mr. hitchcock must be smiling

The past few mornings I was witness to a rather large flock of starlings that “backyard hopped” down the street. This wasn’t the first time they have come by the neighborhood, but unlike the past where they landed and stayed for a few, this visit had them alight for only an instant before flying to the next yard. The birds are not native to the US but were introduced to Central Park in the 1800′s (see the link above). They are such a nuisance that the state has taken to killing them off. In Franklin Township they dropped dead from the sky alarming residents who knew nothing of the purge.

I finally had my camera handy when the flock returned to the street.

 

driving max to hoboken

The holidays are times when families come together. College students return home, if for only a day. Max didn’t go far for his higher education, electing Steven’s Institute of Technology in Hoboken as his choice. He now has an apartment on Washington Street. For those familiar with Hoboken this is the main drag through town, populated with restaurants, stores, bars and apartments. Hoboken is hip and now, expensive, but according to the calculations done by him and his room mates, cheaper than student housing.

This black Friday I gave him a ride back to his apartment. A trip I have made many times in the past 4.5 years and many times prior to that when I worked in Weehawken. I like Hoboken, it’s interesting.

Erie Lakawanna station now in a state of restoration

A view of the Hoboken train station from Observer Highway.

Washington Street

The line for 'Cake Boss'

This is the line for the bakery featured in “Cake Boss”. At this point it is more than a block away. Caught in the side view mirror is the line extending past the intersection. The bakery has store personnel standing on the corner to direct customers and fans across the street. I saw the show once. I don’t understand why people will stand on line to get in. It is like this every weekend. My son says there is a better bakery a block away.

Pulaski Skyway

A trip to Hoboken includes traversing the Pulaski Skyway. A limited access four lane, divided, elevated roadway from Jersey City to Newark. Fun to drive if there is no traffic. Traveling this for years during normal commuting hours gives one experience as to which lanes to be in and when. Also fun in the wee hours of the morning with very little traffic and an urge to test the handling characteristics of your vehicle.

foggy morning

Awoke this morning to fog beginning to lift from the ground. I felt inspired, compelled to capture the moment.

Neighbor's yard in the fog

For some reason a mile is too far for kids to walk to school these days. So when the time came to drive Sam to his establishment of learning I took along the camera and tortured the poor soul as I stopped to capture these from the car. Don’t know about kids these days… why when I was young….

View down Boulevard with car stopped in the midde of the intersection with Sam proclaiming "hurry up, a car is coming!"

Liked the rays of sun and the person walking

welcome to the swim team

Last year as a freshman in high school my daughter made the swim team. As part of your initiation to the swim team the team captains, seniors and juniors team up to TP the underclassman’s homes. It is a way of welcoming the younger member to the team. I would imagine it makes them feel welcome.

As luck would have it, my wife happened to be out and about last year, came home, and pulled in the driveway, catching the elder swimmers red handed in attempting to TP the house. They left without finishing the job.

This year my daughter again made the team. Being on the team last year is no guarantee that you will be on again. Swimming is based on times and sometimes the younger are more talented, knocking the upper class men off the team.

Saturday night we were watching a movie when the doorbell rang a few times along with a few knocks at the door. We opened the door to the fluttering of TP in the breeze and as the perpetrators drove off the yelled from the car “get swimming”.

From the wrappers on the welcome mat, they used 3 rolls of Scott Tissue to TP. Hey, if it’s good enough for septic tanks and mobile homes, we don’t have to get all of it out of the tree. Do we?

commercial shoot on boulevard

I travel the Boulevard in Westfield daily; to the gym, to get to stores, to get my daughter from swim practice. Normally the trip up Boulevard is rather mundane with a sprinkling of  lawn services and construction vans. It is a nice wide road and the homes are tucked neatly back from the it, most with manicured lawns. The sidewalks are even set back from the curb further than most other streets in town giving it a very stately feel.

This morning I came upon a bright light behind a white diffuser aimed at a car in a driveway. Numerous trucks, loads of equipment, many people milling about, and one of Westfield’s finest protecting the goings on.

Well, this was exciting. I had heard that recently the television show “What Would You Do?” was filming on Prospect St. in front of Rockin’ Joe’s Cafe. So after the gym, I grabbed my camera and headed off to get a few shots of the production. The officer told me they were filming a Toyota commercial. I also spotted him taking a few shots himself with his cell phone. So I was not the only one drawn to photograph the taping of a commercial.

