Tag Archives: night

Photo Illustration: Cammanns Pond in Merrick, New York, USA, © Ann Parry, FromLongIsland.com

Cammanns Pond: Or, New Year’s Eve in Space

From LONG ISLAND – by Ann Parry (ann-parry.com)
December 31, 2018

Cammanns Pond

Tonight, ten days after the shortest day of the year, and hours before the stormy last hurrah of 2018 would become the dawn of 2019, I stopped at Cammanns Pond on my way home.

Struggling through the downpour, the light from the street lamp behind me surrendered before reaching water’s edge.

Merrick, NY, USA. Dec. 31, 2018. A raft of ducks sleeps hidden at Cammanns Pond during rainy New Year's Eve. (© 2018 Ann Parry/Ann-Parry.com)

Merrick, NY, USA. Dec. 31, 2018. A raft of ducks sleeps hidden at Cammanns Pond during rainy New Year’s Eve. (© 2018 Ann Parry/Ann-Parry.com)

Rain coated the windshield seconds after each sweep of wipers, and dashboard lights bounced on the glass and water, so my bullseye view was light from distant buildings slashing an abyss.

But, after countless visits, I knew waterfowl must be near. Once my eyes adjusted to the darkness and I covered the instrument lights with an infinity scarf, I saw hints of a silent, nearly still raft of ducks midway between shores.

Aiming my iPhone from the space between steering wheel and windshield, I captured rain smeared photos of two bare trees standing sentinel in front of the pond.

Going outside, I stood behind one tree trunk then the other, to avoid throwing a shadow, and leaned out to take photos of the ducks, pond, shores and beyond.

Shores & beyond

Then I sat silent and still in my car as ducks slept at the Merrick pond, on the deluged south shore of Long Island…

on the northeast coast of the United States on Earth as it orbited the Sun, in a spiral arm of the Milky Way, in the Virgo Supercluster…

as we made our way in the universe this New Year’s Eve…

forty years after the world understood global warming and still had a chance to avoid the extreme, destructive weather Earth’s now experiencing due to the climate crisis.

No home is an island.



• NASA: Global Climate Change Resources
• Bloomberg: Climate Changed
• NYTimes: Losing Earth: The Decade We Almost Stopped Climate Change
• United Nations: Environment, Disasters & Climate Change


fyi fLI
In 1890 Hermann Cammann bought the Carmen farm house property on the north side of Merrick Road and rebuilt a larger version of the house, across from where Cammanns Park is now.


Cammanns Pond:  PHOTO GALLERY

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Bellmore Friday Night Car Shows 1

From LONG ISLAND – by Ann Parry (annparry.com)
August 8, 2015

Each spring I look forward to the return of Bellmore Friday Night Car Shows. The crowds bustling around hundreds of classic, custom, and antique cars at the Bellmore LIRR station parking lot have such friendly energy.

    • UPDATE: see 2019 Schedule for Friday Night Car Shows at end
Bellmore, New York, USA. 7th August 2015. Groups of people are at 1957 Chevrolet muscle car, with a blower (supercharger air compressor) sticking out through hole in hood, and American Dream written under the front grill, and parked under the elevated train tracks at the Friday Night Car Show held at the Bellmore Long Island Railroad Station Parking Lot. (Ann Parry/Ann Parry, ann-parry.com)

Bellmore, NY, USA. August 7, 2015. 1957 Chevrolet muscle car is American Dream at the Friday Night Car Show held at the Bellmore Long Island Rail Road Station Parking Lot. (© 2015 Ann Parry/Ann-Parry.com)

On May 29, perhaps the hardest-to-miss custom car was a black 1992 Mazda Convertible belonging to PHIL ZIRKULI, a Baldwin UFSD Art Teacher,  who was drawing colorful designs with chalk paint on his car. Zirkuli explained he decorates his car to draw attention to the importance of art education.

