Shadow Shot Sunday - Shadowy Waters

The brilliance of autumn is often in its colors - the foliage is of sharp earth tone hues, the sky and clouds equally dramatic. So for Shadow Shot Sunday 2, I offer a view that Patti captured last week that showcases the season nicely. It is the nearby reservoir at Witek Park in Derby CT, a mere five minute drive from our home. Red, good and blue sit under the blue autumnal sky. I am not certain that all the foliage is still on the trees this week - so it is nice that Patti was there that day!

Shadow Shot Sunday - Railings and Towers

Shadows fall before us in many unexpected places - and we hope to have a camera alongside. Which Patti and I did recently. Thus for Shadow Shot Sunday 2, the impressive 1896 Christ Episcopal Church in Ansonia is the subject today. This is the church profiled for SSS in 2011, and is always an impressive building that captures the more-southerly Autimn sky. Railings and towers always look especially nice as the leaves change colors and the temps fall...

Shadow Shot Sunday - Pasta Rustico

In the last post on this blog, I opined about the seeming debacle of the same day cancellation of the 2015 Ansonia Harvest Festival. As chair of the Ansonia Cultural Commission, this was my first event planned exclusively by myself...and with the rain, wing and flying vendor tents, the Mayor Cassetti made the call that it was to be cancelled - now! He is a real leader for sure, and we are refunding all vendors for the lack of a true cancellation or postponement policy.

What does all of the preceding have to do with Shadow Shot Sunday 2? Well, Patti, Allegra and myself decided that a meal of comfort food at the Original Antonios in downtown Ansonia would be a help. And a it was, the Pasta Rustico (cavatelli, sausage, roasted garlic, broccoli rabe, white beans and olive oil) along with a side order of shadows on the floor behind. The day was son forgotten...for 24 hours at least :)

My FB ruminations are here...

Shadow Shot Sunday - Shadowy Route

It's Shadow Shot Sunday 2 time again. Last Sunday, we participated at the  CDR Wheel-a-Thon. This was a walk/roll benefit event for a cross-disability center for independent living. Held along Long Island Sound in West Haven CT, the day started cloudy, but in less than an hour, the southerly autumnal sun shone bright and warm (77°F / 25°C). Perfect day and route for shadows of course...taken by the always lovely Patti, one being Allegra walking past a spilled water bottle and goldenrod lining part of the route. Nice event, day and shadows. A nice trifecta :)

Shadow Shot Sunday - Stephen's 40th Back in Time...

 

Shadow Shot Sunday 2 is back, and my subject is the 40th birthday party for my nephew Stephen. theme was the the 1980s. You'd never guess his age, being as youthful as anyone I know - and a great guy! And even more a brave soul, as he loves the NHL Montreal Canadiens while living in Boston where the local Bruins fans hate Les Habitants more than any other hockey team (he also loves the NY Yankees, a real faux pas in the heart of Red Sox Nation)...Anyway, the 1980s styles, music and  ambience at the restaurant were perfect for this decade I remember: The generally reserved me wore a Pac Man Ghost shirt, there was also Def Leppard, Cabbage Patch dolls, Run DMC, a Back to the Future/Pac Man/Rubik's Cube cake and the 1980s Weird Al. As yes, I remember it all :)

Shadow Shot Sunday - Shadowy Kitty

It's this week's Shadow Shot Sunday 2 as we look for shadows in any venue. Sometimes something (or somebody) emerges from and overshadows the shadow itself. Like this very large feline (not ours :) fellow named Jake - and he emerges larger and brighter than the shadow, almost as a tan solar orb. Here kitty, kitty...

Shadow Shot Sunday - Wedding

It has been a week since the wedding of the year (for an extended family that is), and the outdoor ceremony was of a perfect day for an outdoor wedding - with shadows too. 

Thus for Shadow Shot Sunday 2, I return to the exquisite Avon Old Farms Hotel. Our son came up from Brooklyn with his new suit (and being the great kid he is, he brought two new ties for the new suit and let his mom pick the tie :) and the always lovely Patti and our daughter with their new dresses. 

