Oh, Hey Boo!

 

I am so not ready for Halloween

Hey, Boos! I know I've been away way too long and no real reason. Though I did have a keyboard issue last week, which after a few days of time spent with Google, is now in the past. I'm glad it's resolved, but computer issues do put me in a tizzy. I don't miss much about working, but I definitely miss the IT staff we had and how helpful they were. 

It's still summer in New York, and these last few weeks have been lovely. There's been some  rain, but nothing I've wanted to do has been rained out. I've managed a great day in Brooklyn looking at one of my favorite views of Manhattan and a visit to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. I haven't been to either of the latter in the last few decades and it was way overdue. 

 I didn't spend much time at the Museum, though there's a lot to see. My visit was to take a hard-hat tour through the restoration work being done on abandoned the hospital section, which had been closed to the public for the last 60 years. We had a wonderful guide from the Save Ellis Island Foundation and it was a fascinating visit to the past. Most of my family came to the United States via Ellis Island and I spent some time in the document section where I found the manifest of the ship my grandparents arrived on in April, 1914.

The view of the Statue of Liberty from a window in the Isolation Ward of the Hospital. 

This was the section for patients with tuberculosis. 

I leave on Wednesday for Omaha. It's a quick visit, but another stop on my quest to see all fifty states. I've got a sight-seeing itinerary and a list of fun restaurants, including two "must visit" ice cream shops. One is only a five minute walk from my hotel, so I know that will be one of my first stops in Omaha. 

If you  enjoy my New York photographs, please stop by my Facebook page. I've been posting regularly there and I'd love to have you visit. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and enjoy the waning days of summer.  

 

The Sweet Days of August

 

My view at sunset, looking at the Manhattan skyline

Usually August is the slow month of the year and this year is no exception. I've been enjoying the more relaxed pace and trying to get caught up with projects that will get pushed to the side when the autumn arrives. I'm caught up with medical appointments, have a list of appointments that need to be scheduled and I've been doing some serious decluttering. Alas I haven't been blogging, but I have started to post photographs regularly on my Facebook page.

The Occupied City at the Museum of the City of New York

One pleasure has been catching up on museum visits.  Yesterday I visited one of my favorite museums, the Museum of the City of New York which featured a fascinating exhibit on life in New York City during the British occupation of New York City. Growing up in Connecticut I never had any formal classes on New York State/City history and so much that I saw in this exhibit was all new information for me. 

My other museum visit of the month was to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I saw a fascinating exhibit of the work of the Italian sculptor, Alberto Giacometti, displayed in the Temple of Dendur.  Giacometti had been strongly influenced by ancient Egyptian art and the Temple of Dendur was a fabulous site to display the sculptures. 

 

This cat sculpture was. perhaps, my favorite of the exhibition 

A different perspective of Giacometti's work, with Central Park in the background 

I'm looking forward to the autumn, and won't be sad to say good-bye to my higher electric bills and the humidity. But I'm definitely enjoying long slow days without jackets and scarves and gloves. Time for a Mr. Softee cone before they are traded for pumpkin spice. Is anyone else trying to hold on to these last sweet days of summer?

As ever, thanks for visiting and keep cool.  

My Maine Idyll

 

The view from McLoons Lobster Shack

Maine was wonderful. I have come to expect that my visits will be very special, but this year's visit was idyllic. Yes, idyllic. Except for one rainy day, when the activity was seeing The Odyssey, I enjoyed blue skies and starry nights. I ate lobster, visited with friends and enjoyed some of the best scenery anywhere. 

  I visited Rockland and discovered a new doughnut shop, Ruckus Doughnuts. I chose a cinnamon doughnut, but when I went to take pictures all that was left were these three blueberry doughnuts. If you're ever in Mid-coast Maine and like doughnuts, Ruckus is a must stop. 

The view from the ferry to Vinalhaven 

On one of the most perfect summer days imaginable I took the ferry to the island of Vinalhaven. It was an hour ride from Rockland and yes, it was as lovely a ride as the picture.  We walked, ate lunch and visited an art gallery. But most of all I enjoyed being on the water.   

