Author's posts
May 28 2010
Surprisingly Beautiful Sunset Tonight
Cross-posted at DailyKos and firefly-dreaming.
I thought you might like to see the sundown over the Hudson tonight just because it came as a surprise package. Just proir to sundown there was rain and thunderstorms going on all over the place.
While watching this through my west window there was lightening flashing my eastern windows.
During this beautiful sunset I was watching a a nightmare. Governor Christie live at the new PBS Lincoln Center studio, was just ten miles south of my window and the exterior shots from the studio was showing people running in the driving rain.
I loved this view. If you would like to see tonight’s sunset from start to finish, there are twenty more photos below.
May 22 2010
Friday Evening Photo Blogging: Wave Hill Edition
This diary is for curmudgeon who asked in last week’s post of FEPB “are there other gardens that you’d include in a must-see list for visitors to your fair city?” As a matter of fact there is.
A few here who enjoy my flower fluff from the New York Botanical Garden might be surprised to learn that I live just a couple of blocks from another Botanical Garden. Wave Hill has a view that is similar to my many sunset diaries. Wave Hill is a truly fascinating legacy and this is a good time to remember some American who once held a deep respect for nature.
The Wave Hill grounds were not opened to the public until 1960 but before becoming the newcomer to public gardens, this New York City oasis had a long and very rich history as a private garden. The perfect location, rolling hills down to the Hudson River and vistas of the Palisades also holds two historic houses. Wave Hill was once the residence of “Darwin’s Bulldog” Thomas Henry Huxley and Theodore Roosevelt spent summers there in his teen years. Both Mark Twain and Arturo Toscanini lived and were inspired by the sights and sounds of Wave Hill.
Below are some photos from this spring at Wave Hill and a few little stories about this New York City respite that seems so far from New York City.
May 21 2010
New York City Tax Dollars At Work
Cross-posted at DailyKos and Firefly-Dreaming.
Today as Mayor Michael Bloomberg was crowing about the fourth-graders reading scores New York City had an historic event. Obviously there are few things as important as the education of our young but the completion of The Manhattan Waterfront Greenway is a well deserved feather in Bloomberg’s cap.
There was a ribbon cutting ceremony celebrating the fact that a stroll along the Hudson River will now take you from one tip of Manhattan to the other. I needed to be one of the first to enjoy the new Riverside Park walkway and went down to take some pictures.
The path that has been promised for decades is the final link of the Waterfront Greenway that stretches from Battery Park to Dyckman Street. Capital funds allocated by Mayor Michael Bloomberg paid for most of this nearly $16 million project that not only benefits New Yorkers at leisure. Now bicycle commuters can ride almost the entire length of the island without ever encountering an automobile.
May 16 2010
Friday Evening Photo Blogging, on Saturday?
Cross-posted at DailyKos and Firefly-Dreaming.
Some flower photographers claim that bright sunny days are not good for capturing flowers. Some go out with reflectors, diffusers and big honking strobe lights on sunny days to get that perfect shot. For me it’s a game, go out and find that flower at that moment that the bright sunshine works to the advantage of the observer.
Thursday was a glorious blue sky day wedged between two that were murky and dim, so I took both my trusty Cannon G-10 and Nikon Coolpix P90 to the New York Botanical Garden to find a flower where the strong direct sunlight was just right.
Spending the entire day looking for that perfect flower I thought that perhaps now I can articulate what I’ve learned about flower photography so far. I’m not meaning to blow my own horn but I’ve been running that play for a while now and I’ve developed a few skills in composition and dramatic effect.
I got a little too involved it this diary. That’s why it’s a day late.
May 10 2010
Mother’s Day Sunset
Cross-posted at firefly-dreaming.
There was no sunset tonight in New York. Well the sun set but it could not be seen around here. The photo below is 7:59 PM, sundown this time of year. At least the green of the Palisades can be seen for a change.
There was still some views worth recording. I don’t know if others will enjoy tonight’s view but I really like seeing the cloud formations change at the end of the day.
Change is good, so my usual start to finish is below the fold.
May 09 2010
Changing Seasons: Van Cortlandt Park Photos
Cross-posted at Firefly and deleted from DailyKos.
I have posted fourteen Van Cortlandt Park photo diaries at DKos and a few might think I’m posting photos over and over. These photos from yesterday may look the same but sadly after a harsh winter there are many trees missing from my favorite walk.
But my favorite for photos and probably the most abused tree in the park still stands. This is Van Cortlandt Park (last stop on the Broadway local) in transition from spring to summer.
I had not taken my lakeside walk and forest stroll there for over two weeks, a long time for me. Surprised by how rapidly the transition from spring to summer views occurred the forest is shady and the last of spring flowers can be seen floating on the surface of the lake. Everything went so green and lush so quickly.
Below the fold is another photo walking tour of my favorite slice of nature in New York City. Just a walk in the park.
May 08 2010
Tonight’s Sunset Open Thread
Cross-posted at Firefly-Dreaming and DailyKos.
What a sunset tonight, a real visual treat.
Don’t worry, there are far better views below the fold.
May 05 2010
Tonight’s Sunset Open Thread
cross-posted at firefly-dreaming.
Today was a very beautiful day in New York City. After a late night I never got out of the apartment and spent the day enjoying beautiful cloud formations and a strong cold breeze. The sky cleared in the late afternoon but the clouds came back for sunset.
The view tonight seemed like a few sunsets, so there are many photos below the fold. I hope you enjoy the show.
May 04 2010
Photos of Tonight’s Sunset
There was a very nice warm sunset tonight in the Bronx.
If you would like to see sixteen more in order of appearance, then enjoy the view below the fold.
Apr 30 2010
Photos and Stories from the Labor March on Wall St.
Cross-posted many places including DailyKos.
On Thursday afternoon the AFL-CIO held a rally to protest the banking bailout and demand a peoples’ bailout. There was a call for not just regulating the banks that almost took this nation down but also doing an about face and forcing the bankers to bailout the people.
Do you think Wall Street should pay for the jobs they destroyed?
“People in New York and across the country who did nothing wrong and want to work have paid for the misdeeds of the big banks with their jobs, homes and retirement savings,” said Richard Trumka, the A.F.L.-C.I.O. president.
Do the elected officials of this nation think Wall Street should pay for the jobs they destroyed?
See a few photos and read some people’s stories below.
Apr 28 2010
Tonight’s Sunset Open Thread
There were some good views tonight.
Look below if you would like to see fifteen more in five stages from tonight’s Bronx sunset.