October 1 - Theme Day!

Today is October 1st and it's also a City Daily Photo theme day... The "family" voted for Taxis. Of course here in Sharon, we don't have any taxis - not for humans, anyway! But if you're a puppy, you can ride in style! (More photos from "Celebrate Sharon" day coming soon!)

If you want to see what taxis look like all over the world click on any of the participating sites below. Due to time zone differences and other factors, the theme photo may not be displayed until later if you are viewing early in the day.


Porto -Albuquerque -London -Seattle, WA (USA) [Kim] -Edinburgh -Stayton, OR -Greenville, SC -Budapest -Antigua Guatemala -Alexandria, VA -Manila -Twin Cities -Szentes -Paris -Portsmouth -Ryde -Sydney -Oulu -Singapore [keropok] -Santiago -Melbourne, Aust -Dubai UAE -Bandung (Indonesia) -Copenhagen -Sequim -Singapore -Tenerife -Tuzla, B&H -Jakarta (Indonesia) -Rotterdam -Brussels -Stavanger (Norway) -Aliso Viejo, CA -Oshawa, ON, Canada -Vantaa, Finland -Trier (Germany) -Newcastle upon Tyne -Hong Kong -Shang Hai -Brussels -San Diego, CA (USA) -Sydney (Nathalie) -St Paul (USA) -

Everything you need

IMG_1205-1, originally uploaded by jahansell.

In the spring they also have bunnies.
Right near here, there was a moose spotted yesterday. The sightings are flooding in - they're all over the place these days. I'm on the lookout - maybe I'll be able to get a shot of one and share it soon. From all accounts, they seem to be most active early in the morning, so I'm planning to get up early tomorrow and go on a moose expedition!

Barn Doors

goodneighbors-9, originally uploaded by jahansell.

Weathered wood, a well-used barn - it's New England.

Farm for sale

IMG_1187, originally uploaded by jahansell.

I drive past this farm, on the Millerton-Lakeville border, most days. It would take a very wide angle lens, and great courage, to get a good shot of it, as it's got a huge expanse of rolling hills that's just gorgeous, and the only spot to photograph it is on a dangerous spot of the main road. (Tight curve, cars whizzing by, no shoulder.) If you're interested, it's only $2.5 million - read all about it here! (And John Harney, if you sell it to someone who learned about it on this blog, I want a percentage!)

Are you my mother?

IMG_1073, originally uploaded by jahansell.

This reminds me (slightly) of that old children's book, in which a baby bird falls from the nest and searches for his mother - after asking everyone around, he finally asks a giant steamshovel "are you my mother" - and the steamshovel lifts up the bird and puts him back in his nest. (I think that's how it goes!) This visitor to my house was watched with interest as he did his work. Follow the link to Flickr where a set of "
"before and after" photos reside. Actually more work remains to be done, planting and beautifying, but the guys from Sharon's Upcountry Services, who did beautiful work, are finished. Thanks, Keith!

Fun with Photoshop

trees ripple, originally uploaded by jahansell.

The trees are changing, the light is lovely...but my one quick photo was too blurry to use! So I made it blurrier with the "ripple" filter in Photoshop.

I Shall Try to Look Like a Small Black Cloud

IMG_1116, originally uploaded by jahansell.

This is from my friend Randy Orzano's fascinating art show, which we saw this afternoon at the A.X. Gallery in Torrington (though Randy lives in Sharon.) It was all about his bees, and his sons, and texture and line and surface and yes, honey... here are some more pictures of the show.

Rainbow over Mike's shop

rainbow, originally uploaded by jahansell.

On my way to work one evening for a meeting, there was a sudden cloudburst, and this rainbow appeared over the Millerton Service Center - but I don't think Mike was still there at that hour to enjoy it!

Magic Bean stalk?

IMG_1041, originally uploaded by jahansell.

I don't know what they are (some kind of little bean - anyone know?) but they seem to be ready to harvest, and they were beautiful in the golden late afternoon light. This huge field is on Coleman Station Road, probably just over the line into Millerton.

At last, a visit to the Tavern

IMG_1061, originally uploaded by jahansell.