The view from the cottage

There were new adventures and familiar adventures, and I take none of them for granted. Long halcyon days of summer are among the sweetest joys of life and when they're spent with friends of long standing and new friends, it's a complete privilege. How lucky I was!

I've been back in New York for a week, but even though there was no change in time zones, it felt as though I'd come back from a long journey away and in some ways, I had. I'm back in the New York swing of things for the next month. I don't have a lot planned, but between catching up on all the errands -- today was haircut day and there are a few medical appointments and a visit to the dentist to come -- I do have some fun planned. What are your August plans?

As ever thanks for visiting and have a sweet last day of July.

This Isn't My Eighth Grade Odyssey

At least it doesn't look it. 

One of my junior high memories is reading The Odyssey, or at least having it assigned to our class. I'm sure I read some of it, and also pretty sure that I didn't finish it. I vaguely remember the story and I think even if I had completed the assignment my thirteen year old self wouldn't have fully understood it. 

But I was still very excited to see a giant Trojan Horse on Broadway this afternoon. The premier of The Odyssey film is taking place a mile from home and even though it was another VIP event I wasn't invited to, I was excited to see all festivities and the Trojan Horse that filled up one lane of the street.  

The Trojan Horse of Broadway

While I didn't finish The Odyssey in 1963 I'm looking forward to seeing it this summer. I think I'm ready for it. 

I'm off to Maine tomorrow. I'm looking forward to cooler air than New York -- we're back in the middle of 99 degree weather -- views of the ocean and one of my favorite ice cream stores. There will also be catching up with friends, lobster and fresh corn from farmstands. Time will go a little slower and I'll breathe a little easier. What a treasure!

Take care, friends, and keep cool. Enjoy a lemonade or iced coffee and hope your days, too, go a little slower.  

As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care. 

 

Let's Visit the Alamo

 

Welcome to the Alamo

Yes, there's an Alamo in New York City and you're looking at it. This is the Alamo aka the East Village Cube at Astor Place. This is one of my favorite sculptures, eighteen hundred pounds of steel that revolves. It's the work of Tony Rosenthal and was first installed in 1967 as a temporary installation. Because of community enthusiasm, it became permanent, and is still there almost 60 years later.  

This wasn't my plan for the day, but once I moved to do the errands on my list, I decided it was too nice a day -- no rain and very little humidity -- to be inside doing errands. And with a sudden pivot I found myself at Astor Place. I found the coffee kiosk and a seat under one of the umbrellas, and I settled in to enjoy an iced coffee. 

The cafe at Astor Place and source of my iced coffee today

Thank you all for the birthday wishes. I'm definitely not someone who is sad about getting older. I'm delighted to be getting older. It's a privilege that many won't have and even with the aches and pains, it's the best adventure I can have. 

I promised a birthday post and I'm not quite there yet for a long post. My thoughts on turning 76 are just beginning to emerge. There is one idea that has started to emerge. I need to keep trying new things. I'm not sure what those new things are, but I've started to see how easy it is to get into the same schedule every week. I love having activities to do every week and seeing friends at those places. I love traditions that are part of every season and holiday, but I think it's time to find a new activity (or two) and a new tradition (or two). As I learned decades ago in Girl Scouts, "Make new friends and keep the old. One is silver and the other's gold." 

As ever, thanks for visiting and keep cool.

  

The Spirit of '76

 

Today I'm feeling the Spirit of  '76

Today I join the Spirit of '76 Club, though I won't officially turn 76 until 10:26 P.M. It's overwhelming -- neither of my parents made it to 76 -- and lots of fun, and I am very grateful to join this club. I'm going to write a longer birthday post, but couldn't resist including this in a very quick recap of the monumental weekend. 

