Those Spare Moments.......

“Guard well your spare moments. They are like uncut diamonds. Discard them and their value will never be known. Improve them and they will become the brightest gems in a useful life.” 
                                                                                                                                                      ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

A Memorial Day Weekend hike at Liberty Loop Trail on the NY, NJ border.

"Set Your Mind Free"......

" Come stroll with me & set your mind free"

Found this on a hike on Fuller Mountain in Warwick, NY

Well said........

"The Queen of Sterling Forest"

Upon finishing our late afternoon hike in Tuxedo, NY, my daughter stood on a rock and declared herself "The Queen of Sterling Forest!"

Wawayanda State Park

Celebrating the winter solstice with a short hike at WSP in NJ and my daughter grabs a quiet moment.

Grand Cascade Lodge

Crystal Springs Resort in NJ.

Mushrooms & Dragonflies

Recently paid a visit to the Basha Kill in Wurtsboro, NY for an afternoon hike.

Happy Autumn!

To welcome Fall, here are some images taken on a recent visit to Pennings Orchard in Warwick, NY.

A couple of shots from Masker Orchard. These sleeping pigs were just too irresistible not to photograph.

Bronx Zoo - Round 1

For my daughters 6th birthday last month, my parents gifted her with a membership to the Bronx Zoo and between us, I'm not sure who was more excited!  We decided to make the first of many trips last week and here are a few of the animals that were kind enough to cooperate with me...

Along with the big cats, gorillas are my favorite zoo animals to photograph. If you exercise enough patience, you can be rewarded with some astounding images from their incredibly expressive faces.

At one point, I discovered a couple of gorillas sleeping up against the window of the dark, over-crowded exhibit.  Although it initially seemed as if nothing interesting was happening, I suddenly became captivated by the image of one of the gorillas hands - fingers curled up in sleep. 

Lessons in Dancing in the Rain

While most of us run for cover at the first sign of a rainstorm, the average free-spirited 6 year old  runs in the opposite direction - straight into the downpour.  Last night, during a particularly fearsome thunderstorm, my daughter went one better by leading my wife into the front yard with a series of pirouettes, leaps and twirls, belly laughing the whole time.  As adults, we tend to forget how liberating it feels to just follow our instincts - until we witness our children following theirs.

Picnic at Browns Point

Recently had an afternoon with my daughter at Browns Point, a small park in New Milford, NJ on the southern end of Greenwood Lake. She wasted no time kicking off the shoes and getting her feet wet.

Yesterday's Wicked Weather

Had some nasty storms barrel through Warwick, NY early Friday, so I grabbed the gear and headed out to do a little "storm chasing". I pulled over on Mt. Eve Rd. in Pine Island and decided to get a shot of the storm clouds over the mountains. It was pouring, so I figured it would be a good idea to wait it out in the car.

To pass the time, I started taking some shots through the rain-smeared windshield. The result, much more dramatic than I expected, looks sort of painterly, don't you think?

The rain never did stop, but it slowed down enough for me and my non-waterproof camera to get out and grab the shot I wanted.

Bear Mountain Bridge

Spent a cold day at Bear Mountain State Park. Went down to the fishing docks and grabbed a shot of the bridge. My first time there.... After all these years, I don't know why I've never been to this park.

Family Hike - Appalachian Trail

Taking advantage of these "close, but not close enough" spring-like days, we decided to get a much needed nature fix. We hopped onto the trail in Jersey and took it as far as we could. The recent flooding made it impassable at one point, unless you were prepared to take off your shoes and roll up your pants.

A detour into the woods found us a couple of snakes, holding hands and straddling a log to cross over some water and a walk over a rickety bridge. It was an adventure.

Happy Birthday, Mr. Washington!

I live for finding little things like this around town; a small detail tucked away along the side of the road. We drive by things like this all the time without noticing them. I can't tell you how many times I've driven past this garage on the Pennings lot and it wasn't until a couple of weeks ago that I decided I wanted to capture this scene.
I waited for an overcast day - I wanted thick, gray clouds to add some drama to this shot.

Winter Scene 2

Here is one more from Tuesday morning. I did manage to find some color in this snowy, icy landscape!

Winter Scenes

Visited one of my favorite places yesterday......Wawayanda State Park in New Jersey. Always an opportunity for a picture.

Winter Horse

Who can resist stopping to look at beautiful horses along the side of the road?

Black Dirt Sunset

Stopped to grab a pic of the sun setting on the black dirt on Pumpkin Swamp Rd. in Florida, NY.

Evening Snow

Took a ride out on Friday evening just before sunset. Stopped at the the top of Pelton Crossing and shot this panorama overlooking County Rd 1A. 

Winter on the Lake

The lake at Wawayanda State Park.