Cordelia's Mom, Still

Just Because …

Posted on September 6, 2019 by cordeliasmom2012

Busy day today. No time for photography. Enjoy this end-of-the summer photo of blackeyed susans.

On my way to the dentist. Haven’t been in 20 years because didn’t have dental insurance. Definitely not looking forward to this visit! (Maybe I should try to find some black-toothed susans to photograph.)

Happy Weekend!

PS – Who knows what tree these pods come from? Is it a pepper tree? Bear in mind, the photo was taken in Buffalo, NY:

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I love to hear from my readers. You may comment on this post, comment on my Facebook or Twitter pages, or email me at cordeliasmom2012@yahoo.com
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Image by Cordelia’s Mom/TeddyRosalie Studio

Posted in Humor, Photography, That's Life | Tagged blackeyed susans, daisies, flower, pods, summer | 10 Comments

Cordelia’s Mom Leaves Town

Posted on September 2, 2019 by cordeliasmom2012

Not really. We only went 15 miles from home (but still “away”).

It was spur of the moment. The household chores had been completed, and we just felt like taking a drive.

Chestnut Ridge Park is only a 30-40 minute drive, and the route we took avoided most of the holiday traffic. We hadn’t been there in years, and it brought back memories. Back in the day when Driver’s Ed was required in high school, I learned to drive in the Park – all those dark, tree-lined, winding roads with no shoulders! The boys would all drive too fast, with the teacher telling them to slow down already, and the girls would all drive too slow, with the teaching telling them they could go more than 5 mph already.

During the dating years and early years of marriage, hubby and I would go to the Park often; sometimes we would take my dog, Sherman – and lord knows that dog loved all those trees! After the kids arrived, we would have picnics there and let the kids run and play.

The kids loved the old water wells – at that time the pumps had handles and the kids could wear themselves out pumping water from deep within the ground. I don’t know why the handles have been removed; perhaps for health reasons? I doubt anyone cares to incur the cost and time involved in testing that water every year.

Everyone loves that huge hill where the toboggan slide is:

From the top of that hill, you can view the City of Buffalo skyline:

(Not bad for a photo taken from 15 miles away. That 35X zoom does well.)

We had left late in the day so didn’t spend a lot of time in the park. After leaving the toboggan hill, we drove around, took a few photos, and headed on our way. We hadn’t yet eaten dinner and wanted to find somewhere decent.

As we got back onto the road, a spur-of-the-moment decision was made to head into Blasdell. I grew up in Blasdell, we dated and lived in Blasdell during the early years, and knew just the place to go – Ilio DiPaolo’s Restaurant.

Many, many years ago, Ilio DiPaolo retired from wrestling and decided to go into the restaurant business. At that time, it was a basic Italian-American restaurant, and Ilio himself greeted every customer. I remember going there for our first wedding anniversary. When Ilio learned of the occasion, he stated, “I will give you my best table!” and personally escorted us to the table placed under the huge picture of him in his wrestling days – right in the middle of the restaurant.

Although Ilio is no longer with us and the restaurant has become a bit more upscale over the years, the atmosphere and congeniality remain. We arrived on a Saturday without reservations and in our go-to-the-park attire, but were welcomed as if we were family. The hostess informed us it would be a 15-20 minute wait, but then advised if we wanted seating immediately, there were tables available either in the lounge or the patio.

Initially, we opted for the lounge – but it had those really high bar stools and I had trouble boosting myself up and then was uncomfortable. Bless the hostess’ heart, she barely blinked an eye when we picked up our menus and asked if we could eat in the patio instead.

That turned out to be the best decision ever! The patio has been added within the last couple of years and is between two buildings, with an alleyway entry from the street. It’s like a European bistro (not that I’ve ever been in Europe, nor ever will be, but the atmosphere was definitely there).

The artist signature at the bottom of the large mural (Q-1 of a Kind)

We found the wrestling-themed holder amusing:

And the food was to die for – delicious, hot, abundant, and served promptly by an extremely nice young lady who obviously enjoys her job and raved about her employer. In fact, all the staff seemed to be enjoying themselves, which is always a good sign – you certainly wouldn’t want to eat at a place where everyone is miserable and stressed out.

Since it seems you can no longer visit a restaurant without posting photos of your food, here they are (one serving of lasagna and one of lobster ravioli):

When desert arrived (mango cheesecake and vanilla bean cheesecake), I was too distracted to take photos.

And then there was a little surprise.

Upon arriving, we had mentioned to the hostess that we chose the restaurant because we were celebrating the 40th anniversary of our first date and 38th anniversary of our marriage. (We had been unable to go out sooner because of my car accident.)

At the end of the meal, the waitress brought us this, compliments of the house:

Perfect way to end a wonderful day!

