Sharon, CT Daily Photo

Winter Farmers Market opens

2011-11-05T12:57:00.000-04:00

The Millerton Farmers Market has moved indoors to Gilmor Glass once again. What a lovely spot to buy your winter veggies!

On the green

2011-11-04T12:52:00.000-04:00

on the green, a photo by jahansell on Flickr.

Snapped trees everywhere. It will take months to clean it all up!

North main

2011-11-02T12:53:00.000-04:00

north main, a photo by jahansell on Flickr.

This is still the scene in front of my house. When those limbs hit those wires, we saw a blue flash, then a red flash, then total darkness. The firetrucks came quickly to take care of the live downed wires - thanks, guys!

Downed trees

2011-11-01T12:51:00.000-04:00

library, a photo by jahansell on Flickr.

After the historic SnowTober, I walked around the green and shot a few downed limbs. The worst of it was probably the schoolbus with a tree on top of it on Route 4, but I didn't get over there to see it.

surviving the storm part 2

2011-10-31T12:50:00.000-04:00

surviving the storm 1, a photo by jahansell on Flickr.

Lucky girls slept in the only warm room in the house - in front of that toasty fire.

surviving the storm part 1

2011-10-30T12:49:00.000-04:00

surviving the storm 2, a photo by jahansell on Flickr.

How did we get through all those days without power? Duchess knows.

People watching

2011-10-25T12:39:00.000-04:00

people watching, a photo by jahansell on Flickr.

The new Alpaca shop in Millerton had some special guests during Fall for Art - they seemed to enjoy the unusual sights and sounds of the day.

Corn season is past

2011-10-24T12:40:00.000-04:00

cornstalks, a photo by jahansell on Flickr.

The cornfields are only green from mid-June through late September. The other three quarters of the year they look more like this - beautiful in their own way.

Lespehstival

2011-10-23T12:42:00.000-04:00

lespehstival, a photo by jahansell on Flickr.

Millerton's music scene is blossoming - thanks in no small part to Mike Rooney, who has hosted festivals at Kaplan's Farm for quite a few years now, and the scrappy and talented kids of Lespecial. They teamed up to throw their own mini-Woodstock - it was fantastic fun.

The Cat Who Lived

2011-10-21T12:38:00.000-04:00

saved, a photo by jahansell on Flickr.

Our little kitten, Duchess, LOVES to go outside. She will back up from the door about 20 feet and hurl herself into it full-speed to open it and sneak out. One night she didn't come back. I went out every few hours, all night long, calling her, and a few times we thought we heard her cry. But it wasn't until morning that I finally found her, 30 feet up a tree. She refused to climb down and we don't own a ladder that tall. Finally I had a brilliant idea. I took this basket, tied one end of a string around the handle and the other end around a large stick. I hurled the stick over the branch and hoisted the basket up to where she was. Amazingly, she climbed into the unstable, tipsy basket and we lowered her down. I failed to catch an action shot, but we memorialized the moment later.

George

2011-10-20T12:30:00.000-04:00

george, a photo by jahansell on Flickr.

George Doty's family goes back generations in Sharon. I'll be photographing some of his ancestors' graves in Boland Cemetery soon.

Old Dam

2011-10-19T12:29:00.000-04:00

dam, a photo by jahansell on Flickr.

I had the opportunity recently to take some photos of an old dam about a mile below the southwest end of Mudge Pond. This spot is just off Silver Lake Shore road, and you can see the wall that once was there. George Doty invited me to help him document the dam, which was owned by relatives of his 100 years ago.

Downstream from Mudge Pond

2011-10-18T12:31:00.000-04:00

stream, a photo by jahansell on Flickr.

Another in the series I took with George Doty of the area below the former dam.

Sepia river

2011-09-28T13:19:00.000-04:00

sepia river, a photo by jahansell on Flickr.

The Housatonic, near Kent. Sepia just for un - but it's a little overdone. I'd rather see a subtler effect.

Piano playing leaves

2011-09-27T13:18:00.000-04:00

piano playing leaves, a photo by jahansell on Flickr.

