It was amazing, as well as dizzying, to watch, and also difficult to capture, as both bird and dolphins moved so quickly and in all directions that I never knew if I would be able to capture what was really happening.  The dolphins were relentless and the pelican, although outnumbered, was fearless.

It would seem that the dolphins would have the advantage being underwater and closer to the fish, but the pelican was up to the challenge. After all, nature is about survival of the fittest, and if you don’t eat, you don’t survive.

This battle continued for quite some time. I can’t tell you who won. I can only tell you who lost – the fish!

A lone brown pelican battles with several dolphins for fish along the intercoastal waterway in Florida.
Click on photos below to see larger images.

On another occasion when I was by the sea, I was captivated by this beautiful young girl looking so wistful and lost in her own thoughts.

Although I loved the pond by itself, I wanted to intensify the dreaminess of this scene with the addition of the girl’s face. I combined both images to create this evocative piece to represent the fragile beauty that exists in both nature and mankind. It makes you wonder.

To learn more about a recent award this image received at the Small Stones Festival of the Arts, please click here.

The time was marked by important discoveries of Galileo, Copernicus, Leonardo da Vinci, and in the arts by Shakespeare, Michaelangelo, Chaucer and Dante, to name a few. Intrepid explorers like Columbus, Magellan and Marco Polo helped to chart the expanding world as they encountered new lands and people across the earth’s vast seas.

The Renaissance Faire is a recreation of a 16^th century harvest festival in a typical English village where celebration rules. Here, you are transported to the era of Queen Elizabeth with period costumed characters, live performances by fire eaters, jugglers, magicians, singers, merchants of many wares, food, parades, armored combat, and jousts, and of course a king and queen and their courtesans! There is also a raptor exhibit where trained handlers show and demonstrate feared birds of prey.

The Connecticut Faire, held in Lebanon, Connecticut, is the second largest in New England and attracts over 30,000 visitors each year. It was my first time there and I didn’t really know what to expect, but what a wonderful surprise I had. Colors abound everywhere. The costumed performers put their hearts into the characters they represent. After a brief while, you feel like you are back in merry ole England and you should be properly dressed.

It’s a lot of fun to visit, and to capture all the excitement with my camera. Since this is the stuff of dreams and fairy tales, I’ve created an enchanting collection of colorful & fun-filled images of my day at the Renaissance Faire.

Click on any photo below for a larger view. Enjoy the show!

The building has had quite a history and is a true survivor of the sometimes perilous weather conditions along the Connecticut shore. Originally a summer cottage for the Munroe family built in 1914, it was destroyed by a fire in 1936. The family rebuilt their beloved cottage in 1940 but decided 10 years later to relocate the building to higher ground away from the direct path of many seasonal storms and hurricanes.

The Town purchased the cottage and 7 acres in 1965 as a town park but over the years, the empty building began to decay and earned the name “Grass Island Shack”. Perhaps the best part of its story happened recently in 2015 when teenager John Markowski decided he wanted to restore the iconic landmark as his Eagle Scout project and thus began the one-year “Save the Shack” restoration.  Because of his dedication and the hard work of many volunteers, this iconic Connecticut landmark will be enjoyed for many years to come.

Just a side note – I’ve enjoyed photographing this site throughout the years. It always looks so different with the changing skies and weather conditions. It’s one of the many reasons I love photography!

These displays can be found decorating buildings, floating on ponds, in the trees, and nestled in the grassy hills and woods. Thousands of people each holiday season drive throughout the park or walk along the lighted trails to enjoy this magical time of year.

In 1889, the land for Hubbard Park, was donated by Walter Hubbard, president of the Bradley & Hubbard Manufacturing Co. His only stipulation was that everything connected with the park remain free of charge for the people of Meriden, and that no concessions for profit were ever allowed within the park area. His request still holds true today.

The park was laid out by Mr. Hubbard with the help of the Olmsted Brothers, sons of Frederick Law Olmsted, America’s foremost landscape architect. Two of his most famous projects were Central Park in New York City and Boston’s seven-mile long Emerald Necklace.

This is a park I visit often. It always makes me smile to see this forested area decorated with twinkling lights, sparkling creatures and designs, some that float on, or are near water with beautiful reflections. It truly is a winter wonderland for people of all ages. Thank you, Mr. Hubbard, in opening once private lands to be shared with everyone. Your generosity and kindness is still felt today and will be for generations to come.

Originally the stately residence of Robert Griswold, a prosperous ship captain in the water-rich town of Old Lyme, the demise of the family fortune forced a transformation of their home into a finishing school for girls in 1878. By the late 1890s, Florence, the last surviving family member was penniless and forced once again to find a new way to maintain her home and so decided to take in boarders, renting rooms for $7.00 per week.

