New Blog Is Up!

My new blog is up!  Please visit my new blog at: Lyroslens.wordpress.com

See you there!

Ooopsie...

...just learned that there is a 1GB limit on photo storage here.  I will need to look into a solution for this.

Creatures: Post Sandy

It has been hard to get back into a routine following the storms, but now most of the clean-up is complete for me and things seem to be returning to normal.  When I originally looked outside to assess the damages after Sandy, I spied these two squirrels huddled together.  It seemed as if they tried their best to hide from the storm and they were just frozen together.

Before and After

Fall Leaves

Clean-Up Post Storms

Full power and cable back. Still mobile though until all is cleaned up. Got a great start on clean-up today from the Baptist Disaster Relief Team from Arkansas.

Crazy Weather

The weather has just been absurd here. Yesterday it was 60+ degrees and there were still a few dirty snow remnants around. Still mobile here! Missed yesterday...no wifi although power returned Sunday eve (day 14).

Day 14

Day 14 of no power although there is hope. The linemen are finally working on my block, but no promises. The best I can do today is a mobile pic of the work truck.

Day 13

Still no power and can only post via my iPhone. The sun rises on a lovely day. We are lucky for the sunshine and higher temperatures at least.

Day 12

On day 12, NY has followed NJ with odd/even gas rationing. Here is a gas line just after dawn this morning. Not a good angle, but trust me, it does go on and on. Still only iPhone pix since we still have no power.

Day 11

Day 11 of no power and the natives are getting restless. The LIPA Facebook page is filled with irate comments but no responses from LIPA. The Nor'easter left us with about 7.5" of snow this morning, but luckily it will be melting off soon. It also did more tree damage which is going to take some time to get all cleaned up. Again, these are iPhone pix which really don't tell the whole story.

Day 10

Still no power. Rumors of tonight, but given the pending Nor'easter, who knows. Here is a shot from down the block which is typical of what you can see around here.

Day 9

Still no power but we are hanging in there. We are expecting a Nor'easter tomorrow. There are still downed wires with no utility crews in sight. This picture was taken around the block from me.

Day 8

Still no power. I told myself I wouldn't sit on s line for gas, but I am almost out. I spotted a short line (one very long block) and they are awaiting a delivery. Not sure when it will come though. Look at the view from my car window. Lol

Day 7

Day 7 of no power, heat, hot water, or food other than crackers and PB. We are luckier than a lot of folks though. We were able to find a diner without a long wait...we are starving. Don't know how much longer this can go on...getting low on gas and the lines are unbelievably long. I would burn through the test of my fuel just waiting. Not sure if I posted this yet. This is the tree that was pushed forward into the fence and shed by Hurricane Sandy.

I was on a roll...

...but I gues in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy I didn't realize that I hadn't done my mobile post yesterday...bummer! Yesterday was day 6 of no power, heat, food, etc. I did go to work on Thursday and Friday with pit stops beforehand to shower. Not sure what next week will bring since I can't get gas. Here is some debris that I hacked up and put by the curb. This is nothing compared to the backyard.

Still Mobile and Still No Power

Into day 5 of no power, but I am still lucky since others have it much worse. I was lucky to get a nice hot shower and two meals today instead of just dry cereal and Halloween candy. Upon closer inspection, I see that Sandy has shifted this huge tree forward and it bent the fence and is resting against the shed. I hope I can have it taken down before it falls down. Trying to get a tree service call now is harder than winning the lottery!

Still Mobile Post Sandy

Another iPhone pic today since we still do not have power. This huge limb landed inches from my house. Trust me, it looks much larger in real life.

Post Sandy

Here is an iPhone pic of the sky this morning post hurricane Sandy. We've still had some pouring rain and wind and periods of calm and breaks in the sky. Trees and power lines are down. No power here and it will be days until it is restored. A huge part of a tree is down in the backyard and just missed the house by inches. We are lucky overall!

Hurricane Sandy

Still waiting for landfall. A small limb has snapped off and is balancing on the power line. (My first mobile blog post).

Falling Leaves

As we prepare for Hurricane Sandy, here a two shots taken yesterday in my backyard.  The first shot shows a falling leaf on the bottom left and the second shot shows several falling leaves on the mid to upper right side of the photo.   These shots were taken in manual mode to try to freeze the action of the falling leaves.  It was difficult to get a shot...I used continuous shot as I saw leaves falling out of the corner of my eye since I was using my viewfinder.

The Leaves of Autumn

The leaves of Autumn...

Fountain

A fountain at Eisenhower Park

Another Bird in Flight

                   A red tailed hawk at Eisenhower Park

Jet Blue

Back on September 13, 2012, I posted a shot of a plane that was also Jet Blue but with a different tail design.  I must really like things that fly because I am very captivated by birds and planes!

Autumn is Here

Autumn colors in the park...

Angel in the Park

I've seen this statue in the park several times, but decided to look at it from a new angle.  I like the way the sunlight is  hitting it in several spots while the rest is in shadow.  The angle also makes the definition of the hands more pronounced.  At a later date as I further enhance my editing skills, I may try to remove the little bit of tree on the bottom left side and darken the sky.

Woooo Hoooo!

An even 800 views on my blog today.  Not really sure who has been here since there are not that many comments, but someone is looking!  Hope you are enjoying...I know I am!  This is for you...  

Lone bloom surviving the autumn weather...taken today at Eisenhower Park

                                            ...Thanks for visiting!!!

Rudy

A 70+ degree day near the end of October...what a beauty! Rudy is enjoying the day and sniffing the air!

You Woke Me Up!

I was napping!

STAMPEDE!

Well, kind of...

Naptime

Naptime

Male Downy Woodpecker

Since I hung the suet basket in my back yard, I have seen many more Downy Woodpeckers.  I also saw the male Downy Woodpecker for the first time this past weekend.  He is identified by the red patch at the back of his head.  Although he is a very small bird, the red is really prominent against his black and white feathers.

Upside Down Squirrel

I hung a basket of suet to attract the birdies in my back yard.  It attracted birds as well as some very hungry squirrels. These squirrels will contort any which way to get through the bars to the suet.  Check out this upside down squirrel!  

Dinner is served!

Macro Mode: Fizzy Fruit

I have been trying to get the hang of macro mode on the SX40.  I have just been using the camera in macro mode without the use of any add on filters.  I saw this idea (fizzy fruit) on the net, and I wanted to try it even though I didn't have all of the right equipment for lighting, set-up, etc.  Essentially, what I did was cut several pieces of fruit (lemon and lime) and put them into a wine glass with seltzer.  I shot outdoors for better lighting and used manual mode.  All shots were enhanced with GIMP, and one was color enhanced.

Marine Nature Study Area: Part VI

Just Chillin'

Marine Nature Study Area: Part V

Some sights at the Marine Nature Study Area:

An odd looking boat

Kayak shot in color accent mode

Osprey perch with nobody home

Marine Nature Study Area: Part IV

Yes, that's right...more birds!  They just seem to be everywhere I go!  This first picture is of the Kingfisher.  This was a first sighting for me.  I saw it quite far away and was lucky to get one shot of it looking to the side.  The other shots all got the back of his head.  A little blurry, but still glad I got it!