I know that's a nonsensical name for this photograph but for some odd reason these leaves put me in mind of hands playing piano.

dramatic skies

2011-09-23T12:35:00.000-04:00

skies, a photo by jahansell on Flickr.

On Route 7 driving south from Great Barrington. I continue to be impressed with the pictures I"m getting from my iPhone 4S. When I use the HDR feature they're even better.

Misty fields

2011-09-20T13:15:00.000-04:00

misty fields, a photo by jahansell on Flickr.

A lovely fall morning.

Golden leaves

2011-09-13T13:14:00.000-04:00

golden leaves, a photo by jahansell on Flickr.

Some pretty early fall shots...

Leaf picnic

2011-09-12T13:15:00.000-04:00

leaf picnic, a photo by jahansell on Flickr.

Nobody else is enjoying the picnic tables now - so the leaves can have a party.

Five trunks

2011-09-11T13:16:00.000-04:00

five trunks, a photo by jahansell on Flickr.

All part of one tree, at Mudge Pond

Docks are in

2011-09-10T13:14:00.000-04:00

docks are in, a photo by jahansell on Flickr.

Labor Day is past, the docks are hauled in, but it's still fun to go to the beach.

summer corn

2011-08-19T18:05:00.001-04:00

summer corn, a photo by jahansell on Flickr.

It was misty at 8am when I was driving back to Sharon from Millerton - just a haze hanging over the hills.

Tis the season

2011-06-03T21:17:00.001-04:00

turtle, a photo by jahansell on Flickr.

for turtles to cross the road. Thanks to Mike Rooney for helping me scooch this one to safety - the cars were NOT stopping!

Little paraders

2011-05-30T15:48:00.001-04:00

Little paraders, originally uploaded by jahansell.

We have a wonderful parade - I post something from it every year (look back in the archives.) I'll post a link to the rest of the photos and a video of the school band playing Col. Bogey a little later.

crocus

2011-03-23T17:15:00.001-04:00

crocus, originally uploaded by jahansell.

I always seem to be a day behind. It's snowing today - this crocus may be buried by morning!

Starting

2011-03-21T12:46:00.001-04:00

starting, originally uploaded by jahansell.

The obligatory spring sprouting photo! Of course this was yesterday - today everything's covered in an inch or two of wet snow.

Super Moon

2011-03-19T20:25:00.001-04:00

big moon, originally uploaded by jahansell.

Just about 45 minutes ago... over the fields up on the hill at Rte 41 and Long Pond....

Millerton road

2011-03-09T08:30:00.001-05:00

ice storm, originally uploaded by jahansell.

There was this one spot yesterday on a rise, just south of Millerton, where every tree was coated with ice. It was spectacular. Click through to Flickr to see another shot.

Ice Storm

2011-03-07T20:24:00.001-05:00

droplets, originally uploaded by jahansell.

For all the times this year that ice was predicted, this is the first time we had a real accumulation of ice on branches and twigs - not to mention windshields, not to mention the road. I hope everyone made it home safe and sound tonight.

Open water

2011-03-06T16:39:00.001-05:00

weeds on ice, originally uploaded by jahansell.

There are swaths of mud, dead leaves and brown grass in my yard, and spots of open water on the ponds and lakes. Something's happening!

misty vista

2011-03-05T16:40:00.000-05:00

Corn stalks poking up through the mud and remains of the snow. In 8 weeks this will all be green.

Green Barn Blue Barn

2011-03-04T04:43:00.000-05:00

Pine Hill Farm in the rain - the colors are rich and saturated. I didn't poke around too much because I was afraid I'd get sucked down into the mud like the LaBrea Tar Pits!

Coyote or fox?

2011-03-01T21:03:00.001-05:00

Coyote or fox?, originally uploaded by jahansell.

This has been the subject of considerable debate tonight on Facebook so I throw it open to all of you! Coyote, or fox?

Misty day

2011-03-01T09:55:00.001-05:00

misty, originally uploaded by jahansell.

Yesterday there was tremendous fog for a little while...when I stopped along Route 44 to take some pictures I couldn't stay long because trucks were careening by and it didn't feel safe. So I didn't quite get the shot I wanted, but you get the idea!

