night walks, nyc

isabel marant

This afternoon the humidity decided to clear out and the sky is blue again.

As tempted as I was to head for the mountains I stayed in and painted my kitchen!

It's all still a bit of a shamble right now so I thought I'd show the last

of my NYC photos, these are from my night walks home.

They may be kinda blurry and have reflection on the glass but still fun to look at.

The Isabel Marant embroidered top stopped me in my tracks it was so very beautiful.

The pirate panda made me laugh and I didn't know what to think of the antelope...?

I do miss the city and look forward to visiting again later next month.

By the way, the color I painted the kitchen is called "corn husk green."

It's a fresh yellowy-green color.

evening walk

barn swallow

chipmunk

catbird

cottontail 

When I left for work this morning I threw my boots and 

a pair of heavy socks into the backseat of my car.

At day's end I drove to the Pool Wildlife Sanctuary for a walk.

The air was thick with humidity and dark clouds threatened a downpour

but I was undeterred and shoved a plastic bag in my back pocket 

in case I needed to protect my camera.

A few minutes out and I was drenched in sweat but the sky began to clear.

Although I've walked this park many times I'd never wandered this particular trail.

It was overgrown in places but busy with fauna and fowl tending their young.

Rabbits and chipmunks tried to lure me away from their babies while

the swallows took a more aggressive approach and dive-bombed my head!

Bees where busy on the meadow flowers and

wild raspberries and strawberries lined the path.

A wonderful way 

to close my day.

jacobsburg state park

thistle

honeysuckle

the shade of crossing over a tree line

a view of the blue mountain, the appalachian trail runs along the top 

cute home along the creek near the parking lot

pig riding a unicorn?!?

pajamas 

This morning I was up and on the trail by 11:30am.

It's been sizzling hot and I wanted to try and beat the heat.

Because of the high temperature the stream trails were very busy,

crowded with barking dogs and laughing children splashing about.

I opted for the meadow trails which were steamier but less traveled.

Within ten minutes I was drenched in sweat...summer time!

*smile*

Gnats dove for my eyes, wiggling about as I brushed them away.

The humid air amplified the thick, sweet smell of honeysuckle

  while catbirds and rufous-sided towhees sang at every turn.

(catbirds "mew" and towhees sing "drink-your-tea!")

Thistles and day lilies are just starting to bloom.

By 1:00pm, when the parking lot was near full, I was on my way home.

I popped a beer into the freezer and took a cool shower.

Then a veggie burger and tabbouleh for lunch with my icy drink.

The rest of my day was spent catching up on some 

hand washing and then painting until evening.

Hope everyone enjoyed this first weekend of summer.

xo, j

super moon

Yesterday was the summer solstice and tonight is the "super moon."

Just before nine o'clock I threw a shirt over my nightgown

grabbed my camera and drove to a favorite farmland.

Brown bats were circling the fields

(I have a soft spot for those chubby little aerialists!)

and the occasional car pulled over to watch the moon rise.

I don't quite understand how to use my new camera and

 time was passing quickly so all settings were on automatic, 

but I love this blue color.

Wishing all my loved ones around the world

a safe and happy summer season.

xo, j

sunny new york

7:30am

sunset from the window at work

street corner at work

  chrysler building

I already miss my morning walks into to work!

Each day I tried to take a different route,

wandering up and down side streets along my way.

Soho is slow to wake up in the morning.

Of course there are people jogging or walking their dogs

and the occasional sleepy resident stumbling to the corner store

for coffee along with those heading into work like me.

The last photo is the view from my brother's family's hotel room.

Lucky for me they were up from NC for a weekend visit!

This was the fanciest hotel I had ever stayed in and that view

was even more spectacular at night.

We shared many hugs, laughs and a few tears.

A perfect way to end my stay in New York.

rainy new york

soggy little italy

outside the store where i worked
broken umbrellas abandoned on the corner

 the street below my hotel room
 as cars lined up for the holland tunnel around 1:00am

view from my room - love the yellow and grey

I'm back from a long week of work in New York City.

Half the time it rained and other half it was beautiful.

When I first arrived the rain was so heavy it soaked through 

my suitcase and even dampened some of my clothes.

It didn't help that I was disoriented when I got off the subway

and ended up walking about 4 blocks in the wrong direction!

ugh

Despite my umbrella I was completely drenched when I checked into the hotel.

But it didn't really matter...I was now a temporary resident in my favorite city.

to the mountains

I was able to spend the afternoon by a stream in the mountains today.

The snail was found in the woodpile; snail relocation requires patience!

The muscari that I planted two years ago have gone to seed 

with the most exquisite little triangular purses.

The water level was low but positively teaming with trout.

I covered the campfire and drove the long way home.

This week I will be working long hours in Soho, NYC.

Will definitely find time for a 'long lunch' at Purl Soho!

Not sure I can find the cord to connect my camera to my iPad 

so I may not be able to post until next weekend.

(I'm sure my brother D has three of these connectors 

and knows exactly where they all are!)

Have a wonderful week everyone.

xo, j

stolen afternoon

I was able to leave work a little early today so I dropped by the

grocery to pick up some tilapia and an ear of corn and then went home.

I repotted my chives, tomatoes, basil, rosemary and strawberry plants,

then cooked up my dinner and settled in with the latest issue of Selvedge.

The scarf is an ongoing project; easy to pick up and put down.

It's been raining steadily all day and should carry over into tomorrow.

The robins are laughing as earthworms crawl out of the soggy ground,

escaping the water only to be gobbled up, an easy meal.

I'll knit a bit then curl up with a book and go to bed early.

My stolen afternoon...

mornings with agnes

The adventurous state of mind is a high house.

To enjoy life the adventurous state of mind must be grasped and maintained.

The essential feature of adventure is that it is a going forward into unknown territory.

The joy of adventure is unaccountable.

This is the attractiveness of art work.  It is adventurous, strenuous and joyful                                                                                                           -Agnes Martin

My job has kept me so busy lately I've not had much time, 

or anything interesting for that matter, to post!

This quote hangs in my bathroom so I read it every morning,

but I think it's time to move things around...

sunday market

My job has been taking up a great deal of my time lately,

indeed I'm afraid it will only get worse over the next two weeks,

but this morning I made time to visit my local Farmers' Market.

The baby turnips and bok choy were just too beautiful!

I made quinoa full of veggies for lunch.

A front should be moving through tonight bringing some heavy rain

and hopefully pushing away the heat and humidity of the past few days.

It's been sizzling hot around here lately.

Hoping all have been enjoying a lovely weekend.

xo, j