Carnival!!

Met up with some friends for some fun at the annual Immaculate Conception Parish Festival in Clinton, NJ this past weekend! They have great rides for the kids and adults, and it was a beautiful day. Turn down the sound when you watch the videos:


All aboard the Monkey Mayhem! Monkeys were a popular theme at this carnival.





The Monkey Maze Fun House, with a mirror maze, fun house mirrors, and a twirly slide at the end! Yes, Daddy went through the maze and down the slide.


The Ferris Wheel, and views from it:






Assorted other rides:










The sun set on an awesome outing, with a good time had by all!

Happy Independence Day, everyone!

The View From Here: Father's Day with Cloud Visions

Happy Father's Day, one and all! Here is the wonderful art that my daughter created for me, as well as two other pieces she made recently:

In my opinion, this vase with flowers can rival Van Gogh's Sunflowers anyday:


Looks like she used wax or melted crayon on this one:

In case you haven’t figured it out, I have a thing for clouds and sunrises. Transient and elusive, formed and fleeting in seconds, clouds fascinate me as a metaphor for life itself. These photos in particular put me in mind of composer Philip Glass' Cloudscapes, or the opening chorus from Bach's Cantata 26, which likens the brevity of life to the fleeting clouds. These were taken just after a large thunderstorm had just passed through:

The rising sun always reminds me that no matter how dark life can get, a brighter day is coming:

The View From Here: Sunrises of Note and Wild Skies

As I was driving along in Hunterdon County this week I was passing by a surprising number of deer along the road. It was a bright, sunny, early afternoon. My experience has been that deer are active at certain parts of the day, but this time I was passing by a lot of them! Thank God they all stayed put. But imagine my surprise when just around the bend, there was a BROWN BEAR crossing the road! It was small, though if it stood up it would probably be as tall as me. Naturally I slowed down and fumbled, trying to get my cell phone out so I could get a picture of it to post. But it lumbered across the road and disappeared into the brush, which is just as well. I knew Momma Bear or Pappa Bear had to be nearby and could be watching. My first thought upon seeing it was how beautiful an animal it was. The second thought that quickly followed was how to get away from it or keep it from getting excited about my approach. It appeared not to even notice my car at all and thankfully it was going the opposite direction of where I live, though I have seen "evidence" of bears around. Since it was smack dab during the daytime I was surprised to see it; I thought they were mainly active at night. Personally I don't want to see any more of them but this is the second time this year they have been sighted uncomfortably close to where I live.

Since I didn't get a snapshot of the bear, here are two sunrises of note that I photographed this week, and a couple of wild skies after a storm:

Another Emerging Artist

Today, in addition to my photographs, I'd like to introduce you to another emerging artist in the family: my daughter! She enjoys making art, just like Daddy! Here is a gallery of some of my favorites of her works. She's sure to be one to watch -

Wait until I get her into knitting too! : )

And here are a couple of panoramic shots of the rolling hills of Hunterdon County, NJ: