Hot and hazy

mistypath, originally uploaded by jahansell.

It's been a remarkably cool summer, but today was brutal - quite hot and intensely humid. The mist hung heavy over the fields, where you can see the beginnings of reds and browns - at Mudge Pond the changing leaves are remarkably noticeable and, I think, unusually early!

katydid

katydid, originally uploaded by jahansell.

I'm not back, exactly, at least not on a daily basis, yet. But I've so appreciated the comments I've gotten that I feel very encouraged to keep going. Especially having met someone this weekend who has been using my blog as a guidebook, now that he's moved to Sharon from far away (not because of my blog though!) I had to laugh when he said he went into Terni's and asked for a milkshake - I could have predicted the gruff response! I should apologize to Phil Terni for sending people there!

Anyway, this katydid was so pretty - it's on a pumpkin flower in my garden. I will return after Labor Day, in some form - if not daily, then at least a few times a week! Since I"m not taking any other kind of vacation, this break will have to suffice!

Suspended animation

For now, I'm going to take a break from Sharon CT Daily Photo. I don't know if that break will be for a day, a week or forever; if I'll post occasionally or return to daily posting. I'm doing it for a number of reasons, but one is that for the last many months I've been "phoning it in," as my favorite high school English teacher used to say. Last year, I took dozens of pictures I was really proud and pleased about, and I was able to take the time to search out beautiful new scenes and photograph them at just the right time of day or from just the right point of view. That hasn't been possible for quite some time, and I don't want to post mediocre pictures, repeat myself, nor fill out a meager offering with pictures from my garden or family, as as that's not what this should be about. So for now, a break, a rest, some time to regroup and rethink.

I appreciate all the wonderful comments, support, suggestions, critiques, and the many silent visits each day as well. Thank you, and see you soon, in one way or another!

I leave you with this: a photo of a pumpkin vine, not from Sharon but from a weekend excursion to a friend's house near Germantown, NY, to pick blackberries.

Tilted

tilted, originally uploaded by jahansell.

The first of a few more photos of Pine Hill Farm. After that I can start taking my gentle readers up on their wonderful suggestions! But - Tony, can you give me a few more details on how I'll find your house?

South Egremont

sheffield, originally uploaded by jahansell.

I stuck my camera out the window when I was waiting at the stop from Route 41 to turn onto Route 23 in what I originally wrote was Sheffield, but of course, as several friends reminded me, is South Egremont.

Question to my local readers: what am I missing? I drive the same routes most days, and see the same sights and sites...I invite some new suggestions for where to photograph in and around Sharon! (Feel free to invite me to your place!)

Tiger Lillies in bloom

tiger lily, originally uploaded by jahansell.

The lillies I showed a few days ago are now in full glorious bloom - here they are, in the driveway of PIne Hill Farm (which I've shown many times). The farmer who runs it has agreed to let me tramp around and take lots more pictures, up in the pastures, in the barns... I hope to get there by the end of this week and create a little series.

Collected Wisdom

This photo is from yesterday's Sharon Craft Fair - that annual event on the green that brings people from all over the state and beyond to show their wares. We always enjoy strolling around the booths, visiting with neighbors and sometimes even buying things. This year we could have bought a hermit crab in a custom-painted shell ($8), a curtain tassel made from an old ceramic salt shaker ($35) or a variety of doll clothes, tied-dyed t-shirts, ceramic things for the mantel, birdhouses, jewelry and much more, not to mention these hand-made plaques. We didn't buy anything. But I took a lot of pictures - the best of them are here.

Tiger lily

dripping lily, originally uploaded by jahansell.

This is set to burst open any day now!

Where's the twin

one of the oaks, originally uploaded by jahansell.

Normally when people photograph this vista, it's to capture both of the grand old trees in Twin Oaks Field. But on this morning, I liked the slanting shadows and the contrast between the misty background and the clear foreground - the second oak isn't visible from this angle

Red spotted blue

butterfly, originally uploaded by jahansell.

When you pay attention, you see how many different kinds of butterflies there are around - I only ever used to notice Monarchs, but this red-spotted blue was fluttering around our driveway recently.

