The Midnight Sun

This is courtesy of my daughter Katie, who took 
this shot this past August—at exactly midnight 
in Longyearbyen, Norway, 78°N latitude.


To see more Skywatch, go here:
http://skyley.blogspot.com/

Thursday Challenge — "golden"

I was meant to be paying attention to the
 mass in the Basilica San Marco, in Venice.
But my eyes kept wandering, especially to the
incredible gilded ceiling.  Did wait to take
 this shot though (and btw, the flash and all
the sounds on my camera are turned off).


To see more "golden" things, go to the
Thursday Photo Challenge:
http://www.spunwithtears.com/thursday.html

abc wednesday —K is for "kitchen"

Went to a wine-tasting in Soho a while back:
Italian wines and delizioso food to go with.
This young chef was in the open kitchen,
stirring up a big steaming pot o' pasta.


To see more abc Wednesday, go here:
http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.com/

Traveling Tuesdays

A Roman detail this time,
in St. Peter's Square.
This was scanned from the archives:
a b&w from the days of  film & darkrooms.
(Must admit—I do miss the darkroom.)


To see more Tuesday travels, visit Sandi's fine blog:
http://whistlestopcooking.blogspot.com/

Mellow Yellow Monday

We've had some pretty awful weather around
here lately—so I'm returning to Paris on
a warm, sunny day in late winter/early spring,
and wishing I was here with these Parisiennes on
the banks of the Seine. (And wondering
how she keeps those seams so straight!). 


To see more Mellow Yellow, go here:
http://mellowyellowmonday.blogspot.com/

Shadow Shot Sunday

In honor the official arrival of autumn
this past Friday. Personally, I'm hoping it's
uneventful (meteorologically speaking, at least).


To see more shadow shots, go here:
http://heyharriet.blogspot.com/

Friday Photo Challenge: inside

An open door allowed a peek inside one of the
crypts in Père Lachaise Cemetery, in Paris.
It must belong to one very thirsty ghost!
Or:  I've seen many ladies filling these water
bottles at fountains and watering plants on the
graves of their loved ones (and also on those of
some of the famous people buried here).
Maybe I discovered their secret storage room.

To see more of the Friday Photo Challenge, go here:
http://www.photofriday.com/ 

Skywatch Friday

This is the Hearst Building (where I used to work).
I'm in another skyscraper on the other side of town now—
there is a nice public atrium in the lobby (with a piano
player even), but we don't have an employee's
cafeteria with a view straight up like this.


To see more Skywatch Friday, go here:
http://skyley.blogspot.com/

Thursday Challenge — "family"

The "ancestors' corner" at my mother's house.
That's my grandmother Miss Lucy (it's a Southern thing)
in the center. The woman could carry off a serious chapeau!
My other grandma was no slouch in the hat-wearing
dept. either—that's Mother Ripley (and that name
I really can't explain) in the feathered number.
I just love old family photos—how about you?


To see more of this Thursday Challenge, go here:
http://www.spunwithtears.com/thursday.html

abc wednesday —J is for "Jane's Carousel"

This beautiful carousel was originally built in 1922, and was the first carousel
to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
It was purchased in 1984 by Brooklyn artist Jane Walentas and her
husband, David.  Jane has been carefully restoring it since then.

Finally, after 27 years' work, it's up and running again—in its new home
between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges. The carousel—
and its glass pavilion designed by French architect Jean Nouvel—are
a gift from the the Walentas family to the people of NYC. 

Jane's painstaking renovation
was truly a labor of love.

Maybe you'd like to see it in motion:

To see more abc Wednesday, go here: http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.com/

Traveling Tuesdays—the Cinque Terre

In honor of our host Sandi's upcoming trip, here's
the picture everyone takes when they hike from
Monterosso al Mare and get this view of Vernazza.
With an incredible vista at every turn, I
"OMG"ed my way along the entire length of this trail!


To see more Tuesday Travels, visit Sandi's blog:
http://whistlestopcooking.blogspot.com/

Mellow Yellow Monday

Something new—ads on the subway cars
(by which I mean like this: the whole train
is one big ad).  Frankly, if it'll keep the fares
down, I say go for it.  After all, it's not like
the subways were all that gorgeous before.


To see more Mellow Yellow, go here:
http://mellowyellowmonday.blogspot.com/

Beekman Place . . .

. . . where you'll find high-end real estate, embassies, surveillance
cameras, parking for diplomats only—and some lovely shadows.

