Where's the fire?

I've never seen a NYC fire boat at work, but
usually when they're in "ceremonial"
mode, with water spraying in all directions.
First time was when they joined the tall ships here
on the Hudson on July 4, 1976; last time was
when one of them accompanied the Queen Mary 2
as she made her way out of the Buttermilk
Channel on her way home to England (see here).

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

It's a good start

Crocuses are almost (except for snowdrops) the only thing 
blooming in the garden right now—but they're everywhere.  
Proof (and we need it around here after the winter
we've had) that spring really has arrived, finally!

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

Bulbine latifolia

aka Rooiwortel (Afrikaans for 'red root'—
this plant is native to South Africa).  
With snow still on the ground on the first
day of spring,  I got my flower fix in the
Desert Pavilion at my favorite botanic garden. 

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

The Weekend in Black and White

Con Ed: letting off a little steam
at the corner of Lex and 45th.

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

Weekend Reflections

As we were walking near the shore of this Sarasota lake,
my friend told me there's a 'gator in residence here.
I didn't see it—so maybe that's just a (sub)urban legend.

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

Thursday Challenge—"fast"

I found this little hummingbird near a feeder
in Mindo, in the cloud forest of Ecuador.
When it's hovering like this, its wings can beat
 from 50 to possibly even 200 times per second!

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

ABC Wednesday—K is for "kiss"

A buss to begin their romantic gondola ride
on the rio San Barnaba, in Venice.
BTW, today La Serenissima celebrates her
1,594th birthday.  Buon compleanno, Venezia!

[To see more ABC posts, go here.]

si tu veux (jouer) / if you want (to play)

and you're in Paris (lucky you), step into this
beautiful toy shop in the Galerie Vivienne.
The owner will help you choose just the right thing
from among the many not plastic, not annoyingly noisy,
beautifully designed jouets she has on hand. 

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

the end of the line

This is the last train stop on the North Fork
of Long Island.  And it's the final resting 
place for this little red orange 
caboose, whose working days are over.

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

inSPIREd Sunday

This is the Methodist church in Greenport.  
Like so many Long Island towns,
Greenport has a rich maritime tradition—
reflected in the boat atop one of these spires.

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

The Weekend in Black and White

This was going to be a shot of the cat in the
window—but the moment I stepped
into the room, this über-snuggly kitty
came looking for some love.

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

"If you get caught between the moon and New York City . . ."

take a picture!  In case I haven't said so lately,
I absolutely love the zoom on my favorite digital
camera—with or (as here) without a tripod.

[It's Skywatch Friday. To see more, go here.]

Thursday Challenge—"peaceful"

The shells I showed you on Monday were
found on this rocky beach—a very peaceful spot
on a chilly almost-spring Sunday.
(The beach is in Greenport; that's Shelter
Island across the Peconic River.)

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

ABC Wednesday—J is for "Jean"

This is my mother, who is 95 years
and one week old young today.

[To see more ABC posts, go here.]

"Every thought is a seed—

if you plant crab apples, don't plan
on harvesting Golden Delicious."
                                      — Bill Meyer

(On the other hand, you will get to enjoy this
pretty pop of red against the snow in winter.)


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

shell game

Went out to the North Fork of Long Island with
the family to have a "birthday weekend"
(mom and moi, within five days of each other). 
Yesterday included a long walk to a deserted beach,
where I gathered these pretty translucent shells.

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

Here they come

I found these hanging around the conservatory
at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.  To me
they look like a fleet of colorful little drones.

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

The Weekend in Black and White

Thursday, 9:23 a.m.—rush hour is starting to
wind down at Grand Central Terminal.

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

Pi in the Sky

Because you do know what tomorrow is, don't you?
That's right, math geeks—but not only is it Pi Day (3.14 ...), 
it's the once-in-this-century Pi Day (3.14.15 ...)!

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

Thursday Challenge—"street"

This one is in Bordeaux, and the picture
was taken before there even was such a thing
as a digital camera.  Much as I love my digital,
I still kinda miss film.  How about you?

