ABC Wednesday—P is for "pots and pans"

And also for "Paris," because these copper
beauties can be purchased (if you have plenty
of euros) at E. Dehillerin, purveyors of
classy cookware for the pros—and the rest of us.

[To see more ABC posts, go here.]

Cactus Flower

I found this minuscule cactus blossom in the
Desert Pavilion, one of several year-round
habitats at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

[It's Ruby Tuesday; to see more, go here. 
For more macros, visit the NF/Blo-Ma meme.]

Cute as a button

Love it when these happy harbingers of spring
pop up all over, and especially these
miniature daffodils that are at least half the
size of the others. These have actually bloomed and
are now gone, but we have lots more to look 
forward to in the next few weeks.

[Linking back to Monday Mellow Yellows, 
Mandarin Orange Monday, and Macro Monday.]

InSPIREd Sunday

These are the twin spires of the
Basilica del Voto Nacional, in Quito.
Not very old (begun in 1887, inaugurated
101 years later), it is the largest neo-Gothic
basilica in the Americas.  Also maybe the highest,
since it sits on a high point of the city (which is
already more than 9,000 feet above sea level).

[To see more churches from around the world, visit Beth's meme.]

The Weekend in Black and White

Coming from St. Germain and headed for
the Bastille—changing trains at the
indoor/outdoor Gare d'Austerlitz station.
(Tonight I finally saw the Charles Marville exhibit
at the Metropolitan Museum of Art: all
b/w—of course—and absolutely awesome.)

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

Weekend Reflections

Years ago, I had a boss who owned one of these
fabulous houses in Brooklyn Heights (think 
where Cher lived in Moonstruck).  His wife
insisted they sell it and move to Bay Ridge (now
think Saturday Night Fever).  These days, that house 
would be worth many millions of dollars
(and I wonder if he's forgiven her shortsightedness.)

[To see more Weekend Reflections, visit James's meme.]

Thursday Challenge—"expensive"

Granted, this is Stohrer, the oldest pâtisserie
in Paris (and birthplace of the baba au rhum),
where yumminess doesn't come cheap
and is mostly worth a splurge.  But I do
 think that 48 euros—about $66—is a bit dear
even for this gorgeous gâteau.  Would you pay it? 

[To see more of the Thursday Photo Challenge, visit Dale's meme.]

ABC Wednesday—O is for "opera"

This picture was taken 5 years ago in the summer—
when chairs are set out at Lincoln Center,
a big screen is placed on the Metropolitan Opera
House, and people gather to enjoy filmed
performances from previous opera seasons 
(in this case, we were about to enjoy La Bohème).  
But this coming weekend, I will get to experience a live
 performance of Cosi Fan Tutte here at the Met
—conducted by James Levine and compliments of my
friend Lisa as a (belated) birthday gift.  Can't wait!

[To see more ABC posts, go here.]

Colorful Brooklyn

To make up for yesterday's rant (sorry about that),
let me show you an example of the good side of change in 
the city.  Although Brooklyn does have its share of high-rise 
politics these days, here on Atlantic Avenue they've
managed (so far) to spruce up without building up.

[It's Ruby Tuesday. To see more, go here.
For more of Our World Tuesday, go here.]

They couldn't be stopped

Despite the best efforts of the people in this neighborhood 
(especially the ones whose light and air will disappear behind it)
developers are hard at work putting up a 17-story luxury apartment 
building here where the West Village meets Soho. 

When it's completed, two-thirds of my
friend's view across the Soho rooftops
will be obliterated.  There ought to be a law.
(And there probably is.  And it's
probably being ignored.)

[Linking back to Gemma's Monday Mellow
(not so mellow today, though—sorry) Yellows here.
Also linking back to Mandarin Orange Monday.]

Happy Easter

. . . to all of you who are celebrating today!

[It's inSPIREd Sunday. To see more churches
from around the world, go here.]

The Weekend in Black and White

It's my favorite time of year—the brief period 
when the flowering trees burst into bloom. 
Especially welcome after the winter we've had!

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

Skywatch Friday

I was walking over the Brooklyn Bridge a week ago,
and kept looking back at lower Manhattan as
the sky became more and more dramatic.
When I got to the other side, I had to rush to
the Brooklyn Promenade to capture this spectacular
sunset in time.  But it was worth the effort, I think.

[To see more Skywatch pics, go here.  
Also, Orange You Glad It's Friday? 
If so, visit Maria's meme.]

Thursday Challenge—"tranquil"

I must admit I've used this photo before—but
that was almost six years ago, when I first
started this blog. Besides, it was just too perfect
for the prompt.  I had to show it again!

[To see more of the Thursday Photo Challenge, visit Dale's meme.]

