Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - August 3, 2014

Good morning! Welcome to my weekly Sunday morning reflection on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way. If you're looking for Big Brother live feeds reports, you can find those posts at this link right here. The post you're currently reading is off television topic and a weekly post I make throughout the year on the blog. You can read it or not -- your choice!

Here in New Jersey, we had more than enough rain once again. Our reservoir levels have remained in the positive all summer long. It's a shame that we can't steer the rain off to areas in the West which are experiencing droughts! Overall, after a harsh winter, it's been a mild summer. Hey, I'm not complaining! I'm not a fan of the extreme heat. I'm not one to lay around on a beach sunburning and sweating. I don't like to sweat. Give me the 70s and I love it!

I was bitten by another mosquito this week, going into the full allergic reaction once again. Well, not to the point of anaphylaxis, but yet quite serious. I have no clue why all of a sudden I'm having these allergic reactions. I've been wearing Eau D'Off pretty much wherever I go, but forgot to put it on the morning I visited Mindowaskin Park in Westfield. I put it on after a while as I carry an Off "pen" in my pocketbook, but it was too late.

That's all for me for now. It's onto the photos! If you click on an image, it will open a new window and you can increase the size of the image twice by clicking on the magnifying glass on the lower right. If you click on the X to close that page, you end up right back here where you left off. I have two slideshows this week -- to make those full screen, just click on the diagonal arrow on the bottom right!

I hope everyone has a great Sunday and I'll be posting the latest BB16 live feeds soon!

NJ Transit, Raritan Valley Line

Because the double-decker trains are so tall, they look quite short when seen from a distance. Don't let the optical illusion fool you -- this train is seven or eight long cars long! Thankfully for drivers, it's nowhere near as long as some of those freight trains which take forever to pass by.

Ducks at rest

I made a trip to Mindowaskin Park in Westfield this week. The ducklings I photographed at the beginning of summer are growing up! After the jump, I have a slideshow of my day in the park. This is just a sneak peek!

East Front Street bunny

I don't have to go to the park to see cute bunnies ... they're all around my neighborhood. This is a young one resting in the grass.

Blue Dasher Dragonfly

This is another shot from the day in the park. Dragonflies were all over the place! I wonder why more Blue Dashers than other varieties seem to have wing damage of some sort. I've seen in in photos I've taken before. Their wings must be more fragile than other kinds of dragonflies, I guess.

After the rain

Again, more than enough rain here this week (and it's raining more as I write this). This is the reflection in a huge puddle after the rain stopped one morning.

**CLICK THE 'READ MORE' LINK TO SEE THE REST OF THE PHOTOS AND SLIDESHOWS OF BOTH THIS WEEK'S FLOWERS AND THE DAY IN THE PARK**

This week's flower photos were taken in Plainfield, Westfield and Bridgewater. Some in planters, some on lawns and some just around! Some come with bees, most do not. Enjoy!

Early morning sun

Still not seeing that sunrise as I leave for my walk to the train station on my early days, but the sun is indeed much lower in the sky. Taken from Church Street in Plainfield.

Different day

Same location.

**********************

Next is my slideshow of my day (actually hour or so) I spent in Mindowaskin Park in Westfield. I always enjoy time spent there, but haven't been since early summer due to (a) weather -- either too hot or too rainy (b) prefer to go when kids are in school and/or (c) a lack of energy or laziness on my part. I've been a bit dismayed over the lack of upkeep at the park the last few years. There's a lot of algae covering the pond and more trash in the pond itself than past years. Yet the ducks and the dragonflies thrive.

I must remember to go!

I keep forgetting to take a jaunt over to Westfield on Tuesday evenings. I have gone during past years. They have various jazz trios, quartets and sometimes a solo act playing outside at locations throughout the town. It's really rather cool.

Appeared overnight!

I swear this huge mushroom (perhaps seven inches across) wasn't there amongst the poison ivy the day before! Bridgewater Train Station.

Bee in flight

Yes, he (she?) does have wings! Although this looks like a bee bullet, its wings are just moving too fast for my camera.

Better than Starbucks!

Ahrre's Coffee Roastery is only about two blocks from the local Starbucks in Westfield and much, much better! Of course, the fact that it's a neighbor of the local Trader Joe's is a benefit as well.

Stinkhorn mushrooms are back

Yep, it's stinkhorn season again as they grow in the mulch around bushes in Bridgewater.

Fly on a mushroom

Not the same mushroom as the earlier photo, but in the same vicinity.

Flies on a flower

I don't mind flies so much as long as they stay out of my apartment! I don't like biting kinds of flies at all, but I don't think these are in that category. I think these two must be having an early morning chat atop the Black-Eyed Susan. Bridgewater, NJ

In the early morning sun

Pete's Fish Market on East Second Street in Plainfield is a mainstay for fish purchases in the area. It's not so good to walk by its dumpsters on a hot, hot day before the garbage pick-up. Jus' sayin' ...

The saga continues ...

Yep, I still see dead people on the NJ Transit trains. And they really shouldn't conk out in public.

Step 1: Admitting you have a problem

I just don't know what to do about Vincent. I realize I'm an enabler, but I just can't stop. The cat craves the nip!