Autumn Colors

Hi everyone! After a very rainy summer, the landscape has been so green until this weekend when suddenly we had some colorful foliage! I love maple trees and their vibrant crimson leaves, pictured in the first two photos. My husband and I went to a pumpkin patch and picked out a large pumpkin for our front porch. Aren't those pumpkins a lot of fun? We had strong winds today and leaves have been falling everywhere. This is Autumn peak and soon the trees will be bare. I took the last two pictures later in the afternoon when the sun was setting. I like the blue sky as a backdrop to all the red and golden leaves. Nature surely knows how to paint a pretty picture! Enjoy and I'll see you soon! xx

End of Summer

Hi everyone! Although Summer seems to end after Labor Day, it officially ends on September 22. Here are a few photographs of some of my favorite flowers as we head into Fall: carnations, chrysanthemums, and daisies. I love these bright colors. Did you know that chrysanthemums symbolize optimism and joy? I had fun using a painterly effect on the first picture to make it look more artsy. Enjoy and I will see you in Autumn! xx

Downtown NYC

Hi everyone! Now that summer is almost over, my husband and I decided to spend a Sunday afternoon in downtown NYC. We went to Washington Square Park, a popular meeting spot in Greenwich Village. One of the most prominent monuments in the park is the Washington Square Arch you can see pictured here as well as a beautiful fountain--nice and cool on a hot summer day!

Here is a close-up photo of the south face of the Washington Square Arch. It's made of white marble and it was built in 1892 in honor of the centennial of George Washington's Inauguration--a truly majestic historical monument. The quote at the top of the Arch, attributed to Washington, reads: "Let Us Raise a Standard to Which the Wise and Honest Can Repair. The event is in the hand of God.” 

We took a long walk in Greenwich Village, which is known for its unique brownstone townhouses on pretty streets lined with trees. These homes were built in the 19th century and are made of brick with a sandstone facade. If you thought NYC only has skyscrapers, this neighborhood is really quaint!

Another popular spot downtown is SoHo, which stands for "South of Houston Street." It's very vibrant with shops, restaurants and colorful low-rise buildings. It's fun just walking around this area.

We stopped for lunch and dessert at a wonderful restaurant in Little Italy, also located in SoHo. They served us lemonade and ice tea with Italian lemon sorbet which was so good and refreshing. A perfect way to end our tour of downtown NYC. I hope you enjoyed coming along for a stroll! xo

Hot Summer

Hi everyone! Hope you're all enjoying the summer. To me, nothing is better on a hot summer day than ice cream! My favorite is a softserve twist (vanilla and chocolate with rainbow sprinkles). It reminds of carefree childhood days. It's been a very hot and humid summer here with many thunderstorms! I haven't done much gardening but my husband helped me pick up a bunch of sunflowers (pictured on his red truck in the second photo). Sunflowers are such a beautiful symbol of summer. I placed them in a container on our front stoop (pictured on the left in the third photo). The flag has been up since the Fourth of July and will stay there until Labor Day. Until then, hope you have a great rest of summer! xo

Summer Vibrance

Hi everyone! Here is a variety of photos for you! The first is a picture of the table setting for our family's Memorial Day barbecue dinner. Coincidentally, the floral motif on the plate looks like one of the flowers I planted in my garden last week (pictured in the second photo as digital art). I took the other photos at a local park ~ a beautiful bird bath in an iris garden, and two macros of peonies in bloom.  Enjoy! xo