What's for Breakfast? It's Monthly Theme Day!

For this month's theme, we all voted to show a typical breakfast in our town. I don't know what everyone else in Sharon eats, but I eat this, every day. (And here's where I get it from!) While I think eggs (be they poached, scrambled, omelettes, sunny-side-up...) are pretty popular since they're the first thing on every breakfast menu, cereal is the number 1 in the US, according to this statistic I found:

"Cereal is the second most popular breakfast item [in the US] after coffee...On any given day, 40 percent of all breakfasts consumed in the United States are cereal. And it has been that way almost since ready-to-eat cereal first hit store shelves in the early 1900s.

"Up until then, people ate hot breakfasts of eggs, toast, waffles, pancakes. As women entered the workforce, cereal became the most popular breakfast because it was quick and convenient."

I supposed if my house is any sample, cereal wins, 2 or 3 to 1, on any given weekday morning! (The only competition is from frozen waffles. ) On weekends, it's another story - we often indulge in French-style buckwheat crepes with Nutella!

There are 99 (as of this writing) Daily Photoblogs participating - if you want to find out what's for breakfast in Stockholm, or Tel Aviv, Monte Carlo or Albuquerque, Bucaramanga, Zurich, or San Diego, take a tour! Remember, due to differences in time zones, there are differences in when the posts appear!
Saint Paul (MN), USA - Bellefonte (PA), USA - Menton, France - Monte Carlo, Monaco - New York City (NY), USA - Tel Aviv, Israel - Hyde, UK - Port Angeles (WA), USA - Mainz, Germany - Stockholm, Sweden - Paderborn, Germany - Singapore, Singapore - Haninge, Sweden - Nottingham, UK - Ampang (Selangor), Malaysia - Manila, Philippines - Boston (MA), USA - Seoul, Korea - Singapore, Singapore - Joplin (MO), USA - Chandler (AZ), USA - Paris, France - Sequim (WA), USA - Greenville (SC), USA - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Boston (MA), USA - Chennai, India - Madison (WI), USA - Baton Rouge (LA), USA - Toulouse, France - Seattle (WA), USA - Mexico (DF), Mexico - La Antigua, Guatemala - Selma (AL), USA - Wassenaar (ZH), Netherlands - Albuquerque (NM), USA - Cleveland (OH), USA - San Diego (CA), USA - Lubbock (TX), USA - Jakarta, Indonesia - Sheki, Azerbaijan - Sydney, Australia - Mumbai, India - Seoul, South Korea - Cottage Grove (MN), USA - Cypress (TX), USA - Saarbrücken, Germany - Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina - New Orleans (LA), USA - Budapest, Hungary - Kyoto, Japan - Tokyo, Japan - Austin (TX), USA - Singapore, Singapore - Villigen, Switzerland - Montréal (QC), Canada - Stayton (OR), USA - Melbourne, Australia - Silver Spring (MD), USA - Moscow, Russia - Springfield (MO), USA - Inverness (IL), usa - Arlington (VA), USA - Cologne (NRW), Germany - Anderson (SC), USA - Oslo, Norway - Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation - Manila, Philippines - Kajang (Selangor), Malaysia - Maple Ridge (BC), Canada - Bandung (West Java), Indonesia - Stavanger, Norway - Bastia, France - Hong Kong, China - Wailea (HI), USA - St. Louis (MO), USA - Chicago (IL), USA - Rabaul, Papua New Guinea - Sydney, Australia - Bucaramanga (Santander), Colombia - Kansas City (MO), USA - Grenoble, France - Paris, France - Evry, France - Saigon, Vietnam - Prague, Czech Republic - Cape Town, South Africa - Brookville (OH), USA - Brussels, Belgium - San Diego (CA), USA - Wellington, New Zealand - Newcastle (NSW), Australia - Saint Louis (MO), USA - Sharon (CT), USA - Shanghai, China - Zurich, Switzerland - North Bay (ON), Canada - Lyon, France - Naples (FL), USA