up in Montmartre . . .

near the place du Tertre, the heart of
Tourist Central.  I do remember a time
when there were artists doing
their thing in this neighborhood, but it was
still a real place (wow, I must be pretty old!).

[Linking back to Ruby Tuesday
and Traveling Tuesday.]

It's a Small World

This shop in the Galerie Vivienne, in Paris, 
features three things I love: globes,
maps, and musty old books.

[I'm linking back to Blue Monday;
to see more, visit Sally's meme.
And also to Our World Tuesday.]

inSPIREd Sunday Shadows

This is the church of St.-Nicolas-du-Chardonnet,
in Paris's 5th arrondissement.  When the Vatican
decreed that the mass would be said in the 
vernacular, they decided to keep saying it in Latin—
which for some reason upset a lot of people.
I really don't have an opinion about that. Do you?

[Linking back to inSPIREd Sunday and Shadow Shot Sunday.]

The Weekend in Black and White

This beautiful old stairway is in Budapest.
Re the "writing on the wall"—György Dözsa
was a 13th/14th-century soldier of fortune who led
a revolution against the landed nobility.  As has
often been the case in Hungary, things
did not end well for Dözsa and his followers.

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

Somewhere . . .

Last Saturday, I posted a very film noir-ish
image taken from a moving train.  On the same
trip, I also captured this much happier image.

[To see more Skywatch pics, go here.]

Thursday Challenge—"clothes"

I was in Paris for a short visit, and passed by the
Repetto store on rue de la Paix one night.  Ballerinas
come here to buy pretty tutus in sorbet colors . . .

and standard-issue pale pink
toe shoes too.

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

ABC Wednesday—K is for "Kodiak bears"

She was busy digging for clams while he was taking it easy.
My daughter Katie (also starts with K, and these are her pics),
her friend, and the sea-plane pilot who flew them to
Kodiak Island were standing much closer than I would have been!
(The pilot was armed with mace and a gun with rubber bullets, just in case.)

Seriously—he is one big boy!

[To see more ABC posts, go here.]

Autumn in Paris

Two days ago, I was moaning about the
end of a beautiful summer.  Well, now that
fall is officially here, I think maybe I
should just enjoy it!  (Wouldn't be too hard
to do in this particular place, would it?) 

[Linking back to Ruby Tuesday and Our World Tuesday.]

Bright and Beautiful

I grew up with the unenlightened notion that
pink and orange don't go together. Whoever decided
that had obviously never been in a garden!

[Linking back to Mandarin Orange Monday,
Macro Monday, and Today's Flowers.]

Shadow Shot Sunday

Summer will be officially over in two days (sigh).
It's been a really good one weather-wise 
(a pleasant surprise given the horrendous winter
that preceded it).  I miss it already!

[To see more Shadow Shots, go here.]

The Weekend in Black and White

I was on a train, speeding up the Northeast Corridor
(between Washington, D.C. and New York City).
Fortunately, I had my camera in my hand when we
passed by this photogenic—I think—power grid.

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

Kick up your (5-inch) heels!

Passed by Saks Fifth Avenue on my way to work
last month, and every window was devoted
to that guy who makes those shoes that I can
neither afford nor wear.  Oh well.

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

Thursday Challenge—"blue"

Paris—somewhere in the Marais: a very
blue door (the color un-fooled-around-with,
I swear!).  Who knows?  Maybe I'll pass
by this very doorway today.

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

ABC Wednesday—J is for "jawbreakers"

I loved these when I was a kid—
back when I wasn't afraid of breaking
my teeth (or of what all that sugar
would do to them) and didn't think about
what nasty chemicals might possibly be used
to create those neon-bright colors!

[To see more ABC posts, go here.]

I caught it!

Not the best picture ever, but I caught it
"on the fly"—kind of the way this little girl on
the carrousel in the Jardin du Luxembourg
had just captured the brass ring.

[Linking back to Ruby Tuesday and Our World Tuesday.]

