Boston photos, Day 2

After packing up our things, we checked out of our room, loaded our bags into the car, and drove the 1/4 mile down the hill to the Riverside T station.
So begins day 2 in Boston. Clockwise starting from upper left: Sunrise in our hotel room, view of Riverside T station from the parking garage of the hotel, on the subway heading in to the city, at Starbucks on Tremont St for our morning sustenance, Custom House tower & the Holocaust memorial, Jeanne feeding some crumbs to the birds. Greedy lil things! :)
The weather was beautiful once again!!

After enjoying our coffee and muffin we headed towards the Haymarket. So many sights, smells and sounds, all at once. Vendors calling out for more produce, prices to prospective buyers, and telling people not to touch the "merchandise". The deals were not to be missed. If our car wasn't so far away, we would have bought lots of stuff. :)
Clockwise from upper left: Lettuce: what a deal!, artist at work, seafood vendor: fresh shrimp for $2/cup (it was delish!), A small piece of street art called Asaroton (meaning unswept floor), Seafood vendor shucking oysters. In the center we have 2 statues of Mayor James Michael Curley. We ended up buying a quart of strawberries for 99 cents. That was our lunch.

 After the Haymarket we headed to the North end.  Had to have a cannoli at Mike's Pastry! We took a short walk along the waterfront, then got on the T and headed over to East Boston, a place neither of us had been to.
Clockwise from upper left: the Bunker Hill monument visible from east Boston, The glass wall and tables at Mike's Pastry, tray of cannolis..YUM!, pretty tulip, Aquarium stop on the Blue Line, Custom house tower from East Boston.

Still more to come from East Boston and beyond. Including some pics from the skyline at dusk from Cambridge!

More Boston Photos!

Here are just a few more Boston collages to share. As I said we had beautiful weather, and we also really enjoy being there on weekdays so that we get to see the "normal" hustle & bustle of the city. Trying to get on the subway during rush hour is probably the hardest thing. Crowded, and not the least bit comfortable, unless you happen to score a seat. :)

(from upper right and clockwise): One of the Muses in front of the Boston Public Library, The Prudential tower peeking out from behind The Lenox Hotel, the Soldiers & Sailors Monument on the Boston Common, here I am enjoying a slice of cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory, The First Church of Christ, Scientist (aka The Mother Church), and in the center: Jeanne & I always get this shot of ourselves reflected in the Hancock Tower. The glass seemed especially clean this year!

These blossoms stand out against the bright blue sky, the view from our hotel room, the restaurant we ate at in Chinatown before the TSO concert, the gate to Chinatown , and last but not least, The State House. This was the first time we really had a chance to wander around Chinatown, and we loved it. So different and interesting! The restaurant we chose was on a whim, and it turned out to be excellent. After dinner we wandered back to Tremont St towards the Wang Theater. And that brings me to my last collage for Day 1 in Boston. TSO!

Upper left: Jeff Scott Soto, awesome voice! Upper right: Chris Caffery, Lower right: Taking a bow, lower left: Intermission/introductions. The first part of the concert was "Beethoven's Last Night" in it's entirety, along with narration in between songs. The 2nd half of the show featured a few songs from their newest album called "Nightcastle". Being in a smaller theater, they couldn't use pyro like they  do in the Christmas concert, but the special effects and lasers were out in full force. After the show we made our way to the merchandise table then to the autograph table.

Definitely a night to remember....We made it back to the hotel very late, and by the time we wound down enough to crash, it was almost 2am! Before we knew it, it was up and back out into the city for day 2!

Week 15 of Project 365, and some Boston Love..

Week 15, (4/9-4/15) clockwise from upper left we have: a free sample I ordered of NV nut clusters, Red Robin bacon & guac burger I had while on vacation in W. mass, a new little Boston travel book to read while at the airport, my balcony railing (in FL) with the laundry building behind it, railroad crossing warning, my poor scrappy desk waiting for me to do some creating, and Slaid Cleaves (Texas folk musician at the European St Cafe in Jax) - Awesome show! Slaid is on the right, watching his guitarist do some Ham bone...

