A few more images from Brooklyn and thereabouts

Photogenic place...but first, Brooklyn's Best.

Here they come!
Amazing how quickly they responded.

Quickly and artfully into the building.

Not in use, this trip.

Ready to go.

On the way out through the narrow street.

We were on our way out of the building where Molly, longtime friend of the family, resides.  Someone phoned in a fire call.  Multiple trucks and a squadron of firemen were there in a flash.  Serious business for them...a photo op for me.

Retrospectively, it was comforting to see the speed and force with which they responded.  The reason?  False alarm, this time.  One of the penthouse folk had a fog machine and the overspill looked like a fire to a passerby.  

Or maybe it was itching, burning feet.

Some fine views the next day.

Impressive view from the Brooklyn waterfront.

Not sure that a stained glass water tower is all that useful,
but lit up by the sun, it sure was pretty.

What is this?
In an old building converted to trendy diner,
original touches remain.

Mary's cookbook presented as an antique.
I still use this cookbook when I have to figure out difficult cooking tasks.
Like boiling water.

As tasty as it was photogenic.
Do you see me taking the picture?

"You took your camera into the bathroom!?!"

Slightly off-Brooklyn, a look across the reservoir in Central Park.

We stopped into Cooper Hewitt, the Smithsonian Design Museum.
In 1935, this pitcher may have sailed on the SS Normandie, a French cruise ship.

Don't you love stainless steel?
This is the most beautiful meat slicer in the world,
looking pretty good at 76 years of age.
I hope all you vegans can appreciate the beauty.

Love it!
What would the Founding Fathers say?

Mr. Wright built an interesting building.

Imposing, up close.

"Klaatu barada nikto"

In support of fledgling industries,
it is now a requirement that all tourists visit a local brewery.

"Mary, I've got a great idea for the decor at the camp!"

It's a really good idea to visit breweries with young people.
They may pick you up if you fall on the way home.
Only my ego was damaged.

All good things must come to an end.
Heading home in the most interesting of mobile melting pots.

Goodnight, Uptown.

Goodnight, Downtown.

Goodnight, Moon!

No Reason to Whine in the Finger Lakes

Or "Russell's big day out."

Rain has little effect on wine tasting.  So we took an unusual jaunt to Seneca Lake to try out a few wineries we had not yet explored.

Even more unusual, we had a designated driver.  Yes, chastise us all for the indiscretions of our youth, and never tell our children about them.  Check that...at this point, never tell our children's children about them.

And most unusual of all, the designated driver was me.  Activities of the prior evening had no influence on my decision to take one for the team.

First you select your wines.

Then you down or dump or...what is he doing?

Not sure if Russ is restocking the winery,
or just over a barrel.

More Monkey Business.
He attracts them wherever he goes.

At the wineries, fine people are always willing to help.
This gentleman was serving at Red Newt,
which was named after a political figure.

Read between the lines.
After a few wineries, the bottles start to look bigger.

After a few more wineries,
the bottles start to glow.

It's not all that bad being a designated driver.  There is much more time for photography.  More fun with photons.

Vegetation for the enjoyment of those
who reach a vegetative state.

Get your pollen while it lasts!

Not generally fond of gnomes,
I made an exception for this little guy.
He's both useful and entertaining.

Hector Falls.
Who knew?  I probably did, but had forgotten all about it.
The road goes right over the center of the cascade,
but this top half is splendid even without the its lower counterpart.
Note the gnome.

Careful, Gnome.  Slippery on the wet rocks.
You might slip and...nevermind.

Hector Falls is uncharacteristic in that the underlying rock appears a lighter color than what is usually supporting falls in the area, and that it does not have much of a gorge.  I wonder if the rock is harder than the usual shale in the area, or if the flow has moved to this location in recent geological time.

Back at Keuka, the rain had stopped,
but the clouds remained.
I was able to get away with SPF 60.

