Perspective - On A Thread

Getting ready for a trip to Switzerland, on Sunday I was feeling good about things, loving my life, my husband, my cats, my home and knowing I had plenty of time to get ready.
Then in the blink of an eye, this little darling, Kelly decided after 12 years of being around my needlepoint and never bothering with it, to get a thread (about 24 inches) in her mouth when my head was turned! By the time I got to her all I could do was grab the needle before it when down her throat! The vet suggested we get her to the Animal Medical Center before the thread had a chance to leave her stomach, we did and thankfully after a stressful afternoon and evening we got word that the thread came out via an endoscope, that she could come home Monday morning.
The thought that my action with the thread had caused this and then we were going to be leaving her for a trip, well I fell into a pretty deep hole Sunday night, which Chris did a great job of helping helping me out of that night. I am so happy to report that amazingly she shows no adverse affects. I credit the care by the AMC staff, Kelly is super-duper shy and I was afraid she would be traumatized. Her mom, Lana was a different story on Monday, she was mad at Kelly and her son Luke, she was hissing and spitting but that today is better. So take two on the getting ready, I still very much love my life, my husband, my cats, my home and look forward to Switzerland, we have a great person to look after things in our absence.
So here is Miss Kelly, snuggling with her favorite pillow today.

Discipline or not

I did not make any notes after our Ohio trip, not because we didn't have a great time, we did. I am learning a lot about myself, one thing is that self-discipline may not be a hidden attribute.
One aspect of my life that I am feeling very unsettled about is cynicism, I am happy (?) to report. Without giving away TMI about my childhood, I learned somehow not to look forward to events, to trust that things would work out or to think that being with people could be fun without some deep sadness to come. I am now suspecting that my job as a journalist reaffirmed all of that and added a general distain for anything that smacked of joy. I am still looking at things with those same distrustful eyes but there is something that is speaking-up; about positive things, it says "hey, leave it be, enjoy it, don't say something sarcastic" and for bad news it says "have a good thought for somebody involved and turn away."
I know this is so sappy and corny, it is a good thing very few people, if any read this. It is very exciting for me, I am enjoying the times that I play with just being and enjoying the things and people around me.
This feeling was very strong in Ohio, around Amy and Jenny, their friends and community. Here's a fun moment at the art show with Jenny and Ryan with us as Amy talked up the art in the background; close-up of a polar bear that Ryan felted and Chris bought as a talisman for his upcoming Greenland adventure; Amy with the wonderful James and Ellie; one of the doggies that stars in a illustrated book, peeking from under the table during the book launch; and finally Chris and I before the waterfall that give Chagrin Falls its name (and I am NOT thinking 'how tacky!')

Shifting and settling

I have been laying a bit low of late. One of my cats does this thing, she goes under the bed for hours and then comes out with showing a slight physic shift. I think I am going through my version.
It's been four months since left the office, I love not being in an office, and four months since I left the people I saw every day, many whom I like and care about and miss, which takes some getting used to. My 'new' life is beginning to feel like mine and I have these surges of gratitude that I have been given the wherewithal and courage to make it real. Gratitude also for the people in my life, my husband, my amazing friends (those I see and those I can't all the time), the ladies and a few gentlemen.
I like playing with my new camera, here is Chris showing off the nice results in low light without flash and Caitlin, the daughter of our dear friends. Caitlin, a very cool person and great at improv, hates to have her photo taken but here she is all lovely on Thanksgiving ( taken with the wacky nostalgia setting on the camera).
Chris and I are getting ready for a road trip to Ohio to visit Amy and Jenny. I'm betting I'll have something to say and show about that when I get back.

