Smith Island shanty

Smith Island Shanty

"Give us Lord, a bit o' sun,
A bit o' work and a bit o' fun;
Give us all in the struggle and sputter
Our daily bread and a bit o' butter."
~ from an inn in Lancaster, England

Chincoteague, VA Beach and Ocean City, MD Beach - still time to enjoy a romp.

Chincoteague Beach, Ocean City Beach, New Jersey Beach, Delaware Beach

It's not too late to enjoy the last of summer days at the beaches. Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Virginia have some beautiful beaches. I hope to capture some fun at Delaware and New Jersey Beaches before Old Man Winter moves in. For now, here are a few photos from Ocean City and Chincoteague to entice you to hit the beaches...

Ocean City

Chintcoteague

Read my recent post on the passing of summer

Bob Dylan It's Not Dark Yet

Bob Dylan It's Not Dark Yet

I almost missed this baby.

Wild Landscape

Maryland plants and weeds
"An author knows his landscape best; he can stand around, smell the wind, get a feel for his place."  ~ Tony Hillerman

Half and half

Old barn photo

“Nothing happens when you sit at home. I always make it a point to carry a camera with me at all times…I just shoot at what interests me at that moment." ~ Elliott Erwitt

I am not a fan of fancy filters or changing the reality in a photo. It's a newspaper mentality. I do play with photos from time to time, but filtering a photo makes me feel guilty, like I am cheating. I don't feel too guilty about playing with this photo of a Maryland barn. I turned a portion into black and white, leaving a slice of the original color.

Sunflower Sunday

Sunflower stock photo, places to stay in Thomas, WV

“Some photographers take reality...and impose the domination of their own thought and spirit. Others come before reality more tenderly and a photograph to them is an instrument of love and revelation.” ~ Ansel Adams 

 

Saturday Seagulls

Seagulls

"I think a photography class should be a requirement in all educational programs because it makes you see the world rather than just look at it. "

Filtered photo

Great time to photograph nature...

Mushrooms in Maryland

Caterpillar: By the way, I have a few more helpful hints. One side will make you grow taller...
 
Alice: One side of what?
 
Caterpillar: ...and the other side will make you grow shorter.
 
Alice: The other side of what?
  
Caterpillar: THE MUSHROOM, OF COURSE! ~ Alice in Wonderland

Look, touch, photograph, but don't listen to the caterpillar...

 I took a casual stroll through Janes Island State park last week and came away with a few nature jewels. FYI, I only had my Nikon 700 loaded with my 17-35 2.8 Nikkor (the two are seldom separated) This is my favorite lens, and a staple for all professional photojournalists. Of course, I would not consider these professional photos. Sometimes, you just want to shoot and not worry about all the "correctness" that comes with too many years of having to satisfy photo editors.

Border patrol

Border Patrol stock photo

"No great art has ever been made without the artist having known danger." ~ Rainer Maria Rilke

 

Jersey Double Rainbow...

New Jersey Rainbow, Lord Byron quote

“Be thou the rainbow in the storms of life. The evening beam that smiles the clouds away, and tints tomorrow with prophetic ray.” ~ Lord Byron

Note: Around here, we have a place we call Jersey - not on any map that I know of. This is a New Jersey Rainbow. I believe our local rainbow and the one I captured while in New Jersey were a week apart.

Boats to Build by Jimmy Buffett

Boats to build lyrics by Jimmy Buffett, Captian Tylers restaurant in Crisfield, Crab Cake photo

 It's time for a change
I'm tired of that same ol same
The same ol words the same ol lines
The same ol tricks and the same ol rhymes
 

Days precious days
Roll in and out like waves
I got boards to bend I got planks to nail
I got charts to make I got seas to sail
 

I'm gonna build me a boat
With these two hands
It'll be a fair curve
From a noble plan

Let the chips fall where they will
Cause I've got boats to build

Sails are just like wings
The wind can make em sing
Songs of life songs of hope
Songs to keep your dreams afloat
I'm gonna build me a boat
With these two hands
It'll be a fair curve
From a noble plan
Let the chips fall where they will
Cause I've got boats to build

Shores distant shores

There's where I'm headed for
Got the stars to guide my way
Sail into the light of day

I'm gonna build me a boat
With these two hands
It'll be a fair curve
From a noble plan
Let the chips fall where they will
Cause I've got boats to build.

Boats to Build: Hear it on You Tube

The aqua-colored building in the background is Captain Tyler's restaurant in Crisfield. Nothing better than enjoying a Crisfield crab cake on the deck while watching the boats go by.

