under moody skies

wednesday night uws

 

thursday night, uws

summer solstice

it's been a long time coming....

riverside park nyc

 

liberty and love

on Pier 25, hudson river 

 

january

swoon -- 

new year 

with moon 

new year's day, riverside drive nyc

let 

the magic 

begin

i'm 

all in 

and miu miu too

on lafayette street, noho

 

hello hawk

sunday morning, upper west side

 

lace and leather

on broadway uws

 

portrait of a hawk, upon learning of the death of Flaco the owl

i woke to the news that Flaco the Eurasian eagle owl had died after striking a building late yesterday. the special bird had gone missing from his longtime Central Park Zoo exhibit a year ago and had since been seen mostly along the park from 80th to 104th streets. in fact, a small memorial is being set up for him today near a certain tree he liked on 104th, one he apparently first chose when he was newly exploring his freedom. 

i never saw Flaco though encountered several Red-tailed hawks in the park on my work commutes to the East Side and on weekend walks to and from the MET Museum, and can remember a surprise sighting low in the trees over a playground in Union Square Park last January, but i followed all the beautiful photographs of him, many in which he was silhouetted against rooftop water towers, and relate to the genuine sadness being expressed by fellow New Yorkers to whom he brought a sense of wonder and joy.

i set out along Riverside Drive this morning hoping to find "my" hawk in his* preferred tree for 2024, the one i and others have seen him in regularly since late January (though i have observed him for several years elsewhere nearby in our park (even on my own river- facing bedroom window ledge). there he was, feathers unruffled as it were, gazing around and down as always with his piercing eyes, softly mottled chest set against the winter white sky, his silhouette simultaneously standing out from and blending into the tangle of bare, dark tree branches. 

i like to stop and study my hawk each time i see him, knowing he is a robust bird of prey does not intimidate me, it merely fills me with greater awe -- sharp hooked beak and distinct tail completing his portrait, brownish eyes riveting.

though he did not move from his perch today, at times he quietly lifts his broad wings to fly, if only to land with a quiet rustle just a few yards away in another tree nearby, burnished red tail then on display.  today his presence seems a particular symbol of power and grace at home in nature, in contrast to a determined Flaco making his way in the unknown, urban wild.

rest in peace, brave Flaco!  New York will never forget you! 

looking east from riverside drive, w105th street

https://www.npr.org/2024/02/24/1233703492/flaco-new-york-owl-dies-building-collision

https://abcnews.go.com/US/year-concrete-jungle-flaco-famous-owl-world/story?id=106225093

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasian_eagle-owl

*please note: my hawk is referred to as a he but could be a she, 

female hawks being slightly larger than male hawks, 

but i really have no point of comparison for the time being...

 

a moment outside marni

marni meatpacking

 

on father's day

dad, 

'went down to the Seaport to see the tall ships this afternoon! 

the masts reached high, the clouds above like full, billowing sails. 

remember when we had one of your anniversary celebrations there, a brunch over Labor Day weekend?

then on a whim, walked to the Staten Island Ferry terminal on Whitehall, purchased a bunch of tickets and took a roundtrip ride, just to say we had done it?  Abigail and Charlotte were just little girls then! 

today, the Tin Building is a beautifully restored, Jean Georges gourmet marketplace.  i think you would approve and i will have to get Mom there to enjoy it firsthand.

i bought olive oil and sampled some shrimp, then wandered over to Fulton Street to browse the lovely new Mcnally Jackson bookstore before coming back uptown on the 1 train.

at sunset, i found you again in the golden sky above the Hudson. 

thank you for giving me this magical day of new adventures and special memories.

xoxo

at the south street seaport 

 

hudson river from my window

joyful

at Silver Moon

 

Rockaway respite

Rockaway Beach 108

 

ninety acres

 

ninety acres.... nj

glorious hawk on my morning walk

monday morning, riverside park

 

not a care in the world

on compo beach 

 

summer afternoon

by The Whitney

 

as long as the sun lasts

i love new york!

happy 4th of july weekend, world!

xoxo

fashion is love

rooftop The MET
https://www.metmuseum.org/press/news/2021/2021-cantor-roof-garden-announcement

 

city of blooms

leaf flower show, meatpacking