Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - April 27, 2014

Good morning! It's Sunday. You know what that means. Welcome to my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way. Later on tonight, I'll be posting The Amazing Race blog party. If you watch the show, come watch with us!

This past week? Let's see ...

It was definitely one of the better ones as of late. The severe cold or whatever it was I had finally stopped. I only had a four-day work week as I had requested a vacation day for Saturday due to expected train issues. And, on Friday morning, a local taxi driver saw me walking and gave me a free ride to the train station as he was heading to his office and I'm a "nice lady." He was one of the regular drivers I used over the winter when the sidewalks were so dangerous. That made my day!

I'm sure many of you will be upset to hear I have no snake photos again this week. Apparently the location at the Bridgewater Train Station might have been some kind of birthing den and they've moved on. It wasn't a good place for the garter snakes anyway -- too close to people. It was good for me as I got to take photos of them. But they need to be away from people.

Our weather here still isn't really "normal." Some of the flowering trees, such as the magnolias, have suffered from the overnight freezes. The gingko trees are just starting to develop leaves. I looked at photos I took in previous years and, every year, things were in full bloom by now with all the leaves on the trees.

Onto the photos for the week -- clicking on an image will lead you to a Photobucket page of the shot, clicking on the magnifying glass at the bottom right of the photo will make it larger. You can make it larger twice. To return to the blog, just close out the Photobucket window.

Welcome

Welcome to the middle of town, that is. This new electronic sign has been erected on the grounds of Plainfield's Municipal Court and Police Department. I think they were testing it as I watched. It rotated between this welcome and advertisements for the sign company. Then it went into the temperature in blue, jumping randomly from 69 to 73 degrees. Then my bus came. Corner of Watchung Avenue and Court Place.

Even more welcoming

Church Street (Plainfield) in the sunrise hour of a spring morning.

Also quite welcoming

Tulips in a planter on a porch on Berckman Street in Plainfield. I showed the other planter last week.

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

Dream if you can a courtyard ...

... an ocean of violets in bloom.

Animals strike curious poses

(My apologies to Prince for that. I just can't look at violets in bloom without thinking of 'When Doves Cry.')

As I sneaked up on the squirrel

Just before his curious pose. The squirrel was at the Plainfield Train Station, the violet on Berckman Street.

Not to be confused with violets

This is a periwinkle bloom also growing on Berckman Street.

I have no idea

But they're very cool

Also on Berckman Street

Growing wild

Bridgewater Train Station tree

Monday shot.

Then on Friday

Sad magnolia season

Several nights of freezing temperatures seem to have affected the normally gorgeous and full magnolia tree in the 'hood this year. The blossoms never went to their full glory and many turned brown quickly. East Front Street, Plainfield.

The tulips survived

All of these tulip shots were taken on Berckman Street.

What's spring without bugs and weeds?

I found a snail-less snail shell

So I placed it on the stairs railing at the Bridgewater Train Station.

Then I put it on the concrete ...

... by the stairs. I should have cleaned it off, but I had nothing to do that with on me.

My morning walk

The sun rises just about when I leave my apartment for my walk to the train station on my early workdays. By the time I'm about six blocks away the sun is hitting some buildings, but others obscure its rays. This is on East Second Street in Plainfield by Union County College with the main Post Office directly ahead of me.

Head west, young lady

Okay, so I'm not that young. The moon is ahead of me, the sunrise once again kissing the treetops on Church Street in Plainfield.

Petals are shedding, leaves arriving

They're also on East Second Street

The poison ivy is awakening

This is at the Bridgewater Train Station. Those are poison ivy vines in the background. They chop it every year, but it's not going anywhere. There's one vine along the ground which is as big around as my upper arm.

Plainfield Train Station

As seen from East Third Street in the sunrise hour.

Why I took Saturday off

I heard this was coming and put in for a vacation day. I have no desire to deal with whacko bus/train delays.

Soon to be huge pink blossoms

Plainfield Train Station. Usually by this time, these are in the stage of passing with pink petals littering the lawn and walks. They just started budding this week this year due to the cold spring.

Can I be in your blog?

A robin on my front (patch of) lawn.

Me, too. I'll pose pretty!

A pigeon at the Bridgewater Train Station.

Abandoned

In front of a building being rehabbed on North Avenue in Plainfield.

Am I the only one who sees this?

Mark my words ... this building by the Bound Brook Train Station is slowly collapsing. Now the window frame has popped out due to the shifting. Part of the roof is gone. The chimney is leaning. The very obvious HUGE structural cracks are even more evident. While no one lives in it, people do park their cars next to it. I wouldn't.

Um. Yeah. Sure.

I saw this sticker on a shopping cart and couldn't resist shooting it.

If a vampire gums you ...

... let him know he left his fangs on East Front Street in Plainfield.

New Jersey's "sexy accent"

Hmm ... I have no clue what disco fries are, the Jersey Shore Beer Fest sounds good, and New Jersey's sexy accent? Thankfully, very few people in New Jersey have that stereotypical accent you hear on TV shows and in movies. This is an advertisement for nj.com on the side of an NJ Transit bus.

What's going on here, Vincent?

Yes, I'm an enabler.