Life Goes On

There was news from the AP this week; a number of people were laid off, some very dedicated, hardworking long-timers and one that was long past due. My heart goes out to those who were unfairly turned into a number and for the one I agreed with, well it's closure on a time that was hard but transforming for me.
I am a grateful and busy little bee. We are all over town winterizing irrigation systems and fountains. I'm really tired at the end of the day, not exhausted/stressed, just down-right, entitled to be, tired. I also got my first bonus, a new camera, Canon s90.
So here are photos taken with the new camera; our cats, an amazing water-wall fountain Chris built river stone-by-river stone in the backyard of a brownstone, a skylight in a cityscape and a close-of of what I look at all day instead of a computer.
I am identifying with the seasons- changing, ever changing.

Fall...ing in love with seasons

We have been driving uptown, downtown, crosstown and then doing it again to winterize the irrigations systems and fountains, there are more than 80 accounts. It involves a compressor and while I am having a great time learning and working it's not so sexy for photographs, so here are some recent moments, which includes a trip to the beach with Christian, Chris's nephew, and his bride Claudia. The newlyweds stopped in the Big Apple for a few days on the way back to Switzerland from Hawaii.

Colors of Fall

I thought seeing and spending time with the non-human living things of Manhattan in summer was amazing, but now the fall! Everywhere I turn there are colors and leaves creating piles and patterns and life preparing for winter.
Last night we had the pleasure of not only seeing at night the 30-odd-foot fish pond SwissScape built (with an abundance of sweat and a touch of tears) last year, we also got to spend time with the lovely and interesting people who live there and have names for every fish.
Then today we began to turn off irrigation systems. That means going to every client with a compressor to make sure all the water is out of every line and emitter to avoid frozen pipes. I had a great deal of fun, we took turns pushing the hand-truck and ate lunch watching the sea lions in Central Park. Here's want a Japanese Maple looks like as it gets ready to sleep.

I Can Get Some...Satisfaction

We finished the tree pit last week. The satisfaction I felt doing the job, hearing the comments of passersby (everyone in NY has an opinion) and looking at the finished product is surprising. I have felt the satisfaction that comes with a fabulous edit of a photo story, doing a great job on breaking news and several times being directly involved with images that later win a Pulitzer Prize. I would not have thought that there would be a comparable feeling as I walked away from that service to a client and this happier street tree!

Using Tools...

I thought it was all about computers; Mac, PC fluent in both. I am happy to know how to use the tools of photo journalism, I might well use them again in a professional setting at some point.
I love storytelling and have always been most comfortable telling them with pictures, taken by someone else, through stories about someone else. This blog gives me a chance to tell my story with my pictures. It's really fun!
Speaking of fun and tools, Oh My! This week I had the chance to use power tools, crowbars and an axe. Dug out cobblestones, shoveled dirt and rocks into bags (it's NYC you have to leave the street clean) while my partner worked for hours to remove a steel barricade that was put in years ago and the tree held tight with it's roots. I loved the work as well as they looks of passersby, there are still some jobs folks are not used to seeing women do, especially those with greying hair.
Stayed tuned, photo of the completed project to come...

Big Day (another one!)

John Lennon would have been 69-years-old today. I got to work on a building across the street from the Dakota where he lived and was killed.
So already singing some of his songs and thinking about life in general, I did my first solo job! Okay, it's not like I installed a whole system but I did have to replace a couple of light fixtures, we saw a couple of nights ago they were a bit harsh. I won't hang the photo on the wall, but those are MY tools with the Dakota as backdrop and the lights worked when I was finished, after 37 years of working in an office, damn! Then for the eye, I offer a view of the Dakota in memory and thanks for John.

Wonders and Possibilities

It is so hard for me to stay the same these days. I had a life all settled down, stressed and unhappy more time than is healthy but it was settled down. Then I chose, with the support of a great partner, to toss it all up in the air and my, how wonderful, scary and unsettling is all has become! I know we all are supposed to fear change, and I would not put myself above anyone in that regard but I have to say change really translates to fun for me. This is not the first major change in my life, I could write a book about a couple of those, but it is the first I am making with eyes wide open. In the last 24 hours those eyes have seen the skyline in a full moon over Central Park and little plants growing right out of the garbage can, used for composting on a rooftop!

