Skywatch Friday/Weekend Reflections

If you look north from my office, you'll
see another tall building, but also a
reflection of Manhattan sky—and skyline.

[To see more Skywatch pics, go here.
To see more reflections, visit James's meme.]

Thursday Challenge—"bottle"

I'd love to be right where I took this picture: 
Paris (the Marais), in a cozy café, at an old, 
worn table with a great view of  the passing scene.

[To see more of the Thursday Photo Challenge, go here.]

ABC Wednesday—T is for "turkey"

So . . . why did the turkey cross the road?

I believe this one (which I saw out in Montauk, 
at the Eastern end of Long Island) was hoping to 
escape the butcher's knife—and he succeeded!

[To see more ABC shots, go here.]

Ruby Tuesday

Long after the roses have faded, the rose hips are still there.
{Admission: I took this shot in another year—one
when we didn't have a storm that flattened everything!}

[To see more Ruby Tuesday shots, go here

New York at Night 19

This is Cooper Union, where you can study art, architecture,
or engineering and not pay a penny.  But you'd better
be talented.  I looked at admissions stats from 2010-2011—
only 8.4% of those who applied got in (and all
of the applicants scored 600 or above on their SATs).

[It's also Mellow Yellow Monday. To see more, go here.]

Shadow Shot Sunday

Took this shot a few days ago on 7th Street
down in the East Village.  I love all the
 independent shops in this neighborhood but,
unfortunately, it looks  like this one is soon to close.

[To see more Sunday shadows, go here.]

the weekend in black and white

From the inside, this newly restored window
stands out in shades of brilliant purple,
bright green, and crimson. From the outside,
it may as well be black and white—but you
can better appreciate its "bones."
It's in the Gothic Revival Bigelow Chapel at
Mount Auburn Cemetery, in Cambridge, Mass.

[To see more monochromes, visit Dragonstar's meme.]

Skywatch Friday

I went to Ecuador without a very good
idea of exactly what I would find, and certainly
didn't expect to fall in love as much as I did—with
the people, the Andes, and the architecture!

[To see more Skywatch Friday pics, go here.]

Thursday Challenge—"thankful"

I try to be grateful for the big and the small things, 
and today I'm thankful that my sister-in-law is cooking 
our favorite meal of the year, my brother is carving
the turkey, my kids are with me, my mom made it
through the storm even if her house didn't, 
and we're all together. Happy Thanksgiving!

[To see more of the Thursday Photo Challenge, go here.]

ABC WEdnesday—S is for "spires"

The 377-foot (115-meter) spires on Quito's
Basilica del Voto Nacional make it the
tallest church in Ecuador. I might  have gone
up if I hadn't already been feeling the effects
of Quito's setting 9,350 feet (2,850 meters)
above where I normally live—at sea level.

[To see more ABC Wednesday, go here.]

Ruby Tuesday

Toward the end of this day in my Park Slope,
Brooklyn neighborhood, the trees on Carroll Street
were all mostly red and even the brownstones
were tinged with pink from the setting sun.

[To see more Ruby Tuesday pics, go here.]

Mellow Yellow/Macro Monday

At the local greenmarket this past weekend,
everyone was shopping for their Thanksgiving
dinner—buying parsnips, yams, green beans.
onions, apples, and yellow cauliflower.

[To see more Mellow Yellow, go here.
To see more macros, visit Lisa's Chaos.]

Shadow Shot Sunday

This is one of the few unadorned
(by plants or tiles or art) spots at the
Hacienda Cusin, near the market town of 
Otavalo, in Ecuador. For me, these shadows 
(and that perfectly blue window frame)
provide just enough adornment.

[To see more Sunday Shadows, go here.]

The Weekend in Black and White

Thought it was about time I tried a portrait, and I'm
no good at approaching strangers (wish I was).
So here's one of my favorite people—a daughter of two
more of my favorite people and a great little model.

[To see more monochromes, visit Dragonstar's meme.]

Skywatch Friday

It was sunny on our side of these Andean
foothills, but over there—not so much.  I took
dozens of photos trying to capture the dramatic skies
of Ecuador and, frankly, never totally succeeded.
I guess you had to be there.

[To see more Skywatch pictures, go here.]

Thursday Challenge—"stationery"

Here's a very small sampling of the cards I've been making 
with some of my photos (these were all taken around 
New York).  Was feeling a bit shy about putting 
them out there, but then a friend agreed to sell
 them at her store down in Virginia.  They've gotten a
 pretty good response, and that is SO gratifying.

