Fire Island

Back from the states now... Clothes washed dried and put away... cases cleared...

Link to a short story in pictures... https://plus.google.com/108650660073393704923/stories/78cb1f52-6348-37fd-9d39-8744d8d93232146bff9c524/1?authkey

Hope this works!

Some beautiful flowers on this tree above at a cousins home out on Long Island...

Great wall plaque on their home too! Could do with one of these here...

Yes, looks like I stalked their home...

Fire Island, and its lighthouse, was a good walk along from the car park to the lighthouse, looks small here... considering the real height of it though!!!  And everywhere I went Cardinal birds were with me, word on the street was that to see a Cardinal means someone who has passed over is nearby... Hmmm just checked this out on the net, there are so many meanings, I guess all it really means is... I saw lots of Cardinals!

Just a tree near the lighthouse... I liked it, its here!

A view from the top of the lighthouse, up there was a man, I said 'hello' and inquired about the place some more, turned out he had been to Neath! He was someone best man back in the 1970's... small world then!

What a view from here... Also from here you can see the city...

The beach was quite empty up until nearer the car park when it really got packed out, lots of people sunbathing, lots in thongs! Men only seemed!! OMG!! NO!!!! Really????

We were the most dressed people there! Me and cousin walked with our feet in the warm ocean... beautiful day, beautiful ocean... Just Beautiful...

TTFN
Marian

Carlo's Bakery

Buddy Valastro we came, we visited, we bought cannoli's!

We got the bus, then the F train to 23rd Street, and onto the PATH, that's Port Authority Trans Hudson line... Taking us under the Hudson River and into New Jersey...

He was on his way home from China!

I did not expect the huge crouds and line in the store... Silly me! Everyone and their brothers aunt was there for pastries and more...

We only bought cannoli's, a travel cup and a big coffee cup!

Poor Baz was sat outside for over half hour! Ate my cannoli out side the store! Mmmmm! Delicious indeedy!

TTFN
Marian

Port Jefferson

A couple of days ago we visited this beautiful town, Port Jefferson...

There were a few of us... And bizarring came a visiting by way of a local funeral parlour, sadly someone in the family HSS lost their father...

This small town was packed to the gills with happy tourist's on Father's Day...

We were a large group for passers by to contend with forsure, and a few locals gave us short measure with our ramble!

Off the the main road we saw some really beautiful homes and shops...

Sadly, for us at least many of the old style American cars have gone, replaced mainly now by smaller cars, much more like ours back in the UK...

The port here was pretty, much like Swansea in size of port and boats... But with the beautiful weather and the amazing back drop from this old world town...

Coming next: Buddy Valastro the Cake Boss

TYFN
Marian

Prickly pears and cactus leafs side by side on our local store shelves...

Yesterday morning we four went for a walk around the local park, snapped up a frog, faces in trees and random swamps...
 Went to upload here this morning to remember they're in my camera! So... Bear with...

The New York City courts, with the bail bond offices beyond...

Soup menu above, we bad breakfast here, want to go back and have clam chouder!

Yesterday one pm, we were collected and took an hour and half journey up to Carmel...

We had the most wonderful day, the Bonelli clan gathered, over thirty of us, Franco now realises now why I am so loud!  I love them all... I miss them all already, all the lost years, the lost family gatherings... The lost time... I am in exile!!!

The food was better than any you could have in an Italian restaurant, my favorite wine Woodbridge... Huge photo shoot!  One poor guy, had a whole pile of cameras and had to repeat the shots!!

We had a dramatic thunder storm the evening before, thunder lightening... Street flooding! crazy weather... Then we notices how warm it was getting upstairs... Turned out the heating was on up there! It was so hot, took so long to cool down... My frozen mole came off!

TTFN
Marian

Caught in the mist last night

My favorite store! Por su  puesto!

Madison Square Garden last night! As seen from Roy Rogers!

