Not That Long Ago

The past few days have been cloudy, cold and rainy. Yechhh! I needed to see something a bit brighter today, and this pink zinnia from just two months ago in my garden, fits the bill!

Practice Makes Perfect: Pizza, lol

I've been practicing my pizza skills lately. Above, one of my better efforts from a few days ago—a cheese-only tomato pie with homemade Marinara sauce, recipe below.

I bought this non-stick pizza pan a few weeks ago at a local discount store. I think it was $2.00! I originally bought it to use in my new art projects, as a stencil. The evenly spaced circular holes were too graphic to pass up. But before I could paint with it, I thought I'd try it for its actual purpose, and was really pleased with how it crisped the bottom pizza dough and allowed the pie to cook evenly. I've since bought a second pan to use for art!

The uncooked pizza just looked so perfect, I had to get my camera, lol. I used grated Romano and shredded part-skim Mozzarella on top of my quick homemade marinara sauce.

Quick Marinara Sauce from Canned Tomatoes

• 1 28 oz can of whole, peeled Italian tomatoes
• 1 6 oz can of tomato paste
• 1/2 large yellow Spanish onion
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 tablespoons basil pesto
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (give or take a bit)
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• salt/pepper to taste

1. Roughly dice the onion and sauté over medium heat in the olive oil until soft
2. Add the can of tomato paste into the onion and stir well. Cook for about a minute until well blended. Add the 1/2 cup of water and mix well. A dry white wine could be substituted for the water
3. Add the large can of whole, peeled tomatoes and stir. 
4. Add the pesto, brown sugar, oregano and salt/pepper. Stir well and cover the sauce pan. Bring to a boil and then turn the heat down to a simmer.
5. Cook approximately 20 minutes to half an hour, stirring every few minutes

Now at this point, the sauce is "done" for most cooks, especially those Food Networkies! I don't really like my sauce chunky though, so flying the face of current convention, at this point in the cooking, I run my sauce through my food mill. This takes a couple of minutes of going back and forth in the mill, but the result is a very smooth Marinara, and any seeds and skin that might have been left in the canned tomatoes are taken out by this step. I really think the flavors are blended better if you do this step, but by all means, leave it chunky (and pretty) if you prefer!

Bonus Photo:

Once again, I've found a gorgeous rose blooming in town. Even with our early snowstorm, and with November's almost-freezing evening temperatures, this beautiful pink rose has decided to put out another bloom.

Odds-N-Ends-N-In Betweens

Starting off with an "odd" for this post, I found this little slightly-worse-for-the-wear doll by the side of the road the other day in a very posh neighborhood, an uncommon sight for sure. I'm guessing it probably fell out of a car passing by, and someone propped it up against this stone wall so that, hopefully, it would be found. She seems to be waiting patiently although I wouldn't be surprised if five brand new ones had already been bought to take her place.

The Talking Heads' "Road to Nowhere" is the soundtrack I hear every time I pass this part of the beach, with the residents all having their own private boardwalks to the Sound.

The garden globe just defies having realistic photographs taken of it. The reflections always render as just a few shades of blue and white instead of the millions of subtle color variations when seen in person.

Looking like one of those "fool the eye" color tests, the red leaves of this fall Burning Bush appear totally different when the background goes from bright to dark.

Hundreds of starlings were flying all around the beach the other day. They were in the air, on the power lines, on the houses and in the trees. Enlarge the photo to see them all around these three cottages.

Some sort of vine is growing on this tree, still very richly green and lusciously full, even though most trees have lost their leaves. The way it gets thicker as it travels upwards is fascinating, too. The bright yellow leaves of the tree behind it really puts this photo in the autumn category. Long Island Sound is at the end of this narrow road.

I have no idea what this contruction is, lol. I'm guessing it was a bonfire of sorts, though it also looks like a funeral pyre to me, complete with a log "pillow" on the right side. The nighttime beach can be quite an interesting place to experience!

