NYC In A Whirlwind

Perhaps there will be some meditations on our short trip in the days to come. For now I'm enjoying the end of a quiet day with my sniffling hubby before I have to head back to work tomorrow. However, the wheels are turning and I'm sure there is something to come. In the meantime, some pics from the road.


View from Dave's window in Midtown Manhattan


This kid does not mess around with his Sazeracs.


On the road in the city, unidentified location.


Laundry on the line in Red Hook, Brooklyn.


Near the harbor in Red Hook, Brooklyn.


Fort Defiance in Red Hook, Brooklyn


Snack shack at Coney Island, Brooklyn.


Wonder Wheel at Coney Island, Brooklyn.


Mural at Coney Island, Brooklyn.


Boardwalk at Coney Island, Brooklyn.


Entrance to freaky Eastern European speakeasy bar in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn.


Kickin' up our feeties at homebase in Midtown Manhattan.


Rockefeller State Park Preserve in Westchester County.


View of Central Park West from the Jackie O. Reservoir in Central Park, Manhattan.


At Sweetleaf in Long Island City, Queens.


In the Guggenheim, Manhattan.


Outside the Guggenheim, Manhattan.


Little girlies telling secrets among the magnolias in Central Park, Manhattan.


Word, Alexander Hamilton. In Central Park, Manhattan.


On the subway, Manhattan.


Times Square in the distance in Midtown Manhattan.

Our Little Home

There is something so wonderful and gratifying about watching the slow opening of a showcase flower. Two years ago during the Christmas season before I started this blog I posted progression pics of an amaryllis bulb sprouting up and growing into a lovely bloom. It was one of the things that sparked me to start a blog thinking no one wants to see Facebook albums of flowers slowly opening, but maybe that would fit for a blog if it was about our home life.

House plants and flowers are a part of my ideal home and always will be. They are a way of bringing simple joy to our home, not to mention improved air quality.


The fully opened bloom.

Here is a silly little illustration of that ideal home that is close to my heart:






Ry took a class last summer about creative ways to encourage writing in the classroom. It was mostly directed at elementary school teachers so I'm not sure how useful it truly was for him, but there were some fun creative projects that came out of it. One I've kept up on the fridge since. Ry had to create a visual representation of his ideal home in a neat little fold out oragami-style house.

I think he did a bang-up job of representing a place that really does show the simple, warm, cozy environment our our ideal home in timed line drawing exercise. Now, to be fair he says we already lived in our house when he made this drawing. So yes, we have books, a cat, houseplants and a fire place...but I don't see any vaulted wood beamed ceilings here either.

When I think of home, I always try to remind myself that what I want in life and in my home is simple. I don't want many things. I want the things we do have to be colorful, lived in and a representation of our life, not something that's simply there for decoration or show. I picked up this card which I have kept on my fridge for three years to bring me a visual reminder of what I want in home and life.


So this little cabin, which I think is really a shack in somebody's back yard, is my ideal home. It's tiny, essentially one room, but can you imagine the joy of waking up and stepping out your little cabin each day to this view, would it not bring a smile to your face? I keep it up on the fridge as a way to remind myself that what I truly want is very simple.

We decided on the spur of the moment Thursday that we will travel to NYC for a long weekend over some vacation time we have. This is the most spontaneous trip I have ever taken, buying airfare a day and a half before departure. We got good fares and will be staying with our lovely friend Dave at his apartment. Dave will soon be leaving NYC so this is the first time we will be able to hang with him in his element. Ry has before as Dave is his long-time friend, but it's something we've never done before. As Dave works in the travel-writing field, we have spent spontaneous travel time before when we were able to randomly connect in Seattle and Portland two years ago on one of our massive summer road trips.

I'm looking forward to seeing NYC again with a guide like Dave and having seen at least a handful of the major tourist markers. I have several other friends there whom I haven't seen in a while and hope to see. The only other site I definitely hope to visit is the Guggenheim. However, I'll tell you what I'm sad I'll miss. It's likely our orchid will slowly open at least two more blooms while we are gone. But that means I should be coming home to some more color on these very gray spring days we've enduring.

A Long Awaited Bloom

A few pics to show updates from our home life so far this week:


One of our orchids finally shot out a new bloom after two years! Today it started slowly opening.



Ry made a delicious Cook's Illustrated spring Pasta Primavera recipe featuring leeks, asparagus, peas and mint. Nummy.


This weekend I started dusting the living room, including the mantel and started this paint stripping project on a whim. Can't wait to see what it looks like once it's been sanded and refinished!

Through The Lost Lens Of My Phone

I have had a bunch of pictures sitting on my phone for the past two years because I have not known how to get them onto a computer. I finally figured out a way, probably not the easiest way. Nonetheless, here are some assorted images from my life from over that time. Shaky hand and improper light not withstanding, I still like the visual and chronological snapshot it provides. I have a couple pics of my friends' children which I desperately want to post, but haven't to maintain the little ones' privacy.