Posts Tagged ‘photos’

1st Barbecue of the Season

March 27, 2016

Friday I had to go to Wound Care again – what a lovely day it was.  Eddie left in the morning for work with clouds a bit of rain; when he came home to pick me up, the sun was out.  For the first time in a long time, I had the car window open and it felt quite warm.    More rain today and tomorrow, then they promise the sun for several days – does Mother nature agree?  We will see.

I am back wrapped up again – my legs swelled again – and wouldn’t you know, my compression socks arrived and were sitting in the mailbox as we drove out.  Well, I won’t be wearing them for a couple of weeks, then I will take them with me to have them help me learn how to put them on.  This means spit and duck baths again; so far the hair doesn’t look too bad.  It does tend to stick up a bit when I get up in the morning, I will have to run the shower with my head in to have the steam tame those wonky parts.  I have an appointment on Wednesday afternoon to remove sutures, then I can lean over the shower chair and wash my hair at least.

My forehead has been numb since the first plastic surgery, yet at times I feel it tingling, sometimes as if something is walking on my head.  It is an odd sensation but not unpleasant.  I asked the doc about it last Monday before surgery, he said it will take a long time to  go back to normal.  I expected that answer because I found that with the hip incision.  It was numb and I would get sharp pricks when I least expected it – that was unpleasant.  Seems to be  fairly normal now, four years later.

I am determined to drive again after Wednesday, I don’t like being so dependent – at least I can see a lot better now, that makes a difference.  When Eddie comes back from the Car Museum, he is taking me to Bartell’s – it is sometimes difficult to explain to him what I want.  I think he is very uncomfortable buying “lady things”, but does a pretty good job.

Yesterday was fairly sunny and when Eddie came home from shopping, he had hamburgers with him.  He decided to start the BBQ season and I noticed Eric across the street had his big grill on his deck.  Eddie said he could smell someone else getting ready to BBQ.  We have had such a lot of wind and rain this winter, it feels good to look forward to spring.  Each time I go out, I see new things blooming – I almost feel I am missing out on spring.  The Scillas in the beds have abundant leaves up and it will be fun to see all the lavender flower stems blooming.  The grape hyacinths are blooming, not as many this year and the two clumps of yellow daffodils on the bank are doing well

My sister Ellen on the Jersey Shore has had rain, snow, sun and wind – I’m so glad she sends photos of them.  The last photo I enclosed in the blog is now a painting – she is so talented!  She is able to show the ocean in so many different moods and colors – so amazing.

This was the Nor’easter the other week – she had snow as well as windy.

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This was on March 24th – spring is coming.

I have been so self absorb in myself lately, both my sisters reminded me March 24th would be Dad’s 102nd birthday.  I also thought about September 24th, Mom’s birthday – it will be her 98th.  In 2018, it will be her 100th birthday and that year was as eventful as Dad’s in 1914 – so many historic things happened that changed the world during those years.  Because they met, fell in love and married, my sisters and I are a part of this changing world.  They gave us so many gifts – being loved and wanted, integrity, respect for other people, discipline, manners – so many things that have given me a strong foundation.  (I won’t speak for my sisters)  I am grateful for all of it, they were very loving parents.

A blog wouldn’t be complete without a couple of photos from my sister Candy in Nashville.

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She puts lovely backgrounds in her photos

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She has done a series of Christmas photos with flowers and also ornaments.

I have been sleeping a lot, though I still feel draggy,  I need to walk a bit every day – exercise needs to be part of being rested.  I have hesitated to go outside and walk up and down the sidewalk because I don’t want to trip and fall.  Now that I can wear my glasses better, I am willing to give it a try.  Windy and stormy is conducive to walking outside – I seem to have missed the worst of the weather during my captivity.

My posts have been so “me” centered, it is time to focus on something else for a change.  Wishing you all a very Happy Easter.

Day 1 – Living Room Update

May 24, 2015

Monday was the day the painters were to start the living room.  I have been playing with my iPhone to figure out how to download the pictures I took – not exactly the easiest to figure ou.  However, technology will not get the best of me.  I also used Eddie’s camera as well – now that is much easier to download.  I am waiting for all the photos to download.

I went to see my chiropractor Monday morning, then made a stop at Home Depot for my doodad – I forgot it on Friday.  Then Ronny and his two guys came shortly after I came home.  I asked if a beard was mandatory to work with him – the other two guys also had beards.