Ending the post today, fittingly, is the end-of-the-line for this huge old tree on our town green. Clearly visible is the fact it was rotting from the inside out, but the shapes of this trunk are absolutely beautiful to me. I would LOVE to have a few one-inch sections cut from this trunk to use in my art. The aqua-colored lichen on the south side is so striking, too. I bet the age-circles and grain of this wood would be stunning when brought out with a gloss varnish or polyurethane.

Remembering ALL of Our Veterans

11/11/11, 11:11.11 am—Today is Veteran's Day, 2011. My dad served in the U.S. Navy from 1938-50 and the U.S. Army from 1950-59, being in both World War II and the Korean Conflict. This is a photo on my piano of my Dad from the early 1950s. Take a little time today to remember all of our men and women that have worn the uniform in the service of our country. I especially thank our gay soldiers, past and present, that with the repeal of the discriminatory DADT, can now serve openly and proudly.

This is a piece I've done of my father in 1946 at St. Peter's Square in Rome, on shore leave with many other sailors. He's in the center, with the cigarette and the swagger. This piece is on two joined antique chestnut floorboards.

This is another piece from his Navy days. These are six of his shipmates and their boat's mascot, a little puppy. This is entitled "What They Fought For" and has images of American life at the bottom, arranged in a sort of "service medal" form.

Get Well Soon!

Long time, and very loyal, reader, TampaGranny emailed me to let me know she had a little mishap at home recently, but was recovering. Here's one of my favorite dahlias from a couple of years ago to cheer her up. I know all of casey/artandcolour loyalists wish her a speedy recovery. Get Well Soon, TG!

Reflections of Centuries Past

A couple of weeks ago, I noticed this cool combination of shadows and reflections on one of Madison's historical homes, the Deacon John Graves home, 1681. How many eyes have peered from this window through the centuries? What did they see? Whose return were they awaiting? What did they think about, personally and about the news of the day? How many blizzards and hurricanes were viewed through these panes? How many tragedies, how many joys?

Growing up in a house built in 1766 (rebuilt in 1784 after the British burned it), the Daniel and Charity Leete House, these are questions I've thought about my entire life. It was quite well-known among my family members of several generations that our house had spirits—many of us felt their presence and several of us saw them—and I have no doubt this ancient home is similarly equipped! Apparently in the latest restoration done after we sold that family house in the mid 1980s, some of the charred rafters from the roof were replaced and put on display. They were still very much in use during the almost 150 years my family owned it!

The front of the Graves House is classic 17th century architecture. When I thought about my adult life, I never pictured living in any other type of house, but life has a way of changing those pictures... Maybe someday, maybe someday... For more information about this historic home, click here.

On the front lawn of the Graves House is this ancient stone. It's approximately 4-feet in diameter, and has grooved edges. I think it might be some sort of mill- or grinding stone.

The home's backyard includes a classic New England barn, and this lovely perennial garden.

A closeup view of the perennial garden. This is perennials done perfectly. I'm going to add some flowers to my gardens next year following these plantings. It's just beautiful for fall with sedums, rudbeckia, asters, ornamental grasses and chrysanthemums. Pretty as a picture, right, lol?

The plaque on my adopted town's green. I'm originally from the town next door, Guilford, which was incorporated in 1639, almost 200 years earlier than was Madison. Perhaps that's why my family always thought of Madison as being "new money," versus "salt-of-the-earth money," lol.

B O N U S   P H O T O S :

Looking very much like a Greek temple with its severely classical architecture, the First Congregational Church on our town green is just a few steps away from the Graves House. There has been a church of this denomination on the green for more than 300 years, but this building dates to 1807.

I'd like to meet the people that drove by this sandwich board in front of the local travel agency and decided on the spur-of-the-moment to spend almost $40,000 for a vacation. That's my town. I'm lucky they let me live here, lol.

Stragglers: The Last Party Guests

Despite all odds—sub-freezing nighttime temperatures and our freak snowstorm last week—this spring violet is still blooming. Though only about 1/2-inch in width, this purple beauty caught my eye on my walk around town today, nestled in the grass next to a parking lot.

This brave Rudbeckia, or Black-eyed Susan, is still blooming, although the cold evenings have narrowed its petals. 

