Photo Of The Day: February 19, 2009

On Sandy Hook, there are miles of snow fencing. Of course, it's a bit of an anomaly, because the fences are used to hold sand, not snow. So it's always kind of fun to see a snow fence on Sandy Hook actually in the snow. For more pictures of fences, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: February 18, 2009

No visit to Sandy Hook is complete without a visit to Guardian Park. Usually, the best views are after you walk over the footbridge to the Sandy Hook Bird Observatory. But during our recent snowfall, the best view was before you even got into it -- just a few feet from the main road. For more pictures of parks, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: February 17, 2009

The walkway from Lot G to Gunnison Beach can be filled with people on a summer day. But on this day, there was not even one footprint -- making for a pristine photo. For more pictures of snow without footprints, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: February 16, 2009

Horseshoe Cove on Sandy Hook is a cove in the shape of, well, a horse shoe. After the recent snowfall, it looked beautiful as you looked from one edge of the horse shoe to the other. For more pictures of horses, and shoes, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: February 15, 2009

During the recent snowfall here in New Jersey, there was plenty of parking available in the Gunnison Beach and North Beach parking lots on Sandy Hook. For more pictures of Sandy Hook, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: February 14, 2009

Today is Valentine's Day, and I couldn't think of a better photo to share than this one. For more pictures of flowers, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: February 13, 2009

Back to the recent snowfall, here's the Visitor's Center at Sandy Hook. That funky square tower, which you see every few miles all along the New Jersey coast, is an old lifesaving station. People would sit up there and watch for ship wrecks, which happened frequently enough to warrant these towers. Of course, the tower is not used for that now, but it's still a very attractive design element. For more pictures of New Jersey, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: February 12, 2009

Today is the 200th birthday of Abraham Lincoln, so I can't think of a better photo to use than this one. For more pictures, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: February 11, 2009

I've heard of white sand, but this is ridiculous. This is from last week's snowfall on Sandy Hook. For more pictures of snow, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: February 10, 2009

We're taking a one-day break from our Sandy Hook photos today to talk about a very special person. A few years ago Jerry Gerson and his wife Jeanne arrived in the Highlands, and three years ago this month they created a completely unique coffee shop in the center of town. This coffee shop wasn't a chain; the furniture was 100% yard sale vintage; and the music was piped in from WFUV or any number of other unique internet radio stations Jerry was able to research and discover. Within weeks, The Water Witch Coffee and Tea Company became "the" go-to place for all residents -- in part because of the outstanding coffee and fresh-baked pastries, but mostly because of Jerry himself, who was a fixture in the shop, offering ongoing conversation and advice on everything from how to fix a toilet to getting a bicycle in top-flight condition. Jerry was able to relate to any one he met, no matter what their background or station in life, usually within just minutes of first meeting them.

One year ago, Jerry was diagnosed with cancer, and he fought it with such spirit that it was easy to forget the severity of his disease. But last Friday, he lost the fight. True to his style, a memorial gathering last night was followed by a reception at the coffee shop he founded. The enormity of the people who attended, squeezed body-to-body in a standing-room-only celebration of his life, was exceeded only by the enormity of Jerry's generosity, energy, kindness, and popularity. This shot was taken almost exactly a year ago during a snowfall in Highlands, when the day's very first indicator of life and warmth came from the coffee shop, founded by the person for whom life and warmth will always be synonymous.

Photo Of The Day: February 9, 2009

This shot of Sandy Hook Light, the oldest continuously operated lighthouse in the United States, looks even better when surround by snow. For more pictures of lighthouses, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: February 8, 2009

You'd think you were in Vermont when looking at this picture taken during last week's snowfall on Sandy Hook, but you're actually just steps form the ocean. For more pictures of Sandy Hook, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: February 7, 2009

Continuing with our collection of photos from last week's snowfall on Sandy Hook, here's a shot from the end of Parking Area F. The sign is barely standing up, but it casts a nice shadow and works well with the mound of sand covered in snow and the color of the horizon in the morning light. For more pictures of Sandy Hook, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: February 6, 2009

This past Tuesday, we got some real snow here on the New Jersey shore -- well, real snow as defined here, which is about 5 inches, so apologies are in order to those in New England and Spokane, Washington who have had regular 20+ inch snowfalls this year alone. When we get snow, it's just stunning, so off I went to Sandy Hook to capture it the day after. For the next several days, we'll feature shots from Wednesday's shoot. For more pictures of Sandy Hook, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: February 5, 2009

This lily flower in a pond in southern Maine made me think of a gear shifter. There's probably a market somewhere for that as an aftermarket option for some vehicle. For more pictures of lilies, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: February 4, 2009

It was pretty quiet the other night on New Jersey Transit's North Coast Line heading down the Jersey Shore. Of course, that was before the track was announced and the car was inundated with commuters. For more pictures of transportation, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: February 3, 2009