Tall ships on the Hudson River 

It was quite a weekend in New York City. There were tall ships, planes, fireworks, the World Cup Games and as previously discussed, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding. There was a lot of discussion about the upheaval the wedding created because several blocks were closed, but if you weren't driving it was barely a ripple in Manhattan. Streets are closed for one reason or another every day and a few times a month I find I'm riding on a bus that's detoured because of a street fair or construction. 

I got to watch the tall ships and planes from a friend's office that overlooks the Hudson River -- New Jersey is across the water. We were on the 35+ floor. We had a great view of the ships coming down the river, but a less good view of the details. No complaints from me. It was one of the 100+ degree days and I was happy to be inside and out of the sun and have a great array of snacks and a coffee machine. It was truly memorable.   

I also made two visits to the New York Public Library for several great exhibits, which also deserve their own post. The Library has gone from what was, when I moved to New York in 1975, a musty series of reading rooms to a very lively and interesting place for exhibits, lectures and a cafe. 

I spent time "curating" my collection of photographs of the American flag taken in the last decade. I put my collection on Instagram and I'm happy to share the link. This photograph of the Fearless Girl statue in Lower Manhattan is one of my favorites of the collection. 

Fearless Girl and the New York Stock Exchange

I hope all of Buttercupland had a great celebration, too. I'm going to take the next few days and simply catch up. There's email to read, bills to pay, thank you notes to write, blogs to visit and the usual household chores to do. Turning 76 doesn't change the errands and chores, but I did take a vacation from them to celebrate America's birthday and my birthday. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and keep cool. 

You Read It Here First

 

We don't often have celebrity news in Buttercupland. Not that we're (totally) uninterested, but there are a million other places where that's all they write about. But in October 2023, almost three years ago, I did a post predicting that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce would one day get married. I had visited Kansas City and took an interest in Travis Kelce and the romance that was just starting to be an "item." Here's a link to my very on the money prediction. 

Sadly, although I live three miles from the venue, have a very nice dress worn to several weddings that photographs nicely and I was a very early booster of the match, I am not invited. Madison Square Garden holds approximately 20,000 people. Surely there's room for one local influencer. 

If my dress doesn't meet the dress code, I can zip to Macy's and see what I can find and I will not try to smuggle in my phone and snap pictures. I proved I can adhere to a no-photography rule at Alnwick Castle and I was very tempted. Please, Taylor.

It is tempting to take a quick subway trip, seven stops on the local line, and see what's going on at the Garden, even without an invitation. But it's 96 degrees now and tomorrow and Friday are predicted to be 99. I will rely on those professional celebrity sites to keep me up to date. 

Today was a quick zip to the grocery and the bank and an iced coffee while I was out. I'm keeping it cool.  I had several ideas for the Fourth weekend, but, alas, the weather may be keeping indoors,

As ever, thanks for visiting and keep cool.  

Come Along with Me to Hogwarts

 

Probably the most elegant site where I will ever eat lunch, the courtyard of Alnwick Castle

The magnificent Alnwick Castle -- the site of Hogwarts in the first two Harry Potter movies -- was not one of the places I expected to visit during my England stop this month. I was focused on seeing Lindisfarne/Holy Island -- a future post -- but the day trip I chose from Edinburgh included a visit to the castle. I expected it would be interesting, but as with so many of the extraordinary events in life, it came on quite unexpected, and far exceeded my expectations.  

Alnwick Castle, Northumberland

The castle was begun in 1096, very quickly after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. It was purchased by the Percy family in the fourteenth century and it is still the family home. The family are now (and for several centuries) the Dukes of Northumberland and the family of the twelfth Duke is responsible for the castle and the grounds. For centuries the castle was primarily a military fortress and it fell into disrepair. That is now history and it has been beautifully restored. 

Next to the castle is The Alnwick Garden, created by the Duchess of Northumberland in 2001. It is a modern garden with a wonderful display of sculpture, fountains and lots of places to sit and enjoy the sights. There is also an area for tea, but alas, I didn't have time for both tea and to explore the castle and garden. I opted to explore as much as I was able to. 

Yes, the go-carts are provided and there were definitely used. 