I stopped into the Sharon Valley Tavern this afternoon - what took me so long? I got to know Mike and his wife Jennifer, had a cold Bud, and listened to a bit of chat about baseball, salary caps, the Red Sox vs. Yankees. (Around here, whether you're a Yankees fan or a Red Sox fan is a Big Deal - I've never quite figured out which side I should be on. I always just say that I've stayed loyal to my hometown Detroit Tigers and avoid the whole thing! Apparently when I was born, in the final days of the pennant race, the doctor was so busy watching a game that he kind of neglected my mom during labor!) Anyway, thank, Jesse - you look pensive in this shot but I appreciated the warm welcome!

Impressionism

goodneighbors-18, originally uploaded by jahansell.

This is almost an abstract - I like the colors and proportions, regardless of what the subject is.

Golden Globes

It seems a bit early for pumpkins - it's still 6 weeks til Halloween. But at Ellsworth Farm they are already ripe. We grew some vines at the Community Center where I work - last year, vandals smashed them, but someone gave us some more so we tried again. This year, we got only one pumpkin (they often need to be hand-pollinated, and I didn't do it) and just as it was almost ripe, it was stolen. I still have faith in the human race, even so - on the very same day that the pumpkin was taken, a group of teenagers volunteered to clean up the back yard and paint our picnic table, that had been covered with graffiti. Read more here.

Shades of brown and grey

Behind the scenes at Ellsworth Farm - some pallets, I suppose, waiting for the next opportunity to be useful.

Apple season

It's apple season - today we went to Ellsworth Farm in Sharon and picked Macouns (juicy!) and Cortlands - great for pies. A few more pictures of our day of apple picking here.

Hotchkiss Library

The library in Sharon is gorgeous inside and out. There are steep narrow stairways and a balcony all around a central atrium (I'm sure there's a better word for it!) and beautiful woodwork everywhere. In this shot you can see just about the entire building. (There are a few side rooms for meetings and quiet activities.) I wrote about it a few months ago when I posted this picture of the outside.

Tuned In

This is a sweet house, but it made me a little sad that the occupants were inside watching TV isntead of out on their lovely porch, on a beautiful late-summer evening. I hardly ever see people sitting out on their front porches anymore (I don't mean these folks specifically - but generally speaking.) Of course I'm presently working on my computer, not out in my community either! But my excuse is that it's nearly 11pm and it's raining!

Post script: I will add that on closer examination I noticed that they are watching local news - the picture on the screen is of our Senator, Joe Lieberman, shaking hands with a potential voter. (You can tell if you click on the photo to go to Flickr, then view it in "original size.") He is quite an interesting story these days: a democrat, he ran for Vice President in 2004, with John Kerry. He's been in office for 18 years, and very much a leader among democrats. But he supported the war in Iraq, and an anti-war candidate beat him in the primary in August. So he's running as an independent, and now is making strong anti-war and anti-Bush statements to try to regain some of the votes he lost.

Our Friendly Neighbors

I haven't posted a cow picture for a while. I visit these ladies every once in a while when my evening walk takes me up Low Road (it should be "down" since it's "Low Road" but I have to climb quite a hill to get to this farm, so...) They are quite welcoming - perhaps I'll post a little video I took of them mooing at me on YouTube!

How to Get Around

As the old song goes, "I was built for comfort, baby, I ain't built for speed."

Evening on the Farm

In my most recent evening walk, I found this cat, enjoying the fresh night air.

After the rain

After the storm we had a few days ago, the valleys were filled with mist, and everything glistened.

September 11, 2006

Like so many of us, I remember everything about that day - I was on my way to the doctor for the first checkup of a new pregnancy when the first reports came through. All I could think about for days after was, how could I bring a child into a world where such a thing could happen.

Today (I'm writing this on Sunday the 10th) the weather was much like it was 5 years ago - clear, warm in the sun but with a fresh breeze, brilliant blue sky. Today we celebrated the ordinary joys of being alive - we went to the firehouse pancake breakfast, where we talked about the difference between a planet and a dwarf planet (sorry, Pluto!) as we ate our eggs and bacon. After breakfast, on a nearby basketball court, I tried to teach my older daughter how to ride her two-wheeler bike - she almost has the hang of it. (She was completely unaware of 9/11 at the time - we turned off the TV and radio for weeks.) The younger one, the one who was just conceived 5 years ago, rocketed around the court on her training-wheel bike with great glee, nearly colliding with us several times.