In honor of the Pittsburgh Steelers' victory in Super Bowl XLIII, New York City decided to light the Empire State Building in the Steelers' yellow and black colors on Monday as a tribute to their very successful season. I wasn't in New York to see it up close, so I had to use a pretty powerful lens to grab this closeup from my house. The colors appeared when dusk fell at about 5:30, and lasted until the lights were turned off at midnight, as they are each night. That shorter gold-topped building right in front is the New York Life building, and its gold color is only coincidental to the purposeful yellow color of the Empire State Building. For more pictures of the New York as seen from the Jersey Shore, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: February 2, 2009

One of the nice things about living on the Jersey shore is that you can see the cruise ships as they leave New York City. I haven't seen one in a while, possibly because they sail less in the winter than in the summer, when I've seen five ships within a 90 minute period. So it was a treat to see one yesterday. Even better, with the sun setting when it does this time of year, the ship was beautifully lit -- it was dark enough to see the lights, and light enough to see the shape and detail of the ship as seen here. For more pictures of cruise ships, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: February 1, 2009

The Miami skyline is gorgeous and visible from a number of vantage points. But sometimes, even just four of its buildings grouped together make a nice cityscape, too, as seen here. For more pictures of Miami, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: January 31, 2009

A furnace is very nice this time of year, but this one isn't to heat people -- it's to melt glass, at the Sandwich Glass Museum on Cape Cod. For more pictures of Cape Cod, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: January 30, 2009

St. John in the United States Virgin Islands has miles of empty beaches. They're empty in part because the population is not terribly large -- just 4,000, making it even smaller than Highlands, NJ. They're also empty because to get to many of the beaches, you have to hike over rocky coasts in ankle deep water to get to them. Here's one such empty beach just east of Fish Bay. For more pictures of St. John, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: January 29, 2009

Today is a monumental day in the pattern of seasons. Today the mean low temperature goes up one degree. It doesn't necessarily mean that you'll be warmer today than yesterday. But given the averages of the past, it means that we are officially coming out of the trough of winter and moving in a positive direction. So I thought I'd remind you what we're in store for -- eventually. For more pictures of summer, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: January 28 2009

There's something about a fence receding into the distance that makes you have a whole new perspective on things. This snow fence was taken in Cape Cod. For more pictures of fences, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: January 27, 2009

On a cold day like this, there's nothing like a cup of authentic Cuban coffee. The only irony is that Cuban coffee is generally available where it's already warm, like this cup, which was served in Little Havana in Miami. For more pictures of coffee, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: January 26, 2009

When the snow and cold get you down, it's easy to really dislike the winter weather. But that all changes when you see a sunrise coming up over a January field, bathing it in a beautiful color. For more pictures of sunrises, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: January 25, 2009

One of the beauties of farmland is seeing crops, planted all parallel to each other, receding into the distance to provide a beautiful perspective. This scene was further enhanced by the row of trees behind it, which framed it all up nicely. And the blue sky didn't hurt anything, either. For more pictures of farmland, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: January 24 2009

This pelican had to work late, but nonetheless made it home just in time for dinner. For more pictures of animals, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: January 23, 2009

Miami Beach has hotels in many different areas. Some of the most famous are on Ocean Drive and the southern part of Collins Avenue, where the distinctive art deco style exists. But further north on Collins Avenue, much larger hotels start to appear, such as this one. For more pictures of Miami Beach, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: January 22, 2009

I'm not a big fan of cold winter weather, but sometimes there's immense beauty that results from it. This shot was taken through the window of my house at sunrise. The orange color is from the sunrise, and the design you see is ice. For more pictures of ice, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: January 21, 2009

The sun is at an unusal angle this time of year, which provides different -- but still spectacular -- sunsets here on Sandy Hook, as seen here in this example. For more photos of Sandy Hook, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: January 20, 2009

Manhattan can look good any time of the year. But in the winter months, the sun is at an angle that provides a perfect picture from my home here on the Jersey Shore. Here's how it looked earlier this week at sunset, with Sandy Hook and Brooklyn in the foreground. For more pictures of New York City, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: January 19, 2009

On Sunday, the temperature rose again above freezing, getting us out of our frigid predicament. Here's a shot from the same time a few years ago when Sandy Hook Bay froze. The shot is taken from one of the two ferry docks that carry passengers to New York, looking at the other dock. Most interesting, in addition to the fact that you could literally "walk on water" to get from one to the other, is the incredible texture created by the frozen water as it get pushed into new forms from the expansion caused by freezing water. For more pictures of docks, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: January 18, 2009

Yesterday the temperature here on the New Jersey shore hit a three-year low -- 5 degrees. It's already having an impact on the local rivers and bays. Here's a shot of Sandy Hook Bay from several years ago when it last froze -- all the way across to Sandy Hook. For more pictures of frozen water, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: January 17, 2009

Vancouver Island has a huge range of environments in its 12,000+ square mile space. Among other things are a number of rain forests. In one, it is so damp that the moss, literally, hangs from the tree, as seen here. For more photos of Vancouver Island, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: January 16, 2009

