The Carousel At Pier Village

 Riding carousels at The Jersey Shore is chesseled in my memory as I grew up here.

It is the only ride I ever enjoyed...

I don't enjoy anything scary, or thrilling, I just enjoy riding around in circles with colorful animals.

Carousels have a long history here...doing a little research I learned that

since as early as 1909, there has always been a carousel at the pier in Long Branch, NJ.

The pier and carousel were destroyed by a storm in 1944, then only two remained at the Jersey Shore.

In 1970 new interest developed in the carousels of yesteryear 

 and this hand carved carousel was unveiled in 1999 at the rebuilt pier at Pier Village.

As you can see from the photographs, not only can you ride a horse but also sea themed animals,

like a dolphin, a fish, a pelican, a sea horse and more.

The Carousel at Pier Village

The carousel is housed in a covered pavilion and encased in glass

 functioning for all seasons with heat in the winter.

It is open year round.

The Gladiola Greenhouse

 On our recent trip to Holland Ridge Farms, the fields were filled with gorgeous Gladiola.

These fields are "u-pick fields", anything you see and love, you are encouraged to pick.

Any season, any flower.

Clippers and buckets are provided, people pick really large bouquets.

These adorable shacks in the middle of the fields are great for taking pictures.

The Gladiola Greenhouse

If you missed any of the other entries from the trip to this farm they can be found here and here.

Tropical Storm Ophelia

 Ophelia has been swirling around the east coast for days.

It has been raining since Saturday and is expected to rain all day today.

We have been dealing with strong winds, heavy rain, and flooding.

They are reporting beach erosion on the news. 

I have not gone out, although I would have enjoyed a peak at the ocean.

I have enjoyed my inside time, as I made sure I had plenty of yarn and other projects to work on.

I prepared the ever important Fall Bucket List,

you can print your own here.

Saturday was the perfect day to make this 

Pot Roast

and it was amazing!

I also made Pesto, I think it was a flop...more on that another day!

I started to do a little Christmas Shopping.

Books for the little ones from Amazon.

I like buying books from Amazon because they are always in excellent condition.

On every occasion, I write a note on the inside cover.

I completed several Jigsaw Puzzles on my computer, they are so fun, here is a picture of my favorite.

My Kansas City Chiefs played the Chicago Bears at a great time on Sunday, 4:20 and they won...

41 - 10

it was a lopsided game but I still had my jersey on, #15, and enjoyed watching it!

I finished 2 more pumpkins,

The leaves I knitted a few years ago.

Wise Words On Sunday

 

Saturday Critters #510

Having the perfect spot when fishing is crucial.....this guy had it.

He caught fish after fish and no matter how close I got to him, he would not fly off.

He knew what he had and 

he was not going to give up this awesome fishing spot for some crazy lady with a camera.

- I say he, it could be a she, they are difficult to tell apart -

The Gray Heron

Poor fish, crying for help...if you look closely you can see it's mouth open!

I can't believe how close I got to this Heron right out in the open.

It definitely saw me, kept its eyes on me and in a way, it interacted with me.

A great fisher with an awesome fishing spot!

Sharing today's images with Eileen at 

Viewing Nature With Eileen 

for Saturday Critters

Looking For Lee

We knew this storm was not going to make landfall at the Jersey Shore...

But there was much talk about the way it was going to impact the ocean here.

The weather was beautiful on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, we did not get any rain, 

but the ocean sure was feeling the impact from Lee.

Lee brought dangerous rip currents, rough surf and minor beach erosion.

No one, including surfers, were allowed in the water.

The news talked about 15 foot waves...oh the excitement...but that never happened.

During the peak of the storm, waves were about 8 feet, and that's what we saw.

We took a ride to our favorite beach, "Howe" Street Beach...written out in the above picture.

The ocean was rough, it was apparent there was a storm out at sea,

but as you can see, it was a beautiful day!

Afterward, we took a ride to Lake of the Lilies, only 5 minutes away.

Most of the swans were out of the water playing on the grass.

I tried so hard to get a picture of their beaks touching, necks in the shape of a heart...

this is as close as I got, not bad, but "not exactly" what I wanted.

- swans teach us to embrace change gracefully, as they transition between land, water & air -