Open Window

Images in Ice

We never really know when long running-strain or -stress is taxing us because we must keep going. But I had the great good fortune to have a winter birthday at the same time as a nor'easter, and basically have had most of a week off. I'd truly forgotten what it was to plan a day just for me. What did I do? Read, cooked, walked and enjoyed the storms.

The second storm has been the best in my judgement. Snow in the daytime hours and then frigid air to make everything ice over. Not good if you must go somewhere, but ...I can work from home!!

"Real feel" it was about 4 degrees when I went out to try to open our cars and heat them up enough to help in the process of de-icing the entire car! But I wore four layers, good boots, stepped carefully and .... enjoyed every invigorating minute. No one else was out, the sun was hardly up and I had this beautiful white, starting to sparkle, world to myself. Such a treasure, such a gift.

Once I had finally freed our cars from the ice's grip. I intended to go in and begin work but then thought better of it. There are not moments of beauty like this often and I decided I wouldn't miss this one. So I SLOWLY drove toward the beach. We are so fortunate to live in such a beautiful part of the country, it suits my soul. Just give me good farm land and the ocean, side-by-side, and I'm content. 

Claudia Ward © 2021

But those of you who have followed me at all know, I don't always look at the bigger picture, I often love, and entertain myself, with the smaller picture. So I share this very brief slideshow with you (please click here) and ask ... do you see any flying fish? Birds looking askance? A baby bird in a nest? A buffalo? How about bottlenose dolphin? 

I feel so fortunate to be able to see the world big and small.

Stay well, one and all. Until later.

 

 

Ice and Fire

 

Coat of Ice © 2018 Claudia Ward 

Fiery Bull © 2018 Claudia Ward

Some times Peter and I are "late to the game", not often but some times, and we were very late to the Game of Thrones. We never saw one episode until this winter and here we are now 5-6 months later, all caught up. The reason we started watching at all was because I was tired of hearing people reference events that are part of the series, like the Red Wedding, and having no idea what the reference meant. 

Now I have a bit of trivia that may not be widely known. Did you know that George R.R. Martin began writing Game of Thrones in 1991 and envisioned it being a part of a trilogy. Currently Martin is finishing his sixth volume in this series that will end with a seventh. And what is this entire series of epic fantasy novels known as? .... A Song of Ice and Fire. 

Prisms in Ice © 2018 Claudia Ward

Crystal Pinwheel © 2018 Claudia Ward

Looking through some of my photos from this chilly winter I found several that I wanted to share with you here. I loved pairing the ones of ice and fire; I love the contrast in subject matter and in the feelings they respectively evoke within us. I hope you enjoy these images as much as I do.

Horse in Flames © 2018 Claudia Ward 

Phantom in the Fire © 2018 Claudia Ward 

 

Nor'easter Skylar

Three nor'easters in less than two weeks! Enough already! First there was Riley on March 2-3, then there was Quinn on the 7th and finally (?) Skylar this past Tuesday March 13th.

Nor’easters form when balmy ocean breezes collide with cold air from over the continent - the larger the difference in temperature, the more powerful the storm. And no surprise to most of us, scientists say that climate change is fueling nor’easters, by warming the seas. These powerhouse storms have come with varying degrees of heavy snow and rain, sustained strong winds, and surging waves and tides, the results of which have been enormous power outages, beach erosion and serious coastal flooding all along the northeastern United States. More than a century of sea-level rise, has made seaside cities and towns more vulnerable to floods.

Storms create drama and drama often creates photo opportunities - Nor'easter Riley did along our beaches and Skylar did in our own back yard. There's a berm separating our yard from the parking lot that has 15-20 foot tall Italian cypress-like trees planted along its ridge and a flank of 10-12 foot tall rhododendrons on our side. Skyler's snows began in the early hours of the morning and persisted throughout the day until around 6:00 p.m. We have never seen snow flakes as large as these - some were the size of half-dollar coins, and they clung to everything making the world picture perfect.

When I ventured out, I found the snow was about 16 inches deep and light and fluffy, and between the two banks of trees was a magical cathedral of snow draped branches. So I'm sharing the slideshow I created of the images I captured hoping that you too can enjoy the beauty created by this storm.

Photos and Slideshow by Claudia Ward & Peter Tooker © 2018
Music: "Snow" by Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Peggy Lee & Trudy Stevens

 

 

 

Spring is in the Air

  Birds & Berries © 2017 Claudia Ward 

The first day of Spring has come and gone and the days are now officially longer than the nights. The croci are croaking, the daffodils are dawdling, and the birds are returning. This winter it appears that the robins remained up north. Apparently, robins migrate more in response to food than to temperature. Fruit is the robin's winter food source and these robins found a veritable feast on our neighbor's holly tree.