Sleep tight

2011-02-21T15:27:00.001-05:00

good fight herbs, originally uploaded by jahansell.

Do you have insomnia? (I do!) Good Fight Herbs, at the Millerton Farmers Market, has some lovely options for you!

Eagle

2011-02-20T17:31:00.001-05:00

bald eagle, originally uploaded by jahansell.

I've been scanning the hills for eagles all winter and finally spotted a pair today. The sun was just going down behind this hill and was so strong I could barely look towards the trees, let alone compose a decent shot -- I just closed my eyes and went click click click, hoping to get one. Hence the blur .. if I have time I'll go back in the morning - with a tripod!

The place to be today

2011-02-19T15:41:00.001-05:00

february market, originally uploaded by jahansell.

The Millerton Farmer's Market was hopping this morning - click through to Flickr if you want to make your mouth water.

An extra post for today

2011-02-18T12:00:00.001-05:00

dandelion girl, originally uploaded by jahansell.

Party just to give a taste of spring, which is in the air today (right now there's even a bit of sunshine!) and in part to share a new discovery in the world of photography - Photoshop actions. People use these shortcuts in post-processing to get various interesting effects - vintage, gritty, faded, etc - there are hundreds of them out there for free download and hundreds more that can be bought. For me, the goal in trying them is to learn more Photoshop skills - in figuring out how they were written I can expand my own knowledge of the many powerful tools available in Photoshop. This was a sweet picture right out of the camera, but it's got all kinds of filters and textures added now ... kind of nice!

Late Winter Thaw

2011-02-18T09:30:00.001-05:00

spring thaw, originally uploaded by jahansell.

It was warm yesterday, and will be warmer today - somewhere there are probably snowdrops struggling to reach the light. It's amazing that the drifts and piles just sort of evaporate. I was picturing epic floods as all this snow melted, and while there are puddles and muddy patches (which then freeze into super slick ice patches at night) the snow is slowly just disappearing.

jaunty snow hat

2011-02-17T14:23:00.001-05:00

jaunty snow hat, originally uploaded by jahansell.

The snow is eroding everywhere, leaving some unpleasant sights like yesterday's dirty snow bank, but this one is rather sweet - a shrub with a cute little chapeau of snow!

Not everything is beautiful...

2011-02-16T14:21:00.000-05:00

dirty snow, originally uploaded by jahansell.

I guess what has happened is that, over the winter, we had snow, which got covered with a layer of dirt, then more snow, then more dirt, and on and on. Now that the snow is melting, it's as if the frosting between layers of a cake disappeared, leaving only the cake, or in this case, the layers of dirt. On my back porch where I feed the birds, the whole history of the winter is now revealed - the plates I put out in December, the suet feeders from January, the orange slices, the tens of thousands of sunflower seed hulls - all were covered up by successive layers of snow, and now all are revealed -- it's an ugly sight indeed.

Snow casualty

2011-02-14T09:39:00.001-05:00

collapsed barn, originally uploaded by jahansell.

This old barn, which I've photographed quite a few times, collapsed a few days ago under the weight of all the snow and ice.

It's supposed to be over 40 degrees today, and past 50 by the weekend - while I won't break out the shorts just yet, it's a welcome break!

In Flight

2011-02-13T17:47:00.001-05:00

in flight, originally uploaded by jahansell.

The Ski jumps went off this weekend, and the new jump that SWSA has built is spectacular. I haven't been there in a few years, but the crowds definitely seemed bigger! I wonder if the public will be able to come see the junior olympics? There's not much space there and I imagine it will be pretty full of athletes, families, press, etc!

standing around waiting for spring

2011-02-12T21:40:00.001-05:00

standing around waiting for spring, originally uploaded by jahansell.

It's starting to warm up....right? So why was today so friggin' cold?

Local Radio takes a hit

2011-02-06T11:47:00.001-05:00

goodbye qqq, originally uploaded by jahansell.

We still have one local station, the wonderful new WHDD. But two voices are better than one, and as much as I love public radio (it's what I listen to 90% of the time), I don't think we need more sources of Car Talk and All Things Considered - we need diversity.

