THE EYES HAVE IT

What did I see while shopping for eyeglasses? Out of the corner of my eye my own reflection in this perfectly round mirror. I liked the geometry of it and I really liked the image of the man in the screen (far left) behind me. It gives the image more interest and depth. The pipes, superstructure and lights in the ceiling (also reflected in the mirror) create an otherworldly feeling.

CYCLONE

Today was one of those days. There seem to be more and more of them. You know, the kind of day where you go non-stop from one thing to another, there are more things on your to do list then can be done in a week much less 24 hours. Your cell phone and home phone are ringing at the same time and your call waiting is going too. Yep, the kind of day where you feel like you are on a never ending roller coaster ride. Somehow this image of the Cyclone in Coney Island seems to sum up my day. One of the few memories I have of my Dad was a trip to Coney Island about forty five years ago. We didn't go on the cyclone because I was way too little, but we did go on the Wonder Wheel together. I remember from the top of the Wonder Wheel everything looked so small. It was a simpler time, a kinder time. Now even small things become big. Today life was an endurance test and I lost.

FLYING HIGH

Just a few blocks from Yankee Stadium is a park designed for skateboarders and people on rollerblades. It is here where kids challenge themselves to skate faster, jump higher and where they push themselves to new limits. Here in the shadow of Yankee Stadium unknown athletes aspire to greatness. I admired the determination of these kids and today I pushed myself further and resisted the urge to be complacent.

SUNDAY NAP

What better way to spend a Sunday afternoon then catching a cat nap? I just loved the pure innocence this little girl embodied by curling up on the lawn and drift off to sleep. Frankly, I felt like doing the very same thing, but of course I had to go to work. I remember in kindergarten we used to have nap time, if I tried that now it would be called sleeping on the job!

ALWAYS A TEACHER

Most schools are on vacation now, but school was in session at my house this afternoon. Always the teacher, my Mom was passing on her strawberry shortcake recipe, complete with a hands on demonstration to ladies generations younger. As I watched her in action I remembered why parents used to request that their children be in her class. She hasn't lost her touch, organized and patient a perpetual teacher. Her hands belie her years, yet despite arthritis they make a mean strawberry shortcake. Those hands diapered me, spanked me when I was bad and squeezed fresh orange juice for me each morning until I went off to college. They knitted sweaters, scarves and hats for me, dried my tears and still comfort me. If I make it to ninety, I hope I am half as good as my Mom is now.

FLIP FLOP

I've been thinking a lot about flip flops, not only the footwear but how we flip flop in life. I love to wear flip flops and look forward to the day that I can live on the beach and flip flops are the footwear of choice. I just don't like it when things and people that you count on flip flop. Lately, it seems there has been a lot of that in my world. So today seemed to be the perfect day for a flip flop photo. This photo is filled with all kinds of shapes, colors and patterns, yet somehow it all works together. If only it were that way in life.

BOTTOMS UP

For all my friends who say this blog is cat biased, this post is for the dogs! I was out in The Hamptons walking along Main Street feeling a bit parched when I saw this dog bar for our four legged friends! Not just any doggie bar, this one was quite upscale with a placemat and flowers near the table! It is definitely a five star stop. After all it is in The Hamptons. As for me, I found a very overpriced bottle of water in a chic-chic shop.

HOLLYHOCK

I know a friend of mine that reads my blog will take me to task for posting another flower photo. He will tell me I need to get out of my yard and look for fresh images. I hear you, but you know I really like this image. I like the form of the green leaf on the left and the way it adds depth to the photo. I like the detail in the flower and the contrast of the deep pink with the green leaves. I like the composition and balance of it too. And, I like hollyhocks! My Mom, who taught me just about everything about flowers and gardening, bought me this hollyhock. They are among her favorite plants too. We both think they are happy plants and you can never have too much happiness!

CHILD'S PLAY

As I walked through a playground today I was amazed at the sophistication of today's playground equipment (compared to the stuff I played on as a kid). This boy was just fascinated with the construction of the climbing contraption he was on-- no doubt an engineer in the making. This simple moment made me long for a simpler time. A time before multi-tasking, a time when a person could focus on one task at a time and not feel stressed about the dozens of things that still must be done. A time when seven hours of sleep was possible. When did it all get so complicated?

