New pictures

Thought I'd better cover up that crying child with another post. Went to the beach this afternoon--pretty deserted but one guy had been wind surfing (see pix on my SB blog). The light was delicious today. Wish I'd gotten out earlier. This was about 4:20.

Waaaah!!!

My computer crashed!! I am devastated. Yesterday afternoon when I turned it on I got the fatal message on a black screen, "Windows could not load because the following file is missing or corrupt .... CONFIG\SYSTEM." A death sentence.
After mourning for 6 or 7 hours and then sleeping on the problem it occured to me that I should call the Toshiba Technical Help line. The voice (Indian accent) guided me to the Restore wizard. It became clear that I would lose everything I'd saved in the last four months, including photos. Groan. Nevertheless I needed to have my computer working, so I clicked on Yes and went through the whole process. After 30 or 40 minutes I had Windows back, with all the clutter on that banal desktop. The documents I'd saved in Wordpad, not too many, were gone. The photos and the program for them were gone. Starting from scratch. Of course I hadn't saved anything on a flashdrive. Much snarling and mental flagellation.
The reason for the crash is a mystery to me, but I suspect it had something to do with the DVD I put in forgetting that Windows was not on. Anyway, that's when the message came on. I'm back to square one.
Did this ever happen to you?

Merry Christmas to all!

Best wishes to all my blogging friends!

Snowy Green

See, Kristen, we do have some snow. I took this about 3 hours ago. It's the Setauket Green, where the famous Battle of Setauket took place in 1777. That's the Presbyterian Church.

"The British controlled Long Island throughout the war after defeating Gen. George Washington in Brooklyn in August, 1776, and Setauket became a hotspot of Patriot guerrilla warfare. The Redcoats turned it into a garrison town by seizing the Presbyterian Church and making it a fort. Local families' loyalties were split between the rebel and Tory causes for most of the war.The Battle of Setauket occurred Aug. 22, 1777, when 500 Patriot troops, led by Col. Abraham Parsons, came ashore from Fairfield, Conn. In a four-hour skirmish, they unsuccessfully tried to force the British out of Setauket, retreating across the Sound when word came that English ships were about to close off their escape route." (From Newsday article)

A few snowflakes today

It took an hour to get to work today, normally a 15-minute drive. Here's how much we had by 1:15. At 3:00 they closed the campus, so I was home before dark for a change. Looks like about four or five inches so far (7pm). How are you folks in CT making out?

Decisions, decisions

Uh, I'll take a pound of ground chuck, please.

What's this?

All you car buffs out there...what kind of car is this? I saw it the other day in Port Jefferson and wondered if it might be a customized dune buggy. Maybe a Maserati? Santa's new sleigh?

Carolina Horsenettle (again)

Now that I know what this weed is, I'm seeing the little yellow marbles everywhere. Yesterday I saw this patch at the edge of the Waldbaum's parking lot in Rocky Point that borders a golf course.

Cute song

Anybody know what group this is that is playing on this blog?
Tune's really catchy. Also arresting: the "landscape" pictures (scroll down a little), and the Chinese text that makes me realize there are people all over the world out there blogging just as we are.
Meg Wu

Thank you, Kristen!!

I love my present! You did a great job with that lettering, very neat. You must have a very steady hand. The package arrived today. Now I'm going to wrap it up again and place it under my Christmas ... Jade Plant. Thank-ee, thank--ee, thank-ee!

Horse nettle

Don't these look like nice cherry tomatoes getting ripe? Well, they're not. They are horse nettle (Solanum carolinense), a common weed, and they are poisonous!
On a Sierra Club hike this past Saturday we saw some in a field and wondered what they were. Like good scientists we squooshed them open with our fingers. Ughhhhhh! what a horrible smell! They grow on spiny stalks, not vines. They are in the Nightshade family, to which tomatoes also belong.
I felt I should post this as a caution to the hiking public. Here's more info

Now I can see what ancient Rome looked like

A recent Google Friends Newsletter told me of Google Earth's new feature: views of Ancient Rome in the Late Empire Period (3rd and 4th Century). I tried it out this morning. Amazing! You can see where every building was and how the streets run. A wonderful toy.