WKZE no longer pays much attention to this area; heaven knows WAMC doesn't. Will WSHU care what happens in Sharon, or Canaan, or Millerton? Time will tell. And, what will happen to this building?

Farewell WQQQ

2011-02-05T23:42:00.000-05:00

I stopped by the WQQQ studio in Lakeville yesterday to say farewell and thank you to Joe, Marie and the gang. They've been an important voice in public radio over the years, helping get the word out about everything from food drives to propane leaks to lost dogs. Joe's inimitable radio voice will be missed along with his endless commitment to serving the community!

winter house

2011-02-04T19:27:00.001-05:00

winter house, originally uploaded by jahansell.

Almost like a dog with droopy ears, isn't it?

Pink sunset

2011-02-04T08:52:00.001-05:00

pink sunset, originally uploaded by jahansell.

We always look towards the setting sun for the beautiful sunset but last night, looking away from it was worthwhile too - the sun had just dipped below the horizon on Indian Lake and the sky glowed soft pink on the mountain.

snow mountain

2011-02-03T20:07:00.001-05:00

snow mountain, originally uploaded by jahansell.

This is just ridiculous. It's easily 8 feet tall. It won't be gone til August. And as it melts, my entire yard will be underwater.

dog tracks

2011-02-02T21:09:00.001-05:00

dog tracks, originally uploaded by jahansell.

Some of us stayed holed up indoors for the last two days, avoiding the snow and ice - both of which were a lot milder than predicted! We got maybe 7 inches total snow, not the 18 they scared us with, and the ice storm never really happened.

However there are certain people that can't stay inside - the plow drivers, postal workers, the grocery store and gas station owners, and of course the dog walkers - they must go out no matter what the weather. I caught up to this pair and noted how well-furred the dog was - when I observed she must love the snow, her owner demurred - tolerates, he said, not love or even like!

World's Biggest Icicle

2011-02-01T14:41:00.001-05:00

biggest icicle, originally uploaded by jahansell.

At the Sharon Post Office, it goes from the roofline all the way to the ground.

white greenhouse

2011-01-31T19:53:00.001-05:00

white greenhouse, originally uploaded by jahansell.

I heard the marvelous Margaret Roach on this morning - it got me to thinking about seeds, soil, greenery, leaves, sun....spring. So I stopped in to see what was happening at Paley's. If they've got anything going in the greenhouse yet I couldn't tell - no way I was going to climb the snow mountain to find out!

Broken-down fence

2011-01-30T11:19:00.002-05:00

branches old fence, originally uploaded by jahansell.

I feel bad posting this. It's a snowy landscape. I think we've all seen enough of these.

I should do as Rick did on Facebook yesterday and post a pretty summer scene. The only thing new and different to shoot around here today is the brown dirty snow piled up by every driveway, and I really don't feel like doing that. Icicles? OK, I could try that, but...yawn.

I've gotten a bit obsessive about checking the weather forecasts - I have three weather apps on my phone, and I check them constantly to see how much snow we're getting in the next round. If you do this too, you owe it to yourself to visit Gawker.com and read the story about Accuweather maps.

Miraculous amaryllis

2011-01-27T10:24:00.001-05:00

miraculous amaryllis, originally uploaded by jahansell.

I just had to share this story as there's a metaphor in there somewhere:
I've had this amaryllis bulb for quite a few years - 6 or 7, maybe. Every winter, after it blooms, I water it and keep it in the window. In the summer I put it outside, and in September I bring it in, cut off the foliage, and put it in the cupboard where it goes dormant for a few months. Usually I bring it out in mid-December, at which time it starts to bud, grow new leaves, and bloom.

This year, I forgot to pull it out til last week. In complete darkness it had thrown up leaves and a stalk, and the flowers had started to open. But it was pale white, limp, and looked dead. I put it in the window, gave it some water and within about four days, it had gotten its strength back. The stem is broken a little and can't hold the weight of the flowers (you can see I have a kitchen implement propping it up!) but the flowers are spectacular - as good as if I'd been coddling it all along!

So: the lesson? You tell me - in the comments!

Dangerous!

