Project 365 - Photo of the Day - November 28, 2008 Part II

Early this morning I grabbed my camera and ran outside because I saw these birds on the neighbor's roof. Of course, once I got outside they had moved and I walked around the block to find them. I sat very quietly observing them for a while and snapped a few shots here and there. I liked what I captured.

I also found a cute squirrel peeking down at me from high up in the branches. I also found several hawks flying over my head (I was wondering what meal they were circling?). And I found some insect flying around the flowers near the lake.

All in all, not a bad shoot for early morning and still in pajamas!

Project 365 - Photo of the Day - November 28, 2008

I had a very nice day today. I was up at 8:30 am and rolled out of bed to another gorgeous South Florida day with a crystal clear blue sky. By the time I got outside it was 70 degrees. I was following a pack of birds around with my camera which I will upload later when I feel like getting up out of this chair (not likely too soon since I just poured myself a tall glass of spiced rum and ginger ale on the rocks -- a treat that my Trinidadian friend taught me all about.

After I was finished with the birds and checking out the lake . . . I am afraid now of the other alligator . . . I came back to the house to munch on a bowl of cereal and then climbed back into bed with Rachel and laptops!

Later in the day Joel and I decided it was time to clean the windows in the living room and then that spurred me to continue cleaning the entire house. That included the inside of the microwave, the kitchen floor, all of the toilets and all of the laundry. So that is why I deserve to sit right here on my rear end with golden oldies from the 60s blaring from an old boom box that I used to use when I taught aerobics in the 80s with my rum and ginge that is sitting on the floor next to me. At least I am outside enjoying the fading light of the day. I love watching the colors of the sunset and listening to the weird birds across the street that sound like monkeys! Although they are fairly quiet at the moment, but they are all over the tree in many nests.

These photos are courtesy of my children. The black and white ones were taken by Adina on her cell phone and the one that clearly shows that Rachel is ready for college was taken on my cell phone last week. I will upload today's photos a bit later.

Project 365 - Photo of the Day - November 27, 2008 - Part II

I had to upload the Thanksgiving photos!
























Here I am in my favorite chair. My cousin Michael snapped this with his iphone and emailed it to me! I just love technology (when it works). I park myself here in the driveway when it is cool out and sit with the computer and surf and watch the neighbors come and go. I wave a lot and chat when they have a moment. It reminds me of when Hurricane Wilma stranded us for 10 days without electricity and we all got to know each other VERY well and we took care of each other.




Ronnie took me for a quick ride around Inverrary. He was trying to scare me but I just clasped my hands around his waist and hung on for dear life! It was thrilling. The air was cool, my hair was blowing every which way and it was loud because it is a Harley! I could enjoy this. He told me that I was a Tom Boy. I am not really, but it was fun!




This is George Caren and Gert Wolder. They are NOT an item! George's wife flew up north to visit her daughter and granddaughter and brand new great granddaughter. George did feel well enough to fly so he joined us at the Kaplan's.



I just thought this photo looked silly because the turkey looked larger than Rachel's head! It is a picture perfect turkey don't you think?



Lynn and Richard were sharing the carving duties. Don't they look serious? They made a fabulous spread.



Doesn't Adina look like she is enjoying herself?



Yum! I could eat more now. It is about 12:35 a.m. and I am hungry again!!



What is a Thanksgiving Dinner without the Publix Pilgram salt and pepper shakers??
























Lynn started out the dinner with a beautiful Thanksgiving prayer. Nothing religious, just thanks for great company, thanks for our health and our good fortunes in these tough economic times.



Like father, like son. One smile!




This yummy cake was a Pumpkin Spice cake that Michael brought! It was a work of art!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Project 365 - Photo of the Day - November 27, 2008

After a peaceful morning chat with Joel I went to the kitchen and made myself a pot of coffee and crawled back into bed for the Macy's Day Parade. . I wait for this moment for 365 days! Just as they cut the ribbon on the parade . . . the phone rings!

Ok, so it was Joel's brother and sister-in-law and we haven't talked in a very long time so we had a lot of catching up to do. I got to speak to my sweet nephews, Matthew, Kevin and Christopher and my niece Nicole. I couldn't talk to Alyssa or Brian, the twins, because they are only three months old!

Wow, six children. I can't imagine it. But there is so much love in that household! As we were talking we were sending each other photos on our Kodak websites. It was about 10:30 when we got off the phone . . . 90 minutes!!

So I will have to see the parade next year!



We had to get dressed at that point and get ready to deliver Thanksgiving dinners to the Lauderhill police department and the fire department. Joel has been cooking for three days and our house smells so wonderful. I snapped this photo of Newton right before we left the house. He looked so unbelievably cozy on Rachel's bed. I loved the combination of all of the colors and the morning sun streaming in. I could have curled up next to him and taken a nap.



I snapped this right before I walked out the front door. This was my sister's grandmother's Singer sewing machine. Long story short . . . my sister is really my step sister and unfortunately she passed away two years ago and I ended up with the sewing machine. I love it because it is antique and I grew up in a house full of antiques in New York.



This was only half of the food that we were loading into the car to take to the police and firemen (or firepeople?).



Joel is loading the food into Richard's car. I call it the Mid-Life Crisis Mobile because it is a convertible! Richard is the Mayor of Lauderhill and he paid for all of the food.



This is Rachel and Andrew helping to load the food. Andrew is Richard's son and is home from Michigan . . . freshman! Rachel and Andrew went to school together since Middle School and also Hebrew School. They are the same age but Andrew skipped a grade.
























