In Like A Lion...Out Like A Lamb

All of March pictures in collage form.

31 March 2009 Photo(s): Spring in NYC

While I was working today, Bill explored St John the Divine. It is an amazing church where construction started in the late 1800's and it still continues today. So our first photo today is from our guest photographer, Bill.

Here is a bit from the website about the Cathedral. "The last four decades of the nineteenth century constituted a period of mass immigration into the United States, most of it into the port of New York. Much was made of the slogan that America was the "melting pot" of the world. On the basis of this ideology, all of the progenitors of the new Cathedral insisted that it be built as a "house of prayer for all nations." It was a magnificent concept at the time, and is even more significant today. The location in New York of the United Nations, in 1946, underscored the importance of the idea."

It is one of my favorite places in NYC so check it out when you are here. You can find more info here: http://www.stjohndivine.org/history.html

It was such a beautiful day in NYC that we wandered around for a bit in the late afternoon when I was done with my meetings/emails. We sat on a bench in the warm sun to people watch. I captured this dad with his kids walking/running down Columbus Ave also enjoying the arrival of spring. There is nothing better than NYC people watching. Whenever we see someone talking to themselves, we have been playing a little game we are calling..."Bluetooth or Crazy??" On occasion we have to add in..."Bluetooth, Crazy or iPod?"

30 March 2009 Photo: So You Think You Can Dance

While I was walking to my meeting today in NYC, I came across this dancer giving out handbills for Chicago. I am hoping to get to a Broadway Show this week while I am here. I have already seen Chicago but he had a nice smile! I love visiting Manhattan but realize each time I am here...I am definitely more a country gal than city chic. However, I will enjoy my week here for work and take the time while I am not working to enjoy the sights and sounds of the city.

29 March 2009 Photo(s): Finn's Fabulous Fotoshoot

On our way to NYC today, we spent time with our friends Tom, Molly and with the fabulous Finn! Tom and I have know each other for more than 10 years and one obsession we share is photography. Poor Finn was getting cameras shoved in his face at every turn (I am sure he is used to this however with Tom as his father). As you can see there were too many cute pictures that I could not choose just one.

I love the "family portrait" below where I caught Finn being adorable, Molly making sure he was safe and Tom taking a picture in the background. If you want to see more pics of Finn, you can check out their blog at http://babydunne.blogspot.com/

28 March 2009 Photo: Dog and Cat Tails

Mona, Bill and I went for a walk this morning down to the park. It is a warm day today and the lake is finally all thawed. Mona went in and took her first dip of the season but it only last a few seconds because I imagine the water is still pretty cold.

The cat tails are spreading their seeds and getting ready for the new season to begin. So as not be to outdone by the cat, Mona also felt the need to spread her seeds all over the park as well by marking her territory.

27 March 2009 Photo: Handcrafted in Central NY

I stopped at MacKenzie Childs and am always overwhelmed by all the colors. This is another one of the central NY claims to fame. This upscale, extremely expensive pottery and furniture is very unique and colorful. I can't see having much of it in our house as it is not really my style. However there are a few pieces I like, but can't afford. We do have a very cool MacKenzie-Childs forged iron dinner/door bell on our house (it was a gift). It is a great place to visit and it is right on one of the finger lakes (Cayuga) which is gorgeous.

26 March 2009 Photo: The Lone Ranger

As I was driving home today from this week's school visits, I saw this lonely tree sitting in a field drinking in the rain falling from the sky. I felt like it needed it's 15 minutes of fame so here you go little tree...shine on!

25 March 2009 Photo: The Mother of Invention

Today's photo was taken in the garden of the George Eastman House in Rochester, NY. For those who are not into photography or missed my earlier post on this subject, this is the home of Eastman Kodak. Apparently, I am currently intrigued by shadows since this is the second day in a row with shadows.

I love visiting the Eastman House but this day, I got there just as they were closing so I didn't get to see any of the exhibits. Again, if you are in the area and looking for something to do, it is worth the trip to see the history of Kodak!

24 March 2009 Photo: Chess Anyone?

The light was coming through the window just perfectly to start me playing with my utensils. It's a good thing the food wasn't there or I probably would have been playing with that as well. The shadows created were much more interesting when the forks were on their side and made them looks more like rooks in chess!

23 March 2009 Photo: Isn't That Erie?

I was working in Western NY today and had a free moment to go watch the sunset at Lake Erie. It was FREEZING...isn't it spring? Anyway, I took a drive around a bit of the shoreline and ended up driving by some of the most amazing homes I have ever seen. I called my friend Mary, a native Buffalonian, and she told me that they were "old money" homes. I wonder if they need an heir?

