In weather news around here, we finally seem to be rid of summer temperatures and into autumn. Yes! While some folks love the summer heat, I personally enjoy the days with temperatures in the low 70s and chilly overnights. Now, I don't want those overnights TOO chilly as I don't think the landlord turns on the heat until October 15, but ...! The heat has really been getting to me this past summer. As I get older, it seems harder to take and I feel like I've been on the edge of heat stroke at times. That's not good. But, when the autumn temperatures kick in, I feel so much better!
Random bits and pieces:
- I found out that my longtime across the hall neighbor Joe is in the Aristacare rehab place across the street. That's where I almost went for a knee replacement recovery but went home instead. I was worried that he passed and squatters moved in. It's now his daughter and her (at least) two children in the apartment. Oh, well. She doesn't let the kids run the halls of the building. But it is odd to see Joe's apartment door all decked out for Halloween. That is so not Joe!
- We're not into fall foliage yet around here. However, I've noticed some trees have just had their leaves turn brown and die. Hmm.
- Because I often have a ride with a friend to work these days, I'm not on the train every day. I no longer buy monthly passes as, economically, they don't pan out. Now, after my recent birthday, I can get my train tickets for less than half-price. I only pay $1.35 each way! But getting the tickets out of the machine is a hassle. You can buy individual round trip tickets, but I can't seem to make the machine understand I want like five round trip tickets. After the first round trip, I end up with tickets all going one direction! Thankfully, the conductors accept them for either direction. But it really should be easier to buy multiple round trips.
- Surfers are enjoying the off shore hurricane waves as of late on the Jersey Shore. But I think more people have died this past season than most years due to rip currents. While I love the ocean, I myself am a bit leery after getting caught in a rip tide back in the 80s. I not only thought it broke my shoulder by whipping my arm around to my back, but I was sure I would drown. I ended up nearly a quarter mile from where I had been.
- I wonder if that might be a reason I seem to have developed such arthritis in my right shoulder. Hmm. It could be the water-skiing I did for years or just plain my body falling apart. Of course, I could blame Vincent. That's the shoulder he favors for draping over purposes!
- I would guess it's a combination of aging and stuff I did over the years. I do have a relatively new annoying health thing -- my neck wants to make noise every time I turn my head. Sheesh.
- I need to find the fountain of youth, methinks.
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| Aesthetics down the drain |
On one trip to work this week, they were working on the lamps on the eastbound platform of the Plainfield Train Station. In addition to replacing the bulbs that have been burnt out, some for years, they replaced lamp poles which were down, missing or damaged. Um. What is this?!?! The new poles aren't anything like the old ones! Ack! Now they've pretty much totally blown my train station lamps photos for good. Plus, when I got home last night after dark, while the train station's new white bulbs do make the station a lot brighter, there are still the golden bulbs mixed in. It looks all out of synch. Gah.
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| Sunset from a shopping center |
Bridgewater Promenade Shopping Center (no, not an infamous New Jersey mall) as I sat outside of the Target store waiting for a friend to pick me up.
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| Blast from the past this week |
On Monday's commute to work I was greeted with a single level NJ Transit train. Oh, my. Pink walls, blue seats, the dreaded three-seaters on one side, seats that flip the backs so you can seat groups ... I didn't quite know where I needed to sit to get out at Bridgewater where only one door opens on the platform! It was also longer than the double-deckers which serve the Raritan Valley Line -- eight cars with the end one closed. Hmm. I had to sit up in the front of the second car from the end to make getting out easier. It was a quiet car. I can always deal with that! I think this makes twice in the last eight or so years that I've taken a single level train on my usual train line.
**CLICK THE 'READ MORE' LINK TO SEE THE REST OF THE PHOTOS**
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| Man versus Nature |
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| Tuesday's moon |
As the sun set, the moon was ready for its duties.
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| Looking eastbound from westbound |
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| Almost gone |
The Flower of an Hour plants are sad as of late.
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| The Lonely Flower |
Where there were once dozens upon dozens of blossoms, I found only one still in bloom. True, some looked closed for the day (or not open yet for it), but almost all have passed.
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| Sunset through a lamp |
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| Vincent is such a CAT! |
He leads a life mostly of bliss, food aplenty, cat treats, catnip, lap and shoulder time and affection with no responsibilities. I think I'm jealous of him.
4 comments:
I'm sad about the lamposts. I always loved those curved double posts in your photos. They were very graceful.
Leaves here in Atlanta haven't changed colors either except on one tree outside my window. Those have turned a dead looking crinkly brown. I hope that isn't the norm this year.
Please notify me immediately when you find the fountain of youth. Maybe we can get a 2-for-1 deal.
Seriously, I'm so glad the summer heat is over for you. Ours is still here but today is nice with a lovely breeze. My heat tolerance goes down each year, as the heat rises there is no relief.
I am enjoying pictures of the real autumn so many people are sharing on FB. Missing my trip to Green Bay and Chicago this year. I love going there in October. My favorite season and so much beauty.
Hope you have a good week and perfect weather each day!
Pictures of Vincent remind me of the cartoon "Simon's Cat." LOL
The sunset pictures are gorgeous!! Nature's miracle.
The Golden Years aren't all they are cracked up to be. :(
For sure, we pay for all the injuries from our youthful adventures... in spades!
Fall color is on the downhill slide in Colorado. We left for Breckenridge on Saturday for our first College D1 hockey game of the season, and decided to leave early to be leaf-peepers and take some fall-color pictures. It was a beautiful sunny day for the 2 1/2 hr back-road drive, though we were a little disappointed that most of the color is gone now. Though we did manage to find a few of the more protected areas with some remaining color, so it wasn't a total wash.
Breckenridge is such a beautiful and well-maintained town. Like Vail, the majority of the population is quite wealthy (year-round residents with very large homes). Driving around the entire city, we didn't see any poor or unkempt areas, but since we had some time to kill, we decided to drive through an interesting looking... cemetery. I know that sounds odd, but it was actually fascinating because it's such an old cemetery. Dirt road throughout, and many of the headstones had dates started in the early 1800s. Surprisingly, considering the rest of Breckenridge, it doesn't appear to be maintained at all. There were tall weeds throughout, even in the fenced family plots, but it's still a functional cemetery because there was a service taking place as we drove through.
Leaving Breckenridge today, there was SNOW on the ground from last night!!! We took the same back road home and it was a beautiful sight with the previously bare, but now flocked trees. More pictures!! I'm not ready for winter....
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