Maison Bacqueville

These folks have been in business since 1790,
and I want to say that they've had their shop in
the Palais Royal for as long as I can
remember (and that's a very long time).
I doubt you can purchase a Croix de Guerre
or Ordre de la Legion d'Honneur medal without
earning it, but if you want to design your
own, these are the people to see.

[To see more Mellow Yellows, visit Gemma's meme.]

inSPIREd Sunday

About a month ago, I showed you the
interior of St. Etienne de Mont, which is right
next to the Pantheon, in Paris's 5th arrondissement.  
The exterior is pretty, I think, but gives no
hint of the beauty within.

[To see more churches from around the world, go here.]

The Weekend in Black and White

They say that when you shoot in color,
that's what you see; but when you
shoot in black and white, you see the shape.
I think that's true—even when the subject is a
white flower against a white background.

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

Bon Voyage

Am off tomorrow to one comfortably familiar
place, where I'll catch up with some old pals—and to
one exotic new locale to make some new friends.
I may be a bit "off the grid," but I've scheduled my 
posts and hope you'll still come by while I'm away.

[To see more Skywatch posts, go here.]

Thursday Challenge—"garden"

Set within the memorial garden is the moving
tribute to those who perished here 
13 years ago.  Before cutting the names into the
black stone, they made sure that those of family members,
coworkers, and friends would be near each other.

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

ABC Wednesday—I is for "ice"

In June, my daughter Katie took this shot of 
one of the ice caves in the Mendenhall Glacier, 
which is about 12 miles from Juneau and is part of 
the Tongass National Forest.  A month later, some of the 
roof of one of the caves collapsed (not sure if it was
this very one).  The ice had thinned out due to 
you-know-what.  Even here, you can see 
how much the ice is melting at the entrance.

[To see more ABC posts, go here.]

Sleeping Beauty

[To see more of Wordless Wednesday
(on Tuesday), visit NC Sue's meme.]

Was this really necessary?

How long does it take to spoil a world-class view?
Fewer than five months—as I watched this 17-story
building go up beside the Brooklyn Bridge.  You
can still walk out on the bridge and look over to the
Manhattan Bridge upriver, of course, so the view
is not entirely gone.  What really ticks me off is that—
with the exception of a small percentage of
apartments on the lower floors—this will be yet
more luxury housing for the few who can afford it.

[Linking back to Mandarin Orange Monday and Mosaic Monday.]

inSPIREd Sunday

This is St. Bartholomew's Episcopal church
(commonly just called St. Bart's) on Park Avenue
between 50th and 51st.  It was built in 1903
and has the largest pipe organ in New York (and
one of the ten largest in the world).  I heard
it when my daughter Kate got to sing here once
years ago—St. Bart's (famous) children's choir was
traveling one Sunday and the young choristers
of St. Luke's (in the West Village) were asked to step in.

[To see more churches from around the world, go here.]

The Weekend in Black and White

"A garden requires patient labor and attention.
Plants do not grow merely to satisfy
ambitions or to fulfill good intentions. They
thrive because someone expended effort on them."
—Liberty Hyde Bailey

{And it probably helps to have the right tools too.}

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

Weekend Reflections

Another beautiful lotus flower
blooming in the pond—but
this one a mirror image.

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

Thursday Challenge—"sports"

I spent last weekend at a house right
on the Chesapeake Bay, and for
three days we were treated to the sight
of graceful sailboats taking part in a regatta.

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

ABC Wednesday—H is for "heads"

Not all the shops in Paris cater to the tourist trade.
In the area just north of les Halles , there are 
lots of stores that sell the things other tradesmen 
need—sewing supplies, cooking implements, and
these (a good place to showcase a chapeau) 
in the Passage du Caire.

[To see more ABC shots, go here.]

Logical Progression??

I was out on the North Fork of Long Island
last weekend and passed this set of signs.  Had
to wonder what those two restaurants think
about being there with the next item on the list.

[Linking back to Ruby Tuesday and Our World Tuesday.]

It's a mystery

This was actually growing in the rose garden at the
Brooklyn Botanic—and not a plant label in sight.
(Even my friend the horticulturist couldn't ID it,
and she knows everything.)  Any guesses?

[Linking back to Macro Monday and Today's Flowers.]