2011-01-26T22:25:00.001-05:00

Watch out - don't get caught under one of these at the wrong time! (Remember that old Charlie Brown cartoon - Snoopy is lying in his doghouse and there's a huge icicle hanging over his head? He's afraid to move in case he shakes it loose... I've felt like that all week.

Tracks

2011-01-25T09:15:00.001-05:00

tracks, originally uploaded by jahansell.

A few years ago, in early summer 2006 (very early days for this blog) I took a similar shot of this field after a different sort of extreme weather conditions. Someone really likes to ride up and down across it! Whose fields are these? I think I (don't) know...

white throated sparrow with sunflower seed

2011-01-24T07:57:00.001-05:00

white throated sparrow with sunflower seed, originally uploaded by jahansell.

I promise I won't turn this into a bird blog - but this fellow was so handsome with his yellow lores and spiffy white throat. I sat on my porch to try to get shots not through a window - it took a long time for them to be brave enough to come eat with me sitting right there. But come they did, at last - a bird's gotta eat, especially when it's zero degrees.

Farm on a hill

2011-01-23T21:08:00.001-05:00

farm on a hill, originally uploaded by jahansell.

Mole Hill, to be specific. I like the unexpected fence and light in the corner of the frame.

If you saw my reflection in the snow covered hills

2011-01-22T23:01:00.001-05:00

snow hills, originally uploaded by jahansell.

Frankly I'm getting a little tired of snow already - and we have at least 2 more months of it! But I'll keep trying to find fun new ways to show it.

If you want to be featured in Sharon CT Daily Photo - your house or your business or you - let me know!

Where else in the US...

2011-01-21T10:32:00.001-05:00

sharon po, originally uploaded by jahansell.

Would the postmaster let you know you have a package...via Facebook? Thanks Kelly and Katie for keeping the mail flowing!

Not a Bald Eagle

2011-01-20T10:18:00.001-05:00

not a bald eagle, originally uploaded by jahansell.

But you can see why I thought it might have been? I'm still hoping to see one along West Cornwall Road by Miles pond. But this is just a cap of snow on some kind of burl or knot in the tree- when I started to see dozens of them I realized that it was not a hunched up eagle! (Not that eagles ever hunch - they always sit tall!)

Evergreens everwhite

2011-01-18T21:00:00.001-05:00

evergreens, originally uploaded by jahansell.

More snow, more ice, more slush - tomorrow I'll go out looking for icicles to photograph.

A peaceful snowdrift

2011-01-16T10:51:00.001-05:00

snowdrift, originally uploaded by jahansell.

A quiet Sunday, a ray of light.

Sharon Basketball

2011-01-15T23:14:00.002-05:00

I had some fun at the SCS girls game the other day playing with scale and shutter speed. Click through to Flickr to see some more.

Spot of red

2011-01-14T09:48:00.001-05:00

red church grey sky, originally uploaded by jahansell.

The Methodist church provides a spot of technicolor on an otherwise black-and-white day.

The Blizzard of 2011

2011-01-13T16:14:00.001-05:00

The Blizzard of 2011, originally uploaded by jahansell.

Downtown Sharon, 9am.

Local Hero

2011-01-12T16:19:00.001-05:00

local hero, originally uploaded by jahansell.

While most of us were still asleep, Sharon's road crews were out making the streets safe for everyone. Karl's little snowblower had a tough time in the 20-plus inches of fluffy stuff, but by 10am, all the sidewalks from the shopping plaza to the historical society were clear!

Hills of Amenia

2011-01-11T18:14:00.001-05:00

hills of amenia, originally uploaded by jahansell.

This is the view from Route 44 as you descend into Amenia - not all the way at the top, but at a spot a bit lower down where it seemed a little safer to pull over and shoot. But the photo was a little disappointing - flat, maybe - so I doctored it up in Picasa, just for fun. If you want to see the original (with just a tiny bit of sharpening) it's here. Which do you like better?

BIG snow coming, I hope to get some nice photos. There are some interesting special effects I've seen on Flickr - maybe I'll figure out how to get that shadowy mysterious effect in Photoshop and have something fun to show you.

Twin oaks sunset

2011-01-10T14:11:00.001-05:00

twin oaks sunset, originally uploaded by jahansell.