One of my favorite fountains of the garden. Fortunately I was there before the heat wave. 

There were several other features of the castle and garden I didn't have time for, besides tea. There is a "poison garden," with poisonous plants, and broomstick lessons to pay homage to the filming of Harry Potter. The Quidditch and flying scenes were filmed in the Outer Bailey, a grassy open courtyard.

Ready for a Quidditch match?

History, magic, film and more history. My visit to Alnwick was an opportunity to go back in time, but with modern plumbing and good coffee. I'm a devotee of time travel books -- Outlander! -- and I'm intrigued by the idea of time travel. I like the idea of visiting past times, but don't like the thought of leaving modern conveniences (and hygiene) behind. 

Any other time travel fans in Buttercupland?

Jet lag seems mostly gone and I'm scheduling ahead for the Fourth of July weekend. I'm going to try and avoid the big crowds -- no fireworks for me -- but still have some interesting things planned. What is on the schedule, friends?

As ever, thanks for visiting and keep cool!

 

(Some of) The Sights I Saw

The best view in Edinburgh, Edinburgh Castle

I've been home from one of the best trips ever to England, Ireland and Scotland for four days. I'm finally able to stay awake beyond 8:00 PM (actually 1 am in Edinburgh. Jet lag has been rough coming home from this trip, but the days away were well worth it.  

Incredible  Alnwick Castle, in Northumberland, England

Friends have asked what were the high points of the trip. So many! Two especial adventures were meeting friends that I'd been in touch with via Instagram, enjoying York and Edinburgh, seeing the beauty of Connemara on Ireland's Atlantic Coast and Holy Island, a beautiful tidal island in England. 

Loved the thatched cottages that I saw in Ireland...

...And the scones that I enjoyed.  

I enjoyed this delicious scone during my visit to Connemara. 

These are just a few of the high points. I'm hoping/planning to do posts on a few of the places I've written about. I'm getting back on track with all the home errands and feel reasonably caught up. I realized that the jet lag would be difficult and I kept this week very lightly scheduled.  

Keep cool, friends in Europe, and prayers for our friends in Venezuela, dealing with a devastating earthquake.

As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care. 

 

The Journey of 904 Miles

 

One of my favorite places to walk is in my neighborhood

Welcome to June, the month where we go from spring to summer and it's time for the joys of long evenings. I'll be spending most of June in England/Ireland and Scotland and I will experience, not quite white nights, but a lot more light. I looked up the Isle of Mull in Scotland, one of the ports that I'll be visiting and sunset tonight is a blissful 10:03 PM and sunrise is at 4:39 am. 

Before I start walking in places new to me, it's time for an update on this year's walking journey. My goal for 2026 is (a somewhat odd) 904 miles, which is the number that will add up to 10,000 miles in ten years. Happily, despite the cold and snowy winter and my ankle issue, I'm right on track. My total for 2026 is 406 miles in five months. Barring unforeseen circumstances, the remaining 498 miles is doable. 

I'm not packed -- I wait until the day I'm leaving to actually put things in the suitcase -- but I feel organized. I know the last minute I will think of a dozen things that need to get done, but for now it seems under control. I've scheduled very little and that's helped a lot. In the next two days I'll go over my lists and make sure that I'm getting all my pre-trip errands done. Today was laundry day and download books day, two travel essentials.  

Before I sign off here are a few more pictures from my trip to Salem.

The view from the House of the Seven Gables

One evening visited with friends in Marblehead, MA and this was our view.

There will be lots of views of sea and sky in June and I will be sharing them with you while I am away. There will also be cities, villages and scones, lots of scones and jam. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care.  

Matinee Day

 

My most recent theater afternoon, Fallen Angels, with Kelli O'Hara and Rose Byrne

My love of the theater started early. We didn't go often. We lived in Connecticut and tickets were pricy, when it was possible my mother and I would go to local plays. I remember seeing Oklahoma in a local "summer stock" production when I was nine or ten and from then on, my dream was to see a show on Broadway. That didn't happen for years, but our family vacation was a week in New York City in 1965. 

