Category Archives: Wantagh

Wantagh, New York, U.S. April 22, 2020. Two fishermen fish at Mill Pond Park as dusk approaches on Earth Day. (© 2020 Ann Parry, FromLongIsland.com)

Earth Day 2020: PAUSE & Webbed Feet

From LONG ISLAND – by Ann Parry (annparry.com)
April 28, 2020

 How I spent Earth Day on Long Island

SLIDESHOW “Mill Pond Park, Earth Day 2020” with music
Click lower right corner of video to view full-screen:

Months ago, I ordered a box of 20 disposable N-95 masks. By the time they arrived, not long ago, many local first responders were short on Personal Protective Equipment and could use the masks more than I did.

After reading L.I. Herald reporter Andrew Garcia’s article on the Bellmore-Merrick EMS and how it needed PPE, I put on my makeshift face mask, grabbed the unopened box of N-95s, and drove to the not-for-profit’s nearby Bellmore HQ.

• EMT ALEX DOOLEY of Bellmore-Merrick EMS:

“Bellmore,

Bellmore, New York, U.S. April 22, 2020. EMT ALEX DOOLEY stands at entrance to Bellmore-Merrick EMS to accept PPE donation to squad. (© 2020 Ann Parry/AnnParry.com)

While dropping off the masks outside the EMS entrance door, I asked EMT ALEX DOOLEY what protective equipment donations the first responders particularly needed, other than masks, and she immediately said “gowns.”

Since dusk wasn’t far off when I left, I decided to capture Earth Day photos at a nearby South Shore park.

Normally I’d head west to Norman J. Levy Park & Preserve in Merrick, but it was closed because its sprawling trails and secluded areas weren’t social-distancing-friendly and Long Island was a major hot spot for the Covid-19 pandemic. So I instead headed east to Mill Pond Park in Wantagh.

The park borders Merrick Road, where I parked, joining two or three other cars already there, and adjusted my face mask after getting out of the car.

•  [digitally colored] Panorama of Mill Pond Park at dusk:

Wantagh, New York, U.S. April 22, 2020. Family feeds swan and geese at Mill Pond Park, as dusk approaches during Earth Day. (© 2020 Ann Parry/Ann-Parry.com)

Wantagh, New York, U.S. April 22, 2020. Family feeds swan and geese at Mill Pond Park, as dusk approaches during Earth Day. (© 2020 Ann Parry/AnnParry.com)

My iPhone 11 Pro was the best and only camera I had with me. Its 2X optical zoom helped make it possible to capture photos I otherwise couldn’t have while Governor Cuomo’s executive order “New York State on PAUSE” is in effect, currently from March 22 to May 15, 2020.

New York State on PAUSE “NY State remains on PAUSE through May 15. All non-essential workers are directed to work from home, and everyone is required to wear a face covering and maintain a 6-foot distance from others in public”


FEATURE PHOTO at top of post: Wantagh, New York, U.S.  April 22, 2020. Two fishermen wearing waders fish at Mill Pond Park on Earth Day as dusk approaches.


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Mill Pond Park 2020 Earth Day:  my PHOTO GALLERY

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Wantagh, New York, USA. February 20, 2019. Scene of split rail wood fence and beyond at Mill Pond Park on Long Island. 180 degree fisheye view, 3 digital versions.

180° Fisheye View: Mill Pond Park

From LONG ISLAND – by Ann Parry (ann-parry.com)
February 24, 2019

Wantagh, New York, USA. February 20, 2019. During snowfall, 2 swans and some mallards swim in Mill Pond Park on Long Island. 180 degree fisheye view of Nassau County public park. (© 2019 Ann Parry/Ann-Parry.com)

Wantagh, New York, USA. February 20, 2019. During snowfall, 2 swans swim in Mill Pond Park on Long Island. 180 degree fisheye view of Nassau County public park. (© 2019 Ann Parry/Ann-Parry.com)

When it started snowing Wednesday, I decided to go to a local park to test my new Nikon fisheye lens* that arrived a few days earlier. 

