InsideJourneys

Manhattanhenge, 2011

Posted on June 4, 2011June 12, 2011 by Marcia Mayne

What's Manhattanhenge? As you may know, the city of Manhattan is laid out in a grid pattern. Twice a year, when the sun sets, it aligns perfectly with the east-west grid of certain main streets: 14th, 23rd, 34th, 42nd and 57th Streets. During Manhattanhenge, a viewer on one of these streets can watch the sun setting directly opposite in New Jersey. Astrophysicist, Neil deGrasse Tyson of the American Museum of Natural History is credited with popularizing this phenomena. This year,…

Weekly Photo Challenge: Numbers

Posted on June 3, 2011July 10, 2011 by Marcia Mayne

I wasn't sure I had photos for this week's challenge but I know now not to dismiss the challenge before looking through my collection. Sure enough, I found several photos. So here are my photos and my thoughts on numbers. Numbers follow us everywhere we go. When we're born, our birth announcements include the dates and times of birth and the number of pounds we weighed. Even our names can be reduced to a number. Mine's 5. Do you know…

Tasty Thursdays: Gazpacho

Posted on June 2, 2011August 2, 2013 by Marcia Mayne

When the weather turns hot, all I want to do is drink - water, mostly - and eat light, very light. One of my favorite light meals is gazpacho, a cold soup that I was introduced to in Spain, that is made from fresh tomatoes and chopped raw vegetables. It's my summer meal lifesaver. This recipe that I found on spain-recipes.com comes closest to the way I make mine. Traditional Gazpacho Soup [caption id="attachment_5912" align="alignleft" width="296"] Cold tomato soup[/caption] …

Random Sunsets

Posted on June 1, 2011July 10, 2011 by Marcia Mayne

Sometimes an idea sparks a new blog post. Other times, a photo does. Like this one from Cape May, New Jersey. [caption id="attachment_4054" align="aligncenter" width="559" caption="Cape May"][/caption] Looking at it made me realize that I'm always taking photos of sunsets and sunrises. [caption id="attachment_4056" align="aligncenter" width="590" caption="Cape Point, SA"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_4058" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_4057" align="aligncenter" width="574" caption="Durban Sunrise"][/caption] Enjoy!

Five Things to Do in Newark, NJ

Posted on May 31, 2011July 10, 2011 by Marcia Mayne

Located across the Hudson River, Newark is the largest city in New Jersey and the third oldest of the major cities in the United States. Not a typical or popular tourist destination, Newark has plenty to offer. With a population of more than 270,000, it is one of the state's most ethnically diverse cities with African-Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, Asians, etc. A significant Brazilian and Portuguese population is concentrated in the Ironbound district, also called "Little Portugal." Ironbound is known…

Memorial Day Cartoon

Posted on May 30, 2011June 12, 2011 by Marcia Mayne

[caption id="attachment_4049" align="aligncenter" width="501" caption="John Cole, The Scranton Times-Tribune"][/caption] John Cole at The Scranton Times-Tribune says it better than I ever could. Thanks Mr. Cole. Thanks for sharing, Sandi!

It’s Memorial Day

Posted on May 30, 2011July 15, 2011 by Marcia Mayne

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Image via Wikipedia"][/caption] Memorial Day is the day set aside to remember the those men and women who have died for this country. Personally, I'm conflicted about war but I'm clear about this: It isn't the war, it's the people - fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, uncles, aunts and cousins - who matter. They matter because of the sacrifice they make. I visited to Arlington National Cemetery twice when I lived in Washington, D.C. The first thing…

Soulful Sundays: Aretha Franklin

Posted on May 29, 2011July 10, 2011 by Marcia Mayne

I've been an Aretha Franklin fan for a long time. I thought I had heard every song she's sung. [caption id="attachment_5727" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Aretha Franklin - photo courtesy of clashmusic.com"][/caption] One morning, I heard a DJ mention an Aretha song that, in his estimation, was one of her best. But, he added, wasn't as well known as her others. He played the song and I had to agree. It was Ain't No Way. I went out that same day and…

Weekly Photo Challenge: Water

Posted on May 28, 2011July 10, 2011 by Marcia Mayne

Sometimes, the best photos are the ones imprinted on our minds. They capture more than just the images. That thought was in my mind as I looked through my collection to select the photos for this week's Weekly Photo Challenge. There's an image related to water that I wish I had captured on film so I could share. [caption id="attachment_3989" align="aligncenter" width="480" caption="Fountain at the Louvre - Maynephoto"][/caption] Some people can't live without the mountains, I can't live without water.…

May 28th, Start of Beach Season

Posted on May 27, 2011July 15, 2011 by Marcia Mayne

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Image via Wikipedia"][/caption] Memorial Day weekend marks the official/unofficial start of summer and tomorrow, May 28th, kicks off beach season. And not a moment too soon. It's been a long and brutal winter in the Northeast and I, for one, am ready for some sea and sun! The best part about being in this area is that most of the beaches are accessible via public transportation: subways or train, whether the Long Island Railroad or New…