The Other Side

The Other Side ©2012 - A road trip through southern New Jersey a couple of weeks ago yielded another abandoned property just days from annihilation judging from the amount of heavy equipment waiting in the wings.  Located on Rt 130 just outside of Bordentown, there were 5 buildings total- a main house, a large barn like structure and several smaller ones.  This smaller one intrigued me with it's roof sloping in the middle like the back of an aging horse while the fingers of the bare branches on the left seemed to be reaching to open the white door.  What I think drew me most to this composition though, was the broken fence.  The posts on each side frame the little building as the top rail splits into the image like a dagger aimed for it's heart.  Taking in the scene, the blackbird must be contemplating what could be on "the other side" of the fence, or maybe "the other side" of the door.

All the Comforts of Home

I captured this image (minus the car, moon, and birds) a few months ago in Eatontown New Jersey while driving home from a trip to Atlantic City.  The old motel signs always conjure nostalgic memories of childhood family vacations and, since they are fast disappearing, I try to document the ones I run across.  I added the rising moon as it seems that was the time of day my father would always begin looking for a place to stay the night during our road trips.  After adding the birds, some textures and different filters to achieve the mood I wanted, it was still missing something.  I began digging through old family photos and found my father's beloved 1949 Plymouth that he restored in the early 1970s.  Perfect!  Just the element I needed along with the color TV, phones and pool for "All the Comforts of Home".