Thursday Challenge—"stairs"

I counted these stairs as I climbed them—there are
386, from the trail we were hiking up to the town of
Corniglia, in the Cinque Terre.  (There is a shuttle bus
that will bring you up from the train station down
there, but somehow that seemed like cheating.)


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

ABC Wednesday—T is for "trust"

Took this shot at the same spot as yesterday's photo.
These kids were here on a school trip to NYC, 
and their teachers brought them to Brooklyn, 
blindfolded them, and led them up onto the 
Brooklyn Bridge for their first view of the city.

Moments after I took that picture, they
were told to remove their blindfolds—
and this is what they saw!


[To see more abc Wednesday posts, go here.]

How's your carbon footprint?

The folks from Transportation Alternatives
were out on the bridge one morning recently,
flagging down the riders and giving them
coffee and bike paraphernalia (free bike lights).
They lobby hard to reduce the number of
cars in the city, and are very happy about
the new Bike Share program, coming in July.


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

Blue Monday

Here in NYC, you won't find sidewalk dining
on every other corner—but this place in
Midtown looks very inviting, don't you think?


To see more Blue Monday, visit Smiling Sally.]

Shadow Shot Sunday

Last time I was in Florence, I
found these fashionable shadows
hanging around the Palazzo Vecchio.

[To see more Sunday shadows, go here.]

Weekend in Black and White

Even though this was taken in a church on Murano,
nothing was lost by shooting it in black and white.
You might think that all the windows, etc. on
this Venetian island famous for its colorful glass would
be done in brilliant hues, but this window—and the
chandelier—are both clear glass (and still beautiful).

Skywatch Friday

Saw this gorgeous sky when I was
on my way to work recently.
I just love those low-lying clouds!

[To see more Skywatch, go here.]

Thursday Challenge—"music"

This is my favorite musician: my brother Chris.
He teaches band, so he also plays the clarinet, flute,
trumpet, flugelhorn . . . and whatever other instruments
are played by band members—and piano too!
(He can also sing and play the drums at the same time. Impressive!)

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

abc Wednesday—S is for "surfers"

It's just about that time of year again—
time to head out to Montauk, lounge on
the beach, and watch other (okay, younger)
people risk drowning or a concussion!

[To see more ABC posts, go here.]

Let's Go, Rangers!

Our own New York Rangers went the distance
in the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The Devils may be up now, but we'll be rooting for our guys 
tomorrow.  When I rode the shuttle from Grand Central to 
Times Square last week, I saw just how we cheer them on.

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

Congrats to the Grads

On this particular night (May 16), the
Empire State Building was lit up with a
pattern of blue/white/blue lights in honor
of the Columbia University commencement.
They're in the process of replacing the 400
standard lights they have now with 1,200
LED fixtures. See here. Now they'll be able
to create even more colors, and patterns too.

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

Smile!

This post is all about the beautiful dappled shadows
cast by the cherry trees, but that's not the reason I
took this picture in the first place. Remember when
someone would hand you their camera (or, lately,
their phone) and ask you to take their picture?
More and more, I see this. I don't know—frankly,
I don't think it takes the greatest pictures. :~}

[It's Shadow Shot Sunday. To see more shadows, go here.]

Photo Hunt—"magical"

A friend gave me a plastic pot, a disk of
compacted soil, and a flower bulb. Without a lot
of hope of anything much happening (my thumb
is anything but green), I reconstituted the soil,
planted the bulb, and watered it regularly. A couple
of stems shot up, then practically overnight, seven
magnificent blooms appeared.  I'd call that magical!

[To see more of the Saturday Photo Hunt, visit Sandi's meme.]

Weekend Reflections

This is the Brooklyn Botanic's famous Japanese garden 
(the first to be created in an American public garden, in 1915).
It was designed by Japanese landscape designer Takeo Shiota and 
is considered by many to be his masterpiece. Among the
architectural elements used by Shiota are bridges, a
viewing pavilion, and a torii, or gateway (seen here).

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

Thursday Challenge—"mother"

Here's my mom at age 29, flirting with
the photographer (my dad).  When I was
a kid (yes, that's me), I thought my mother
was the most beautiful woman in the world.

Now she's 92. She has that
same haircut again and she's 
still cute—and still a flirt too!

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

ABC Wednesday—R is for "rainy day"

You can't let a little (or a lot of) rain get in your
way when you travel.  This is Florence, which
is beautiful in any weather.  Just be careful—
those cobblestones are slippery when wet!

