Summer's Last Hurrah

There is a definite chill in the air
and the chill was very apparent here yesterday
as it was unseasonably cool
more so at the dog park than at home
as it is by the water

So after running some errands
on the way home
I decided to go outside
and shoot some of summer's last hurrah


I still have some cosmos blooming

and the hydrangea is such a pretty color this year


the sedums are so pretty

and I bought and planted
a mum in my big pot out front

I love the color of this one!

It will soon be time to take the windchimes
down for the season
and that makes me sad...

Although I enjoy the crispness of autumn
I dislike very much the white stuff that comes after it!

xo

Rest & Relaxation

After being on the go all last week
I have not had the energy
or ambition
to do anything once we returned home

Of course I knew that I would give myself Tuesday
to do a mountain of laundry
and get some groceries in the house
Fresh veggies & fruit
Make some meals
Eating out for 10 days straight was a bit of heaven
but left me wanting a home cooked meal

So I have sat on my butt
all week long
no cleaning although the house needs it
I haven't even been getting dressed
until after lunch!

So I sat here tonight
wondering what I should do on the week-end
Do something productive
with my final 2 days of vacation
or relax?

I would love to sit here and just look at the view...

or lay here...

aren't these calming and peaceful
and serene...

to cold now for this...

or this...

I am loving the drink in this one...

this looks like the plan...

loving this...

and if I concentrate really hard
I can hear the water trickling here...

I should be doing more of this...

down a path like this...

and maybe ~ just maybe
finish my book and start another.

Happy Week-end everyone!

Saturday in Chinatown & Little Italy

On our last full day in NYC
my dear husband talked me into going on the subway...

Now you can take me to the tallest building
and I will go quite willingly
But send me underground
and I am not in my element at all

First off
I tend to melt in hot spaces
Ladies perspire or get dewy
I just sweat
and it's not pretty!

So off I go ~ down the stairs to the abyss
Why did I do it
besides tired feet
we were going downtown to Chinatown
and that means purses!!



The sights were spectacular
and there were so many people
and I did buy a purse!
It says Coach
whether it is a knockoff or real
no one here at home will ever know...

We laughed so hard at all the "salesmen"
selling watches and handbags and DVD's
It was quite the place
walking by and women yelling
Gucci, Gucci
it sounded like Koochie Koochie!

The fruit and vegetable stands were on every corner
You can buy fresh everything
and some of the seafood
looked better than the stuff we get here at home
right off the wharf!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We headed down Mulberry Street
which is Little Italy
and they were celebrating
the San Gannero Festival
It was amazing
I was smiling from ear to ear

There were crowds and crowds of people

The food was incredible


This was steak and the grill rotated
over a wood fire


And there were beverages too!



Although I did not partake
I thought these were pretty darn cute

There were carnival games
and on one of the side streets there was even
a little ferris wheel

The pastries looked delicious
It had been raining
which explains the water on the display cases



You could buy almost anything you could ever want
as long as it was Italian!

This picture is for my cousin ~ Gina


And this table of magnets was so colorful
I had to snap a shot of it


It was a great day
and well worth the subway ride.

The Big Apple

Oh how I love vacation and what a vacation this was.

You see my dear husband and I
have not been away in a very long time

There has always been something going on
a new roof
a new furnace
you know....fun stuff
so this year we made a decision
to just do it
like Nike
and go for broke

You know I have been counting down the days
and I was NOT disappointed

We had 5 full days
and I mean full
we did a lot
and saw a lot
and had some laughs
and only one little spat
that lasted one night and one morning
grounds for divorce
I think not!

The ice was broken
by another couple
passing by
when she yelled "idiot"
and he was 3 or 4 people behind her
we burst out laughing
and all was good again....

I was in awe coming into the city
and went through many different emotions
throughout the week

Total amazement when I saw this

Times Square

I was speechless when I saw this majestic lady

The Statue of Liberty

Overcome with emotion when I saw this

Manhattan skyline taken from Brooklyn
We were there over 9/11

More than a little starstruck when I saw her

Meredith Viera from the Today Show

Could not keep my gaping mouth closed while we were up here

Trev & I ~ Top of the Rock

Laughed and sang
and boogied in our seats when we went to see this

Rock of Ages
Brooks Atkinson Theatre

One of my favorite spots was here

Central Park

Maybe it's the country girl in me
but I could of stayed here longer

I fell in love with this

The Mall

and this

Bethesda Fountain ~ Central Park


and of course we took a carriage ride


We did so much more...
another favorite place was Chinatown
and Little Italy
which I will post about on its own

and a bonus to the trip was
a little dinner with some friends
I finally got to meet in person
That also deserves a post of its own.

Back Home

Back home again and although I LOVE vacation ~ there is something about coming home and sleeping in your own bed. Plus ~ I missed my kids like crazy!

The trip was A*M*A*Z*I*N*G ~ we did not stop and saw so much.

I have pictures to sort through and loads of laundry to do along with a trip to the grocery store...exciting stuff for a Tuesday....

I also have a lot of catching up to do in the blog world.

Wanted to jump on today as I was very sad last night to hear of Patrick Swayze's passing. He fought a good fight, but it still sucks. Being a teen in the 80's I fell in love with him back during The Outsiders and then head over heels when Dirty Dancing came out.

Rest in Peace Patrick ~ thanks for entertaining us with some great characters.

Start Spreading the News

Start spreading the news
I'm leaving today
Well....tomorrow
if you want to get all technical on me

But I do want to be a part of it
I am so excited I am bursting at the seams

Monday night I hope to be
standing in the middle of Times Square

With my mouth agape ~ I imagine that is how I will react
Hopefully I will have enough sense to
raise my camera and take a few shots myself
and not just stand there like a total tourist


This is my first trip to the
Big Apple
and since there is so much I want to see
I am glad that we are there for an entire week

Some of these things are on the agenda

This majestic lady

Seeing the Rockette's would be so cool
but I think that just the outside of the building
will be sufficient for this time around

Gotta get to the top of this!

Of course there are lots more things on my list
Central Park, Wall St, Serendipity
and on and on and on

Along with some shopping
Of course
I L*O*V*E shopping!


Also we are hoping to take in a couple of shows

and hopefully...

So now I must run off and pack

Because tomorrow morning I will be
on the road - then a train
NYC bound!

xo