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Wednesday, August 31, 2016

In Honor Of Mary Shelley


On this day of August 31th, it may be a little early for trick or treaters to pull out their Frankenstein Halloween costumes, but, it's a good time to reflect on Mary Shelley, the woman who brought him into many lives. Yesterday marked the day she was born in 1797. And of course, Cam, the cardinal whose book (seen below) I that I co-authored, truly hopes her legacy will live on like Frankenstein's!




ADDENDUM FALL 2018: 

The non-hardcover version (or versions)  of Volume One within the Words In Our Beak book series that are mentioned in this entry may only remain available for a limited time, but hardcover versions of Volume One, Two and Three can now be found wherever books are sold. Please click here to go to my blog post that provides details as to where you can get these books.

MY BOOK SERIES

Additionally, I have rendered some images from these books into other formats and they are available via Fine Art America (FAA). Some of my other photographs (Black & White Collection, Kaleidoscopic Images and the famous Mandarin duck who visited NYC) can also be found on my FAA pages.

Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Tuesday's Truths WK 7: More people are born in August than any other month.


Today, August 30th, marks the seventh week of my Tuesday's Truths series. It's also the last Tuesday in August, so I should point out this truth: more people are born in the month of August than any other month of the year! I'm one of those persons, and am very grateful to CDDS and FRG, as well as his mother, Ruthie, for giving me a very special birthday celebration last week,  a  couple of days before my birthday. After they took me for a short trip to the Atlantic Ocean, where I encountered sandpipers known as the Least variety, we headed back to FRG's mother's house for dinner followed by a birthday cake. Alas, it was not the cake pictured here, but I was caught up in the celebration and did not take a picture of it! Hence I'm using this web image by an unknown source, for the candles featured in it remind me of a shopkeeper who constantly says, "Don't ask me my age, how much I weigh, or how much rent I pay."  — And that's something to keep in my mind with this Tuesday's truism, no matter what month in which one happens to be born.

Friday, August 26, 2016

It's National Dog Day!


The photo atop this entry is of a chow chow named Uli, which is a nickname for his given name of Ulysses. I am featuring Uly here on Blogger at this time, because, according to Holiday Insights, today, August 26th, is National Dog Day. Evidently it this holiday was established "to honor dogs, and to rescue dogs from homelessness and abuse. (And) its an opportunity for us to recognize and appreciate the value and importance of dogs in our lives."

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Tuesday's Truths WK 6: Least Sandpipers Are Known As PEEPS!


This is the sixth week of my Tuesday's Truths series, and three weeks ago, on August 2nd 2016, I described a truism of seagulls, the bird type pictured atop this entry. The seagulls I featured in that entry were ones I had met at the Atlantic Ocean when I was in Long Beach New York. The picture included here, was also taken at the Atlantic Ocean, but I met this guy/gal bird at Sea Side Heights in New Jersey. This beach is located within a New Jersey State Park. Friends had taken me there in honor of my birthday. Beaches in State Parks tend to be quieter as well as cleaner, and this beach was no exception. Still this bird managed to get a hold of a plastic lid and I certainly hope it didn't cause him/her health issues.


A seagull looked on as his/her comrade held the plastic lid in his/her beak. I left them to their own devices and strolled along the shoreline in search of sandpipers. It has been a long time since I've seen this sweet bird type at any beach, and I was happy to learn that sandpipers liked to gather in the Sea Side Heights area. And much to my delight I encountered throngs of this adorable bird type.

Friday, August 12, 2016

My Visiting Birds & "The Last Song"


The photograph atop this blog entry was taken a little over a month ago on July 8th 2016. It features a very young American Robin spending time atop a table that I have in my urban (NYC) rooftop garden. In the picture he/she is standing alongside saucers that I fill with pomegranates, blueberries, raspberries, currants and raisins. It is one of my small ways of saying thank you to the array of birds that visit my place.

Wednesday, August 10, 2016

The Entertainment of Birds



 
The last time I saw a Downy woodpecker in my garden was this past March. He entertained me with his antics re procuring butter-bud suet from a bird feeder in my urban — NYC rooftop garden. (The photos atop this entry illustrate the woodpecker at the aforementioned buttter-bud suet feeder.) I was most impressed with his actions in balancing himself on the feeder, which still had snow atop of it.

Tuesday, August 9, 2016

Tuesday's Truths WK 4: Some Facts Re Agastache 'Apricot Sunrise' Plants


Welcome to Tuesday's Truths week four where I will be discussing truisms re the Agastache 'Apicot Sunrise' plants. I'm long over due in introducing  you to this plant type which Juan V planted in my urban (NYC) rooftop garden earlier this summer (after I found and procured these plants from a Brooklyn nursery). I  have a few of the Agastaches planted in a box as seen in the image atop this entry.

Sunday, August 7, 2016

In Honor of National Lighthouse Day (8-7)



Today, August the 7th, there is a holiday known as National Lighthouse Day. Although I've only been to three lighthouses in my lifetime (one near Sandy Hook, New Jersey; one in Manhattan; and one on Fire Island), I really love them! I hope that one day, I'll be able to add other lighthouses to my list of ones I've seen.

The pictures posted atop this entry are of The Little Red Lighthouse and The Fire Island Lighthouse (respectively). I've never been inside The Little Red Lighthouse, but I have been in the vicinity of it on a number of occasions, as it is often a destination and/or rest stop for my tandem cycling trips.

Saturday, August 6, 2016

Saturday In The Park (Central Park)







Today I spent some time in Central Park with a dear friend (CF) . She and I took a walk in The Rambles. On our way back we encountered a squirrel with a limp. But his/her injury did not deter the sweet creature from frolicking about or  playing peek-a-boo with us; as evident by the photographs atop this entry. Even though this critter seemed to be in a New York State of mind, the scene had a real Chicago feel about it; after all it was a Saturday in the park!

Friday, August 5, 2016

Follow-Up Friday: Musings on Mutts AND an Update re "Words In Our Beak Volume One"



As anyone who follows my cyber venues knows, I am a big fan of the comic strip Muttscreated by Patrick McDonnell. McDonnell  has influenced my work as an artist/writer and raised my awareness re the plight of animals. Over my years in cyber-space, I've written about my appreciation for the strip's cast of characters. My musings re this strip include a number of entries here on Blogger. The strips posted atop this entry are two of McDonnell's most recent ones. As you can see, they have a seaside setting. Another strip with a seaside setting can be seen below.

Tuesday, August 2, 2016

Tuesday's Truths WK 3: The Glands of Seagulls Allow Them to Drink Salt Water

AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHERS ARE FEATURED IN VOL 3

Welcome to Tuesday's Truths week three. If you follow this blog, you may recall on the second week of my series, Tuesday's Truths, I blogged about certain truisms re the bird type known an an American Oystercatcher, a bird type I was "introduced" to during my recent trip to Long Beach New York. A member of this bird variety can be seen in the lower lefthand corner within the image posted above, where he/she appears to be taking a drink from the salty waters of the Atlantic. 

Monday, August 1, 2016

Reflections on a Jane Goodall Clip ETC



I have looked at the video clip posted above on a number of occasions. One of my take-aways upon viewing it was to confirm my belief that animals have deep feelings. Another take-away that I learned from this clip is the importance of my letting go of avian creatures, whom I've helped, by creating a safe environment for them in my rooftop urban (NYC) garden (pictured below in an image taken by Juan V this summer).


But before I discuss the birds who visit my place, let me backtrack a bit. When I first started speaking out in cyber-land in 2009, my intent was to give voice to the flora growing in my garden.