Skywatch Friday

Sunset at Emerald Isle, a beautiful

beach that I've shown you once before.

I'd like a real repeat visit, but next

time not during hurricane season.

funky chicken

This is my cousin's yard ornament,

which is about as tall as I am.

I LOVE outsider art (and have one small 

piece of my own, but I'm still

pretty envious of this big beauty)!

abc wednesday - B is for "brothers"

The little one was so endearing.

He followed his big brothers around 

constantly though they

barely gave him the time of day

and—good boy—while he did run a 

bit with that lollipop in his mouth, he 

never took off his water wings.

.

Renaissance singers

These people singing on the street in

Brooklyn Heights were good!  Must admit

that my new/old friend Bibi

(visiting here from Belgrade)

 got an even better shot.

Jet Ski!

Daughter Katie got talked into doing this 

(it wasn't too hard to convince her). 

 At some point she said to the driver "Faster!" 

and he told her, "We're going 104 mph!"

They got off to a rocky start, though, when they 

fell off twice (!) before they even got going. 

(Made Mama nervous.)

Have you ever ridden one of these?

landing

Just discovered Harriet's shadow shot Sunday—

perfect because I love them. 

 Thanks, Harriet!

This one's pretty much self-explanatory.

gone fishin'

Most of the fishermen on the Coney Island pier 

were at least 25 years older than this little

guy. But he looked so intense; I was rooting 

for him to snag the catch of the day.

Skywatch Friday

This church is in Springs, an East Hampton

community with a thriving art scene.   In fact,

I was there for a gallery opening where 

the works of my talented friends 

Jim and Jana were showcased.

Midtown from above

Boy, was I ever sitting on the right side of the plane! 

 Turns out a digital camera is one of those 

electronic devices that you're supposed to turn off 

when they tell you to.  But, hey, could you resist

sneaking a picture of this?  I couldn't!

abc wednesday - A is for "artist"

Hard to choose one for this category!  In the end, 

I picked bad boy Michelangelo Merisi da CARAVAGGIO—

this is his "Calling of St. Matthew," one of three

 of his paintings in the church of San Luigi dei Francese, in

Rome.  (And one of 12 Caravaggios I saw on that trip to Italy, 

many of them in churches, where you don't have to pay

 to look and there aren't 30 other people 

sharing your viewing space.  Nice.)

TKTS

This is the "roof" of the new and improved

TKTS booth.  Here's what's available now.

So what do you want to see?

The White Horse

This tavern in the West Village was opened in 1880. 

 Dylan Thomas drank (and drank and drank) here, 

and supposedly Jack Kerouac was kicked out more than

once.  Other famous patrons included Thomas's 

namesake Bob, Jim Morrison, Norman Mailer, and 

James Baldwin.  When I went by on this summer Sunday,

it looked like a nice mix of locals and tourists, 

and the usual bridge-and-tunnel crowd.

Alice

Every small child's favorite statue (mine too)

 in Central Park— Alice and friends are 50 this year.

kid food?

Monday I showed you a store on Sullivan Street in 

the Village that sells hookahs. And now for something

completely different: This place is right across the 

street from City Underground.   I'm not about to go in 

and order a $6 PBandJ, but I'm a bit sorry I didn't get a 

jar of their "The Heat Is On" peanut butter, blended 

with chili powder, cayenne, and crushed red peppers.

Move over, Peter Pan!

Skywatch Friday

A couple of years ago, to celebrate the

21st birthday of a very special young man who 

didn't make it quite that far, his family 

wrote messages of love on balloons and 

we sent them up to him.

Hot dog!

Must admit, I've never understood the appeal.

But it's a big deal here in Brooklyn. Last year's winner broke 

his own record at this year's 4th of July contest—go, Joey!

I stopped in at this flagship Nathan's the weekend 

before the contest and ate precisely ONE (1) hot dog. 

