Delaware Hues Anew

I have been snapping away at the hummers that come to the honeysuckle.  Decided to play around with this one.  First step was to crop for the composition and add back dpi to be able to increase the size.  Then working in CS3 I selected the water color filter.  I liked the look but felt a pop was lacking so I played around with the sliders in adjustments to change the brightness and finally the level of saturation.  Wanted to make sure I brought out just a bit of RED. 

Delaware Hues

You know I love red, right?  I mean, I don't really have to say Delaware Views Hues of RED, do I?
Delaware Hues should be enough .  I don't know why people think red is so hard to shoot. I find trying to get a good image of MaraBella, the Devil Dog, wearing black and white is much more difficult.  Red is everywhere.  My favorite place to find it is in nature.  Had a grand sighting today after an auditory clue that there was a wood pecker near by.  Furman declared, "WOODY THE WOODPECKER IS HERE".  Didn't take me long to grab my gear and go and find two Pileated Woodpeckers on the tree across the street.  Have you ever seen such hairdos, or let me ask that more appropriately, "featherdos"?

Delaware Views Hues of Red

 

Took BMW Motorcycle ride to Sky Manor for breakfast on Sunday and saw this in the lot....there must have been some sort of gathering because there were quite a few old cars there.  When I first got my drivers license I remember wanting either a Mustang convertible or an MG.  Someone gave this car a lotta loven.

 

 

But the real reason to go to Sky Manor besides breakfast of course is to watch the planes.

Or in this case, Helicopters

 

Some folks think RED is hard to shoot.  I'm thinking my black dog is even harder.

 

Delaware Views Hues of Red

 Furm and I were leaving the Washington Crossing Inn early Friday evening on our bicycles when I saw the Bucks County Trolley RED after delivering it's bridal party.  There is an old saying "the best camera is the one you have with you"  Shot with my Iphone.

 

 

Ok so it isn't RED but I did take it with the Iphone.  The prettiest peonies where in vases on the bar.

 

Delaware Views Hues of Red

The Columbine that grow in my garden are here for such a short time.  I sure do wish they would hang on a little longer.

Delaware Views Hues of Red

It really seemed that this past winter would never end.  Finally, after waiting a long time and suffering snow storm after snow storm Spring arrived and with it rain.  We had quite the downpour here and the river crested at 15 feet reaching over our retaining wall but maintaining a healthy distance from the road.  The rain also brought a burst of growth.  The Forsythia bloomed  bright yellow and made a perfect background for the unfolding RED Maple leaves.

 

Bet you thought I was going to post a RED Norton....wouldn't want to disappoint.

 

 

Delaware NEWS: Exhibit at the Full Moon Cafe

I got to the Full Moon Café in Lambertville, NJ on Monday, and with the help of two pairs of extra hands and eyes managed to hang quite a few images.  Some were printed on canvas and mounted in floating frames by Easy Canvas.  Some were printed by Large Format Printing of NJ on canvas boards and I framed them myself.  OY...should I mention that in my crazy tizzy I mounted the hanging hardware on one of the images UPSIDE DOWN.... Yes I did and now will have to pull it apart and reframe.  No worries.  There is a nice variety of size, sepia, color, and even one selective color image.  There would have been two but alas, I wasn't the only one to err as the printer made a boo boo too, leaving one of the selective color images useless. Cut off the end of the red canoe in the printing.  How about I show you them here.

Delaware Views Hues of Red

We were temporarily lucky to walk in on a class at the Museum of Arts and Design and listen.
Our luck didn't last long though because once the instruction was over and the students allowed to roam they became rather loud, so we went to another area of the museum and were not disappointed.. 

Delaware Views Hues of Red

Lines, color, repetitive patterns, circles.  These little glass vases on a shelf just begged to be photographed.

 

 

Delaware Views Hues of Red

I can hardly wait until I can sit in a chair like this, direct my face to the sun, close my eyes, and wait for the sun to kiss me.

 

Delaware Views Hues of Red

Soon the Strawberries will be growing here in PA/NJ and they will be delicious, sweet and juicy.  For now they are just RED and a symbol of what is to come.  There are two red things that come from the east in the summer that I have never tasted anywhere else that are quite as good.  The Strawberry and the Tomato.  COME ON SPRING.  What are you waiting for?  Winter, what are you thinking bringing us more snow today? 

 

Delaware Views Hues of RED

 

Early morning on the Delaware River from Lambertville to New Hope reveals the historic Bucks County Playhouse reflected in white and red.  I took this shot with my 35-70 at its widest and then  cropped it for the panorama view.  It is now my Facebook cover photo.

 

 

Delaware Views Hues of Red

Almost impossible to walk around Lambertville, NJ without seeing Red.