Heron Hill winery in all its glory.
As for the name...Heron Hill?  Really?
Why not name the place for a more likely heron habitat?
"Sir, would you like to taste our Heron Swamp Sauvignon Blanc?
Or our Marsh Meritage? "

I've heard that NY is a blue state.
This shot proves that it's really a white state.
These pretty grapes are pretty great for making Riesling.

The walking stick has either seen better days,
or he is doing rear leg stretches.

Answering a call at Heron Hill.

Another happy server.
Why do you suppose the servers at wineries are so happy?

I think maybe Russ got into some bad wine.
Or perhaps he heard news of the Presidential Campaign.

Someone has a future in hand modeling.

Being a star,
the chef can grab people anywhere he wants.
He'll soon be a politician, no doubt.

Fall foliage?

Our travelers are also happy.
No doubts about why.

Finishing a fine day, all were treated to an amazing Keuka sunset.

Beautiful Buttermilk

Mary and I recently had the pleasure of visiting Buttermilk Falls, just outside of Ithaca, NY.  Excuse me, I misspeak.  Due to the drought conditions in Upstate NY, we had the pleasure of visiting Buttermilk Damp Rocks.  The falls were reduced to a trickle, and the frothy whiteness by which they get their name was nowhere to be seen.

Even so, the hike up the glen was well worth the time and effort, even if we did get out of bed to do it.  I carried my large Dunkin' Donuts cup the entire way so as not to be one of those lamentable litterin' louts.

The path up skirts the rock face and disappears into the woods.
It continues to go up well past the portion of the falls one can see from the bottom.
It was a strenuous climb.

Mary appreciates the pretty little trickle.

And you can, too!

Not a place one would usually be able to stand without getting wet.

Who says there are no straight lines in nature?

It was hot, and the pool was inviting, but we declined.
Instead, I took this picture from a vantage that would usually make me very moist. 

A Bridge For No Reason when drought is the season.
After this shot of picturesque Mary, a young man handed me his phone
and asked me to duplicate the feat for his family.

When we started the ascent, the young family was right behind us...Mom and Dad with a little girl of about 7 years and her younger brother.  Midway up the rise of the first falls, the father accelerated ahead and then stopped, turning around to get a photo of the others on the way up.  However, his daughter was intent on catching him, so the father sternly admonished her to stay at the photo stop.

"Alicia, wait for your mother and brother.  Alicia, stay there.  ALICIA!"

I smiled and continued uphill.  I was transported back 20 odd years to the time when another young father might have done the same, yelling, "KATIE!"

A nice chimney.
The huge logs in the channel
 are a testament to what the usual amount of water can deposit.

Yep, one never knows what kind of flotsam will end up in the gorge.

The fish are glad the pool is deep.

Who says there are no perfect circles in nature?
I particularly like this Olympic-themed
channel-pool tribute to volleyball spiking.

It was a fine hike with some interesting geology.  We'll have to do it again in the spring to see it in full glory!

Backyard Beauty

Mary always creates a beautiful garden.  

Here is a small sampling of some of what I get to enjoy on a regular basis.

I know the names of all the flowers.
This one is "Yellow."

A nice fence-lily.

I'm looking straight down on this one.
The bugs or the wind have been messy with the pollen.

I blew this one up a little too far.
It's almost pistellated.
I should have used my longer lens.
Yeah...that's the anther!

This one seems to say,
"Have a nice day!"

Mary can't claim these.
They've popped up wild on the edge of the lawn.

But these elderberry blossoms are the result of planting long ago.

So pretty and delicate.

Even way up there, far above my upward turned camera.

Splendid multiple compound blossoms.

But don't even think about the wine,
no matter how much of an Elton John aficionado you may be.
The Manischewitz folks use the term "wine" quite loosely.  

And finally, one of my favorite flowers,
not because of their beauty, but what they provide shortly after they expire.
Nothing better than fresh raspberries on my cereal or ice cream or both!

Advertisement Alert!

All of the pictures above have been processed...with our new Land & Sea program.  I'm pleased with the way they were improved by running them through the easy-to-use program.  

Give it a try for free!  http://www.vivid-pix.com/land-sea/trial-ls.html