Skip to main content

Van Saun Park. Paramus, New Jersey. Fall Colors. 2012.

Well, it is that time of the year again when Van Saun County Park becomes ablaze with colors. I was thinking the other day, wondering what is my favorite month. The truth is, I don't truly know. Never given it a serious thought. Certainly, it wouldn't be January or February. Those months remind me of stiff and desiccated corpses in their dank graves. Deep Winter months have no juice, tinged with gray, and stone cold. I love the Summer months for the heat and the extended hours of sunlight, but not much color. It must be October then. The most beautiful weather in the year occur in the Fall, particularly in October.  My birthday is in October, and I am beginning to treat that day extra specially just like in my younger years. However, it is not for the gifts but for scoring one more against Father Time. The height of the Fall colors comes around mid-October in the New york/New Jersey area, at or around the 40th latitude North. As a bonus, I get a holiday in October, Columbus Day, although it isn't kosher anymore to celebrate his day. 

And so yesterday, I found myself walking the park taking photos with my Nikon DSLR D90. Taking photos at the park has become a yearly ritual for me. I can't just let it go by, and not record it. 

Earlier in the day, I went to the Bergen County Camera in Westwood to see what's up with their used equipment and ended up purchasing a Nikkor-S Auto 50mm F1.4 lens. This lens goes back to the 1960/70s when it was the flagship lens of Nikon. The 50mm F1.4 came with most of the Nikon film cameras sold back then. This lens is considered a dinosaur, lacking the automation and electronics that come with today's DSLRS. But, no one said that the clarity of the lens is inferior. It is just operated manually, meaning you set the focus and approximate the F-stop (exposure). It's refreshing to do the work yourself.

In about a week or two, I'd be out there again. So, here are the photos I took from yesterday, click to enlarge:










Comments

Catherine said…
Lovely photos, thanks for sharing. My favorite place in the park is where they have those little bridges and curvy pathways. It's such a magical place.

You know I should consider Bergen County Camera for my next camera. Why am I so programmed to go to Best Buy for that? Will check them out.

Happy Birthday too!
Ted Teodoro said…
Hi Catherine... It's nice to share with you a love for Van Saun Park. It surely is the park on the top of my list. And thanks for he birthday greeting. I will be 55 this Friday. Bergen Camera is great with service and advice, but they have higher prices than Best Buy and the NYC camera stores.

Popular posts from this blog

Three Members of the Philippine Shooting Team and the Killing of Protected Philippine Wildlife

When a member of the animal or plant kingdom goes extinct, there will be no second chances. Evolution will simply not repeat itself. There are reportedly eighty bird species that are unique to the Philippines and many of them have already made it to the endangered list. And we, to a great extent, have indiscrimate hunting to thank for it. In spite of two national laws protecting Philippine animals, the carnage continues unabated. The killings could occur as arbitrarily as guys getting together for macho time, or as a result of a well-planned hunting trip involving speed boats, bird callers, and camouflaged outfits. Either way, the outcome is the same. Philippine wildlife, our natural treasures, inches closer to a state of irreparable vacancy. Not too long ago, we learned about the Bacolod Air Rifle Club (BARC) whose unbridled killing of Philippine birds and ducks became the subject of an online petition calling for immediate government intervention. My post on that most disturbing c...

William Baber, Tennessee Vet Gone Bad.

Euthanasia is suppose to be merciful. When William Baber had his way, it was far from it. Baber used the very cruel " heart stick " method minus the sedation. This means that the animals could spend as long as 30 agonizing minutes before death actually occurred. Undercover video showed that William Baber even stepped on the animals to immobilize them for the injection. Do I sound like I am describing an executioner and not a veterinarian? Very sad, isn't it? The video showed dogs’ tails visibly wagging and cats are flailing before they’re given the lethal injection . "It’s just a horrible, horrible way for an animal to die,” said former euthanasia technician June McMahon. Tennessian.com reported that " still conscious, the cats were described by inmates as 'going wild' after being placed in a container, with as many as 10-15 of them being dumped on top of each other in a 'cruel manner,' authorities allege.These animals were allegedly placed ...

Ringling Bros. Elephant Acts to be Abolished. Nothing to be Excited About. March 2014.

This is today's big news. It is all over the newspapers. Different animal rights organizations have made their respective announcements. Many people, particularly animal right advocates are celebrating.  No reason to celebrate, sorry If you believe that Ringling can commit an act that benefits their enslaved animals, any animal for that matter, I have a tall building on 34th Street to sell you. Altruism is not the motivating factor, but their profits. Why three years from now? If they have the money to keep the elephants for three more years, they certainly have the money to release them to sanctuaries NOW. It's a ploy to lull AR groups into a state of complacency, and e ase up on the pressure.  I don't think that will happen. The AR groups will persists simply because elephants are not the only enslaved animals in circuses. All of them have to be sent home for us to truly celebrate a victory. As for now, Ringling will tread water and watch if their image will recov...