Architecture

Snyder served as superintendent of school buildings from 1891 to 1922.  During his tenure his office designed close to 350 schools, plus numerous additions and other school improvements.  Testifying to the quality and longevity of his designs is that as of 2009, thirteen of his buildings and five of his additions have been designated New York City landmarks.

Inventive and pragmatic, Snyder left his mark as an engineer, administrator, and designer.  In each of these areas his innovations contributed to a successful school building campaign unparalleled in any other American city.  His most widely celebrated advancement was the development of the mid block H-plan, his response to urban density.  This configuration allowed him to plan schools for less expensive mid block sites away from busy avenues yet allow ample light, reduce street noise, maximize space, and provide a protected outdoor play area.

Snyder is best known for his application of the Collegiate Gothic style to New York City public schools.  In Snyder’s buildings, distinguishing Collegiate Gothic features include Tudor-arched doorways, pointed-arch windows topped with stone tracery, a central square tower, gabled bays, label moldings, and heraldic statues.  He also experimented with other styles.

This is one of my schools in the Bronx.

DLP

 Documented Life Project has me working on a different form of journaling and I am really loving it and pleased with what I have made into my own process.

Just a bit excited...

She is determined to ride that lovely new bike with a bottle of wine and a bread stick in the bike basket. Oooh la la!

Memorial Day BBQ

Michael- a friend os Ross's and Sue

Sue drove the gang of us to Greenwood Lake for Ross and Alina's BBQ.
We stopping on the way at a little town and had a coffee and look around the market.

Ross was very happy doing the BBQ and sharing the lovely holiday home that he and Alina have created.

Visitors

I seemed to have had a plethora of visitors over the month. Judy and Bulldog visited with their brother/in-law and sister in-law.  Great meal at Chocolat.

Crossing Guard

School Crossing guards work near most of the schools I go to. Some are better than others- more diligent, more friendly.

This one is lovely.

According to websites...School Crossing Guards help children safely cross busy intersections on their way to and from school. School Crossing Guards control traffic flow around schools in the morning, at lunch time and at the end of the school day.
They are Civilian part time employees of the NYPD. The pay starts at $11.79 per hour and $13.83 an hour after three years. If they work 20+ hours a week they get health benefits.
There are no formal education or experience requirements for the job, but all candidates must be able to understand and be understood in English.
They must pass a qualifying medical examination, which includes drug screening and a character/background investigation, prior to appointment. And must also complete six (6) days of training at the Police Academy once appointed. She is out there in all weathers and always smiling.

Early morning

Enjoying the change in the walk to work...or at least to the subway.

No rest for the weary...

Off to work and choosing a different way to get to a familiar location.

I was thinking that I was cutting across the corner of a little park. I've checked it out now and here's a description of some of it...

"Named after the Greek colony of Croton, known for its Olympic athletes, Crotona Park has served the Bronx community steadily since its purchase by the City in 1888.  Among naturalists, the park is widely known for its variety of tree species (28 in all) and gorgeous 3.3-acre lake, which serves as home to turtles, ducks, and fish.
However, manmade structures within the park thrill visitors as well.  Crotona Park’s pool is the largest in the borough at 300 feet.  Tennis buffs happily head to the park’s 20 hard courts during the warm season, and baseball teams flock to its five diamonds.  In addition, families log many hours romping in the eleven playgrounds spread throughout the park. Young and old alike agree; Crotona Park is worth a Saturday spent exploring its wonders."

I've as yet to see the families romping.

Moving day

 The international packers came in and packed up all the things to go to Australia. Packed them in cardboard.
They then packed all the stuff for Harlem in soft packing and plastic.

Left the place clean and tidy- all these odds and sods gone. Only need to go back for the cable devices.

The household goods and food things for the kitchen and living area soon to be unpacked.

Packing

It's time to move out of the Ritz Plaza. The rents are ridiculous!
Having the movers coming to pack and ship to Australia and Harlem but some stuff seemed a little too tricky to do so I booked Franklin to take some more of the  awkward stuff to pack- the fridge and the freezer and the lamp.

There was still lots for the packers to move.

Farewell

I knew it would be a whirlwind of nine days and Barb didn't disappoint me. Great fun, great company, loads of laughs...farewell :( see you in Melbourne.

