Nothing new to share so this photo of a barn from 2017. I added a bit of film grain, just for fun. iPhone XR then run through Luminar Neo plug-in for Photos, where I added the bit of film grain. The barn was torn down in 2019, I assume for the "reclaimed" barn wood. The other derelict and eyesore buildings on the lot were left standing. No value there, I guess.
Beardsley, the bearded dragon. He was a beloved resident of the American Museum of Natural History for nearly a decade - even mingled with visitors, guests, and dignitaries, and was often quite friendly. He died a few years ago, but was loved dearly by many.
The dog in the photo is Jacy, the one that I lost last year. I used to take her on hikes organized by a local animal shelter. The Rachel Carson trail was the last one she was able to do. My puppy who is 1 1/2 years old now, is still too wild and crazy to do these hikes. I'm hoping that changes soon!
In my early Navy days, we did not have the cool little remote control aerial drones we have today. A photographer would go up in a helicopter with a camera to get the needed aerial shots. I had the pleasure of doing just that several times while stationed on the USS Nimitz to get shots of the battle group, ports of call, and other assorted jobs requested by command and other departments. I was able to keep many of my aerial shots like the one I am sharing with you today. I went up in one of the SH-3 Sea King helicopters for all the aerial shots I took, including this one of the Nimitz battle group, while we were deployed in the Mediterranean Sea. I am glad I had the great job of being a Navy Photographer. It was one of the best jobs you could have, and you got to do, and see a lot of things the regular sailor could never even dream of.
USS Nimitz Nuclear Battle Group with Carrier Airwing 8 - Oct 1979
My great-grandfather (after whom I’m named) and great-grandmother left Western Russia in 1905, possibly to escape pogroms that erupted that year. They came to America, and they had five daughters.
I come from Fiddler on the Roof, evidently. With less singing and dancing, perhaps. Perhaps.
My grandmother and her four sisters were born in Brooklyn but spent most of their lives in The Bronx. Their families all lived within a couple of miles of their parents’ home, where they gathered most Sundays.
In their retirement years they all moved to Florida. This photo might be the last one of them all together. At least, I haven’t seen one since. I shot this with a Canon SLR on a visit in 1984 (there is a second one with a teenaged me in it; I’m rail-thin with a bushy head of hair and it depresses me). What I’m posting here is an iPhone photo of that print.
My grandmother is the youngest, but for all her adult life was the dominant figure in the family, You might get that feeling from how they arranged themselves for the photo.