Even a Gerbera Daisy remains abloom in a downtown sidewalk garden, just slightly-the-worse for wear.

Trying its best to resemble a snowflake from the next season to come, this Dusty Miller is surprisingly unfazed by Autumn's cold nights.

Bonus Photos: Experimentation with Low-Light Photography 

The last cut flowers from my garden, Dahlias above, Nasturtiums below, were fading fast, but I wanted to capture their final beauty before they completely wilted. I photographed them last night using ambient light in a fairly dark room, without the use of flash. This technique adds a lot of old-fashioned "grain" to the images, and minimized the fact the flowers were past their peak. It's a cool effect reminiscent of vintage film photography. By lightening them in Photoshop, I was able to bring out more of that grain, or "noise" as it's known in the digital world. I really like the way these images turned out. They're very interesting when enlarged, soft and sharp at the same time.

Shadows Dancing, Flying, and Just Sitting There

Delicate shadows from a Rosemary plant dance on the tops of toadstools. All photos are clickable thumbnails.

DAILY PHOTOS—I've been shooting hundreds of photos on my daily walks these past few months. Sometimes I set a "theme" for the photos that day—homes, flowers, shadows, rocks—and sometimes I just take a shot of anything that catches my eye. Today, I'll post the first of a series of shadow photos.

Shadows from the wooden railings create a smaller lane for me to traverse. I aimed my bike in the dead center for the entire boardwalk... I amuse myself greatly with the little things in life, lol.

Taking off in flight, this gull's shadow is about to leave the rocks behind.

Ornamental grasses create tropical shadows on this brick sidewalk.

They also remind me of what my hair looks like when I first wake up in the morning.

Shadows of trees create an almost lace-like appearance on the pavement.

Framed by late afternoon shadows from a split-rail fence, this pink rose is a Tropical Storm Irene survivor.

A chain-link fence over the railroad tracks lends a great texture to the sidewalk.

Trying their best to create a monotone Hawaiian-print shirt pattern, these shadows were more attractive than the straggly roadside shrub they originated from.

Much sharper shadows from the chain-link fence mentioned above appeared on the cement railroad bridge wall.

A riderless seat and wheel spokes shadowed on Pink Gardens' clapboard siding.

The boardwalk's shadows can appear quite dangerous at times!

The pronounced crown of the single lane road leading to Pink Gardens is evident in these afternoon shadows.

These shadows reminded me of chicken feet!

Seen Around Town: 1966 Corvette Sting Ray

Spotted parked in town last week was this beautiful Laguna Blue 1966 Corvette Sting Ray. I saw it quite a few times this past summer, but this was the first time it was stationary. The owner had just gotten out of it, and I asked him if he minded if I took some photos. Telling me "Sure!" I was comfortable enough to get these shots from every angle. What a beauty, and the best part is that it's a daily driver, not a "trailer queen." It's just great to see, and hear, cars like this doing exactly what they were meant to be doing—driving around and looking beautiful!

There isn't an awkward inch on these C2, or second series, Corvettes. Whitewall tires with knock-off wheelcovers add to the period look.

Look closely. I was wearing my not-too-subtle preppie orange shorts that day. "Sting Ray" was written as two words for C2 Corvettes. Dropped for the first C3, 1968, the 1969 models became Stingrays, one word, until the name was dropped after 1976. I think it's such an evocative name, it should become a part of Corvette's nomenclature again. Perhaps a special version?

Dual cove instrument panel, teak and aluminum steering wheel, and 4-on-the-floor, this Corvette is as classic as they come.

Bonus Photo

Last photo of my 2011 season morning glories, dahlias, and zinnias! Although they weathered the early snowstorm, and two nights of freezing temperatures in the low 30s, a killing frost in the mid 20s hit last night putting an end to the annuals. My basil is kaput, too. I still have a few small green tomatoes the size of plums, and the baby squash didn't get frozen, but it's only a matter of time. It was a great flower season though, I have no regrets, and I have a lot of ideas and plans for next year's flowers! I'll continue to post photos during the winter of my flowers—I have hundreds I haven't posted yet—to cheer up the coming cold and dreary frigid days!