THE GIRLFRIEND

Slugger spends a lot of time home alone. I always thought most of it was sleeping, but today when I got home I discovered he had a girlfriend. He looked a bit annoyed at the intrusion, but then she doesn't look very warm or cuddly to me. At least I know there won't be any kittens! I grabbed this photo and wish I had time to remove the red rubber mouse on the nameless girlfriend's back!)

CATHEDRAL OF BASEBALL

I admit it I am a diehard New York Yankees fan. I think it is genetic. Sixty five years ago one of my parents first dates was a 1943 New York Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals World Series game. If you were born into my family, it was predetermined that you were a New York Yankees fan. Anything else was not only unacceptable but heresy. Today as I looked up at the stadium's facade I thought of the countless times I have had made the trek to 161st Street and River Avenue to see the boys of summer play America's pastime. Today with storm clouds forming over the Bronx, my heart felt heavy because next year the Yankees will play in a new stadium. My only consolation is that the new stadium is right next door and thankfully the Bronx Bombers will remain in the Bronx.

A COOKING HINT

This cooking tip is guaranteed to improve most dishes! A friend who knows I like good wine bought me this wooden plaque. I placed it on a small shelf in my kitchen which displays some of my favorite things.

SCRABBLE

I'm returning to my roots. I have rediscovered Scrabble. The past few Friday nights have been dinner with Momma, my cousin and some friends and then dessert with a game of Scrabble. Mom's a tough opponent, but then she always was a wordsmith, finishing the New York Times Sunday crossword before the day is out! There is something about taking random letters, working with them and creating meaningful order that I like. It's especially nice when you can place the order you created on a triple word score space, as I did tonight for 45 points! I managed to win tonight. Our Scrabble games are brain food and so much more.

CONCENTRATION

I loved the mood of this picture, the young woman's concentration and isolation. I liked the pattern created by the window reflected on the carpet and the geometry of the objects-- round table, square chairs and the oval silver desk lamp. There are a lot of elements that seem to work together here, but separately they wouldn't have worked at all. I guess I just like this moment.

HOT DOG

Sometimes, a picture really is worth a thousand words!

LILY MYSTERY

I can count on the fact that every Easter my Mom brings me a traditional Easter lily. She always picks a nice squat one, so that it doesn't get "too leggy". I enjoy not only the plant but the wonderful fragrance that permeates my home. Of course after a few weeks the blooms are spent. Gradually it makes its way to the porch and then sometime in May I plant them in the garden. Actually I did this on a whim, never expecting that the lily would actually flower again. Now I have a big clump of about eight plants in the garden, but the amazing part is the lilies bloom every year in June, but the blooms are this marvelous orange color, not white as they originally were.

ANYWHERE

As I was driving along a well traveled Long Island thoroughfare today littered with the usual commercial and industrial stuff--chain stores, body shops and billboards, suddenly this lovely fence with climbing roses jumped out at me. I was so stunned to see this bucolic scene that I had to hit the brakes and jump out to make a picture. The fence and roses seemed so out of place as though they had lost their way or belonged to a different era. At the same time it seemed to be such a universal scene, so Anywhere, USA; but just not here on this heavily travelled Long Island artery. The picture is simple, but where I found it filled me with contradictions and made me think of a lost era and a lost part of Long Island-- the Long Island of my youth.

ALL DRESSED UP

I loved this little girl's hot pink sun dress complete with matching shoes, a young fashionista in the making! I also loved the way the hot pink jumped out from the the gray metal sculpture piece. She seems oblivious to the sculpture which is so much bigger than she is. Lost in her own dreamy world this toddler is happy blazing her own path.

TOOLS OF THE TRADE

My afternoon in the garden was cut short by a very dramatic thunderstorm that continues tonight. I got some of my plants in, but not nearly what I had hoped to. It was probably a blessing in disguise since my knees aren't what they used to be. This year I even caved in and bought some blue kneepads to cushion them when I plant. They make quite a fashion statement!