The arrival of artists craving a community of like-minded fellow painters while pursuing their art and surrounded by the beauty of a New England shoreline village created one of the most sought after art colonies for American Impressionist painters from 1899 through the 1930s.  

“Miss Florence” as she was known to her boarders, was often described as the “keeper of the artist colony”. It was her custom to invite her guests to create a painting on a door or wall panel. Throughout her home, there are over 40 such unique works gifted by her talented boarders. Today, her family home, and its onsite museum, stand as a living tribute to a special period in American art history which continues to delight and enrich the lives of countless visitors to this historical homage to American Impressionism.

To see more of my fine art images, please click here.

This is an ebony langur, or lutung, whose native lands are the islands of Java, Bali and coastal parts of Indonesia. While they usually live in forests and freshwater swamps, the Bronx Zoo has recreated their habitat in a 37,000 square foot exhibit, complete with numerous tree limbs and water sprays.

When I visited the zoo, most of the langurs were resting (and who can blame them?). While I would have wanted more interaction among the animals, this beautiful reddish-gold monkey was so peaceful in his repose that I had to capture this moment. If you look closely, you can see his fingers curled on the upper left-side of his head.

Although these kept animals are living ambassadors promoting wildlife understanding and preservation, I always yearn to release them. I would really love to take him home, but I fear he would mess up the house even more than I do.

As we were driving through the surrounding countryside, I spotted this large American flag hung between two stately trees on a sprawling, hillside property. The sight of an American flag on display always makes me feel good. To find one waving proudly in the breeze as I was driving down a country road is just a wonderful surprise for which I must thank the property owners. The strong, complementary colors of red and green, the vibrancy of the green/yellow rolling hills and trees, and the ‘piece de résistance’ – stone wall – made me stop in my tracks to capture this stunning image.

Manchester, like many New England towns, has a special connection with our nation’s history. Theirs is a personal story as it involves the family of Abraham Lincoln. In the summer of 1864, Mary Todd Lincoln and her two sons vacationed at the town’s elegant Equinox Hotel. They enjoyed it so much that Mary made a reservation to return the following summer, but family plans changed after the president’s assassination.

Forty years later, her older son, Robert, then the president of the Pullman Company, returned to build Hildene, his sprawling summer mansion on almost 500 acres. Robert’s family spent more than 20 years enjoying the estate. He died here in 1926.

My husband, who is also a photographer, and I went for a drive to Essex, a picturesque town along the Connecticut River, where we came to shoot some early fall images. As we walked to a seaside park, I noticed there were many people gathered at the edge of the pier. We had no idea what was happening, but of course, we took our cameras and went to investigate.

A crowd had formed along the dock waving flags and waiting to view a flotilla of boats sail up the river. We discovered it was a rally to show their support for President Donald Trump organized by the Facebook Group, Connecticut Boaters for Trump.

One boater drove closer to the pier and yelled up, “Wait to you see all that’s coming”. I had no idea what to expect, but we stayed to photograph the event. So glad we did as it turned out to be the largest parade of boats I’ve ever seen. It was reported to be over 1,000 boats sailing more than 20 miles round-trip from the mouth of the Connecticut River to Eagles Landing State Park in Haddam.

It was amazing to witness this miles-long floating parade, and because the boats kept coming, we stayed for a while. We then drove up to a park by the Good Speed Opera House to get ahead of the flotilla before they turned back at the Swing Bridge.

Every kind of vessel, from a small pleasure boat to an ocean-going yacht and everything in between sailed past us. Boaters and people on shore alike proudly waved the American flag, along with various Trump support flags.

One boat loudly played the National Anthem as people along the shore sang along and wildly cheered them on. Everywhere you looked, it was a very positive atmosphere. There was no name-calling for the rival political candidate or his party. Just many different people coming together to celebrate their pride in country, and show support for a man they believe in.

I think we could all agree that freedom of expression and political choice are the hallmarks of a great nation. This was an extraordinary event put on and attended by ordinary people. I’m grateful for the opportunity to capture and share with you some images of a moment to remember.

For larger views and to see the slideshow, click on any photo below.

He wanted to capture the late day sunlight under the apple trees. I just went along for the ride (but took my camera just in case).

It didn’t very long for me to put my camera on the tripod and look around for an interesting shot. The sky was full of changing colors from a setting sun, the photographer was in silhouette, and the world looked beautiful to me. I think it’s how we all feel when we capture that special moment.

I wanted the focus to be the wonder of the immense sky with the photographer looking up to admire the scene, not actively looking through the viewfinder. As photographers, we should always pause a while to do this.…or the world will pass us by. Take the time to look up, look down, look all around. Sometimes the best camera is your eyes….and your heart.