[ To see more ABC posts, go here.]

Red as a Radish

A pile of peppery radishes at the Farmers' Market—
I learned in France that they are delish all by
themselves but even better if you cut the sharp
flavor with a bit of butter.  Trust the French, who
know that everything tastes better with butter!

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

Blue Monday/Macro Monday

I have hardwood floors, but if I had
to have carpeting, I'd choose . . .
not this.  You could sell me a nice antique
Oushak rug (if I won the lottery, that is!).


[To see more Blue Monday posts, visit Smiling Sally.
To see more macros, visit  Lisa's Chaos.]

Happy Mothers' Day

Yes, they do!  And some of them (ahem)
also love beautiful painted plates.
Hope all the mamas and the grandmas are
having a wonderful Mothers' Day today.

[It's also Shadow Shot Sunday.
To see more shadows, go here.]

Chrysler Bldg.

Anyone who knows this blog knows that
this is my favorite NYC building. How can
you not love its elegant design—and those
lights that stand out even in a dense fog?

[To see more monochromes, visit
The Weekend in Black and White.]

The Cloud Game

Saw these clouds while riding through the
Virginia countryside recently.  I can see the
outline of the British Isles or, if I use my
imagination, a small elephant sitting on a frog.


[It's Skywatch Friday; to see more go here.]

Thursday Challenge—"style"

Here's a "style" of dress that's apparently still popular
(I caught all of these guys with my phone in the subway).
Clockwise from top left: This guy got it sort of right by wearing
plaid boxers; this one absolutely did not; I guess black underwear
is acceptable (??); this young man at least has a pair of pants
on underneath the ones he chose to leave at half mast.
Seriously? (I still don't understand it and probably never will,
but I guess these photos are evidence of my fascination.)


[To see more stylin' photos, visit
the Thursday Photo Challenge.]

ABC Wednesday—Q is for "quartz"

This amazing chunk of quartz can be seen at—
where else?—the Museum of Natural History.
Almost all of the 3,700 gems in their 
collection are on display, but only 3 percent 
of the 90,000+ minerals.  That's a lot of rocks!


[To see more abc Wednesday, go here.]

She Works Hard

Of all the ships I see around New York Harbor—
bright orange ferries, graceful tall-masted sailing ships,
huge garbage scows with their seabird escorts,
the deceptively powerful little tugboats are my faves.
This one is 30 years old and rated at 3,900 (!) horsepower.

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

The bluebell wood . . .

. . . is in bloom right now, and it's
 as gorgeous as ever.  Truly, when 
40,000+ bluebell bulbs come out 
all at once, it is a sight to see!
(To get some idea, check out the banner
photo, which shows just part of the display.)

[It's Blue Monday—to see more, visit Smiling Sally
It's also Macro Monday—for more macro shots, go to Lisa's Chaos.]

Shadow Shot Sunday

My brother and sister-in-law have a
friendly, comfy house on the North Fork of
Long Island. I love to get out of the city and
spend a weekend out there—where I can commune
with the neighbor's wonderful old tree.


[To see more Shadow Shots,  go here.]

The Weekend in Black and White

A beautiful brick building in Red Hook,
Brooklyn—they just don't make
them like this anymore.


[To see more monochrome shots,
visit The Weekend in Black & White.]

Skywatch Friday

Early-morning clouds over lower Manhattan—
I'm so glad the weather has warmed up enough now
that I can break up my subway ride with a walk
across the Brooklyn Bridge pretty much every day.
How lucky am I to start my day with this view?


[To see more Skywatch, go here.]

Thursday Challenge—"tools"

Well, these are the tools of my trade.
(Although more and more, editing is done on 
the computer.  I'm happy to save the 
trees, but I miss working with paper and pen.)


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

ABC Wednesday—P is for "Paris"

I love this city—I lived here long ago
and I'm determined to have an address here
again some day.  For inspiration, I opened
another blog a while ago and I'll be posting to
it on the first of each month (for starters).
Here's the first post.

[To see more abc Wednesday posts, go here.]

May Day

This big red sculpture (Joie de Vivre, by Mark di Suvero)
stands at Broadway and Cedar St., in  Zuccotti Park—
once actual, now symbolic home of the Occupy Wall St.
protestors.  They've been fomenting a bit of mayhem
(a general strike would be nice) for this day, and I'm
curious to see what they're able to generate.  


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