Good morning from my homeland, lucky and fortunate girl I realise truly that I am...  Born in this great country of America, I am proud to be an American, I may have been pulled out of here kicking and screaming, mom told me very loudly for the while journey apparently!  I wish in some ways I had been here longer as a child, to know my family better and for longer, including my dad... But for the greatest of reasons everything stay as it is...

We have had a long journey, leaving on Sunday we went up to Nottingham to collect Barry, road works everywhere, and within two minutes of reaching him, we started to get further away due to more road works!  We drove then to Heathrow airport, about quarter hour from anyway, found hotel easy, and everything was great, some of the reviews weren't nice, but we found it excellent! Baz had an early night, so Franco and I went out, had to not get jet lag today! So we walked... And walked, there was method in our walking, so as not to get lost, and only on exiting Macy's the second time did we! But it was a good get lost, we had coffee, WiFi free, tables and chairs! And it was ten pm... We had broken through the jet lag barrier! Three am GMT ... But we were fine!

We have awoken early today non the less, all ready, nearly, Baz! To go for breakfast, I am starving, had breakfast in hotel, lunch and light dinner, ie sandwich and snacks! on the plane, then a fast food meal here in the evening!!!

Madison square gardens is over the road from the Hotel Pennsylvania where we are for these two nights, and last night a big big hockey game was happening, the New York team arrived on their coach, the streets were heaving with fans, everyone, nearly wearing the team colors! And traffic! It was yellow and black, yellow for the cabs and black for the limo's!

Okay, time for breakfast, its not even seven yet!

TTFN
Marian

Llansteffan

Day off today once I got got finished at nine this morning, and after getting changed and suntan lotion applied!! Well it was a warning on the TV earlier!!

So some new photos of new things I had not seen before! Some wild garlic above of course I have.... but not these actual plants!!  Should have picked some maybe?

This is Llansteffan Castle, very beautiful spot... we did a bit of a tour, heading away from here and down the M4, coming off at the Gorseinon turn, we took the road to Llanelli and onto Burry Port... stopped just before at the north dock area and had coffee up on the first floor out on the terrace decking, sitting in the sun... there were people is swimming costumes.... looked a bit chilly down on the beach... but they must have been hardy people!!!

Llansteffan Castle

Then off to Burry Port, did a drive through of both the car parks, but couldn't really see anywhere we wanted to stop at, we went into the town, still by car, and I ended up driving around the back alleys!! Such fun!!  Probably more there than we found and will return...

Llansteffan Castle

Still heading along the Carmarthen coast next stop Pembrey forest, a huge area, after paying drove through, parked and walked to and onto the beach, 7 miles of wide fine sand, beautiful... there was a beach clear up in progress and when having a coffee later we got chatting to a couple who were participating in this event, it was their second beach clean of the week, sponsored by McDonalds by the way!

After coffee we went walkabout doing a circumnavigation of the camping area and taking in the horse riding and picnic areas before going back to the car! Huge area, even has a doggie beach area which is good, here the beaches are a no go area for dogs from May through to September, which is good, although of course, that is only the rules for those who honor them!

Back in the car and off to Ferryside... which was a small town, which did, as the name suggests have a ferry that crossed the river to Llansteffan on the other side of the river, we had lunch in a bar/cafe next to the railway station, the track runs along by the side of the river Towy... the car park was free! Yes free!! Seeing as we had already paid 6 pounds for parking already it was a bonus!

Crab... past.

Jelly fish.... past.

Was very impressed with Llansteffan... took a while to get there, not possible these days to catch any boat across the river, so although as you can see from the picture below taken at Ferryside, there is the castle! But was 17 miles, over half an hour, a journey that meant going almost into Carmarthen and back out again! But well worth the trip and will do again, so anyone visiting will be going here now forsure!!!