On this occasion I did not have to go far from our Sunday morning destination for breakfast at the Full Moon Café.  We got there early, before it even opened.  I took a short walk to the canal and caught this view with the hue of red in the not so far distance.

 

Delaware Views Hues of Red

 

Nature gave us a big tease this weekend:

blue skies, sunny and warm.

Took a nice long hike in the Washington Crossing State Park.

Had to go to the Jersey side since the loop on the PA side wasn't even plowed.

Not much red going on there so in the process of cleaning up the archives I found some.

 



Delaware Views Hues of Red

They are calling it the Winter that just keeps on giving SNOW!

 

This was from a few days ago and shows some of the ice blocks that jammed up.

You can see the water flowing in the distance.  Today you cannot see any water flowing.

More snow on the way.  Then a warm up is expected.

As you might imagine, I am a little concerned regarding a big meltdown.

 

 

 

Oh right, Hues of RED...you didn't think I forgot did you?

Memories of Spring

 

 

 

Foodie Friday Delaware Chews at Home

Winter time is a good time to have some basic ingredients available for making lasagna.
The sheets of lasagna that you can now bake without cooking shorten the process of preparing this classic meal on the front end -you don't have to boil the noodles- and on the back end, since you have one less pot to clean.  Bagged and shredded mixed Italian cheeses also saves time.
I had almost everything on hand except for Ricotta which I had to run out for.  I actually had some, but opened it to find out, I had it too long and it had already gone bad in the fridge.
I also had on hand 1 quart of Tomato Sauce in the freezer which I set out to defrost a day before preparing this meal.  Barillo pasta has been a staple in my house since seeing it on the restaurant shelves in Italy.  This lasagna will fill a 9x13 pan 4 across with 4 levels of noodles.

LasagNan

1 box no cook lasagna

1 quart tomato sauce

15 oz tub ricotta cheese
1 bag mixed Italian Cheeses mozzarella, provolone, parmesan
2 hand mound of fresh spinach stemmed and roughly chopped
1 roasted pepper (I pull it from a jar)
4-6 sundried tomatoes (also pulled from a jar with oil)
oregano
basil
Cayenne

Simply grab a few handfuls of the shredded cheese and mix it up with the Ricotta in a large bowl.  Add spinach and mix.  Chop the peppers and tomatoes, add to cheese mix finishing with herbs.

Layer 1 cup  sauce, 4 sheets noodle 1/3 cheese 3 times (make sure edges of noodles are moistened with sauce)
On your last layer of noodles spread the remaining sauce and sprinkle with shredded cheese from bag.
Cover and bake 45 minutes, uncover and bake till cheese on top is melted.

Now what makes this a delicious LasagNan is the very fact that I put in vegies I like, in this case the RED ones.  Not only the home made sauce in the freezer, but the selection of peppers sweet and hot, and the sundried tomatoes. Substitute some of your own favorite ingredients and vary the cheeses to individualize the lasagnas you make too....but don't call them LASAGNAN.

Delaware Hues of Red

 

Red is everywhere.  The Howell Living History Farm was particularly willing to offer a good supply.  The big red barn made a good subject and this ole tractor was just waiting to be noticed.

 

 

 

 

Notice it, I did, and then I worked it till I took the last one which I think is my favorite. 

Sunday Funday Howell Living History Farm

 

Last time I visited the Howell Farm was to get lost in the Corn Maize and that was years ago.

Went yesterday to watch Maple Tree Tapping and it was pretty neat.  Beautiful piece of property there.  Could not help but think what it must have been like to live off the land.  Tapping trees for syrup, housing bees for honey, sheering sheep for wool, and getting around on a horse drawn sleigh. 

 

Delaware Hues of Red

There are so many nice restaurants within a few miles from my home and with New Hope, PA and Lambertville, NJ within 10 miles to the north the selection increases dramatically.  Still we find we head to the Full Moon Café in Lambertville (click link for Zagat Review) at regular intervals and here is why.

 

 

First of all the food is always good.  Second they have some of the best creative draws around.  We receive in the mail, buy one breakfast get one free, birthday and holiday coupons.  When we visit in December we receive a RED gift envelope that we can open on our January visit.  Last week our envelope entitled us to one free breakfast, lunch or brunch.  That would be the second time we got a really nice gift as one year we won the free full moon dinner for two coupon in our RED envelope.

The third reason to visit is the service is excellent, ALWAYS.

Finally, the Full Moon is community oriented and offers its walls in a town of galleries, for free to local artists to display their work. 

Mine will be hanging during the month of April and that means SHAD FEST. 

Delaware Hues of RED

Good Morning