Ruby Tuesday

I wasn't looking for Ruby Tuesday last Friday but "Ruby" found me, as you can see above.

We pulled into the parking lot at Advanced Wheels where our future min-van will be modified for Ralph. I was surprised this tree had so many red leaves left on it on Nov. 20. And the breeze was just enough to unfurl Old Glory.

Ruby found me again today when I was stopped at a light, as you can see below.

It took me a minute to figure out what this sign meant.

I was on assignment and luckily had the camera on the seat next to me. The red Staples store sign is in the background. And there is that red pickup parked there.

To see many more Ruby posts, visit Mary T, our hostess, at Work of the Poet.

Sepia scenes

I've been experimenting with iPhoto applications such as matte, vignette, and edge blur lately, and as you can see today is no exception. The sepia application is yellowish, so instead I used antique and was able to retain some of the color in the Stars and Stripes.

To join in or just see many more sepia-fied photos, visit Mary T, The Teach, at Sepia Scenes.

Remembering 2001: a re-post

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2008

Never, ever forget

Yesterday I visited a high school where students and teachers had created a flag display in front of the building to mark Sept. 11. I was assigned to write a brief story on the tribute. What I wrote was added to an article about local Sept. 11 commemorations, of which there were apparently just a few. I posted about it here yesterday, and my friend, Duchess Linda, asked me to share the link to the story.
Since it's short, I just copied and pasted it:
"Social studies teacher Jim Marrone organized an effort to create a flag display in front of Emmett O’Brien Technical High School in Ansonia.

"We thought about putting flags up because we wanted to have something simple, but meaningful," he said. A group planted mums in a memorial garden, and heating, ventilation and cooling department students fashioned two metal structures to symbolize the World Trade Center towers. The towers stand in the center of the garden. A larger American flag stands between the two towers and smaller flags are placed among the flowers. Marrone said they used 220 flags for the entire display.The school has held a remembrance each year since the terror attacks. "Every year we will do something, as long as I’m here," said Marrone, who was assisted by administration and colleagues. Art teacher Julie Criscuolo painted a picture of the towers with the Statue of Liberty on one side and a dove flying overhead. It reads: "Remembering those who died on Sept. 11, 2001." The painting is placed against a tree among the flags. "It came out really nice for the amount of time and money we put into it," said sophomore Jeff Glick, 15, of Naugatuck. Teachers and students donated money to purchase the flags, he said. Sophomore Megan Graft, 15, of Ansonia was in awe of the display. "It’s just unbelievable," she said as she gazed out over the rows of flags. Megan was in the third grade when the attacks occurred, but wasn’t told about it that day. "When I got home from school, my mom explained to me what happened," she remembered. "The students wanted to know what we were doing for 9/11," Marrone said. "I’m very proud of these kids."

* This school is holding a candlelight vigil in memory of the victims at 5 p.m. today that I am going to cover. Unfortunately it is pouring out now, so it looks like the ceremony will be moved indoors. The students and staff have once again placed flags outside the school in remembrance.

Share and share alike

A marital blift...that's blog+rift for the uninitiated.

In the past two days Airhead 55 has stolen his loving wife's photos and blog post ideas. I haven't even read the posts, but I know what they are about.

I'm going to pretend he didn't, so I can post my own photos of the Veterans Day service we attended this morning on the Green in Derby, Ct.

Here is a photo I like and I'm not sure which one of us took it. I think I did. Not only do we share a computer, we also share a Canon PowerShot A550.

These American flags were distributed to local schools and organizations during the ceremony, as a way to acknowledge the organizations' patriotism in flying Old Glory on a daily basis.
The flags were among 810 that had flown in a "Field of Heroes" at Bushnell Park in Hartford last June, in honor of Flag Day.


Here you see Ralph watching the program. It was my turn using the camera. Woo hoo!

In the background is the stately Sterling Opera House. It opened in 1889 and was used as a theater until 1945.
After that it served as a City Hall and police station until 1965.



Below is a better view of it.



The historic opera house was the first building in Connecticut to gain a place on the National Register of Historic Places. A few years ago the roof was replaced and the Italian Victorian-style structure is undergoing major renovations. You can see construction workers on the crane.
The photo is a bit slanted because I was standing on a slope. It's hilly around these parts. (that's my excuse anyway)

In the good old days of vaudeville, audiences at the Sterling saw the likes of entertainers ranging from Red Skelton, John Phillip Sousa, and Donald O'Connor to Harry Houdini.
Amelia Earhart addressed a woman's club there in 1936.

And yes, that all was before my time.

Like many others, I hope someday to see the theater restored to its former glory.

Never, ever forget

Yesterday I visited a high school where students and teachers had created at flag display in front of the building to mark Sept. 11. I was assigned to write a brief story on the tribute. What I wrote was added to an article about local Sept. 11 commemorations, of which there were apparently just a few. I posted about it here yesterday, and my friend, Duchess Linda, asked me to share the link to the story.
Since it's short, I just copied and pasted it:
"Social studies teacher Jim Marrone organized an effort to create a flag display in front of Emmett O’Brien Technical High School in Ansonia.

"We thought about putting flags up because we wanted to have something simple, but meaningful," he said. A group planted mums in a memorial garden, and heating, ventilation and cooling department students fashioned two metal structures to symbolize the World Trade Center towers. The towers stand in the center of the garden. A larger American flag stands between the two towers and smaller flags are placed among the flowers. Marrone said they used 220 flags for the entire display. The school has held a remembrance each year since the terror attacks. "Every year we will do something, as long as I’m here," said Marrone, who was assisted by administration and colleagues. Art teacher Julie Criscuolo painted a picture of the towers with the Statue of Liberty on one side and a dove flying overhead. It reads: "Remembering those who died on Sept. 11, 2001." The painting is placed against a tree among the flags. "It came out really nice for the amount of time and money we put into it," said sophomore Jeff Glick, 15, of Naugatuck. Teachers and students donated money to purchase the flags, he said. Sophomore Megan Graft, 15, of Ansonia was in awe of the display. "It’s just unbelievable," she said as she gazed out over the rows of flags. Megan was in the third grade when the attacks occurred, but wasn’t told about it that day. "When I got home from school, my mom explained to me what happened," she remembered. "The students wanted to know what we were doing for 9/11," Marrone said. "I’m very proud of these kids."

* * *
I urge you to read this post about Sept. 11 that was beautifully written by Dianne at Forks Off The Moment.
I find it difficult to write about such emotional topics. But she did a great job with it, and made many of her readers cry, as they told her in their comments.

A simple remembrance on Sept. 11

I took these and other photos Wednesday at the technical high school near our house. I knew I was going to be writing about the school's remembrance today, and took some photos of their 220-flag display in case the newspaper didn't send a photographer. Luckily for me the paper sent a great photog to the school today. I can't wait to see the picture she took.

The teacher who organized the display, got the donations for the flags and for flowers for a memorial garden, vowed that as long as he is teaching there something will be done each year in memory of those who died that awful day.

it's hard to believe that the number of services to remember Sept. 11 has decreased greatly just seven years later. But sadly it has.