Painting color drenched artworks of places and things I love
Take a look at an amazing bird’s eye view of Long Island, NY’s Jones Beach. If you look closely you can see the turnaround at the water tower. Just before taking this photo I was able to see my favorite beach, Pt. Lookout and the Loop Parkway leading to it.
 |
| Jones Beach from the air ©2012 Dora Sislian Themelis |
We survived Hurricane Irene. Without power all day, we listened to our radio and looked out the window at the crazy weather.
We watched as one neighbor couldn’t wait for the hurricane to be over to start removing the small tree that fell on his front yard. A little while later an ambulance pulled up and he went inside to have his vitals monitored.
What’s with men and wild weather that they can’t wait to get moving and doing? Even The Mr. was itching to get out to his business to look around. They don’t care what’s going on outside. Men are just plain crazy.
These trees fell around the corner from our house. Thankfully, all we had to do was clean up some branches, leaves and repair our fence. The electricity came on at 9PM. Minutes later we heard an explosion and saw the street lamps go out, along with our neighbors’ lights across the street.
So, earthquake and now a hurricane. All we’re missing is a volcano. That’ll happen next week, I’m sure.
While quite obviously this snowstorm was one big kick in the butt, certain aspects of it were very beautiful. If I didn’t have to go out and shovel, it would have been spectacular, but such was not the case.
Trying to throw the snow up over the mountain we had to make to get out of our house was no fun.
As Gorgeous said, Feel the burn! Yeah, I was feeling it alright. I had a full body workout without the gym equipment. Just me against my snow shovel with Mother Nature as the personal trainer.
For a moment the sun poked itself through the clouds to shine with great warmth on my face. As if to say, Don’t worry, I’m still here.
I will be waiting.
 |
| Snowing on 72nd Street |
Yes, I know I missed Friday. So, okay, it’s Saturday and I’m posting Friday’s photo that I didn’t even take this Friday. I can’t even remember what day this was, but it was snowing and I had to be in Manhattan. Maybe it was last Friday. I didn’t have a chance to post it. By the time I was ready to do so it was too late because we got hit with another snowstorm and this was old news, sort of. At 10 A.M. in NYC, this was just the beginning of it.
A few years ago I made plans to visit my sister in the city to look at apartments with her. It was a wintry day, cold and cloudy with a flurry of snow in the forecast for the late afternoon. I hopped on the Long Island Railroad, having parked my car in the lot at the train station near my house. A 40 minute ride and I would be in Manhattan. No problem. We were going to look at a few places, have lunch and I’d go home. Done.
Only minutes into the ride the snow starts falling. It’s only 10 A.M. and I was thinking to myself “Wasn’t this supposed to be later in the day?” If you don’t know the L.I.R.R., a little snow could shut down the whole system. Ugh. Fifteen minutes in, the announcement I could barely make out said the train would be delayed. Oh great. I called my sister to tell her the news so she could re-arrange the appointment. The best, most relaxed trip into Manhattan from mid-Nassau County Long Island and a little snow wipes out the system. Just think about it. Do you have any idea how many people ride the railroad as their daily commute? Some days you love it, some days you hate it.
The trip was an hour late getting into Pennsylvania Station and so was our appointment. Everything worked out fine, except we trudged around in the snow that was accumulating inches by the minute. By lunch there was four inches on the ground and more falling. After we were done I hailed a cab back to the train station for my trip home. When I arrived I found my car under seven inches of snow! Of course I didn’t listen to my father who used to have us keep a shovel in the trunk. All I had was a magazine to push all that snow off my windshield. Not fun.
A photograph of my decimated magazine pushing snow off the car would have been fun for the blog, if I had one then. Next time.
 |
| Chocolate Wrapping (c)2010 Dora Sislian Themelis 7×10 Watercolor |
Beach vacations are pretty much similar where ever you travel, some more luxurious than others. We’ve been to quite a few different places where the beach is the main idea and each destination is unique.
Cancun, Acapulco, Nassau Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Greece, Long Island, Las Vegas, oops Las Vegas has pools, all have some aspects that are similar and different. Some have sandy beaches and others have rocks.
The Mr. was born in a Greek island with rocky beaches so that’s what he looks for in a beach. In fact, most Greeks are lured by calm waters and a rocky beach, something that resembles home to them. But I’m a New York girl so what do I know other than sand and waves like Jones Beach and Pt. Lookout? Rarely did we travel to the Long Island Sound with it’s calm waters. It’s fine with me, I’m drawn to the water, rocks or not.
One fascination Greek island people have is watching the ferry arrive with it’s passengers, trucks loaded with produce, cars and stuff. The ferry is so huge and things keep coming off. Then it gets loaded back up with the same stuff going the other way.
In Greenport there are ferries that shuttle all the same kind of stuff and people to Shelter Island, all day and night, back and forth. So of course, we’re fascinated by all the action. They loaded a huge tractor trailer onto this little ferry, plus people in cars, people with bicycles, and just people on foot! I was in awe, just like we are when we’re in Greece! I know, whacko.
When we were finished gawking at the ferry coming and going we were ready to head back to the beach. The sun was high in the sky and glistening off the clear blue water. Not many people were on the beach so it was all for us to enjoy. Like I said, Heaven is an empty beach!
Except for the seagulls. No matter where you go seagulls will take your food, throw it around the beach and eat it.
 |
| ©2009 Dora Sislian Themelis |
I thought I would try to paint every day on the trip, but thinking about doing it was stressful. I needed to wind down my brain and think of nothing and of doing nothing. Once I started painting I guess by that time I was really ready for it.