Just got back from a weekend in the Lancaster, PA area with friends. Downtown Lancaster has a lot going on these day, including a growing art community. There is, of course, a main drag expressway (Rt. 30) with every store and outlet store imaginable cutting a path through the sprawling farmland of Pennsylvania Dutch country on either side. I made this photograph with a very long lens on a misty Sunday morning. (The telephoto lens allows me to be pretty far away.) Although I've never had one tell me in person, I hear The Amish don't like having their picture taken. Maybe I should have asked the hard-working horse.

OK. Now that I look at them all together, maybe it wasn't the greatest idea to combine these four images of recent food-related assignments. Clockwise, from top left, Very Berry Bread Pudding French Toast from The Brothers Moon in Hopewell, NJ, A glass of beer from River Horse Brewery doubles as a tasting-size cup of chili at the Chili Cook-Off 2008 held at Ocasions in Union Square, New Hope, Traditional Iranian food on display at Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Princeton and a Polenta festival at Dorothea's House in Princeton, NJ.

Rider University cheerleaders make an appearance in a sports action photo from a men's basketball game where Rider's record-holding rebounder #1 Jason Thompson outreaches Loyola's #13 Dan Ficke for a pass.


Kiara Thomas, 5, joins with the adults to sing "This Little Light of Mine" at services today at Westminster Presbyterian Church where Hannukah, Three Kings Day and Kwanzaa were all celebrated.

From left, Stacie Carr, Julie Coston & David Croft run across the Trenton Makes Bridge from Trenton into Morrisville at dawn on their morning loop which starts in front of Sacred Heart Church on S Broad St in Trenton. The three are part of a new Trenton running club. I enjoyed chasing them around (in my car) at the crack of dawn for one day.

I got them coming and going.

Trenton firefighters douse the back roof of the site of a house fire at 38 Chestnut St. in Trenton in frigid weather.

Kim Davis, holds a shivering "Mittens", one of her cats which was rescued by Trenton Firefighters from the fire.

This is what 96 looks like, at least if you're Elsie Davis, born in Asbury Park, currently resideing in Trenton with her daughter. She was quoted in a story about New Jersey trying to be the first state to officially apologize for slavery. She is descended from slaves. Elsie has had 12 children and can still go up and down steps by herself but told me that after raising all those children, she feels like these days she has nothing to do. It was interesting to hear her perspective. She's thankful every day she wakes up, yet she indicated that she would be alright with it if it was over, only hoping that she would pass peacefully in her sleep.

With this run in the first quarter, Philadelphia Eagles RB Brian Westbrook set the franchise record for yardage in a single season.

With this catch, he broke the franchise single-season record for receptions. (He's even a good blocker, too.)

Here's the punter Sav Rocca making a big tackle on a guy trying to make a big return on one of his punts.

He even gave him a little push back down after the tackle to rub salt in the wound. (Punters aren't supposed to be this tough, but Rocca is a former Australian rules footballer. BTW, there's another picture of him making a tackle on last week's post. Scroll down to Thursday, December 20th.)

As another season comes to an end, my shooting partner Martin Griff loads his cameras into the trunk of his Toyota Echo. Martin also writes a ski column for The Times and blogs on the subject. You can find it on http://www.nj.com/. Look for the blogs and scroll down to the bottom of the list to find his. (They save the best for last.) Update: You could just go right here: http://blog.nj.com/skiing/

Merry Christmas 2007!

Here's Santa (aka John Krug) with Madison Ritter, 2 1/2 months, of Lawrenceville, NJ.


The next images are from a massice computer-controlled display of holiday lights at the home of Paul Wolf, also of Lawrenceville. If you've ever stood in the middle of a Chrsitmas Tree and looked straight up, you know this view.

Here's a small part of the electrical wiring!

Paul Wolf walks the line looking for burnt-out bulbs.

Daughter Joanna Wolf, 10, helps keep the display running.

By nightfall, everything is ready.