photography and musings from a Midwesterner
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A Green Space in Manhattan
Bryant Park is located on the same block as the New York Public Library in Manhattan. It has a lot of diversity for its size, sporting several cafes and eating spots, a football field-sized lawn where weekly movies are shown during the summer, sculptures of famous New Yorkers, a carousel, and hundreds of chairs, tables, and benches for sitting and relaxing.
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the Sidewalks of New York
While I spend much of my time wandering the streets in New York City admiring the buildings, once in awhile it’s nice to focus on the more natural side of the city. Fruit is nature, right? Even on a fruit stand?
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Walking 9th Avenue
Not only walking 9th Avenue, 42nd Street, but also the length of Central Park, up and down Times Square, and past way too many upscale stores on Fifth Avenue where I would be embarrassed to be seen looking at a blouse whose purchase price could clothe a family for a year. Not that I would be encouraged to even take a step into any of these stores.
I am not a big city girl, but I love NYC – in small doses. And a nearly paid-for trip to the Big Apple as the companion of a conference-attendee was too good to pass up. Especially since I was able to squeeze in a visit to eldest child who took two hours from her crazed Bar-studying-marathon to eat dinner with mom. (The highlight of my cross-country trip!)
Not to say New York does not have its fascinations. The architecture is jaw-dropping, the museums are more than mind-boggling, and Central Park is always a welcome respite. And I want to know how many of you know that a cow lives in Central Park. Yes, really! And she even appears to be a big attraction with the pre-school set.
Now I’m on my way to a trip to the Guggenheim where they are honoring one of my favorite guys, Mr. Frank Lloyd Wright. I’m sure there will be more photographs to follow.
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Glistening from a Morning Rain
Four years ago, we decided to dig up a corner area of our lawn and plant a sunny perennial garden. We had no idea of the work involved–digging out the grass, making the heavy clay a bit more friendly towards growing plants by adding lots of black dirt and compost, designing the plants keeping in mind color, height, soil and watering requirements, and blooming times. And that was just the beginning. Then came the search for the selected plants, planting, watering weeding, mulching. Gardens are lovely and I love that I have a patch of bright color in view of the house, but they require a fair amount of dedication. And lots of hard work. Worth it, though. Well worth it.
We’ve added new plants each year. Each year a few don’t survive the perils of a prolonged winter, but more frequently they are nibbled to death in early spring by hungry and very determined rabbits. We’ve learned to spray a nasty smelling organic type of rabbit-keep-away on anything green whenever it rains, and that keeps the damage to a minimum, and I admit I’m happy whenever I see red foxes prowling the neighborhood.
This year we had a late spring, but we’ve had more than enough rain to keep the plants happy. Many of the flowers are thick with blooms for most of July–Shasta daisies, purple coneflowers, balloon flowers, yellow coreopsis, lavendar, gigantic sunflowers–and they all merge together in masses of purples, whites, and yellows.
I took lots of photographs earlier this week, after the rains had nearly stopped for the day, so I’ll be sharing garden flowers for the next few days.
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Lake Mendota
Bobbing sailboats, moored for the night, in a natural harbor on Madison’s Lake Mendota. The last vestiges of the sun before it disappears beyond the horizon gives the water a shimmery appeal. Summer evenings can be a bit of heaven when there’s an easy breeze off the lake and time enough to relax and appreciate the end of a good day.
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Passing through the Doors of Change
I’ve run into a few unexpected happenings, and so earlier today I decided to streamline my daily routine, and my online adventures, by taking a break from Seeded Earth. I posted that decision a few hours ago. But then a rather unusual thing happened—one of those kinds of things you’d like to have a logical explanation for, but none exists—and so I re-prioritized my life for the moment and decided perhaps I really do need to keep taking photographs and keep posting.
I do want to take this opportunity to thank all of you who visit, and give many, many thanks to those of you who take the extra time to leave a comment. You’ll never know how much I appreciate those words of encouragement.
Now I’m going to go outside, sit in the sun for a while, and ponder life’s mysteries.
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Oriental Poppy
More poppies, but taken at a different time of the day. These poppies were photographed in the early morning light, and they took on a shimmering, papery translucency.
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another summer memory
Remembering summer, long walks through the prairie, bathed in soft evening light from the slowly setting sun.
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Strawberry Island
Still doing photos from last summer. How did I ever manage to get such a backlog? This photo is from a cloudy, windy August day in northeastern Wiscosnin’s Door County. I spent a long afternoon sitting on the beach watching the clouds drift over Strawberry Island. I remember thinking everyone else was in such a hurry to go see something, go do something. I was pretty satisfied doing what I was doing — thinking about “stuff” and watching the clouds drift by. Once in awhile I’d pick up my camera and take a couple of photos.
Aren’t those clouds something to behold?
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By the Riverside
Success – the ability to spend an entire day on the bank of a river without feeling guilty about it.
~ Anon
Thinking about relaxing in that hammock last summer, as the snow falls and the city declares a “snow emergency.” Isn’t it funny that I would rather be successfully swinging in the shade by the riverside than be snow-blowing my driveway?
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