grandkids in the summer

one of the best things about moving to willoughby is being close to my grandkids.
last weekend i had them over for an overnight and we went to the beach.
it took me two days to recover....

memories of summers long ago.

while traveling along the road, i saw this building with it's signage,
and it reminded me of summers long ago, when we would gather the family into the wood sided station wagon and drive to Niagara falls for the day.  
we may have stopped on occasion to one of these information places, as a bathroom stop i would imagine.  

 i wonder if people see this and pull into the parking lot, only to be disappointed that there is no one there to give them information?

while waiting.....

while waiting for a clear view of the summer solstice super moon,
i played with my camera and did some light drawings.

and finally the moon appeared

holden arboretum

about a month ago, just as the rhododendrons were beginning to bloom,
my friend introduced me to the holden arboretum very near to where i live.

we went after dinner, and had the grounds pretty much to ourselves.
i brought my new camera and tested it out on some lovely spring blossoms.

la perla

there is an area in san juan PR just east of El Morro.
prime real estate along the caribbean sea.

la perla.  a ghetto area on the outside edges of the
city wall.  this is how wikepedia describes the community.

La Perla is a historical community astride the northern historic city wall of Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, stretching about 650 yards (600 m) along the rockyAtlantic coast immediately east of the Santa Maria Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery and down the slope from (north of) Calle Norzagaray.

La Perla was established in the late 19th century. Initially, the area was the site of a slaughterhouse because the law required them and homes of former slaves and homeless non-white servants – as well as cemeteries – to be established away from the main community center; in this case, outside the city walls. Sometime after, some of the farmers and workers started living around the slaughterhouse and shortly established their houses there.

Because of its oceanfront, secluded location, La Perla is known for its high rate of illegal activities. In recent years, a rebirth of crime in this neighborhood has attracted international drug traders, arms dealers and narcotics distributers as a place to live.^{[citation needed]} Local Salsa and Hip Hop concerts are held each week with the intention of shedding the historically bad image of the community. Art shows and a oceanfront community arts-and-crafts fair occur yearly.

Only three access points exist, one through the "Santa Maria Magdalena Cemetery", one on the east side and one through a walkway right in the center of the northern wall. The Puerto Rico police department conducted a raid as late as July 2011, where several high profile community leaders were arrested for heroin distribution. The Drug Enforcement Agency estimates that the drug trade in La Perla is a twenty million dollar enterprise.

cruise in

today was a big event in downtown willoughby....

the annual cruise in

there were 4+ blocks totally shut down to accommodate
the classic cars, bands, and food vendors.

although i really have no interest in the cars,
i do like tight shots of the graphics, hood ornaments,
and tail lights in these vintage cars.

the red wheel chair

today as i walked by the sea, there was a red wheel chair.

just sitting there on the edge of the water.

no tracks, only footprints.

who brought it?

why was it here?

its very presence created many stories for me.

as i walked away, i looked back one more time.

the water was coming in.