More Pix From My Cosmic Tea Cup Follow! » continue reading …
Saturday, October 12, 2019
Friday, August 23, 2019
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Just some downtown renovation going on here. I’m sure that some new office space will soon be available.
Thursday, May 16, 2019
Nature ... Photo ...
I don’t see many big moths like this around my place, not too often. But when you do see them, you never know where they will be. They sometimes find a place to land and just stay there for a while, motionless. I suppose that a moth would want to find a place where a bird couldn’t easily find it. For whatever reason, this moth figured that it was safe on the door frame under the porch. It stayed there for an hour or so, then it was gone. I hope that it had a good month or however long it lasted. Glad that we crossed paths.
Thursday, March 21, 2019
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It’s 5 o’clock and the workday is over, time to go home. Essex County Courthouse, Newark, New Jersey.
Thursday, November 15, 2018
Personal Reflections ... Photo ...
This was the first year that I tried to grow zinnia flowers from seed in the little garden patch that my landlord lets me tend during the spring and summer. I planted the seeds in a sunny, fertilized location in mid-April, and before long there were green zinnia shoots greeting me in the morning sun of early Spring. Unfortunately, within a month or two, the local insect population found out about these growing shoots, and just about devoured the whole crop within a few weeks. I tried spraying some stuff to stop them, but I didn’t want to use anything too poisonous, so I stuck with the more “organic” bug remedies. Unfortunately, these bugs were not impressed with my environmental concerns. They just wanted their zinnia leaves.
After a while, I realized that I just wasn’t going to grow zinnias in that spot, so I got out a little shovel and transplanted the handful of ragged stalks that still seemed potentially viable. Unfortunately, I had to put them in a more shady spot, although in an area where there seemed to be fewer insects. Some of the young plants floundered, but 4 or 5 managed to put out new leaves and carried on with their growth cycle — albeit at a slower rate.
The summer season here was not especially sunny, there were a lot of cloudy days, and so my mending zinnias were in no hurry to blossom. Finally, right around Labor Day, one plant managed » continue reading …
Sunday, October 14, 2018
Food / Drink ... Photo ...
Here’s a little look inside of a craft distillery at night. The location is the Silk City Distillery in Clifton, NJ. They make and sell small batches of bourbon, rum, rye whiskey and vodka. On weekends they often invite the public onto the premises, where there is a small lounge and bar selling cocktails made with their liquors.
This is the view on a Friday night; the production facilities are closed for the day, but the bar is open (over the right, out of sight of the camera), and is serving libations. Some of the customers have reported in on Yelp, and they generally like this place! So, if you live in or near Clifton, this might be a nice spot to spend an hour if you are old enough to drink, and can hold your liquor — they only have hard alcohol, remember. And also remember not to drink and drive — Uber and Lyft can get you into and out of here with minimal fuss.
Thursday, September 6, 2018
Saturday, July 7, 2018
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It’s after 10, and the local Oriental restaurant has closed its doors. The staff has cleaned up and gone home, but it looks like the proprietor’s family has decided to take a break and review the day with each other, before locking up for the night. I like this scene; there’s something almost Edward Hopper-ish about it (yes, I’m thinking about Nighthawks and Automat, two of Hopper’s more famous works).
Saturday, May 26, 2018
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Say what you will about the relative merits of cites versus suburbs, cities can be interesting places where you can sometimes see the unexpected. Suburbs, not so much. So, a few weeks ago, I noticed something seemingly amiss at the site of the former Bordens milk factory along the Morris and Essex rail line, which I ride to work on occasion. This site was abandoned by Bordens long ago, and after changing hands several times, it is now used by the City of Newark and the Newark Police Department to store and repair some of their many vehicles (there also appears to be a horse training ring for use by the Police mounted squad).
The object that seemed out of place was a bus, hanging over a small dirt cliff in the yard, nose down. The bus is marked for the Newark Recreation Dept. It’s not surprising that Newark Recreation wanted a bus to transport children and families to its various activities and offer occasional road-trips outside the city. What is surprising is that the bus is not being used these days, because it’s stuck hanging over a cliff at the former Bordens facility.
How did this happen? Was it an accident? If not, what would inspire city personnel to leave a bus this way? Was it still usable? And what about that bullet-hole on the front windshield, drivers side?
I have not read or heard any explanation for this situation. So I’m just going to share it here, as another example of our cities providing spice to life; they give us unexpected flavors now and then. I’m sure that this bus is somebody’s headache; but it’s not yours nor mine, so for now, just enjoy!
Thursday, April 19, 2018
Food / Drink ... Photo ...
I recently posted a pic of a pirogi store next to a Mexican restaurant in Clifton, NJ. That was on the north side of town. Way down at the other end of “the big C” (on the map, Clifton is shaped like a “C”), down along Route 21 and the Passaic River across from Rutherford, is a venerable eatery known as Rutts Hut. This place is so historic that it earns its own Wikipedia page.
Here’s a shot of the take-out section of Rutts at night (there is also a bar and a sit-down restaurant on the other end). It’s late, but people are still lining up for fries and “rippers” (hot dogs deep fried in oil). Rutts is definitely a part of my childhood, and is definitely a local institution!