White

 Such a story to tell from this we saw, fawned over, laughed with and thoroughly enjoyed the talent and humour of Tim Minchin when he innocently went to Marie's Crisis the same night we did. A strange night in all especially how and why Barb has a flower behind her ear.
Tim said we're just like his aunties so I have adopted him as my nephew...:)

The flower survived through to the next day

One

Barb and I caught the 1 train to Marie's Crisis after going to see Waitress.

Having the list of photos to take with me has been fortuitous as I can double check at anytime if I feel I'm in "danger" of not getting a shot taken.

There was plenty to talk about on this particular occasion as it was the night we met the one and only Tim Minchin :).

Up close

It was a day when I hadn't gotten around to taking a photo so a quick close up of Simon Cowell during and audition of X Factor in the UK- he was cringing as a knife swallower slid down a pole.

Desperate times call for desperate photographic measures.

Savouring the view

Having spent three years in my apartment cradled in amongst the other buildings it is a good time to savour the view especially at sunset.
I love the shapes and the light looking out toward the Hudson.

Snack attack

Home from work and time to unwind with a chardy and some cheese and biccies and conversation with my guest.

Focus

The focus for the day was packing up the apartment and in this case the snowdomes. This is one from Dubrovnik. It would seem that the heat up on top of the kitchen cupboards was enough to dry up a few of the snowdomes and in some case melt the glue so bits were floating away from bases.
I have focused the collection on glass balls as opposed to plastic arched things. A few snowdomes ended up in the recycle room and many have been wrapped and are heading to Australia :).

Bar Hopping

That's what we did after the show. It wasn't exactly hopping but a bit of a train ride to Marie's Crisis. I should have remembered to be sure that Barb had photo ID. Given that she didn't we gave up having been in the queue for about half and hour and headed back to Lillies on 49th. The trains on the weekend are such a pain. I know they need to fix things on the tracks to keep them running smoothly for the working commuters but still it makes for a very time consuming and painful commute.  We eventually made it to Lillie's for a drink but getting a seat at the bar was again tricky and it was about midnight!

On a bench or a bar even ...

Barb arrived and we headed out for a drink at her favourite bar Lillie's. Unfortunately Friday night at around 6 is not the best time to do such things- post work crowds filled the place so we headed for 46th Street in search of a bar she thought she knew that had cars in it.  Well that was a futile effort really. However we happened upon Barbetta. 

Barbetta, having celebrated its 100th Anniversary in 2006, is the oldest restaurant in New York that is still owned by the family that founded it. Barbetta is also the oldest Italian restaurant in New York, and the oldest restaurant in New York's Theatre District.
This three-fold distinction makes this historic restaurant a landmark among New York restaurants. Its landmark status has been recognized by the prestigious and highly selective Locali Storici d'Italia, which has designated Barbetta a Locale Storico (Historic Establishment,) the only restaurant in America to have been so named. Founded in 1906 by Sebastiano Maioglio, Barbetta is now owned by his daughter, Laura Maioglio.

The barman Gus was so Manuel-ian but older and charming. The cash register is an original and only registers to $9.96 or there about. It fills one corner of the bar. Barb's account of the event is linked here.

Vale Alan Pollard

Everyone of his friends and staff at AVPS were posting photos of roses to memorialize Alan Pollard. He loved roses and he was a fabulous gardener, teacher and all round nice guy.
I was in a classroom and there was a lovely red rose- Alan made it to the school in the Bronx.

You gotta park it somewhere!

...so I finally got around to doing the return on the modem to Time Warner Cable who had sent me two by mistake. It was a free upgrade of modem and bless his cotton socks Andrew with the assistance of Nick and the TWC chat line had sorted it out for me. All I had to do was return the old one but also had to return the extra one. I schlepped two lightish but largish boxes to UPS at Staples on 8th and 48th only to realize as I thumped them down on the counter that it wasn't UPS that TWC use but rather  Fed Ex. Having established that Fed Ex was on 47th and 6th I headed off cursing the f*&%ing tourists and got to the store without my eyes going completely crazy from the allergens. On my way home a police woman dismounted from her horse and then led the horse into the car park (parking garage for my US reader). I'm not sure whether she was parking the horse or finding a loo or getting water for the horse or who knows!

