Off Topic - That Was the Week It Was - September 15, 2013

Good Sunday morning, folks! It's time for my weekly off television topic post reflecting on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way. While there isn't any television talk on this off topic post, I must stray to it for a minute ...

• If you're looking for the latest Big Brother live feeds or show news, you can find those posts right here.
• If you want to sign up for the Survivor: Blood vs. Water blog pool, that post can be found here. The deadline for that is Tuesday. Please sign up only on that post or by contacting Lifeguard Laurie at the email address listed in that post. No other posts or places will be checked.

Okay, back to off topic!

I had a four-day work week this past week as I took yesterday off as a vacation day to kick off my latest staycation. I usually work Saturdays, so that was an added bonus. The weather, after hitting 96 degrees early in the week, was down to a high around 70 both on Friday and Saturday. Yay! That's MY kind of weather -- cool overnights, sunny, dry and not hot! Yay!

Yesterday I walked downtown to the big Central Americano festival. It wasn't as crowded as the last time I went. But, then again it could have been the time I went or the fact that the last time I went there were actually two festivals adjacent to each other. Nonetheless, people were parked as far up my block to attend the festivities and East Front Street was a huge traffic jam.

While nothing much went on last week, today is my birthday. I'm older than I ever thought I would be had you asked me decades ago. I plan a day of relaxation for the most part. Big Brother live feeds have died down and I can actually rest. I could go to the festival which is still running downtown today, but I doubt I will. 

Will it go 'round in circles?

Will it fly high up in the sky? I took this shot at the Latino festival in Plainfield yesterday.

Smile for the camera

This young mockingbird was with its siblings, but was the only one to pose for me up on the fence rail. The mockingbird parents have been very territorial, chasing other birds and even warily watching me for weeks now. There are five of the young 'uns. While they can fend for themselves, they still bother their mother for food by fluffing their feathers, shaking and crying out. Like toddlers, they are. Bridgewater Train Station.

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

Aw, Google cares about me!

I don't know if this is something new or just that I haven't noticed it before. When I opened my Google browser, I saw all kinds of birthday treats on the Google Doodle. Since no hugely famous people seem to share my birthday, I decided to click on the birthday Google Doodle to see where it leads. Oh, my! It says "Happy Birthday, Jackie!" when I hover the mouse on it. It leads to my very neglected Google + page. Aw, too touching. Sniffle.

Maybe I'll have a Corona

Well, not THAT big, of course! But I have no Corona anyway. While in Scotch Plains, I bought a six pack of Dale's Pale Ale to try out. I like to experiment with various micro-brew beers. This shot was taken at the festival in Plainfield yesterday. Yes, they have beer there. No, I didn't have any beer there.

The mockingbird again

I took several decent shots of this young mockingbird that day.

Decroative, huh?

Perhaps the stones are from Croatia? Seen on Watchung Avenue, Plainfield.

Orba by flash

As I post this, Orba the cross orbweaver spider, is gone from Berckman Street once again. She has done that before, only to reappear with a new web a few days later. She really looks different with the reflection of the flash on her.

Pink cloud at dawn

I took this shot looking towards the intersection of Church and East Second Streets in Plainfield as I walked to the train station early one morning. It's nice to see early morning skies and sunrises again.

Just after sunrise

Bridgewater, NJ

Home sweet home

The activity has ceased in one open section of the fence with just their empty paper nest as evidence they had been there. Soon these yellow jackets will be unfocused and more ornery.

What's that in the sky?

Horizon Blue Shield blimp puttering around over the Bridgewater Train Station.

Just birds resting

It would have been nice had they posed a bit more symmetrical!

Pretending to be partridges?

Sentry crows? Bridgewater, NJ

Ohh! Another teensy snail!

And this one is also a bit different ... with mostly black on the shell swirls. Bridgewater Train Station.

See how small it is

Once again I use my index finger for comparison. Most of these have been about an inch or more.

Oops. It's looking at me!

I accidentally nudged it as I fumbled holding my finger near it and the camera. Eep. I woke it up!

And running away

Well, maybe not RUNNING, per se.

Ohh! Ohh! Now they deliver!

I've been wondering why KFC hasn't gotten into delivery. But now Popeyes has! Cool. These signs were plastered here and there around my neighborhood. I blocked out the phone number for posting here, but have the phone number intact on a copy of the photo. It will be a nice change from Chinese if I want something delivered for dinner!

In the belly of the beast

Oh my.

Festival junk food

I passed up on this stuff, but it always makes for a good photo.

Mmm ... roast corn!

I love the roast corn and chicken on a stick!

Maybe I'll have a Heineken instead

They were loud, very loud. I could hear them from my apartment about three blocks away, but not clearly. What's very weird is I could hear them quite loudly with an echo when I walked over by the police station. It's about the same distance albeit in a different direction. No wonder I heard that people in South Plainfield were complaining about the noise. The more city-like buildings must have created some kind of noise tunnel.

Deadly nightshade

Growing in Scotch Plains.

Fungus of the fallen tree

Trees damaged by Irene's flooding and Sandy's winds continue to die and fall over at the Bridgewater Train Station. And fungus tends to grow on them.

Morning glories in the dark

If it's cloudy in the morning when I head out to catch the early train for work, it's still dark-ish. I went out the back door of the building to put a bag of trash in the dumpster on my way out one morning and caught these using my flash. Oops, I then promptly walked into a cop in a POLICE vest hanging outside my building. Hmm. He was looking up at windows. Hmm.

I asked him if he needed to be let in and he replied, "Thank you, but we're good." Hmm. He wasn't one of the officers I know, but I got my answer when I hit the street -- Union County. Ahh, it's all coming back to me now. It's not a bust. It's a forcible eviction. I had seen the notice on the front of the building the week before. 'Tis cool, it's the biggest riff-raff person in the front wing (where riff-raff are more likely to be). Usually the people getting evicted get out before the police come to remove them.

When I open my eyes, there will be catnip!

And cat toys and cat treats! Hey, it was Vincent's sort of birthday this week, too! On September 12, 2009, I adopted him from New York City Animal Care and Control -- the NYC animal shelter system. He had been a stray wandering the streets of Manhattan and living on borrowed time at the Manhattan shelter location up in Spanish Harlem. They estimated him to be about five years old at the time. So, if they were right, he's about nine now. He thinks he's two.