Frozen Nash Pond

 

I couldn't think of a fun or clever post for New Year's so I started looking at pics from last year around this time and realized one of my best days was exactly a year ago. 
Our first friends in Westport live on Nash Pond. It's beautiful in every season but in winter when it freezes it becomes a winter wonderland. Our friends invited a bunch of us over on a very snowy day (not like the balmy 52 degrees we had today) and we all took part either skating, playing ice hockey or just strolling around on the ice in awe of the frozen beauty. 
If you've never skated or walked for that matter on a pond (which I never had) get out there and try it!

 

Calm in the 'Burbs

Heading into Manhattan today so I figured I'd post some pics of the calm of the suburbs before I deal with the post holiday rush of the Big Apple.

Happy Birthday Mom

Today is my mom's birthday. My mom is not a big fan of pictures of herself and I didn't want to ruin her day with a million images of her on my blog, so I am only posting one. It's of my mom hugging my son. She had surprised him by coming to watch him at field day at school a few years ago. This was the moment after he saw her.

My Favorite Xmas Tree In Westport

I've been driving by this tree every year since I moved to Westport ten years ago. I wish I had started taking pictures of it then because it started out a bit of a Charlie Brown tree. It was small, sitting out there all alone on the lawn, with lights that seemed to big for its branches. Now it's growing like a weed and it seems so is everything else around me. That's a good thing, right?   :)   :(
Merry Merry!

The Hoopers Are Waiting For Santa

The best xmas cards are the ones I am not in.

Wishing everyone a happy and healthy holiday season and many more blog followers for me!

Teenagers-They Walk Away With My Heart Every Day

I've probably said it too many times, but it's true; I miss the kids when they were little. It was uncomplicated back then and every minute was just so cute. It was easy to make them happy and easy to make them laugh. Now it's harder and the happiness comes and goes on a dime but when it's good, it's real good. I wound up loving having teenagers around. I know I know, they are way too self conscious, way too dramatic and can be a bit self centered but at the same time they are also very endearing, oddly quirky, so so funny and have a lot heart. I wouldn't trade any of them for anything even though on the weekends they seem to multiply!

Two Views

The other day I showed my husband this photo I took of the sun peeking through the trees at Long Shore. He said he loved the colors and the sense of calm. The following evening an image I took in Manhattan showed up on my screensaver. My teenage kids noticed it and said "cool". They loved the colors of the night and the sense of energy. Is that indicative of the differences in the generations or am I over thinking things as usual?

Cold Morning Light

I drove my daughter to school today (at 6:50am!) and took these shots on the way back. They were all taken of the same river within less quarter mile of each other. Look at how differently the morning light and mist was captured in each spot and also remember how cold and tired I was in 24 degrees, in a bathrobe taking pictures from my car window!

Turkey Vultures

While I was dropping my son off at the Y to play basketball the other day a crazy looking bird flew over the car. Of course I had my camera with me, so we pulled over and I got a few shots. My son said it was a turkey vulture. Typically, I made fun of him and said there was no such thing and then when I got home and looked it up, I was wrong (again typical). So here are a few pics of Westport's turkey vultures. I learned they only eat carcasses of dead animals and only grunt and hiss due to poor vocal capacity. Not a fan.

Out of the Mouths of Babes...

Soleil, my four year old niece slept over last night and this is what she told me: "don't look at your phone, only look at me and stop taking pictures". She's got me pegged!

Silent Night

Some people had told me to post last year's holiday card photo. I guess it was a big hit. We called it Silent Night. I think you can figure out why.

Meow

At least 3 times a week I pull out of my driveway and see this cat staring at me. It's more like stalking me, planning its attack. I fear this cat, with good reason right? It looks so scary. Well today it popped up so I could get a good at her. She's not so bad really. Kind of pretty even. But I'm still keeping my windows closed when I drive by her. I'm not taking any chances.