The first thing they needed to do was hand wash the walls – a lot of cobwebs, dirty and also holes to fill as well as a crack or two.  I spent most of the rest of the day back in the office or the bedroom.  The difficulty with the floor plan here is that I have to go through the living room to do anything.  When I went out to the kitchen, I was amazed to see all the draped plastic on the furniture and lights, plus they had taped the floor with brown paper.

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This is what I saw when I came out for lunch.  By the end of the day, they had put one coat on the walls after priming and  put the few pieces of furniture we had back where they were.  They found they could keep moving things around without much trouble.

This post has taken me a long time to finish – downloading the pictures, then trying to find them in iPhoto, getting them to download into the blog – enough to set my teeth on edge.  let’s hope the next ones will work better.

I Am Still Here – Somewhere

January 11, 2015

I just realized it has been more than 3 weeks since my last post – I’ve been around but not necessarily with it.  After 3 months, I decided it was time to stop pushing aside grieving for my Mom and Dad, too many oddball things were showing up and I need to deal with it.  I was upset when I decided to end my radio show for a while – going on hiatus while I do major self-care – and will be back doing it again in the future.  I don’t want to spend the rest of my days somewhere in neutral and drag my butt tired.

Eddie and I went to Toronto for a few days for Christmas with our niece and her family – no ice storm this year.  It was 40’s and 50’s with some rain, just like Seattle.  However, I am glad we aren’t there at the moment, they have cold, ice and snow right now.  I have some photos from my sister Ellen  at the Jersey shore showing snow.

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 This one came this morning

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 This was earlier in the week – so amazing!

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Ellen really knows how to compose a great picture.

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This one must have been uncomfortable because the snow was blowing all over.

We had a wonderful time in Toronto – I found myself noticing after a day or so that I had not thought about here or what was happening, I was completely there.  It’s not that we did much, at least I didn’t.  It was a delight to just enjoy their company and relax.

 I have to admit to feeling a bit left out because I only understand about half of what was said, so I asked for a major attitude overhaul.  What a change in my way of looking at the situation.  NEWS FLASH!  It’s not about me.  It is a time for Eddie to speak Arabic with people he cares about and who know exactly what he is talking about – most it is about the past, people they know in common and situations.  They also imitate the way some they knew spoke Arabic – only they understand the joke and why it is funny.

Christmas Eve we watched the service from the church in Bethlehem, then went out for a wonderful dinner.  Christmas afternoon we went to Raouf’s uncle’s house – and 30 of his close relatives.  There are probably another 30 we didn’t meet that night, there is always next year.  I spent a lot of time talking to his Uncle John.  He’s a very interesting guy and so easy to talk with – I found out more of his history on the drive home.

We left on Boxing Day in the evening – Eddie isn’t quite sure why he arranged only 3 days.  We had a wonderful time, though it was so good to be back home and in our own bed.

After we came home, I called Hospice of Seattle to find out about their grief support group.  It is a 6 week course, then often the group decides to continue meeting after the end of the  6 weeks.  It starts this Tuesday and will be for the next 6 Tuesdays.  I don’t know what it will be, I am open to what ever works for me.

I found the book “When Bad Things Happen To Good People” in the library – I had heard it was a really good book for grieving.  Unfortunately I didn’t find it helpful – I don’t need to find a reason Mom is gone – it was time and it was her wish as well as relief.  It is more explaining about the whys – I don’t need that.  I am glad I checked it out, now I know what is about.

I have some other things to check out – some of this by guess and by gosh, some are suggestions from other people – I am open and receptive to anything.  I am open and willing to explore things and ideas to see how they resonate.  This is so individual that it is more challenging than if there is a set formula.  Maybe I will start to look at it as adventure rather than as something to be overcome.  I am working to put it into words for myself – there really aren’t any pictures in my mind yet.

I bought an iPhone last Saturday – my Christmas and birthday present.  It is cool and I went Tuesday to learn how to use it.  I have another appointment this Tuesday to learn more.  They were able to download my list from my old phone and I finally got my pictures downloaded as well – not quite as easily.  However, the number is the same and I don’t have to go through that balderdash again.

