August 25, 2018
The final installment of 5 Boroughs in 5 Days might very well be the best. The Bronx. Let me show you why, starting with some sustenance to energize the hours to follow. Vegan options are sprouting up all over the place. Manhattan and Brooklyn get widespread vegan exposure, Queens and Read more…
August 16, 2018
I was so happy to learn that the Brooklyn Botanical Garden is *free* before noon on Fridays. With my free Fridays dwindling, I set out to beat the rain. The grounds are gorgeous, lush and teeming with color, texture, activity–and it’s totally possible to see everything in several hours, unlike Read more…
August 11, 2018
When I visit a place, I look into its history, find its hidden goodies, look at with curiosity and hunger. Doesn’t your home deserve this level of attention to detail, if not more? Determined to not take home for granted and to claim it as all my own, I explored Read more…
April 3, 2018
The blooming daffodils got a coating of snow this week in an early Spring cold snap. Such juxtapositions had me breaking out the camera. And the doves looking for a seed handout… Happy Spring!
September 17, 2017
I’ve begun to understand that observing the world’s beauty is my most favorite therapy. And if you look for it, you’ll find it most everywhere. From delicate macaron feet peeking out from a soft pastel shell to the browned crisped dough of a pastry that some young lady made lovingly Read more…
August 15, 2017
How gorgeous is this blue Morning Glory? It looks as if stroked by a partially dry paintbrush. This bloom mysteriously disappeared shortly after I took this picture. I wonder if blue plants are sought-after vittles for critters since they are so rare? Hibiscus time. I associate the hibiscus bloom Read more…
July 31, 2017
After several less than active seasons, the butterfly bush has been all a-buzz this summer. So I broke in the new lens for my Nikon and got into the bush to photo-stalk some of the feasting creatures. Like this Monarch butterfly, a big flirt who seemed to content to playfully Read more…
June 29, 2017
There are things that go very differently in my head. The first day of my Summer break… In my head I rouse from a peaceful slumber as a stray ray of sunlight gently taps my shoulder. Hovering Blue Jays hold up an impractical, sheer house coat as I saunter out Read more…
May 3, 2017
Though I don’t like pink on men because I am a confused jumble of progressive principles and old fashioned ideals that leave me mostly mourning the disappearance of real men, Lou Barlow can wear pink if he wants to. He can also describe his feelings vividly in song, sure. If he must… [Sebadoh at the Read more…
April 18, 2017
With spring definitively here, the bulbs I planted last September are starting to poke out their heads in the backyard… like these late daffodils with the complicated faces. Trees are finally blooming. And so I stored my winter coats and sweaters away. I’ve gushed about tulips plenty, but how about the Read more…
April 13, 2017
One thing that Europe does right is their train stations. Besides being within massive and ornate cathedrals, they are always wide open and airy, contain several flapping pigeons for effect, and are very easy to navigate. Like this here Amsterdam Centraal Station. Why are they so beautiful? Perhaps because the rails are so Read more…
September 10, 2016
The start of a new school year is a taxing time. From freedom to strenuous furniture moving, room design and set-up, to planning units of study.. then the delivery, and all teaching entails. No one day alike, ever-changing variables and constant stimulation. And with the schedule change, I finally was Read more…
August 12, 2016
I get to see all the backyard goings-on when I am home for the summer. Like hungry bumble bees getting sustenance. Black-eyed Susans looking all badass, ready to intimidate a Daisy. Hibiscus monitoring and managing their sun intake. The sunflowers building their happy faces. Beautiful butterflies feasting then fluttering. Oh, and a Read more…
August 6, 2016
Lest you think me a sunflower stalker (I am), please know that Babbette’s Seeds of Hope was the first field of sunflowers I knew about, though I suppose I realized they existed, and the very first field of sunflowers I intended to visit… the reason for the route I established Read more…
July 4, 2016
Porno for pyros Pink, white & teal, close enough Fountainhead Marshmallow meringue parfaits Independent lunch–Field Roast burger, potato salad, corn on the cob Black-eyed Susan up, with ladybug superfly friend A Big Galoot snuck in to cool off. So handsome. Lilies are up. Tomatoes dropping already. Frank knows I’m heading Read more…
May 22, 2016
It took a while for spring to spread her green. But she’s here, finally. Wild life in the backyard. Clematis blooming. Iris parade on the side of the house. Rose bushes also showing signs of green. Garden still contained. Anticipating these tomatoes My lucky 7 sunflowers. These are the only Read more…
April 24, 2016
Undeveloped Long Island: It is so easy to hate where you’re from. It conveniently holds blame for all the ails of your upbringing. It takes no offense. But it’s other things, you just need to look beyond the paths you’ve worn well. Like anywhere, it can be new and fascinating Read more…
March 25, 2016
There are not many things as beautiful as an orchid. So the New York Botanical Garden‘s orchid show (Orchidelirium), which exhibits thousands diverse orchids, is a heavenly way to spend the afternoon. The magnolias are blooming. And an azalea bush that beat the others to bloom.
February 15, 2016
With record cold this Valentine’s morning, the windows were intricately frosted by Mother Nature. The Atlantic ocean in the winter from the Robert Moses Causeway. Orchids are beautiful–and other such understatements. You are my Everything. A batch of Brooklyn’s Dunwell‘s. At like 1030 on Sunday, they were sold out of most Read more…
August 20, 2015
Having a yard is like having your own park that no one else can visit… unless they’re invited of course. I love watching all the life go on in the yard. And I much prefer to see its critters than those urban critters (i.e. millions of people) in NYC. Then, there’s the flora. Read more…
May 25, 2015
Push aside winter grey, summer is unofficially here. The irises are blooming at the zombie house next door, triggered by nature. There Will Come Soft Rains-style. The backyard, once a bland backdrop along the walk to the back door, invites entry, holds glistening fruits and color in its open palm. Asks Read more…
May 18, 2015
Do this experiment. Start peeling an orange, put your nose in the path of the rind’s mist, peel a packet loose and place it in your mouth, but do not chew… Your salivary glands dumped buckets out into your mouth whether or not you thought you wanted an orange. There is Read more…
May 2, 2015
Frosty morning tulips in the backyard Later, sun-funned tulips in the afternoon The bulbs I planted in my parents’ backyard in September, all grown up Our lips are sealed. Spring means figs, one of my top 5 favorite fruits. Simpler Spring lunch: smashed avocado toast with this jimmy-rigged Hollandaise-ish sauce I concocted. It Read more…
April 19, 2015
When I lived in Brooklyn, I had better access to vegan food options. Living on Long Island, I make my food more often. This is a good thing. But on occasion I’ll hunt down food leads, determinedly, like I would if I was staying for just a day. I like the hunt–and Read more…
November 4, 2014
Sometimes the sky blazes. And it makes even a suburban street beautiful. A beautiful birthday orchid. Spider art. The new dining room. And Frank. Cupcake Monster prep. Dandies + edible markers = Weird monster cupcakes. You lookin’ at me?