THE HAT

I was at an event today, filled with loads of people. As I made my way through the crowd, everyone seemed faceless. Maybe I just wasn't looking---I was focused on getting to a specific area. Then the hat caught my eye and as I stared I noticed the little dots of sunlight that passed through the straw hat and created a pattern on the woman's face. I just liked the form of the hat and of course the way the pattern of sunlight punctuated her face. This hat sure provides protection from the sun!

INDULGENCE

Sometimes at the end of an interminable day in the office the rewards must be sweet. I thought about the strawberries from my farm share. I daydreamed about what I could do with them. They tasted mighty good on top of a low fat klondike bar with chocolate cat cookies (for people) and a dab of whipped cream. The end of the day was the best part of the day. Seems it has been that way a lot lately!

MY SHARE

Like Kermit the Frog, I am going green. Okay everybody is buzzing about "green", but this year I joined a CSA (community supported agriculture) and every week about a mile from my house I pick up "my share" which is trucked in from the farm in Aquebogue. The share changes weekly depending on what is harvested but it always includes farm fresh eggs, vegetables, fruit and a fresh bouquet of flowers. It's a small step but I like the idea of supporting local farmers and besides my eyes are green!

END OF AN ERA

I awakened with a jolt to the sound of heavy machinery on my very quiet suburban street. Peering out the window I saw a bulldozer removing not only the street signs but the quaint vintage green poles. The poles are older than I am and have been in place since the community I live in was built after World War II. It was a sad moment, but the highway department proclaimed the new ugly galvanized aluminum poles are "maintenance free". They are also without charm or character. Sometimes perceived improvements simply are not improvements at all. So much for "maintenance free".

HITCHING A RIDE

As I turned the corner tonight wondering what I would post I saw these two boys riding down the street. I thought that this image was timeless. For me it represents a classic childhood moment, one that we have all experienced. Today when so many children are parked in front of their computers, it was refreshing to see these two kids outside just having fun.

FRAMED

This is a very simple image...clean lines and just very graphic. I just love the lines and how straightforward this image is.

COOLING OFF

Today's sudden heat took its toll on my flowers and on me. As I turned the hose on the garden I really felt like turning it on me. No relief in sight for the next several days.

ONE WAY

Stopped at a light in Manhattan today I saw these one way signs. Of course I was drawn to their juxtaposition, but I saw them as a metaphor for certain situations in life. So often when faced with a decision we have to chose one way, but which way? As Robert Frost wrote in his well known poem The Road Not Taken "Two roads diverged in a wood and I...I took the one less traveled by and that has made all the difference." Indeed it has.

A BEACON

Late at night when I drive down my street and everything is dark, the portico light is my beacon. Like a homing pigeon I steer right to it. This simple light welcomes me home and just seeing it soothes my soul.

A GRAY DAY

On a gray day everything looks flat and there just isn't any dramatic light to give that extra punch to a picture. I liked this image though, the dimension and vanishing point and the frame created by the fence in the foreground and the tree branches on top. I stood for quite awhile thinking of the right composition and wishing I were on one of those boats headed out to sea.

PEONIES

When I moved into this house the garden was neglected and very overgrown. I wasn't sure what flowers (if any) to expect. The peonies were a big beautiful surprise. Every year there is lots of anticipation about the peonies. Will they come back again? Did they make it through winter? Then we watch as the buds get bigger, we stake them and wait for the first bloom! Yesterday they started to open and today we had lots of flowers. Heavy rain is forecast for tomorrow, so to savor them a little longer we cut them and made a gorgeous bouquet. The bouquet is a show stopper for everyone except Slugger. As you can see he is not impressed.

REFLECTIONS

As I looked at the United Nations Secretariat building I was fascinated by the the way New York's skyline was reflected on the building. I loved the geometry of this picture which almost looks like a jigsaw puzzle.

TIME FOR THAI

It was a long day at the office today and by the time I left it was already late. Dinner would have to be out. I headed for my favorite Thai restaurant and with the last hints of daylight in the sky made this photo. I love the magic of the approaching night sky and the way it makes something familiar, like the exterior of this restaurant look different, almost exotic.

A TREE GROWS IN

There's something so intriguing about brownstones. They are just so typically New York. Often when I drive the streets of Manhattan I wonder about the lives of these buildings...not the lives of those in the brownstones, but the life lived by the brownstone. Some are beautifully maintained and look like they have had a wonderful life and sadly others have crumbling facades and lots of damage. As I drove past this building I just loved the juxtaposition of tree and the building. It made me think of that classic "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn", but this was in Harlem.

