The Weekend in Black and White

I'm ending 2016 with this image of an
 old whaling boat up in the Arctic, a
part of the planet I visited for the first time
this year and that surprised me with its
interesting history and incredible beauty.
Happy New Year to all of you!

[To see more b/w images, visit
Dragonstar's meme.]

Skywatch Friday

As usual, I'm hopping a plane and heading
a bit south to ring in the new year in a
peaceful place very far from Times Square.
Hope you'll be wherever you
want to be too!

[To see more Skywatch pics, go here.]

Thursday Challenge—"celebration"

I'll be wearing this fetching little chapeau
day after tomorrow at our otherwise
relatively quiet New Year's celebration.
Hope you're planning some fun for that evening.

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

ABC Wednesday—Y is for "yuletide"

Two of the magazines in our group had a
friendly gingerbread-house
smackdown recently on Facebook.  And
the winner was . . . this cute little log
cabin made by a couple of the folks
at FamilyFun magazine.  (I guess it was
okay to use no gingerbread whatsoever in the
making of your "gingerbread" house.)
Whatever.  It's so cute.

[To see more ABC posts, go here.]

Holiday fun

I have some of those glasses that let you
see your Christmas lights in various
shapes, including reindeer, Santas, wreaths,
gingerbread men—and these stars. 

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

Happy Boxing Day . . .

to all my far-flung friends who are
 celebrating today!

[To see more Macro Monday pics, go here.]

inSPIREd Sunday

This pretty little church was established back in
1842, in Rocky Mount, in the Blue Ridge
Mountains of Virginia. Some of my VA cousins
sing in the choir here.
{Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to
 all who are celebrating today!}

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

The Weekend in Black and White

Did some last-minute Christmas shopping
downtown.  When I  turn the corner
and am greeted by this sight . . . well, it
never fails to impress me.

[To see more b/w images, visit Dragonstar's meme.]

Weekend Reflections

A very Merry Christmas &/or Happy Hanukkah
to all my fellow reflection addicts
and blog pals wherever you are and however
you celebrate at this time of year.
Are you all ready for the festivities?  I'm not!

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

signs, signs

Back in the (18th-century or so) day, if
your footwear was better than your
reading comprehension and you needed
to have your boots repaired, I guess
you'd just have to look for a sign like this
to know you'd found a cobbler.
(I spotted this one in the heart of Bordeaux.)

[To see more signs, go here.]

ABC Wednesday—X is for "extra X's"

When I saw this, I just saw X's—but
this is the mast that three men climbed
to board their dirigible in 1926,
and took off to be the first to fly over the
North Pole.  They made it, but
never knew that they had.

There's a plaque on the mast that
commemorates their accomplishment.

[To see more ABC posts, go here.]

Where are you?

This is Lady (according to her tag), who
was waiting patiently for her
human outside our local food co-op.
Despite her fur-trimmed coat and blue rubber
boots, she was shaking from the cold.
Not to worry—her owner was paged and she
was soon on her way home.

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

Monday Mellow Yellows

These yellow and orange flowers 
shone through the snow and
added a spot of bright color to my
Brooklyn neighborhood.

[To see more Monday Mellow Yellows, go here.]

Shadow Shot Sunday

Here's a quiet corner behind the scenes
at Paris's most beautiful opera
house, the Opera Garnier, where it's
mostly ballet that's performed these days.

[To see more Sunday shadows, go here.]

The Weekend in Black and White

Did you want something? 

[To see more b/w images,
 visit Dragonstar's meme.]

Weekend Reflection

Rue Théophile Roussel, right at the entrance
 to the Marché d'Aligre, is 
reflected in the window of Le Baron Rouge
(oysters, anyone?) and in all those
wine glasses too.

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

Thursday Challenge—"everyday"

This may not be an "everyday" sight for
many folks, but I have this view
of the Chrysler (my fave NYC) Building
every night on my way home from
work.  And I never take it for granted.

