Just some practice with black and white work in Photoshop. This is our friend, Dan.

Autumn has begun! The garden center has it's display of pumpkins and mums. Better than the department stores, who are already showing Christmas items!

Fire Island Lighthouse. Everyone seems to love lighthouse photos, so I just take them for fun. I like the red roof on the house against the black and white lighthouse.

Early morning, and the temperatures were still cool.

Another photo of fly- fishing on the Connetquot River.

Fly-fishing on Long Island

We went fly fishing in the early morning, before sunrise.

This is the Connetquot River State Park.

It is so quiet deep inside the park, the only sounds are the fish splashing and the birds chirping and moving about....maybe a chipmunk or squirrel.

It was a good day for fishing. The weather was a perfect temperature for being in the water.

I used a "beetle" as my "fly" since it was recommended by some of the more experienced fisherman we met that morning.

It worked! I caught so many fish, I stopped counting. Of course, I released all but two.

The best part for me was being outdoors and connecting with nature.

Did I say it was very quiet on the river? I did, I know, but it needs to be repeated.

It was serene and peaceful and quiet and I was very happy.

Oh, one more thing....I kept my camera on the banks of the river and kept running back for it as the light changed throughout the morning.

I enjoy fishing, but I also enjoy taking photos.

Connetquot River State Park

This is me, Alida, flyfishing. The photo was taken by my husband, on the Connetquot River in the Connetquot River State Park.

It was a beautiful day and I caught more than ten fish.

Most of them were small so I let them go. It is a "catch and release" area, although you can keep two fish per person.

The best part of the morning is the feeling of being in another world.

It is another world...quiet and absoutely beautiful.

Captain Rod returning from the ocean after a day of fishing. This is just one of many fishing boats that are docked at Captree State Park.

This tug boat was hauling heavy equipment through the Fire Island Inlet from the ocean. It was amazing to watch.

Gull flies off the buoy, Great South Bay.

Our friend Bonne on Fire Island. It was a cloudy, overcast day but she wanted to go to the beach. It was her first day of retirement! Congratulations Bonne!! Look at that smile.....

The Great South Bay....sometimes the clouds just take my breath away.

Slideshow of Long Island Photos.

Can you see this slideshow? It is from my PBase galleries...

Click here.

You can select the number 1 for one second to see the photos at a quicker pace.

Thank you and hope you enjoy the gallery!

Fire Island Lighthouse, Fire Island, as seen from the Great South Bay....We were returning from fishing, so it was late in the day and the sun was casting a warm glow on the land.

9/11...In memory of those who didn't make it.

Pamela, WTC survivor
Pam made it. She will never be the same.

In memory of those who didn't make it.

My husband and I met Pam in Italy last March.

On September 11, 2001, she was on the 40th floor of the WTC. When the first plane hit, she grabbed her shoes and handbag and ran for her life, down the steps, and to the Hudson River.

She saw the second plane coming. She didn't stop running.

She survived.

I'm glad we met her.
She came to visit for the weekend and we took her to the beach and celebrated life.

Sometimes you just have to do that.

Tug Boat in the Great South Bay

Tug and the pleasure boat.....

It was a beautiful day on the ocean...calm and sunny and warm.

As we were returning home from a day of fishing, we saw this large tug.

It was pulling heavy work equipment, five large barges, that went out to sea.

It was amazing to see the tug in contrast to the small pleasure and fishing boats passing it by.

Tug boats always interest me.

They are so strong and powerful and yet they are smaller than the load they are moving.

How do they do that, I wonder?

It's things like this that make me appreciate being alive and interested in the world around me.

Who designed the tug? When did they have their beginnings?

I know I can research that, and probably will.

Yes, I'm happy to be here.

Robert Moses Bridge

We were fishing again, yesterday. This is the Robert Moses Bridge that connects Captree Island to Fire Island. It is a great place to fish and you can often see the fishing charters in the area.

To see this area on the map, click here.

Ferry returns to Sayville from Fire Island.

Yes another seagull.....The beach will be ours after tomorrow. The kids go back to school and the regular routines begin again. Yes, the beach will be ours...........

Ernesto arrives on Long Island...

Ernesto's rain and wind arrived and the Great South Bay was violent.

It was so windy that I thought the wind would just sweep me off the dock....really!
I had all to do just to hold the camera.
Sometimes a photograph doesn't show the true experience. Maybe if I were a better photographer I could catch the power of such a wind.
Check out my older photos of the Great South Bay for a photo of the calmer days on the Bay. Labor Day is here and the summer is coming to an end.
We just wish it would stop raining for the next two days, don't we?

World Trade Center from the Hudson RIver. As September begins and the air cools and the school year begins again, we remember the attack on September 11th, 2001.

Terra cotta window treatment in the Washington Square Park area of Manhattan.

World Trade Center from the Hudson River

Silhouette looking at the Cruise Ship in the Hudson River....