Allergies

Oh my oh my oh my! What was in the air?! It started at work in one particular building my eyes just went bananas so to speak and itchy and ghastly.
So when I got home I did the shower, wash the hair, use eye drops trick and confidently left for dinner with the crafting buddies. I walked to 2nd and 38th- big mistake by the time I got to the dinner venue the eyes were streaming again but I  thought I'm inside in an air con place they'll clear. Nuh!
So I had to leave my crafting buddies and head home- straight to bed and slept for hours.
I did have the sense to snap the lovely Chrysler Building on the way :).

Fastened

I love my silver bracelets that as i write this are hitting the computer and making a scratchy clanging sound.
The other ones are my USVI bracelets.



.... residents and frequent visitors know the secret significance of the area’s signature piece of jewelry–the Virgin Islands Hook Bracelet.

The hook bracelet has a unique and simple design. Usually, it’s a beautiful gold or silver hook that slips into a hole created by a wrapped wire, which looks like gold or silver fishing line, to catch the hook– thus the name.

Shannon Sterling according to her story,long ago on the island of St. Croix, a beautiful young girl fell desperately in love with a sailor, and they planned to marry. She wanted to present her husband-to-be with a wedding gift that would signify their deep and unending love, but wedding rings–or access to them on a scarcely populated Virgin Island were not an option. So, she raided his tackle box for fishing hooks and heavy leader and began to create. She snipped and smoothed the hooks, wrapped and braided the wire, and the first Hook bracelet was born. She made two,and on their wedding day, they clasped the bracelets around each other’s wrist with the open hook facing toward their hearts. They did this to signify that they were “hooked” to each other in love, and the tradition continues today.

If the open hook is worn facing the heart, it means you are lucky enough to have found your true love. If it is worn with the open hook away from the heart, good fortune will smile on “your every cast” and one day, you are sure to reel in true love.

The signature hook bracelet style is still the most popular among locals and tourists alike, yet there are more than 30 different Hook bracelet designs, each signifying different things. Some of the Hook bracelets are designed to commemorate storms that were devastating to the islands, like Hugo and Lenny. Local celebrities, like country artist Kenny Chesney, wears a hook bracelet to bring love and luck his way.

 The Hook Bracelet is for both men and women, and is popular among couples who want to pledge their love to one another.

Packing in progress

The move is happening so the packing has to be done. The bedroom is well underway and the hall cupboard done. A system is in place for placement of things to go to Australia and things to go to Harlem.

 

Love...

...this bunch of women...we gather a share art together...and with it we share laughs, and food, and great times.
This time the gorgeous Chrystelle brought a French cake she had baked to help celebrate Arlene and Cheryl's and her own birthdays all in the Spring celebration batch :)

From where I stand

It rained and rained and work got cancelled so I headed home waiting for the train in the rain along with too many others. The train was crowded for 9am- "what time do other people start work?" I thought... the trains are crowded when i go to work at 7am and it would seem they are still crowded at 9am.

Then the day ended with a bit of Friday nights in Manhattan :)

Soon to be familiar

The sight from my new bedroom window will soon be a familiar one...

Whimsical

Whimsical... playfully quaint or fanciful behavior or humor. 

And Fat Boy makes me smile. Bought in Sedona on a little side trip during our Route 66 tour,  he has been a happy reminder of that trip and also just a little joy in and of himself.

What represents me...

These snowdomes are all musical snowdomes they play some piece that has significance and connection to the locale they are from. The White House one plays Hail to the Chief, the Broadway one plays There's no people like show people- the tune played by the Actor's Chapel bells... the New York one plays- New York New York.
The keys on the dish have my current apartment keys and the keys to the Harlem apartment so I've managed to capture something about me in terms of travel, theatre and living here.

Adventurous?

Not this little chickadee...got up out of bed organized to go to work and looked back at my bed and decided-get back in there and try to recover a little more :). Another day spent coughing up muck and feeling like... :(.

Self Portrait

This was my view of myself and my life for the day. Coughing up muck and feeling like death warmed up....but I took a photo and captured my day :)