Look at that sky . . . couldn't have asked for a prettier day, huh? Sort of a Miami Vice feel to it?



That is Richard with the staff of the police department. They were extremely appreciative of all this food!



I got to ride in the back of the Mid-Life Crisis Mobile! It was a blast and this was my view of the world. A perfect day.



Here we are at the Fire Dept. They had an amazing kitchen there! They couldn't wait to dig into the food!



After smelling all that food, WE were hungry so we went to this cute hamburger joint. They have tiny hamburgers, medium ones, double ones and giant ones. Then there are all sorts of toppings and the best fries. I figured I can cheat now and then. I am really not supposed to eat this stuff . . . cholesterol city!! Well we only live once so once in a blue moon I suppose it is okay.



Back at the house I settled into my favorite chair in front of the house with my computer. Rachel decided to take off and go for a bike ride (that is not something that she does often). So I decided to take a few photos of her riding off into the distance.
























I just loved the sharp shadows of the bicycle on the pavement so I turned this image into a grayscale and Photoshopped it a bit.

Project 365 - Photo of the Day - November 24, 2008

Every morning at sunrise and every evening at sunset these brown and black birds gather on the wires along Oakland Park Blvd and State Road 7 (441). It is quite a site (and very loud too!)

Project 365 - Photo of the Day - November 23, 2008

We did a good deed today. For the past 15 years, Maxine has been coming to my home to iron our clothes. She is wonderful and always cheerful. We trade stories and actually found out that we are both from Far Rockaway! Well her husband has been not doing well. So Joel and I brought them a huge basket of a frozen turkey, yams, corn bread and cranberry sauce. She was so appreciative and made me take a tour of her apartment! She was in the middle of baking red velvet cakes for her family.

When we were done we went over to the Temple Beth El Memorial Gardens cemetery to visit our good friend, George. We were very close with George and Gert. Gert is still alive and kicking and is spending Thanksgiving with us when we go over to the Kaplans. It took a while to find George, but finally Joel went into the office to ask for directions and of course the lady laughed at him and said, "just like a man . . . won't ask for directions!"

We always thought that this sign was funny, a dead end next to the cemetery!



Then we picked up our other octogenarian friends, George and Pepsy and went out for a nice Sunday night Chinese food dinner! It was like we were in Chinatown in New York or San Francisco with the ducks hanging in the windows and Chinese writing all over the walls!

Project 365 - Photo of the Day - November 21, 2008

On Friday I led a group of five board members and staff members from one end of Broward County to another on a Familiarization (or FAM for short) tour of our cultural facilities. We had a VERY ambitious schedule that included stops and drive bys of 20 different cultural locations including many public artworks along the way. It was a fun day and I was completely exhausted when I got home and rewarded myself with a glass of red Malbec wine as I sat in the living room unwinding. I drove about 80 miles but it was all worth it. These photos are just some of the highlights.
























This is a chair at one of the art centers. They had many of these plastic chairs. But they take every opportunity to make art out of everyday objects and put a lesson in it for the children. This chair was decorated in the style of Jackson Pollock. Each chair around the center had a different famous artist's style.

























I loved this paper mache dragon. I am not sure if the children made him or if the staff did. But I just loved crawling around on the floor to give you impression that he was HUGE!
























Here we are at the Miramar Cultural Center. I just loved the angle of the building along with the deep blue of the morning sky with a palm tree peeking in the corner.




This is a children's museum. I was into angles today. I liked this angle because I caught a corner of the sign that tells you about the exhibit while I captured the busy pattern of the black and white tiles and my group looks so small in the background.
























OK, this needs a bit of explanation! This is part of the children's museum exhibit, Oh Seuss! You lay down on the floor on a wooden platform that is painted with Dr. Seuss graphics. You pretend that you are falling and hang onto the wooden bar above your head. There is a TV camera above your head which takes a still shot of you and then the image comes up on the TV monitor. It looks like you are falling. I had to get in on this one. It looked like way too much fun to not!!

























This is an image of the boathouse at the Bonnet House Museum and Gardens. It is the last pristine 35 acres along the beachfront in Fort Lauderdale. It has been preserved because the owners who built a really artsy and unique house on this property in the 1920s gave their estate to the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation. It was also a shrewd way for Mrs. Bartlett to continue to stay in her home (during the winters) until she died. She gave the home to the Trust in the 1980s when she was in her 80s. She lived until she was almost 110!! Smart lady, huh?
























This slough is located very, very close to the beach, however it is completely freshwater! Very unusual and very interesting. it used to be connected to the Everglades which allowed alligators to swim in these waters. But not anymore.



And this photo shows you a view from inside of the boathouse.

Project 365 - Photo of the Day - November 20, 2008

I am working on a video documentary of the process of creation, fabrication and installation of three public artworks in the Broward County collection.

This is Alison Sky, an internationally-renown public artist from Manhattan. She is on camera here being interviewed by me (I am off camera). Her artwork is called Vanishing View and is seen in the background.



Those funny looking things leaning against the artwork are water jets that will be installed at the top of the glass panels and shoot water down the glass like a waterfall into the pond below.



The workers are hard at work. It was a beautiful day and the temperature when I snapped these photos was a chilly 65 degrees. Cool for South Floridians!



This view shows you what happens when light shines through the panels. You see the shapes of the birds that live in the Everglades. There are also LED lights in the pond that will shine up through the water onto the artwork at night. So this artwork will have many different looks from day into sunset and at night.