An Invitation to the Pleasures of Spring
A few of the beautiful pink Okame cherry blossoms in bloom in gorgeous pinks with Spring green grass, a path to walk and a bench that just invites the viewer to sit, relax and enjoy the vision of the Spring blossoms to come as thousands of cherry trees are about to burst into bloom at Branch Brook Park, N.J.
Cherry Blossom First Blooms
A few of the trees at Branch Brook Park in New Jersey in beautiful pink bloom with Okame blossoms - the first of the cherry blossom varieties to open. When I checked yesterday, the flowers had already faded and were dropping to the ground. By next week, the other varieites should be in bloom in pinks and whites.
Magenta and White Crocus Flowers
A cheerful small cluster of magenta purple crocus flowers with white center petals.
Pink Tulip Magnolia blossoms and Blue Sky
One more shot of the magnolia buds opening, framed against a clear, vivid blue sky. A lovely pink Tulip Magnolia (aka Japanese Magnolia and Saucer Magnolia) partially opened and a newly opening bud framed against a blue sky.
Opening Pink Magnolia Blossom
A pink magnolia blossom, not yet fully opened, framed against a blue sky.
Black-capped Chickadee Portrait
A cute little black-capped chickadee taking a break from nibbling on a tree bud, seen against a blue sky in the first days of Spring..
Emergina Pink Magnolia Blossoms
Pink Saucer Magnolia buds just beginning to open against a pale blue sky. A very large, old saucer magnolia tree a few blocks from where I live is filled with blossoms. Looking forward to seeing the tree when more are open and it is in full bloom.
Red-Winged Blackbird Male
A vertical view of a beautiful red-winged blackbird giving a brief glimpse of his colorful shoulder patch.
First Cherry Blossoms of the Season
It will be another week or 10 days until the full, glorious peak cherry bloom display will be in effect here in New Jersey, but these Okame pink blooms, give a wonderful preview of the beautiful full bloom to come. The Okame is the first variety of the ornamental trees to bloom. At Branch Brook Park, famed for its colorful display, only a few of these trees are in bloom but soon the park will be filled with pink and white color.
Perching Tufted Titmouse
A photo from a couple of days ago, taken while walking in my local NJ Meadowlands park - a cute little Tufted Titmouse briefly perched on a branch. So nice to see a little Spring green and color in the background .
Violet and White Crocus Flowers
Happy Spring!! It's still winter coat weather here but Spring is in the air and the first early flowers are showing their faces. A close up view of a small cluster of violet purple and white crocus flowers with orange-gold centers.
House Sparrow Immature
A fluffy, cute little immature male house sparrow, on the alert and apparently contemplating his next move as he sits in the warm, almost Springlike, sunshine over the weekend.
Northern Mockingbird
A Northern Mockingbird sitting high in a tree watching over his (or her) part of the world.
Freedom Tower NYC Sundown Clouds and Colors
A vertical view of the New York City Freedom Tower (One World Trade Center) and surrounding skyscrapers at sundown as they reflect the sunset colors.
NYC Happy St Patrick's Day
A bit of whimsy on my part for today. According to ancient Irish lore, New York City is a wonderful place for leprechauns of all shapes and sizes to cavort and seek a pot of gold. How many of them can you find in this St Patrick's Day scene? Several claim to have found the elusive riches.
Sandy Hook Light- and Winter Branches
A vertical black and white view of the New Jersey Sandy Hook Lighthouse against an overcast winter sky with bare winter tree branches in the foreground.
NYC West Side and Sundown Clouds
A striking, colorful display of golden colors in the clouds, skyscrapers and Hudson River at the end of a rainy day as storm ended. A closer view of yesterday's post as the sundown colors deepened.