Later we met up with some new friends and hiked up Lion's Head, in Salisbury, CT, a steep rocky climb of about a mile, where these pictures were taken. (The macro view -- the Panorama probably covers 20 miles from north to south) and the micro -- leaves on the trail!) We sat up there eating apples and cheese, and trying to identify which lake was which. (Mudge Pond, which I've shown here many times, in Sharon, is all the way to the right, so technically this photo qualifies as Sharon.)

Back down at the bottom: a little ice cream, a half-hour in the garden moving some plants around, dinner, laundry folding, a game of scrabble, bath and bed for the girls - a perfect Sunday with the family. Is there anything else we as individuals can do, now, to honor the lives lost, besides this?

Suddenly Fall!

I was blown away when I saw that the squashes are in at Paley's, our local farm market! Unfortunately it was closed by the time I got there - I took too long trying to get a picture of the incredible rainbow that was arching over the hills after a short but intense storm. So I couldn't buy one and make my famous squash and sweet potato soup with the ancho chili swirl!

Clicking on the photo will lead you to my new Flickr stream where tons more brand-new photos of Sharon reside!

Plein Air Painters

The Sharon Historical Society had an opening today about land use through history in Sharon - it starts from the very beginning, when the land was sold off in 700 acre parcels, with the requirement that an 18-square foot house be built within the year. It took a year to clear an acre of land in those days.
The SHS also has a show on right now of paintings by the Connecticut Plein Air Society. They paint outdoors, in the moment, with the light changing constantly. Some of the paintings were absolutely lovely!

By the way, if you are having trouble posting comments on my blog, it's because I've moved to something called "Blogger Beta." It's still full of bugs, but I can't switch back. To leave a comment, try selecting "other" or "anonymous" instead of using your regular identity! Or just send me an email! Thanks for your patience -I hope they have this fixed soon! I also cannot leave comments on other blogs if they have not switched to Beta yet - sorry about that! (I can't even move to another blog host like Wordpress as they can't import from Blogger Beta!) I'm still posting because I figured out a new workaround for getting my photos up, in the size I want!

Sharon Good Neighbors, and taking a break

Sharon Good Neighbors is right in the center of town. You can go there for Mom-and-baby yoga, a nursing mom's support group, the "better breathers" group, HIV counseling, community computer access and much more. I will post more photos from my evening walk if Blogger Beta's image uploading issues are ever resolved - til then this blog is taking a little hiatus.

First Day of School

Anyone who has visited my blog recently knew I couldn't resist posting this photo - my younger daughter's first day of school - she's in pre-kindergarten! She isn't quite as over-the-top excited about all of it as I thought she'd be - she likes her class and teacher but she's been a bit anxious too. But she and her big sister, who's in the wonderful Mr. Q's second-grade class, are in for a great year, I'm sure if it!

y the way, if you are having trouble posting comments on my blog, it's because I've moved to something called "Blogger Beta." It's still full of bugs, but I can't switch back. To leave a comment, try selecting "other" or "anonymous" instead of using your regular identity! Or just send me an email! Thanks for your patience -I hope they have this fixed soon! I also cannnot leave comments on other blogs if they have not switched to Beta yet - sorry about that!

Neon glow

I was struck by the colors of the neon lights reflected on the pavement, as I drove home past Jack Murtagh's liquor store tonight.

Taking Flight

This picture symbolizes, on this day of endings and beginnings, what this blog has come to mean to me.

I started it because of an infatuation with Paris and all things French, which led me to Paris Daily Photo. Starting my own led me to find friends all over the world - how many people in the US can say they know people in Kuala Lumpur, Szentes, Hungary, and Trier, Germany, just for starters -- but also right here at home. I am a starry-eyed optimist - I believe that the cause of world peace can be advanced through blogs - as we all get to know each other as individuals, the empathy and human understanding we develop can only help create energy, an impetus, action towards building peace.

Yesterday, I corresponded with three individuals who I came to know through this blog. Each one, somehow, demonstrates the power that blogging has to bring people together.

One, Mike, is the author of this aerial photograph of Sharon. (It's a very cool photo - click on it to get the full-screen view.) He lives here, and frequents the Sharon Valley Tavern where, he tells me this blog post of mine has been tacked to the the wall and made (friendly) fun of. He invited me in good cheer to make my way to the Tavern where he is sure I'll be welcome - even by the bikers! He's also a pilot, and managed to take this photo while flying. My house is just visible, by the way - it's a whitish blotch, just at the top of the most settled part of town. (Roughly in the middle.)