Once I was in college I was making my way on the New Haven Railroad to see theater. Tickets were three and four dollars -- approximately a few hours of my wages at my college job -- and I saw as much as possible. Getting tickets ahead of time was cumbersome. There was no internet with seating charts and credit cards. I had to mail a check and hope for good seats. Two plays from that era stand out. One was a revival of Our Town with Henry Fonda and the other a revival of Harvey with Helen Hayes and Jimmy Stewart. They were both so worth the effort and still stand out as some of the best theater I've seen.   

Once I moved to New York theater has been one of my favorite activities. Some plays have been as memorable as Harvey and some much less so. Ticket prices have gone from a treat or a splurge to at times, astronomical. I've become a very smart ticket buyer, using discount websites and when there's no discount, choosing carefully. I've learned that I'd rather see one thing I really want than several things I don't particularly care about. 

My latest theater event was seeing a revival of Noel Cowards, Fallen Angels. The play was described as not one of Coward's best -- which I agree with -- but I wanted to see Kelli O'Hara, one of my favorite actors. The play itself was okay, but Kelli O'Hara and Rose Byrne were delights. I remember seeing Rose Byrne in Bridesmaids and she was fabulously funny on stage with terrific comic timing. These two performances are now part of my theater memories.  

Is anyone else in Buttercupland a theater fan? What are some of your favorite plays?

It's a beautiful day in New York City, sunny and no humidity. I've got a synagogue volunteer event tonight and a haircut scheduled for tomorrow. And on Sunday I'm going to a very off-Broadway theater event with friends.  

As ever, thanks for visitng and have a great weekend. 

Time Will Not Dim the Glory of Their Deeds

In May, 2023 I had the privilege of visiting the Cambridge (UK) American Cemetery and Memorial in Cambridge, England. I came home soon after and did a post very similar to this one. Now three years have passed and it's once again Memorial Day and the memory of visiting the American Cemetery is at the center of my thoughts today. 

It's a beautiful place, calm and serene, a dignified resting place for 3800 members of the military, most of whom died in the Battle of the Atlantic or the air bombardments of Northwest Europe in World War II. It is beautifully maintained and it honors those who are buried here.    

There is also a Wall of the Missing, above. There are rosettes for some of the 5100 names here, whose bodies were recovered after the wall was constructed.  

On this day it's easy to think about  American service members who died in the far (and not so far) reaches of the world. This is the day to remember, but I want to ensure that my gratitude extends to the other 364 days of the year, when there are no commemorations.  

In grateful remembrance, today and every day, may their memories be for a blessing. 

What a Difference a Day Makes

 

Yesterday at Richard Tucker Park, near Lincoln Center

Yesterday was a beautiful spring day. It was a little breezy, but warm enough to sit outside and enjoy people watching, iced coffee and conversation. It was the perfect start to the Memorial Day weekend. I had plans for visiting an outdoor photography exhibit this afternoon and a barbecue with friends on Monday. 

 

One of the end frames of The Sheep Detectives 

Yesterday was  bright and sunny and today has been the exact opposite. This afternoon the temperature was in the low fifties and as the day progressed the rain got heavier. It was the perfect afternoon for a movie. I saw The Sheep Detectives and it was a wonderful rainy day movie. It was sweet, a little sad and, one of my favorite things, a good detective story, the end of which I didn't guess. It was a very old-fashioned way to spend a rainy afternoon, but still as satisfying as rainy day matinees were sixty years ago.

 

It was quite a movie weekend. Yesterday I was also at the movie theater for the opening day of Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu. I'm a fan of The Mandalorian series and an enormous fan of Grogu/Baby Yoda. Grogu was adorable, Mando (the Mandolorian) was fearless and the special effects were great. 

More rain is expected for tomorrow and I hope to work through a long list of at home to-dos. I'm going to go over my list for my England/Ireland/Scotland trip, and after booking the trip almost a year ago, I will be in Newcastle, England two weeks from tonight. 