Post Storm Sundown NJ and NYC
A shot from earlier in the month. Thanks so much to those who posted good wishes to me yesterday as our storm approached. So far, in my area of NJ, it's been mostly rain and light snow. Some snow predicted for today. Lots of snow North and West of me. This scene: an unexpected bright and colorful, golden display at sundown over New York City and the Hudson River after a brief snowsquall in early March, with the Weehawken New Jersey waterfront and entrance into the Lincoln Tunnel in the foreground.
Sunrise Blues NYC Skyline
A doomed sunrise, over the weekend, with the sun trying valiantly to overcome the cloud cover as it rises above the city skyscrapers. Within minutes it was behind the clouds and the scene became a world of blue and gray. Today, the start of a Nor-easter here.
Reflecting on the Past
This old rusted window with peeling paint caught my attention and made me wonder about the stories it could tell. An old abandoned building behind and across the road is reflected in the glass, while broken window panes reveal remnants of activities from years gone by.
Red Morning Sky-New York City
Vivid red and orange hued skies above the New York City skyline and Hudson River just after the break of dawn yesterday. The old adage "Red Sky in the Morning, Sailors's Warning" held true in this case. After a short display of gorgeous color, by sunrise the sky was filled with gray clouds and a storm followed later in the day.
Sandy Hook Lighthouse Waiting for Spring
A late winter scene at Sandy Hook Lighthouse with wind-driven clouds speeding across the sky and hints of the grassy lawn ready to burst into Spring greens. Historic Sandy Hook Lighthouse is the oldest working lighthouse in the USA. It was built in 1764 to aid boats and ships navigating into New York Harbor from the Atlantic Ocean . Early on it was owned by New York but in 1790, it came under federal authority under legislative acts by George Washington. The lighthouse is listed as a National Historic Landmark and also on the National Register of Historic Places.
NYC Golden Towers at Sundown
A few times a year, when the conditions are right and the sunset aligns with these two towers, located in Columbus Circle NYC, they are spotlighted and bathed in gold hues making them stand out from the surrounding shadowed buildings. The Intrepid Air and Space Museum can be seen along the Hudson River waterfront.
Perspective - Inside Out or or Outside In
A quick shot that I took because I was intrigued by the contrast between bright blue sky and clouds of that moment in time and the weathered, decaying structure of the past. Now - what's your guess was I standing inside or outside when I took this photo? What title would you give it?
Seal Soesta
Harbor Seals hauled up on a moss covered rock jetty to have a much needed rest while the tide is low at Sandy Hook, New Jersey. Note: The jetty is a good distance out in the bay and access to it is fenced off to keep people from disturbing the seals while they rest. Photographed at 600mm and cropped.
Harbor Seals at Rest NJ Shore
A group of Harbor Seals hauled out on a moss covered rock jetty to rest during low tide at Sandy Hook, in the Gateway National Recreation Area, N.J.
NYC- Weather Conflict at Sundown
Skies trying to clear with the sun starting to break through the heavy cloud cover after a rainy, cloudy day. The March Lion and Lamb of weather battling it out.
Lone Leaf in the Snow
A simple nature scene of an intact leaf that apparently clung to a tree branch all through the cold, rain, sleet and snow of Winter, to finally fall to the ground resting on a fresh blanket of snow .
NJ Meadowlands Framed in Winter
A bright, white, light blanket of snow matched by a white sky on the morning after the storm, provide a natural frame to highlight the land formations, the silhouetted, leafless trees and bronze, gold marsh grasses in the NJ Meadowlands.
Snowfall Meditation NJ Meadowlands
A walk in the wetlands the morning after a light snowfall, our first and maybe the last snow event of the season here. Flurries would accasionally start up again, bu skies were getting brighter. While there were one or two sets of footprints around on the paths, I was the only person there that I could see while I walked. Photographed in the New Jersey Meadowlands DeKorte Park.
Still Life Floral Pink Carnations
The last blooms of my February bouquet. Each time it was refreshed and culled to remove the spent blossoms; a lovely new arrangement appeared until this last little vision in pink. Soft pink and deep fuchsia pink carnations with violet daisy mums in a white vase.