22 March 2009 Photo(s): Twenty Nine Again...or Not

Happy Birthday To Me! My friends and family are quick to remind me it is the BIG 4 - O which I think stands for the BIG FOUR OH Shit I'm FORTY. It started out as a quiet day but later on Bill gave me a wonderful gift and will be taking me to Mirbeau Inn and Spa in April when I am done with travel season. Tonight he brought me to Lemon Grass for dinner. It was a great meal which ended in these amazing desserts. I had the Chocolate Pyramid above and Bill had the Chocolate Can Can below. I think he was inappropriately touching the "can"! Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes!

21 March 2009 Photo: Bug Eyes

The Lyons family came to visit today. Nina and Alisha are adorable as ever and I can never seem to let them out of the house without some cute photo taking place. Sometime after Nina was born, I became the unofficial photographer for the Lyons family and who can resist with such cute subjects - the kids, not you Joe ;)

So today's pic was of Alisha wearing my sunglasses. She was yelling "NO PAPARAZZI!" as I was snapping away which is amazing because she is just starting to talk!

20 March 2009 Photo: iPhone - First Generation

This is the closest I have gotten to owning an iPhone...I think this was the first generation. They have come a long way since this one.

19 March 2009 Photo: Spring Clean Up

Wilson, our Garden Gargoyle, has been snow covered all winter. He watches over our yard from the deck but he doesn't do a very good job. The squirrels are throwing nuts all over the place, the moles and chipmunks are making our yard a mine field of holes, and the bunnies have set up camp in the wood shed and under the deck! As we start to clean up the mess in the yard from the winter, we realize just how big 1.25 acres is. I hope Wilson does a better job this summer watching over our homestead!

18 March 2009 Photo: Spring Has Sprung

While I still think Mother Nature is not done with us, I am happy to see the tulips and daffodils starting to pop up! The last few days have been gorgeous, but tonight they are predicting some possible flurries south of us.

17 March 2009 Photo(s): May The Road Rise Up To Meet You

Happy St Patrick's Day! In honor of the day, I took a ride up to Tipperary Hill in Syracuse "where the green is always on top." Do you notice something odd about the traffic lights below? In Tipp Hill Coleman's Irish Pub had a crowd of people drinking their green beer and enjoying the holiday.

While I am not Irish at all, my husband ONLY claims his Irish heritage so I guess that is enough for both of us. He LOVES all things Irish and Celtic and would move to Ireland if he could. My first trip to Ireland was with him because he wanted to show me his favorite place on earth and is now one of my favorite!

May the road rise up to meet you.

May the wind be always at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face;

the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,

may God hold you in the palm of His hand.

16 March 2009 Photo: No Bull

Another old abondoned building in Syracuse. Can you tell I am home this week and not traveling for work? This one is also downtown and would be a great place to renovate into industrial lofts. If you have some money to invest...call them! It's No Bull! :)

15 March 2009 Photo: Beware The Ides of March (or Dog)

With the beautiful weather, it has been nice to wander around the area and see parts of Syracuse that I have not ventured to in the past. Unfortunately the city has had a lot of industry and business leave the area in the last decade. There are many abandoned buildings which are not very attractive but do make for some interesting pictures.

14 March 2009 Photo(s): Luck of the Irish

Followed by yesterday luck of the orange, we went to the St. Paddy's Day Parade today. According to Wikipedia, "In the city of Syracuse, Saint Patrick's celebrations are traditionally begun with the delivery of green beer to Coleman's Irish Pub on the first Sunday of March. Coleman's is located in the Tipperary Hill section of the city. Tipperary Hill is home to the World famous "Green-on-Top" Traffic Light and is historically the Irish section in Syracuse. Saint Patrick's Day is rung in at midnight with the painting of a Shamrock under the Green-Over-Red traffic light. Syracuse boasts the largest St. Patrick's day celebration per-capita in the United States with their annual Syracuse St. Patrick's Parade."

The first photo is of one of my favorite buildings in downtown Syracuse. The art deco Niagara Mohawk building is an icon in the area. The balloon was escaping from a child's hand as I was snapping pictures. And the photo below was one of my favorite marchers in the parade...

13 March 2009 Photo: The Luck of the Orange

It is another month with a Friday the 13th but again in Central NY, it was not an unlucky day. The Syracuse Orange basketball team won in the wee hours of the morning on Friday the Thirteenth.  It took over 4 hours and 6 (SIX) overtime periods for the Orange to beat UCONN and to continue their dance to the Madness.  Get your brackets ready and start your trash talking!  Today's pictures was taken this morning on my way to the gym.  The Carrier Dome is the home court of our local team and with St Patty's Day approaching, Syracuse is celebrating the Luck of the Orange.

