Lucy and a New Look

As I bet you've noticed, Ash's Eye is getting something of a facelift. The solid gray background finally just bored me all the way over the edge into hunting for something pre-made and a little "froofier."

Cosmetics aside, meet Lucy the Elephant! She is the largest elephant in the world, so big you can tour her insides. Lucy lives in the oceanside town of Margate, New Jersey. Around the turn of the century, she was built as a gimmick, to attract homebuyers to the growing streets of Margate. Lucy really didn't convince people to buy homes, but she did eventually become the mascot for the town. Soon wooden elephants were all the rage in the beach towns of the mid-Atlantic, and Coney Island had one, as did Cape May, New Jersey.

These copycat elephants were soon lost to history and now only Lucy remains. She sadly fell into disrepair in the 1960s, and was threatened with demolition to make way for condominiums. Townspeople rallied together to raise funds to refurbish Lucy and move her to city-owned property. Lucy is now well-loved and taken care of primarily through the labor of volunteers and the admission fees gathered from those who wish to climb the spiral staircases located in her hind legs. Lucy is now a designated National Historic Landmark. Her story is recapped in a short but interesting movie you get to watch in the room located in her belly.

More photos from Lucy will be forthcoming shortly ...

Anudder mudder ...

A Northern Pintail looking for grub at Forsythe Wildlife Refuge.

Mud on your face ...

Hungry? Then dive on in! It's not the best look, but a goose's gotta do what a goose's gotta do to put food on the table :) This is a snow goose in Forsythe Wildlife Refuge in New Jersey. In the next three to four weeks, tens of thousands of snow geese and smaller numbers of tundra swans and Canada geese will group at Middle Creek here in Lancaster County, and at other bird-friendly habitats across the mid-Atlantic, to gain strength to begin their northward journey to their summer nesting grounds.

A cat can dream ...

... of a pine siskin snack.

Smoky Sky

A picture I've been meaning to post for a while, I believe its from last winter.

I'm not sure if the swirls are the result of a jet contrail dispersing, or the mixing of two types of clouds, or some other odd conditions. I've never seen anything else quite like it.

All Eyes on Washington

Just over a year ago, we were in D.C. for some blustery sightseeing, and this photo is one of the results.

Today, many more people were freezing on the National Mall to be witness to a historic event, and many more were watching from their homes or offices. It seems like this will be one of those moments when, years from now, people will ask, "Where were you when ... ?"

Looking back, the first national news item that really left an impression on me was the explosion of the Challenger in 1986. There were plenty of other important news headlines from that era, but as a six year old, I couldn't really grasp politics. But I did understand what happened to that space shuttle and how sad it was. Of course many other headlines have affected our lives since then, good ones and bad. Which ones really stick with you?

River Ice

We had flurries most of the day, which amounted to a foggy atmosphere and about two inches of really fluffy snow. Down at river level, the ice was fractured and heaving, and the lovely little coating of snow was just icing. It's only been in the last week or so that the cold has sustained itself long enough to freeze the river completely.

Breath of Summer

In the midst of this cold cold cold, I had to dig into my summer photos for some mental relief.

This is a dandelion-style poof of seeds, but I'm not sure if is actually a dandelion or not. It might be goatsbeard or something similar. In any case, its a memory of a warmer time. Tomorrow I'm facing reality and heading down to the frozen river, to see what winter images might present themselves ...

My Collection of Domes, Large & Small

Over the last two years, I have been under a number of round things. While most are pretty local, one is nationally known ... any ideas?

For identification, see the comments to this post. The locations are posted as the first comment.

Winter Blahs

For whatever reason, the winter blahs have captured my photographic mind. But I wanted to do a post before everyone becomes convinced I'm never coming back. This one is from deep in the archives, a geranium blooming in front of vertical blinds.

Be prepared for more random shots to come ...