Robin Soaring © 2017 Claudia Ward

Some of you may recall that I first saw this feasting frenzy four years ago, was mesmerized watching the flock of robins darting in and out of the 25 foot holly tree, and photographed the scene as best I could. I've hoped to see it every year since and this year my patience was rewarded. Armed with a better camera, a longer lens, and a sturdy tripod I spent one February day parked on our back stoop capturing as much of the action as I could. Four years ago the preponderance of my images were of the birds perched on the snow covered branches snapping up berries as quickly as possible. This year these are certainly some of those images but more rewarding to me were the images I captured of the robins in flight. I hope you enjoy this slide show as much as I enjoyed creating it.

Photos and Slide Show © 2017 Claudia Ward
Music: "Boeuf Bourguignon" by Alexandra Desplat from Julie & Julia
 

 

Spring Equinox 2016

One week ago today was the official first day of Spring and for the second year in a row we had snow. I really don't mind. In fact, I love it - that's one of the many things I love about living in the northeast. Here's a quick look at what Spring looked like on the morning of March 20 in the Hamptons.

  

Photos & Slide Show © 2016 Claudia Ward
"A Nom de Plume/ Carnivale!" by Alexandre Desplat; Casanova Soundtrack

And 9 hours later it was all gone.

P.S. When I was confirming when the official start of Spring would be this year, I learned something I would probably never have discovered without the internet. Could I have lived without this little tidbit - of course, but I found it interesting in all its obscureness so I had to share it with you.

Spring equinox usually happens on March 20th or the 21st, and this year it will be the earliest since 1896 (120 years ago). Why? Well the reason goes back to Pope Gregory XIII, the guy who created the Gregorian calendar in 1582 (today's internationally accepted civil calendar).

A year on earth lasts 365.242 days which is dealt with by having most years have 365 days and every fourth year having 366 days; those years we call Leap Years. Under this system, a year is 365.25 days which is a hair longer than the actual length of a year. Trying to address this, Pope Gregory XIII declared that "years ending in '00' should not be leap years unless they are also diviseible by 400. So the year 2000 was a leap year but 1700, 1800 and 1900 were not, and 2100 won't be either." 

According to EarthSky, via livescience.com, the 2000 leap year caused the Spring equinox to come about three-quarters of a day earlier than it did a century earlier in 1900. Ever since 2000, the March equinox of each leap year has happened earlier than the previous leap year, e.g. 2:25 a.m. EST in 2000, and 1:15 a.m. EDT in 2012 (on March 20th). This trend will continue until the end of this century and will even cross over to March 19th, e.g. 11:50 p.m. EDT in 2020, 11:06 pm. The earliest Spring equinox of the century will be at 10:03 p.m. EDT on March 19, 2096. (Check out the chart below.)

But remember Pope Gregory's rule, years ending in "00" shall not be leap years if they can be divided by 400, thus 2100 will not be a leap year and Spring will arrive later that year, by about a quarter of a day - once again on March 20th, around 9:01 a.m. EDT.

2000    March 20    02:25 a.m.    EST
2004    March 20    01:49 a.m.    EST
2008    March 20    01:48 a.m.    EDT
2012     March 20    01:15 a.m.     EDT
2016     March 20    12:30 a.m.    EDT
2020    March 19     11:50 p.m.    EDT
2024    March 19     11:06 p.m.    EDT
2096    March 19    10:03 p.m.    EDT
2100    March 20    09:01 a.m.    EDT

 

Love & Passion

"The Kiss" © 2015 Claudia Ward

Now that I have your attention, I'd like to tell you about the 11th Annual Love & Passion Art Show that will be at The White Room Gallery at 2415 Main Street in Bridgehampton NY for most of the month of February. I have been selected to show my image "The Kiss". There will be an opening wine reception on Saturday, February 6 between 5:00 and 7:00 p.m., and a closing wine reception on Saturday, February 26 between 5:00 and 7:00 p.m. This is a juried show with the general public voting for Most Original, Most Thought Provoking, and Most True to Theme. The White Room is open Fridays through Sundays between 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Best in Show Jurors are Karyn Mannix and Andrea McCafferty and the winner will win a two-week feature exhibition in a 1-3 person show in the summer of 2016.

In 2004, Karyn Mannix collaborated with Vito Sisti creating The Annual Love & Passion Show with the first show taking place at Karyn’s original gallery on Main Street in East Hampton. The show's main purpose was and is to bring the local community together in one common thought…Love & Passion. The show has morphed and moved to a variety of locations over the years; this year karyn mannix contemporary is teaming up with The White Room Gallery to bring the show back to the public with the sub-context being "Peace, Love & Understanding".