Now for a few of my favorite Boston shots: Jeanne & I got to stay there for 2 days and both were absolutely beautiful weather-wise. We totally lucked out! It had been ages since we'd done an overnight visit, and wanted to get some good evening/night shots. Especially of that familiar skyline. Here are just a few photos from day 1 to start. We each took over 900 shots or so in those 2 days! I was able to get mine down to about 700, and could probably delete a few more even, but that can wait for another day..

Starting at bottom left: We meet at the Northampton Dunkin Donuts and set off nourished with coffee, muffins and the GPS. You don't want to see the traffic on the Pike, it's never pretty. (upper left): here we are at Fenway Park already. Amazing! Flurry of activity there as it was only a few days til Opening Day, and the beer deliveries had to be made. (upper right): the Boston University store/Barnes & Noble, 3 floors of books, college apparel, and Starbucks. (bottom right): The infamous Citgo sign, seen in every Red Sox game on TV. Look for more views of it soon!

After walking around the Fenway Park area we found the Fenway Victory Gardens. Some people have probably had the same garden plot for 30 years, if not longer. It was so neat seeing gates, and entrances individual to the person who owned it. many plots had little patio areas to relax, and some looked like they hadn't been used in years. Someday I hope to see this area when it's in full bloom! There were a few early blooming plants, and a lot of geese.
The bright yellow forsythia caught my eye against the weathered wood of the fence, as did the beautiful Peregrine Falcon. Or is it a hawk? (correct me if I'm wrong, please!)

More to come soon!!

alrighty then....

Continuing on from my last post, the month of March passed by quickly and onto my regularly scheduled vacation I went. March was very busy at work, and with various cuts being made be it people, time or material shortages, we make do with what we have.

Here are the collages for the last several weeks of Project 365.

First up is week 10: (3/5-3/11) a train in Jax, my huge pile of negatives that I had to sort thru, my new cellphone, opening weekend for the Riverside Arts Market, Girl Scout cookies with milk, Wednesday before-church dinner at Cracker Barrel, and my apartment mailbox area.

Then we have week 11: (3/12-3/18) Mark Erelli (local up-North Musician) played in Jax, Turtle, Firetruck & rescue showed up at the apartment complex, but no idea why, Rough seas ahead!  Dinner: burger on a bagel thin and a rice & tomato side, view of the St Aug seafood fest from the parking garage, peeps!

.....and week 12: (3/19-3/25) Goose, my little old camera collection, The Treaty Oak, rainy day, gator up at the Okeefenokee swamp park, Starbucks fraps, and a couple Union Pacific engines (we don't see those too often here).

....week 13: (3/26-4/1) Looking north on the connecticut river from the old trestle/now a rail trail, cereal for supper, flowers near my work place, TSO in Boston!!!!!, flower, moving van in FL with a boston ad on side (thought it was fate), and dinner out with my parents on my first day of vacation.

Week 14: (4/2-4/8) Sailboats on the River Charles and the famous Citgo sign in Boston, Jeanne & I enjoying some Starbucks in Northampton, MA, Breakfast in the local sugar house by the wood stove, toll house choco chips, our small town church (westhampton, MA), Bacon Guacamole burger at Red Robin, The Quabbin Resevoir.

Hoping I can avoid playing more catch-up....LOL enjoy the pics! I'll be back soon to share more collages, and more photos from my 2 day adventure in Boston with Jeanne! Have a great weekend!

2010 Project 365, week 9:

Back in sunny, but still not very warm, Florida...Here is my collage for Week 9 of our Project 365. As usual from upper left, and clockwise: A cool STOP sign in Surry, NH *look closely, A cemetery in the snow in Swanzey NH, Strawberries in milk for a snack (FL), my new George Foreman grill (love it!), a little single serve edy's ice cream, Flowerpots from Anthropologie, and Mr Kitty.

I bought a good size package of chicken breast tenderloins, and decided to try a little test. I put half in a baking pan with a dab of butter and sprinkled all but 2 with bread crumbs. Scout loves him a little chicken, so I leave a little plain for an occasional treat. The second batch went to the GF Grill. The ones from the grill tasted grilled (duh), and will be great for salads. The baked ones were good, too but didn't have that grilled flavor. So, I'm impressed! :)

Tomorrow the Riverside Arts market starts back up (finally!) so I will probably be there with camera in hand. Hope it's a nice day!