Taken with my iphone last night. I usually think sunset pictures don't work and try not to post them - but this one ain't bad. More big snow headed our way - need a new and interesting way to shoot it!

More snow this morning

2011-01-09T08:42:00.001-05:00

snow day, originally uploaded by jahansell.

Though this picture is from yesterday. Today we've only got about an inch of new snow. Yesterday all around town you could hear that distinctive scraping sound as people shoveled out.

brown leaves reflection

2011-01-08T17:30:00.001-05:00

brown leaves reflection, originally uploaded by jahansell.

After a series of completely mixed up and confusing forecasts (at one point, weather.com said we'd get 1 or 2 more inches then it would end, and simultaneously posted a Winter Storm Warning predicting 7 to 9) we got a lovely fluffy light 5 inches or so. It stuck to the branches and twigs all day - click through the photo to my Flickr page to see a few more images.

Wheres Waldo?

2011-01-07T09:47:00.001-05:00

wheres waldo, originally uploaded by jahansell.

I'm sure there's some obvious reason why this pond in Millerton (behind the veterinary/Hylton Hunt Salon) isn't iced over. The geese don't care why, of course - they're just glad to have some open water. When I went there I spooked them - you can see they're heading into the water and swimming away from me. I thought there were only geese (and this is just a small fraction of the total spread out on the field to the left and the pond to the right) but if you look closely you can see someone else in the picture!

Ice over

2011-01-06T09:23:00.001-05:00

ice fishing, originally uploaded by jahansell.

It's official - according to the Lakeville Journal, Lake Wononscopomuc (I wrote that without checking - how'd I do?) is frozen over. This gentleman is on Indian Lake, fishing just before sunset. Tomorrow I'll show you a pond that is mysteriously un-iced, and its denizens.

Downy

2011-01-05T09:24:00.000-05:00

fluff, originally uploaded by jahansell.

If you were wrapped in a blanket of these, could you withstand these cold winter days?

Fluff friend

2011-01-04T08:46:00.001-05:00

fluff friend, originally uploaded by jahansell.

Or Pet Pals...the one on the left looks more like a plush stuffed animal I'd buy for my daughter than a real live horse. He's the perfect size for a kid to ride, too.

ice water

2011-01-03T12:14:00.001-05:00

ice water, originally uploaded by jahansell.

I heard there were eagles down by Audubon's Miles Wildlife Sanctuary - the manager, Mike, sometimes drags deer carcasses out onto the ice to attract them. But I saw no eagles (nor coyote nor bobcat.) It was a beautful spot, nonetheless - I have such happy memories of the years we lived in the big stone house!

Miami?

2011-01-02T09:09:00.001-05:00

miami, originally uploaded by jahansell.

If the cold is getting you down, just drive down West Cornwall Road til you see these 12 foot tall "palm trees" and pretend you're in Florida!

House on the hill

2011-01-01T17:21:00.001-05:00

From Drop Box

The big snow we had last weekend is already melting - it felt like spring today.
Happy New Year - may 2011 bring many more photographs!

Stormy evening

2010-12-09T16:34:00.001-05:00

grey and green, originally uploaded by jahansell.

This is it for my backlog of local shots...time to get out there and take some more. We had an inch of snow a few days ago - everything looked so pretty - but it's gone. Now it's just COLD.

I'm shopping for a new camera - there are so many great choices out there right now but none has EVERYTHING I want. Very frustrating!

The colors of late fall

2010-12-08T14:12:00.001-05:00

fall 1, originally uploaded by jahansell.

It's not all yellow and red - grey and green look pretty nice too.

Just a few more...

2010-12-04T14:00:00.001-05:00

fall scene, originally uploaded by jahansell.

of my backlog of fall photos and I'll return to the greyer, browner present! This is in the backyard of a very fine photographer I know...no wonder he's always so inspired! check him out at www.jdosterphoto.com

Graveyard in fall

2010-12-03T15:09:00.001-05:00

graveyard in fall, originally uploaded by jahansell.

They seem at peace, don't they?

Sun across the valley

2010-12-01T18:50:00.001-05:00

sun across the valley, originally uploaded by jahansell.