In 2000, Andrea McCafferty founded the Crazy Monkey Gallery, pioneering as the first Fair Trade boutique on the east end, selling artisan works from around the world. Within a few years the gallery gradually evolved to display artwork by local artists, and within a short time had transformed into a vibrant member of the Hamptons art community. In November of 2004, the Crazy Monkey reopened as the first co-operative Fine Art Gallery in the Hamptons, with a rotating stable of up to 24 artists, and operated until 2014. In the spring of 2015, Andrea McCafferty, with partners Sally Breen and Daniel Schoenheimer, opened The White Room Gallery in Bridgehampton NY. The new, and much larger space, allows a continuation of the cooperative ideal, while also representing well-known artists in the community.  

So if your wondering what you can do on these quiet winter weekends in the Hamptons, visit The White Room (it's right next to the Presbyterian Church) and enjoy each artist's spin on "Love & Passion" ... and don't forget to vote!

 

Pop-Up Gallery in Hampton Bays

A pop-up gallery has popped up in Hampton Bays due to the boundless energies of Tom Rickard, local photographer and artist, and Peter and I are exhibiting our images there this month. The gallery is located right in the center of town at 21 West Montauk Highway, on the south side of the street just east of Scotto's, and it's open Monday through Saturday between 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. and on Sunday between 12:00 noon and 4:00 p.m.

Tom found this space, which is available to us on a month-to-month basis right now, and he invited us to participate in this brave endeavor. Now if you're not local you might be asking yourself why this would be considered "brave" and the answer is "this is the Hamptons in January - it's dead". The throngs that populate our streets "in-season" are happily ensconced in Manhattan or have headed south to do their snowbird thing. But trends and traditions do change so if you are local or are some of those who know how wonderful the Hamptons are when there are no crowds and traffic, please pop-in to our pop-up. You'll be able to enjoy the works of Dennis Bontempo, Jennifer Briand, Julian & Jane Craker, Rich Iaboni, Carolyn Munaco, and of course, Tom Rickard, Peter Tooker, and, yours truly, Claudia Ward.

 

Robins in Snow

Robin in a Snowy Holly Tree © 2013 Claudia Danforth Ward

Yesterday as we were truly beginning to appreciate the results of Blizzard Nemo, I was gazing out our bay window looking at a world that was mostly devoid of bright color, and then I saw them - robins. I first noticed their bright orange breasts and then I notice their motion. Robins were everywhere flying frenetically in, out and about our neighbor's 25-foot holly tree. What was the attraction? The bright red berries on the holly tree.

I always thought birds migrated south in the winter but apparently that's not always true. Robins in particular will stick around if there's food. As their usual food supply - earthworms and insects - is not available in cold weather, robins will eat fruit throughout the winter and this holly tree was laden yesterday with not only snow and ice but thousands of bright red berries - a feast for any robin or scores of them.

I was mesmorized by these creatures yesterday and couldn't stop watching them dart to and fro - thrilled with this cornucopia of food.

  

Photos and Slide Show ©2013 Claudia Danforth Ward
Music: Going Hunting by George Fenton - Soundtrack "Dangerous Liaisons" 

UPDATE: Within 24 hours of the end of Bizzard Nemo and my sighting of the robins next door, the holly tree has been picked clean of its bright red berries and the robins have moved on. Wow!

Holly Tree Sans Berries, Birds, and Snow

Open Window's Second Year

It's official, Open-Window is now two years old. I can hardly believe I began this blog on a cold January day, sitting at the island in my kitchen, 730 days ago. In the past two years, Open-Window has focused my days on creating stories, snippits, and photographs that I hoped you would find entertaining, sometimes informative, and maybe even amusing. We've covered a lot of ground and many diverse topics over this time ranging from Hawaii to Paris, Hamburger Relish to Caviar, Horse Racing to Airshow Acrobatics. As time has passed, we increasingly focused on the images and slide shows that would accompany a post, and have worked diligently to improve the quality of all that we delivered. Peter has continued to emphasize wide-angle HDR (high dynamic range) photography whether on his DSLR (digital single lens reflex-camera) or his, ever-handy, iPhone, and I have continued with my love of all-things-macro, although we each dabbled in the other's specialty just to keep it interesting.