2010 Project 365, Week 8 (and about town)

Continuing on with the next collage from Project 365 here is Week 8! Clockwise from upper left, in no particular order: walk-bridge near the dam in Keene, NH; My side view mirror one day after work; spinich pizza pie at Sams's in Northampton, MA; Wii at my sister's house; the Town Common in Troy, NH; Field at dusk in Westhampton, MA; and the woods behind work in Fitzwilliam, NH.

Saturday was my last day in New Hampshire. I woke up to a gorgeous snow covered landscape. I saw the whole spectrum of weather from snow squall to a tiny hailstorm to the sun coming out and quickly melting all the snow on the trees. Then back to a light snow for the afternoon. Late evening turned foggy and warm. It was very odd.  Here is a selection of some of Saturdays pics.

Today I'm on my way to the airport in Manchester for a 10am flight out. And I will be back in JAX about 3pm.

Happy Trails!

2010 Project 365, Weeks 4 - 7

Alrighty, time to get caught up here. Visiting my parents this weekend, instead of hanging out in NH, but I still have another full work week ahead of me up there. My regular April vacation will be here soon enough, with some TSO/Boston in there. Can't wait!

Week 4: Pigeons on a statue in a local park, reflection in a glass at Anthropologie, Barnes & Noble, some little garlic toasties, the moon, double sundogs.

Week 5: in line to buy a movie ticket to see "Edge Of Darkness", Stack of new railroad ties waiting to be put in, window display of Louis Vuitton, Coffee flavored milk, filling up the ole gas tank, entrance to the local shopping plaza, buttons!

Week 6: thinking about packing for work in NH, bacon wrapped jalapeno thingies (recipe here), rainy drive, some sea glass  found on a beach walk, dinner with the ladies at Cracker Barrel, kitty enjoying a little outdoor time, radio tower in a sunset sky.

Week 7: dessert tray at a church ladies dinner, covered bridge in NH, snowy scene, Colony Mills Marketplace in Keene, NH, At the airport on the 13th ready to fly out of JAX, Ice fishing huts on Wilson Pond in Swanzey, NH.

So those are the last 4 weeks of Project 365. I'm looking forward to a little more daylight to enjoy being outdoors, and wandering. Maybe even a little more staying caught up here. Ahem....Not to mention a little more warm air. :)
For now, goodnight!

2010 Project 365, week 3:

Done with week 3 of the photo project...It has sure beeen an interesting week. As mentioned previously I put in for my April vacation to go up north and see TSO with Jeanne in Boston.

Right after I submitted the time to my supervisor for approval, they sprung on me an opportunity to go up and do some work in one of the other plants the company owns. This event will be taking place much sooner than April, maybe as soon as 2-3 weeks from now. The final dates have not been set yet. I'm kind of blown away by it, sort of excited, and just a little apprehensive. Driving in winter is not one of the things I miss, but it will be cool to see wintery mountains for my own eyes, and not just jealousy-inducing photos from friends. notmentioninganynames. 

To the right you'll see my collage for the 3rd week of Project 365. clockwise from upper left: Singer from the band Third Day at WinterJam, Armored vehicles on a flatbed, Tea & cookies, sunset on my way to Church on Wednesday eve, My small collection of Robert B Parker books on the sad eve of his passing, a lovely blood blister acquired at work on thursday, and last but not least, Moi. Onward!

2010 Project 365, Week 2:

Week 2 is behind us, now. (heck, week 3 is almost over) Here is my collage for the 2nd week of our project. Clockwise from upper left: part of the form we use at work for employee reviews, looking south towards downtown Jax, cupcake from Luli's in St Aug., a fountain on a cold windy day, Luigi's fine Italian food (where I have dinner before Wednesday church), books from the library book sale in St Aug., and last but not least, my library stash of borrows. Click to see larger!