Bill also found a post of mine that meant something to him: he lives in Millerton, the next town over from Shaorn, and I posted a picture of his house. His daughter, working overseas, discovered it and sent him the link. A Vietnam Veteran, he feels very angry about what is happening in Iraq, and the subject of this photo is his way of saying his piece.

Mike and Bill wrote me for the first time yesterday. I've known Stewart forever, it seems - at least a month. He posts beautiful photographs of Portugal, and passionate declarations of his beliefs about photography, humanity, the importance of friendship. He's also spent the few weeks so sharing the struggles of his beloved mother-in-law, Leonor, ill with Alzheimer's and lymphoma. She began a sudden decline and entered the hospital last week. Stewart has stayed by her side, holding her hand, bullying the uncaring medical bureaucracy, talking to her for hours every day, then coming home and writing about it. I've been awed by his devotion to her. Leonor died yesterday. Her soul has taken flight - I guess that's the connection with this photo! Because of blogs, I knew her, and I mourn her death.

By the way, if you are having trouble posting comments on my blog, it's because I've moved to something called "Blogger Beta." It's still full of bugs, but I can't switch back. To leave a comment, try selecting "other" or "anonymous" instead of using your regular identity! Or just send me an email! Thanks for your patience - they assure me it won't be long before they have this fixed!

Misty hillside

It's Labor Day, which means the opposite of what it sounds like - not a day to labor, but a day to rest (or in my case, do laundry!). So my camera is quiet today: this is a picture from last week or so, and here are a few more pretty scenes from around town.

By the way, if you are having trouble posting comments on my blog, it's because I've tmoved to something called "Blogger Beta." IT's full of bugs, but I can't switch back. Try selecting "other" or "anonymous" instead of using your regular identity! Or just send me an email! Thanks for your patience!

Closing Night...so soon?

Of the nearly thousand pictures I took at tech and dress rehearsals, this isn't necessarily the best, but I chose it to post because it features my very game, very musical husband, Fred, behind and between the two leads (Harriet Tomasko as Katisha, and Tina McVey-Cody as Pitti-Sing - both are incredibly talented, funny, moving and have gorgeous voices!) Everyone else you see here are "locals" -- just in this shot you see a college professor, a veterinarian, 2 high school students, a land use planner and an art dirctor! But for this weekend, they are little maids from school and gentlemen of Japan!

Hurricane's aftermath

Ernesto was barely a hurricane at all, and by the time it got all the way up here it was just a "tropical depression" but its winds still did some damage - the road was closed so we had to take 20 minute detour. I hope nobody was hurt!

Goldenrod

Another busy weekend begins, and then - summer's over!

September 1 - theme day!

Today's Daily Photo Theme is doorways. This doorway has sad associations: WKZE, a wonderful independent radio station that played a great mix of acoustic music, was sold and the new owners moved it out of town last year. The building has been bought by the town government and there are plans for it, I've heard, but we miss the DJs, and their involvement in local events. We had great pride in our local station!

Enter other cities throughout the world through their doorways!
Albuquerque, NM (USA), Alexandria, VA (USA), Aliso Viejo, CA (USA), Antigua (Guatemala), Berlin (Germany), Brussels (Belgium), Chattanooga, TN (USA), Copenhagen (Denmark), Cottage Grove, MN (USA), Delta, CO (USA), Greenville, SC (USA), Guadalajara (Mexico), Hong Kong (HK), Hyde (UK), Jakarta (Indonesia), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), London (UK), Manila (Philippines), Melbourne (Australia), Newcastle (UK), Oulu (Finland), Paris (France), Porto (Portugal), Portsmouth (UK), Rotterdam (Netherlands), Ryde (UK), Saarbrücken (Germany), Sainte Maxime (France), San Diego, CA (USA) [Felicia], Seattle, WA (USA) [Kim], Seattle, WA (USA) [Susan], Sharon, CT (USA), Singapore, Stavanger (Norway), Sydney (Australia), Szentes (Hungary),
Trier/Treves Daily Photo, Trondheim (Norway), Trujillo (Peru), Vallauris (France), Vantaa (Finland), Washington, DC (USA) [Passante], Wellington (New Zealand), Willamette Valley, OR (USA).