Cufflinks

Rob finished his first batch of cufflinks recently. Check them out HERE for the Etsy store. Custom orders are available.

Poconos Part 3 - Eagles

On Sunday we went on a little drive to the Delaware River. We saw parts of the old canal and the aqueduct that is now a road. We also were on the lookout for Bald Eagles. We were not disappointed.

This picture is from the aqueduct to the boat landing. We had been on the landing just a few minutes before looking at an eagle in a tree across the river through binoculars. We also saw a couple soaring through the sky. Then while at this location we saw an eagle flying so close to the people on the landing. He was looking for fish or bait hoping the fishermen dropped something. If you click on the picture and make it big, you might be able to find the eagle in this photo. We packed up and drove right back over to the landing.

Here is the eagle. Sitting on the top of the tree right next to us. My camera doesn't have a very big zoom. It's great for snapshots, not so great for close-ups of wildlife in trees.
Rob did a little Maverick like maneuvering and got the camera set up so that he could take a picture through the binoculars. Here is a first attempt where you can see the binocular ring. But look how close that eagle is! You can see the beak.
To get the shot Rob set the camera to macro. Because with the binocular magnification the eagle was at macro distance. He put the camera against the binocular eyepiece and then used the viewfinder to get the eagle centered.
He sat like this for the 30 minute we watched, and probably stayed for awhile. It was somewhat difficult to get his profile because he was looking away from us to the fishermen on the boat. He never got any dropped fish or bait while we were there. But we did hear his call.
Very cool day.

Poconos Part 2

Rob had a great time on the ice. Here are some movies to show how much fun.

I didn't do this, but I did try to spin on my shoes and I fell. Then Rob told me to sit and he took my feet and spun me like on one of those old toys with the disk that spin. That was fun too.

Poconos Part 1

Well, I am finally getting around to blogging. But the culprit in my lack of time was not the work - it is that my laptop has died. I am taking it to get fixed on Tuesday, but I have had to share a computer with Rob. Sharing is no fun when the person you are sharing with has actual work to do and you want to sit and blog and check facebook. But now it is the weekend so here I am.

Some friends of my cousins have a house in the Poconos, right on one of the lakes with a funny name that I cannot remember. They graciously invited us for the weekend. Of course we accepted.

This is the view from the back window.The lake was completely frozen. The house had no internet (well there was a dial-up connection - but who needs that). And in some places we had no cell service. Perfect for a weekend getaway. The first day we were there we stayed in our pjs and did a jigsaw puzzle, and some of the millions of crosswords. I actually finished a few almost by myself. Then we went out for a birthday dinner for Peggi.

Day two we went walking across the frozen lake. It was fun.

When we weren't outside or doing crosswords, we watched the birds on the feeders. This picture was taken with Rob's new technique to read about in the Eagle post.

Out of Town

Today we head to the Poconos to get away from it all. My cousins have friends who have a house and have graciously invited us for the weekend too; so no champagne hot tubs for us. Someone asked what we are getting away from. It's not like we are exactly working 9-5 at the moment. We are getting away from the same daily grind of the city, and the cabin fever of our apartment, and the stress of applying to an endless number of jobs. It is nice to get away from reality for a few days, even if ours isn't traditional at the moment. So pictures next week - but it might take a few days because we both have PAYING freelance jobs lined up for next week when we return.

Spring Is in the Air

It sure feels like it anyhow at a sunny 52 outside. A far cry from my last post with all the snow.


(pic from Brooklyn Botanical Garden 2006)

Rob and I went out this morning for a bakery breakfast where we clipped coupons from the bakery newspaper - a good tip if you don't get the paper delivered. And then headed to Stop and Shop for the weekly groceries. It was warmer than expected, but there was a little drizzle. We discussed how we need to pull out the dead plants from our planters and turn the soil - maybe mixing in some rabbit droppings from our very own rabbit to make the soil more fertile to plant something in a couple of months.
As we left the grocery the sun was shining, and only a light wind. That is a big change as the wind has been killer. Last night was warmish, but I was still bundled up. Today though, I unbuttoned my coat and kept the gloves off. When we got home, first thing was to turn off the heat and open the door to the balcony. When you get a chance you have to air out the apartment. It's amazing how warm it feels in here today at 62 when I'm usually under a blanket at our normal winter temp of 68.
Ah, it's these days that I cherish because even though I know spring is a ways away, and that there is a good chance of frigid weather soon, at least I remember that it is a possibility.

The View From Here