I will have some scrappy-ness to share soon, when Jeanne & I can coordinate our online presence. :)

Recently, Trans-Siberian Orchestra *finally* announced dates for the spring tour. They are heading out to support a new album called "Night Castle" and an older non-Christmas album about Beethoven, called appropriately "Beethoven's Last Night". It's a pretty limited set of dates and they aren't playing the southeast. As luck would have it they are playing in Boston on April1. It should be a blast!

It was planned even before dates were announced that I would go up north to see the show with Jeanne, since it's been several years since we'd gone to a TSO show together. Now to start planning the trip details!

Woohoo!

Scrap Your Day #8

November's "scrap your day" layout, a little late. I had all the pics attached, but hadn't finished my journaling yet. I finished that before I forgot it all, and took my pic. The theme this time was "capturing movement", and with that in mind I used a little more embellishment this time.

Yesterday I went to St Augustine. Not sure what I was thinking cuz it was freezing out, especially by the water!! I knew I had to visit Luli's Cupcakes, since I usually go down on Sunday and they are closed that day. Oh, my the choices! Can't wait to go back to try another flavor or 3. This visit I tried the Lemon Twist and one called The Godfather. Lemon is pretty self-explanatory, but The Godfather was a tiramisu flavor with an espresso syrup in the cake, and the frosting tasted just like the filling for a canoli!

After the cupcake adventure, I stopped at the local library after seeing online that morning that there was a book sale that day. I found several older but interesting books to pick up. So, will keep an eye on when they have there next one as well. I need to find out when my library here does them. I don't recall them having one posted or anything recently. Books are always worth the time and money! Next time I'll have my camera handy in there, too!

Here I am in front of the Castillo de San Marcos, all bundled up in coat, gloves and a hat! :) Have a fantastic week, everyone!

2010 Project 365, Week 1:

Here is the first week of photos for the Project 365 I am participating in on Facebook. As always, click on the photo to enlarge! 7 days down, only 358 to go! Have a great weekend!

Scrap Your Day #??

Seriously, I don't know where I am on this project. No, we just finished our 9th month (December). Can't believe we've gone this far already! It has been a blast, and with the project 365 (facebook edition) I can see time just flying by even faster. Pretty soon, it will be spring and I'll be on vacation and hitting up Boston again. **sigh**
So anyhoo, here is my December layout. November is only half done, so that one will be shared sometime before this weekend.

The little metal letters ("my holiday") down in the right hand corner are so cool! Glad I was able to find the perfect LO for them too! (Thanks, Jeanne!) Of course, you should also go visit her site to see the layouts she completed, and all the other cool stuff she has going on!














I will post again, soon! Have a great rest of the week, and keep warm, wherever you are!! We've had some record lows here, this morning it was 29 deg F this morning, and only 31 yesterday. I know that's not real cold up north, but here, especially after being here for 3 years now...LOL it's COLD! It's hardly gotten above 45 all day, also. Out of the closet comes the hat and gloves!

New Years Day - 2010

I probably should take down the Christmas Tree soon.
Cat has been chewing the needles off of it.
It's an artificial one, can't taste too good.
I've been lazy all day, drinking coffee & watching the Twilight Zone Marathon.
Started a Facebook-based Project 365 for 2010 with Jeanne.
I will probably make a weekly collage to post here.
I'll leave you with a photo taken a few days ago of the almost full moon.



"Every year gives us another chance, chance to change, to hope and wish for the better. That betterment will surely come. Wishing you and yours a joyous New Year"

Christmas

Hoping everyone out in Blog-Land had a very Merry Christmas! As I have for the last couple years I went to Lake City/Branford to visit my Aunt and her family. But only after enjoying some webcam family time on Christmas Eve. For the last several years, now that we are all adults, we've drawn names. We play games, have trivia questions, and just have a good time chatting. When my niece was younger they used to drive to Maine for Christmas Day, so we always celebrated at our house on Christmas Eve. When they stopped going "up Nawth" we've kept up our end of the tradition. Gives you that extra day to relax, or spend time visiting.

It's certainly a little more challenging over the webcam, but we manage ok. So, without further ado here are some of my favorite holiday shots, in collage format to save space.

