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.

Wing span of a seagull....This is a Ring-billed Gull...ring on the beak and yellow feet.

Gulls at the beach....We've been to the beach a few times this past week. The weather on Long Island has been wonderful!

Learning to take better photos.....

With fill flash...

My practice and work with using fill flash. I think I got it!

Originally, using NO flash, Greg's face was too dark, even though the background was properly exposed. See the photo below ↓.

The first flash photo was so bright (built-in camera) that Greg's hair had lost all detail. That shot was not posted here, so......

For this shot, I needed a EC of -1.0. I can see the details in his face now and nothing is over-exposured.....(no pun intended!)
I submitted this pair of photos to my Utata group on Flicker.

Utata Flash Project

My brother Greg with no flash. The background is properly exposed but his face is too dark. See the above photo.....

Kyacks are more frequently seen on the canal.

Another ferry shot, entering the river....

NYC

Davis Park on Fire Island...This little town is a family centered community complete with church, general store and snack counter. This photo shows some homes along the Atlantic Ocean. The bay side of town has a marina for over-night visits by boaters.

I didn't know that the Lantana is a flower that the butterflies adore. This butterfly is huge and very beautiful. It didn't stop moving as it hovered above each flower. Fast shutter speed to the rescue!

The Great South Bay at sunset....We barbequed on the beach and watched the setting sun. What a wonderful way to spend an evening on Long Island.

modeled from another era..................Doesn't this look like a movie shot from the 1940s?

More ferry shots...they can't stop me!

boating fun...in the waves

cool sunglasses

Watching the sunset...

Sunset on the calm river. Click on the photo to see it enlarged.

visit from the police

I take photos....of everything.

Yesterday, a police detective came to my home, at dinnertime. He wanted to know if we owned a Parker boat. Yes, we do. He wanted to know if we had been taking photos of the Fire Island Ferries. Of course we do; we take photos of everything. Someone "reported us".

He came into our home. He wanted to see the photos. He also wanted to know if we sold those photos to anyone. (I wish!) He wanted to see the boat too.

I was very uncomfortable with the whole situation. My husband became assertive and insisted that we had rights, rights to photography anything in public. The detective said there were "new laws" against taking photos of public transportation, but he could not quote those "new laws". My husband informed him that there were no new laws. I just listened, wanting him to leave. I thought that the more we encouraged discussion, the longer he would stay.

We showed him the photos on the computer. After all, we had nothing to hide, but I felt violated. My computer, my photos and this strange man without a search warrant, coming into my home, my world, my space. We could have refused to show him the photos, I guess, but as I said, we had nothing to hide. We are law abiding citizens.

After he left, I felt sad. My husband was angry. What is happening here? Can an officer of the state just come into your home with the possible suspicion that there are terrorists present or activities? What would he have done if we were of Middle Eastern background or just dark-skinned?

I'm still processing what happened, but I thought I would share this with you.