April 21, 2017 | Joe Benning

New Hope, PA

It was a beautiful day yesterday in New Hope, PA. We went for a long walk through town and down the Tow Path, which is next to the canal where the mules used to tow small boats through the water–hence the name. Anyway here (below) are some photos from walking around. Photos from New Hope can also be seen in a Gallery labeled–New Hope–which is in an Album titled “Around the U.S.

JFB

 

April 21, 2017 | Joe Benning

The High Line–April 12, 2017

Now that the weather is turning nicer New Yorkers are back to leissurely (by New York standards) walks around the city. Here are some shots from a recent walk around the High Line.

April 8, 2017 | Joe Benning

Spring is Here

Springtime is finally here. It’s still a bit chilly, and it’s pretty gusty. But today is the first day of the fishing season in Spring Lake, the lake has been restocked, and the fisherman showed up to try their luck. And the Cherry Blossoms are out. The trend looks good.

Anglers come to Spring Lake for the opening day of the fishing season
Some fisherman fish, and some relax
Cherry Blossom by Spring Lake
Young fishermen try thier luck in a fishing contest on the first day of the season
Fisherman on the banks of Spring Lake for the beginning of the new fishing season

 

March 24, 2017 | Joe Benning

Spring in Spring Lake

The Spring in Spring Lake includes 20 degree weather. Not the plan. So that provided time to collect a whole bunch of photos from the recent trip to Maui, where it was considerably warmer. They are displayed below. You can go to the light box display and roll a slide show by clicking on one of the photos below. The slide show will start automatically with the slides changing every 5 seconds. The slideshow can be frozen, stopped and restarted by using the navigation icons over the light box.

Joe

 

March 19, 2017 | Joe Benning

Back in Spring Lake

We are back in Spring Lake after a 21 hour trip–but not before stopping at the Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge in Maui on the way to the airport. It actually bears a slight resemblance to the Edwin Forsythe Wildlife Refuge in South Jersey–except that it lacks the swarms of mosquitos that the Forsythe Refuge has.

Some photos from the Kealia Pond Refuge.

 

Joe

 

March 15, 2017 | Joe Benning

On the West Side of Maui

Aloha

It’s getting close to the end of our trip so we decided to book into one of the resort hotels on the West side of the island for a couple of days. Needless to say, the views were spectacular. Among other things, we were able to sit on our deck and watch the whales go by and an occasional porpoise. The sunsets (and moonsets) were stunning as well. Not only that, we could watch the boats and Kayakers float by. Finally, we got to watch the divers leap off Black Rock into the waters below. Not something I would try.

 

We’ll be back soon to enjoy the springtime snow in New Jersey. Photos below (of Hawaii).

Mahalo

Joe

 

March 12, 2017 | Joe Benning

Going to a Luau

Aloha

A trip to Hawaii necessarily means an outing to a Luau. We went to one in Lahaina complete with a pig roasted on a fire, native deserts and a Mai Tai or two. The highlight is a show with native dancers performing traditional rituals and dances, including the hula. Here are a couple of photos from the show.

Mahalo

Joe

 

March 9, 2017 | Joe Benning

Sunset Cruise in Hawaii

We all decided to go on a sunset cruise sponsored by the Pacific Whale Foundation, of which Mary Anne and I are now members. The PWF has guides on the boat who act as spotters and teach everyone about how the whales live and behave. Not to mention that they serve cocktails and appetizers during the cruise. Nature never looked so good.

 

And—while we were on the sunset cruise, we bumped into some friends from the 2016 Crystal Serenity world cruise. Hello Beth! Great so see you. Who knows where we will meet again. Anyway, the pictures below are from the Maui sunset cruise.

Joe

March 6, 2017 | Joe Benning

Gardens of Maui

Maui is an explosion of primary colors. At first, it looks like one of those planets that Kirk, Spock and McCoy get beamed onto where the plant life constantly and rapidly regenerates—except that there are not any devious Kling-on traps waiting for us.

 

There are gardens pretty much everywhere. It turns out that plants that are annuals elsewhere don’t grow in Maui because there really aren’t any seasons. Everything just grows all the time. So perennials aren’t suited for Maui.

 

Bob and Barbara and Mary Anne and I visited the Lavender Gardens Saturday after visiting a farmers market in Makawao. On Sunday, Mary Anne and I headed off for Kula on the side on the mountain overlooking the central valley. Some photos from those explorations are below.

 

JFB