever came to being squished to death by a crowd than ever in my lifetime -- and that even includes two New Year's Eve celebrations in Times Square!

A big part of the crowding issue was apparent miscommunication between NYPD officers. At one end of the block I was on, the officers were directing people onto the block. At the other end, the police weren't letting anyone out. As a result, super squish of humanity! I honestly thought I might have broken a rib by the time I got free of the crowd. The Humanity Squish has replaced my nightmare of cars all merging at the Holland Tunnel en masse.

In the Eye of the Snake

 

Well, yesterday I posted Venus the Spider. So, now it's time for a snake. Then you can all sing along with the old song "I Don't Like Spiders and Snakes." Last spring there was a birthing den of garter snakes at a train station I frequent in New Jersey. There was a slew of them! What got me was that, with so many people afraid of basically harmless little snakes, people were walking by writhing clumps of them and not even noticing! I had fun shooting them (with my camera) for a few weeks before they moved along into the nearby field and wooded areas.

This shot is actually a bit of a self-portrait. That's me in the eye of the snake. I feel I should go all philosophical about that, but I'll just let it be. 

Venus

I watched this spider on and off all summer a few years back. I believe, although I could be mistaken, that it's a Venusta Orchard Spider. Although you can't really tell in this photo, the spider was quite small. I named her 'Venus.' I was saddened that she just vanished without leaving a forwarding address.

Watching the Artists?

 

I took this photo on one of the narrow side streets in the Chinatown area of Manhattan. I couldn't help but notice that the security camera at the upper right corner obviously didn't control the graffiti. Nor did the No Parking Anytime sign keep a person from hitching the bike to the signpost. What did surprise me is that no one marked up the bike with graffiti!

The Clouds Move In

While I edited this shot just to keep the house and vehicles in color, the clouds outside my own window right now are just as gloomy grey as depicted here. But I like clouds. We all need some gloom in our lives. It helps us to appreciate the sunshine and lollipops.

This photo was taken looking down East Second Street from Roosevelt in Plainfield, NJ.

The Droplet

Reflecting on a droplet, the world is upside down.
Or, perhaps that's the reality and what we perceive might really be what's upside down?
Or should we concentrate on pineapple upside down cake instead?
Me?
I think I prefer my eggs easy over, thank you.
Now, if you've made any sense of these ramblings, it could very well be YOU who are upside down!

The Words of the Prophets

 

... are written on the subway walls and tenement halls ... -- Paul Simon

Well, um, okay. Perhaps the prophets writing on the subway halls had a bit more "there there" than the ones in today's world. I took this shot of a post in the subway somewhere under Manhattan. I'm really not quite sure the point it makes. Why would both fears and kindness convert in love? I understand the part about beating our fears and nothing can stop us from ... um ... succeedING.

Oh, I'm so confused! I'm not going to listen to this prophet. Let me find another one!

Happy New Year!

 

Wishing everyone near and far a prosperous, happy and healthy New Year!