Whatever next? Watching the Vikings burning and sacking an English village?

Ancient Rome

P.S. You can download Google Earth for free, a wonderful service.

Hooray, it worked!

I feel so good!

I just did the link insertion thingy, as per Biddie's instructions, and it worked(after about 17 unsuccessful tries). The beige box in which I'm supposed to plop the url was not showing...it was blocked. When I unblocked it ("temporarily allow scripted windows")all became clear. Then I put my relevant words between the marks (><) and clicked Publish Post. Voila!

Thank you, Miz Biddie. You can tell yourself that you have contributed to the technical education of a humanist

Out East: Edwards Ave.

The other sign, saying perhaps "Farm Stand", must have fallen down. All that was ahead on this country road was a guy working on his house. Better get the siding on before it snows!

The clouds were lifting rather than gathering over this symbol of the future, the windmill. Hard to take a picture facing the sun but that's where the windmill was.

One crop finished ...

... and another (cauliflower, or cabbage) coming along.

Fredrik's blog

I've just discovered a wonderful blog from Sweden called Ystad Daily Photo.

http://ystaddailyphoto.blogspot.com/Ystad Daily Photo

Check out the soundslides he has made. Links to them are on his posts of Nov. 14th (small children) and Nov. 23rd (beach). Wonderful!

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all!

A pet peeve of mine

Trucks that are much too big maneuvering around our 2-lane roads and crowded parking lots. To have one of these swinging around a corner at you is truly terrifying.

Fluffy grey visitor

Gotcha! Neighbor's cat comes to visit. To eat my birdies?

Where Cats Sleep

About ten years ago I bought this little book as a gift for a friend, but I liked it so much I had to keep it for myself.

It's only 48 pages long and mostly pictures. I know all you cat lovers out there would enjoy leafing through it. (Sometimes one just wants to look at pictures) The authors are Lynn Chang and Liz Ross. To see some pages you can go to Amazon and click on Look inside this book

Where Cats Sleep

Sorry, no book talk today

Been busy with stuff--work, laundry, choir, writing, cooking--and can't think of a book to recommend.

Oh wait. I did read one thing recently that was interesting... two letters of Pliny the Younger describing the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 A.D. A first hand account. You can find his Letters in any library or book store. (I warned you way back, I like Greek and Roman authors)
They are also online,
Pliny the Younger on Mt. Vesuvius

Kitty videos

Simon's Cat!!!!!

There are 3 videos: "TV dinner", "Let me in", and "Cat man do", all very funny.

Simon's Cat

Doggie video

Have to share this video which was posted on a blog I read this morning,

http://nyportraits.blogspot.com/2008/11/unleashed-in-long-island.html

What percent?

Was that 10% or 70% off? Should have gone in...if only to enjoy uncommon scents in the air. Isn't it amazing the good buys that are beginning to appear in stores? Every cloud has a silver lining for...

Thoughts on seeing the first tasteless Christmas decorations...

The Lake Isle of Innisfree
by
William Butler Yeats

I WILL arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made;
Nine bean rows will I have there, a hive for the honey bee,
And live alone in the bee-loud glade.

And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,
Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;
There midnight 's all a-glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
And evening full of the linnet's wings.

I will arise and go now, for always night and day
I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;
While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements gray,
I hear it in the deep heart's core.

Rainy day photos: what things are thinking

Ooh, I like this mirror. Makes me look good!

Hmmm... let's see, now where's that pond?

Crowded in here. Guess I'll hang out by the bike.

1,000 students line up at 7 am...

I've watched this video 3 times already and I'm still impressed. Apathetic? no more.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/11/04/over-1000-students-lined_n_140859.html

Swan family all grown up

Took 3 more pix today (11/2) of the same swan family

at the same location.

Cygnets are as big as their parents but still wearing camouflage.

Momma goes off on her own, job done.

