Pleased to Introduce Willa Pink Saturday

 

This Pink Saturday, please meet the very pretty in pink, Willa

I was on my way to the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Friday morning when I met Miss Willa. I stepped off the bus and there was this adorable vision in pink. My intention was take photographs at the Museum for Pink Saturday -- and I did -- but I knew Willa was the perfect Pink Saturday photograph for this week or any week. 

My first stop at the Metropolitan Museum was the Temple of Dendur. The woman in pink caught my eye as I walked through this area of the museum. 

I didn't have an agenda for this visit. I've been to the museum more times than I can count and it's one of my favorite places anywhere. I also have a few galleries that  I visit often and I decided I'd spend time in those galleries. 

I had Degas' beautiful little ballerina and much of the Impressionist galleries all to myself. 

After my visit to the Temple of Dendur and a visit to the American wing -- including a cup of coffee in the reopened and now socially distant cafe -- I made my way to the Impressionist galleries to visit old friends.    

One of my favorite Monet paintings at the far end of the galleries.  

It was a wonderful reunion with Monet, Degas, Renoir and Van Gogh and so many other friends. I was at the seaside, in Paris and in gardens throughout France. I might not be getting to Paris very soon, but, nonetheless, I enjoyed Paris much closer to home. I took a lot of pictures during this visit, so I can share my adventures with all of Buttercupland in posts to come. 

Thanks for all of the suggestions for the A to Z Challenge. The ideas are great and I'm going to incorporate some of the suggestions into my topic. I'll be doing a formal A to Z reveal later in the week and I think you'll enjoy my choice. 

I had a relatively quiet weekend, but one of my activities was watching a live video event with one of my favorite mystery authors, Cara Black. Her mysteries take place in Paris -- yes, I've got Paris on my mind -- and her newest book, Three Hours In Paris, looks terrific. She read the first chapter and I enjoyed it a lot. It was almost, almost as though I was attending a book reading again. For more information about Cara Black and Three Hours in Paris, I'm attaching my post from Coffee Light and Mysteries Noir.    

As ever, thanks for visiting and take care. Colorado friends, stay safe!

O Christmas Tree

Perhaps the most beautiful Christmas tree in New York City,

 and perhaps the most beautiful Christmas tree anywhere.

I have my favorite places to visit during this season and I'm especially happy when I can share it with someone who hasn't seen it before. I had that treat on Friday night. My friend Becky and her daughter, Lindsey, were here from Mississippi and I got to suggest our plans. They had already visited Rockefeller Center to see the most beautiful outdoor tree in New York City and joined me for a visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. 

The Neapolitan Baroque Creche dates from the Eighteenth Century

It's so worth a trip to the museum and will be on display until January 6, 2020. We didn't get to see it while Christmas music was playing, but it was still a wonderful visit.  

I'm always concerned about crowds this time of year and I was worried last Friday night before out visit. A neighbor told me that one day during Christmas week last year she stood in line for forty-five minutes just to get inside the museum. But our experience may have been a once in a lifetime visit. For the most part we had the museum all to ourselves. No one blocked our view at the Christmas tree or in the usually very crowded Impressionist rooms. There was even a seat at the cafe in the gift shop. 

A moment with Henri Matisse

My favorite Degas dancer and her friends on canvas

I didn't buy anything in the gift shop, but I got these sweet unicorns

 to pose for me for Magic Monday. 

I didn't quite make it to the post office today, but I've now got two packages wrapped and ready to mail, so it's on my schedule for tomorrow. I'm making headway on both cards and decluttering and I'm keeping the shredder busy. I still can't find two things I bought in Scotland in May and carefully put away. I put them away so carefully that they may not be found in time for Christmas. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and keep cozy!

Pink Saturday Goes to the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Edgar Degas' Little Dancer of Fourteen Years,
a frequent stop on my visits to the Metropolitan Museum of Art

 

I ran into a friend last night who remarked that she was surprised to see me in the neighborhood. Most of my posts -- both in Buttercupland and on Facebook -- most frequently seem to be away from New York. I feel that I've been remiss in writing about life in New York City. Though I did the A to Z subway series in the spring (sadly still unfinished, I know) blog life then morphed into writing about my trip to England. But I've been home for over six weeks and have settled back into my "home routine" of yoga, Weight Watchers, grocery shopping, reading and long walks. 

 

One activity at the top of my to-do list was to add museum visiting to my home routine. There's such a treasure of museums within an hour radius of where I live and want to make sure I am at one of them often. My museum of this week was the Metropolitan Museum of Art, just a bus ride across Central Park.

 

I am not an "all-day" museum visitor. After about ninety minutes I lose the ability to absorb what I'm seeing. This visit focused on the paintings of Van Gogh that are owned by the Met. Some had been in storage and they were all displayed in several rooms in the European painting galleries. The rooms were crowded -- I was certainly not the only one who wanted to see this collection -- and not the best environment for taking pictures, but there were two paintings I especially enjoyed. 

 

 Roses, by Van Gogh, part of a series of four still lifes.

 

 Oleanders, by Van Gogh.

 

I've seen at least one of the paintings in the series of still lifes in which Roses is a part of, but Oleanders was totally unfamiliar.  My photograph does not do justice to the striking colors and vibrancy of the flowers. 

 

I enjoyed a glorious summer day for my visit. The roof garden was open and this is the view of the West Side across a very green and lush Central Park.

 

 It was a pleasure to be back at the Metropolitan and a pleasure to be joining Pink Saturday once again this week. There are some terrific posts and well worth a visit.

As ever, thanks for visiting and hope you're having a great weekend! 

 

Ballerina Pink Saturday

The Apthorp Cleaners probably has the best windows in the neighborhood. They decorate their windows with tableaux done with Barbie dolls. They always have lots of pink in the décor and I stop every time as I walk by and take pictures. The most recent window featured the Impressionist painter Edgar Degas painting one of his famous paintings of ballerinas. Alas, you can see the snow reflected in the window, but nonetheless these ballerinas make a pretty in Pink Saturday. 

 

The previous scene was this fabulous pink ribbon fashion show. The attendees are so elegantly dressed and the tables are perfectly set. 

Today was downright balmy, reaching thirty-eight degrees and there was even sun. I let myself dream of spring for just a few minutes, especially when I saw these pretty in pink spring clothes in a store window. Lincoln Center is in the reflection and yes, there's still some snow on the ground. I actually own a similar pink cardigan as well as pink slacks, but I think the check dress could have a place in my closet.

I hope you're having a pretty in pink Saturday, too. Thanks for visiting and take good care.