I’d capture 180-degree fisheye, 31-degree Fahrenheit landscapes.

Wantagh, New York, USA. February 20, 2019. Split rail wood fence and beyond at Mill Pond Park on Long Island. 180 degree fisheye view. (© 2019 Ann Parry/Ann-Parry.com)

Wantagh, New York, USA. February 20, 2019. Split rail wood fence and beyond at Mill Pond Park on Long Island. 180 degree fisheye view. (© 2019 Ann Parry/Ann-Parry.com)

Eisenhower Park, in East Meadow, with its beautiful lake and Veterans Memorial area, was too far from the pet supply store also on my itinerary, so I went south to Norman J Levy Park, in Merrick, where I found a “Park Closed Due to Weather” sign on the entrance gate. 

So I headed east to Wantagh and parked along Merrick Road near the wood gazebo at the gate-less south border of Mill Pond Park.

Wantagh, New York, USA. February 20, 2019. Snow falls at Mill Pond Park, with partly shoveled path leading to wood gazebo on Long Island. 180 degree fisheye view of Nassau County public park. (© 2019 Ann Parry/Ann-Parry.com)

Wantagh, New York, USA. February 20, 2019. Snow falls at Mill Pond Park, with partly shoveled path leading to wood gazebo on Long Island. 180 degree fisheye view of Nassau County public park. (© 2019 Ann Parry/Ann-Parry.com)

Slowly, I walked on the partly cleared path, passed the wood gazebo, and very slowly approached the snowy shore, with a pair of swans swimming nearby and a small flock of mallards further out.

*Nikon AF-S Fisheye NIKKOR 8-15mm f/3.5-4.5E ED Lens


  • fisheye lens set at 170-degrees – cropped series, swan in pond:

3 views of swan looking around on pond during snowfall at Mill Pond Park, Wantagh, NY, Feb. 20, 2019.


180-Degree (Fisheye Lens – Nature):  my Photo GALLERY

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Where the Heck is Matt? Dance-a-gram for Cleo the Cat

From LONG ISLAND – by Ann Parry (annparry.com)
October 25, 2016

For years, my family’s been a fan of Matt Harding’s “Where the Heck is Matt?” videos where he enthusiastically dances around the world. So I was intrigued when I saw that the Kickstarter campaign to fund his 2016 video included a perk to have him create a Dance-a-gram.

Hamburg, Germany, March 2016. Matt Harding dancing with fans in Marco-Polo Terrassen.

Hamburg, Germany, March 2016. Matt Harding dancing with fans in Marco-Polo Terrassen, his final stop in Europe. This is one of several postcards Matt sent as perks to many of his Kickstarter supporters.

I asked Matt to create a message about adopting animals on behalf of our family’s Cleo the Cat – the gray and white striped furball we adopted from Last Hope Animal Rescue in Wantagh, NY.

Yesterday I received Matt’s Dance-a-gram, and it’s AMAZING:

[videopress BXTOWaU3]

Matt Harding’s Dance-a-gram for our Cleo the Cat, adopted from Last Hope Animal Rescue in Wantagh, NY. (YouTube: youtu.be/mGUSaiBFekl

When I saw the first location in Matt’s Dance-a-gram is Cape Canaveral, Florida, I smiled, since I’m such a space fan and was at Kennedy Space Center in 2000 for Jim Lovell’s talk & book signing for Apollo 13.

And please remember, if you have room in your heart and home, Cleo the Cat hopes you’ll adopt a rescue animal!

Cleo the tabby cat at home on Sept. 1, 2015, after being adopted from Last Hope Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation, Wantagh, New York, USA (Ann Parry/Ann Parry, ann-parry.com)

Long Island, USA. Here’s a glimpse of Cleo the cat, which will have to do until I capture photo of her dancing for joy over Matt’s Dance-a-gram.  (© 2015 Ann Parry/Ann-Parry.com)

Official site of Last Hope Animal Rescue

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