Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - June 22, 2014

Good morning! For those now cruising the blog for Big Brother television show news, I'll be posting the blog pool sign-up post later today (don't sign up for it on this post, please!). This here post is my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way.

As for the week gone by itself, it wasn't a heck of a lot of much more than work, work, work. The big news is that Big Brother started revealing the new hamster house, new hamsters and new twists. I've covered those things in previous posts and will be posting more daily as we head into the season premiere on Wednesday night.

The weather here in my area of New Jersey hit the nineties for the first time this year. As it was only two days, it wasn't a legitimate heat wave. It still felt like it. I'm not a big fan of summer with ultra-hot and humid days. If summers could have an 80 degree cut-off with low humidity, I'd like it much more. I don't like sweating!

I had good luck with critter photos this week -- a pigeon with its wings expanded during landing and the Plainfield Train Station groundhog, along with a rabbit and a squirrel. Had I been more prepared, I would have had a nice deer shot last night. I climbed up the stairs at the Bridgewater Train Station only to practically walk into a large doe. I gasped. She gasped. She ran so quickly that I couldn't get the shot. She even scared a bunch of rabbits who also hopped away quickly. I was happy that she ran into a fenced area rather than towards the train tracks.

Onto the photos for the week ... clicking on the photo will show it in its Photobucket page. In that view, there's a magnifying glass on the bottom right. You can make the photo larger twice there. To get back to the blog, just close the Photobucket window.

Can you see the hidden groundhog?

This groundhog at the Plainfield Train Station thought he found the perfect place to hide from me. Yeah, right. I've got you, groundhog!

Religion and Politics Shouter

With a nod to Stephen King's "Monster Shouter" in The Stand, I came across this man with a megaphone at the corner of Park Avenue and East Front Street in Plainfield one afternoon this this week. He was shouting against gay marriage, abortion, Obama ... you name it. No one was paying any attention to him. Also, no one was at the chess tables in the sun!

My flower slideshow teaser

If you're reading this post from the main page of the blog itself instead of the individual post, this week's flower slideshow is after the jump.

**CLICK THE 'READ MORE' LINK TO SEE THE REST OF THE PHOTOS**

This week's flower slideshow has blossoms, flowers and even some weeds. The shots were taken in Plainfield and Bridgewater. If you click on the diagonal arrow at the bottom right on the slideshow, you can make it fullscreen.

The lying sign

While we had two days of over 90 degree temperatures this week, it did not hit 105. The new lighted sign at the Plainfield Municipal Court lies in its testimony. It's about 12 to 13 degrees too high.

Oh noes! We're melting!

The fungi activity near the Bridgewater Train Station flourishes during the rainy days, then wilts in the sunshine.

Where's the rain?

We've had enough rain, silly mushrooms! I muted the colors on this one a bit.

Add some more sun

Finding goodies in the grass

Whatever he's eating, he's digging way deep for it at the Plainfield Train Station.

Yes, I see you

East Front Street, Plainfield, is bunny territory!

Bye-bye, Bunny

Coming in for the landing

The pigeon in the air seems to stare at my camera as he lands on the streetlamp with his buddies. I thought the sun caught his wings just right!

Cartoon Network?

I'm not sure why a mid-week daytime event at the TD Ball Park (home of the Somerset Patriots minor league baseball) had Cartoon Network tents being set up. I was heading to the Bridgewater Train Station to head home from work, so I didn't hang around to find out.

Still there?

That new-looking vacuum cleaner I showed you last week was still at the Bridgewater Train Station until mid-week this week. Someone apparently snagged it.

If I can hear tinny music ...

... from your ear buds way back here, your music is way too loud and you'll surely go deaf early in life. NJ Transit, Raritan Valley Line

Bang! Play dead, Vincent!

See! Vincent does tricks! Actually, rolling in a bit of leftover catnip from the night before, Vincent tries to be all cute and adorable in a ploy to make me stay home from work to be with him.