Scribbles and Photos

Walking in a Winter Wonderland So, I entered another photo contest -- admittedly without as much fervor as the #BGwindows contest I won in 2012 where I must have entered about 50 photos ( Wow! ).  As followers of this blog know, I am a tad obsessed with the #BGwindows although I am still waiting for David Hoey and team to recognize that there is, in fact, a place between Youth and Scattered Ashes .  Sigh, maybe next May. Back to the photo contest.  I entered the Grantmakers in Aging (GIA) Friendly Faces, Friendly Places photo contest and took home third prize in the Parks & Neighborhoods category for the photo above (a variation can be found in Walking. Function. Geriatrics. ). I'm going to continue on this quest to capture people from behind.   I like the combination of mystery (who is that person? where is she (or he) going? where has he (she) been?) and revelation (how someone walks, the shape of her (his) body, the way he (she)  hold her (him)...

White Iris This morning I had a colonoscopy -- my third in 15 years (to learn more about colonoscopy and cancer screening, visit the NIDDK website .  It was clear and I don't have to go back for another ten.  #woohoo or something like that.  I'll be Medicare eligible by then!  Fingers crossed that the technology keeps improving or that they come up with an easier way of prepping for this particular procedure. Since I was home "cleansing" yesterday, I decided to tackle the hard drive of my Mac.  I am new to Macs having always had windows computers before.  Those were always easy to care for when it came to storage -- this Mac, on the other hand, is a big mystery.  Particularly that category called #other -- which is Apple speak for anything that doesn't fit neatly into Apple defined categories (e.g., music, photos, videos).   I learned a few things while trying to clean this hard drive of mine -- like my iTunes library was housing a whole ...

Although I have more than enough #frombehind photos ( Holding Hands to Wheels ) to last another week, it is spring after all and the flowers have been a blooming.  Yesterday's walk included a stroll through Shakespeare's Garden in Central Park and a bit of time fiddling around with my macro lens.  This lens is a bit more difficult to master than the macro lens that paired with my old camera but I'm beginning to get the hang of it.  Of course, things would be that much clearer if I was lugging a tripod around.   Rosebud Peeling Open

On a crowded street… Skateboard Lineup In an empty plaza… Jump

There is a path that runs along the west side of the reservoir that is shaded by Kanzan Cherry Trees.  It's a special place when the blossoms are blooming and a favorite walk NewYorkers and visitors alike. Cherry Blossom Walk, #frombehind And given how they are dressed, a black and white nod to the 50s….. Cherry Blossom Walk B&W, #frombehind

I was here last weekend she said but I came back today because I knew the tulips would be in full bloom.  She was right. She Came Back, #frombehind

Nothing quite beats a carriage ride when the cherry blossoms are in bloom.   Carriage Rides. Cherry Blossoms

A quiet shady spot with a best friend.  Life doesn't get better. Best Friends, Black and White Best Friends

On the back of the door to her apartment, my mom has a little stick figure drawing of a woman with a dowager's hump that says "stand up straight" (or something like that).  If you ask her about it, she'll square her shoulders and say she put it there as a reminder and then she will sail forward out the door as if she was still 5' 9". Dowager's Hump

They were headed to a bench on the sunny side of the garden.  Once they arrived at their destination, they sat and chatted with the older woman's friends.  There was a lot of laughing.  At one point someone said, I wish I was young and strong again. Garden Rides

It's as if they were just out for a stroll in Central Park on one of the most important days of their lives.   No entourage.  Just a young couple and their photographer.  And, yes, they were holding hands. Just Married

Sometimes faces can be so distracting.   And so begins a series of photos shot from behind.   This couple was just so cute that I chased them down the street in the rain.   Perhaps it was because m y parents used to hold hands when they walked around the block.   Such a simple act yet it carries so much meaning. Holding Hands I’ll be at the AGS Annual Scientific Meeting (my 16 th !) for the next several days so these posts will likely be short on words (kind of like the just completed seven day challenge for those of you who are following along).  

Mothers, they come in all shapes and sizes. Nursing Zebra Elephant Baby I couldn't decide between these two photos -- so a twofer for the final day of my seven day challenge.

It's hard to believe it is Day 6 of my little 7 day challenge.  What better way to celebrate than with a photo of a ginkgo baby?  It is no secret that I love ginkgo trees ( Short Bursts: Ginkgoes Emerging , Short Bursts:  Mad about Fall Ginkgoes , Short Burst:  Golden Ginkgoes , and Of Raindrops and Ginkgoes ).  And probably not a secret that I love them most in the fall (golden) and spring (emerging). Busting Out, #Ginkgo

This photo is from my first group photo walk a month or so ago.  There were some 50 of us meandering through Central Park together -- sometimes we would swarm the same thing (street artists were prime for that) and other times we each went our own way.  I turned to snap the group just as they were asking someone to take their picture and got this shot.  It's funny how Grammy has disappeared in this photo.  She's there though, in the center of their photo.  Smiling and laughing and enjoying the day. Family, #frombehind

I am obsessed with Pandora.  I recognize that I am late to the game with this but now I am hooked.  So hooked that I even spent some time setting it up on my fancy SMART TV.  I am not as smart as the TV because that task took way longer than it should have (when it says use a computer, use a computer).  My favorite channel is the Bruce Springsteen channel that I am building one song at a time. On to the photo of the day.  What would a seven day challenge be without a photo from the Bergdorf Windows?    This photo is of the Art Matters installation in February and is the window created by jewelry designer Laura Wass .  I always like the mixing up of what's on (and across) the street with what is in the window. Art Matters, #BGWindows

This is an oldie from a long ago trip to watch the trams over to Roosevelt Island after I was able to walk longer distances following my surgery on my arthritic left toe ( Rolling through My Toes ) .  In a personal milestone on my quest to walk a half marathon, I can easily walk 5 miles in an outing and recently reached 8 miles in a day.  I have to work on speed though because that half marathon looms in the fall and I doubt I'll have 7 hours to walk 13.5 miles unless I set up my own course.  Problem with that idea is that I want the shiny medal.   Roosevelt Island Tram

Although I have more than enough tulips to fulfill the 7 day challenge, I am feeling a little like mixing it up so here is a cityscape from my recent walk across the Manhattan Bridge.  The walk can be a bit noisy but the views are worth it.  i love the layering of buildings in this photo -- it's like the city is evolving before my eyes from it's early low rise roots to the heights reached by the Woolworth Building to the spire that is the Freedom Tower. Manhattan Bridge Views

The one thing that has suffered during all this other activity of mine has been the blogging.  So herewith, a mini-goal to post a photo a day this week.  And maybe I'll even try to write an actual blog post while I'm at it (no promises though). Starting the challenge with a fabulous Parrot Tulip from the Westside Community Garden.  Those folks know how to do tulips well. Parrot Tulip - Westside Community Garden