Photos of the Day: Seasonal Skies

Around 7:30 a.m.

Yesterday. 

10 hours later. 

Around 5:30 p.m.

October weather is wily.

~photos by iTouch

Photo of the Day: Around the Curve

Caramoor, as of October 2, 2014

~photo and entry by iTouch

What Season is This Anyway?

Taken on the last day of September.

The zucchini plant still has blossoms on it and the morning glories have finally burst into full bloom this week.

These are strange seasons indeed.

photos by iTouch

Scenes from the last few days: iTouch

 Morning Skies sometime mid-week

Visit to John Jay Homestead Herb Fair during "lunchhour" on Thursday

Fall is Hopping.

(Cause of these hops, ya know )

  Just when you think the harvest is over ... it ain't. This week's 2 crops, beginning of the week and end

Fall light at dusk is so dreamy, especially if you have HOURS Friday and Saturday to stand around the Italian Pavilion and look at the Butterfly Garden during party prep ...

 

 Just another busy few days

Another day or so to go before a BLESSED DAY OFF

 

all via iTouch

Back to School 2014: Letters from Drew

This guy headed off for his first day of Fourth Grade today! 

 Fourth Grade!

He continues to amaze me with how grown-up he's getting. I mean, listen to this letter I got about a month ago, relaying his some of his summer adventures and travels.

"Dear J dog, it's soooo hooooooooot dagaaaay here, it feels to me like the world is in slow-motion, so I thought I'd write back to you today on this fine Thursday here. Where do I start? Ah I know. I'll start at the beginning. So it all started when it was Saturday after I learned I was staying at grandma and grandpa's in Bloom-in-ton so I had to start packing for three days there and a week with the other grandma & grandpa (both new records). So the next day after church they came over and picked me up. When we were there I upacked. (sic) At 9:00 I read and went to bed. The next morning I woke up at 5:00 in the morning my time and I was pooped. Grandpa said we might not go earlyer (sic) that night but the weather changed and we ended up going. All three days we had the same routine. So after we went kayaking the third day. I showered and grandma & grandpa took me to mom and dad to go to gamdg Hughes. The next day we woke up at there (sic) house and I was in the guest bed and I was not the first awake. next paper -->  I was actually almost the last one to. That day we went swimming at our cousin's city pool. A few days later on Monday me, Levi, mom and dad went to Lagoon. If you know what Lagoon is, in your next letter write to me that you know but if not I think you should look on they're (sic) website. After we were done we went back. A few days later we packed up and hit the road. After that things were pretty normal, dad taking naps, mom going to work. On Tuesday we went and saw the M[redacted] cousins. Then on Thursday me, mom, and the kids drove to Axtell for three days, and I can tell you, I got eaten (sic) by mesquitoes (sic). I almost got bitten by a spider while watching fireworks! We watched the parade the next morning going to the Reber's house is always fun. The second to last day were there, me, Laini, Levi, and Uncle Matt went swimming. The next day we started packing and left. After that everything was normal! And now you have part of my summer.

Love, Drew"

And conveniently enough, Grandmary and Grumpa sent me pictures of Drew and his cousins playing at the grandparents house.

l-r: Nathan, Elle, Amber, Drew's back

The twins do solemnly swear they are up to no good, 

which Nathan can't believe, and Cannon just grins off and tries again.

Finally, for some quiet, a DVD started playing in the library, so the "big kids" could goof off in there.

More from Grumpa:

 Drew on the water kayaking and then refilling his poor empty belly.

Gunlock State Park, Utah

 Blink, and you miss it.

Breakfast inhaled.

Hey. He's a growing boy and paddling is hard work!

Keep writing Drew!

Photo of the Day: Gourd Humor

Barton Orchards

October 2009

I'm too busy to be bored out of my gourd, but I still feel like I'm earning my stripes around here.

Black Friday 2011: Stopping to Smell the Roses

I wish this could be smell-o-vision, because I can't describe how wonderful these top two vintage roses were, located right at the entrance to the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Gardens. Nothing beats the smell of vintage heirloom roses. The ones you get from bodegas, florists, or in the mail may LOOK pretty, but most of them have no fragrance anymore. Give me a wild hedge-rose any day for the bouquet ... and the rush of nostalgia.

Please Mother Nature. Hold off on winter a while longer. I don't care that tomorrow is December. I need the roses to hang on a while longer. I need to make another stop, or 15, as we rush up to Christmas.

P.S. Sorry Christine. I had to. I just had to.

Black Friday 2011: Fall goes out with a Flare

Aside from the freak snowstorm last month, most of November has been wonderfully unseasonable, with some days reaching the high 60s. I've either been stuck in an office or busy on the weekends so I couldn't get away to enjoy it. Thank goodness for Thanksgiving breaks.

I grabbed one of my little friends (see her there in front of the glowing ginko?) and we flitted down to the New York Botanical Gardens to revel in the glories of a beautiful Black Friday away from family, malls, crazed shoppers, and, in some parts of the gardens, crowds. I managed to spend exactly $0.00 the whole day!

IT WAS GLORIOUS! I have proof. Look!

The gardens suffered a lot of damage this year, from various ice storms, Irene, and then the October snow storm. Nothing goes to waste. It's all part of the cycle of a forest. Personally, I think cross section of a tulip tree this would be a glorious coffee table. (Full disclosure: I did bump up the sat levels on these few so you could see what it would look like with some stain and varnish.)

More glories: There were still lovely roses - but more on those in a later post. The trees and branches that came down created some interesting effects.

Below: If you walk by logs too fast, you miss the catching a glimpse of a squirrel's cache. Doesn't this mossy log look inviting?

Reflections on the day: The sun goes down too quickly now. By 4:00 p.m. the sun hits a low angle and temperature starts to drop. You can't store up enough Vitamin D. Speaking of stores: This is the closest I've come to turkey for two Thanksgivings and Black Fridays now: those wild fowls that keep an eye on the shoppers behind the gift shop.