Whether it's sunny or not where you are, I hope you're enjoying the weekend. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and have a great weekend.  
   

Back to an Earlier Time

 

One of the beautiful historic homes in Salem, MA 

I had trouble choosing a title for this post. Though I was only in Salem for a very quick three days, it felt that I'd gone back to the Seventeenth and Nineteenth centuries. And as quickly as I'd gone back in time I was catapulted back to the present the moment I stepped off the train in New York City. 

I spent my time in the past via my college class mini-reunion. I attended two colleges and both have mini-reunions -- small off-campus get-togethers between the standard five year reunions. I've traveled to a half dozen different places, made new friends and caught up with friends from college days. It's been an extraordinary privilege and Salem was one of the best. 

The House of the Seven Gables

Before my visit Salem brought two ideas to mind. One was the Witch Trials of 1692 and the other was this beautiful Seventeenth Century house in the picture above that inspired a novel. I gained so much knowledge of both from tours, lectures and museum visits. I was delighted to find that that Salem was a treasure trove of beautiful colonial and Nineteenth Century architecture. I was also delighted that lilacs were everywhere in Salem and it was the perfect week for them to bloom. 

Lilacs on beautiful Chestnut Street, one of the loveliest streets in Salem

  

It wasn't all seminars and lectures, there was time to chat during our walks and leisurely meals. I especially enjoyed lunches with friends at Red's Sandwich Shop, which had the friendliest staff, great coffee and delicious omelets. I liked it so well that I went there for both lunches during my visit. 

 

Samantha, from Bewitched

Our group chose to visit Salem in the spring, before the crowds arrive in the fall for Halloween festivities. The streets and restaurants weren't crowded and the weather was beautiful. It's highly unlikely that I could have taken this photograph without dozens of people in the picture in October, when over a million visitors -- including 90,000+ on Halloween -- come to Salem.  

I returned home and back to this century with great memories, new friends, photographs and a miserable cold. My nose has been running and I've had a cough that sounded like a barking seal. I've taken it easy for few days -- 95 degrees and lots of pollen -- and I am barking a lot less. I'm still tired, but feeling better and am beginning to get organized for my trip to England in just a few weeks.  

As ever, thanks for visiting, and as our tour guide in Salem wished us, have a magical day.  

Return to Coffee Time

 

My new coffee discovery, Think Coffee

In 2016 I did a series for the A to Z Blogging Challenge about coffee. In the ten years that have followed I've often written about coffee. Sometimes it's the coffee I enjoy in New York and sometimes it's coffee I've enjoyed all around the world. But I noticed lately that my coffee posts have tapered off. I have done only one coffee post in 2026 and I think that needs to be rectified.

I took the cup's advice and thought good thoughts, both about the coffee and the play I saw at the Sheen Center around the corner. Last Saturday I enjoyed Miracle on South Division Street. It was a sweet, funny and touching play about a family in Buffalo, circa 2010. Today was the end of the run in New York City, but be on the lookout to see if it's coming close to you.

One of the treats of the afternoon was meeting George. He sat quietly near my feet and was a great addition to my latest coffee afternoon.   

I'm on the lookout for new coffee places in New York City and when my traveling. My next travel adventure begins tomorrow morning when I begin a quick trip to a college mini-reunion in Salem, MA. I'm looking forward to exploring Salem, spending time with classmates and finding a new coffee place, or two. 

I had planned to do this post and a separate Mother's Day post, but the day -- in a good way -- ran away from me. I spent lots of time outside and even made a trip to Times Square. I usually find the area too busy and noisy for me, but somehow today it just felt like fun. I sat outside and watched street performers and had a great time. I've got a lot of pictures from my excursion and hope to share them in a post. I hope that the rest of Buttercupland had as an enjoyable day as I did. 

Now it's off to finish getting organized and packing for Salem. I'm mostly done, but still figuring out my shirt selection. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and good wishes for the week ahead.    

  

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.