Ponderings in the park and beyond...

How photography has changed! Sitting in City Hall Park waiting for Anne Marie and Barry to finalize their purchase of a movie camera I was watching the world go by. The fountain in the park is lovely and is indeed a very good spot for "that perfect travel photo". Loads of people were coming and going one group were clustered around one part and it would seem one man had offered to take a photo of a couple using the couples camera. The pose was all set up but the "photographer" couldn't see anything on the camera's screen. "That's because it is an SLR!" I felt like yelling at them (yelling only so they'd hear). The camera owner said something to the guy and the guy then proceeded to take the photo with the camera at arms length! What is the photography world coming to?! I have no idea how bad that photo would have been but the camera owner took it with good grace and moved on- they were too far away for me to leap up and offer to do a better job of it.
Digital photography has really changed how people approach taking photos. Watching people holding their cameras at arms length is quite amusing to me- you hold something away from you to look at it?
In the park there was a German (sounded like German that they were speaking) family - father daughter & fiance/boyfriend and younger brother. The young boy was standing over near the side spout of the fountain and the sister was giving directions of where to stand to the left further this way or further that way and then took a photo. The brother came over unaware of why she would have been taking the photo in that way. She showed him the photo and he started crying- the effect she was aiming for was to make it look like he was peeing in the fountain. It must have been effective as he was very upset. They all talked and she then went over to the fountain for him to take a photo of her. This appeased him and they all headed off.









I noticed two men digging up plants in the garden beds and putting them in a wheelbarrow. The thought crossed my mind (as it is Sunday) were they finding plants to replenish their backyard? Or were they NYC Parks people working on Sunday? Hmmm too much Law and Order on my part perhaps. although I do believe there is no such thing as too much Law and Order!



My toe although an interesting shade is recovering very well. I managed to walk with AM & B from the park (it is a square really and one merely crosses it) to Century 21 where we , Barry and I, assisted Anne Marie in her purchasing. Standing in one place does put pressure on one's back- I tried relieving that pressure by strolling through the endless array of not terribly wonderful clothing. The fitting rooms are in the middle of the designer clothing one very froofy
skirt which looked unfinished to me was marked down to $669.99. I resisted!!!






We returned to the apartment with Anne Marie's purchases and the video camera and rested up heading out at 6 to walk down Broadway to 42nd St to see Mary Poppins. It is a wonderful production and so wholesome in the beautifully restored New Amsterdam Theatre.
As we crossed 48th St to head for Broadway Boeing Boeing's matinée had finished and people were hanging around the stage door but standing where we were just crossing was Mark Ryance the English actor who played Robert in Boeing Boeing so I walked up to him shook his hand and congratulated him on his performance in the play (which I have seen) and particularly congratulated him on his TONY award. I think he was stunned and tired, he took it all with good grace. Don't know if the crowd at the theatre door had seen him there and I had blown his cover or perhaps he hd already braved the hordes and was merely waiting for a cab. I didn't recognize the man standing with him.

In looking back it was a bit of an action packed day completed with a great dinner on 9th Avenue and a stroll home in balmy weather.