Poetry in Motion?

Last Christmas I bought my niece a magnetic poetry kit. She had seen a box I had for myself that I had never opened. My problem with the kit was I had no where to compose my poetry. So when I got her one, I realized that she would have the same problem. The solution... I bought a pre-cut 14" MDF circle from Home Depot and painted it with Metal paint (not paint for metal... paint that contains metal). On top of the metal paint I put a couple of coats of chalkboard paint. While I was doing this project I decided to give the same treatment to an art canvas I had hanging around.

Now we both have a movable surface to compose poetry with our kits, and if we get really inspired we can illustrate them with chalk. You would be surprised how fast time can go by when you are looking at a bunch of words that can be strung together to make movable art!

Anyone can do this.... check it out here.  Happy composing

http://www.magneticpoetry.com/

Gardening in Hades?

I had almost forgotten about the blog when a friend mentioned it the other day. It started as a way to capture and record my adventures in photography as I am terrible at sorting and filing my pictures. And since I don't scrapbook (I don't even print my pictures) a blog seemed like a great idea.  However every time I think of making an entry I wonder who would be interested in my world? So in the odd chance that anyone is... ... here I go again...

This summer gardening has been quite a challenge. Most plants (the ones not nibbled to a stub by deer) have been crushed by the unrelenting heat wave we experienced in July ~ then there's the ban on watering.... It's been very difficult to keep some plants alive. But here is proof positive that one of the most common of plants can outshine anything you can buy in a specialty nursery. No water, no fertilizer, no interference from me at all and these lovelies are just flourishing. I can't seem to stop taking pictures of them..... Even as they fade away their beauty lives on.

snippets and snapettes

There were many many special moments in the 6 dazzling days I spent in New York City. Thank goodness for a digital camera that captured them and therefore remembered for me! I was just telling Gladys that I wished I had kept a journal on my last trip to Hawaii, I could have recreated the entire week in my blog. But alas, I was just not that disciplined! Next time, I vow to do better.

On our first day in New York City our tour bus guide explained to us the reason that  the buildings had such unique shapes. Somewhere along the way (my memory isn't that good) it was noticed that the skyscrapers were blocking so much sunlight that large parts of the city were being bathed in darkness. We definitely noticed that some streets never saw the sun. So the Sunlight conservatory was born. This stipulated that the architects of the city had to step back certain areas of the building so that the sunlight could reach the street. Without this regulation, the city would be a much different place, and the buildings would not be so unique!

Triplets! There were three of these buildings in a row. The bus put us too close to them to get all three in the picture. While the tour guide expounded on the rent and how the window styles denoted whether or not the building was rent controlled...I wasn’t paying that much attention... I was busted trying to zoom into the interiors. Not peeping, just interested in the way people live in the city.

Would you expect to see a mosque in Harlem? I certainly didn’t, but here it is.
http://www.harlemonestop.com
 

We did a very quick tour of the Met, yes, sad, I know.... To be honest the tour only happened because we were looking for an amazing spot to have a glass of wine and view the city and someone along the way suggested the roof top of the met. WOW . What an incredible structure awaited us. And the view was breathtaking.  http://www.metmuseum.org

 

This is the M&M’s billboard in Times Square. You can see by the street light in the corner of the picture just how large this is! The kaleidoscope of color they display is simply gorgeous.  http://www.trekearth.com

 

 

 

Linda and I had the good fortune to run into a scalper who sold us tickets to West Side Story. Of all the musicals playing in New York, to me this one is the quintessential New York story. Yes, the seats were in the nosebleed section, but we still had a great view of the stage and the sound was also perfect. Next trip (I am so going back) I would like to spend some real cash for front row seats to whatever is the hottest play of the day. http://www.broadwaywestsidestory.com/

 

Directly across the street from our favorite skechers store was this McDonalds.  Where else but New York City would you see a sign like this.   We heard there was one uptown that had a baby grand piano in the lobby. :)

 

One of the many purse rack in Macy's.  There are no words....

 

The elephant topiary at Tavern on the green was gigantic. We so enjoyed our stop there.

Castles in the Sky - May 2009

I have to share more of my favorites of the 1300 or so pictures that I took while visiting New York City.   If you are thinking about visiting New York ~ all I can say is GO.    It's a magical, crazy, wonderful city that everyone should experience at least once. I can't wait to go back.

I was very lucky to explore the city with two other women who's sense of adventure was remarkably diverse, we each brought to the others an experience we would have missed on our own. Thank you Gladys and Linda, this was a holiday I will never forget!  It's a good idea to make a list of things you really want to see because it's very easy to get distracted by the castles in the sky. If you have a couple of good pairs of walking shoes, some great company ( it will only add to your experience) and lots of time ~ you are in for a treat.

We spent 6 wonderful days hopping on and off buses, walking and eating.   The restaurants are amazingly diverse.  The people we met couldn't have been friendlier, the weather was spectacular and the shopping!! All I can say is I had to take pictures of the purses I left behind in Macy's :)     Many many pictures..

And don't worry about the fabulous food you are going to eat, you will walk it off in no time at all.   http://www1.macys.com

Lanterns in the trees

There were so many of these lovely cloth lanterns hanging from the trees at Tavern on the Green , they deserve to be singled out!     It was  sweltering hot   and we were taking cover under the thousands of trees (yes ~ thousands) in the park. The ladies and I just had to stop in for a ice cold drink and some luscious New York fries... served in a silver cup no less. One of the most enjoyable treats of our trip. Somewhere in my vast array of pictures is one of our very cute waiter, alway a bonus!

This is the picture I will use for for my desktop at work (the lanterns ~ not the beer).  Every time I see it I smile and remember the sun on my face, ice cold beer, hot crispy fries and best of all the laughter of good friends. Maybe I should have the beer picture after all....
Isn't that the most wonderful thing about pictures from a holiday or special event ~ they take you right back!

Next vacation my sweetie and I are driving down the Oregon / California coast to San Francisco.

I wonder how many pictures I will take there :)

Central Park ~ Of Course!!

Our last full day in the city and we have all decided to spend it in Central Park. That is after we ride the subway. We can’t leave the city without a subway ride! So we walk to Grand Central station. Now we know what the saying really means. I didn’t expect it to be so beautiful, busy yes, but beautiful? The ceiling alone was jaw dropping. What we didn’t realize was Grand Central is really a hub for the outlying boroughs, not what we were after. Still, I am very glad that I got to see it for myself. A very nice ticket sales agent told us we could get to the park easily up Fifth Avenue.

So, we walked. Yes, from our hotel at 8th and 46th street, we walked to Central Park and entered on the corner of 5th and 59th street. Might not sound like far, but when its 85 degrees and so very humid, it feels like 105 degrees, that's quite a hike!

Along the way were the most amazing castles, butted up against glass sky scrapers. WOW.    And the stores on Fifth were in a class of their own.

We made it to The Park. This is where all the city folks go to escape the heat. Where the kids and dogs run, and lounge, or even boat. It’s gorgeous.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

We strolled down trails, under trees, across bridges and took hundreds of pictures.  We even managed to witness a swing dance competition at the shell, where one adventurous photographer was trying to get a photo of everyone in the air at the same time.  It was just too much fun.

 

After all this walking in the heat we headed to Tavern on the Green for a cold one.  I can't hear Regis and Kelly talk about it and not see it for myself. 

We finished our jaunt through Central Park at the underpass where this lovely statues resides.  We didn't want to leave but had made plans for an Italian feast for our last night out! 

We managed to get ourselves on the subway headed in the right direction ... what a rush!  I even forgot for a minute or two how claustrophobic I am.  Our last night in the city. I am sad.