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This family of birds was living in the rafters at the Longstreet Farm in Holmdel, New Jersey.
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My daughter had the opportunity to milk a cow at the farm. On the left is that cow’s calf, whose birth helped the cow be a plentiful nurser.
In local sad news, the mama of the guinea pigs we adopted for the summer has died. We buried her in our backyard. In the words of my veterinarian friend, she was “geriatric” (over four years old). The guinea pigs’ original owner comforted me over the phone, saying, I was afraid this might happen. I think I was more upset than my daughter. My daughter noticed that I’ve been checking on the remaining two a lot, and she said I’m glad you don’t fret over me like that.
For more Nature Notes, visit:
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In memory of Bobbie (click to read Michelle’s memorable post about her dear friend):
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I loved this t-shirt that was for sale in a store next to the Asbury Park Conventional Hall. The New Jersey books look worth a scan, too.
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Aw, shucks, we missed the wrestling.
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The boardwalk was all decked out with American flags.
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Here’s the scene a few hours before the fireworks on the 4th of July at Asbury Park beach on the New Jersey shore. It was a great place to people watch. We had been sitting in the area where there are white nets shown in the picture, but then some policemen nicely kicked us off that part of the beach because the fireworks were going to be there. It was worth the hot drive down to the shore, the waiting around in a crowded area, and the annoyance of needing to move our stuff for the 15 minutes of fireworks. See a few of the fireworks on my Skywatch post.
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Sky Watch Friday is a photo meme with photos of sunrises, sunsets, blue skies, gray skies, pink skies, orange skies, fireworks skies and any other kind of sky posted by bloggers all over the planet.
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We enjoyed spending the evening of July 4th on the beach of Asbury Park, New Jersey. Asbury Park was a fancy place to visit in the early twentieth century; in the late twentieth century, it took a severe downturn. Recently, it has been revived, with restaurants, shops, arcades and theater. One of the famous landmarks in Asbury Park is the Stone Pony, where Bruce Springsteen used to play. My husband, who grew up near Asbury Park, said we were a few blocks away from the Stone Pony.
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This sky faces west. The silhouette of a building is the theater. The sky in the top photo with the green shell faces northeast. Both sky photos were taken within about ten minutes of each other. My husband and daughter went for a ride on the lit up Ferris wheel while my son and I held a spot on the beach.
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Ah, the sky now turns red.
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Finally, the part we were waiting for as we sat on a corner of the beach: the fireworks.
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More Asbury Park Fourth of July photos here.
Sky Watch Friday is a photo meme with photos of sunrises, sunsets, blue skies, gray skies, pink skies, dark skies, bird-filled skies and any other kind of sky posted by bloggers all over the planet.
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Here’s the sky when we got to the fair in North Brunswick – will it rain?
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Same sky two hours later: no, it didn’t rain.
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My daughter and I went window shopping in Deal, New Jersey (all the stores were closed at the time – it was a Sunday night – not that we would have bought anything, anyway) a few weeks ago. We had eaten at the local kosher Chinese Japanese restaurant. You would not catch me wearing any of these shoes. Mine are much closer to the ground.
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Here is my daughter striking a pose in front of a children’s clothing shop.
For more photos with a little or a lot of red, visit:
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You won’t catch me on this amusement ride at the fair to support local sports in North Brunswick, New Jersey (off Route 1). My daughter and her friend thought it hilarious that even my 13 year old would not be allowed on this ride – the sign said 14 or above.
For more Summer Stock photos, visit:
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Here’s how some of the plots at Rutgers Gardens looked in early May. I expect in one month those piles of dirt will be showing flowers and/or vegetables.
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I like how they didn’t just put up a gate; this doorway with a sun is a welcoming feature.
For more windows and doors, visit:
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This year I said I would not take a lot of pictures. I would not, I would not, I would not. I came home and emptied a mere 126 images unto my external hard drive. This post features schools from New Jersey that marched in the Salute to Israel Parade down 5th Avenue in New York City in May 2010.
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Next year my daughter will be old enough to march with her school. Her school, RPRY in Edison, always features dancers as a highlight.
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It’s a lot of fun when you know the person holding the banner, and he enthusiastically smiles at you. This is my eldest son’s school, Torah Academy of Bergen County.
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We recognized several of the students of Kushner Hebrew Academy and Kushner Yeshiva High School of Livingston, New Jersey.
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Yavneh Academy had a sunny theme.
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I liked the bright kites. Related to the sunny theme.
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Here is Solomon Schecter Day School of Raritan Valley.
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JEC of Elizabeth, New Jersey had a lively, colorful banner.
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I captured the banner for the Frisch School of Paramus, New Jersey just as we were leaving the parade. We didn’t stay for the whole time – as it is, we didn’t get back home until 5 pm.
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No idea what organization held this banner that reads “Jerusalem is the capital of Israel.”
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This lime green chair at Rutgers Gardens is *really* big. It has a twin facing it, too. I saw some “tiny” people sitting in the chair but didn’t get a photo of them. These sculptures must be fairly new – I don’t remember them from previous years.
For more shots straight out of the camera:
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