BRYANT PARK DELIGHT

BRYANT  PARK  DELIGHT



Always a renewal and delight stopping off at NYC's gorgeous Bryant Park...away from the madding crowds of her big sister Central Park!  Tucked away in midtown's west side, I treat myself to enjoying breakfast among the flowers and birds, a relaxing oasis among the hustle and bustle of city life.  Perfect for me, as it's on my route to work...not to mention the best bathroom facility in the the city, always fresh flowers inside!! 
These are pics I took just this morning...enjoy!

 



FROLICKING SEALS

This is one of my favorite spots along the East River on the lower east side of Manhattan. 
Weather permitting, I bicycle on my lunch break up the walking/bike path that runs along
the river, stopping to eat among the seals that spout water and cool me off!! 
A welcome little haven to restore my sense of serenity after a hectic morning at the apartment complex I manage.  It's relaxing...also fun to watch other bikers gleefully discover this spot as they cool off riding thru the fountains.  Another added bonus is looking over at sailboats serenely riding the waves.

A Rose By Any Other Name....

I spent all day yesterday with my friend Sabrina up in Vallejo at her Grandmother's house. Joyce, her Grandmother, is this completely engaging, irreverent, free-spirit who has this fabulous old Art Deco style house with an Egyptian themed interior (who knew Art Deco and an Egyptian theme actually worked together...and nicely at that).  She also has some truly remarkable animal prints hanging on her dining room walls.  I LOVE animal prints.

Anyways, the best part of the house is the huge, eccentric, absolutely fabulous garden in back.  Actually, it's more like a collection of gardens, sheds, walkways, arbors and secret spots.  Her roses are pure perfection.  For example:

Her Meyer Lemons are pure perfection as well: sweet and sour at the same time, juicy, fragrant. After running into town to pick up a new bottle of vodka and some simple syrup we proceeded to make the most delicious Lemon Drop Martinis I've ever had.  Just the right combination of sweet and tart and packing a powerful punch.  All this proving, once again, that gardens are truly oases for the soul: gorgeous visuals and great treats!

A couple of random shots of the garden:

A Spooky Grove

Tucked away behind the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park lies one of my most favorite places in all of San Francisco.  It's a quiet, spooky little grove of short, gnarled trees that if you squint and use your imagination look somewhat menacing and tantalizing at the same time.  And there's never anybody else there - spooky, right?  In a city of a million people there's really never anyone else poking around, hanging out, nothing.  Take a look:

So I've been in a wee bit of a "mood" the past week or so but the minute I started strolling around here, in this oddly alien, green little oasis, my mood improved dramatically.   The trees look like botanical versions of wise old gnarled gnomes, whispering to me: Lighten up buck-o, stop taking it all so seriously.  Pretty soon it'll all be over and then what?  All you can look back on is being in a bad mood all the time?  Snap out of it.  

And as I said earlier, my mood improved dramatically, the clouds parted and I saw blue skies again  (in my mind anyway...this is San Francisco after all, the fog had already rolled back in and the temp dropped to a quite cool 58...lol).  I know it's not always possible but if and when you ever get the smallest chance to break away for a little bit then GRAB IT, EMBRACE IT and get outside.  It's a truly magical antidote for what ails ya.... 

The Beginning

At least for me, nothing says catharsis, nothing promises renewal more than ocean waves breaking on the shore.  In the middle of my sixth decade on this earth I find myself caught between my hopes for the future and the damnation of my recent past.  If ever anyone needed a cathartic renewal, I most certainly do now.  So I am starting, finally I might add, on the journey to restoring myself and restoring my soul.  I am determined to forge ahead, to make a clean break from the mistakes I have made in the past and to believe, completely and without question, that Second Acts occur in real life and not just in the movies.

In order not to lose sight of my dream I have decided to record my journey here in this blog.  Anyone who finds themselves in a similar situation is invited to join, to contribute and to share their experiences, revelations, thoughts and progress.  I realize there is most likely no right or wrong way to begin such an extraordinary venture but the only thing worse than doing the wrong thing is doing nothing at all.  So I'm going to get started....