I downloaded the new system Yosemite at home in November or December and my computer has been a bit wonky in some places.  I took it in on Saturday afternoon – what a zoo not only at the Apple store, but all over the mall as well.  Anyway, I told them about it and Nicole thought the best thing to do was reinstall Yosemite there and it would install over the one I did.  It was going to take an hour, so I went for coffee and by 5 I was ready to go.

Meanwhile Eddie was home doing the laundry and cooking dinner – what a delightful husband!  He had done all the shopping in the morning by himself because I had woken up in the middle of the night feeling as if at least a Hummer or something bigger had driven over me from feet to head and up my back.  I am not sure what happened, I was doing well the day before and the one before that – no clue why.  By late morning I was doing a lot better – thanks to Advil at night and in the morning.

Life is definitely an adventure.  I found this picture the other day and in some ways it’s how I feel – I don’t know how I got here and I have no idea where it leads, but at the moment, I am here and safe.

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Cleaning Out

August 10, 2014

I knew I had to start cleaning out drawers and closets but there was something holding me back.  Not necessarily the size of the project so much as going through my parents’ belongings.  If you saw the house, it doesn’t necessarily look as though anything has been done – it is more the inside where there is a difference.  I cleared out a shelf in the office with things both Mom and Dad had clipped and saved, mostly Mom’s idea pile.  She had a lot of articles about rug hooking, pattern ideas, calendars with flowers and some patterns she had transfer to a backing to hook.  I found her patterns for the coat of arms rug – a list of tartans and descriptions as well as individual shield patterns.

Thursday afternoon I started on the desk in the living room, clearing out the top of the desk with all the little drawers and cubby holes.  I know I come from a long line of  pack rats, but I had no idea how much Mom kept.  I filled a shopping bag with old pay stubs for Dad, check registers, you name it.  I was really tired by the time I finished that.  Friday I started on the first three large drawers below – another full bag of things.  I put all the things to be shredded on top of the desk and Eddie took care of that for me – they may be old but I want to be sure no one can use the information.  I have one more drawer to go.  then it is on to the bedroom.

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It was interesting to see what Mom kept, there are reports from school for all three of us, some letters from grandparents, congratulation cards for all three of us from relatives, a bunch of newspaper articles about family members – the others I don’t know who they are but I think they are people Mom went to school with or knew in Glastonbury.  There are pictures of all kinds and in the lower drawers she has so many cards to use for any occasion.  I may send those over to Goodwill and some other things.  Letters, photos and other papers I have in a box so Candy and Ellen can check them out.

It will be interesting to see what is squirreled away in the bedroom bureaus.  Now that I have done most of the desk, I realize it would have been smart to do it a lot sooner.  Maybe it has just taken this long to be ready to do it.  I need to clean things out to sell them, otherwise they would be very heavy and there is no telling what is in the drawers.

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I put the dining room table on Craig’s list last Saturday – no word so far.  I had been hesitant to do it only because I didn’t know how it worked and what to do.  I checked out eBay as well just to have an idea how much I could ask – 52″ round mahogany pedestal table with 3 leaves, 6 chairs and table protectors.  Turned out it was very hard to list it on Craig’s List, so I will put another on the site.

We need to start going through books and donate them to the library.  I want to make sure which ones are worth keeping or truing to sell – the ones I have with Judith on her online book store are still there.  She said things are very slow right now.  I do want to check with her to find out which books are valuable then decide what to do with them.

I know Mom is no longer in this world but a world of her own – still, it feels strange to be doing this while she is still alive.  Yet she isn’t going to be coming back and it is long past time for Eddie and me to make this house our own.  I often feel pulled in 2 opposite directions.

I visit Mom twice a week and I notice she is more sleepy when I come – some days she is quite alert and aware.  The day she didn’t know who I was took me a little by surprise and since she was in a feisty mood, she didn’t want anyone to touch her.  So now I ask her if she would like a hug and the other day, she said yes, and a kiss.  I know the not recognizing me will come more often, I hope to be able to be objective about it and not get upset.  She loves chocolate and cookies, always saying yes to them.  When she is really sleepy, I will save some of the cookies and put them in her room for later – Judy says she will have a snack in the afternoon.  I tend to put her to sleep when I read, she says that’s fine.

Every day is an education, learning experience and challenge, I am working on seeing it that way rather than a upsetting situation.  I am working on it every day and I have made a lot of progress, though I am still a work in progress.

