Two Trips to the Barn

I went out to the barn twice yesterday. It was not a casual visit however. When Jerry got home from work, he said Rembrandt was pawing and looking at his sides. Of course I went into hyperactive, protective, doctor mode. I told Jerry to lunge him, which he did. He came back about a half an hour later and reported that Rudy had passed some gas and manure and was feeling much better. A half an hour later, my dad came in and said that he had gone out to check on him and my beloved horse was laying flat out in his stall. Dad said that Jerry had gotten him up and was lunging him again. I knew that he had colic and I had to get out to the barn to see him right away!

Rembrandt and I at the shore in 1991.

My dad brought his car around to the front of the house. Using my walker and crutches, I got into the car and he drove me around to the back. When we got there, Jerry was lunging Rudy in his paddock, but my dear 32 year old horse was barely moving. 

"We've got to take him out to the riding arena where he has more room and can move out", I said. Again I hobbled from the barn back into the car and my dad drove me around to the edge of the arena. We positioned the passenger side window so I could bark out my orders to Jerry and my precious horse. It was raining now. "Take his blanket off. Move in closer. Keep your line neatly coiled. You'll need to walk small circles so you can keep your whip close enough that you can tap him with it. Keep him trotting! Tell him he's a good boy. Don't let him walk. Keep going!!" After about 40 minutes, some more gas was passed and a small bit of manure. The horse seemed relieved, so we put him back in his paddock and went back to the house to eat dinner. At 9:00 we all went back out to the barn to find a very hungry, alert pony. I gave him a few small pieces of a banana which he inhaled. "No dinner for you tonight, my love", I said. We got his blanket back on and locked him out for the night. I wanted him to move around and didn't want to take a chance of him laying down in his stall again.

The morning reports were that Rudy was very alert and hungry. They say he's sore from all the exercise, but seems to be doing very well otherwise. (Big sigh of relief here. . . ) Jerry closed the gates to the pastures last night to keep both horses off the new grass and has agreed to lunge my old buddy for at least twenty minutes this afternoon.

Thank goodness my parents are here to help! What a blessing they and all my friends and family have been! They came last Wednesday night in their motor home and have been a big help with caring for a one legged invalid, the house and the horses. If my dad hadn't found Rudy in the stall when he did, the situation could have easily gotten a lot worse.

I love this picture of my mom and dad, having a beer in Nova Scotia in the summer of 2010.

Welcome to my world. Here is where I spend most of my time now. My butt is so sore!

The studio has been made more handicap accessible. I have a couple of tables that Jerry modified so I can fit the wheelchair under them. (This table has origami projects on it. :-))

More and more hummingbirds are arriving here everyday. I really don't know the numbers, but we have six feeders out now!

If you want to find out how to attract your own hummingbirds, go here.

Again, many many thanks to you, my friends! Your comments, emails and get well wishes really brighten my days!

Summertime On Long Beach Island

Sally and I started out Thursday morning at the far north end

of Long Beach Island, at Barnegat Inlet.

Wanting to get some photos of various walkways to the beach, we headed south.

Fragrant bayberry grew wild at one entranceway.

It was still early and there weren't many people at the water's edge.

Although many flowers were past peak,

we didn't have to look far for beautiful colors.

An abundant variety of textures, smells, sounds and styles

 awakened our senses and got the creative juices flowing. 

People watching is always a big pastime on the island.

Spending quality time together, relaxing and just hanging out

is a large part of what a shore vacation is all about.

A solitary sentinel looks towards the ocean from Holgate

at the southern point of the island.

Dad's doing a really good job here.

Probably the first Family Portrait with their new addition.

Find out more about Long Beach Island

and see great photos from a long time resident, Sally Vennel.

A Morning Visit To Long Beach Island, NJ

Spur of the moment on Wednesday, I decided I was going to go down to Long Beach Island on Thursday, to shoot my new camera and 28-300mm lens. I called my friend, Sally, who lives on the island, to see if she wanted to meet me. She did, and said she gets up at 5am. I don't get up that early and it takes me 45 minutes to get to her house, so I was down there by 7. I should have gotten there earlier, however it was an overcast, grey, flat light, kind of morning anyway.

We visited the Barnegat Lighthouse.

This is a 5" x 7' oil painting I did of it a couple of weeks ago.

Many varieties of flowers are planted around the lighthouse and the park there.

We met some nice people.

And we watched the fishing boats head out to sea.

Then we went over to the Viking Village Marina, just outside of the Barnegat inlet. 

A leader in the Commercial Fishing Industry here on the East Coast,

much of this country's shrimp, scallops, crab and fish come through this port.

Here many commercial fishing boats and charters are docked. 

I even found one with my name on it!

Then off to the yacht club, where not much activity was taking place.

Wow, I wonder who lives there, across the bay.

After checking out the bay, we headed off to the beach side.

I took lots more photos there. I'll post a sampling of those shots next time.

Here's a parting shot of my friend, Sally Vennel in a contemplative mood.

Check out her wonderful photos on her blog here. 

Boardwalk Empire Facade on the Atlantic City Boardwalk

Here's a few snaps from yesterday, of the 'Boardwalk Empire' facade on the Atlantic City Boardwalk.

Check it out.

 It's pretty neat!

"The 180-foot long display is in front of the West Hall of Boardwalk Hall, near the intersection of the Boardwalk and Florida Avenue. It is a re-creation of some of the sets for the HBO television series, which is itself a translation of Atlantic County Superior Court Judge, Nelson C. Johnson’s history of Atlantic City." ~ PressofAtlanticCity.com

Another Road Trip! Atlantic City, NJ

Yesterday, my Nikon buddy, Nano, took a ride up to North Jersey with me. O.M.G. !  I came home with a beautiful new setup. With this new, popular, lighter weight body and zoom lens, I'll be doing some serious shooting. I'm anxious to get it all sorted out and set-up. 

Today I got up early and headed down to Atlantic City Boardwalk with college classmate, friend and photography mentor, Nancy Louie, aka; Nano. Because I haven't even had it out of the box yet, and because my main goal was to assist my friend, I didn't take my new baby. I took my little point and shoot Cannon PowerShot A590 instead. Here's a few of the untouched snap shots I got.

The morning shadows added to the atmosphere.

It was a beautiful morning. The early risers included bikers, walkers, families and seniors.

Although the background remained constant, the flow of people was ever changing. 

 The guys with the push carts were waiting in line. 

When the cart by the casino door got a passenger, the next guy in line would move up to the door.

Any time of the night or day, the Atlantic City Boardwalk is an interesting and unusual place. It's got a unique mix of the old and new with a "Down the Shore,  Jersey Style " gambling town character all of it's own. A great place to people-watch for sure!

We've done a lot of things to get across the message that the city center is not just a place to buy things. It's not just a commercial place. It's a place where you come in and sit on the boardwalk, have a cup of coffee and look around you.

~ John Fitzgerald