I used to fight my sisters over this.

I'm ending the first month of this challenge with a tribute to one of life's simplest pleasures: messing up the peanut butter.

But I'm leaving my heart there...

I was sad to leave Manhattan, but I'll be back soon. The GW looks resplendent in the sunshine today, quite different from when we crossed it on Sunday.

A rainbow welcomed us back to PA.

The sights and the sounds...

Killing time in Times Square, waiting for my play to begin.

My purple Chucks pop against the lit up background of the TKTS steps.

On the other side of Broadway, Elmo looks a bit lost.

On the way back to the hotel, sparks flew from the welders working as 1 World Trade Center rises above street level.

Oui, oui!

I've always wanted to try French macarons, but they're really difficult to make, and I wasn't prepared to pay forty dollars in shipping to have Laduree overnight them to me. So imagine my delight when I stumbled upon the recently-opened Cafe Macaron on 36th street.

I got a sampling of six different flavors from a lovely Frenchman who called me mademoiselle. My favorites: raspberry and Tahitian vanilla.

Aren't they lovely?

Words to remember you by...

In the World Financial Center, across the street from my hotel, there is a beautiful memorial fountain, commissioned by American Express to remember the eleven AmEx employees who died in the towers, just a few feet away from where this fountain now stands.


I see it through the window every night when I walk back to my hotel; a huge, sparkling piece of quartz that seems to radiate light, hovering above a shallow, black granite pool with eleven sides. Every few minutes, eleven drops of water fall into the pool, symbolizing tears and creating intersecting ripples. It is a powerful, elegant memorial.

Just below the crystal, in the center of the pool, the granite is inscribed with the date September 11, 2001.


Around the perimeter, on each of the eleven sides, are inscribed the names of the lost. And above the names, beneath the glassy surface of water, the fountain's granite floor is carved with words of remembrance describing each person. I thought it was interesting to see what words these people's family and friends chose to remember them by.

Still rollin'...

Tonight, we saw Rock of Ages. The blurb is right. It was insanely fun.

On the way back to the hotel, I took a photo of the tombstones outside The Little Church That Stood. I think the effect, with the lighting and the iron fence bars, was kinda creepy.

A city full of color

We had a busy evening today. My friend has seen almost nothing of the city, so I showed her around. We stopped in the Village to check out the wares for sale:


Bongs...

...and crack pipes...


...and flowers.

Under the arch in Washington Square, I discovered what appeared to be the remains of someone's alfresco shower and reading plans.

We headed uptown to check out the new TKTS steps. Lovely. It had rained that day so the steps were slippery and therefore roped off.

Then to Magnolia's new Midtown location for a cupcake. (White, with chocolate icing.) My friend was an instant convert.

Finally, we swung by St. Pat's before catching the train back downtown.

Start spreadin' the news...

Today I traveled to Manhattan to work for a week. Usually I take the Holland Tunnel, but my friend who was driving prefers to avoid the Jersey Oranges and take the GW.


The GW looming in the fog was quite a creepy sight.

We had a nice view of it from the Henry Hudson Parkway.

Hula skirts and Shirley Temples and cake

My parents returned from Hawaii today. (I've never seen my mom so tan!) Of course they brought a sweet present home for their little pumpkin.

Tonight the Group went out to celebrate M's birthday. We had hibachi, and I had the two most delicious Shirley Temples of my life.

M's birthday cake (gob cake from a local place) was utterly delicious.

Our sweet little chef

Tonight we made homemade pizza. While Jen and I rolled out dough and grated cheese, Aunt Missy showed Jules how to put the toppings on.



Adding pepperoni.

She wanted to make sure it was on there good.

She happily grabbed big handfuls of mushrooms and green peppers. Good thing about the peppers, because Aunt Missy won't touch them.

Brown paper packages tied up with... tape.

What's more delightful than a package at your front door?

How do I use this thing?

I took this tonight while messing around with my new tripod.

Beauty topped with deliciousness and butter

This is the first time I used the cookware Melis and Brian got me. (Thanks again, guys!) I don't know what's prettier: the pan or the mushrooms.

I always dreamed one day I'd see my name in dough.

We went to Marzoni's for lunch today. They gave Jules some pizza dough to play with and she shared it with me. Perhaps I can do a series of my name in a restaurant setting.

I wasn't the only one enjoying the dough. Kristen was sculpting as well. (Love her rings.)

My post-Christmas solace

The Golden Globes were on tonight. I love to keep track of the nominees I've seen and mark off the categories as they're announced. It's the start of the awards season and I can't wait to get Oscar ready.

Ones and fives and ones

There was much game playing today. These are my three yahtzees. They didn't compare to Aunt Sherry's seven, though.

Memories of Florence in the mall...

We went to the Italian Oven for lunch today. I enjoy the crayons.

Afterwards we stopped by a used book sale in the mall. The purple-coated figure in the background is Kristen.

I found a treasure: a book of artwork from the Uffizi Gallery and the Pitti Palace, both of which I saw when we went to Florence. The book was only a dollar. Total score.

One of the Botticellis we saw at the Uffizi.

My niece likes apples and wigs.

Julia held out her apple so I could take a picture of it.

Then she tried on Grammy's wig and admired her reflection in the window.

A beautiful sight, we're happy tonight...

On the recommendation of Uncle Denny, I took a ride up on Laurel Mountain this afternoon. It was like another world. An amazing, frozen, gorgeous other world.