Sunday bird blogging

Happy Easter to all who celebrate -- here's a redwing blackbird in Central Park.

I am suffering from a food hangover this morning after an amazing Passover-Easter celebration at a restaurant called Gravitas. Fifteen people, eight courses with paired wines, and lots of laughter and lively conversation. I can't drink much these days, so I had only a taste of most of the wine, but the food was exquisite -- savory matzo ball soup with shaved truffles, poached halibut with chive vinaigrette, and a rabbit dish that was one of the best things I ever ate.

But I'm definitely not used to feasting until midnight, and I'm moving very slowly this morning. I threw on enough clothes to visit the Starbucks down in the lobby, then immediately returned to bed with my laptop, my coffee, and a chocolate Easter egg.

I may emerge before noon. We'll see.

Saturday reflections

Here's something a little different -- a park bench by the Azalea Pond in Central Park reflected in the water.

Yes, I'm in Washington not New York, but don't have any pictures to post yet. We had a long bus trip down the gray, grim, and very wet Eastern Seaboard yesterday, but today was such a perfect spring day I didn't even miss the cherry blossoms.

Lights, camera, action

I was going to call this urban poetry, but it isn't really, even by my very loose definition.

I went to a television taping last week -- one of the perks of being retired in New York -- and these are the lights on the ceiling of the studio.

It was fun, and they gave everyone in the audience a huge bag of L'Oreal products, so I won't be running out of shampoo any time in the next year.

Urban poetry

Garbage bins outside brownstones on West 57th Street.

Speaking of pretty pink flowers...

I'll be in DC next week -- unfortunately, that's two weeks past peak cherry blossom.

Fortunately, peak cherry blossom in Central Park is right now.

Astronomy Tuesday

Here's a pretty pink rose for this beautiful spring day. This is the Rosette Nebula in Monoceros (the Unicorn.)

Image Credit and Copyright: Jean Dean

Notre Dame

One of my favorite places in the world is gone.

I'm crying while I watch the news. Notre Dame survived the Revolution, the Commune, the Occupation, and now it's been destroyed by a fire. I've been there so many times; it's always been the first place I go whenever I'm in Paris. The interior never failed to soothe and inspire -- that hushed darkness, lit by those magnificent windows.

I took this picture in 2017 -- it does not capture their beauty, but today I'm grateful to have it.

Bird blogging

A great blue heron in Central Park.

If the universe had meant me to be productive this week, there wouldn't have been daily marathons of Game of Thrones every afternoon and evening. 

Saturday reflections

This is possibly the most New York reflection ever -- a new building near Hudson Yards, across the street from an old brick skyscraper.

Urban poetry

An archway near the Pool in Central Park.

Astronomy Tuesday

That's the International Space Station, seen against a beautifully detailed moon.

Image Credit and Copyright: Eric Holland

Bonus bird blogging

Another photo from the Pool Friday -- those Canada geese aren't close enough to qualify this as much of a birding picture, but I love the way they're framed by the willow fronds that are just starting to turn green.