Looking at the Sky

... over Long Island Sound.
On a perfect evening in June. I can't wait for that weather to return!


To see more sky photos, visit our hostess for Looking at the Sky, Tisha, at CrAzY Working Mom.

Sepia Scenes ~ winter afternoon

The stately Sterling Opera House, built in 1889, serves as a backdrop for the modern-day gazebo on the Derby (Ct.) Green across the street.
I thought this historic building would be a perfect Sepia Scenes subject. To me the photo almost looks like a vintage postcard.

To view more sepiafied photos, visit our hostess, Mary T.

Hoping things will improve

The Journal Register Co., my employer, announced Saturday that it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
We expected it, but it's not something you want to hear.
Please send some good thoughts for me and my co-workers.

So, what's up?

Does anyone else feel sorry for our little neighbor? Poor 12-year old can't practice his hoop skills when his basketball is stuck in a tree.

Ruby Tuesday

Who among us doesn't want to keep their pizza safe? This worked well for the 50-mile trip home. Actually it wasn't a whole pizza, just some leftovers from a birthday party!


To see more Ruby Tuesday photos, visit Mary T, The Teach, our hostess with the mostest.

Silly signage

A bit of levity on a Sunday afternoon...my daughter posted this photo on Facebook. I don't know where she snapped it. I asked her if I could use it on my blog and she said I could.

OK, back to looking at this week's Ruby Tuesday and Sepia Scenes entries.

Have a good Sunday ~

Creative Photography

I took this Jan. 31 through the van window as Ralph was driving in Hartford, on our way to visit our kids at the University of Hartford, which is just about a mile down the road. I thought this beautiful church might look good in an oil painting, and this is what I came up with:

To see more Creative Photography entries, visit our host, Roger, at Idaho Photo, and click on the Creative Photo tab.

Life can get in the way of blogging, can't it?

I've been out of the blogospheric loop and now I'm trying to get back in after several days of not visiting folks, for a variety of reasons.
One thing I re-learned this past week is to never take my health for granted. I'm blessed with good health so when something isn't quite right, it takes me by surprise.
That's how I felt this week. No need to go into detail, but I'm feeling better each day.

I did manage to post entries for Ruby Tuesday and Sepia Scenes, hosted by Mary T, The Teach, as well as for Creative Photography hosted by Roger, and Looking at the Sky on Friday, hosted by Tisha, because I really enjoy participating.
I haven't visited those kind folks who have commented on my entries, and I apologize. I hope to catch up with people today and tomorrow.

Looking at the Sky ... at sunset

I snapped this last evening before heading into a meeting. When I got out of the meeting less than an hour later it was dark and snowing/wintry mixing. Weather conditions often change quickly here in southern Connecticut.
The steeple belongs to the Shelton Congregational Church.

To see more sky photos, visit our meme hostess, Tisha, at CrAzY Working Mom.

Sepia Scenes

My foray into this week's Sepia Scenes meme, hosted by Mary T, The Teach, brings me back to Linus. What a surprise I'm using yet another kitty photo for my blog!

He has some sepia coloring, in patches (moo-cow markings as Ralph says) and so I thought he would be a good candidate for getting sepiafied.

When we bought a new printer a few months ago, Linus and his brother, McLoopy, I mean Rigby, had so much fun playing in the box I left it on the floor for quite a while. They are just like playful toddlers! And they will never grow up.


To view more sepia photos or post some of your own, visit Mary T. You'll be glad you did!

Tuesday thoughts

I've got the bloggin' blues. I didn't have anything scintillating to post about yesterday, so I posted my Ruby Tuesday photo early.
I still don't have much to post about today, and my Sepia Scenes post is for tomorrow.

I just had a thought. (woo hoo!) I'll link a story I wrote recently about a just published book on an interesting subject. It's time for some local history, kids.

Click here to read about Ebenezer Bassett (1833-1908), who was the first black man ever appointed a United States ambassador.

Ruby Tuesday

A blast from my past. A walk down memory lane for this week's Ruby Tuesday.
This is our then two-year old daughter in the backyard in 1991.
The fence railing overpowers the photo, but I still like it. When we bought our house there were roses along a fence on the patio. No more roses, no more fence, but the patio is still there, and I can't wait to dine al fresco again!

To see lots more photos featuring red, and to get in on the Ruby Tuesday fun yourself, visit our hostess with the mostest, Mary T, The Teach, at Work of the Poet.

Creative Photography: 'The Brothers Furr '

This is a photo of our cats (Linus on the left, Rigby on the right) from last summer, looking out the slider. So what do you think of their moo-cow markings?

To see some much more creative photos, visit Roger, photographer and friend extraordinaire, over at Idaho Photo and click on the Creative Photo tab.

~ My Funny Valentine ~

This is the only Valentine I received, and it's really the best kind because: a) it's homemade and b) it's from Adam, our great-nephew who was born three months premature in February 2007.
Now look at this handsome dude!!

To be fair, Ralph did make me a delicious dinner for Valentine's Day. No doubt he will be posting about it later. Stay tuned.