So while I looked for shadows, I found a few...what a great day, and congrats to the lovely newlyweds Julie and Luis!

Shadow Shot Sunday - Classic tarmac shadows

Last week I found an envelope of 8x10 photos in a file cabinet in the garage, and I think this might have been stored since 1997-1998 or so. There were a lot of pics therein from the 1940s on, and I found the second of a cool B&W photo which I am using for this week's Shadow Shot Sunday 2.

This is likely from March 1970, the person is my father returning from London, the place being the tarmac at JFK Airport in New York and the big subject in the background was the then brand new Boeing 747. On a sunny day in the Borough of Queens, the shadows are quite strong. The reason that he went down the steps that the 747 was so big that loading bridges to the plane were not yet installed at the Pan Am Worldport terminal.

On the back of the photo is a caption "Pan American World Airways, JFK Airport, New York" so this was when all was good...Pan Am passed away in 1991 and the Worldport terminal was razed in 2013. But four plus decades ago, the sun was bright and here is a picture of an optimistic future - I love the surprising discovery of these long-lost historical pics

Shadow Shot Sunday - Playground

It has been a nice summer, warm but not quite as humid as usual. Thus, being outside on a sunny day at a playground makes for a fine post for Shadow Shot Sunday 2. The day was beautiful at a park in nearby Milford - fair weather shadows rule this 80ºF / 27ºC day of children playing and parents playing along too...

Shadow Shot Sunday - Shadowy Savin Rock

We aim to find shadowy art in our travels for Shadow Shot Sunday 2, ant any event or venue. So this is the room where dinner would be served at a recent event. The building is the attractive Savin Rock Conference Center, the shadows are filtering in nicely and on a nice day, Long Island Sound saltwater estuary looks as blue as ever. Thus the alliterative mix of Sound, sun, surf and shadow makes for a fun evening...  

Shadow Shot Sunday - Shadowy Land Barge

Those who peruse the meme Shadow Shot Sunday 2  probably know that I like airplanes...and cars too. And the older the better! At the recent Shelton Historical Society open house and car show, I found my favorite chrome laden land barge, a 1954 Cadillac Coupe de Ville. Perfect to me, this yellow hulking had the styling artistry that eludes the modern auto. On a hot and sunny days, this curvaceous Cadillac yacht also meant shadows underneath, just perfect for wheelchair captures. And if one looks carefully, the photographer is captured within a sea of chrome (I'm almost out of nautical clichés :)

I love this yellow boat - in subject and shadow too!

Shadow Shot Sunday - City Hall Concert

Lead singer Bryan Kearney prepares

Soulful Felicia wows...

Who doesn't love shadows and live music downtown? Certainly not I, especially on a beautiful Summer evening in the park by Ansonia (CT) City Hall! In the 2015 Summer Concert Series hosted by the Ansonia Cultural Commission (I being the chair), this week's music was provided by The Bernadettes, a premier club band in the state.

Thus, for Shadow Shot Sunday 2, the shadows and music combine for a stylish post of sun and sound. Covering an eclectic mix of the '60s (classic Motown and soul), the '70s (Earth Wind & Fire, Disco era), I know their songs from a formative age and love them still - as does the band's large following. A very fun event...

I captured a few video's from wheelchair height - the cinematography leaves a lot to be desired...but not the sound!

September, Earth Wind & Fire, 1978

Signed Sealed and Delivered (I'm Yours), Stevie Wonder, 1970 (and to almost give away my age, I had the '45 single in 9th grade :)

Shadow Shot Sunday - Shadowy tea wreaths

Colorful circles create cool shadows

Stylish subjects and shadows

Britney the artisan. All photos by Patti

Our small city of Ansonia CT (pop. 19,000) is hosting a very unique series of events this year, Ansonia's Market Place. The idea is to bring people visitors to our downtown on Wednesday evenings to the lovely park/green aside City Hall. The idea is to spend a nice evening of visiting area crafters who are attending - the draw for the crafters is a No Fee policy for the season. We have enjoyed four Wednesdays of nice weather so far.

