Saturday, October 4, 2014

Hangin' in Key West


What?  Come down to Key West for a week?  Sure Karen!  And I was greeted with two new friends who made the week a fun and relaxing mini-vacation.... along with a touch of work for balance.

Karen, me, Ann, Bev
My Favorite activities?  Meeting locals like Matthew who made each of us a custom piece of jewelry, including a pair of earrings that he just came up with for me.
Mathew working away with silver and swaroski crystals
Sunset at Mallory Square is always a fave.

fire dancer
the girls, including karen with her cast

SUNSET
Eating anywhere can be an adventure. We headed over to Tank Island, now owned by Marriott as a resort island with the perfect restaurant to watch sunset from.
Tank Island
Ready for dinner








appetizers
Desserts!


Of course we had to go to Better Than Sex for dessert!

Chocolate Grilled Cheese

Fork-You fondue


 
Twist and Stout

And then there was just going around Key West to enjoy all that it offers up!
Roaring around in a key west bike
Hobbling around in a cast bike

Gator greeter














naked body parts outside of church
love the art deco
Chickens EVERYWHERE
Slow Old Children at Play!
chuckle
On purpose?
  I had to visit the cemetery and was not disappointed!
hammer head scuba diver shark greeted us for lunch on the way home
and then the Disney ship arrived
One of the Turks'/my fave shows - The Profit
The original Key West Key Lime Pie restaurant in The Profit

Saturday, May 31, 2014

Sunny Sonoma Wedding

  Farkle Jackie was getting married to lucky Arthur!  And I had the honor of being a bridesmaid. My first response was...REALLY?  Not about the marrying part, but about the bridesmaid part.  Jackie then convinced me she was serious and told me who her and Arthur's other 'bridesmaids' were. I was in excellent company and was now getting nervous that I needed to look good in a bridesmaid dress. And since we were heading out to Costa Rica for a month, that dress thing had to happen fast!

I found myself (or perhaps lost myself) in a bridal salon the next day with the bride's orders to find a blush pink, tea length dress....that I could wear again.  Ya, right. After five dresses it became quite clear that blush pink was not going to work and I needed to find a dress that didnt look like it needed a 20 year old in it.  Jackie saw my camera pictures and immediately agreed  - thank you Jackie. So our color choices were expanded and I was on my way.
The final bridesmaids colors
Rehearsal dinner


The Festivities were in Sonoma, wedding at Jacuzzi winery,  but first we had rehearsal dinner at the Italian restaurant, Botega in Yountville. We ate on the terrace and had a chance to meet Arthur's family and fellow bridesmaids - men and women.   I finally got to meet some of the fighter pilots that Jackie flew with in the Air Force. As the wine flowed, the flying stories started. A fun evening!




Wedding day was here.  The girls got together to prep.
Hair!

Touchups

















The wedding begins.... the ceremony was beautiful, funny, touching, and most of all - it was all about Jackie and Arthur thanks to the great job by Colonel Tom.
The maiden group of the bridesmaids

Leading the pack
All ready for the bride
Here comes the bride
Vows
 
surprise flyby!
guess we know where the planes came from

The married couple thanks everyone

The party continued into the wee hours


Friday, May 9, 2014

Spring in NYC



Times Square is growing - I went to Motown play

Traditional times square view
Monday morning music in subway

Teaching special moves with a yellow bench

Guard cat at deli on Hudson

Car with canvas coast

Hidden garden on Hudson at St Luke of the Lilies church
Fire station in chinatown.  The firetrucks have golden dragons on the grills

The Forward building, built in 1912 built by the publisher of the jewish american socialist paper called Forverts (yiddish for forward).  You can rent a penthouse apartment for $9000 a month.

Karl Marx on the ediface of the Forward building

Great garden on open lot on Elizabeth St. The comunity is trying to keep it a part - tho the city has it slated for low income housing.
Sculptures and benches

Sculpture at the Elizabeth St partk

All kinds of things are in this park
Whole Foods has many kinds of CHIA

AND a cookie bar
Eldridge St synogog - oldest one built as a synogoge from the start. Is rennnovated after 20 years of work
Beautiful new stained glass window replaces the one that blew out in a hurricane in the 1930's


skylights and everything else, except new rose window, are original





Snowing spring flowers on Bleeker St
  
Another park on my walk - love the old signs
Neighborhood park maintained by the neighbors