Long Road Home

Tom Waits Long Way Home Lyrics

Well I stumbled in the darkness
I'm lost and alone
Though I said I'd go before us
And show the way back home
There a light up ahead
I can't hold onto her arm
Forgive me pretty baby but I always take the long way home

Money's just something you throw
Off the back of a train
Got a head full of lightning
A hat full of rain
And I know that I said
I'd never do it again
And I love you pretty baby but I always take the long way home

I put food on the table
And roof overhead
But I'd trade it all tomorrow
For the highway instead
Watch your back if I should tell you
Love's the only thing I've ever known
One thing for sure pretty baby I always take the long way home

You know I love you baby
More than the whole wide world
You are my woman
I know you are my pearl
Let's go out past the party lights
Where we can finally be alone
Come with me and we can take the long way home
Come with me, together we can take the long way home
Come with me, together we can take the long way home.

Long Way Home by Tom Waits - Hear it on You Tube

Learned art

welding photo

I saw the sparks flying from the road and had to double back. 

"Do you mind if I take your photo?"

"Go ahead."

I did, thanked him, and drove away.

I feel very blessed to have been allowed to share a small slice of the lives of  the literally thousands of strangers that I have met during my travels. It's a difficult thing to pull into a stranger's yard and ask to take a photo for no particular reason. I learned many years ago,  that if I pass a photo, I will regret it not only five miles down the road, but five years down the road.

Filtered Foto Fun

"I have a simple philosophy: Fill what's empty. Empty what's full. Scratch where it itches." ~ Alice Roosevelt Longworth

St Michaels stock photo

Fish Friday

 Wild Salmon stock photo

“Fish is held out to be one of the greatest luxuries of the table and not only necessary, but even indispensable at all dinners where there is any pretense of excellence or fashion.” ~ Isabella Beeton (1836-1865)

It is no secret to those who know me know that the only meat I have eaten in thirty years has been seafood, and I only eat wild-caught USA seafood.  I try to eat as healthy as possible; no butter, no cheese or dairy products, no salt, nothing in a can or box. Our food is seasoned with organics, such as basil, oregano, garlic, and cayenne and black pepper.

Wild-caught seafood is healthier than farmed. More expensive, yes, but it tastes better.  Always ask if you have any questions about your seafood. Being wild does not mean it is USA caught. I like to support US fishermen. Always ask. If your fish-monger draws a blank, have them go to the stockroom and check the paperwork, or call for the manager. I do without if I can't find wild, but if you must have fish, buy farmed US fish only. It is not as healthy, but you will be supporting an American fisherman.

SEAFOOD	RATING	MARKET NAMES	WHERE CAUGHT	HOW CAUGHT
Cobia		Black Kingfish, Black Salmon, Ling, Lemonfish	U.S.	Farmed
Cobia		Black Kingfish, Black Salmon, Ling, Lemonfish	Imported	Farmed
Salmon		Coho, Sake, Silver	U.S.	Farmed in Tank Systems
Salmon		Coho, Chum, Keta, King, Pink, Red, Silver, Sockeye, Sake	Alaska	Drift Gillnet, Purse Seine, Troll
Salmon		Coho, Chum, Keta, King, Pink, Red, Silver, Sockeye, Sake	California, Oregon, Washington	Drift Gillnet, Purse Seine, Troll
Salmon		Coho, Sake, Silver	British Columbia	Wild-caught
Salmon		Atlantic Salmon, Farmed Salmon, Sake	Worldwide	Farmed
Salmon Roe		Ikura	Alaska	Drift Gillnet, Purse Seine, Troll
Lake Trout		Laker, Namaycush, Togue, Mackinaw, Char, Salmon Trout	Lake Superior	Wild-caught
Lake Trout		Laker, Namaycush, Togue, Mackinaw, Char, Salmon Trout	Lake Huron, Lake Michigan	Wild-caught

Want to know more about the seafood you eat? Just type in your favorite fish at Seafood Watch

What's on the plate? Wild Alaskan salmon cooked in olive oil and wine, seasoned with garlic, fresh basil, oregano, and bay leaves, with a twist of lime, organic brown rice seasoned with organic shiitake mushrooms, dried beans cooked with spinach and seasoned with garlic and olive oil, both topped on an organic baking potato, lightly steamed organic carrots and broccoli topped with a twist of lime and above mentioned seasons.