City Views, Country Dreams

Good afternoon from New York.

September has been speeding along since my last post, and along the way I have added a birthday to my record.  I am now 70 and cannot quite take it in.

Keeping to my promise, I did return to visit the dahlia farmer's stand and brought back a bunch of pink dahlias, to admire and sketch.

Even with careful diagonal re-trimming of thick stems and daily changing of water in the vase, dahlias do not last too long.  And so I enjoyed taking lots of photographs of the blooms and buds and making many little studies, showing the flowers' life stages.

I filled several sketchbook pages with graphite and colored pencil drawings and wondered why I don't draw more often.  It is great fun to concentrate on discovering how dahlias are constructed.

I do plan on using some of my photographs as reference for yet more dahlia drawing.

Work is also continuing on my major knitting project, the fair isle jacket.  The sleeves are done and the fronts and backs are nearing completion.

I've also been reading wonderful books by Robert Macfarlane and Nan Shepherd inspiring me to spend more time outdoors.  Lots of walks have taken place on some the recent cooler days.  

Even though peaches, plums and tomatoes are still available at the farmers market, I have also begun sampling this years' apple crops.  Each apple farm seems to have a slightly different variety of these delicious fruits.

My plan for future market visits is to always try at least one variety that is new to me, along with gathering together some of my traditional favorites.

Autumn in New York is a time when lots of cultural activities begin their season and the city provides a feast of opportunities.  I am looking forward to sharing some of these with you all.  Meanwhile, I thank you for your visits and kind comments on my prior post.  It's grand to hear from you.  

City Views, Country Dreams

Hello from New York on an overcast, hot and humid afternoon.

A few miles away from here, lots of talented athletes are competing in the US Open Tennis tournament.  The weather conditions this past week have been tough for players and audiences alike.

I've been content to watch some of the matches on television, while actually continuing on with my current knitting projects, doing a little reading, drinking lots of water and ... taking a few afternoon naps.

My energy level has been reduced; however, I did manage to make one visit to the farmers market.  How could I resist buying more tomatoes and peaches?

I thought it might be interesting to show you some pictures of stands featuring items that I did not buy.

Pickles.

Bread.

Healthy bread.

Bread crumbs.

Cakes and muffins.

Cornbread and quick breads featuring fruits and vegetables.

Large and heavy containers of flowering plants.

A parade line up of mums on the verge of full bloom.

Multi-colored beets.

I was greatly tempted by the delicate pink petals of these dahlias.

The creamy ivory dahlias next door also called my name.

Actually, this stand's entire display of flowers was very tempting.

And yet, I resisted.  My several tote bags were already quite full of tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers, peaches, green beans, zucchini and red-leafed lettuce.  I could only carry so much on my subway ride back to my neighborhood. 

I will have many more days off next week, and might have to re-visit the dahlia situation.  As I have been typing on this lap top's keyboard, it seems as if the temperature has risen in my apartment.  I am now yearning for a thunderstorm to clear the air.

Thank you all so much for your visits hereabouts and your excellent comments.  I wish you all a happy early September weekend, even if, like those tennis players and myself, you will be working.