Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - October 2, 2016

Good morning! Since it's Sunday morning, it's time for my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way. If you're looking for TV related stuff, this ain't that! If you're looking for my Big Brother: Over the Top stuff, it can be found at this link. I'll be posting daily reports on that CBS All Access show, as well as Survivor on Wednesday evenings. This here post is off topic and a weekly thing I do here. 

I would like to thank everyone for their concern about me regarding the NJ Transit train crash in Hoboken. Thankfully, that's not a destination, nor a train line I ride on every day. My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and the young woman who lost her life.

In the weather here, we had a few gorgeous typical autumn days, then into drizzly, rainy and raw temperatures for last five days. Grr. While I hate high temps and humidity, I wanted the NICE autumn! They haven't turned the heat on for my apartment building yet and it's downright chilly in here! I wanted low 70s temperatures in the daytime, not low 50s! Mother Nature, are you listening?

I've just had a week of going back and forth to work. So, without further ado, let's get to the photos! Clicking on an image will open it up in a larger version.

  

Ohh ... just a little baby pigeon!

I recently saw half an egg shell under the bridge at the Bridgewater Train Station. It wasn't as small as the blue robin eggs, nor as large as a chicken egg. Apparently, it was a pigeon egg! I'm surprised that they're hatching this late in the season. Then I saw this little guy among the sleeping pigeons under the bridge. How cute is he?

My train home on Thursday

This was the day of the Hoboken NJ Transit crash. Since I'm a mid-line rider, not going to either end of the line, the only thing my train could crash into would be a vehicle illegally crossing the tracks. In all the years I've commuted on the train, we've only hit a car once. On the train, I didn't even feel the impact. The Toyota hit definitely felt it, spinning around a few times and wrecking its frame. The driver was treated and released from the hospital without serious injury, then ticketed for going around the warning gates. She's lucky the train was slowing down to stop in Bridgewater.

Drone sighting

And, the photographer (me) was also sighted! I was taking photos of the drone (left under the top window) at the parking lot of the old Lincoln School at the corner of East Second and Berckman in Plainfield. I heard the drone before I saw it. But then, you know I had to shoot it! Obviously, the drone operator wasn't upset at the photos -- he had a huge smile when he noticed the camera! The uniformed guy isn't Plainfield Police; the uniform isn't right. I'm guessing a security guard for the building. They were the only ones in the lot and both were having fun with the drone.

Let there be mums!

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

Slim pickings now for bees

But they'll take what they can get.

Idiot

This very young-looking teen was zooming his dirt bike at high speeds in the rocks lining the train tracks in Bridgewater. He was doing motorcycle jumps on and off the low platform at the station. It's a good way to maim yourself, kid.

A bunny rabbit!

On Tuesday, before our long stretch of grey and drizzle, I saw this rabbit at the Bridgewater Train Station.

Animals strike curious poses ...

Seagull sentry

A seagull guards over the street in the fog and drizzle. He was atop a street lamp on North Avenue in Plainfield.

Another banded pigeon sighting

Well, I'm sure it's the same one I photographed a week or two back. I saw him or her again on Monday this week on the other side of the ball field, about a quarter mile away from my original sighting. Researching about, I found that the 7 on the yellow band just indicates size. There are other numbers on the back which reveal where it came (escaped) from. But the one shot I got of the back wasn't clear enough to read them. This pigeon is hanging out with an un-banded pigeon. It must be love. Also, in my research they advised capturing/reporting banded pigeons as homing and racing pigeons don't fare well in the wild due to their diets. I dunno. This one is the picture of health!

Mums-to-be

Not to be confused with Mom To Be. A sign of autumn ...

Despite the rain and grey skies ...

... the mum buds they planted on Monday in the planters by my workplace started to bloom.

Bridgewater Train Station

While Plainfield has a large train station building with an actual ticket agent some hours on the NYC-bound side and a shelter structure on the "quieter" side (west bound), along with an extensive cover over the platforms on both sides, this is it for Bridgewater. The Plainfield Train Station is accessible with both ramps to the platform and elevator; Bridgewater has stairs. Both stations have TVMs (ticket vending machines). If you buy your ticket on the train, a five dollar surcharge is added in. Plainfield has a high platform and you just walk onto/out of the train. Bridgewater is a low platform and you have to climb in or out of the train.

Other than this open to the elements shelter, there are benches outside with no shelter from the elements at all. Over the benches on either side inside the building, there are ceiling heaters. But, unless you stand on the bench and let them heat the top of your head, they're not really useful. When I first started the train commute here, many years back, I was often the only person at the station. Now it can hustle at times. I was the only one there last night until four already drunk loud party girls in severe mini-skirts headed into Manhattan showed up. Once they boarded the train, three other passengers came through asking if the first car was the quiet car. Which, technically, it isn't on the weekend. But, any car those girls were not in would be a quieter car!

Yes, we need rain

But we're heading into the fifth day of grey skies. Will the sun come out tomorrow? Um. Nope. These flowers are growing by the memorial in front of the Plainfield Police Station.

Seamstress on a train

I see this woman on the train every Saturday as I head to work. She's always working on beautiful gowns. She speaks Polish. Yesterday she had a friend sitting with her in one of the four-seaters on the upper level of the train. I sat across the aisle, alone in a two-seater. Thankfully, her friend started looking out the window, thus giving me the opportunity to take this photograph.

Who dat cat?

Why, it's VINCENT! And, yes ... he has dark spots on his little feet pads. But, he's not a totally white cat anyway. The grey on his head and some light grey stripes on his tail just make the white look whiter!