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

ABC Wednesday—I is for inimitable**

**though many have tried—and also for "I miss Eric!"
 (seen here shooting his lunch at Circonstances, 
a great Paris restaurant, last September).
This would have been the 10th anniversary of his 
inoubliable (unforgettable) blog, Paris Daily Photo, the
very first of the genre and the one that inspired me
(and sooo many others) to start blogging.
Eric put up his final PDP post last New Year's Eve.
As much as I miss my daily dose of Paris as seen through
the eyes (and pen) of this "friendly Parisian,"
I so admire Eric for making a bold move and wish him 
wonderful new adventures on his sunny island!


[To see more ABC posts, go here.]

The view from the top

As a treat for my birthday (next week), my friend
Lisa treated me to a performance of La Donna del Lago
at the Metropolitan Opera.  These seats are probably 
the reason they invented opera glasses, but I 
like the vantage point from up here because you can 
see the entire stage—and the orchestra too.

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

Eating at Eataly

I've featured Eataly before (here and here).
If you don't know it, check it out here.  I visited
 recently on a snowy day, when it was actually
empty enough to get a seat at one of the
restaurants there.  Couldn't pass up the opportunity to
enjoy a glass of wine and this beautiful beet salad . . .

with goat cheese, truffles, and candied hazelnuts.  Yum!

[Linking back to Macro Monday and Monday Mellow Yellows.]

in SPIREd Sunday

Here are the spires of Sacré Coeur seen peeking out from
behind the buildings on the rue du Chevalier de la Barre.  The
street was named for a nobleman who was tortured and 
executed at age 20 in 1766.  I won't go into detail but it was definitely
a case of "overkill."  Among his "crimes": not doffing his hat as
a religious procession passed him, singing impious songs,
and having a copy of Voltaire's Dictionnaire Philosophique.

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

It was good to the last drop

When I'm in Paris I always get a bottle of 
Pineau des Charentes to enjoy while I'm there.
 It's a blend of lightly fermented grape must and
cognac eau-de-vie—good as an aperitif or a digestif.
I love this yummy stuff and it costs about $30 per bottle
in NYC (and can't be found just anywhere).
Over there, it's a much more reasonable 10 euros.

[To see more of The Weekend in Black and White, visit Dragonstar's meme.
To see more Weekend Reflections, visit James's meme.]

Weekend Reflections

Last Sunday we had what I sincerely hoped
would turn out to be the last snowstorm of the 
season (unfortunately, it was not).  I took 
shelter in Home Depot and came away with some 
cleaning products—and a bunch of snowy reflections.

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

Thursday Challenge—"still life"

Glad I took a picture, because six hungry
women—who'd just hiked all over
the Left Bank of Paris—made short work
of this little snack (and it wasn't easy to get 
on a Sunday night when tout est fermé).

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

ABC Wednesday—H is for "hands"

 . . . and also for Hungarian.
These are the very talented hands of
my favorite young artist, Maté Orr.

And here's a detail from a painting (Maté is his
own best model) that was hanging up in
his Budapest studio on the day we went to visit.

[To see more ABC posts, go here.]

Our World Tuesday

This commuter stopped off for a shine on
his way to work, looking (except for the cell phone
glued to his ear) rather "Mad Men" in his topcoat and fedora.  
I don't know how long this shoe-shine stand has been
here in Grand Central Terminal, but the chairs are
leather and mahogany, so probably a while.

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

L'heure bleu

One night last week it was finally warm enough
(i.e., just slightly above freezing) to walk
over the Brooklyn Bridge.  Though it was dark by the time
I got to the other side, it was my favorite time of 
day—the blue hour—when I started across.

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

Today's Flowers

I know these don't look much like flowers
right now.  But in two or three months
the frozen buds on this dogwood tree outside
my window will burst into bloom and 
the tree will be covered with pink blossoms.
Meanwhile . . .

[To see more of Today's Flowers, go here.]