Bellmore, New York, USA. May 29, 2015. PHIL ZIRKULI, a Baldwin Art Teacher, is free-hand drawing colorful designs with chalk paint on his black 1992 Mazda Convertible at the Friday Night Car Show held at the Bellmore Long Island Railroad Station Parking Lot. Zirkuli explained he decorates his car to draw attention to the importance of art education. Hundreds of classic, antique, and custom cars are generally on view at the free weekly show, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce of the Bellmores, from May to early October. (Ann Parry/Ann Parry, ann-parry.com)

Bellmore, NY, USA. May 29, 2015. PHIL ZIRKULI, a Baldwin Art Teacher, draws colorful designs on his black 1992 Mazda Convertible at the Friday Night Car Show held at the Bellmore Long Island Railroad Station Parking Lot.  (© 2015 Ann Parry/Ann-Parry.com

One of my favorite classic cars that spring night was a black 1965 Shelby Cobra 427 roadster racing car. When I asked why there was a thin wire attaching each Tri-Wing Knock Off to its wheel, I learned the safety wire prevents the Knock Off, aka Wingnut or Spinner, from flying into other cars if it comes off during races.

Bellmore, New York, USA. 12th June 2015. Owner Grey Cherveny, of Bay Shore, is standing at the open trunk of his modified yellow 2003 Corvette 50th Anniversary model, with Lamborghini doors (AKA vertical scissors doors and Lambo doors) and chrome trim added, an award winning car displayed at the Friday Night Car Show held at the Bellmore Long Island Railroad Station Parking Lot. Hundreds of classic, antique, and custom cars were on view at the free weekly show, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce of the Bellmores. (Ann Parry/Ann Parry, ann-parry.com)

Bellmore, NY, USA. 12th June 2015. Owner Grey Cherveny at his modified yellow 2003 Corvette 50th Anniversary model at Friday Night Car Show held at Bellmore LIRR Station Parking Lot. (© 2015 Ann Parry/Ann-Parry.com

On June 12th, I enjoyed speaking with GREY CHERVENY, from Bay Shore, about his yellow 2003 Corvette 50th Anniversary model, with Lamborghini doors and chrome trim under the hood to reflect the motor. He proudly told me how, though he’s just recently started going to car shows with his modified Vette, it’s already appeared in Newsday, plus won an award.

Bellmore Friday Night Car Shows are great family fun. In fact, that late May night I unexpectedly ran into my older daughter’s family – including my grandson who excitedly shouted out “Train!” and pointed up from his stroller to the overhead tracks each time an LIRR train roared past.

Bellmore, New York, USA. 7th August 2015. JIMMY STELLAS, of Freeport, is standing in front of his War Bonnet Yellow 1969 Corvette Stingray, at the Friday Night Car Show held at the Bellmore Long Island Railroad Station Parking Lot. Hundreds of classic, antique, and custom cars were on view at the free weekly show, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce of the Bellmores. In front of Stellas is a Riverside Gold 1972 Stingray Vette. (Ann Parry/Ann Parry, ann-parry.com)

Bellmore, NY, USA. 7th August 2015. JIMMY STELLAS, of Freeport, stands in front of his War Bonnet Yellow 1969 Corvette Stingray, at the Friday Night Car Show held at the Bellmore LIRR Station Parking Lot. At right is a Riverside Gold 1972 Stingray Vette. ( © 2015 Ann Parry/Ann-Parry.com)

Because I linger at each car that catches my eye – aiming to learn about the car and capture images that do it justice – I usually have time to catch only a small portion of the classic, antique, and custom cars each visit.

These free weekly shows are co-sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce of the Bellmores and the Town of Hempstead, and run through to the first week in October. I look forward to returning for many more laps around the parking lot.

WEEKLY MEETS:

6 PM–10 PM, early in May until first week of October (weather permitting)  bellmorechamber.com  (516) 679-1875

Bellmore LIRR parking lot on Sunrise Highway (between Bellmore Ave. & Bedford Ave.)


UPDATES – 2019 Schedule

Weekly Friday meets from MAY 3 to OCT. 4, 2019, from 6 PM -10 PM (weather permitting)

Bellmore Car Show posts:  #1  (2015)   #2 • 2017    #3 • 2018


My Auto event galleries: CARS

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