The sun was going down, but there was still a bit of light at the far end of the valley. When I took this photo, the sun was going down around 6pm. Now it's pitch dark by 4:45. Sigh.

Early fall

2010-11-30T16:09:00.001-05:00

red tree lake, originally uploaded by jahansell.

Where have I been, you might wonder (if there's still a 'you' out there."

My computer has been down since July and it's awfully hard to blog wtihout one. Yes, I can snap shots on my phone and blog directly, but they don't live up to my standards of quality. It appears that I'm back up and running, not at full speed and power but enough so I can get back to work.

I have a small backlog of photos I'll be uploading over the next little while, and it's my intention to start this blog again. Yes, I've said that before, but I've had some new infusions of interest and energy!

Hello Clancy old friend!

2010-10-09T10:50:00.001-04:00

Breakfast at the Oakhurst diner in Millerton. Asked for hot sauce to go with my potatoes and eggs. Took one bite and was whisked back in time to 1986, Fleetwood Diner, Ann Arbor. A look at the bottle explained it. Clancy's Fancy is my madeleine, it turns out!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Garden snake

2010-10-06T11:31:00.001-04:00

snake tongue, originally uploaded by jahansell.

He wasn't fazed at all by my creeping closer and closer - this is the last of about 25 shots!

Open for Business!

2010-10-04T19:40:00.000-04:00

Created with flickr slideshow from softsea.This is the first time I've tried a slideshow like this - let me know how it works out! It doesn't seem to have included my comments about each photo, or title - too bad.
But the short version is - Sharon Farm Market is here - hooray! I wandered its bright and colorful aisles, chatted with proprietor Joe Choi, who was very happy to be open for business, and ran into many friends and Sharon VIPS who were eager to see what there was to buy. Fresh fish, local produce, gourmet items, and all the convenience items and mainstream brands were represented. The sushi bar isn't open yet, and the baked goods were thin, but the salty oat cookies (with chocolate chips, from Jam) were delicious. The man behind me in the checkout line teased me for how many chocolate items I'd bought - I assured him I'd bought LOTS of vegetables only yesterday... though he could see right through me, I'm sure.
This blog may go dark (again) for a while - one of the obstacles ot my posting has been ongoing computer problems and I've finally given up at trying to fix it myself - it's going back to Gateway for some unknown period of time. I'll be back, eventually!

Squash of the season

2010-09-28T15:54:00.001-04:00

squash, originally uploaded by jahansell.

A less obvious sign of fall - the cools whites and greens of the newly ripened squashes at the Farmers Market.

Fall arrives

2010-09-23T19:14:00.001-04:00

And I have a functioning camera again

Garden feast

2010-08-25T14:17:00.000-04:00

From 2010 August NECC garden feast

The teens in NECC's summer job program maintained the new school garden at Webutuck beautifully - this is just a fraction of the tomatoes and beets, and leeks, and chard, and turnips, and gorgeous gorgeous flowers, that were harvested this summer.

I have posted, retroactively, some other moments from this past month, so scroll down - I make no claim to posting daily anymore, but I shoudl be able to do better than twice a month.

Won't be long now...

2010-08-16T08:20:00.001-04:00

sharon farm market, originally uploaded by jahansell.

I know a lot has been going on inside, but this is the first major change outside the new grocery store. I can't tell you how excited I'll be when the day comes that I"m making dinner, it's 6:00, everything's moving along, and I realize I don't have an onion. Or a lemon. Or i'm out of sugar. Or whatever..and I can just run out and grab it and be back before the water boils.

But I have been troubled by some comments I'm hearing around town. The new owners are Korean, and for some reason people are fixating on this and making a lot of assumptions about what kind of market it will be. "It's a Korean Deli." "..competition from that new Korean grocery..." - I'm genuinely (perhaps naively) surprised by the focus on ethnicity. We don't live in the most diverse spot on earth, heaven knows - the first time my daughter noticed a man with dark skin and made a comment about it, she was all of three, and we were nowhere near here. But still, I'd hope people would pay attention to what he's doing, not where he was born.