The beautiful castle, the ice cream, the free.... yes again, car park!  The amazing beaches and countryside... walking along the beach we could see the castle and took a few steps up and walked along a wall to go towards the road and the route to the castle, stopping by to buy ice cream on the journey up!!  We also walked up the steepest incline like marauders of the past coming to conquer the ramparts and those within! Armed only with ice creams!! Lots of the place still standing and as you can see from above, even able to climb within up the steep steps...

Felt like being back in the Gibralfaro in Malaga....

The railway line at Ferryside, disappearing around the curve by the coastline...

Returning we missed a turn! As one often does and came back into Carmarthen a way we wouldn't have expected to! Passing a huge epitaph for a General Sir Thomas Picton.... oddly, or not, my great grandfathers middle name was Picton!!

TTFN

Marian

Look Up

Ironically I am sharing this video, you will see what I mean when you watch it, but you should, honestly... makes you wonder how much in life we are missing now.... how true this really is, is too scary, for lots of us we remember the days before all this tech stuff, but see how easily we have become joined with it, not just for the sweet young things, we're just as bad! I close down my lap top only to open my Kindle Fire, then I close that to carry on on my phone.... watch and be very afraid!!





TTFN
Marian

Adjusting to a new path and a new direction will require new qualities and strengths, and these qualities are always exactly what we need to acquire in order to accomplish the great things ahead in our life.

This from an email today... Is so true, and totally perfect for us all, at all times, and especially true for me just now!

Just come across some writing I did in a book when I was a kid... I wrote in the book my name, and that the book is lucky and will give you money! Wow!! Well, maybe not as much if I hadn't written in it! A publication called The Children's Friend from 1896... possibly worth nothing with my scribbling inside it! Just glad I had enough respect not to fold the corners over or lay it down on its spine I guess!

Some of my step dads artwork from after his stroke.... it took us a while to get him to pick up his pencils again... the stroke took so much of his life, he thought he had none left....

So many interesting books I have now of my moms, and my ancestors, books dating back to the early 1700's, one aunt from way back then was in the church army, I know there is a family bible somewhere which seems to be allusive at the moment, with names and dates of my grand dad family in Crouch Hill London...

TTFN
Marian

I don't put too many pictures from other people, just my own on Ultreya, but today am putting in a purloined item from fb...

This is so too.... Life is too short, we must follow our hearts, our passions... If in doing so we we also have the greatest worse pain that we fear will tear us apart, so be it, because in living our dreams we find our greatest of wishes....

TTFN
Marian

Two photos from a walk at the Knoll park in Neath...

Had a lovely card in the post yesterday to tell me friends I have known since the 80's are moving... I have known them in the same house all those years, its the only number now that I know without looking it up!!! Hate things coming to an end.... But where there are endings there are always new beginnings.... And there are lots of those coming... 

I forgot, I think?  Ages ago at a supermarket restaurant, I was in line behind a mom and daughter, we were in the line quite a while and so of course, the 'mom' spoke to me whilst she was deciding on which naughty cake to have, I could see her daughter, not quite pulling a face, but it was that 'oh mom' look, when a daughter thinks to herself, here goes my mom chatting to any strange person again! type of look! And I smiled to myself and the remembering of it....

A bridge on a country walk down the road from here...

And final photo for today, leaves coming into being on a tree in the garden, new natural nature coming into being, beautiful...

Two quotes today, one is mine! The first, I did Tweet it earlier in the week!


You know when saying nothing seemed the best policy, until suddenly everything is said and the world keeps turning, only better #Enlightenment

And....

Blessed are the cracked, for they let in the light... 
[not sure who wrote this, but its good!]


TTF

Dennis C Randall

Today some shots I took whilst going through some of my mom's things today... These are all to do with my step Dad, above a newspaper clipping of something found... in a pigsty apparently!

Above and below Dad restoring old paintings... wish I had leaned even a little of his trade...

Below when he had just one short stint as a model!

More newspapers clippings beneath...

Below copies of the photos the interviewer took...

Below in the days of Dads archaeology days on a dig...

TTFN
Marian