Monday, August 12, 2013

Gray Day in DUMBO


I hadn't been to DUMBO (down under Manhattan Bridge Overpass) for about ten years. Then, I bicycled there. This time I came on the subway.


Friday was overcast and gloomy. Everything in Dumbo was oversized, industrial strength and dramatic.


It's all been gentrified to bits -which is wonderful. Here I am under the bridge.


And more of the same.


How light the lofts must be!


Old tram tracks and cobblestones...


shouting out urban and gritty


and reflecting things



a restaurant swathed in vines


and an astoundingly fancy French patisserie. I need to explore further.




Monday, August 5, 2013

Sunday in the Park with Jo


It's embarrassing how rarely we get to Central Park when it's not difficult to get to at all. I always forget what fun it is.


So, yesterday we descended the long steps that lead to the pond...


and felt what a difference from the bustle of the street.


It was very GREEN.


Wind ruffled the surface of the water and there were ducks.


What a strange, tall building next to the Essex House!


Of course there were thousands of people there - lots of them taking photos like me.


There was a fun fair with rides...


and The Dairy looking like a Victorian railway station.


A beautiful day for just lying around


or getting cool information from the partially obscured tour guide.


Lots of generic and bad-for-you snacks. YUM.


And the piece-de-resistance - the angel presiding over the round pond with the boating lake beyond.


Now for a short quiz a la Where's Waldo.

Can you find:

1. the bride
2. the two dog walkers
3. the muscle man
4. the boy with the bike helmet

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Beach 2/Robert Moses



Those of you who read this blog pretty often will recall many happy days at Field 3 of Robert Moses State Park. So this post is just one in a series taken through several years.


However, Hurricane Sandy really caused some fairly significant changes. For one thing, the pitch or angle of the beach is altered.


The dunes on the west end of Field 3 look rather battered.


The beach is now somewhat flatter which is lovely.


Instead of the sand being all pure beige or 'sandy', there are now some washes of darker sand which seems lighter - and floats to the surface. How clear the water is!  The posh word is pellucid.


One thing Sandy did was wash away one lot of sand and replace it with another. (Well, the Corps of Engineers helped). People who have those little wands to look for metal treasures are miserable... 


but shell-collecters are thrilled.


How sheeny and shiny the wet shells are - and how dull they get sitting in a jar or on a shelf at home. 


The birds were out in force...


doing bird things like taking off and landing.


The people were there walking


or just hanging about in the waves.


My shadow was there looking like some odd Edwardian traveller.


Lori's beach bag from Morocco was there too.






Thursday, July 25, 2013

July Cornucopia/Union Square


No sooner do I start thinking I'm interested in black and white photography than the world is ablaze with color.


Frances and I were at the green market yesterday. Such a stunning time with everything coming into season... like tempting little egg plants


bee-seducing sunflowers (bee hiding in top flower)


blushing snapdragons


country bouquets and


plums with bloom on.


New potatoes at last.


Star-gazer lilies


zinnias so bright you need sunglasses.


Sneak-able peaches (see young man in the foreground!)
beefsteak tomatos


green beans galore


and corn stacked like cordwood.



On a completely different note, there was the first mention of "back-to-school" on TV this morning. Horrors... it's only July for goodness sake...
but I've started prepping - or at least thinking about - A DAY OF WORDS the one day writing workshop I'm teaching on Saturday September 28th at Little Bird Studios in New York. It should be lots of fun and is open to anyone. Do join our little group!




Monday, July 22, 2013

Brooklyn/ Sunday



Not quite so hot...but still sticky.


We take the L train to Brooklyn so we can look at Manhattan from afar. I'm trying out a new Instagram lens which make things look a bit more gloomy than it actually was...


So, when not in Manhattan people need to look at it through a telescope


or have their photos taken with The Empire State Building as a backdrop. 


Plenty of good lunch snacks at Smorgasburg in Williamsburg near Brooklyn Flea.


I have a love/hate relationship with 'old stuff', but the turquoise color was fun and sort of Mexican (as was lunch)


Heads without bodies are always a bit disturbing. Note the floating one on the left.


Guess what this one's earrings are made from...


you got it!...
zippers