FROM THE HIP

When I am in the car (most of the time it seems) I often listen to NPR (National Public Radio). Lately they have devoted a number of shows to street photography, photographers who are documenting city life, much in the tradition of Weegee www.wnyc.org/streetshots/. NPR is even promoting an online festival of contemporary street photography. Listening to these shows made me start to think about that style of photography. Years ago they used to call it shooting from the hip... when you would release the shutter without looking through the viewfinder. Today as I stood in Starbucks waiting for my latte I just liked the light and mood so I decided to "shoot from the hip". I like the way each person is lost in their own world. I like the isolation of this picture, it's lonely but warm. It would have been so different if I had actually looked through the camera's viewfinder and aimed the camera. I think the mood would have been destroyed. Street shots is making me think about how I work. As Martha would say "It's a good thing".

COMMENCEMENT

Today I attended a commencement ceremony and got to thinking about my own graduation from Muhlenberg College, exactly thirty one years ago today. What a coincidence! Like today, the skies were sunny and blue, pomp and circumstance was played and life was full of promise. As I watched the graduates, I was particularly touched by the message on this young woman's mortarboard. I thought back on all the things my Mom did to help me through those four years. I recall one weekend she came to visit and spent the better part of it typing a term paper for me. I guess it is a little late to put "Thanks Mom" on my mortarboard. I wish I had been that thoughtful and creative in 1977!

FOUR PAWS

As I was loading the car up this morning to head out to work (this requires several trips) I passed Slugger several times. He was all curled up on the couch, down for the count and completely oblivious to my frenetic pace. On the final trip I stopped to capture this photo of his four paws intertwined as he slept peacefully on one of the living room couch's down cushions. It used to be white and now...well it matches Slugger's tabby coat. I guess that is the price you pay for unconditional purrs and love. After all this house is maintained for him and believe me he knows it!

LATE AFTERNOON

There is something about late afternoon light that makes everything more photogenic. I love to shoot in the late afternoon, the contrast seems to lend more definition to the subject matter. Everything looks crisper and more interesting, at least for me. As for this geranium, I just loved the way it separated from the dark green background. I also like the way the leaves on the right side lend interest and a kind of texture to the predominately green background. It's a simple photo, but when I looked at it for a few minutes I just liked the composition and the light. Once again... for me, it is all about the light.

UNKNOWN SOLDIERS

As I watched this Memorial Day moment I was struck by how the wind blew the flags with such force that most of the soldiers faces were covered. I thought this was kind of a metaphor for all those unknown men and women serving their country... unknown to so many of us. So on Memorial Day I say thank you to those who given their lives and to all those who have served and those who continue to serve.

BUSY AS

As I left home to head to work this morning I saw this big bumble bee busy working the buds of my azalea bush. Of course I thought of that hackneyed expression, "Busy as a bee". Then I got to thinking about Memorial Day weekend and how everyone was celebrating. Well, not everyone....I guess there are all kinds of busy in the world. Busy working, busy celebrating, just plain busy. Are we ever anything but busy these days? I think busy is the status quo now.

BLUE SKY

So often I find myself thinking I need a "blue sky holiday" and it probably stems from the the lyrics in Daniel Powter's song Bad Day. (okay I confess I have listened to that song way too much) Today wasn't a bad day, in fact it was a beautiful day on Long Island. I got a lot of work done in my garden, still have lots to do, but the tomatoes and herbs are finally in. As I gazed up at the sky and the puffy clouds I felt very small and my worries all kind of fell away. Today was a day filled with new beginnings and possibilities. Today if I closed my eyes was a blue sky holiday, right here on Long Island.

GEOMETRY

This rhododendron is in my front flower bed and I walk past it every day. It was here when I bought my house eight years ago and was certainly here for years prior to that. Today as I passed I noticed the gorgeous big flowers but what really caught my interest were the buds. I love the symmetry of them the alternating green and violet triangular shapes and the way they lend a real sense of depth to the photo. I guess I like the geometry of the image. Funny, I never liked geometry in school!