Mexican Train Tiles and Turtles
Photo © 2011 Claudia Ward 

Over the past twenty four months, we've made 388 postings to Open-Window which is an average of almost 4 per week, nearly every one containing at least one photograph and 60 of which included a slide show with music. When we embarked on this endeavor, we expected to focus on travel, food and photography. As it's turned out, the focus has been just that ... but in reverse - photography, food and travel. See, we'll photograph nearly anything - food that we eat, games that we play, children at the beach, machines of any sort, flowers and their residents, landmarks and landscapes, moon-rises and sunsets, and even light itself. 

The Outer Banks of North Caroline
Photo © 2011 Claudia Ward taken with the iPhone using the Pro HDR App

This year has been quite a journey photographically as well as geographically. Peter and I traveled over 14, 500 miles. We drove the entire east coast from the east end of Long Island to Orlando, Florida, traversing Florida, and turning north to reach Memphis Tennessee. We crossed the states of Tennessee and North Carolina end-to-end (west to east), photographing some of this country's most beautiful scenery in the Great Smoky Mountains. When we reached the Atlantic Ocean, it felt like we'd returned home, for tidal waters are in our veins, and the days on the Outer Banks are now cherished memories. Early morning sunrises over the ocean, wild horses on the beaches, hang gliding from the dunes, and fish tacos are just a few of the things we captured in-frame. With tornadoes nipping at our heels from western Florida, to Memphis and eventually to eastern North Carolina, we headed home just hours before their destruction hit the locales we'd come to know and love. Atlantic City was our refuge from the storms, before returning to the calm, untouched East End.

Spanish Mustang on the Outer Banks
Photo © 2011 Claudia Ward

Thirty days and thirty nights, and 4,000 miles on the road gave us a tremendous, renewed appreciation for the beauty and diversity of this country we live in. A couple of hundred more miles were covered seeking out horses at Saratoga Springs in August. For one who isn't known as an animal lover, I do love photographing them. Whether in their stance or stride, they speak volumes to me and hopefully that is being captured by the lens. Finally, the balance of those miles (nearly 10,000) were accomplished by a trip to The Big Island of Hawaii, where we were able to photograph the incredible diversity of this island's landscape and all of its beauty from a helicopter. 

Antique Hood Ornament
Photo © 2011 Claudia Ward 

More locally, we visited Belmont Park just a week before the Stakes were run and attended the Hampton Classic Horse Show every single day it was held over Labor Day weekend. There were at least three Antique Auto Shows, one Road Rallye and a Mini Cooper Scavenger Hunt that we shot as well. Our beaches on the east end of Long Island are some of the most breathtaking in the country (right up there with North Carolina's) and we spent many happy hours either hip deep in snow in January or ankle deep in sand in August, capturing the undulating shapes of their dunes draped in snow or the power of their seas after a storm.

Light Painting for New Year's
Photo © 2011 Peter Tooker 

The holidays that dot our calendars were also not ignored. Memorial Day is always an homage to the "Opening" of the Hamptons season. Flag Day, the 4th of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and the Christmas season were all duly noted and celebrated with photographs too.   

Meaty Tomato painted by Barbara Andolsek

Let me also add, ever so humbly, that I have once again been thrilled that Barbara Andolsek continues to make paintings based on some of my photographs. Barbara and I have yet to meet but feel a friendship beyond pen-pals. Nearly 3,000 miles apart but with a shared appreciation for the beauty of the world around us, Barbara and I have forged a friendship that could only occur in this wonderful 21st century. It still astounds me at how incredibly open and selfless so many people are using the internet to connect, communicate, and share. I feel incredibly fortunate to be able to be a part of it.

The word "blog" is derived from the expression "web log", which originally was an online journal of sorts and has morphed, over time, into a platform for communicating and exchanging information and ideas. I want to thank you all for your enthusiasm and support over the last two years but more importantly for your participation - "communication and exchange" are exactly what has occurred when you've left comments for us, and you've made it just that much more fun and interesting.

So here is a slide show which represents a snapshot of Open-Window's second year. It's shorter than last year's and yet still longer than most at just under 10 minutes. Perhaps you can set aside a little time next Sunday morning. We've made this for you, to enjoy and remember a year that we shared, and for that I want to say with great sincerity "Thanks for the memories". 

  

Photos & Slide Show by Claudia Ward & Peter Tooker © 2011
Music: Concerto in E-flat Major for Trumpet & Orchestra: 1. Allegro Con Spirito by Wynton Marsalis, National Philharmonic Orchestra & Raymond Leppard 

 

P.S. Please feel free to leave a comment and let us know what you thought of year two and if there is something you'd like to see more of in the coming months.