12 March 2009 Photo: Let's Do The Time Warp Again

I know I have mentioned my GPS in a previous post and my recent addiction to it.  I travel between Boston and NY almost weekly for several weeks during the semester.  After several of these drives with my GPS over the last year, I have found that there is a time warp between Worcester and Springfield.  On my GPS it gives you the approximate time you will arrive at your destination.  I have found that around Ludlow, MA the time shifts and changes to getting me home 20 minutes earlier.  This has not happened once, it has been many times. And I am not speeding up since I use my cruise control so the only explanation can be a Time Warp like the one from Rocky Horror Picture Show.  I tried to link to the video but Fox Pictures claimed copyright and won't let it be on youtube!  Oh well...hopefully you have seen the movie because it is a classic cult film!

11 March 2009 Photo: Hats or Haberdashery

I was walking around Boston on this day and found a hat store.  Now I am not someone who normally wears hats even in the dead of winter when is it below zero.  But I did find some hats in this window that would be fun to wear.

I like the word haberdashery but realized when I looked it up to write this blog that it is actually an obsolete term for hat seller.  I think I will start a movement to get this word back into our everyday language.

10 March 2009 Photo: Cash 4 Gold

I wonder how much Cash 4 Gold you could get for the dome on the State House in Boston?

9 March 2009 Photo(s): Footprints In My Heart

Cheesecake Factory March 2009 (above)

My Wedding Shower Summer 2005 (below)

I had a trip to Boston coming up for work and Kathy and I had planned to get together. I had recently connected with Jackie again on facebook. And it had been too long since I had seen Heidi. So we started the ball rolling. It has been almost 4 years since all four of us were together and this night, the stars aligned and the reunion happened.

These three women have been part of my life almost forever. They have seen me through the good times and bad, the rediculously funny times and moments when my heart would never seem to mend. We have all had our battles over the years some of which we were there for each other and some we sadly fought alone but when I think of my closest girlfriends from back in the day in Westerly...these are the 3 faces that pop into my head (and my heart).

I know two of these are not photos I took but it had to make the blog.

"Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart." - Eleanor Roosevelt

8 March 2009 Photo: Getting Rusty

I have been looking for rusty things to photograph lately. Is it a sign of my age and starting to feel rusty - hmmm, I don't know? As Meg Ryan said in "When Harry Met Sally"...I'm going to be 40...SOMEDAY! And that day is not too far off.

7 March 2009 Photo(s): A Boy and His Dog

I had to make a quick trip to Westerly so that my brother could look at my car. In the short time I was down there, I took my nephew, Mason, and his dog to the beach. This was Harley's first trip to the beach and she loved running through the water and sand. The smell of the ocean and the crash of the waves makes me feel at home and it always will.

6 March 2009 Photo: Blue Skies Again

Woke up today to blue skies, warmer temperatures and birds singing. I think the end of the winter is really near now...PLEASE!

5 March 2009 Photo: Objects in the Rearview Mirror...

...may appear closer than they are! As I have mentioned before, I drive alot. I see some amazing sights while I am driving, but sometimes it is not so safe to stop and photograph them. And I can't usually get those shots going 75mph. But today there was a lovely sunset happening that I did capture in my mirror.

4 March 2009 Photo: Campus Camera

With as much time as I spend on college campuses in the Northeast, I realized that I have not take many pictures on those campuses.  As I was driving through Amherst, MA tonight after dinner, I thought this evening shot with the tree shadow was intersting.

3 March 2009 Photo: Grocery Store Wars

One of the things I like about my job is the variety of places I get to see on a daily basis.  I now have my routine depending on where I go...restaurants, free wifi locations,  and yes...even grocery stores.  We don't have Trader Joe's in Central NY so whenever I am near one I have to go and pick up some of the favorites.  While it still does not hold a candle to Wegman's, TJ's has some interesting items and really cool pictures painted on their windows like the one above!

2 March 2009 Photo: I'll Get You My Pretty

Last summer when I was in Ithaca with a friend, we came across this Flying Monkey Catapult that I just had to buy for Bill. I was playing with it earlier today and one of the monkeys landed in my jade plant and I thought it was a funny picture so it became the photo of the day. You can buy your own from the website imbedded above and we can have flying monkey wars!

1 March 2009 Photo: Leaky Pipes

We were coming home yesterday evening and luckily I spotted something strange on the side of the house. As we ran over to look at this oddity, we realized we had water leaking from the outside water spout. After we figured out how to turn the water off with the help of our neighbor Tom, I realized how interestingly the ice had formed. So this morning, when I went to check on it, I decided to use it at the photo of the day. The photo above is a close up and the one below is the big picture of the mess/beauty.