Lovely afternoon at Setauket Harbor

Hee, hee, hee...handwriting analysis

http://www.easthamptonstar.com/dnn/Home/News/ABCs/tabid/6966/Default.aspx

Spider story (Isn't it the day for it?)

You have to feel sorry for the spider, though...
http://joelhaasstories.blogspot.com/2006/05/i-kill-spider.html

In case you crave more scary tales...

http://filletfish.spaces.live.com/?_c11_BlogPart_BlogPart=blogview&_c=BlogPart&partqs=cat%3DSpider%2BStories

Pulse Park, NYC

Here's a new way to express yourself while viewing an art exhibit,

putting your heart into it so to speak.

It's located at Madison Square Park north of 23rd Street

between 5th Avenue and Park Avenue South.

http://nymag.com/arts/art/features/51352/

More Litchfield pictures

Cheryl and Priscilla, showing height difference

The Alpha window, attributed to the Tiffany Studios.

The Omega window is on the other side

Another window



More windows above magnificent carvings



Priscilla and Cheryl, showing even greater height difference

Litchfield, October 26, 2008

Priscilla, Cheryl and Kristen

Cheryl and Kristen


Some of the wonderful carving work in the Chancel

To quote the brochure, "The floor tiling of the nave and aisles is laid with custom terra cotta quarries by the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works of Doylestown, PA and are copies of a fifteenth-century English Priory". Also just as pretty: Kristen's boot.

Sospiro Winds rehearsing before the performance

Looking over my photos and reading the brochure on St. Michael's I realize how much I didn't photograph, such as the organ with 2221 pipes and the fragment from Litchfield Cathedral in England. Guess I was too busy gawking.

(More photos to come on next posting)

Ribbitt!!

It was wonderful meeting my blogging buddies Cheryl and Kristen yesterday in Litchfield,CT. Cheryl presented me with a delightful frog pin. Thank you, Cheryl! I was touched. I hope he will stay on.
(These ladies are slimmer than they let on...all that talk about having gained weight! They looked just gorgeous)
Never fear, I'm going to post some pictures later today.....
The weather was gorgeous, the drive up 584 and 84 was a visual treat, and to meet friends at the end of the drive was heartwarming. St. Michael's was impressive with its Tiffany windows and elaborate wood carving. The town of Litchfield is wonderful, with old houses, open spaces, interesting shops, and hills in the distance (which impressed 2 flatlanders from Long Island). The Yale choral group was so skilful and enthusiastic it did my heart good...choral singing doesn't get much better than that. After the concert we walked around and discovered the many magnificent old houses on North St. (Rte. 63). Wow!
What a day!
The best of it, though, was meeting Cheryl and Kristen.

Reading Adventures

I've just been browsing in a blog named "Reading Adventures". It is the brainchild of a Marg in Melbourne, Australia. How fascinating to see what other people are reading! She must be a speed reader...so many titles. I found her blog on the Blogger Buzz Blog's list "Blogs of Note". Gorgeous photo at the heading, too.

http://readingadventures.blogspot.com/

We're coming to Connecticut

This Sunday, Oct. 26, my friend Mary and I are planning to drive up to CT for a concert in Litchfield. It's at 4:00 at St. Michael's Church (25 South St.)

http://www.yale.edu/ism/events/AutumnWindsCamerata.html

Since we'll be in your neck of the woods, Cheryl/Kristen/Maureen, I would love it if we could get together before the concert for coffee or something? Depending on traffic we hope to arrive in Litchfield between 3:00 and 3:30. Maybe you'd even like to attend the concert with us....

(P.S. The creature above is a Gorgon.)

Here's some info on the piece they're doing.
http://www.aoc.nrao.edu/~bbutler/play/music/unicorn/

Orpheus Charming the Animals

This is the postcard image I bought at the Pierpont Morgan Library.

"Orpheus Charming the Animals"
by Jacob Hoefnagel (1575-c. 1630).

Cheryl and her menagerie.

An image from the Internet--what a difference.

Would you rescue him, Cheryl?

Some critters are lovable, some are not.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/21/science/21blood.html?_r=1&8dpc&oref=slogin