Tag: fpj-photo-challenge

Structure

The Tuesday Photo Challenge is a weekly theme-based challenge for photographers of all kinds to share both new and old photography. #fpj-photo-challenge

Weekends are the only time I have to complete the challenge. During the week I am busy at work and my daily commute and family matters give me very little time for photography in the morning and afternoon.

Today I had planned a trip to Sea Girt to photograph the lighthouse. However, after breakfast, I checked the weather and decided to do it another day. The air temperature was 0ºC. Brr.

Dirck Gulick House — Nikon D5100 + Nikon Tokina AT-X 116 PRO DX II 11-16mm F2.8 @ (15 mm, f/9.0, ISO100), Copyright 2017-03-05 Khürt L. Williams

After breakfast, I grabbed my Nikon D5100 and my Tokina 11-16 f/2.8 wide-angle and drove over to the Dirck Gulick House.

The Dirck Gulick House, also known just as the Gulick House, was built in 1752 and has been serving as the Society’s headquarters, library, archives, and research facility since 2004. The building conforms to the Dutch style of the 18th century in its story-and-a-half height, double room depth, and use of heavy timber running from the front to back walls. What is rare is its use of stone for building material. This building was added to the State and National Registers of Historic Places in late 2003 after the completion of major restoration.Van Harlingen Historical Society

Dirck Gulick House, Sign
Dirck Gulick House — Nikon D5100 + Nikon Tokina AT-X 116 PRO DX II 11-16mm F2.8 @ (15 mm, f/4.0, ISO100), Copyright 2017-03-05 Khürt L. Williams

The house is a Dutch-style stone structure made from stones from the Sourland Mountain Range. The one-story house has segmented arches of stone above the doors and windows, as well as two front entrances. I have no idea why anyone would build two doors to a home.

Dirck Gulick House — Nikon D5100 + Nikon Tokina AT-X 116 PRO DX II 11-16mm F2.8 @ (16 mm, f/10, ISO140), Copyright 2017-03-05 Khürt L. Williams
Dirck Gulick House — Nikon D5100 + Nikon Tokina AT-X 116 PRO DX II 11-16mm F2.8 @ (16 mm, f/4.0, ISO100), Copyright 2017-03-05 Khürt L. Williams
Dirck Gulick House — Nikon D5100 + Nikon Tokina AT-X 116 PRO DX II 11-16mm F2.8 @ (16 mm, f/4.0, ISO100), Copyright 2017-03-05 Khürt L. Williams
Dirck Gulick House — Nikon D5100 + Nikon Tokina AT-X 116 PRO DX II 11-16mm F2.8 @ (16 mm, f/11, ISO100), Copyright 2017-03-05 Khürt L. Williams

The house is located on Great Road (Route 601) in the Harlingen area of Belle Mead just south of the Gibraltar Rock quarry. The house is the site of a Harlingen Society Museum. The museum is no open on Sunday’s.

Montgomery was established in 1702 by Dutch and English Settlers and incorporated in the State of New Jersy in 1772. There are several hamlets within the Township: Belle Mead, Blawenburg, Dutchtown, Harlingen, Rocky Hill, Skillman and Zion.Montgomery Township web site

rock, flat,Dirck Gulick House, Structure
Dirck Gulick House — Nikon D5100 + Nikon Tokina AT-X 116 PRO DX II 11-16mm F2.8 @ (15 mm, f/4.0, ISO100), Copyright 2017-03-05 Khürt L. Williams

UPDATE: Pingback to some of my favourites from this week's entries.

  • Brick Structures in Wilmington, NC.
  • Some interesting tree root structures.

The Tuesday Photo Challenge is a weekly theme-based challenge for photographers of all kinds to share both new and old photography. This week's theme is structure.

Nostalgia

The Tuesday Photo Challenge is a weekly theme-based challenge for photographers of all kinds to share both new and old photography. #fpj-photo-challenge

This week's challenge was challenging for me. I was looking up the definition of nostalgia.

a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations.

I was born and raised in the former British West Indies. The culture, food, buildings and beaches are not duplicated in anything that can be found in New Jersey. Or anywhere else on the East Coast. Or the United States. I spent my youth living in St. Vincent, Bequia, St. Lucia, Barbados, and Antigua.

The family home and the turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea are thousands of miles away. I spent my early years living upstairs in the old Barclays Bank in Princeton Margaret beach in Bequia. The entrance to the building was about 200 meters from the beach. This is where I spent a lot of time with my brothers and friends. We played beach cricket with tennis balls and bats improvised from the dead branches of coconut trees. Sometimes we played intense games of marbles "for keeps". I don't remember the rules of marble games, but I know the games were hotly contested. Sometimes we just ran up and down the beach as fast as possible. I was always the fastest.