So for the fun meme Shadow Shot Sunday 2, I am showcasing the unique tea wreaths created by A Spot of Tea. Hosted by Patti Pensanti and Britney Fernandes, this artistic mother and daughter team have created a cool item that is engaging and eye catching. Given the sun and shadow, this was a great way to spend a beautiful day at Ansonia's market place...

Shadow Shot Sunday - Escape from Ansonia

Shadow Shot Sunday 2 takes me back to a recent function on Long Island Sound. Lovely Allegra was captured by personable photographer Patti who thought this scene similar to Dorothy telling Toto that we’re not in Kansas Ansonia anymore...

This is a great sentiment on a beautiful Summer evening on the salt water tidal estuary in Wast Haven. As well as shadows that are following my favorite ladies above the seawall. Blue sky, fluffy clouds and happy shadows are all here in our 20 minute escape from our home in the Ansonia Uplands...

Shadow Shot Sunday - Freedom on the East River

It is July 4th, the birthday of the USA as a free land in 1776. A day to celebrate our freedoms, and if they have shadows in then, all the better for Shadow Shot Sunday 2.

These late-2013 captures from the Brooklyn side of New York City's East River show that free minds allow us to flourish as a people. The Freedom Tower, the iconic Brooklyn Bridge and the modern skyline of Lower Manhattan showcase the creativity and drive of free populace...Happy Independence Day

Shadow Shot Sunday - Back Yard, 1947

Shadow Shot Sunday 2 allows us to look for shadowy subjects be they grand or prosaic. I decided to look back to the year 1947 (a guess) to the back yards of two abodes in the LaBelle View neighborhood in the steeltown of Steubenville, Ohio.

To the left is my grandmother Agnes, performing the task of drying clothes on a clothesline outside, probably before the days of affordable clothes dryers. To the right is a neighbor, also doing the same thing. It appears that she lived in the garage apartment on La Belle Court, the back porch facing the back side of my grandparents  Oregon Avenue house. Shadows and smiles make for a nice day, housework or not :)

Shadow Shot Sunday - Fathers, Kids, Shadows

Tomorrow is Father's Day, perhaps a faux holiday to some, but not to this dad! The weekly meme Shadow Shot Sunday 2 allows for father's day shadows where I found a couple that include myself and the each child - not necessarily of the same era, but shadowy at least :) 

One is our first-born, Allegra, in her first days in our then Derby home, maybe a month old, January 1989. The other pics is son Cameron, where he was a college student at the University of Hartford at age 19 in 2010. Both have the requisite shadows, a dad and a kid. I like this holiday!

Shadow Shot Sunday - Parade Promotion

I was part of the 2015 Ansonia Memorial Day Parade committee and was able to drive the parade route (at the end), and since the always lovely Patti and I are using our tiny LLC to set up a (paying) website for The Valley Voice, currently a stand-along blog. So our artist friend Rich DiCarlo created a sign for the van with a logo he designed - so we had free advertising for a non-existant publication...have to start somewhere :) How does all this fit for Shadow Shot Sunday2? Plenty of shadows from underneath, around and over the just washed van and the Main Street parade route. Happy shadows indeed!

A slideshow of the parade, from its beginning (herding the various parade marchers into a semblance of order is akin to herding cats) to its Main Street is shown below...full of shadows!

Shadow Shot Sunday - Interstate 91 in Shadow

Seeing as I utilize hand controls for driving (one on the control, one on the steering wheel), taking road pictures while driving my Dodge is never a good idea. So as per usual good practice, the always lovely passenger Patti, handles the photo gathering process. Thus, Shadow Shot Sunday 2 allows me to showcase prosaic and normal road pics as I safely traverse Interstate 91 North in Middletown Connecticut. These were captured in late April, and the shadows falling about inside and outside over the vehicle, road an even the driver. Spring shadows enhanced the day...