Mystery, Intrigue. . . and the bubble

Times Square Visitor Center

The Centennial Ball once stood on top of  1 Times
Square. It simulates the New Year's Eve countdown
every 20 minutes. It is now located inside of
the Visitor Center on Times Square.

The New Year's Eve confetti "Wishing Wall" in the Times Square
Visitor Center. Two tons of confetti is released each year. Anyone can
add a confetti "wish" for use during the end of year celebration.

A reflection of the Centennial Ball can be seen in
the window of the display case that holds hats and
Playbills from several iconic Broadway plays.

Manhattan After Dark

We were in search of a restaurant when I took these
photos. This area was a couple blocks from the hotel. 

Rockefeller Center

Rockefeller Center after dark. The ice rink (far right side) is below street
level and is surrounded by flags from around the world. 

Prometheus watches over the skaters.

Entrance to the Rockefeller Plaza.

An interesting perspective, wouldn't you say? This mural is
located directly inside the entrance to the Rockefeller Plaza.

Hallway inside the Plaza. Gorgeous! I probably should
have used a filter on this shot but I love the warmth.

Reflection Obsession

This photo is quite intriguing. The reflection is of my daughter and I but
you can see through the reflective glass, which makes it appear as though we
are standing on a metal stairway. The metal supports inside the building
are also visible. This was taken at the 911 Memorial in New York.
(click on the photo to see a larger version)

I was struck by the reflections on the side of this
building, which is still under construction. The effect
is surreal. One of two pools marking the location of the
World Trade Center Towers is in front of the building.

One of two pools that mark the footprints
of  the Towers destroyed on 911.

Another shot of the reflective building near one of the pools.

It's as if a huge painting is suspended from the sky but it is
actually another shot of the same building—an amazing effect!
These photos were taken with my Canon S95 camera.

NY Via iPhone

These iPhone photos are from a recent visit to NY.
I was there with two of my daughters.

Lorax guards the deli where we ate lunch earlier in the day. They have great cheesecake.

Beautiful weather—and buildings.
These are near the hotel we stayed in.

Times Square and the Broadway play Sister Act. Both were great fun.

High rise buildings. . .  lessons in perspective. My eyes were
forever diverted upward. It also could have been because the sky
was such a beautiful blue. We had great weather while there.

What Grows There?

Mom's Winter Garden

Monday Morning Bliss

Another Mother Nature spectacle—
blue-red-purple-orange-ish.

Morning Light

SUNLIT ORCHID

The sun shone so bright this morning that it

illuminated my orchid from several feet away

—not a normal occurrence. It was a nice

start to an unusually busy day.

Special Relationships

I don't necessarily have to watch these movies to appreciate the special bond

 between mothers, sisters, daughters, girlfriends, but sometimes I like to.

Today was a Ya-Ya Sisterhood kind of day.

Certain scenes and lines in the movie bring

goosebumps. I think the reason is:

 I have a special connection with

many great women in my life.

Beneath the Bridge

Fifty plus: the number of times I walk past this photo each day. It hangs on the wall near the stairway to the upper story. It was taken several years ago during a family trip to Portland, Oregon. My daughter, Stephanie, and granddaughter, Elyse, were checking out the mural beneath The Bridge of the Gods. I remember taking Elyse to a nearby gift shop so she could get a toy. She chose the sweet teddy bear that she is carrying in this photo.

The Bridge of the Gods spans the Columbia River, which connects Oregon and Washington states. The Pacific Northwest is one of my favorite places to visit. I am especially fond of the Columbia River Gorge area. Its beauty takes my breath away each and every time I see it. Ms. Mother Nature is a true artist.  

Land Camera

You may or may not remember this camera from an earlier post. This Polaroid Land Camera was a Christmas gift from my daughter and her husband. It arrived with several boxes of film. I was a bit intimidated by my new toy. Once I tried it I realized that there was little reason for concern, although I did encounter an issue with the film jamming in the camera. It took a bit of research to find out what was causing it. I found the answer in this video. Apparently the problem I encountered is not that uncommon.

These commercial grade cameras are known for producing photos with exceptionally rich color and unique qualities. Many photographers still use them today for that reason. The first few photos I took were definitely about getting acquainted with the camera. I had to toss a few but a couple were worth sharing. There's much to be learned about setting up shots for this camera. It will be an ongoing lesson I'm sure.

Tune Me

Little Shoes

24/7

soon

to

be

seven

-

where

did

time

go

Samantha's birthday is on
the 24th of this month.

Keys

A depth-of-field adjustment would likely have helped this shot but I like the photo just fine without it. It speaks loudly—although I've yet to discover what it is saying. It has something to do with life's journey. I now have something to ponder while out running errands today.