What makes it worth getting up early enough to get the 5:55 AM boat to New York? Getting this view just as dawn is approaching when pulling out of Pier 11 on the way to the East 35th Street dock. Not only is the balance between the approaching light and the electricity of the city a perfect complement to each other, but the sun rising over the East River casts a wonderful reflective gold light on the lower part of the reflective buildings, which higher up are still capturing the blue sky not yet converted by the sun. For more photos of New York, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: January 15, 2009

Bougainvillea is always a pretty flower, but it usually has some color -- a magenta, pink, or even orange. But this one was white, which made for a very classy look and a nice contrast against the green leaves. For more pictures of flowers, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: January 14, 2009

Mary had a little lamb and his fleece was, well, spotted. This newborn comes from a farm in upstate New York. For more pictures of animals, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: January 13, 2009

One of the nice things about the dolphins at Miami Seaquarium is that after they do a great flip for the ever appreciative audience, as shown yesterday, they come by to discuss their technique and ask for constructive criticism. At least that's what it looked like this dolphin was doing here. For more pictures of dolphins, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: January 12, 2009

Building on yesterday's Photo of the Day, here's another shot of a dolphin, but not taken in New Jersey. This was taken at the Seaquarium in Miami, where you'll see acrobatics from dolphins like you've never seen anywhere else. Here's just one example. For more pictures of dolphins, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: January 11, 2009

NBC News had a piece this week on the dolphins here at the Jersey Shore. On Father's Day, 2008, 16 dolphins swam all the way up Sandy Hook Bay to visit, and some have never left. Three have died, eight are unaccounted for and presumed to have returned to the ocean, but five are still around, frolicking, although thinner. I last saw them in person about two weeks ago, and on the next sunny day will venture out again. It's harder to follow them because they are very transitory -- one day they'll be right here in my town at the Highlands bridge, and the next day they'll be several miles up another river in neighboring Rumson. In the meantime, I thought I'd dust off one of the shots I took earlier in the season. For more photos of dolphins, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: January 10, 2009

For the final shot from my recent shoot in Maine, I've saved the simplest for last -- a clean shot of the sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean. For more pictures of sunrises, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: January 9, 2009

Here's another shot of the Ram Island Ledge Lighthouse in Maine -- up close and personal so you can see the iron pier that abuts it. For more pictures of lighthouses, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: January 8, 2009

Sometimes, the comparatively cold, snowy and rocky coast of Maine can seem inhospitable. That is, until you catch it during the best light of the day. In a glance, you are transformed to a feel of cool, crisp refreshment that even a beer manufacturer would envy. For more pictures of Maine, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: January 7, 2009

If you want to take a shot of the sun rising over Portland Head Light, you have a pretty limited window -- the angle of the sun is dependent on the time of year, and it's just around the solstice when you can get a nice shot that includes the lighthouse, building, and the sun rising over the Atlantic Ocean. Worth getting up in the dark in four-degree weather? To me it is, when this is the result. For more pictures of lighthouses, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: January 6, 2009

If you want privacy, there's nothing like a house on the end of an island with no other people on it, such as this one near Cape Elizabeth, Maine. For more pictures of islands, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: January 5, 2009

Any sunrise looks good, but it's even nicer when it's rising over water, and the water is punctuated by jutting rocks -- something found frequently in Maine. For more pictures of Maine, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: January 4, 2009

The Ram Island Ledge Lighthouse sits about a mile offshore from Portland Head near the entrance to Portland Harbor. Surrounded by dangerous ledges, shipwrecks happened with unusual frequency in the 1800s. So in 1902, Congress appropriated funds for the building of a lighthouse on Ram Island Ledge. Work began in 1903 and was completed in July 1904, complicated by the fact that the base of the lighthouse could be built only at low tide.For more pictures of lighthouses, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: January 3, 2009

I was up in Maine over the holidays to add some winter shots to my Maine gallery, and decided to get up in the dark of night to catch the first light of the day. There were some nice results, which we'll feature this week. This one is of Portland Head Light. For more pictures of Maine, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: January 2, 2009

Well, you learn something new every day. For years I've been shooting Cape Cod, and I have a range of shots of Pilgrim Monument, a commemoration to the Pilgrims' first landfall in the New World. In fact, I posted a fresh photo of it just about a month ago. But this week I finally had a chance to see the latest James Bond film, Quantum of Solace. As the film opened, it showed a scene of Siena, Italy -- and there was the Pilgrim Monument. I couldn't believe my eyes. So I did some research and found that the Pilgrim Monument was designed by Willard T. Sears after the Torre del Mangia in Siena, Italy, which was designed by Arguolo and Agostino in 1309. In other words, Sears simply copied the original that was designed 600 years earlier. Here's a shot I took of the monument, along with an inserted comparison shot of the original monument, kindly provided by Steve Soper, who manages a comprehensive site about Siena, Italy found here. For more shots of Pilgrim Monument,, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: January 1, 2009

Happy New Year! For more pictures of fireworks, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.