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

ABC Wednesday—W is for "wall o' water"

Are you thirsty?  Or I should say, T'as soif?
If you're in Paris, you're in luck.
(First of all, the tap water's just fine.)
Or you can choose from among many, many
brands of bottled water—as in this
display at Bon Marché's Grand Épicerie.

[To see more ABC posts, go here.]

Away in a manger

The biggest menorah you ever saw has not
been set up yet, but the nice crèche 
is there at Grand Army Plaza. Not so sure 
about that tree, though.

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

Whirlybird

One morning recently as I took my usual
walk over the Brooklyn Bridge,
I was accompanied by this police helicopter 
that circled the bridge the whole time.
It was hovering in place when I took this shot—
must say, it made me feel safe . . .
and also creeped me out.  I kept wondering
just what it was looking for.

[Linking back to Blue Monday at Backyard Neighbor.]

inSPIREd Sunday

This is the church of Saint-Sulpice in Paris.
The current building dates to the
17th century.  The façade was renovated in
the 18th century; the north tower
(the one on the left) was renovated, but then
the French Revolution halted the
renovations and the southern tower never
was replaced.  (It's always bothered me
that they don't match.)

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

The Weekend in Black and White

I think it's beautiful in color, or all
lit up after dark—or like
this, in good, old-fashioned
black and white.

[To see more b/w images, visit
Dragonstar's meme.]

Weekend Reflections

I look forward to this every year:
For about a week before Thanksgiving, 
all the trees across from my
office get wrapped with thousands
of little white lights.
And when I leave work in the dark the
next Monday, they're all lit up.

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

cubbies

I recently switched allegiance to a new nail salon.
These little drawers for regulars' personal
polish reminded me of the restaurant Chartier,
in Paris, where some faithful customers
would get to store their own napkin in a cubby
much like these (although, granted, a bit
more elegant—it's Paris, after all).

[Linking back to signs, signs.]

ABC Wednesday—V is for "vineyards"

And also for this spectacular view of those
vineyards and the rooftops of
Saint-Emilion, where some of the best
wine in the world comes from
and where every square inch of land is
given over to the vines.

BTW, when these photos were
taken, it was almost time
for the harvest.

[To see more ABC posts, go here.]

Deck the halls with . . .

berries and bulbs and . . . orchids.
I pass this flower shop near Grand Central
Terminal nearly every day.  They
always have orchids on display, but for
the holidays they add all this plus

glittery white branches and
poinsettias too.  Their
windows are always a bit over
the top—in a good way.

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

Greece? No . . .

This is in Paris's 14th arrondissement.
I got a kick out of the Greek-themed mural 
filling a 5-story wall next to a
Chinese take-out joint—in France.

[Linking back to Blue Monday at Backyard Neighbor
and Monday Mural at Oakland Daily Photo.]

inSPIREd Sunday

In the foreground is the Tour Pey-Berland,
the belltower of the Cathédrale Saint-André, in
Bordeaux.  The church was consecrated
in 1096. Here in 1137, 13-year-old local girl
Eleanor of Aquitaine married the future Louis VII.
Most of the current structure was
built in the 14th and 15th centuries, and as you
 can see from the scaffolding at right,
upkeep is ongoing almost 1,000 years later.

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

The Weekend in Black and White

I love these beautiful ballerina lamps, 
which can be had (for a price)
at the gift shop at the Opéra Garnier.

[To see more b/w images,
visit Dragonstar's meme.]

skywatch reflection

Reflected in a Louvre pyramid:
fluffy French clouds in a
beautiful blue sky.

[Linking back to Weekend Reflections
and Skywatch Friday.]

Thursday Challenge—"rare"

On our Arctic expedition a couple of months ago,
on a day when we found ourselves in
the midst of a herd of reindeer, we were also
lucky enough to spot this Arctic fox.
Our guides told us that is very rare indeed!

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