JUST A PUSSYCAT

He looks fierce and intimidating, but he is just a pussycat, really. Pistachio spent the better part of the day trying to stay dry. In the late afternoon he was happy to just stretch out on the patio and let out a big yawn. This picture reminds me that looks can be so deceiving.

TO THE GARDEN

When I pass through the door to the garden from my enclosed porch I feel a world away from all the responsibilities and worries that I feel inside. The garden is a place of peace (I almost never take a phone out with me) and reflection for me, as well as one of creation. Here I can try new floral combinations--plant a blue garden or an iris garden, whatever I want. In the garden, Pistachio follows me around watching me work and playing with the ivy vine I have pulled out. It is in the garden that Mr. Cardinal comes to visit and if I am very quiet I sometimes am graced with the red-bellied woodpecker who visits my suet feeder. The garden is my get-away and most days I hate to come back through the door to the real world.

BLACK AND WHITE

So often when I search for a rainy day photo I can't seem to see past all the gray. What I like about this photo is how the repetition of the black and white in the crosswalk and the twin umbrellas comes to life because light is reflected from the wet pavement. Even the red stop light and the man's blue jeans are reflected in the crosswalk. I like the anonymity of the pedestrians. The softness of light on a rainy day makes me see in a different way. Rainy days make me look harder for color to punctuate my pictures and at the same time remind me of the days I shot black and white film almost exclusively. At the end of the day, it's still all about the light.

PEEK-A-BOO

Slugger has taught me a lot and I really ought to pay more attention. I have a tendency to rush in where angels fear to tread, to say what is on my mind and to be very open. I don't hide things well and I sure don't hide behind things as a rule. This morning Slugger was peeking out from behind these boxes. He looked cautious and you know today was the kind of day where I should have just stayed in bed.

STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN

Before you look and say "Another flower photo" (which is what my Mom says every time I post something from the garden) I have to tell you this is an iris named Stairway to Heaven that I put in two years ago. It didn't bloom last year. I was disappointed. As I planted yesterday, I thought about the many things I have planted that don't flower or never come back. This morning I awakened stiff and wondered just how much I could do today. I came down for coffee and walked out into my enclosed porch and saw this iris in full bloom. I took it as a sign to keep on going. So I put on the gardening crocs and headed out with renewed ambition.

ALL HANDS ON DECK

I decided to try to whip my garden into shape today. It resulted in a trip to the nursery where I went crazy buying dahlias, snapdragons, columbine, jacob's ladder, eight flats of impatiens, tomatoes, herbs and yes, a new pair of gardening gloves. At the beginning of every growing season I buy a new pair of gardening gloves... this year the lime green pair to coordinate with the lime green crocs that function as my gardening clogs! Of course by the time I got home from the nursery I didn't have a lot of time to plant! Mom stopped by and surveyed the plants. She made her annual proclamation, "You bought too much!" And then she proceeded to tell me where I should place the new arrivals in the garden. It's a work in progress. But at the end of the day it feels like a day well spent. I have lots of work ahead of me and I'll be out in the garden again tomorrow. Wish I had enough hands to fill all those gloves on display in the garden center! The work would get done a lot faster.

BEST FRIENDS

It was another dark, rainy day in Manhattan. As I raced around midtown I glanced up to see this young woman trying to shelter her friend from the rain. She did it without thinking and with the only thing she had close at hand, a plastic bag. Just last night I had dinner with my very dear friend. It is almost impossible for me to believe that we have been friends for forty one years. We grew up together and I have watched her son grow up. She lives in New Orleans now, but we see each other several times a year and we pick up where we left off. Last night, as always we talked about the things going on in our lives. Inevitably, there are always problems that need to be solved. My worries seemed so much smaller today. Good friends are always there, looking out for one another in the rain and in life.

UNDER THE EL

For years I have been fascinated by the way the light passes through the elevated subway line creating a patchwork of light and shadow on the streets beneath it. I was stopped at a light and loved the way this play of light and shadow created an impressionistic feeling. The traffic (both pedestrian and vehicular) were a kind of abstracted blur and I thought this scene almost took on a watercolor or mural quality. This was another grab shot through the windshield of my car!