A Snap, A Set and A Song - Jacaranda

It's time once again to join with Thea for A Snap, A Set and A Song.

The theme this week is Jacaranda. (Yeah, I had the same reaction!)

Jacaranda  (/ˌdʒækəˈrændə/) is a genus of 49 species of flowering plants in the family Bignoniaceae, native to tropical and subtropical regions of Central America, South America (especially Brazil and Argentina), Cuba, Hispaniola and the Bahamas. It has been  introduced to Australia, New Zealand, India, Fiji, Portugal and parts of Africa. The genus name is also used as the common name.

So no, I have never seen a Jacaranda tree let alone had the opportunity to photograph any. But the thing that strikes you right away is the color. (You can go to Thea's site and see it.) Here in the northeast US our trees are displaying amazing colors as well, just different. And that brings me to this week's theme.

The Snap

The Set

The Song

Fall at the Pond

It has been a beautiful Fall season here in the northeast, and yesterday I went to one of my favorite spots here on Staten Island to photograph some of that beauty. Have a look.

A Snap, A Set and a Song - Birthday

After a wonderful week at Walt Disney World, followed by a few days to recover, it is time to join with Thea for A Snap, A Set and a Song. This week's theme is Birthday.

The Snap

This is pretty good timing for this theme as my twin grandsons just turned three at the beginning of the month.

The Set

This week we have a set of two videos. Each year for their birthday, I create a video of the boys' year just passed. Here are the videos from year one and year two.

The Song

And, naturally, we finish off with this year's video, featuring (appropriately enough) Randy Newman's You've Got a Friend in Me from Toy Story.

A Snap, A Set and A Song - Park

This week I asked Thea (A Snap, A Set and A Song) if she would decide on the theme early in the cycle since as you read this I am at the beginning of a long anticipated vacation. I was away last week and unable to participate so I wanted to get this one done before I went away again. She picked the theme - Park. Immediately my mind went in one direction, as I am currently in a place with four of the most amazing (theme) parks in the world. Yet, Park evokes many definitions, and three came immediately to mind. This post will deal with two of them.

The Snap

This is Willowbrook Park here on Staten Island, one of my favorite places to go to take photos, and relax. This shot was taken as the leaves were just starting to turn at the end of summer.

The Set

Another synonym for "park" is playground. As you see in this set, we often take the grandtwins to Willowbrook Park to see/feed the ducks, or take a walk in the woods. But there is also a playground in the park which they enjoy. Well, they enjoy many playgrounds.

The Song

While we are on the "playground" definition of this week's theme, I will go way back to my own youth. In fact I was five years old when I first heard this song. It was on an album (do you remember those?) of children's songs. I loved that album as a kid and still do ... yes it is on my iPhone!

Friday Favorite - Mountain Sunrise

Today we start taking part in a newly formed blog hop with Thea at The Happy Shutterbug - Friday Favorite. (Sorry Thea, but since I am in the US the extra "u" had to go!) Each week I will share a favorite photo. How about joining in and sharing your photo as well. Just visit The Happy Shutterbug and find out how to add your photo.

This week's favorite is a shot I took a few days ago while visiting a friend in the Pocono Mountains.

If you would like the to see more photos from this set, along with the technical data, head on over to Gathered Images and have a look.