Fireworks July 26, 2011

Last night I discovered it's no so easy to learn how to use a tripod for the first time in the dark

After the Savonlinna Opera

Here is an e-mail from Leena with some links to wet our appetite for our Finland Trip

"Ritva and Hans  or just Ritva will pick us up after Savonlinna Opera - the next day at 10am.( July 22nd)

Savonlinna Castle

we will take a scenic route to Retretti Art Center in Punkaharju: which is in a cave

We will also visit the forestry museum

I have never visited either of these ( as they did not exist in my childhood)   so I am quite exited.

Then we will drive to their summer house in Puumala:

We will return to Helsinki on the 23rd either via Mikkeli or Imatra ( train)

We are getting closer and closer to our travels

Sunday with April

April Clark from Nebraska visits NYC once a year for a convention.  She and Mitch met years ago when he was working on ad mailings and mailing lists for a sporting good store.  This year we took a tour of Central Park (free and sponsored by the Central Park Conservancy which has done so much to restore and keep up the park).  It was a beautiful day, the park was lush and green and filled with people for great people watching.

Then we walked over to Lincoln Center and admired a small quilt display at the free American Craft Museum.  April says she's going to take up quilting when she retires, although she doesn't seem to have a time frame for that yet. 

Across Broadway there was a craft show at Lincoln Center and one of the pianos that are scattered around the city and anyone can sit down and play.  This is an art installation concept that started in England and it's the second summer here.  Cathy asks what happens when it rains, and I think the answer might be those ubiquitous blue tarps...see it on the right? 

You know I got a new camera, right?  So here is a experimental video which will let you people watch along with us in Central Park.

10th Annual Egg Rolls and Egg Creams Festival

Today Leena and I celebrated Chinese and Jewish culture in Chinatown at the 10th Egg Rolls and Egg Creams Festival at the Eldridge Street Synagogue.  Where else can you see people of every stripe enjoying klezmer music and traditional chinese music and learning about a tea ceremony as well as how to blow a shofar.

The synagogue, built in last 19th century and fully restored, has Romanesque and Moorish detailing and a goreous new monumental stained glass window by Kiki Smith and Deborah Gans

No, she's not dead!

And of course we had to have lunch so we explored a busy Chinatown mall and found little restaurant/stall and had Chinese dumplings and steamed buns....

and that was before our respective foot and back rub on Elizabeth Street.

And we saw rehearsals for the dragon parade in the park...

How My Garden Grows



Yucca with 3 blooms



Mini cauliflower with quarter



Last night there were torrential rains and the temperature dropped 30 degrees (from 95 to 65).  Now it's still dripping and a gloomy day but all the plants are green, green, green!  So here are two photos to show how the garden grows....and I must thank neighbor Lucky for all the gardening efforts.

Retirement - the beginning of a new era

Yesterday was my last day of work after 35 years of employment at the Fair Lawn Library.  I've enjoyed the job of librarian more than I ever thought possible.  It suited me to a T and I was fortunate to be at the right time at the right place.  I entered the field at a time of card catalogs and self-suffient stand alone libraries and an almost totally book-based universe.  Now it's an electronic world and exciting for that with so much information available.  The economic climate was more positive then, and, I think, libraries (and public employees) were more valued.  I've worked with a lot of wonderful people and formed some good friendships.  And now it's time to move aside for someone else, take my pension, and do lots of traveling.  I didn't want a lot of fuss, but Usha gave me the cake and a lovely necklace, Alexander flowers, and a bag of little gifts from Kerri.  And we all felt a bit sad!