 

 

Shooting the Rising Moon

Moon Rising over the Beach © Claudia Ward
Nikon D60, 200mm: ISO 200, f/11 for 1/100 second, taken at 4:05 p.m. EST

Once a month, the day before the full moon, the moon rises before the sun sets. Did you know that? I didn't consciously know it until this Night Photography eClass I've been taking with Kent Weakley. Sure I've seen the moon still in the sky early some mornings and thought "that's a little odd" but never did I focus on it as I have over the past week.

The full moon here was on Saturday Dec 10th, so to capture a sunlit landscape image with a nearly full moon in it, we packed up our tripods and gear and headed to the beach on Friday afternoon, to a wooden deck that straddles the sand dunes and provides a perfect panorama of the dunes, beach, ocean and hopefully, the moon. 

Rising December Moon in the Hamptons © Claudia Ward
Nikon D60, 80mm: ISO 200, f/11 for 1/30 second, taken at 4:09 p.m. EST 

The moon was scheduled to rise at 3:42 p.m. and the sun was scheduled to set at 4:21 p.m. so there was a 39 minute window in which we might be able to get a photograph of the rising moon in a well lit landscape. Well, 3:42 p.m. came and went; we saw nothing. There were a few cumulus clouds along the horizon but nothing anyone would consider cloud cover, so hope persevered. By 3:52 p.m., I was walking the beach, peering around dunes, to see what could be hiding our precious moon - to no avail. We checked our iPhone apps to reconfirm exactly where the moon should appear, and we knew it should be there. 

Moon over the Hamptons © Claudia Ward
Nikon D90, 55mm: ISO 320, f/9.0 for 1/15 second, taken at 4:29 p.m. EST 

It was nearly 4:00 p.m. before the moon made its appearance, just above the clouds, as a large pale white disk rising slowly in the sky. We were thrilled.

Rising Moon at Sundown © Claudia Ward
Nikon D60, 135mm: ISO 200, f/11 for 1/30 second, taken at 4:16 p.m. EST 

The winds were brisk, off the ocean, and it was mighty cold on top of that platform, but Peter and I had a ball and kept shooting until the sky to the west was nothing but fiery orange and black. It was a challenge to firmly anchor the tripods but I think we got some good shots and hope you agree. This is the first post on "Shooting the Rising Moon", more to come.

Full Moon in December © Claudia Ward
Nikon D60, 200mm: ISO 200, f/5.6 for 1/100 second, taken at 4:20 p.m. EST 

Let us know what you think and if you have any tips on shooting the moon, feel free to pass them along.

 

Ice Boat Regatta

The Lake Ronkonkoma Ice Boat and Yacht Club held their annual regatta on Mecox Bay in Watermill NY on the east end of Long Island this year. We'd had a pretty long cold snap and the ice was solid, smooth, and snowless - good conditions for ice boating and, in fact, all manner of ice entertainment. On the day of the races, it was a cold, clear day with winds accelerating during the day to possibly 25-30 mph. That's a bit too strong even for these rugged "hard-water" sailors, so they started early, hoping to get all of their races in before the winds were too strong - and they did. 

By 8:30 in the morning, there were scores of boats on the ice. There were Scooters, Skeeters, J14s, and DNs for as far as the eye could see. (If you're interested in some of the history and a brief description of the types of boats, read the Addendum following the slide show.)

The Skeeters, J14s, and the DNs were racing this day. Among the Skeeters were boats named Glissando, Hypothermia, I-C-FUN, Mill Bug, Stinger, and On the Rocks - you "gotta" love those names. The DNs (that stands for Detroit News - more on that later) generally have numbers but Passion and Arctic Blast could be seen among their ranks. 

Peter and I shot the entire regatta and more between 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Peter stayed on land, mounted his video and still cameras on tripods and got great footage and photos of all the action. I strapped our two Nikons around my neck, one with a 120-400mm telephoto zoom lens, and the other with my beloved 55-200mm, and hiked about a quarter of a mile out onto the ice, several yards from the mark. It was so much fun standing on the ice shooting these speed demons as they rounded the mark, often heeling as they did so. Six races were run and we got it all.

The slide show below is only a small representation of what the day and races were like. As mesmerizing as the races were, there was lots more to see. Scooters, one of which is called Big Mutha, came in and out throughout the day.
Numerous windsurfers were traversing the bay, avoiding the race course as best they could. One hardy, perhaps foolhardy, kite surfer spent an hour being pulling across the ice with a rudderless snow board strapped to his feet.
And, children were learning to ice skate and play hockey near the shore. These were some of the most entertaining and gratifying hours of our winter. Everyone was friendly and everyone was happy, perhaps none more so than me. After 5 hours on the ice, it was wonderful to return home to some hot cider and a warm roaring fire.

