May the Fourth Be With You

 

May the Fourth Be With You

We celebrated our first Star Wars Day/May 4th four years ago. It was totally new to me and I had to ask what it meant. I quickly learned that it was taken from the Star Wars saying, "May the Force be with you." I've had a quick and steep learning curve and from one Baby Yoda in 2022, there are now six that are part of the Butterland Crew. One was rescued from a TJ Maxx in Oklahoma City, but the other five were gifts and they fit right in with Pep Le Monkee -- looking spiffy in his Jedi outfit -- and the teddy bears that have long lived here. 

A number of years ago my dear friend Vivian, of blessed memory, gave me some advice. I met Vivian through our synagogue and we both belonged to a monthly study group. Vivian was closer to my parents' age and yet was as fun and lively as anyone I knew. I asked her what was her "secret." She told me  I needed to have younger friends. If I lived a long life many of my friends would pass away and I needed to keep up with people who had more energy and different interests. She was a wise woman and I took her at her word. 

I came to a group of younger, lively and fun friends via this Baby Yoda in the photograph. I somehow -- not even sure how it began -- started following the Baby Yoda community on Instagram and met the liveliest, most fun group all over the world.   Mail goes back and forth, meetups are planned and enjoyed and the chat groups are lots of fun. In the depth of the Pandemic I never could have dreamed it, but what a gift of friendship and laughter. 

A few weeks ago I traveled to meet up with some of the more local friends at a Tulip and Dinosaur festival. It was cold and windy, but we had a great time. Dinosaurs, tulips, friends and a visit to a favorite New Jersey diner. 

I'm not sure who put together the combination of tulips and dinosaurs, but it was fun. 

It's been a beautiful stretch of spring weather here. I made my way to the East Village on Sunday and discovered a great new coffee place and today's treat was seeing the flower festival at Rockefeller Center. I took lots of photographs of both and hope to do posts in the next few days. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and May the Fourth be with you. 

Z Is for Zimbabwe

 

Join me at Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

We're finishing up the A to Z Challenge with a spectacular "Z." Last year at this time I was getting ready for a trip to Southern Africa. It was definitely a trip of a lifetime and while it's difficult to choose one high point -- so many great moments -- seeing this double rainbow over Victoria Falls stands out. I still look at this photograph and have trouble believing that I actually stood there and looked out and this was what I saw. But I did and there's no AI involved. 

I was so excited/inspired by the Falls that I did something the next day that I said I would never do. I took a helicopter trip over the Falls. It was much less scary than I imagined -- it wasn't scary actually at all -- and my reward, besides this amazing vista, was the rainbow on the left of the photograph. I have no desire for another helicopter trip, but I'm glad I took this one. 

Selfie at Almost Seventy-Five 

This isn't as spectacular, but it's one of my favorite photographs. My friend, Betsy, and I traveled together and we celebrated our mutual milestone birthdays with tea on the veranda of our hotel, the Victoria Falls Hotel. Built in 1904 and originally imagined for the workers on the Cairo to Capetown Railroad. It's a lovely, classic hotel and its distinguished by a view of the Falls from the hotel and veranda. If I turned to the left and took a photograph the Falls would be in the distance. We saw so many amazing natural sights -- animals in their natural setting, the sand dunes of Namibia and the view from the Cape of Good Hope at the tip of South Africa -- but the rainbows over Victoria Falls floats to the top of my mind when I think of this visit to Africa.  

Are there sights you've seen while traveling that hold a special place in your heart?

It's April 30th and we're wrapping up the A to Z Challenge. I appreciate everyone who has stopped by and commented. I will be visiting and commenting over the weekend and look forward to catching up on posts. Thanks so much, friends of a few weeks and friends of long standing. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and here's to a happy May. 

T Is for Tulip

 

I've been remiss about a lot of things in Blogland this month, but I've been especially remiss about omitting a post about the annual neighborhood Tulip Festival, at the West Side Community Garden.  The Garden, a quiet oasis just a few blocks from where I live, is a gem in every season, but it totally shines during the brief, but spectacular tulip season. As ever, 2026 did not disappoint me. 

Some of my favorites at the height of Tulip Season

At the beginning of Tulip Season

When I first moved to the neighborhood there were a number of issues that I considered. One was the apartment itself and the building. A second was access to transportation and if the subway was convenient. Was there shopping nearby? The apartment checked all the boxes, but having a garden just a few blocks away was a complete bonus. It's one of my favorite places to sit and enjoy nature and I am so grateful for my neighbors who plant and weed there. 

This has been my skimpiest season of posts for the A to Z Challenge, but I'm going to go out with an exciting "Z" post tomorrow. We're returning to one of the most exciting/wonderful places I've ever been. It wasn't easy to get to, but so worthwhile. 

It's been a quiet week, but I've managed grocery shopping, (some) walking, physical therapy, Instagramming, and a field trip to see "Dinofest" in New Jersey with friends. I've also been putting details in place for my trip in June to England, Ireland and Scotland. Is anyone in Newcastle on Tyne or Edinburgh? There's time for a scone and a get together. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and see you tomorrow for Z.

 

R Is for Raphael

Welcome to Raphael: Sublime Poetry

My big adventure for last week and the latest post for the Blogging from A to Z Challenge is a visit to an extraordinary exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I took a bus across Central Park and immersed myself in Renaissance Italy. If you're in New York City, thinking of visiting New York City or love the idea of immersing yourself in Renaissance Italy, this is the exhibit to see. 

