Spring in the air, on the ground, in the bushes...

I left a little earlier than usual this evening and thanks to the longer days and probably the warm and humid air, the birds were particularly vocal along the south side of Bryant Park.  A closer look shows that there is indeed a reason they call something the birds and the bees. These were the only two I saw, but from the tweeting and rustling in all the bushes, there were some very busy birds!

Happy Easter!

Easter is a good day to get back into the blog. My absence was mostly due to the new job, some business trips, and the long winter where I just couldn't take or post another flake of snow.  I've missed blogging and visiting everyone else most of all!  So, after a lovely morning in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, I am very happy to be back!

A busy lady

Her man spent his time strutting and keeping an eye on the other guys

Some of the cherry blossom trees are in bloom.

Looks like the venus fly trap of tulips.

The magnolia trees are magnificent!

The "quick fix" in the Picasa software created a very odd look for this catfish in the lily pond.  We think they put the catfish in the ponds to clean them up.

The end of the blooms on daffodil hill.  

The main lawn with the cherry blossom trees still in bud. They look to be timed perfectly for the Sakura Matsuri festival at the end of April.

Discarded building ornaments at the back of the Brooklyn Museum.

And some beauties back on Clinton Avenue.

Taking the High Ground

We don't have a cat tower; it is surprisingly hard to find a good one in Brooklyn, and shipping costs are too high for ordering over the internet. So we keep a rickety wooden ladder up in the bedroom, and our nimble wards enjoy playing on it. Mr. Beans' favorite game is when he sits on top of the ladder, I swing the mouse on a wire toy near him, he grabs it, puts the mouse in his mouth, then jumps off the ladder, gallops down the hallway and into the living room - my job is to chase him and cry, "where are you going, where are you going?!".

The Beansie game reminds me of one of the funniest scenes Ronnie every witnessed. When Beansie was a very small 5 month old, I had some take-out food that included a rolled-up pita bread. Beansie grabbed the pita in his mouth, and I started chasing him around the apartment because I didn't want him to eat all that white flour. The roll was almost 1/2 his size at that point. With the size perspective, and his relatively small head, he looked like a saber-tooth tiger running with a huge bone. He hid under tables, ran around the back of chairs, and I'm yelling at Ronnie to help block him, but Ronnie was too busy laughing his head off at what I admit was a very comic scene. In the end, Beansie jumped with it into the litter box. Suffice it to say, no pita for me or the Bean.

Aaaanyway, yesterday we had to move the ladder to the kitchen. Beansie somehow got up on the high shelf above the cabinets and was nervous about coming down. We thought he could jump to the ladder, but Lola decided to go for the block. The moment after Beansie made his way down, Lola went up to claim the space and Beansie played on the ladder.

You can just see Shelagh's wonderful cat art calendar in the background of the first and last photos.

A few days of snow in Brooklyn and Bryant Park

I'm still enjoying the snow, but not as much as the dogs. 

This handsome fella skipped the cleared stairs to the right - 

the snow was more fun!

Some don't let 18 inches of snow and resulting slush get in the way of high fashion.

A Swing through Bryant Park at Night

Bryant Park on the way home.  I promise I'll soon go off my usual path to work and back to get capture some other NYC scenes.   I'll be super-inspired next month - I'm going to take a one-day seminar at the International Center of Photography on how to use all the settings on a DSLR.   They promise I'll never use the auto or icon modes again!

The skaters, Bryant Park Hotel and Empire State Building.

People have to told it is OK if their kids laugh at them (sign on left).  These tables have little heaters above and below.

The back of the New York Public Library - the east side of the Park.

The ceiling murals in the library.

There are a few Christmas stalls open in the Park.  These twirl with the slightest breeze.

We still have our Christmas tree up too.  We took off and packed away all the ornaments, but it still looks pretty with just the lights and one cloth ornament at the bottom for Lola.  It will come down this week.  Year-round, I have an odd recurring nightmare where it is March or later, the tree is still up, ornaments are falling off and there is nary a needle on it.  Must be something about my fear of procrastination.

Surprising to see the fountain running in winter.  These usually are turned off at the first sign of a freeze.

The line to get into the skating rink.

Beansie, not a fan of the winter sports or winter weather, uses the light as a heat lamp.  He'd climb into it if he could as you can from all the cat hairs along the bottom rim of the shade.   When he is cold, he makes himself so small - in fact in he long and very tall!  This was taken before we took the ornaments off the tree - I swear, we have done that!