There was a lot of  people standing around talking on cell phones or texting. It was a large crew for one car. Maybe a crew that large is needed

From what I could gather, a guy and a girl exit the Prius, run to the back, don foam helmets, grab big foam boppers, swat at each other, the guy falls down, the girl goes back to the drivers’ side where another female in the back seat extends her hand out of the window and gives her a high five. Not sure what this has to do with a Prius, guess I will have to wait to see if the commercial ever gets aired.

The only problem is we record all of the programs we watch on DVR and fast forward through the commercials, usually not paying attention to them. Maybe I will never know.

The view up Boulevard

The crew working on the car, note guy in dark jacket on cell phone

People milling around, camera operator texting, guy on phone and gent by the light looking up to the sky. So many for just one car.

The crew needs to eat.

This crew brought along their very own food truck.

I wasn't close enough to see what take this was, the guy on the left looks like he is texting as does the guy on the right

Action

More action

roller hockey at the y

Years ago my son took an interest in roller hockey. So as any good parent would do we found a local rink that had kids leagues and signed him up. In my youth I always had trouble with quad skates but was able to ice skate. After outfitting Max with all the equipment needed for roller hockey, and no you won’t be playing goalie, I got myself a pair of inline skates and found it to be much easier than quad skates.

Of course we bought a net, I bought a stick and we would practice. Eventually the club began holding “father and son” open hockey nights. Initially many participated but it soon became about 4 or 5 fathers with about 12 kids, but it was still fun. I had never played in my youth so this was like teaching an old dog  a new trick. I soon learned that unlike kids, your improvement in the sport does not happen in leaps and bounds, but more like a slow crawl.

Eventually the father and son was phased out, but the rink began an open hockey night. Having become quite used to the work out I got trying to play roller hockey I began playing with other guys and sometimes girls of various degrees of expertise, usually way ahead of mine.

Jump ahead about 4 or 5 years and due to the closure of a few local rinks, our club had an increase in the number of league teams. They moved open hockey from Thursday night to Friday night. After a few times of arriving on Friday with so few turning out that they wouldn’t let us on the “ice” I figured it was the demise of open hockey. (Note: It eventually came back with many of the same players, but long after I had stopped going).

During this time I became a member of the Westfield Area Y and had noticed roller hockey on Thursday nights in the brochure. Missing the workout and the rush of playing I arrived one night to give it a try. Gym floor, ball instead of a puck, 3 on 3 instead of 4 on 4. Well I can say I was pleasantly surprised. Very fast game, great workout, since we have the gym for 2 hours, and the guys were really great to play with. Oh, and, let’s hit the Jolly Trolley (local bar) afterwards.  All was good once again.

Since tearing my cartilage I haven’t played since August. I recently went to skate around to test how the recovering knee would handle the motion and strain of skating. And since I wasn’t playing took some pictures of the crew.

Chris

Greg

Kevin comtemplates a shot

Eric skates around the back of the (new) net

"Syd" and John battle for the "puck"

"Syd" takes a shot

Greg takes a break

Rob in goal stops a point

Dave sets up for a shot at goal. He can be found singing karaoke at the Trolley on Thursday's after roller hockey.

temporary mens’ rest room facility

I made the journey into NYC aboard NJ Transit to go to the PDN Photo Expo Plus. Arriving at Penn Station in New York my numerous cups of coffee had made its way through my system. No matter, being well versed in the Penn Station layout I knew there was a mens’ room on my way to the 8th Avenue exit. As I approached I saw:

Foiled!

 

Damn!

So I followed the signs with the arrows pointing me in the direction of relief.

Have to go up the escalator!

So up the escalator I go. As I exit the doors to the street, to my right there’s:

An Oasis! Or 8

At last. 8 outhouses on the sidewalk near the street. As I entered through the gateway, a fellow exited one of the “facilities” and as we passed each other, laughed. You couldn’t help but find humor in a mens’ room “facility” consisting of 8 Johnny on the Spots, um, rather, Royal Flushes, replete with with the wet floor warning sign.

Do they mop the sidewalk?

Photos taken with a Blackberry where I had the flash turned off.