* Happy Valentine's Day *

A vintage Valentine from me to you.

Looking at the Sky ~ cold front

I took these Thursday morning as the calm and mild Wednesday weather gave way to wind gusts Thursday. The dark clouds are coming from the west ahead of the front. At least that is my best meterological guess.


I daresay these clouds make for good photos for Looking at the Sky on Friday. To see more sky photos visit Tish at CrAzY Working Mom.

Sepia Scenes ~ beige snow

This was the view out my back window Jan. 16.
I posted this on that day, but I thought it was worthy of a re-post. It's not dirty snow, just sepiafied.
Here is the original color shot:

Which do you prefer?


To view more Sepia Scenes, visit our hostess, Mary, The Teach.

Ruby Tuesday ~ ~ ~ Love is in the air

I was running late this week with a Ruby Tuesday post so I just brought some friends outside in the natural light for a photo shoot this morning.
Last year I gave Ralph Pepe Le Pew for Valentine's Day..he loves classic cartoons and I knew he would appreciate this cute skunk character.

I could not get an in-focus close-up of this little bear, so I used an oil painting application for it to hide the blurriness. Cheat much?
At least it has a nice message.

Happy Valentine's Day to all, and that's no monkeying around.


To see more Ruby Tuesday entries, visit Mary T, The Teach, at Work of the Poet.

I need to get back to blogging

In the span of four days last week we had a small, but real connection to three people who died. One was a young mother of two killed in an accident. She is related to our niece's husband. Another was the mother of a friend from church and the third was one of Ralph's co-workers, who has used a wheelchair for many years.
Ralph and his co-workers are going to the funeral mass this morning.
It makes you think how fleeting this life really is..

Yesterday we managed to have some fun! We attended an interesting program about a local man who fought in the Civil War. Ralph wrote about it here.

I participated in all those wonderful photo memes last week, but have yet to do much commenting. I feel guilty and will try to do so later.

It's a new week and I'm really going to try to make it a good one!

Looking at the Sky >< with a seagull

Silly seagull surveys snowy street scene (click to biggify)

I took this photo of the winter-white sky through the windshield Tuesday while at a red light in New Haven.
As you can see it was starting to snow for the umpteenth time. Not much sky in the picture, but I liked how it came out.
To see more sky photos, visit our hostess, Tisha, at CrAzY Working Mom.

My first Sepia Scene submission

This photo (that's moi on the left) taken at a Christmas party a few years ago is a repost from Dec. 28. I thought it would be OK to re-use, so I could participate in Mary's sepialicious meme. Hope I'm not breaking any rules.

To see more Sepia Scenes, visit Mary T, The Teach.

Linus, Felinus

I just realized this week that our cat's name, Linus, is part of the word felinus. Don't know how I missed that one. I'll be OK, I think. I hope.

Anyhoo, here is what he often does when I am working on the computer in the living room. He sits on the back of the recliner. Snooze city.


Linus likes to be near his mama. (Me, not Fluffy, or whatever his 'biological' mother's name may have been.)

Creative Photography

Having a bit of fun here with a photo I snapped Saturday during a basketball game at the University of Hartford.
I like how it turned out, so I am sharing it here with you lucky readers.

To see other entries visit Roger, our host, at Idaho Photo and click on Creative Photo.
Join the fun!

* Ruby Tuesday *

That's it, just two snowmen, since we once again have snow in the forecast here. *groan*

Happy Ruby Tuesday ~


To see many more ruby red entries, visit Mary T, The Teach, at Work of the Poet, who hosts this fun meme.

~ Groundhog Day ~ Groundhog Day ~

* * * this is not a groundhog * * *


I don't think Rigby saw his shadow this morning. On Friday I did see a shadow on him, though.

This photo is straight out of the camera. He is looking out the living room window, standing on a box which is on a chair.
Just one more capture of our baby cat doing his thing, which is (almost) nothing.

=^. .^=

Blog much?

I for one haven't been doing any blogging for a couple of days, but I'm back.

Yesterday we got to see one of our two kids playing in the band at a University of Hartford men's basketball game, as well as her boyfriend, who I guess we could call Kid Three. Are these two still kids when they are 20? I suppose so.
Our son was busy working so he wasn't able to play in the pep band. Dang. But we're happy he has a job!It was a beautiful and clear day in Connecticut, for a change.


Here is Ralph driving us up the Wilbur Cross Parkway toward Hartford. I kept busy taking photos through the windshield...

I never said this was going to be exciting!

Below we are heading into downtown Hartford, near the state Capitol.

Our team lost to Boston University. But it was fun to be there, and since Ralph uses a wheelchair, he, my mother and I get to sit at a table on the floor, right behind the basket and in front of the pep band. It was a tad loud for us (there were some boisterous students behind us next to the band) but we all survived it.
Normally the pep band wears uniform red shirts (perfect for Ruby Tuesday!) but yesterday everyone was wearing this T-shirt.
And they gave them out as well.When we got home the cats were waiting in the window for us. We had left them for almost eight hours! But they were OK.