To see more shadows (or play along yourself),
visit Tracy's fun meme:
http://heyharriet.blogspot.com/

La Tour Eiffel (sort of)

The newest addition to my Eiffel Tower collection
is a gift from my friend Marylène—and
yes, it glows (in several colors, merci beaucoup)!
For more things that glow,
see this week's challenge at Photo Friday:
http://www.photofriday.com/

Skywatch Friday

Lexington Avenue & 51st Street—Thursday, 6 p.m.
To see more Skywatch, go here:
http://skyley.blogspot.com/

Walk in the Street

Madison Avenue, between &70th & 71st.
These boys were with their dad, waiting
on line at the opening of the Ladurée
store in NYC.  If they'd known what a
treat they were in for (macarons!), they
 probably wouldn't have been able to
concentrate so hard on that game.
[I'm linking back to Olivier's brilliant
Walk in the Street meme. See more here:
http://walkinnewyork.blogspot.com/]

abc wednesday —I is for "innovative"

Also interesting, ingenious and, possibly, insane.
I'll go with industrious, actually, since this guy
was selling tights on the street in Soho—and
displaying them on his own legs, around
his neck, and in this rather imaginative way. 
To see more abc Wednesday, go here:
http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.com/

Traveling Tuesdays—Coliseum

I live in NYC, where they tear down even buildings that are on the
National Register of Historic Places.  So I just love Rome—where
 I can still visit a place that was built about 2,000 years ago.
[To see more travels, visit whistlestopcooking.blogspot.com]

Mellow Yellow Monday

Not everyone is afraid of them, apparently.  
I met a guy on the Brooklyn Bridge recently who was having a 
good time draping his "baby" (an albino Burmese python, I believe, 
whose name is Money) over willing strangers.  The snake was 
quite beautiful and seemed to be enjoying himself.

Oh yeah, I played along (I like snakes).
At this moment, I think I was saying,
"Excuse me, but your snake (who
weighed a ton, btw) is in my purse!" 

Remembering

This is St. Paul's Chapel, which was a haven of
rest and refuge for exhausted rescue workers in the
hours, days, and months following the collapse of the towers.

It's been a place of remembrance ever since,
and now that the official memorial has
been dedicated—even as new towers are going
up near the site of the old ones—I hope folks 
will continue to come here to reflect on 
what happened that day and on the tremendous 
outpouring of love and support we received 
from around the country and around the world.

Photo Hunt—"greasy"

Admittedly, there is bad greasy food.  But when you're in Bologna,
gastronomic capital of Italy, and you've been served fresh zucchini
blossoms fried in a light batter then given a squeeze of lemon juice
and a very spare dusting of sugar—trust me, that's good greasy!
[To see more good greasy things, visit tnchicks.wordpress.com
(sorry, still can't seem to hyperlink here).]

Skywatch Friday

I never tire of this view of lower Manhattan
from the Brooklyn Bridge—especially
when it features a sky like this.
[To see more Skywatch, visit skyley.blogspot.com.
(Sorry, can't seem to do a hyperlink on Blogger.)]

Thursday Challenge — "learning"

This is (part of) my bookcase.  Started learning French
when I was in high school, started learning Italian when
I lived in Paris.  And in Spain, many years ago, I lived in a small
fishing village with other hippy types (mostly from the U.S.,
Britain, and the Netherlands)—I still remember being SO proud
when I went to the butcher shop, asked for "hamburguesa
por me y sobras por los perros"—and actually got what I wanted.
Recently began learning the language for real (espero).

abc wednesday —H is for "horns"

I get out of breath just looking at this picture!
That's the Lone Sharks'  sax player, Paul Scher,
on the right, and the band's good friend Brian Sears.
(For anyone who's new here, my brother Chris
is the drummer in this great "roots" band)
They make beautiful music together!

Traveling Tuesdays—Paris at Night 4

Not sure I've ever come here late at
night on purpose, but I've found myself
here lots of times on my way "home"—and
it stops me dead in my tracks every single time! 

Mellow Yellow Monday

Today is Brooklyn's annual West Indian Day parade.
There was a big pre-parade party on Saturday, and this
young girl was showing off her extravagant costume.

She's wearing a lot more than most of
the older marchers in last year's parade!

Sunday Bridges

I found these musicians on the Brooklyn Bridge (where else; 
I'm up there twice a day).  That's the Manhattan Bridge in 
the background—and btw, these guys were very entertaining.
[To see more Sunday Bridges, go here, chez Louis la Vache.]

Walk in the Street

Andy Warhol's getting another 15 minutes.
This life-size chrome statue, by sculptor
Rob Pruitt, stands (until next month, I hear) in
Union Square, very near the site of the Factory
(the one from the '70s), across the park from Max's Kansas City
(where I met him in the '60s), and very close to where
he used to stand and hand out copies of Interview.
[To see more from the Walk in the Street
challenge, visit  Olivier's blog.]

Skywatch Friday

Didn't get to spend nearly enough
time at the beach this summer—can
you see why it's my favorite place?
(And, yes, this is the same beach as the
one in this past Tuesday's post.)
[To see more Skywatch, go here.]

Thursday Challenge — "fire"

This young woman, on Campo Santo Stefano,
 in Venice, had gathered quite a good crowd, 
and she was whipping those fire batons around her.
I thought it was just beautiful.
[To see more 'fire,' visit Dale's Photo Challenge.]