Pink Saturday Goes to a Winter Wonderland

 

Central Park via Snapseed

After a complete day spent in my apartment building on Thursday because of the snowstorm, it was a mental and physical health necessity that I get some air and exercise on Friday. There was less than a foot of snow, but I'm not a model of balance and I dread slippery sidewalks, piles of snow where there should be crosswalks and mini-mountains at bus stops. Nonetheless I planned my route via subway to the Time Warner Center where I could walk indoors and then easily cross the street -- there's a lot of foot traffic in this area -- and visit Central Park. 

The temperature had warmed up to an almost balmy sixteen degrees by the time I got to Central Park. I had on enough layers for almost any (brief) outdoor activity, including a hat and my coat hood and hand warmers and really enjoyed being out of doors.

The view of Columbus Circle, looking east, taken in the Time Warner Building  

I also enjoyed my visit to the Time Warner Building, which is a very nice shopping center. Being inside and passing just about every store -- many sales -- was a great temptation during No Spending January. I was especially tempted at Sephora, but was I content sampling several very upscale hand lotions. It would have been nice to get a makeover, but I didn't think I had the fortitude to resist more makeup that I don't need. Hand lotion sampling for the win.     

This is the same view as the photograph above from a different angle.

Central Park is directly across the street.

 

Today was still cold, but the sidewalks were clearer and getting across streets was easier. I ventured beyond my immediate few blocks and saw "The Post," which I enjoyed a lot. I may even take the bus across Central Park in the next few days and visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and of course there will be pictures.

Once again, I'm delighted to join my friends at Pink Saturday for weekend fun. I hope you had fun this weekend, too, whether it was keeping cozy from the cold or enjoying being outdoors.

Thanks for visiting and take good care!
 

The First Day of Autumn...



 

Morning glories in Battery Park City gardens and New Jersey across the river

...Is officially the third week of September, but unofficially it began yesterday. The morning was in the sixties and raining and it really was sweater weather. I chose to have a very low key Labor Day weekend and my only plan for the day was to meet my college roommate and do "something" outside. We chose my favorite walk in New York City in Lower Manhattan. We walked from South Ferry at the very southern end of the island to Franklin Street in Tribeca. Because it was raining it wasn't crowded and we had the walking path to ourselves most of the time, a rare occurrence. We walked, drank coffee, took pictures, ate lunch at one of my favorite places and caught up on weeks of life. It was just the perfect something to do.
 

We stopped to explore Le District in Brookfield Place, a very upscale shopping area. The restaurant has a series of sections for different categories of French food. We were taken with the beautiful tin boxes and the goodies that go inside. These boxes were displayed with delicious caramels. It took a lot of will power to restrain ourselves from more than a sample. We were good support for each other.
 

The gardens in this neighborhood make me forget I'm in one of the most densely populated islands in the world. What a delightful and easy escape. 

I can't do a post about this walk without including a picture of my favorite sight in New York City. I posted it on Instagram this morning -- though with a different filter -- and a friend commented that she loved it. I wrote that if I was getting a tattoo -- very unlikely -- I would get the Statue of Liberty. For a few years my work view was this part of New York harbor and I saw the sunset over the Lady in the Harbor every week day. From time to time someone would comment that I probably didn't even notice it after I'd been there for years. My answer was always the same. I am in awe Every.Single.Day and I still am.

I'm not sure if it's the chill in the air over the weekend, but I'm back in a writing mood. I know it won't be a post every day, but I think it will be more than the once a twice a week of my summer hiatus.

As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care!
 

Pink Saturday at the New York Botanical Garden

 

Welcome to the New York Botanical Garden

 

This morning was chilly and raining -- more autumn than summer. Definitely no air conditioner and a sweater. I know my posts are going to quickly move to autumn thoughts and activities, but I wanted to share one summer adventure, before it's lost to memory. My visit to the Dale Chihuly exhibition of glass at the New York Botanical Garden stands out in my memories of summer, 2017.



 

One of my favorite parts of the installation in one of the beautiful greenhouses. The postcard effect is thanks to Snapseed.

 

This was the first outdoor installation by Chihuly in New York in ten years. I'd seen a fabulous display at the Fairchild Gardens in Miami several years ago and enjoyed this one as much. I love the colors and the way the glass is set in the gardens. 

This is another favorite. It reminded me of a fantastic mythical flower, perhaps something out of the Arabian Nights.
 

One of my favorite parts of the display was the pieces set in pools, mixed with beautiful water lilies. The exhibit runs through the end of October and I'm hoping to find an evening to return to see the installations at night. If I do, you can be sure there will be photographs to share.

I'm linking up with my friends at Pink Saturday. I was delighted that last week's Pink Saturday post was featured. Thanks so much, How Sweet the Sound! Can't thank you enough. My Pink Saturday friends are talented writers and photographers and this means a great deal to me.

Despite the chilly weather I got a great walk today -- five miles! -- in Lower Manhattan through lovely gardens and the magnificent harbor views. I also enjoyed hours of catching up with my college roommate who joined me. Both the walk and the conversation were a complete treat. I'm going to share our afternoon in a post later this week.