Lady in the Harbor

Chinatown and a water tower, New York City

Architecture seen in Chinatown, New York City. What do you think MSI stands for? I don't think it's original to the building though.

One of my Flickr groups sets up different projects to help us improve our photography skills. It really is fun, especially since I never took formal photography classes. This project was for a restaurant....Make a menu cover, a kind of logo or icon for the restaurant. This was my entry.

Australia Day Party

Our friends went to Australia recently. They decided to throw an "Australian Day" party. Australia Day in Australia is in January....really. But they figured since January in Australia is their summer we would just have the party here now.

Summer clothing, flip-flops, shrimp on the barbee and roasted lamb as well as Australian beer and wine.

Lots of fun and laughs!

See the photos below.

Kangaroo and Koala

Rrrrr....a koala bear and kangaroo? Is that legal?

Well, both are marsupials!

Shrimp on the Barbee, Australian beer and costumes.

I know, it sounds nerdy, but it was fun!

Watch out for the koala and kangaroo!

Australian outfits to set the mood.....

Dessert with merengue and strawberries!

Our friends made this "Australian" dessert: anglefood cake, merengue, whipped cream and strawberries.....Goodness!

It's not easy to stay on a diet with friends like these!

Do you think this is really Australian?

We had frog races!

Day at the Beach, Fire Island, Long Island, NY

Activity at the beach.....a family, some young surfers and me!

The boat is a Coast Guard vessel.

Click on the photo to see it enlarged.

Atlantic Ocean on the Fire Island National Seashore

Late in the day.....

The light is reflected off the crashing waves and the sand & sky are dark.

Each day, sometimes each hour at the beach brings a new experience and a change of light and wind and waves.

I am never be bored at the beach!

The Great South Bay at sunset as seen from Sayville...

Early Morning...Great South Bay

Would you believe that this is the Great South Bay?

Early morning in summer, before the pleasure boats begin the traffic to the beach, this is the view looking east just after sunrise.

I love to be on the water most at this time....calm, serene and summer morning warm.

You can see part of Fire Island on the right, and in the distance a ferry is making the first trip to the mainland.

Here's back at you......I couldn't resist! Just as he was taking our photo, I took his. Look at everyone's expression!

Lower Manhattan.....Click on each photo to see the details. Do you see how small the cars and people are?

Washington Square Park

A fountain in Washington Square Park.

We took friends into Manhattan for a tour of the city. Yes, again!

I just love taking photos in the city. We, of course had to stop at the B & H camera and video store.....hmmmm.

What do you think we bought?

The park is just as I remembered: lots of people, many younger college students, sitting around the fountain, talking, reading;

musicians playing; people, maybe homeless, sleeping on the grass; and lots of energy!

I can't explain it, just energy that carries over into your heart.

I love New York City.

I went to NYU for a summer back in the early 1970s.

I had the same feelings then. I was happy to be there.

Maitre D' at the Positano Ristorante, New York City in Little Italy.

We went with friends into New York city again. This time, it was the NY Waterways boat tour around lower Manhattan. They had never been there. This shot is the "ground zero" area of lower Manhattan.

Graffitti....it wouldn't be NYC without it!

Washington Square Park, NYC

Park Rangers

An unusual sight at the beach....

The horse and his rider are part of the Fire Island National Seashore.

The Park Ranger rides along the beach where vehicles cannot go.

Ususally though, four-wheel drive vehicles have no problem on the sand, but I guess the Parks' Department keeps the horses for special occassions.

There are wild deer here and even fox, and of course many, many birds.

Rangers are often seen riding on "mules", those sand buggies that look like golf carts but manuver the sand better.

Always something to see at the beach, it was another beautiful day!

Dancing for a hand-out....

On the lookout at Watch Hill, Fire Island National Seashore...

Under the Robert Moses Bridge

Fishing under the Robert Moses Bridge.

Lots of wave action as the currents travel under the bridge.

The crabs are abundant. A warmer winter has prevented the Great South Bay from freezing and there are crabs everywhere.

You can see them swimming near the surface. They hang onto the bait meant for other fish.

It makes me happy to know that the bay is healthy with living creatures.

On this particular day we caught 4 bluefish, 3 fluke, and 2 sea robins.

The fluke had to be thrown back because there is a minimum size limit of 18 inches.

The sea robin had to be thrown back because, well....see the photo below.

We had the blue fish for dinner. Some people think it taste "fishy".

Well, not if it is prepared properly.

After caught it must be immediately put on ice. Immediately, so bring an ice-filled cooler with you.

Then, after the fish is cleaned, coat with flour and salt.

Pan fry with a little butter, add some chopped almonds. Cook just a few minutes on each side. Don't over-cook any fish, ever!

Done. Dinner, straight from the sea.

Nothing beats it!

A sea robin that we caught. We had to throw him back in....cute guy, isn't he?

Part of the fishing fleet out of Captree State Park.