You might be a redneck if ...

You keep an electric organ on your front porch.

Sadly, this was the sight that greeted me upon a relatively recent return to my old neighborhood. I'm not kidding. This lovely edifice is across the street from where I grew up. Plus, it turns out that this isn't the only thing that the neighbors keep, or keep doing, at this apartment building that is affecting local property values. (Think horticulture, distribution, and "entertainment".) Hopefully the market will improve so my parents can sell out and move out West.

Catching up with Christine

Earlier this week I had a chance to have dinner with my friend Christine from Caramoor. It was an exciting way to end a snowy, busy work day. Over yummy brisket and Reuben sandwiches at Juniors in Grand Central, we had a chance to sit, relax, and catch up. If it had been a Tuesday night in another part of my life, I wouldn't have been able to meet her due to work obligations. The freedom to make week-day plans is just another reason why I am grateful to have relinquished certain jobs.

It been too long since we'd seen each other -- since December. Plus she reminded me (okay, she didn't really) that I hadn't had a chance to blog about our exciting New York adventures. Let me rectify that now. So, et and voila!

Frigid Fun with Camera-happy Christine

The catalyst for our get-together was a work function. The Arthur Ross Foundation, one of the Big J's scholarship donors, extended an invitation to join them a holiday tour of the Arthur Ross Pinetum and a reception in the Swedish Cottage in Central Park. Since, I hadn't ever explored that section of the Park and no one from the Big J had attended in a while, I felt someone should go represent the School. I decided to try and round up a friend and make a whole day of it in the City.

Christine and I met up in Grand Central and headed uptown for Sunday brunch (a New York institution) at the Popover Cafe. Luckily the anticipated 30-minute wait for a table was only about 5-10 minutes and we were able to warm up over popovers, Diet Coke for me and mulled wine for Christine, and brunch before heading over to the Park for the afternoon.

We gathered on the corner of West 85th and Central Park West and waited for the Rangers to bring us over the Pinetum. It turns out that this is an annual event that's open to the public, so there was an interesting turnout of family, invitees, nature lovers, and passerbys. There was a brief presentation by the Park Conservatory, Ross Foundation officials, and the family, and it was at this point that my mild-mannered friend Christine turned into a paparazzo, snapping shots of everything under the sun, including far too many pictures of me doing the schmoozing thing with the Foundation folks and the Parks Commissioner, which I will spare you.

The presentation - note the hats - it was COLD!

Bundled up Conservancy folks

Mr. Ross was a man ahead of his time when it came to conservation causes, and was a generous contributor to many New York institutions. The Pinetum is very beautiful. At the center is a Contemplation Circle:

We could have taken the "official" Park Rangers tour, but decided to go off on our own. If it wasn't so freaking cold that day, we would have sat and contemplated. As it was, we kept moving through the pines in order to keep warm.

Following the presentation and tours, guests were invited to head toward the Swedish Cottage for cocoa, cookies, cider and caroling. Christine and I meandered through the pines, catching up on the news, taking photos, and following the red bows that led the way to the Cottage.

On the way, we came across this vignette:

In lieu of a driveway, where else is a father supposed to teach his kid important hockey skills?

Swedish Cottage

No angels for this tree, only a queen

Music by Santa's helpers

Refreshed by music and munchies, we continued our tour of Central Park by hiking up to the top of Belvedere Castle, where we saw ...

dragons,

falcons,
far distant flagstones,

flags,

and friends having fun.

The last time I made it to Belvedere was when the Gates installation was in town. The Castle was the location of the gift shop and was crowded with too many tourists to make it enjoyable. This time I got to make it to the top to enjoy the views of the Park, City, the Turtle Pond by the Delacorte Theater, and didn't have to compete with hordes of people. Plus, my back wasn't out this time, so I wasn't hobbling around like a 90 year old woman in massive amounts of pain. Despite the cold, this was a major improvement.