[To see more of the Thursday Photo Challenge, go here.]

ABC Wednesday—R is for "right of way"

In New York, we all look out for anything that
moves on wheels (truck, taxi, pedicab, messenger on a bike,
kid on a skateboard, whatever).  Here in San Pablo del Lago,
in Ecuador, everyone stops and waits for these
black-and-white bovines—as it should be, seems to me.

[To see more ABC posts, go here.]

New York at Night 18

You know how the credits roll for about 10 minutes
at the end of a movie?  Well, all of those people use 
lots of equipment, even when they're shooting
on location.  Was walking in the Village one night recently
and there were film trucks lined up for blocks.
At the end of the line was this one, the wardrobe truck.

[It's Ruby Tuesday—to see more, go here.]

New York at Night 17

I live very near this arch that reminds me so
much of Paris (not a coincidence). It's the
Soldiers' and Sailors' Arch, built about 30
years after the Civil War as a tribute
to "the defenders of the Union."

[It's Mellow Yellow Monday. To see more, go here.]

Shadow Shot Sunday

It was a mild autumn day in Central Park, and
this young family was making the most of it. Though 
I did not take this picture recently, we're currently 
enjoying a pretty nice weekend (much like this)—yay!

[To see more Sunday shadows, go here.]

The Weekend in Black and White

After all the "weather" we've had around
here lately, the ground is littered with all sorts
of flotsam and jetsam.  These fan-shaped leaves
and stinky (if you step on them) berries are from
a ginkgo, the tree that "grows in Brooklyn."

[To see more monochromes, visit Dragonstar's meme.]

Skywatch Friday

Took this shot from my window Wednesday
night. We're still trying to clean up from
Hurricane Sandy and there are lots of people still
without heat and power.  Yo, Mother Nature!—did
we really need a snowy Nor'easter on top of all that?

[To see more Skywatch pics, go here.]

Thursday Challenge—"orange"

'Tis the season in my fave garden.
Took this shot the week before Sandy
descended and haven't been there since
(mainly because it was closed for cleanup).

[To see more Thursday Challenge shots, go here.]

ABC Wednesday—Q is for "Quito"

This is the beautiful city of Quito, Ecuador—well,
part of it—seen from a rooftop in the neighborhood
called Old Town.  How nice it would be to live on
a pastel hillside like this.  But the altitude
can take some getting used to!

[To see more ABC posts, go here.]                                                                                                                                                     

New York at Night 16

It's a NYC institution—serving up great
deli food since 1888!  I went there recently
for the first time in a long time. My friend had
their world-famous pastrami sandwich and I enjoyed
what Gourmet magazine called "the best hot dog
in New York."  By the way, this is where Nora Ephron
 filmed the famous "I'll have what she's having"
scene in When Harry Met Sally.

[Today is Ruby Tuesday. To see more, go here.]

Mellow Yellow/Macro Monday

The Galapagos are volcanic islands and you
won't see lush vegetation everywhere—but when
we traveled up to the highlands of the island
of San Cristobal, I found these pretty lantana.

[To see more Mellow Yellow, go here.
To see more macros, visit Lisa's Chaos.]

Shadow Shot Sunday

We had a little storm on the East Coast a 
week ago—maybe you heard about it?  
I was lucky here at the highest point in Brooklyn, 
but my mom's house—the one I grew up in—took 
on a lot of water (picture Katrina) and so many folks 
have been without power for days (or much worse).

[To see more Sunday shadows, go here.]

Weekend in Black and White

There are a few do's and dont's you need to follow when
you visit the Galapagos Islands:  Don't touch the animals,
no matter how friendly they may seem to be; stay with
your guide; and don't leave anything or take anything away.
When I travel, I tend to come home with a few "free" souvenirs—
rocks, shells, pressed flowers—but on this trip, I stuck to photos.

[To see more monochromes, visit Dragonstar's meme.]

Skywatch Friday

This was the view from our digs when
we visited the little town of Mindo,
in Ecuador.  You don't have to wonder
why they call this a cloud forest, do you?

[To see more Skywatch pics, go here.]

Thursday Challenge—"dress up"

This homemade ET was all set to march 
in NYC's fabulous Halloween parade.  
Have to admit that I took this shot in 
2011—our parade was postponed 
this year because of Hurricane Sandy.

[To see more of the Thursday Photo Challenge, go here.
And if you'd like to check out the latest post on 
my monthly Paris blog, it's up here.]