Even in the dead of winter...

Even in the dead of winter, you can usually find some color if you look carefully. These are berries from Japenese Bittersweet - a vine that grows wild in NJ.

Chilly-Willy...

While we were back home in NJ this month, there was some freezing rain. Not too convenient for our travel plans - flights there and back were both cancelled and had to be re-booked. However, made for some good photos.

Portrait...

Here's a portrait I painted of Gina. Can't you see the resemblance?

Actually, it's a Picasso at the Museum of Modern Art. Gina loves Picasso.

I'm not a huge fan - a bit too abstract for me.

I prefer Monet.

A Fellow Alumnus...

While in New York, we went to the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA). There was a room of sculptures (mobiles) by Alexander Calder. I was reminded that Calder was a graduate of Stevens Institute of Technology, just like me. (By the way, it's more prestigious than it sounds.)

The photo above is of one of Calder's sculptures, but I actually like the one below better - it's the shadow.

Ouch...

All right class... who can tell me why they call it a prickly pear? Anyone? Anyone?

Yes, I'm a beer snob...

This is not a quality picture, but it illustrates this entry. Looks like a picture of someone enjoying a bottle of beer (Michelob) at a restaurant, right? Actually the young man in the picture is the boyfriend, who was apparently meeting the girl's parents for the first time. He has a pint glass of something. The Michelob belongs to Dad. I assume the parents (back to the camera) are from out of town. Seems like a nice, ordinary family scene. What's wrong with the picture?

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The restaurant is Lazlo's, home to some of the best micro-brewed beers in America (my humble opinion). I was shocked to see someone order a non-Empyrean beer at Lazlo's. I was even more shocked to see two of his companions - Mom and daughter, who were drinking Miller Lite and Bud Light respectively. Actually I was somewhat appalled just to overhear a Lazlo's server listing off those beers as choices. Kind of like hearing Jonathan announce a wet T-shirt contest after church to raise funds for missionaries.

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But I suppose it's a free country. They may not be allowed to smoke, but it's not illegal to choose mediocre (I'm being generous) beer. At least that leaves more good beer for the rest of us.

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Cheers.

Beach...

I like to look for patterns or compositions that are eyecatching wthout their context. Beaches can be really good for this. Here's one that I really like. I found it like this, and just got close enough to reduce the picture elements to just the sand, the rock, the grass, and the little piece of wood.