Above are several treats that I made to hand out to co-workers, and at the top is me, enjoying my morning coffee on Christmas Day.
To the right are a couple pictures of my Aunt's Norman Rockwell Stockbridge Village Set. Only part of the set is out, as she has limited space for it. I was able to capture this shot of a pretty male cardinal in her backyard too! The female stayed pretty well hidden, but I did see her. At top right is probably my favorite shot of all of them. My "happy accident" photo. :) At bottom left is my breakfast and my uncle's father.

It's been overcast and cold for the last several days. In this last group of photos we went for a drive the day after Christmas to several local springs, the water was very high in spots, so got some neat pics. Over by the Suwannee River we saw a tree full of turkey vultures, but the closer I got they all flew away. Still cool.

Happy New Year everyone!!!

The most wonderful time of the year..

I put my Christmas Tree up last weekend, and it doesn't look too bad. I really need to remember to send some of my own ornaments to myself when I go back home. I like to keep it simple but so far I have only a few round (plastic) balls and some plastic twisty icicles. No glass here. At least not on the tree. One string of white lights, and a huge red bow for a topper.  I wish I could have a real tree, but I figure Mr Scout would be far too willing to try to climb it. He already tries to eat the needles off this one when he's feeling feisty. If I want to smell a pine tree, I just burn a nice Yankee Candle, and it's good enough for me!!

I've been playing the Christmas music, and trying to just enjoy the quiet time when I'm NOT at work. I joined a friend and her church to sing carols at a local nursing home, and it was a blast. Some of them never get any visitors, and especially at this time of the year that's so sad. We handed out candy canes and wished them all a Merry Christmas. Many of the residents sang along, when they could, and were very appreciative of us visiting.

Here are a couple photos of the tree. Ignore the junk behind it, I had to tear a few containers apart to find all my stuff. Today I've been wrapping presents and will be sending those off this week. It's a great day to be inside: it's pouring out, and just a very blah day. Once I'm done wrapping, I want to get some scrapping done. been too long, and since I cleaned off the table it's ready to be made messy again!












Hoping everyone has time to relax and enjoy the company of friends and family!

2009 Trans-Siberian Orchestra Concert

The TSO concert was just awesome. Every year it just grows and grows, in popularity, and how far they go with the pyro, lights, lazers, and most of all, the talent involved. Last year I only had my camera phone, and I still can't get them from the camera to the computer. I can still look at them, though. The band is very lenient with cameras, but I only brought my point & shoot and the little Bean as a back-up. If you go to YouTube, you will find plenty of video footage as well. This year was my 8th time seeing them in 9 years, starting way back in 2001. I curse the year 2006, when our company moved us from TX to FL over the  long Thanksgiving weekend. That is a travesty in its own right. Back then they always played FL in very early November and they had already passed through when I got here.

This year out came the camera, and while a friend & I enjoyed the sights and sounds, I happily clicked away. No flash, and not many close-ups, except for a few lucky captures. Really, you need the wide angle to see the whole spectacle. Maybe one day I'll sit up close, but mostly I'm enjoying watching the story unfold, with the added bonus of not having to crane my neck to see the stage. First group of pics: the stunning Anna Phoebe on electric (pink!) violin. And 2 regular shots of the stage, featuring lots of fire and lights.

For goodies I picked up a T-shirt, a beanie cap and of course the tour program for signing. Towards the end of the show Chris Caffery and Anna climb up onto a platform, get properly harnessed in and go for a little ride. This was the first year it was suspended from the ceiling instead of being raised from underneath. This was the only *good* close shot I got. Alex Skolnick on guitar. I love this  shot!!

This is another pic I got of Alex from in the signing line with the little Argus Bean camera. After we got our stuff signed we made our way down to the downtown area with the Landing Mall and find something open so we could get some supper...Chicago Pizza was the only decent place open, so we pigged out, and headed home to get some rest for our day of shopping on Friday. We went to the St John's Town Center, had lunch and margaritas at the Cheesecake Factory, hit up some of the big stores, got a few presents for me and others. Then it started to rain, so back home we went...

The last week or so....