It did have sauerkraut on it, though.  They have to

post calories on the menu (more than 2,000 for a double 

cheeseburger!) and the hot dog has 309.  So at 68 dogs,

Joey consumed 21,012 calories (and 1,360 grams of fat) 

in 10 minutes!  (That's about how many calories I

consume in 2 weeks! How about you?)

abc wednesday - Z is for "zucchini blossoms"

These were for sale at the Mercato Centrale,

in Florence. Some people like them stuffed with 

rice or ricotta cheese. I prefer them on

their own, dipped in a light batter, fried, then 

sprinkled with a tiny bit of sugar.

How about you?

Allons, enfants!

Happy Bastille Day to all français and 

fellow francophiles!  Here's my

Parisian offering for this special day!

one toke over the line

Have you ever smoked a hookah?  For me, it has certain 

(left over from the sixties) connotations, but for 

some it's a different kind of social thing.  I no longer smoke,

but my Azerbaijani son-in-law has a hookah and 

invited me to join him, so I did.  Lesson learned: DO NOT inhale

(but if you don't make that mistake, it's kinda nice in a way,

 like smoking a peace pipe with cherry-flavored tobacco—

though I'm SO glad I no longer smoke that I'm not at all 

tempted to try a hookah again any time soon, if ever).

terrace envy

Yes, must admit I do suffer from it—

especially when it's a terrace as

fabulous as this beauty way up high

in the West Village.   Sigh.

I found it!

—the elusive bluebird of happiness.  Or maybe not.

Actually, this is a fairy bluebird, native to the

southern Himalayas.  This gorgeous male now lives

(happily, I trust) in the Rain Forest 

at the Central Park Zoo.

skywatch Friday

Last Saturday I was promised a private

fireworks show in Virginia to rival the Macy's

extravaganza here in NYC.

Well . . . it came pretty darn close!  And not 

for nuthin', I didn't have to take the

subway and fight the crowds to enjoy it

—and the Macy's show never provides me with 

fabulous food and drink and the company of such FUN people.

baby girl

This "cheeky," bright-eyed little Mouseketeer 

is my daughter Lila, who has grown into a beautiful

young woman, if I do say so.  She's celebrating 

a big birthday tomorrow, so Happy B-day, Sweetie!

abc wednesday - Y is for "yellow"

As in this beautiful rose (and its little visitor) 

that I found in (no, not Texas) the Cranford Rose

Garden at the Brooklyn Botanic.

country roads

Three days ago:  A twilight walk along a 

peaceful country road in rural Virginia—you

don't get views like this in Brooklyn!

Pulitzer Fountain

Built with the $50,000 bequeathed by the publisher

 for a fountain like "those in the Place de la Concorde in Paris."

The bronze statue depicts Pomona, the Roman goddess

 of abundance. There are ram's heads and horns of plenty to

further emphasize the theme of wealth. So I suppose it's 

fitting that this fountain is located right in front of the Plaza Hotel.

Dakota detail

I love the Dakota, and would have liked to see
it like this.
But for me, the real beauty of this building
is in the details.

Happy 4th!

Here I am down in Virginia, so missing
the amazing Macy's fireworks display.
Have been assured that the private
show put on by our friends down here
is every bit as spectacular. Must admit,
I'm a skeptical New Yorker—but will
let you know.

skywatch Friday

Have come down to Smith Mountain Lake,
in southwest Virginia, for the July 4th
weekend. I liked the way the late-
afternoon sky was reflected in this
placid pool.
Happy Skywatch!

good news!

I hope Ben means it, don't you? This
is Times Square, of course, and that's
the ball that they drop (or rather "lower,"
since it might be a bad idea to drop
something that's made of Waterford
crystals!) on New Year's Eve.
[FYI, that geodesic ball weighs 11,875
pounds, and is covered with 2,668
crystals. The 32,256 LED lights make it
possible to create 16 million colors and
billions (!) of patterns.]
Off to Virginia tonight and may or may not
be able to comment—please feel free to do
so yourself, of course. And Happy 4th to all
you patriotic (or not) Americans!

abc wednesday - X is for "x-rated"

Hey, X is kind of a tough one. This
solution seems a bit obvious, but I
couldn't resist using it.