I suppose in NYC "Korean deli" isn't pejorative - it's just a fact that there is a network of small corner groceries, owned by Koreans, that carry a certain fairly predictable line of items (or at least that was true when I lived there, over a decade ago.) The produce was always fresh, the tofu was great, and I loved the fig bars! But in the comments I've heard, I'm not so sure that appellation was used in such a neutral way - I felt I was hearing a tinge of anxiety from people about a stranger, an outsider coming in. Maybe that would be the case no matter who it was - he's from Long Island and it could just as well have been a Jewish grocer, or an Italian one - would the same people say "Jewish deli" (I know I would - bring on the pastrami!) or "Italian market?" Why, to my ears, do either of those feel less pejorative than what I have been hearing?

It's a puzzlement. Any thoughts?

High Line

2010-08-15T14:15:00.000-04:00

high line bricks, originally uploaded by jahansell.
I took a trip to New York City, and visited, at last, the High Line. It lives up to the hype (old rail bed, converted to funky urban park) though it's only about 8 blocks long - it takes 15 minutes to walk through. There were lots of people there, enjoying the summer day - sitting on benches, eating, walking dogs, taking pictures, just basking. Click the photo to go to my Flickr site to see a few more shots.

Craft fair dog

2010-08-10T14:14:00.000-04:00

craft fair dog, originally uploaded by jahansell.
Do you sense a theme here? I have been taking pictures of dogs at the Millerton Farmers Market for years - they just add so much to the ambiance. (As long as they are on leashes.) This one was helping to sell his mistress' wares at the Sharon Arts and Crafts Fair.

LIbrary ook signing

2010-08-09T14:14:00.000-04:00

book signing, originally uploaded by jahansell.
Early August was a busy time in Sharon. The Hotchkiss Library book signing and sale brouht out a couple dozen authors and hundreds of book lovers - I went home with a huge stack to read!

Misty evening

2010-08-06T08:58:00.001-04:00

misty evening, originally uploaded by jahansell.

Last night after a long day at work, coming home, making dinner, cleaning up, I dashed out to the beach with my daughter. It was after 8 already and getting dark, but I needed to see sky! We jumped in for a few minutes, and on the way home pulled over to look at this - a light blanket of fog over the field. It looked so thin I thought I could walk in it and have my head stick out the top - that would have been so cool!

Storm damage

2010-08-02T10:44:00.001-04:00

tree down, originally uploaded by jahansell.

The damage from last week's tornado is getting cleaned up, bit by bit - but it will take many years to replace this grand old tree in front of the school.

August 1 Theme Day: Bright Colors

2010-08-01T02:40:00.000-04:00

Vintage cars are a common sight around here in the summer - they gather at parades, at Lime Rock Race Track events, and just drive around for fun. When I was visiting Detroit a few weeks ago I saw even more - great old Bel Aires and the like everywhere I went. This fine specimen drove through Sharon during the Memorial Day parade.

It's Theme Day in the City Daily Photo Blog community -- to see Bright Colors around the globe, click here to view thumbnails for all participants and to vote for the next theme, visit CityDailyPhoto.com.

Hawk in the front yard

2010-07-31T09:37:00.001-04:00

hawk in the front yard, originally uploaded by jahansell.

This isn't a great photo - nothing like the bird pictures my colleague, Abraham Lincoln (really) takes over at Brookville (OH) Daily Photo. But it was a cool moment - this bird fell out of the sky into the tree (it seemed to have something in its talons and a bunch of small birds were chasing it). It dropped down onto the front walk for a few moment - a red tailed hawk on the sidewalk! -- but by the time my quick-footed children appeared with the camera it was back in the tree.

Tomorrow is worldwide City Daily Photo theme day - stand by for a fascinating tour around the world!

Cornflower blue

2010-07-29T09:58:00.000-04:00

With Theme Day coming up, maybe I should save this photo - the blue would fit right in with the Bright Colors theme. The daylillies are over, the cornflowers almost so, the farm stands are overflowing with corn and tomatoes - is it just me or is this summer galloping by?

Crossfield

2010-07-28T10:57:00.001-04:00

crossfields2, originally uploaded by jahansell.

Another heavenly corner of Sharon - only 5 minutes from town and you feel like you're in paradise!