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I love to hear from my readers. You may comment on this post, comment on my Facebook or Twitter pages, or email me at cordeliasmom2012@yahoo.com
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Images by Cordelia’s Mom/TeddyRosalie Studio

Posted in Holidays, Photography, Relationships, Road Trips & Cars, That's Life | Tagged anniversary, Blasdell NY, Chestnut Ridge, Hamburg NY, Ilio DiPaolo's, Ilio's, Orchard Park NY, park, restaurant, TeddyRosalie Studio | 15 Comments

The Writing’s In the Sky

Posted on August 31, 2019 by cordeliasmom2012

It only took a few tries, a fair amount of cash, and lots of patience, but …

I think I have found my most-of-the-time camera. So far, I’m loving the new Nikon Coolpix A1000. Sure, the tech reviews weren’t great, but since I’m not a professional photographer, the camera does everything I need it to do, does it well, and the controls are soooo easy. The settings are nearly identical to the old Olympus, with just enough difference that there will be a very small learning curve (like, where in the heck is that macro setting?). I’m ok with that.

Searching for a new camera can be as stressful as, well, wondering who’s at the door when you’re not expecting company:

Who’s There?

And, there’s the research involved, and the need to contact others for advice:

Radio Tower

The whole buying-a-new camera process is certainly nothing to sneeze at:

Goldenrod

But if ultimately you can find a camera that suits your needs, without requiring a second mortgage on your home, it’s well worth it. Check out the photos with my new camera – and note that none of them are excessively blue (bad, bad Nikon Coolpix B700 – you have been retired unless I need that 60X zoom):

The Pond

Peaceful

The Hideout in the Woods

Peekaboo!

Shady Path

Not one of those photos required extensive editing. That makes me very happy.

Initially, I was concerned about the purple spot on the Hideout photo, but none of the prior or subsequent pictures had that, so maybe I just had my fingers too close to the lens or a sensor or maybe a speck of dust got on the lens or maybe the light was weird in that particular place (or maybe there really was something purple on the trunk of that tree which I didn’t notice before taking the photo).

One drawback with the A700, however, is that everything’s very close together; people with big fingers might find it annoying, especially when the LCD monitor blacks out just as you’re about to shoot, because your finger has gotten too close to the viewfinder sensor. I’ve learned to hold the camera more carefully and haven’t had any further issues with monitor vs. viewfinder.

It is Labor Day weekend here in the U.S. Summer will be officially over soon. Mother Nature felt a need to remind me of that:

The First Changing Leaves

Happy long weekend to those in the U.S., and happy regular weekend to everyone else. May the summer end in peace for all of us.

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Posted in Holidays, Photography, That's Life | Tagged Amherst NY, camera, Nikon Coolpix A1000, Nikon Coolpix B700, Puppy Cody, sky, summer, TeddyRosalie Studio, Walton Woods Park, woods | 19 Comments

Am I Blue? Hopefully Not

Posted on August 27, 2019 by cordeliasmom2012

Enough with the blue photos already.

I’ve mostly given up on the Nikon Coolpix B700, at least until I can have it repaired or adjusted. It still has that incredible 60X zoom, and it’s great for moon shots and bird photos, so I’m not throwing it away. And, of course, I can always use it when I really do want a photo with an artistic blue tinge. Some waterscapes and landscapes come out better that way.

As you know, I’ve been using the little Olympus point and shoot that I received as a gift a number of years back. Despite the good photos I can get with it, it’s a little frustrating to have only a 5X zoom, and trying to take macros at ground level without an adjustable LCD screen is nearly impossible for someone my age who is no longer limber. In order to take this mushroom photo, I had to set the Olympus on the ground, click the shutter button, and take my chances. I couldn’t get down to put my eye to the viewfinder and was forced to take a series of shots at different angles and distances, not knowing until afterwards if I even had the mushroom in the frame at all.

So, finally I decided to bite the bullet and took myself to a local electronics store. I researched cameras on-line and had a pretty good idea what I’d like in my price range, but I really wanted to touch the cameras and play with the menus before purchasing. I wanted to know how the camera would feel when I was carting it around the park.

I was kind of like a kid in a candy shop – all those neat cameras! I played with the two mirrorless cameras for so long that the clerk finally came over and politely asked if there was something specific he could help with. (In other words, get my hands off the merchandise unless I was serious about buying – or at least that’s what was running through my mind.)

Sure. I wanted a camera similar to the Olympus, but with a longer zoom and an LCD screen so I could set the camera lower or higher and still be able to view the image. Also, I wanted something small enough to fit in a pocket (the B700 is a bit unwieldy, especially outside).

Of course, the clerk knew exactly what I’d like (don’t they always?). He took me over to the point-and-shoots and showed me his favorite compact camera, the one he himself owns and with which he is very pleased.

My immediate reaction was: “But that’s a Nikon!” I then had to explain why I was leery of buying another Nikon. Going back and forth (and truly trying the poor guy’s patience), I played with the Canons and the Sonys and the Panasonics, but for one reason or another they simply didn’t call to me – either the zoom was too low, or they didn’t have an LCD screen that could be angled, or they were simply too large. I almost went with one of the Canons but couldn’t figure out the menu, and when I asked the clerk, he couldn’t figure it out, either.

So, I finally decided on the one camera that had a 35X zoom, an adjustable LCD screen, and a menu I already knew how to use – the Nikon Coolpix A1000. It’s a wee bit larger than I’d like, but since I wear loose jeans with large pockets, it does, in fact, fit in my pocket.