When I thought of Raphael (1483-1520) in the past I only thought of cherubs and the Madonna and Child. But I found there was so much more than fluffy angels to one of the great painters of the Renaissance, and actually of all time.  

      This beautiful angel is a fragment from an altarpiece, 

painted when Raphael was only seventeen. 

       The Alba Madonna, borrowed from the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC

If you look very carefully, you can see halos around the heads of the Virgin Mary, Jesus and John the Baptist. There are also tiny violets around the feet of Mary, which are strongly associated with her and symbolize her humility, modesty and faithfulness. 

Part of the "Stanze," painted for a suite of rooms for Pope Julius II.

One section of the exhibit that especially intrigued me was the recreation of the frescoes in the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican. I've been to the Vatican twice, but with all the art work there, especially the Sistine Chapel, I don't remember seeing these paintings. It was an extraordinary treat to be able to  enjoy them in a relatively uncrowded setting. 

This is just a very small sampling of the riches of the exhibition. It's going to be there through June 28 and I plan to make at least one more visit. I am so grateful to be able to enjoy so many of Raphael's paintings that I wouldn't have had access to without this exhibit.  

Otherwise...Not sure what kept me away from blogging. It was definitely not intentional, nor was I all that busy. I do find sitting and typing is a finite activity these days and I plead spinal issues, one of the many unexpected gifts of older age. I do have a very fun excursion planned for tomorrow which will be a perfect post for "T."

As ever, thanks for visiting and sending lots of good wishes.    

G Is for Grand Central

 

Grand Central Terminal at night

I've written about Grand Central Terminal many times, and probably will again as long as I keep  blogging. The first time I wrote about it was in 2009 and I used it for "G" in Blogging from A to Z in 2018. It's been one of my favorite spots in New York City since I moved here in 1975. Though I've never counted I've been here at least 2,500 times and probably closer to 5,000 times. When I was working our agency headquarters was in a building that connected to the Terminal and I was here for meetings for at least once a week for twenty years. 

A typical non-rush hour moment at Grand Central

One of my favorite scenes at Grand Central are weddings/wedding photographs. I don't see them often, but every few years or so I look around and see someone in a bridal outfit and I'm mesmerized. I've also seen wedding photography sessions at the Philadelphia and Kansas City train stations. Those are fabulous sites, too.

 Kansas City, 2023

I'm adding "H" to this post for the three rail lines that run from Grand Central, Harlem, Hudson and New Haven. That still doesn't catch up on the letters that I've missed for the A to Z Blogging Challenge, but I'm happy to add another letter.  

The spring is lovely in New York this year. We've had beautiful weather and I'm reasonably sure that my down coat is put away until December. It's not quite shorts weather but it's getting there. The magnolias and the tulips are in bloom and just walking down the street is special with every walk. 

 

As ever, thanks for visiting and hope your spring days hold moments to treasure. 

E Is for Easter Parade

 

And (Spring) Flowers

I've been behind on the A to Z Blogging Challenge in years past, but I never missed the opeing day. Well, there's always a first, even in my eighth decade. I'm not going to try and catch up, but I'm jumping ahead and with E for the Easter Parade and F for (spring) Flowers, I'm caught up and will move ahead in the alphabet in the days to come. 

Love this creative outfit, made out of MetroCards

I made my regular visit to Fifth Avenue yesterday for the Easter Parade. For anyone not familiar with this the Easter Parade isn't an actual parade. It's thousands of people walking on Fifth Avenue, many of whom with fun and creative hats. Yesterday, as you can see from the umbrellas on display, was rainy and chilly. There were fewer people and many less hats. but I still had had a great visit. 

Pretty in pink hats in Rockefeller Center

                                                    Strolling along Fifth Avenue

Since it's Monkey Monday, sharing a photo of our monkey friend, Pep, and his buddy Harry who were part of yesterday's fun. The lilies were especially pretty in Rockefeller Center yesterday. 

That's our E (and F) post for today. We'll be back tomorrow for "G. I'm not sure where our wanderings will take us on our Here, There and Everywhere adventures, but I'm sure we'll have fun. A big welcome to those visiting from the Challenge. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and take care.  
 

Where Did Our Lids Go?

 

This week I spent some time contemplating one of the great questions of our era. Where do our lids go? How do lids and containers go astray? They enter the cabinet together and somehow they don't exit together. How does this happen?

I have no answer to this question, or to the equally perplexing one about where socks go during their journey in the dryer. But lids and socks both disappear. 

I'd been thinking about the lid issue for several months, but I decided to further investigate this when I started to look for a matching lid and container this week. I had an abundance of lids and containers, but few of them seemed to match. The time had come to sort out my collection. 

This was my result. Lids and containers that don't match. 

I'm not sure how this happens. Sadly, I hadn't sorted out the collection in too long, but I have no memory of discarding lids or containers through the years. I may never get an answer to this question, but I am happy to have made some order out of my storage chaos. 

Has anyone else observed this mysterious phenomenon?

I've written before about decluttering and it's still my ongoing project. I've given away a number of books and done a good job decluttering clothes I no longer wear, but my focus for the next few months is the paper that has accumulated over the years. There's a free shredding event at the end of April and I'm planning/hoping to have a bag of paper to take there. Is anyone else decluttering?    

I haven't been part of Pink Saturday in years, but it was a blog feature for a long while. Remembering Pink Saturday, I'm posting this photo from a visit to Whole Foods yesterday. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and happy spring!