Shadow Shot Sunday

This is a model of the USF Constellation; the original
was built in Baltimore in 1797.  I took this shot in June
at the charming Deltaville [VA] Maritime Museum, and just
discovered as I was preparing this post that the museum
was gutted by fire in July.  Among the treasures that were
lost were Civil War artifacts and some beautiful
ship models (including this one, I assume). So sad, but 
they've vowed to rebuild—and I'll be back when they do.

[Today is Shadow Shot Sunday. To see more, go here.]

The Weekend in Black and White

I'm starting my weekend in a place I've
never been before—it's very near the
equator, so I'm guessing (since I'm posting
ahead just in case) that I might see
something like this when I look up.

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

Nature's Currency

The sun and clouds reflected in this
ornamental pond at my favorite garden
made the lily pads look like bright silver coins.

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

BTW, I'm off on a little excursion tonight.
Will have my iPad with me and will try to
stay in touch—but have no idea what
kind of Internet connections I'll encounter
(or, more likely, won't).  Either way, I've posted
ahead and will be back stateside on 10/8.

Thursday Challenge—"fancy"

This is the Sainte Chapelle, in Paris.
The spectacular stained-glass windows
aren't the only thing to admire here—pretty
much every square inch of Louis IX's
chapel is embellished like this.

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

ABC Wednesday—K is for "kitties"

These are some of the well-fed kitties that roam
all over the lovely village of Vernazza, in Italy's
Cinque Terre. In fact, I don't know if these cats are
still there.  Eleven months ago, Vernazza was all
but destroyed by a massive landslide.  Fortunately,
the town is now almost completely restored
(see longtime Vernazza-lover Rick Steve's report)
and I hope the kitty population is once again thriving too.

[To see more ABC posts, go here.]

Ruby Tuesday

A couple of red Adirondack chairs under a red maple
tree—I was tempted to interrupt my early-morning
walk and just "set a spell," as my grandmother used to say.
(I'm sure the folks who live here wouldn't have minded!)

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

Mellow Yellow/Macro Monday

"But it chanced the other day that I scented a
white water lily ... it is the emblem of purity ...
What confirmation of our hopes is in the
fragrance of this flower!  It suggests ... that the
time may come when men's deeds will smell as sweet."
—Henry David Thoreau, "Slavery in Massachusetts" (1854) 

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

Shadow Shot Sunday

West Lake Clam and Chowder House, in Montauk.
One of the perks of being an adult, if you ask
me, is sometimes eating what you really want.  
So, fried shrimp for breakfast? Why not?

[To see more Sunday Shadows, go here.]

The Weekend in Black and White

I try not to take for granted the little things that make
my life easier: post-it notes, a nail file, staples . . . and these
little beauties, which apparently were invented in 1900
(though I definitely don't remember them being around for
my entire life) by a clever man named Edwin Moore.

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

 

Skywatch Friday

Blue skies over Williamsburg,
 where A Tree Grows in Brooklyn was set
 where some 60,000 Hasidic Jews live and worship
 where artists started coming in the '70s, '80s, and '90s
when Soho and the East Village became gentrified
 where there's a thriving art and music scene
 where you'll find great indie boutiques and restaurants
(check out the neighborhood's online culture guide)

[To see more Skywatch, go here.]

Thursday Challenge—"park"

Farsighted people took this
abandoned elevated railway . . .

. . . planted native grasses, trees, and
wildflowers among the railroad ties . . .

. . . and created the High Line, one of my fave NYC
parks. There were lots of people who argued
against this project. I wonder what they think now
when they see what a huge success it is, and how it
has revitalized a big section of the far West Side.

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

ABC Wednesday—J is for "jump shot"

I recently walked the length of the Battery
Park City esplanade and saw people running,
rollerblading, biking, sunbathing, and
playing frisbee, ping-pong—and b-ball!

[To see more ABC posts, go here.]

Ruby Tuesday

Back in July, I posted this shot of another
Louis Vuitton window, which I didn't
"get" at the time.  But recently I passed
by this LV store on Fifth Avenue.

Right away, I found a little clue.

Then even more little clues.

And finally, the biggest one of all.  By this
time I'd recognized Yayoi Kusama—turns
out she's been having a big show at the Whitney
and she collaborated on the design of these windows.