I hope you're all enjoying the weekend and have a great day tomorrow. To all in Texas and those who are dealing with wildfires in the west, you're all in my heart and prayers for safety.

As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care!


 

Pink Saturday Celebrates Sunflower Sunday

 

A salute to Sunflower Sunday, postcard filter courtesy of Snapseed. 

A picture is worth a thousand words and four photographs of the flowers of mid-summer should be worth an entire book. Even in the land of pavement of New York City flowers surround us. It takes a little work to find them, but really very little. All four of these photographs were taken within a half mile of where I live. The weather has been beautiful the last few days and I've been out flower scouting. The reward has been more than enough to last me through the short days when November turns to December and it seems as though spring is a lot more than months away.

 

My project of the day was a walk to the farmers market, where I found these bouquets and zinnias in the picture below. I thought of buying a bouquet -- or two -- but I had plans to venture to Macy's before I got sidetracked listening to music in the park next to the farmers market.

 

I discovered these roses at a school program for green careers. These beauties were totally unexpected and a great surprise as I walked along Amsterdam Avenue this morning.

I love these summer days. There 's still lots of light, no jackets are needed and I can find flowers just about around every corner. I also found the first local apples of the season at the farmers market. Not quite sweet yet, but I'm always excited to see the first fruits.

I'm joining my friends at Pink Saturday for more summer fun. Please stop by and visit.

As ever, thanks for visiting. Hope your weekend was fun!

Farmers Market Time

  

One of the pleasures of BlogHer was meeting and getting to know bloggers from throughout the country. I enjoyed a wonderful conversation with Lucy Hendry, blogger at Lucy's in the Kitchen. We had a great time talking and discovered our mutual love of healthy eating and vegetables. Lucy graciously offered a copy of her terrific cookbook, The Farmer's Market Cookbook -- a link is on her blog page -- for a giveaway for the citizens of Buttercupland. 

It's an easy peasy giveaway. Please be a follower of Buttercupland -- via Google+, Bloglovin or directly on the blog and leave a comment mentioning your favorite purchase from a farmers market. This month I'm looking for stone fruits. Love all the peaches, nectarines and plums of this time of the summer. There's an extra entry for Instagram followers  -- just mention you're following Buttercup in your comment. I will choose a winner next Thursday, August 10, so please be sure to leave your comment by Wednesday, August 9.   

I live near three different farmers markets and I pass by at least one every week. I visited the 97th Street market last week and found lots of goodies. The organizers were featuring summer squash and shared cooking tips and recipes.
 

I'm not a beet fan -- though I keep trying to learn to love eating them -- except when it comes to photographs. I love the look of beets using a Snapseed postcard filter. 

I am a radish and lettuce fan, especially when they are freshly picked.

My August calendar is very uncrowded. Top of the list is reading -- so many books are calling me -- decluttering, catching up on medical appointments and finding a few new iced coffee places. I've neglected my coffee explorations and I plan to change that in August.

 

What are your August plans?

 

As ever, thanks for visiting and have a fabulous Friday!

 

 

How I'm Spending My Summer Vacation

When I retired I learned that every day is vacation, but I've found that keeping to the rhythms of the rest of world gives me a comfortable structure. I celebrated summer and the Fourth of July with a visit to Lower Manhattan, along with tens of thousands of my new best friends that joined me there. One of my stops on my "staycation" was a photographic visit to someone who needs no introduction, the Statue of Liberty.

This is the line for the ferry to Liberty Island, and this is only a small part of the line. 

The view of New Jersey from the marina at the World Financial Center, one of my favorite stops in Lower Manhattan.  

A slightly different view, with thanks to the Snapseed app.

 

 

I'm off to catch a train to Connecticut. There will be family, there will be friends and there will be pictures.

 

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

 

 

Forty-Five Point One and Counting

 

Last Sunday I had a great walk to The American Museum of Natural History. This was my sight while I enjoyed an al fresco lunch. 

It's time for my weekly update on the Mile A Day in May Challenge. I'm pleased to announce that I'm doing well on my goal of walking at least 21 miles a week. The first week in May I walked 22.7 miles and last week I walked 22.4 miles for a total (so far) of 45.1 miles. I'm on track for a similar amount for this week despite the weather and I'm optimistic that I will be happily surprised by my total tomorrow night. How is everyone else in Buttercupland doing?  

 



This is another view of the museum. I made it my destination to enjoy the farmer's market that takes place there every Sunday.

 

One of my favorite parts of the farmer's market are the plants. I was especially beguiled by the geraniums and captured them in this photograph. I used my new favorite app Snapseed and turned the photograph into a postcard. 

I'm off to a very long awaited event tonight -- will share in my post tomorrow -- and I am beyond excited. Does anyone else have long awaited plans? I know there are lots of graduations going on this weekend and send happy wishes to everyone celebrating.

As ever, thanks for visiting and have a wonderful weekend!