NewPort to NewYork

As usual, click on a photo to see a larger view, then use your Back button to return to this site.  and enjoy!

Getting a smart phone happened to coincide with going to my niece's wedding in Newport, Rhode Island earlier this month.  The droid was supposed to have a pretty decent camera so I took none other so I'd be forced to learn to use it.  Being in my pocket at all times, I knew it would be great for snapshots and family events, but what about nature and art?  Here was a chance to try it out.

First there was Newport - surrounded by water - with it's rocky coast and tide pools.  The photo header above was shot from our hotel room window (Quality Inn).  How we appreciated that the window opened to the fresh cool air, bird calls, and this spectacular view!  And YES!, I discovered my phone-camera stitches panoramas - a delightful new feature.

Snails...

Mussels...

...and cheese, veggies... oops.

Gotta love those tide pools.  We explored the rocks, then went for a swim.

My family...

you can dress 'em up....

...but they still have fun.

So far, so good.  After the wedding, we took the train to the Big Apple for a night, to see our youngsters' new pad in Brooklyn.  Here's their "balcony" vista (aka fire escape).

Aside from seeing the apartment, we wanted to check out Occupy Wall Street, the new New York phenomenon that is catching fire around the country and world.  Just a few blocks from the apartment was a dock where the East River Ferry stopped, so we hopped aboard and headed for south Manhattan.  Being tourists from the Wakulla County woods, the boat rides down to Wall Street and back were delightful and full of photo ops.

The Occupy Wall Street demonstration was in full swing... hundreds marching and chanting. Cops on horseback.  Fancy shops. Men in suits. Outbursts of tension.  We joined in, though I mostly marched along making photos and trying not to drop my new phone-cam.  Here's a sample, starting with the New York Stock Exchange building.

We came to the big bronze bull in a small plaza.  Is he there as a market mascot or might he represent something else ...a matter of perspective?  My heart goes out to the many unemployed, those struggling to make ends meet, the thousands of public servants who've lost their jobs more because of the Bush tax cuts and expensive wars than government largesse.  I had to wonder how many of the police here considered that these demonstrators are marching in part for them, maybe their jobs too... the 99%.

As for my pocket-sized phone-camera, I was very pleased with what I got.  I'll be reaching for it again and again in those spontaneous moments when typically I wouldn't have my camera gear at hand.