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

Mellow Yellow/Macro Monday

The masterpiece should appear as the flower to the
painter—perfect in its bud as in its bloom—with no
reason to explain its presence—no mission to fulfill . . .
— James McNeill Whistler

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

Shadow Shot Sunday

Took a little break from a day spent
cleaning to take a walk in my fave garden—
a place chock full of sunbeams and shadows.
Hope you had a lovely weekend . . .

The Weekend in Black and White

Gone fishin'!
This guy was getting some competition
from the osprey family that nests next to this
dock.  The male goes out several times
a day—and his wife and kids are very well fed!

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

Skywatch Friday

Another experiment with shooting
directly into the sun. Granted, my
timing was off and it probably worked
much better with a bit of cloud cover.

[To see more Skywatch pics, go here.]

Thursday Challenge—"attractive"

They're kind of special and they know it.
This gives the gondolieri of Venice a certain
self-confidence that I find very attractive.

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

ABC Wednesday—I is for "interloper"

In the middle of dozens of purple tulips was 
this lone allium, hiding in plain sight.

[To see mor ABC posts, go here. 

In Memoriam

This is the police memorial, located on the
esplanade behind the World Financial Center,
not very far from the site of the twin towers.
There are more than 700 names inscribed
here—of all the NYPD officers who have
lost their lives in the line of duty . . .

. . . including the 23 who died on 9/11.

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

Mellow Yellow Monday

Here's Atlas, done entirely with Legos,
in the window of the Lego store at
Rockefeller Center.  Amazing, isn't it?

And here's the real one,
right around the corner
on Fifth Avenue.

[To see more Mellow
Yellow, go here.]

Shadow Shot Sunday

I pulled this one out of the archives,
because I love Coney Island—but most
especially in the off-season, when I can
have this long pier almost to myself
(and I don't have to stand in line
to get a hot dog at Nathan's).

[To see more Sunday shadows, go here.]

The Weekend in Black and White

Daisies are simple yet complex, beautiful
while still being one of the most humble
of all flowers. I don't know about you, but
I don't require, say,  orchids—give me a bouquet
of bright, friendly daisies and I'm a happy girl!

[To see more monochromes, go here.]

Heavenly

One more image captured out in Montauk, 
this time Long Island's North Shore 
and the heavenly pre-sunset light 
reflecting off Block Island Sound.

[It's Skywatch Friday. To see more, go here.  
And to see more weekend reflections, visit  James's meme.]

Thursday Challenge—"wonderful"

Hard to choose one thing to convey "wonderful,"
but I would immediately list good friends,
good food, and a string of lazy, sunny days—and when 
you can enjoy all these gifts at the beach (as I just did) . . .
If you don't live and work in an insanely hyper city
 like New York, you may not be able to fully 
appreciate just how wonderful a respite it was!

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

ABC Wednesday—H is for "hydrangeas"

They're blooming all over the neighborhood right now, in
shades that range from white to pink to deep, deep blue.
This one is a lacecap hydrangea—isn't it beautiful?

[To see more abc posts, go here.]

Ruby Tuesday

I just got back from a wonderful looong
weekend visiting good friends out in
Montauk.  My friends like to set out a buffet for
the local birds—their feeders are visited mostly by
dun-colored little chickadees and big black grackles, 
but this bright cardinal stopped by for a snack too.

[To see more Ruby Tuesday, go here.]

Mellow Yellow/Macro Monday

Delish grape tomatoes! Summer's pretty
much over and it won't be too long before you
can't find these at all (or they're very far from local).
So I'm popping them like candy while I can.
On special occasions (Friday, Saturday ... ), I like to
dunk them in vodka then gros sel (just a few grains).
Trust me—you really should try it some time.

[To see more Mellow Yellow, go here.
To see more macros, visit Lisa's Chaos.
And Lorik has kindly suggested that I could 
add this to her meme, Mandarin Orange Monday.]

Shadow Shot Sunday

Went to see Mom and took an early-morning
walk around this neighborhood I grew up in.
Very pleasant, but what a snooze—no wonder
I jumped at the first chance to get away (all the
way to Paris)!  On the other hand, I'm now
in a position to appreciate the swell selection
of shadows to be found around here.

[To see more Sunday shadows, go here.]

the weekend in black & white

The front of the building where
Serge Gainsbourg lived in Paris has
become a grafitti'd homage to the singer.
(You can see a picture of the whole thing here.)

[You can see more monochromes here.
And you can see another post from
Paris on my Paris blog, here.