 Photos and Slide Show ©2011 Claudia Ward

Music: The Rehearsal by Alexandre Desplat; Soundtract of the movie "The King's Speech"

Addendum: Source predominantly Wikipedia

The Scooter, (a.k.a. ice scooter or bay scooter) is a wide, stubby, scow-like boat used in the 1800s for transportation to and from lighthouses and for ice fishing. Parallel rails were mounted on the bottom, like sled runners enabling these vessels to simultaneously scoot across open "soft" water and stretches of ice. These boats have no rudder and are sailed solely by adjusting the main and jib sail trim.

Traditional stern-steerer boats (none shown here) were largely replaced by front steering boats in the 1930s following the development of this style by Walter Beauvois in a boat he called Beau Skeeter. That boat led to the Skeeter class, which adopted the logo of a mosquito on their sail, like On the Rocks in the slide show. There are sub-classes in the Skeeter class. Class A Skeeters are single seated, have masts in excess of 26 feet, a sail area limited to 75 square feet, and are the fastest skeeters around.

B class skeeters are two seat boats (side-by-side seating), with 23-25 foot masts like Just Add Ice seen in the slide show. C class skeeters have a single seat and are limited to a mast height of 20 feet 3 inches or less.

Some one-design classes have evolved in the C class and the J14 is one of those.

In 1937, The Detroit News sponsored a new home-buildable ice boat design, which became the International DN. The task given to each volunteer was to build a one-person boat with 60 square feet of sail that could be built quickly, was easy to sail, and showed excellent performance. The International DN is the most popular class of ice boat in both North America and Europe.

 

Ice Boating

The bay was frozen solid this past week and there were ice boat races all day Saturday. This is but a preview of coming attractions for you. Enjoy.

Ice Boating on Mecox Bay © 2011 Claudia Ward

Winter - A Partial Retraction

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post expounding upon the reasons why I love winter - the incredible beauty of freshly fallen snow, the comfort of warming up by a roaring fire, and the satisfaction of sipping hot spiced cider after coming in from the cold - were a number of those reasons, and they still stand. However, winter has been showing her harsher sides in recent weeks - freezing rains, gale force north winds, treacherous refrozen snow, and gray skies. In fact, everything has been gray, and it's such a depressing color - the roads are gray with salt, the snow is gray from dirt, the cars are gray from salt-spray, and the people are gray from living in such a gray world. This has taxed even my generally sunny disposition. I crave the optimism of color and I didn't know quite how much until I turned on my computer yesterday and saw these photos that I'd taken on Martha's Vineyard in June of 2009. The colors made my heart sing and I found myself smiling and feeling optimistic, for surely spring will always follow even this winter. Cold will give way to warm, the ground will thaw, trees will bloom, and flowers will spring forth sharing their bright colors and spreading good cheer everywhere.

The television was barking out the temperatures across the country yesterday morning. The temperatures here, they said, would be between 25-30℉ with a wind chill factor of about 14℉, but Minneapolis would have a temperature of 0℉, with a wind chill factor of -25℉! I've heard that those who live in Minneapolis don't see the ground from November until nearly April - how gray is that! So this is for everyone who's had it with this winter, but especially for you Valérie. Chin up, spring will come - it's just a matter of time.

 Photos and Slide Show ©2011 Claudia Ward

Music: 'S Wonderful, New York Philharmonic & Zubin Mehta

Winter

I know, I'm in the minority, but I love winter. I love the chill in the air; I love putting (and taking off) layers; I love the low, long light at the beginning and end of every day; I love snow and ice, and all the shapes they take; I love the smell of apple cider steeping with cinnamon sticks and wood burning in the fireplace; I love the feeling and sense of home I get in this season as no other.

The northeast has had its challenges in the past few winters, but nothing insurmountable. The recent nor'easter was meant to be terrible for us, but we persevered as did those of us to the north who "had it worse".

A challenging season? Without a doubt. But there's nothing, in my estimation, like the feeling of coming in from a walk on the beach or along Main Street on a cold winter's day to the warmth of your home. I once read that "If you cut your own wood, it will warm you twice", well I can't cut the wood but that which we've gathered is warming us very nicely. Enjoy the winter.