Me

Sometimes my Mom would take us to visit our grandparents at their home on Monkey Hill. I loved helping my grandmother gather eggs from the chickens. Less enjoyable was moving the goats from one pasture to another. Goats can be difficult. If I was lucky, Mama1 would take me with her to pick sapodilla and sugar apples and we would climb all the way to the very top of Monkey Hill. There was always a good breeze, and I could see everything down to the coast below.

Grandmother, Me, Mom | Thursday 6 August 1998

Those were good times.

I have no access to any of that, and in the thirty-two years I have lived in the United States, I can’t think of anything I have experienced in the USA that evokes those memories. The Jersey Shore beach water is brown. The ocean air does not smell the same. The food is American. It doesn’t feel the same.

I don't have old photos to share. My parents either didn't own a camera at that time, or my mom has them in some precious album of her own. My mom lives in Florida, but right now is on holiday in St. Vincent.

I drove over to a shop in Hopewell, Twine, looking for inspiration. Twine sells various items; wooden boxes, old painted stools, flashcards, pencils, scrabble tiles, labels, books, etc. My daughter came with me. The only thing that seemed nostalgically familiar was the stack of marbles. I bought a handful.

Next door was an antique store, Tomato Factory. I saw a few things — vintage oil lanterns — that reminded me of my early life in the British West Indies, but ultimately there was nothing that I could take home. Photography in the store was not allowed.

This marbles photo does not include boys in khaki pants, beach sand or sunsets.

I was saddened while I was writing this. All this thinking about my past had made me acutely nostalgic. I realise how much I have lost.

The Tuesday Photo Challenge is a weekly theme-based challenge for photographers to share both new and old photography. This week's theme is nostalgia.

  1. All the grandchildren called her “mama”. ?

Colour of Love

The Tuesday Photo Challenge is a weekly theme-based challenge for photographers of all kinds to share both new and old photography. #fpj-photo-challenge

The Tuesday Photo Challenge is a weekly theme-based challenge for photographers of all kinds to share both new and old photography. This week's theme is Colour of Love.

Bhavna and I do not celebrate Valentine's Day. From our perspective, it's a "holiday" invented for commercial purposes and has no basis in historical fact. It's no different that American Craft Beer Week or International Coffee Day. It can be fun to celebrate but we feel the original intent has been lost.

We also think it's silly to set aside ONE day in an entire year to express our love. What about the other 364 days?

Men everywhere will be bending over backwards, buying just the right expensive gift and bouquet of flower and planning the most romantic experience they can afford. I said men for a reason. My conversations with some American women have informed my opinion that they believe Valentine's Day (and weddings) is meant for them. They have very definite expectations. The more expensive the gift, the bigger the bouquet, the fancier the restaurant, the more the woman thinks the man loves her.

In the weeks leading up to the day, some American women will discuss what the boyfriend/husband did last year and what they hope he'll do this year. Then the week after, the discussion is about what actually happened and whether it met their expectations. I seldom hear what that woman has planned for their significant other.

Among some office men, the discussion is about what they have planned for their wives and girlfriends. I seldom hear the men discuss what the woman did for them. I sometimes wonder if their loved ones did anything at all. The commercials on television seem to enforce the viewpoint that Valentine's Day is for women.

My preamble was very gender-specific. This is not intentional, but I know very few LGBT people in my personal and professional life, so I can't form an opinion. My experiences and observations inform my opinions of the community around me.

So what is the colour of love? I think that depends on how one defines love. Each of us has our own love language. It’s the actions and words we use when we want to show them our love to others. It’s also the actions and words we want to hear when we want to feel loved by others. For each of us, the actions and word are different, both personal and cultural.

For some people, love is sensual and passionate. I think red is the colour that most closely aligns with that viewpoint. For others, love is placid and calm. The colour blue comes to mind. For some, perhaps people who have been abused or had back luck with love, love is caring but cautious. This could be reflected in the colour yellow. And yet, for people who have had a positive experience with loving relationships, love is gentle, kind, sacrificing and giving. This brings to my mind the colours lavender and purple.

But perhaps love is more like a rainbow, full of all the colours. There are times in a relationship when sensuality and passion play a role. Other times when tranquillity is the order of the day.

I had this great idea of photographing a rainbow this week. But it's winter. So I then thought I'd link the word love to beer and the colour of one of the types of American craft ale that I love; a cloudy, juicy East Coast style. But, I accidentally deleted the photos I took early this afternoon. Sigh. So ... this photo has nothing to do with anything.

This is a 90 image photo stacked macro.