Last Part of The Song

July 13, 2014

I decided to  finish up the last 2 verses of  “My Favorite Things”.   If Ellen and Candy have any photos to contribute, then I will redo it.

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Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes

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Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes

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Silver white winters that melt into springs

These are a few of my favorite things

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When the dog bites

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When the bee stings

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When I’m feeling sad

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I simply remember my favorite things

And then I don’t feel so bad

Playing With Photos

April 24, 2014

I am a little slow when it comes to some technology – especially when I don’t know something can be done.  I found I have a camera on my iPad (I know there are a lot of you thinking “Well, Duh!”) and by accident found out how to do it.  So I was out in the garden the other day when we had a bit of sunshine before the next rain showers and I tried out my iPad.  It took some finagling because I kept having the screen blocked – I found I had my finder over the  lens.  Plus I have a case it sits in and the cover was a bit of a problem because I have to  make sure it doesn’t block the lens.

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So there I was, one hand keeping the cover out of the way, holding the iPad with the other and trying to take  pictures.  It was hard to find a finger to push the shutter button and also not end up have it take three or four pictures in a row.  Next thing I know, I am ready to take a selfie – now how did that happen and how do I go back to pictures of the garden.  I finally figured that one out, then found I was doing square pictures – it’s been an experience and an education.   Would you like to see what I took with my iPad?  All I have to do is figure out how to down load them.

I just connected my iPad to my computer and guess what!  The pictures on are on my computer.  Will wonders never cease!


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The Scillas in the porch flower bed are more profuse and thick than this photo

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The blueberries are blossoming so I am hoping for a good crop.

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The Scillas by the garage are doing very well.

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They also are blooming by the corner of the garage and where the cherry trees were.

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We don’t really have pear blossoms left after the wind and rain.  We’ll wait to see if we have pears this year.

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The apple tree had fared fairly well, all depends on how much the fruit set before the rain.

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Even so, the apple blossoms are still lovely.

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Delores bought a couple of tulips at the tulip fields up north last year – they are beautiful.

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It was a sunny bit after the rain and before the next bout of rain.

As you can see, I did better than I expected, even managed to somehow turn it back to rectangular pictures.  I also took photos with my camera, I’ll show you if there is a difference in the next post.

 

Morning to Evening

February 9, 2014

When we got up Saturday morning, this is what we saw!

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There was a big cloud over the house, yet we could see the sun rising on the mountains and their layers of snow.

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These are such spectacular mountains and I love to see them no matter what the weather.

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They are so magnificent!  I miss them when they are covered by clouds.

The weather men have been predicting snow for several days and nothing has happened.  So when they said it would snow last night, we figured it was another false alarm.  Around 8 or so we looked out and By George, it was snowing.  I am always fascinated by snow at night, it lights up everything, as if someone left the lights on.  It is so beautiful, no wind so everything is just piled on the ground, the bushes and the trees.  There must have been about 2 or 3 inches of snow, we noticed no one going down the Shorewood Dr hill.

It’s not sunny this morning, instead it is very grey – sky, Sound, with only the ground white.   Eddie was due to go to the Museum of Flight this morning, he is still here because he didn’t want to deal with the hills.

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What a different view this morning!

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No mountains and we can barely see the islands.

Now he getting dressed so he can go out and shovel the walk – it is supposed to start raining overnight, so it may be a redundant use of energy.  However, he has some exercise and will know the walk is clear tomorrow morning.  I want to go take pictures but need to have a shower and get dressed first – better get started so I have pictures for the blog.

Later

I had a shower and put clothes on so I could go out to take pictures – also took some out the bathroom window because it was  beautiful to see snow against the trunks of the camellia and lilac trees.

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This is the lilac by the outside stairs and the bathroom window.

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Just next to it is the big camellia.  Amazing when the wind doesn’t blow it all off.

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The snow piled up on the leaves of the camellia.

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Allen’s have a tree next to their deck that is full of light pink blossoms in the spring.  You might say it is flowering in snow today.

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I noticed the Rosemary bush was flowering in pale lavender earlier in the week – now it has snow flowers.

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This is the Allen’s lilac bush; I picked some last Spring to take to Mom.

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Eddie didn’t have much trouble clearing the walk because he said the snow was light.

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The camellias by the walk.

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I think we had about 3 – 4″ of snow, that’s how it looked to me where Eddie had cleared the walk.