 

Photos ©2011 Claudia Ward & Peter Tooker; Slide Show by CLaudia Ward
Music: Winter by Classical Study Music

 

Winter Solstice & Lunar Eclipse

Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year which also means it will be the longest and darkest night. At the time of the Northern hemisphere's Winter Solstice, the sun is at its lowest in our skies because the North Pole is pointed away from it. Tonight, however, will be that much darker as there will be a total lunar eclipse as well. According to NASA, this is the first time these two events have coincided since 1638 (372 years ago). And to top it off, a meteor shower is expected during the peak of the eclipse, which would likely be completely missed because of the moon's light, if it weren't for the eclipse. No need for special glasses or equipment to watch the show, just walk outside and look up.

The thing about a lunar eclipse is that it can be observed, weather permitting, over several hours. On the east coast of North America, the lunar eclipse begins around 12:30 a.m. EST Tuesday (tomorrow) morning and ends officially at 6:04 a.m.; on the west coast, it begins around 9:30 p.m. PST tonight and ends at 3:04 a.m. tomorrow.

A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth gets between the full moon and the sun, blocking the sun's light from bouncing off the lunar surface. There are a possible 12 stages to a total lunar eclipse (check this out, how cool) and, on the east coast, the total eclipse stages begin at 2:41 a.m. and end at 3:53 a.m., with "totality" occurring at 3:17 a.m. Who knew this could be so interesting?

So what's described as the shortest day, could become your shortest-longest night - that is if you stay up to watch the many phases of this lunar event.

Les Carrots Sont Cuites! (We've had it!)

We've had it! Winter must go!

We all agree, this winter has seemed interminable, but this past week-end there was a glimmer of hope! Temperatures finally climbed out of the low 30's and indeed touched 50! The beaches were crowded with pasty white people like ourselves with dark circles under their eyes - remnants from this punishing winter - eagerly trying to find the spring in their steps lost last fall when the temperatures began to drop. Optimism was everywhere! 

One young man was walking his golden retriever, dressed above his waist for a harsh winter day - wool cap pulled over his ears, heavy hip-length wool jacket and leather gloves - and below the waist for summer - light jeans rolled up to his knees and bare feet! He was even walking his dog at the shoreline, burr-rr! 

 

A couple, wearing blue jeans and P-coats, napped on the beach, her head comfortably planted on his stomach - relaxed, soaking up the long-lost sun. 

 

And another couple, clad in heavy waterproof winter jackets equipped with hoods, windproof leggings and woolen mittens, brought beach chairs, planted them against a dune with the wind to their backs, facing the sun, and casually read the Sunday paper as if it was a warm summer day. I wonder how she managed to turn the pages with those mittens on.

We've had it! Les carrots sont cuites! That lion of March better not show his face - we've fallen in love with the lamb!

Comments of nearly any kind are welcome. Click on the word comments below.

Slide Show-Winter to Spring at the Beach

Someone asked me today, "What do you do all day?" These days the answer is learn. Learn Adobe Photoshop Elements, learn how to calibrate a color printer, learn how to back-up all of our photographic work, learn how to sell photos on stock photo sites, learn how to set up a website, learn how to set up a business, learn when and where the art fairs are around the region, and of course learn how to blog. I have yet to learn how to get more of you to leave comments, but hopefully that will come with time.

Today I've been experimenting and learning how to make exportable slideshows from iPhoto to post to this blog. I've made one that I hope you enjoy showing the transition from winter to spring at the beach using some of my favorite subjects - shells.

Photos and slide show by Claudia Ward 2009 All Rights Reserved

To watch just click the arrow at the center of the picture above, sit back and enjoy. But of you really want to have some fun, click on the arrow, then look to the lower right at the bottom of the picture. See the number 360p with an arrow next to it? Click on the arrow and select the other option - 480p. Once it's done adjusting itself, click on the square that really looks like arrows going in four directions, that will enlarge the slideshow to the size of your screen. Now sit back and really enjoy! What a hoot ... and I didn't know how to do this this morning!

Some of you have been kind enough to point out that lots of other YouTube stuff is offered up after you see the "videos", apparently that's unavoidable, at least we have yet to find a way around it, but rest assured we're working on it! Perhaps that's what I'll do tomorrow.

Please let me know what you think! Leave a comment by clicking on the word Comment at the bottom of this post or if that's too far to go, just click here and you'll be transported to the Comments box (that's like a mail box not a penalty box). Dialogue and Comments are what blogging is all about!

The Power of Positive Thinking ...

The power of positive thinking ... is flagging these days. There's been another storm hovering over the northeast for well over 24 hours; although I must say we on the east end of Long Island haven't been as badly hit as our compatriots to the west. It's been snowing for over 12 hours here but our accumulation this time is small - about four inches. Tiresome, however, still comes to mind.

Our beaches are being eroded badly as you can see.  One can hardly tell where the snow ends and the surf begins on some beaches ... and tomorrow is the full moon!

