Favorite Photos of the Week . . .

I've been taking my camera with me wherever I go.  It's made me so much more aware of my surroundings and I've discovered things that I wouldn't have seen had it not been thru the lens of my Nikon. 
 

I've always had a fascination with red berries.  There's something so whimsical about them.  I'm not a big fan of the color red but red berries are a definite exception!!

I've driven past this little chair so many times and always tell myself I have to get a photo of it someday.  Yesterday, I drove past it and said the same thing.  This time, however, I made a quick u-turn and finally captured it!!  : )

 

And suddenly it's winter!!

Solitude.

Enjoying a refreshment!!

I visited our local cemetery to make sure all of our family members' graves were okay after Hurricane Sandy came thru.  I saw this angel on the ground.  It wasn't broken.  Just misplaced.  I think it's a perfect representation of how so many people in New York and New Jersey feel right now.  We are in the midst of a "new normal."  Trees everywhere, sad images on every newscast and in every newspaper. 

If you'd like to see more of my photos, you can do so by clicking onto the Flickr link on my sidebar.  There are so many wonderful photographers that I've discovered thru Flickr.  Take a look.  I promised you won't be disappointed!!  : )

Many blessings for a happy and peaceful Saturday ~ Wendy

A One/Two Punch . . .

 Yes, it's snow!!  We're in the midst of a Nor'Easter here in New York.  This storm is packed with high winds (I'm listening to them as I type this) and dumped a couple of inches of snow upon us.  Our power went out for a couple of minutes last night but came back on quickly, thankfully.  Normally, I wouldn't mind this weather.  It is November after all and I live in New York.  After the lack of snow last year other then the Halloween storm, I'm actually kind of looking forward to seeing snow.  This time around though, I can't help but think of all the victims of Hurricane Sandy that have no place to live. No heat. No electricity.  Every time I start to complain about something small, I catch myself and remember. 

Buddha in my garden.

Our little maple tree in the front yard.  This was planted by my first husband not long before he passed away and has a lot of special meaning to us.  I said countless prayers for this tree while Sandy was upon us and it survived with flying colors!!  : )

Footprints in the snow.

Someone needs to pass Mother Nature a bottle of Midol.  She has a serious case of PMS right now!!!  : )


Many blessings for a happy and healthy Thursday ~ Wendy

The Aftermath of Hurricane Sandy . . .

 Last week, our area was hit by Hurricane Sandy.  We are located 20 miles north of Manhattan and are inland.  The water damage for us was minimal but the wind damage was pretty severe.  We were without power for several days and some of our neighbors are still without power.  I drove around the area to look at the damage and was so saddened by what I saw.
 

A home in South Nyack, NY.

This tree actually fell between two houses with only some branches landing on the homes.  So very, very lucky. 

What's left of someone's sailboat in Piermont, NY.

 

These boats washed up onto the road from the Hudson River.  They had to go thru people's yards and homes to get there. 

 

 

All of these boat photos were taken in Piermont, NY.  This is a tiny village on the Hudson River about 15 miles north of Manhattan.  It was hammered by Hurricane Sandy and many homes and businesses were severely damaged by wind and the storm surge .  Some of these businesses have been around for years and were hanging on by a thread due to the economy to begin with.  Many will never re-open. 

 

This boat is in the side yard of someone's home that is on the Hudson River.  The back of this home was completely lost.  You could see a gaping hole where the walls once were.  Below is their front door.

 

 

This is a part of someone's fence up in the power lines.  I couldn't believe this when I saw it!!

 

What's left of our mailboxes after part of my neighbor's tree came down on them.  I had actually taken mine off of the mailbox holder the day before the storm because it was very loose to begin with and I didn't want it to blow away.  It didn't cross my mind that it might be crushed by tree limbs!!

My neighbor's tree fell across their cars but surprisingly they weren't damaged. 

We were all so blessed in our neighborhood to make it thru the storm with minimal damage compared to our surrounding areas.  The New Jersey shore line will never be the same.  Countless lives were lost in New York, New Jersey and even in the county where I live.  I thank God for all of my blessings.  I have my children, my husband, my warm home, food in my refrigerator and gas in my tank.  Last night, I went out to purchase socks and cleaning supplies to be loaded onto a truck on Friday that will journey to some of the hardest hit areas of New Jersey, Long Island and Staten Island, NY.  These people have nothing.  NOTHING.  It breaks my heart to even type this.  Please, if you can, reach out and make a donation to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief effort.  Every little bit helps!!


Many blessings to you ~ Wendy