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The red pear tree had quite a load of snow –

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so did the other pear and the Gravenstein apple.

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The east side of the house where the lilac is on the left, the big camellia next to it, the light pink rhododendron, the dark red rhododendron and at the corner is the purple lilac.

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The pink dogwood has really grown – my wood stream is somewhere in that bed.

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There is the stump of the Fotinia tree – it now has a small tree growing out of the top.  The bumps below are my wood stream.

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This is looking behind the east side of the house where the lilacs, rhodos and big camellia are – that’s the outside stairs below.

Things are different now, the truck came by a bit ago to put sand on the road and make Shorewood Dr. hill easier to navigate.  The snow isn’t quite as pretty as it was this morning when I took the pictures – I realize I could have used black and white film and have the same look.  A while ago the fog rolled in, not up here yet but I wouldn’t be surprised to see it happen.

I know this is not a big deal compared to most of the country – I know what it is like from the times I lived in different place.  What we have today is plenty for me and the idea of rain coming tonight is very welcome.  Otherwise it would end up very icy for Eddie tomorrow.  I plan to stay home and work on my taxes for Saturday.

Candy’s Photos

May 13, 2013

I decided my other sister Candy would have equal time with her photos.  She has been living in Nashville quite a while, she went down there for her song writing.  She has written songs herself and partnered with other song writers – it was the heyday of Music Ro and many, many publishers.  Well, like the book publishing world, the music world had the bottom drop out and things are very different now.

During those years Candy published several books – Christmas Abundance ( my favorite because it has some of our family traditions and recipes in it), then a series of three called The Art of Abundance, The Art of Simplicity and the Art of Encouragement.  For the past 2 or 3 years she has been learning about ebooks and has published several – plus a free one on her website ( http://www.candypaull.com).

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She also started taking photos of flowers, mostly roses with interesting backgrounds and arrangements.

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Love the dew drops!       I will check back in the archives to see some of her first ones.

Then at Christmas time, she had some interesting photos of  decorations, I really like this.

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Just recently she had some quite interesting photos that were taken around lake Radnor – a favorite place for her walks.  One never knows what she will find.

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And then there were the unexpected ones.

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I love this little guy but it isn’t Candy’s photo – she found it on Facebook.                                                                              I found it on http://www.dailycute.net and also couple of  other sites.

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For a while Candy worked at Vanderbilt University and enjoyed her time there, the people she worked with and the work, plus she loved walking along the campus in all seasons.  She would send some wonderful photos and her enjoyment shined through  her photos.

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Autumn in Nashville, Vanderbilt University

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That gives us an idea of Nashville and Vanderbilt University, and some of the things Candy has been doing while she has been there.  She has many things going on and has a book that is in the process with a new publisher – not only new to her but also new period.  I am looking forward to hearing how that is going and what will happen next for her.

So now I have shown both of my sisters and their photography – I am very proud of them and glad they are my sisters, or as we call each other Sisty Ugler.

Ellen’s Photos

May 5, 2013

My sister Ellen lives in Ocean Grove, N.J. and we were so grateful they did so well in Sandy, snowstorms, nor’easter and hurricanes.  I will admit to being very concerned, the worst that happened to them was no electricity for several days.  Because she lives there, she has been taking pictures of the water, the town and flowers as they bloom.  She recently sent a picture of her front yard, she has a green thumb.

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She has some awesome photos of the ocean in all its moods and conditions.

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The pier before Sandy – now just a few pilings.

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There are some jetties of rocks all along the shore.

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The waves can be small

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Or seem very large.

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Or just plain beautiful

People come in the summer for the programs at the Tabernacle as well as to be by the Shore since it gets hot and humid in the Northeast.   Some of the houses are lovely – either single family homes, B&B or hotels.

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They also have a number of tents, though you wouldn’t really know to look at them – they seem like little houses.  When winter comes, they take down the sides and wait for Spring to reassemble the.

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Tents in the Summer

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Tents in Fall

Ocean Grove is a pretty town, I visited Ellen on a trip to see people at my head office in N.J. and was glad to have some time to spend with Ellen and see where she lives.  I so appreciate her pictures of the ocean – I am a water lover – as well as showing different parts of town.  I would like to go back and see it again and spend time with Ellen.

Thank you Ellen for letting me share your lovely pictures.


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