NYC PhotoRambles – D.U.M.B.O. Explorations with Katelyn

Recently my friend Katelyn and I went on a photoramble through Brooklyn Heights and D.U.M.B.O. (Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass). I love this area, it truly is one of my favorite parts of the city. The air is a little salty from being so close to the water and feels more open and fresh than the other parts of the city. There is an atmosphere of art and creativity with galleries, co-working spaces, cafes, and coffee shops tucked into every corner. Flavors and colors abound as tourists and locals soak in the Manhattan skyline and the grandeur of the Promenade.

Apple Picking (ish) Adventure!

The joys of apple picking as an essential fall event have been much lauded in my circle of friends and this year I was finally going to do it! We picked just the right day, with the perfect weather, and a great group of plaid-clad friends ready for adventure. The only hitch in our plan is that we were going on a Sunday after church, on the week when we had a guest speaker who was notorious for going over time. On this occasion the guest speaker not only went over our normal end time, but exceeded it by two hours! The meeting was great and no one wanted to leave, but by the time we got in the car it was quite late in the afternoon. We grabbed lunch and hit the highway. After an hour long drive through deliciously colored trees we arrived at the orchard…right when they stopped letting anyone in to pick apples. We were, needless to say, quite disappointed. However, our amazing community made the best of it by devouring an entire pie standing up (emotional eating much?), rallying together for a freezing cold game of miniature golf, and then having a fun dinner together. Overall it was a really fun day of getting to build community and making new friends, even though it wasn’t quite the day we were hoping to experience. Here’s to next year, may the apples be juicy, the weather be sunny, and the caravan leave early!

My friend Jordan decided to model the pumpkins for us…

Glorious foliage everywhere!



Here’s a couple shots from my Instagram:



Me and my sweet friend Jenny – aren’t her eyes amazing!?

Story of My Life: Picnic at Latta Park

This weekend I had a lovely picnic at Latta Park in Charlotte with several of my artist friends!  We had been planning the picnic for several months and had intended to have a winter themed picnic with hot food and drink but the spring decided to make it’s debut early this year so we opted for chilled gazpacho and iced tea instead.  We had a marvelous time!

We had three photographers there between me, Anastasia (below), and Rachel (next lower). We got LOTS of pictures!

My contribution, rainbow fruit plate and delicious yogurt dip.

We all brought out own mugs, plates, and silverware which made for such a fun assortment of colorful dishes!

Anastasia is identifiable by her amazing hand motions alone. She has several well known motions for typing and texting, amongst others. Her epic red hair updos follow as a close second for Ana-awesomeness.

I’m slightly obsessed with tree silhouettes and profiles recently. I love the way that they all look so different juxtaposed against the sky.

It was a beautiful day, rich in friends, food, and sunshine!

Something Pretty For Your Day

I popped out to my Grandparent’s house for the weekend to belatedly celebrate my Grandma’s birthday.  Imagine my delight upon pulling up to their house to catch sight of a tree full of cardinals!  I wanted to share at least one of the photos with you, enjoy!

Something Yummy For Your Day

We had another gorgeous day today!  After I got home I was immediately torn between being really hungry and wanting to get out and enjoy the weather with a walk. I decided to walk first since I knew the light would be gone by the time I was done eating. The sky was an amazing juxtaposition of perfect blue and puffy white clouds on one side and rolling gray storm clouds on the other.  I loved that this gray cloud looked like it was scuttling itself through the blue sky to the other side where it belonged.

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day tomorrow…

Upon returning from the walk I decided to make myself a burger since I had been craving one since smelling someone grilling out this afternoon on my lunch break. Isn’t it funny what an immediate impression a smell can make on us? It can conjur up a memory, start our mouths watering, or our stomachs turning, or our imaginations reeling with one whiff. I give you the Upside Down Cheeseburger Salad. It was tasty!