Wednesday, August 21, 2013

City Views, Country Dreams

Good morning from New York.

August continues to be more kind to us than July was.  There have been many mild days, perfect for meeting friends in cafe gardens, visiting farmers markets, and just taking long walks.


Some New York towers are covered in mirrored glass.  These facades come into their own relationships with the sky on bright days when breezes keep the clouds moving.


I actually prefer the intricately decorated facades of older buildings, such as this beauty in my neighborhood.



However, what I truly prefer is yet another walk over to Central Park.


I wanted to see what was still abloom over in the Shakespeare Garden.  The foliage has gone a bit straggly, but there's still quite a lot of color, too.


As usual, there were only a few other folks strolling through the Garden.  I saw several other cameras in use.


Pink, white and green always make a fine combination.


Not all the leaves are green.


Aren't these roses lovely?


I hope that you all will forgive my continuing ignorance.  I do not know the name of this pretty little pink flower.


The following photos gives you an idea of the graceful design of the flag stoned pathways that wander through the garden.  You can also get a glimpse of the rustic wood fencing.


On the day of my Garden walk, the sky was overcast, but the yellow flowers still showed up brilliantly on their very long stems.


My camera and I were not quick enough to photograph any of the many bees that I saw enjoying their favorite flowers.  There were also some lovely varied colored butterflies that seemed quite camera shy.

As I left the Garden, and continued my walk along the western edge of the Lake, I saw evidence of the gradual departure of Summer.  These lacy leaves have their own natural beauty.


I hope that you all will enjoy this opportunity to see these city views.  As always, thank you so much for your visits and comments.

Saturday, August 10, 2013

City Views, Country Dreams

Good morning from New York.

Summertime heat arrived in full force during July.  My energy levels dropped as the temperature rose.

I plead this excuse for a long pause in blog posting.  I'll now try to show a small sampling what has been going on during the heat wave.

Berry season arrived and a new bakery opened up in my neighborhood.  It is a tiny place, and offers a small selection of delicious pastries.  Cupcakes do not have starring roles in this bakery.



The trees' leaves reached full growth and deepest green.  Even the small park around the subway station became a place for folks to sit and hope for a breeze.


The nearby newsstand operator added a welcome seasonal ice cream selection.  I have not tried any of this ice cream, but have finally sampled delicious gelato from another neighborhood spot.


The Union Square farmers market reached a seasonal apex.  Each week during July new vegetables and fruit arrived.  I tried to visit the market every week, and sometimes was lucky to meet Elizabeth there.


I would buy fruit and veg, but did not buy and of the lovely flowers.  


The colors amongst all the farmers' displays are very beautiful.  It is so difficult to resist making many purchases.  I try to keep to a budget, but often get carried away.


During many July days the temperatures clung to the upper 90 degrees Farenheit.  With humidity added to the mix, the so-called comfort index was over 100 degrees. 

My existence became a tale of varying environments.  My workplace and the subway trains were severely air conditioned. Sweaters or jackets were required.  The museums and cafes that I visited with friends were pleasantly cool.  The movie theatre at which I saw Woody Allen's newest film, Blue Jasmine, was very comfortable.

 The great outdoors, the subway stations and my little apartment were quite warm.  I would like to praise the help offered to me by the quiet, reliable cooling breezes offered up by my noble Vornado fan.  I drank the more water each day than ever before.  Having cross ventilation from open windows also brought relief.


Relief also seems to have been delivered by the calendar's having moved on to August.  Once again the city is comfortable.  Knitting with wool yarn is much more fun than it was during July.  Strangely, I did quite a lot of knitting during July.


Many thanks to you all for your visits and comments.  Even though I have been a very lazy summertime blogger, I have greatly enjoyed my visits to your posts.   Keeping up with reports of your summertimes has been great fun!