Photo by Claudia Ward 2010 All Rights Reserved

But the storm has made our village and its lanes "picture perfect".  We hope you agree.

 Photo by Peter Tooker Copyright 2010 All Rights Reserved

Comments are welcome on the state of the winter, the photographs, or this blog. 

Signs of Spring

Signs of spring are to hard to find this year and it's painfully evident from recent conversations as well as from blogs that I follow, that our optimistic natures are being taxed with news of more storms, more snow, and/or more cold weather. The country seems desperate for any indication that spring is indeed on its way and will consider nearly anything a "sure sign". Could we consider the melting icicles in my back yard a sure sign?

Melting Icicles

Melting Icicle Reflections

Or could we consider the cardinal in John Stenerson's snow covered bird feeder in North Carolina a sure sign?

Photo by John Stenerson 2010

What would you consider "proof positive" that indeed spring is on its way? 

The Day Got Away ...

We got really busy today learning more about the fine tunings of virtual reality, for some real estate sales advertising.  In the meantime ... we hope you enjoy these, "anyone for golf"?

 Sag Harbor's Long Wharf

  Bridgehampton's Traps in Winter

The Spring Thaw? When Pigs Fly!

When I used to work ... by that I mean when I used to go to an office everyday, I so wanted to stay home and not work on the days of a snow storm. I love the feeling of being inside while all that white stuff is falling all around you. I look forward to the snow covering everything that was brown and barren with this pristine, wind-swept blanket and the variety of shapes and shadows the drifts will make. So haven't I felt fortunate this winter when the northeast has gotten more snow than we've seen in years. Peter and I have made the most of it cooking up a storm, simmering a pot of hot spiced cider nearly all day and hiking around town taking pictures of anything that caught our eye or our sense of humor.

The frozen wind catcher of our wind chime looking like a boat afloat.

An icicle looking like a ballerina's foot "en pointe".

But friends in the hard hit "central" belt are crying uncle. Their fascination with the white stuff ended long ago. A friend reported to me today, "we have 36 inches of snow" and we're supposed "to get another 3-6 inches by tonight" and ... there's no thaw in sight. For these stoic souls, I provide this photo as a "preview of coming attractions". In a mere 9-10 weeks the world will once again look like this. The fields will be green, the daffodils smiling and, believe it or not, even pigs may be flying!

Chin up everyone, the thaw is on its way.

Reflections in a Melting Icicle

As nearly everyone knows, the east coast has been slammed recently with multiple snow storms, the one on Wednesday hit us hard on the east end of Long Island, making the world white and wonderful. (At least that's my opinion, one not shared by many of my friends.)

Yesterday, Peter and I rose at dawn to go out and photograph the results of the blizzard that only stopped at around 2:00 a.m. We got a number of good photos of our village, the beach and the farm fields, but the best were shot in our very own back yard. 

Some of you know that we have a circular stair case in the back yard that reaches the balcony off our bedroom.  Well it was covered in icicles yesterday, which began to melt as the day progressed.  They shone so brightly in the sun and yet also reflected the bright blue sky.  So we began to shoot the icicles, trying ever so hard to capture one after it had released a droplet of water in the melting process.  The effort resulted in nearly 1,000 photos (the joy of digital photography!), only a few of which captured the droplet falling ground-ward. 

When we began scrutinizing the icicle photos for clarity by zooming in to the extreme, we were thrilled with what we saw! We'd captured a reflection of everything you can see from our backyard, including our hot tub, the hedge, our neighbor's Japanese maple and their roof line!  To make it conceptually easier to understand in the attached photos, I've taken the liberty of rotating the last two images 180 degrees.  We hope you enjoy these even a fraction as much as we have!

Photos by Claudia Ward 2010 All Rights Reserved

P.S. Click on any image and it will enlarge.

Car Characters in the Snow

Earlier this week you met R2D2, my Mini-Cooper, smiling and covered in the snow from the storm that didn't really happen.  Well today's storm is happening - in spades. It started here after 4:00 a.m. and for all intents and purposes has yet to stop. It's changed character from big white wet flakes, to sleet, to driving snow.  We're counting 8+ inches as I write.  

As we knew the character of the storm would change, Peter and I went out before the wind picked up and the sleet began and caught some of those who were bracing for the storm.

Meet the French dude down the street, known as Deux Chevaux, looking like a big case of bad attitude to me. Hope he was taken some place warm and dry for the rest of the day.

And what about this neighbor of ours?  

"Sergeant at Arms" is prepared not to be stuck to the windshield, but for what else, he's apparently just not sure!

 Stay warm, well and dry!