ABC Wednesday—N is for "niche"

And also "Non, non, Madame!"
Usually these little courtyards are well-hidden
behind massive locked doors.  So if I ever
find one that's open, I have to seize the moment
to sneak in and take some photos before the concierge
kicks me out (fortunately not before I got a 
shot of these pretty vine-shaded doors and the 
eclectic mix of statuary in the niche).

[To see more ABC posts, go here.]

Feed me, Seymour!

I know this looks a bit like Audrey 2 from
Little Shop of Horrors, but in fact it's 
a teeny tiny geranium bud that I snapped
with my iPhone (and fun macro lens). 

[It's Ruby Tuesday. To see more, go here.
And for more flower macros, go here.]

Edible?

Not sure what these sweet little flowers
are, but they're one of the early bloomers
and made me smile recently on a gray day.
(I think they look like those candied
flowers that are used to decorate cakes.]

[To see more Mellow Yellows, visit Gemma's meme.
For Mandarin Orange Monday, visit LoriK's meme.
For more Macro Monday, go here.]

InSPIREd Sunday

It's Palm Sunday—and somehow this church, 
the 16th-century Cathedral of Quito, 
seemed like the obvious choice for today's post.

[To see more churches, visit the InSPIREd Sunday meme.]

The Weekend in Black and White

Took this where Julia Child went to
equip her Paris kitchen—with everything
from copper pots to simple strainers.
Wish I needed to shop here!

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

a drop of water

I'm still having fun fooling around with my new
macro lens converter and waiting for buds
to burst open all over the garden.

[To see more Weekend Reflections, visit James's meme.
And Orange You Glad It's Friday? To see more, visit Maria's meme.]

Thursday Challenge—"travel"

I thought I'd use a photo from Paris or 
Venice or Rome—but finally decided to share
this shot of my daughter Lila reacting to her first
up-close encounter with the locals in
Antarctica.   It was taken by her sister, Katie,
when they traveled there last year.

[To see more of the Thursday Photo Challenge, visit Dale's meme.]

ABC Wednesday—M is for "memento"

It used to be that only couples would leave a 
"lock of love" on a bridge (then throw the key in the
river to seal the deal).  The practice seems to
have expanded: This family left a memory for the whole
clan.  The orange locks and pictures stood out . . . 

no small feat, considering how many
thousands of  locks there are lining both
sides of the pont de l'Archevêché!

[To see more ABC posts, go here.]

grand escalier

Looking at the outside of the Cité metro station,
with its original Hector Guimard Art Deco
entranceway, you'd never think that the interior
looks like this.  I've never used an
elevator in the metro, but you can see why
I might be tempted to here.

[It's Ruby Tuesday; to see more, go here.
For more of Our World Tuesday, go here.]

Just a little souvenir

I work near the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel
(where U.S. presidents always stay when they're
in NYC).  Whenever I have to walk past it, I
usually opt to walk through it instead.  This is
one of the shops in the lobby.  The W-A is a very
high-class establishment and I wouldn't expect to find
a souvenir shop there, with little plastic yellow cabs
and foam Statue of Liberty crowns.  On the other hand,
this is not the kind of stuff you take home in
your carry-on—so I always wonder who shops here.

[To see more Blue Monday posts, visit Smiling Sally's meme.]

a pink powder puff

I've shown these flowers before,
but this time I wanted to get
up close and personal.

[To see more of Today's Flowers, go here.
For more macros, visit Laura's meme.]

The Weekend in Black and White

It was early—and chilly.  But right now I'd be
willing to bundle up if I could park myself there.

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

The Off Season

This was shot from the train as I was
headed down to the Jersey Shore.  To be
honest, I took this picture before
Hurricane Sandy and I don't really know
if this boatyard is still there.  Hope so.

[For more Skywatch shots, go here. To see more
Weekend Reflections, visit James's meme.] 

Thursday Challenge—"landscape"

This was a tough one for me—I'm pretty much
an urban girl and most of my "landscapes" are
pictures of city parks. Had to go into the archives for
this shot taken some years ago as my brother
and I were driving north from Boise, Idaho.
(I think that's the Sawtooth Range in the distance.)

[To see more of the Thursday Photo Challenge, visit Dale's meme.]

ABC Wednesday—L is for "lock"

This one is on the back door of the Saint-Paul–Saint-Louis
church in Paris.  I wonder if it's the original; if so,
then it's somewhere between 373 and 387 years old.  And
that makes me wonder if they still have the key.

[To see more ABC posts, go here.]

When dinosaurs roamed the . . . East Village?

I found this brachiosaurus (I think) when I was
downtown  recently.  I don't know who
painted it on this red brick building (or why), but I do
 like it.  Anyway, it's hard to ignore—no foolin'!

[To see more Ruby Tuesday, go here.
For more of Our World, go here.]