...Give or take a couple of days. Thanksgiving with the family was postponed slightly, so that my aunt could get over a nasty cold. So, on Thanksgiving I went for a ride up to Folkston, GA to check out the Folkston Funnel and get a few more pics of the area. I also managed to get lost in the Okeefenokee Swamp. Yeah, THAT was fun. Every. single. road. led to a locked gate. I turned the car around umpteen times, and went down some pretty narrow and overgrown roads. Finally, I found my way back to the road I came in by, and it was a private drive! The GPS told me that was the way in, too. Hmmmm.  On my way out I apologized, and she was very nice about it. Next time I go there, I will be sure to find a legal entrance! Talk about an adventure, and I didn't even get to see any 'gators. I did see a lot of turkey vultures circling over me, waiting... :)

On Friday I did a little "black friday" shopping. Some for me, some for others. Once the crowds got to be too much for me, I was done. Back home to relax, and pack a bag for the trip out to my aunt & uncle's. They live in the Lake City area, so I left about 7:30am saturday morning. I always stop at Starbucks on the way out, and since that particular morning was only in the upper 30's I got a yummy peppermint mocha. In between helping with table setting and making coffee I hung out in the backyard taking pics, and chatted with my aunt on the deck.

Soon, my cousin & her family arrived as well as my uncle's father, and we all settled in to eat. Had all the usual foods, and lots of dessert as well. It was delicious! On Sunday we had turkey sandwiches and soup. After lunch a bunch of us went for a short walk.

They also surprised me with an early birthday cake and gift! Sweet!! :)  Finally I knew it was time to head home, since I had get up for work on Monday morning...
Next up will be pics from the Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert I went to this past Thursday night... :)

This week..

It has been crazy at work this week. So many different projects and things all going on at the same time. I'm so glad next week is a short work week. The whole crew will be in tomorrow, too, so I have to be in for 6am. meh.

Tonight I stopped by Panera Bread to grab supper since I heard one of their new soups is Mac & Cheese. Sure, It's not like mom makes, but hey, comfort food is comfort food. Especially when someone else makes it!

 And in keeping with that comfort theme, I stopped by Starbucks to get a yummy peppermint mocha. It was all delicious. All that was missing was my friend and some cushy chairs. :)

On Saturday I was able to hit the Arts market, and since the weather was so nice, I walked down to the Landing. There were local artists/students/kids doing chalk drawings along the mall. The Andrew Jackson Portrait was awesome, as were the others. In the bottom right you'll see a statue of Mr. Jackson, "for whom Jacksonville is named".

 

There was a man at the market who makes, sells and plays the didgeridoo. He makes them out of PVC.

A few weeks ago I came across this cutest camera. It's perfect for sneaking into concerts. It has a carabiner clip, and a decent enough resolution.

And well, it's orange. It's pretty much a known fact that if it's orange, I will probably buy it. I've tried it out a little bit in stores, and it works well enough, as long as it's held very still. I don't plan to make it my primary camera, but it's nice and easy to keep with me.

I'll leave you with tonight's sunset after I left work

and a quote:

“Know what you want to do, hold the thought firmly, and do every day what should be done, and every sunset will see you that much nearer the goal.”

~Elbert Hubbard

Jacksonville Sea & Sky Spectacular

This weekend was the Annual Sea & Sky Spectacular Air show at Jacksonville Beach. Every other year they alternate between the beach and NAS (naval air station) JAX. I've never been to the one at NAS, but this was my second time going to the one at the beach. In lieu of paying between $10-30 for parking, I chose to walk about a half mile or so, and use the free side of the road parking up the road a ways. I could have easily watched it from the beach near where I parked, but I wanted to get some food and enjoy some of the audio play-by-play. I probably should have taken notes on who some of the pilots were, or what planes I was watching, but the only ones I know by sight are those pesky Blue Angels. Oh, how loud they were! On the right are several shots of the different planes I saw. It was pretty windy, so there were no "wingwalkers" that I saw.

To the left are the best shots I got of the Blue Angels. There were several fly-bys that near gave me a heart attack. I'm surprised I don't have a sore neck from looking straight up much of the time as well. LOL

At right is the Johnsonville Brats 65 ft grill, and my Brat too. Yeah, the whole back of the semi truck was a grill!! very cool!

All in all it was a great day I'll see it again in 2 more years. :)

As always click on the photos for a closer look!