Surviving A Nor'easter...

 Just a quick update on the recent nor'easter. 

The Jersey Shore was pummeled by this storm, there was a lot of wind, rain and flooding.

All neighborhoods and communities within a few miles of the ocean did not fair well.

We live about 10 minutes from the ocean and did not have any damage, 

just a lot of sticks and branches came down.

A tree fell on my neighbors driveway, blocking it completely.

We own this property, and a tree feel down blocking the driveway!

We are lucky to have people on standby for situations like these, that help us.

If you saw videos of the flooding, they were real, just closer to the ocean.

Many roads are still closed and many of the beaches have lost the sand area that leads to the ocean.

All you see are cliffs, then the ocean.

The Lion King

 While we were "playing" in New York City we also had tickets to the broadway show...

Disney's The Lion King at The Minskoff Theater, off Broadway but still in the theater district.

The show was amazing. 

The vibrant colors, detailed professional costumes and incredible vocals

made for a breathtaking and captivating experience.

The costume designs transform actors into jungle animals that tell the story of the

"Circle of Life".

As always, photographs were not allowed during the performance,

I snapped these during the curtain call.

We really loved it!

The music, the set, the costumes, the acting and singing were all incredible.

A dream come true for us...what an exceptional show!

I always save the Playbill, I have a lot of these!

Together - Together Concert

 As I mentioned previously, I am a huge fan of Harry Styles.

He is performing right now at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

30 nights, August thru October, we were lucky enough to score tickets.

We had great seats and this is, by far, the best concert I have ever attended.

The way he sings, dances and performs...the energy he has on stage is unmatched by any artist.

The energy in the audience is palpable, so intense you can feel the floor shaking.

The fun and picture taking started outside the garden.

I wanted to wear the most colorful shirt I could find.

I wanted to be bright...I did not want to wear a short skirt and sequins,

Harry Styles

Together - Together Concert

Harry Styles is an English singer, songwriter, actor...famous for his style

A fashion icon known for his flamboyant style, charismatic showmanship, <900 div="">

and gender-blending pop music.

The pure energy he brings to the stage, he is funny, kind and he interacts with the audience.    

He is "Harry" and that is so clear.

He writes his own songs...plays the piano and guitar!

 He enjoys having a conversation with a few of the people in the audience. 

This last song was especially meaningful and emotional for him.

The entire show was unbelievable!

Everything is electronic now, but they did pass out souvenir tickets!

I have a lot of memorabilia from the trip, it will all go in to my Junk Journal.

Wise Words On Sunday

 

- I really love this -

Preparing For The Nor'easter

 Here at the Jersey Shore, we are expecting a nor'easter.

We prepared for this storm the way we always do.

We had a picnic in the car at the inlet...

and checked on the boats docked right off the inlet at Cooks Creek.

All of the boats were home because of severe weather warnings, high winds and rough surf.

We went to the bakery to load up on some treats.

It looks like someone got into those treats already, the brownie has a pretty big "chunk" missing!

We came home, lit the fireplace and the candles...

and watched this sunset from the front porch.

WoW...our sunsets have been stunning!

The Fall Bucket List

 Where to start and where the heck have I been?

The hubs and I have been working on the newly prepared...

Fall Bucket List.

As you can see, we have checked off 3 bucket list items so far.

I am feeling better 

and am walking a little without assistance.

About 10 months ago, we purchased tickets to the Harry Styles concert at Madison Square Garden,

in New York City for September 19th, my birthday.

We also purchased tickets for the Lion King at the Minskoff Theatre for September 20th.

The timing wasn't great...

but who knew and I was not about to miss either so we did a lot of planning and off we went.

New York City

I have a lifetime of memories to share and hundreds of pictures to go through. 

 We spent 3 days in the city and everything was perfect.

In the next few days, as I navigate through the pictures and my experiences, I will share them here.

I had the time of my life and I really owe everything to the hubs...he is a great planner!

Saturday Critters #666

 I was able to get out this week, see the sights and smell the fresh air.

As far as wildlife and birds go, 

I think we are "changing seasons" and I did not have too many picture worthy opportunities.

I did have fun though.

These 2 Egrets were way off in the distance,

captured with a major zoom and the pictures were also cropped.

The Queen Mary was docked nearby.

This is a small park, close by to the restaurants in Point Pleasant.

It is a tributary off the inlet that leads to the Atlantic Ocean.

We continue to have spectacular sunsets.

Sharing today images with Eileen at 

Viewing Nature With Eileen 

for Saturdays Critters

Let"s Talk About The Garden

Today, I would like to bore you with the details about this years garden.

My gardens are usually picturesque, filled with the flowers, produce and lots of herbs.

I have been known to brag about my green thumb and share some of the over abundance it produces.

However this year...different story.

I have never planted mint, I have heard mint will take over your garden.

I am here to tell you that basil can also do that.

One tiny plant, turned into this...

I planted 2, here they are in their infancy.

I have these lovely garden markers but this year all I really needed was a marker for my basil.

I have so much basil, I could supply all of New Jersey with it.

So day after day, I cut it back...

rinse it, soak it...

then lay it out to dry.

I've done this 5 times and still there's more.

 - these leaves are huge -

I did not get one tomato, not one.

We watered every day, fertilized at the right intervals, talked to them and still, they did nothing!

I have a total of 5 bags like this, all in the freezer, with lots more to process.

The pot on the right is a beautiful tomato plant that got huge and produced 2 green tomatoes.

Both disappeared.

Next up...a photo dump of pictures I took at various times during the summer, but never shared here.

Red Clover

Butterfly Bush

Black Eyed Susan

Hydrangea 

Red Clover

Coreopsis - Tickseed

Red Clover

Evening Primrose

Vincas

Black Eyed Susan

Knockout Rose

Garden Cosmos

2 Cosmos & Common Zinnia