Christine and I bid farewell to the Castle and headed back downtown to the Holiday Shops at Bryant Park, a tradition for us. Luckily most of my shopping was already done, because it was way too crowded for me and very cold. Christine did manage to get some shopping done before we succumbed to the elements. On our travels through the booths, we saw some celebrities over at the home of Metal Park. Say hello to:

This artist is amazing. He's been a regular at the Shops for a five years. I highly recommend you check his stuff out.

There's also been skating at Bryant Park for a couple of years now. Compared to the 2007 rink, this one is huge. One day I'll actually GO skating, but for now, I'll just enjoy the view. That's the back of the New York Public Library behind the tree.

By this point Christine and I were frozen, as the wind chill was nipping at more than just our toes. We headed back to Grand Central to warm up and catch trains to our various domiciles. All in all, it was a lovely day, and I'm glad that I got to spend it with a friend -- even if she's camera happy. I guess I'll forgive her. I take lots of pictures of her that are up on this blog.

Can't wait for spring, so we can explore other parts of New York and the Park and not freeze.

Italian Interlude

Sadly, this is the closest I'm getting to a European vacation anytime soon -- staring at a 1-inch reproduction of a watercolor painting cut off the wrapper of a piece of chocolate a colleague brought back from Italy.

Nice to dream of spring though ...

Writers Block

I have long been envious of poets and authors who can use language to draw pictures in the mind, or can craft a well-turned phrase to summon sensations in a few simple words. I read a great deal, but occasionally I come across a passage or two that makes me stop. I have to go back, re-read the lines, and then sit and ponder them for a bit before moving on to the rest of the story. Beyond the joy of savoring of the language, or processing the emotion conjured up by the phraseology, I'm often filled with envy ... because I'm not a real "writer."

Take these passages from Lynne Hinton's Friendship Cake, for example. This a novel I read a few years ago, but have come across again in my library browsing.

… I sensed the stones of sibling rivalry as they pelted me with their grief-stricken stares. (Page 7).

Or this very important life lesson:

A heart can hold sadness a lot longer than it can anger.

…the sadness always outlasts the anger. You have to make an intentional decision either to give the anger up or to let it eat out the center of your spirit. Sadness can stay with a body for a lifetime. But with anger, you’ve got to choose. (Page 8).

I know we all have our own gifts and talents and share them in different ways, but it's hard not to wish for a magic pen or a visit from a muse when you come across passages like these.

Grateful List 1/27 - 2/1

My grateful list for last week is much more mundane.

First, I am grateful to my dear friends, who have obviously been reading the blog, and then send presents in order to fulfill my requests to Santa.

Not only did dear Jane send me her namesake, but she included some of these delectable treats from a CT-based chocolatier.

I am grateful to whoever invented chocolate covered potato chips!

But mostly last week, I was grateful to USA Network, which kept replaying Burn Notice, so that I could drool over the deliciousness of Jeffrey Donovan over and over and over again.

I have admired this actor since I first saw him on my favorite episode of Witchblade, and then from his work in smaller films like Come Early Morning and Believe in Me, but hello!

Jeffrey Donovan as Michael Westen + swimtrunks/wet t-shirt = a very very grateful Auntie Nettie.

Dive for Dreams

dive for dreams
or a slogan may topple you
(trees are their roots
and wind is wind)

trust your heart
if the seas catch fire
(and live by love
though the stars walk backward)

honour the past
but welcome the future
(and dance your death
away at this wedding)

never mind a world
with its villains or heroes
(for good likes girls
and tomorrow and the earth)

in spite of everything
which breathes and moves, since doom
(with white longest hands
neating each crease)

will smooth entirely our minds
-before leaving my room
i turn, and (stooping
through the morning)

kiss
this pillow, dear
where our heads lived and were.

~ e.e. cummings

Random Overheard Conversation

Overheard Friday evening while travelling through Grand Central Terminal.

Usually you only half listen to the announcements, as they are generally track assignments or the “canned” safety messages. This one caught my attention.

“Attention please, attention please!

Damian, please report to the upper level information booth. Your dog is free.

Attention please, attention please.

Damian, please retrieve your dog at the upper level information booth.”

No one else seemed to notice that a hellhound might be running around Grand Central?