Time to be, to breathe, to think - oh my!

I imagine that for many people it comes as no surprise, I am a late bloomer, that being busy, busy, working, chores, socializing, back to work is a great way not to know yourself. I struggle a bit with not being busy, I really want to do it, feel great when I do but the voices from the past that go on about idle hands, the devil etc. One wonderful trick to play on them is to work on my freehand needlepoint; it is the second one for me, I just use whatever color I want or jumps into my hand. So here mom, nanny, Sister Richard, my hands are not idle - the devil only gets what I give him!

A Beginner, again

I have been thinking about how many times I find myself as a beginner, historically I have not been so happy to be one, you see Native New Yawkers are not beginners and never need to ask a question! Ha!
I had several days off, which I used to tackle a number of crowded areas in my life. It felt great and gave me time to think. I can admit out loud that I love being a beginner, whether in pottery, needlepoint, as the lead photo editor of the UN General Assembly, as the manger of a large team, speaking in public, or splicing low voltage lights together on a windy terrace high above Central Park. Learning is just fun.
Some shots from my recent activities; the top is a combo, a rowboat going under a bridge then the pull out shot to the bridge (yes it's there) over the lake in Central Park. Then the bird's eye view of a green roof on a building next to the Trump Tower in Colombus Circle, and last but most fun the reaction of two ladies to the camera at a Greek festival on 17th St.

What A Lawn!

Almost seems like the southern end of Central Park, looking from West to East is the front lawn in the top image. I like views like this because it shows how well the trees do, look so healthy right up to the buildings that surround them.
Below is 'just another view' of the center of New York City, Central Park.

Boss says I have raised the bar on grouting...

I power washed these bluestone pavers and grouted them with stone dust today! This backyard is beautiful, the folks who live there are very nice and the vibes are good.
It is a thrill to find that the I can experience the same great feeling doing this work that I have so many times during my photo career, that feeling of doing something new, taking the chances, either at a new job or handling a set of pictures that would take my breath away.
My boss said I have raised the bar on grouting and anyone who knows my boss knows that he means it, he never compliments idly, so being my husband would only make him a harder critic.

Home Sweet Home

Most of the work we do is in Manhattan with spectacular views but today we were in Queens (my real hometown) and talk about spectacular, here the skyline and the Triborough Bridge, recently renamed to RJK Bridge. Then of course there is the other office, our storage room; photo is on the fuzzy side but there's that grin! And earlier this week I was waking a dog in Switzerland....

Looking Forward to Work????!!!!

I just got back from a five day trip to Switzerland for the wedding of Chris' Godson Christian to Claudia. It was a great trip, filled with fun, family and some great shopping. The wedding was a full-day action packed event attended by great folks, not the least of those being the bride and groom. At one point the whole party was taken by bus to the dance school where the couple study and we were given a Salsa lesson! At one stop for cocktails there was a farm next door, with some very nosey sheep!
Another highlight of the trip was time walking by the Aare River then up the local mountain with Tim, a great big hulk of a dog who is as tender and gentle as the day is long. Tim loves to play with sticks and to dig out what he thinks is the best rock from the river bed. I am almost embarrassed to say one of the fun things about Tim is watching the reaction to him, some actually believe it's the big dogs you need to be afraid of, I have only been bitten twice both times by smaller dogs.
As for the headline of this post, I can actually say I am looking forward to getting back to work, six months ago I would have called nuts anyone who said those words would cross my lips.

The Art of Living

Being able to take a break from my work and gaze on such scenes, a sculpture created by the trees of Central Park is glorious. While I feel like I never worked in an office at all, my spirit knows that I did and it rejoices every time not to be there.

18 Years Ago Today...

I married this terrific man! We spent this day together as partners in business, tonight we go to dinner as husband and wife.

Facing a Monday

While I very much miss the faces of the friends I would see each day in the office, I do miss some of them very much, it was a comfort today to spend some time photographing the faces that were hanging on the walls on the backyard where I was working.