For the past five days I've been visiting my wife's family on the north shore of Long Island. I haven't written much during the visit, but I've been thinking a lot and jotting down lots of ideas. I've also been taking quite a few photos, which I'd like to share. Most of my trip was spent within a stone's throw of Long Island Sound. The temperature ranged from the 40's to the low 60's and the wind was often gusty. Here is a shot of Long Island Sound in the early evening. This is looking north toward Connecticut from Long Island. During the day, flocks of geese will honk and fly in formation, more or less. One of my favorite things to do out east is to spot horseshoe crab shells. The crabs themselves are large (about two feet long including the tail), majestic and ancient creatures. How ancient? They've been around for more than more than 400 million years in pretty much the same form as we see them today. In other words, if you could be transported back in time to spot each of the various types of dinosaur, you would always be able to see horseshoe crabs that look just like these. Here is a lot more about these creatures from Wikipedia. Fall is that time of year for many living things to go into dormancy. This is certainly true of many types of trees. It is true of apple trees, for instance. I took this photo at Richter's Apple orchard. The apples have been harvested, and the Richter family, who has owned this orchard since 1938, is still busy selling mouth-watering apples of many varieties. It is only in the Fall that one can spot the intricacies of the skeletal structures of trees, including this beautiful specimen. It is hard to know exactly what is going on under those leaves, until it's Autumn. But it is the Long Island Sound that attracts me the most when I am on Long Island. The Sound has a special attraction in the moonlight, and when various members of my wife's family gathered on the north shore a few nights ago, I worked fairly hard to take long-exposure photos of the silhouetted family members enjoying the waves and water and the smells and sounds of the ocean water of Long Island Sound.