Spring (happily!)

I can't believe how long it has been since I posted. Shamefully long. What can I say, work and life got in the way.  I don't want to go into the gory details of the long hours in the office, but thankfully a bit of the time keeping me from this blog was spent having fun.  I went rock climbing for the first time, enjoyed some good baseball with friends, started a book club, etc. 

And I had the honor (with my friend Laura) last weekend of being my friend Lauren's wedding photographer (can't wait to share those pics!).  She got married at City Hall and the reception was at Queens County Farm Museum.  What a neat spot, tucked away in the middle of Queens, a little farm with animals and hay rides.

To warm up, so to speak, for the evening of phototaking, I stopped on my way into the farm to take some photos of these tulips.  Oh, tulips! How happy they make me!  They are such a sure sign of spring and the end of cold, dreary winter.

(Queens County Farm Museum, photographed May 2011)

Dreaming of Spring

As I mentioned in my last post, I spent the long weekend in dc with my dear friend Meghan.  We had a brief reprieve from the cold, dark winter during my visit.  It was sunny and bright, so Meghan and I took to the streets of the district.  Unfortunately, it was also windy, very windy.  Meghan and I had no choice but to take shelter from the fierce gusts.  Luckily, we were right by the U.S. Botanical Garden.  We quickly decided that these greenhouses would not only be a great way to enjoy the sunlight without the blinding wind but also would give Meghan a chance to cross something off of her dc bucket list of things to do.  Oh, and there was free admission!  I love that about dc museums.     

The many gardens full of colorful blossoms and exotic plants would also give me a chance to break my streak of uninspiring days without photography and start taking some photos again.  (Meghan had thought of that, too, as a reason to visit the gardens.  She's such a great friend).  And boy, did I have fun.  It reminded me of visits to the Mitchell Park Domes -- the botanical gardens in Milwaukee -- with my dad during Christmas breaks when I was younger.  We'd go, cameras in hand, to take a break from the cold winters of Wisconsin and practice taking photographs of flowers. 

My love of taking photos of flowers has not waned since those days with my dad.  I took a lot of photos at the U.S. Botanical Gardens with Meghan (ya, expect more posts on flowers), but what I loved about these is the dream-like composition.  Suits my mood, in which I'm dreaming of spring.

(U.S. Botanical Gardens, DC, photographed February 2011)

Into the Wild

I told you in my last couple posts that I took a lot of photos at camp on Saturday.  Don't worry, I won't show them all to you.  I don't want to bore you.  This will be my last camp-related post for the time being, promise. 

Let me tell you something though, as someone who lives in Brooklyn and works in Manhattan, I don't often get out into the wild (and yes, you can consider this part of New Jersey where Trail Blazers camp is located as "the wild." I practically didn't even have cell phone reception.).  But I love being outside, far away from the city, where the air is fresher and the world a whole lot quieter.   Even though it was cold and wet (meaning I got very muddy while we were hiking and mountain biking), it was a perfect day at camp.  I returned to the city refreshed and reinvigorated.

(Trail Blazers Camp, photographed April 2010)

The Great Outdoors

CAMP!

I felt the need to yell that. 

As I mentioned in my last post, I had the good fortune of going to Trail Blazers camp on Saturday.  I never went to a sleepover outdoor camp when I was a kid, and then the camp I went to in high school and served as a counselor at in college was a leadership camp.  Ya, I'm a nerd but proud of it.  But I always wanted to go to "real" camp, like Trail Blazers camp, where you get to sleep outdoors and hang outdoors and try to sneak into the boys' side of camp late at night (at least that's what they did in The Baby-sitters Club books I read while growing up).

I had just a day at camp on Saturday and the weather left a bit to be desired, but we went roasted s'mores, went hiking and biking, had a nice time in a boat and just enjoyed nature.  And let me tell you, I loved it.  Absolutely loved it.  I'm definitely planning a camping trip, complete with tents and sleeping bags and campfired-cooked meals, in the very near future. 

P.S. For those of you in NYC, the Trail Blazers organization is having a cocktail fundraiser on Thursday night at Butterfield 8 from 6:30 to 9 pm.  You should join me there and help send some kids to summer camp this year.

(Trail Blazers Camp, photographed April 2010)

Barefoot in the Park

This last weekend I was supposed to work.  And I did work.  Not only did we have a very important filing on Monday, I had also been given a new assignment on Friday evening that I had to start.  I had holed myself away on Saturday to furiously write a brief and research case law and only escaped on Sunday morning to go to church.

After mass, I decided to take the long way home, which just so happened to take me through Washington Square Park.

I suddenly felt like Robert Redford's character in the classic film "Barefoot in the Park" (yes, I know it was based on a Neil Simon play, but I never saw the play, so my reference is to the movie). Redford plays this stuffy, boring, tightly-wound young lawyer (Paul) who works way too much.  I may not be as stuffy or tightly-wound as the character Paul, but last weekend I definitely fit the cliche of a young, overworked attorney in New York City. 

Throughout the movie, Paul's crazy, free-spirited wife Corie, played by Jane Fonda, tries to get him to take a break and just enjoy himself.  And, at the end of the movie, Paul does finally loosen up, which culminates with him running barefoot in Washington Square Park.  

Me, I don't run barefoot in the city (maybe it was cleaner in the 1960's, when the film takes place?).  But, on Sunday afternoon, I did channel some of that free-spirited Corie and did my own (tiny) act of rebellion.  Throwing caution to the wind, I put down my blackberry.  It was a gorgeous day with perfect temperatures.  I sat in the park and watched some street performers, listened to a jazz band and just soaked up the sun.

And, of course, I took photos.

Next time, I'll bring a blanket and stay longer.

(Washington Square Park, photographed April 2010)

Roses are Red...

I love spring, especially the first signs of it.  Daffodils and tulips and crocuses.  My dad always meticulously planted a spring garden in our backyard when I was growing up and I distinctly remember how happy I would get when I would see the first green bit of leaves poking through the soil.  Of course then, it being Wisconsin and all, we'd get one more big dump of snow that would crush those poor early crocuses. But still, they signaled spring.

So you think with all this talk about spring flowers I'd post some pictures of say spring flowers.  Sadly, I've been working too many hours and haven't had a chance to take photos of the flowers actually growing in the ground.  This is the best I can do right now.  Roses from winter. 

Enjoy anyway.

 

(Bouquet of Roses, photographed January 2008)

spring has sprung!

First post ever! Happy Easter and happy spring!

After having so much fun taking photos for my friend Katy and her blog Sugarlaws (http://www.sugarlaws.com/) and after receiving such great feedback from my friends, I decided that it was about time I started my own blog to share my photos.

It's going to be a little rough as I get used to this whole blogging thing and try out different formats. But I plan posting photos that I've taken over the years that I've never previously shared and taking new photos to post. Right now I'm thinking a few photos per post tied to a theme. We'll see how this turns out.

In honor of spring and easter, today's post is all about flowers. And in particular, the flowers that my Dad and Julie sent me for easter. I came home last night to find waiting for me on my stoop a beautiful spring garden in a basket. It smells beautiful (which sadly I couldn't capture in film for you) and has made me smile all day. I hope these photos make you smile, too.

p.s. Bella (my kitten) loves the flowers too much. Guess they are coming with me to work tomorrow to live in my office.