Have You Been Naughty Or Nice?!

santa

F/8.0, 1/250, ISO 110.

 

Santa keeps his reindeers resting all year long, so they have enough energy for that one special night of the year. But in the meantime, he checks up on everyone while riding his special stallion. Be aware-SANTA IS WATCHING YOU!!!

Interesting Fact: He doesn’t just like milk and cookies.

Things other countries leave out for Santa (or his non-union equivalent), according to Wikipedia:

in Britain and Australia, he is sometimes given sherry or beer, and mince pies instead. In Sweden and Norway, children leave rice porridge. In Ireland it is popular to give him Guinness or milk, along with Christmas pudding or mince pies.

If I were Santa, the United Kingdom and Australia would get all the presents.  ( http://io9.com/11-insane-things-you-didnt-know-about-santa-claus-1485017907 )

I Cannot Believe Another Day Is Over!

verrazano bridge

F/11.0, 1/250, ISO 100

This guy enjoying the sunset over the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge is probably wondering how cold the water is and if he will ever make it across. Or he may be singing in his head a Britney Spears song “Oops!…I did it again”

 

Interesting Fact: The first driver to cross the bridge wore a rented tuxedo and piloted a “pale blue Cadillac convertible with flags flapping from the fenders,” nabbing the distinction because he had parked behind the Staten Island toll for a week, guaranteeing the position. ( http://www.bensonhurstbean.com/2014/11/25-facts-verrazano-narrows-bridge/ )

Hmmm I Wonder…….

Jarek

F/7.1, 1/200, ISO 200.

This photo of Jarek Polatynski at Empty Sky Memorial really makes me wonder what was going through his head as he was looking at all the names on the walls.

 

Interesting Fact: The memorial includes twin walls, transecting a “gently sloped mound anchored by a granite path that is directed toward Ground Zero.[2] Two 30-foot-high rectangular towers stretch 208 feet, 10 inches long — the exact width of the World Trade Center towers, the proportion of the walls a symbolic representation of the buildings as if they were lying on their sides.[2] The name of each of the 746 victims is etched in stainless steel in 4-inch-high letters. A granite passage is oriented to face the site of the twin towers.[2][3] The name of the memorial is taken from the Bruce Springsteen song “Empty Sky“, which is about the “empty sky” where the towers once stood. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empty_Sky_(memorial) )

 

 

I Just Came To Say Hello !

Carolina Chickadee

F/5.6, 1/500, ISO 1000.

This Black-capped Chickadee flew by a few times before he sat on a branch nearby.  He started to say few things to me that sounded like “chick-a-dee-dee-dee”, “fee-bee”, “fee-bee-be”. I’m not sure what he was saying but I am guessing it could be something like “Wazzup!” or maybe ” how you doin”. I guess we can only wonder.

 

Interesting Fact: The song of the Black-capped Chickadee is one of the most complex vocalizations of all animals, acting as a contact call, an alarm call, to identify an individual, or to indicate recognition of a particular flock. ( http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/680/_/Black-capped_Chickadee.aspx )

This City Means Business!

NYC speed

F/22.0, 0.8, ISO 100.

New York City knows one speed and it is Fast Forward. ( well sometimes you see cab drivers going in reverse ) HaHa. Let me change that, this city speed is mostly forward. 🙂

 

Interesting Fact:  New York City has more people than 39 of the 50 states in the U.S. ( http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/60-facts-that-will-make-nyc-feel-like-a-whole-new-place )

Be Very Very Quiet, I’m Hunting!

Great Blue Heron

F/5.6, 1/160, ISO 800.

Hey you, photography man, stay still.  I have been waiting for this fish all day and I am not going to let you mess this up for me.

 

Great Blue Heron1

F/5.6, 1/160, ISO 800.

FINALLY GOT WHAT I WAS WAITING FOR !!!!

 

Interesting Fact:  Great Blue Herons can hunt day and night thanks to a high percentage of rod-type photoreceptors in their eyes that improve their night vision. (  http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/great_blue_heron/lifehistory )

 

 

Trick or Brains…

walking dead

F/4.5, 1/250, ISO 110.

Did Hollywood walk of fame turn into walking dead?  Barely got out of there alive . HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERY UNDEAD BODY !!!!

walking dead hollywood

F/5.0, 1/100, ISO 400

 

Interesting Fact: Halloween was inspired by the Irish Celtic festival Samhain, which celebrates the end of the harvest season. The tradition spread to other parts of the world after the Irish fled their country following the potato famine. ( http://www.ibtimes.com/halloween-facts-2014-10-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-all-hallows-eve-1713337 )

Precious Moments last forever!

The Look

F/4.5, 1/1000, ISO 250.
The perfect moment of my friend and his daughter frozen in time.

 

Interesting Fact: When someone is having a bad day, pay them a compliment with a smile. The double-duty mood boosting effect will turn their day around for sure. ( http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/11-facts-about-smiling.html )

 

I Wonder At Midnight What Will The Pumpkin Turn Into !

Pumpkin

F/5.6, 1/250, ISO 100.

 

It’s always fun to find and pick a perfect pumpkin for this season. But it’s not fun if someone steals your pumpkin as you are taking a photo of it. 🙂

Interesting Fact: The name pumpkin comes from the Greek word ‘pepon’, meaning ‘large melon’. ( http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/food/pumpkins.html )

It’s Not Always What’s In Front Of You ” SO TURN AROUND TO SEE WHAT REALLY MATTERS “

down town jersey city

F/5.6, 1/125, ISO 200, Adobe Photoshop CS6.

This actually caught my eye as I was leaving down town Jersey City. People always say keep looking ahead, well I say look all around you, because you never know what you will see.

Interesting Fact: With its 18-piece spire, 1WTC stands at 1,776 feet, a direct reference to the year the Declaration of Independence was signed. ( http://www.rd.com/slideshows/fascinating-trivia-about-one-world-trade-center/ )