A whirlwind weekend in NYC, all thanks to a Christmas present of tickets to see the Broadway production of “Hamilton” at the Richard Rodgers Theatre. The show surpassed my expectations, as did the entire weekend. Unbeknownst to us, our hotel was located in the heart of one of the largest festivals – the 91st annual Feast of San Gennaro, the patron saint of Naples, Italy. We had the smells, sounds, and tastes of Italy all outside our doorstep in the heart of Little Italy. We took in many of the standard sites in the City, but also included some unique items. An AIA architectural cruise around Manhattan Island gave a new perspective of the buildings and the history of the area; a trip to the Tenement Museum and to the Transit Museum helped give additional historical perspective; a meander through a huge street fair in Brooklyn was filled with wonderful food and beverages. But amidst all the hustle and bustle of crowds and noise, we found a reverent quiet at the 911 Memorial and One World Trade Center. It was a hot evening as the sun was setting, but the light illuminated the surrounding buildings with a distinctive glow. The importance of this place and the glowing colors seemed to create a hush causing everyone to pause, reflect, and remember.
Photography
A quick fix for winter’s doldrums
We’re languishing still in winter – short days, colder than normal temperatures, gray skies, brown ground. This beautiful splash of purple iris caught my eye at the store last week. Flowers! Color! Spring! – all in one compact bouquet. It was an instant “shot” of what I needed. The promise of spring is still ahead; yes, there will be blue skies, sunshine, the scents of spring, and the colors of flowers – somewhere ahead of the snow expected later today.
A celebration of snow and winter
After a week of gloomy, dreary skies a beautiful blue appeared today to help Saint Paul celebrate it’s Winter Carnival. With temps in the 20’s, hundreds of people were dressed warmly, soaking up the Vitamin D, and enjoying the snow sculptures that were completed for the carnival. Perhaps because we’re all longing for warmer climates, this sculpture titled “Under A Rest,” received the Peoples Choice Award. Complete with cacti and little gophers popping up from the ground, the cowboy seemed quite content to take a long winter’s nap in his frozen state.
The beauty of an autumn dawn
Our fall temperatures have continued, and last Friday dawned with a noticeable crispness in the air. The wind was still at this early hour, and the sun was just starting to reflect off the clouds above as it made its way over the horizon. At Como Park I was able to find a perfect spot to take in the sunrise. A small pond on the golf course captured the reflection of the clouds above, and the silhouettes of the trees. Some trees still have their leaves while others have lost them to the autumn winds, and the grasses are in full bloom – their swan song before winter moves in. This season seems to be the shortest one, no matter how hard we try to hold onto the fall colors.
Too much rainfall
We wandered south of the Twin Cities yesterday on a dreary, rainy Saturday. August has been unusually wet with heavy downpours occurring frequently, resulting in high rivers and standing water in many fields. All this was noticeable as we drove through the countryside, but it became more apparent on a stop in the town of Cannon Falls. Here, the Little Cannon River flows alongside and through the town. In a “normal” August, average rainfall for Cannon Falls is four inches. To date this month they have had close to double that – almost eight inches. And with yesterday’s rain continuing to fall, it was obvious as the river stretched out of its banks. The falls were roaring and tossing the brown, sediment-filled water into the air as it tumbled toward the Cannon River which then flows on to the Mississippi River.