Great Sunset Tonight on Compo Beach

Thank You Sherry

There are doers and there are admirers of those doers. I am an admirer. Luckily for me Westport is filled with doers. Here is my favorite example. My friend's mom, Sherry Jagerson has lived in Westport for too many years to count. She raised her family in Westport and now her daughter is raising her own family here. Sherry cares about Westport and the world at large. She is an environmentalist, a volunteer for Rebuilding Together, a founder of Wakeman Town Farm and an awesome grandma. Sherry appreciates the beauty in nature, tends to its beauty and gives back to the community. Her most recent undertaking was the redevelopment of the Sherwood Mill Pond Preserve. It is a little spit of land on the Long Island Sound near my home that now begs for pictures to be taken of it, even in the winter months. So being only an admirer that's what I did. In the spring I will share more images when it really flourishes. Thanks Sherry for all that you do.

Top Dog

Westport is having a Top Dog contest. To enter the contest you have to write a short essay about why you think your dog should be Westport's Top Dog of 2012. I don't have a dog but I wrote an essay about my friend's dog, Bruce and guess what- Bruce is a finalist! So I am posting the essay I wrote about Bruce with a picture of Bruce so you can all come down to Town Hall on December 15th and root for Bruce!

When you first see Bruce coming at you with his tail wagging and his shiny black coat blowing in the breeze, you may take a step back because Bruce is a 150lb half newfoundland, half black lab; a very, very big dog. There is no need for that though because to all of us who know Bruce he is just an overgrown teddy bear. When Bruce jumps up to greet you and puts his huge front paws on your shoulders to hug you, you realize Bruce must think himself a ballerina because of how gracefully the gentle giant lands on you.

When Bruce was a puppy, you would seeing him walking to Kings Highway School with his dad Brendan and brother Declan delighting all the kids along the way.

Now that Bruce has grown up he likes to relax and enjoy the beauty of Westport in his rural backyard on Woodside Road, the Winslow Dog Park and his favorite spot to hang with buddies, Compo Beach in the off season.

The reason Bruce should be voted Westport's Top Dog is because Bruce makes everyone's days in Westport a little brighter. Whether it's a Bruce story about the time he ate an entire bag of flour and thought no one noticed when he walked in the room looking like a snowman in a train wreck or when the kids and their friends need a laugh and Brendan turns the leaf blower on Bruce and his big lips flap in the breeze. Bruce just stands there enjoying the moment, listening to his family's laughter. My favorite Bruce story is when Bruce decided to find out how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll Lollypop. He ate fifteen, clean to the stick! (he wound up biting them like the rest of us).

Bruce is also a patient dog. He doesn't mind when his family is bored and they put silly masks on him or take pictures of him sleeping in weird positions, then text the pictures to their friends all over town. Bruce even sits with his sister Tova while she watches Saturday Night Live over and over and over on youtube.

Bruce makes people happy, which I was going to say is probably all anyone wants out of a dog, but that's really all we want out of anyone; just a little happiness at the end of the day.

After hearing this you may think Bruce is my dog but he is not. Bruce is the family dog of dear friends of mine. Unfortunately I am allergic to dogs but I still adore Bruce and need my Bruce fix whenever I can get it. Sometimes when life gets a little crazy, I'll stop by Bruce's house because I know that gigantic furball of love will come barreling down the driveway towards me, then slow down to jump up like that ballerina and give me a hug as only Bruce can do. Then I leave and maybe sneeze a little, maybe cough a little but I also leave a little saner and little happier.

December Starts On Thursday. Really?

Troy

This is Troy. Maybe I should say this is the back of Troy. Troy is adorable though you wouldn't know it from a lot of my images because Troy wouldn't turn around or look up. Troy who is almost three was very busy doing his own thing, which made for some very nice shots but obviously the mom wanted one of her son's face.

So I tried.

and I tried.

and I tried.

Then finally I got it! And I got some more! Not because I am such a wonderful photographer or because Troy liked adults calling his name and making silly faces but because a dog ran by.

So click, click, click and off Troy and his mom and dad went to find the dog. (you think they could have looked back for just for a second?)