Turquoise

1. Grass on turquoise, 2. Turquoise, 3. Mosaic in Turquoise and Rust, 4. Lady of Turquoise, 5. turquoise Cuff 2, 6. turquoise and cream, 7. Terra cotta - Turquoise, 8. Turquoise door - Albuquerque Old Town, 9. Turquoise Tunnel Silhouette, 10. Ma che vuole questa???, 11. Firstborn, 12. my new turquoise sidetable....., 13. turquoise and gold, 14. three leaves on turquoise, 15. Oxidation in Turquoise, 16. Turquoise Dream


There is just something about the color turquoise that makes me think of sunny skies, salty ocean breezes, the soft rustle of palm trees and a tall glass of something frosty.  

What about you?  What colors evoke a picture in your mind?

Summer in the City: The High Line

One of the last things I ever expected to see winding through the rooftops of lower Manhattan--about level with the pigeons, power lines and escaped helium balloons--is a pathway bordered with prairie grasses and wildflowers, but New York City never ceases to amaze.

The High Line is an abandoned elevated train track that has been refurbished and landscaped and opened to city dwellers for strolling, watching the sun set over the Hudson River, and yes, even napping.

The old train tracks have been preserved and the landscaping makes it appear as if nature has begun to reassert herself, eclipsing the rusty leftovers of the modern world.

As you walk, the bustle of the city dims to a low hum. If you listen carefully, you can actually hear songbirds. And somehow, (though you know you must be dreaming this one) it feels like you might even be breathing fresh air.

A few more photos here.

Summer in the City: Times Square

Times Square might just be my least favorite spot in New York City. Noisy, crowded and full of tourists taking those leisurely strolls that are so foreign to we speedy city walkers, I usually just keep my head down and try to dodge the human traffic as I walk through the neighborhood as fast as I possibly can.

Nonetheless, Times Square is the picture many bring to mind when they imagine this fair city. It's where the ball drops to ring in the new year. It's the classic movie scene-setter--that image that tells us "Aha, now we're in New York City!" When someone hums "Start spreading the news...." don't you visualize those Broadway lights that make Times Square so famous?

For that reason, a couple of weekends ago when I was passing through the sweaty crush of Times Square, I decided to stop. Stop dodging and weaving through the tourists. Stop ducking to avoid people selling me I (heart) NY T-shirts. Stop saying "No, I'm not interested..." to anyone and everyone who approached me about anything and everything. I just stopped. I took it in. I tried to remember that, pretty soon, I won't be in this city anymore and I had better start appreciating, even the things I typically avoid.

The lights, the color, the sheer overwhelming visual stimulation assaulting you from every side. That is Times Square.

Perhaps it was because I was with a first-time visitor to New York who was in awe of everything we passed. Perhaps I was on a high inspired by the Broadway musical we had just seen. Perhaps I need to stop and appreciate more often. But for a few moments that one evening, Times Square seemed pretty incredible.

Into the Light

Have you ever lost a blog post? Drafted it, added your photos, maybe even checked for typos, and then never posted it? Let it languish among your drafts for a while and then eventually just forgotten you ever wrote it?

That's what happened to this post. Last summer I had a teeny little obsession with lens flare. Out and about on a sunny day with a camera, I couldn't resist turning my lens towards the sun to see what scattering of light I could capture. I collected a few of my favorite shots to share here, and then they somehow disappeared into the morass of draft posts I have going on at any given time.

Finding this unfinished post in the middle of another (sometimes) sunny summer, remembering the wonder of seeing the sun cast its rays across an image just so, makes me think lens flare might just be an obsession worth revisiting.

While I'm at it perhaps I should revisit my unfinished draft posts once in a while too. Who knows what other good stuff might be in there...

Spotlight: The Uniform Project

Last week a good friend (whose snazzy redesigned blog can be found here) shared with me the website for The Uniform Project, and ever since I have been eagerly anticipating Sheena's daily updates.

The basic idea: Sheena has selected a uniform and will wear it for 365 days straight--an ambitious exercise in sustainability and creativity. She accessorizes with items donated, thrifted and previously owned and manages to take the versatility of the little black dress to whole new dimensions. There are few who could pull off something like this but Sheena does it with great style. As if that's not amazing enough, her efforts go towards a good cause--fund-raising for the purchase of uniforms for a girl's school in India. Read more about it here.

Check out The Uniform Project--you may just get hooked too.

Clockwise from top: Executive chic; Bon voyage at the pier; Cause I'm gonna be a dancer; Friday I'm in love.