spring flower i-phone photo dump

I have been a little off my blogging game lately.  I am still here, just busy and occupied with a million other life happenings...kind of let my blog slip.  With all this beautiful (and very early) warm spring weather we having here in NY, I decided to share with you some of the boomings in my yard.  After last summer's "freak" hurricane and then the devastating snow storm that surprised us here Halloween week...our trees and plantings sure took a hit.  It is however now a breath of fresh air to see all of the new growths, buds, and flowers each day as we take walks around the yard with our dog Mel to explore.  These are from Mel's and my walk yesterday...enjoy this latest i-phone photo dump!

yellow daffs = :)

Our magnolia was hit hard by the storms...but it still blooms strong

These were potted hyacinths I was given and planted in the ground after bloom...

they come back year after year!

weeping cherry makes me smile

worms eye view through the forsythia

Even the stumps in my yard have "growth"...love interesting fungi!

What's growing & blooming around you?

spring green

I'll be honest with you, spring is not my favorite season.  I enjoy it because it takes us out of the bitter cold of winter, but in New York, it is all too often a very damp and chilly season in itself.  Right now, it is particularly rainy...those April showers just keep on giving and giving.  Late this afternoon there was a break in the showers and I took a nice walk around my yard.  I do love seeing all the new growth that is popping up and discovering all the flowers I forgot were even there.  I had my i-phone in my pocket so I took some shots with the app I am most recently obsessed with, Hipstamatic.  You can see some photos from my trip to DC that I took with the app last month by checking out the post spring sculpture series.  The walk really made me appreciate all the rain...without it the flowers would not have had a chance to poke up out of the ground, the trees wouldn't be blooming and everything around me would not be that lush, spring green.  I couldn't help but smile as I took these photos, so I decided to share them with you so you could hopefully have a smile too :)

looking up at the lilac tree...the smell is incredible

bleeding hearts

dogwood bloom...the tree is near the end of blooming but is still one of my favorites

our fern garden

peonies...look close and you can see the ants helping the blossom open

lilly of the valley...smell is just so sweet

my husband's bamboo...started with one clump, now has spread along the wall

stairs to a cottage covered with moss and grasses

Seeing these stairs reminded me of a book I had just read to classes when I was substitute teaching in the library.  The Curious Garden, by Peter Brown, is about how flowers and a garden can survive in an old, rundown city.  The author was inspired by the High Line, which is an abandoned, above ground railway in NYC that has since been turned into a public garden and park.  The children loved hearing the book and we had a great discussion after about how nature can grow and take over abandoned buildings, sidewalks, stonewalls, etc.  The students even have a community garden at their school that used to be an old tennis court...how appropriate!  Oh, and if you ever get a chance to visit NYC... put the High Line on your list of places to visit, it is a must see for sure!

What do you have growing and blooming in your yard?

getting ready for easter...

Eggs decorated by my niece Casidy last year ♥

This year I feel like I have been getting ready for Easter for a while!  I was fortunate to freelance with the super talented team that put together the Easter special for the Martha Stewart Show. 

 Martha's Eggcellent Easter will air this Sunday, April 17, 7pm, on the Hallmark Channel.  

For a preview of the special...click here!

Also...Martha herself blogged about some of the "behind the scenes" yesterday,

 so check out her blog!

Be sure to set your tivos, dvrs, or just grab some snacks and tune in tomorrow night!

I am sure you will enjoy all the fabulous guests, recipes, and decorating ideas that will be shared!

Oh...and after the special airs...

be sure to check back for some of my special "behind the scenes"!  

spring sculpture series

Last summer when I was teaching a few photography classes at SUNY Purchase I posted photos I had taken on my i-phone of some of the sculptures that adorn the campus there.  When I was walking around Washington, DC this past weekend, my husband and I stumbled upon the Smithsonian Hirshhorn Museum Sculpture Garden and I was instantly reminded of the photos I took at Purchase.  Of course I always have my i-phone near by, even though I did have my "good" camera as well, I decided to take a series of photos of some of the sculptures using one of my most favorite apps...the Hipstamatic!

overlooking the garden...cherry blossoms line the upper walkway

King and Queen by Henry Moore

Lunar Bird by Joan Miro...I "heart" Miro's artwork

Tom looking at a de Kooning

Barry Flanagan's - The Drummer

I love how the sculpture starts to disappear into the background of this photo

self portrait ♥

beautiful blossoms

My husband and I decided to take a spur of the moment trip to Washington, DC this weekend to see the infamous cherry blossoms.  It just happens to be "peak season" and the 2011 National Cherry Blossom Festival is in full swing!  We booked a hotel in Old Town Alexandria, just outside of DC, and decided to take the metro into the city to avoid the hassles of having to drive and park.  We were fortunate to have a metro stop about 6 blocks from our hotel, however the metro system did take a bit of figuring out.  Special note to all those New Yorkers out there who share subway cards...in DC, each person needs their own card...we found out the hard way!  Once we made our way into the city, we set afoot, armed with maps and trusty i-phone apps, to see the blossoms!  Now you wouldn't think it wouldn't be that hard to miss the over 3000 blooming trees, however if you are a bit naive like me, let me tell you now, DC is huge!  There were crowds of people to follow, and that did help of course, but there is also so much to do and see while you are there, you never really know which crowd is headed where!  All joking and complaining aside from all the walking (make note to wear very comfortable shoes!), the trees are truly magnificent to see.  They line the entire tidal basin, a 2.1 mile loop.  There is also a 4.1 mile river walk where a free shuttle is offered to view some more of the many different species of blooming cherry trees.  After seeing so many beautiful trees in one location, I did begin to wonder if there was a reason as to why so many trees of this type were planted in one place.  Upon further research I found that the plantings of cherry trees originated in 1912 as gift of friendship to the United States from the people of Japan.  Peak bloom dates for this year were estimated for March 29-April 3, however the festival is going on until April 10...so you still have a few days left to catch a glimpse of the fabulous blossoms.  If you can't make it this year...next year will mark the 100th annual festival!  Also, you can check out this online webcam to catch a glimpse of what the trees look like right now...what will they think of next?

view around the tidal basin

a friend with a friendly reminder!

most of the trees bloom white blossoms...

every once in a while there is a pink one!

it was hard not to stop at a few of the historical sites...

this wall in the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial was quite remarkable

close-up of a panel - the whole wall/column structure

 was made of tactile relief panels, including the use of braille

another close-up

Washington Monument

Incase you are wondering what to do after you have had your fill of blossoms, check out the official DC tourism website for plenty of suggestions and ideas.  There are more than enough things to do and see, I promise!