A Little Visitor

When children come into your life, they sure do turn things upside-down. This past week we have been having a bit of an impromptu family reunion and a number of relatives are staying with us. But the biggest impact comes from the littlest visitor. Truth be told, she leaves a bit of havoc in her wake, but when she turns to you with that mischevious look on her face your heart just melts and you are willing to sing Old Macdonald Had a Farm about a thousand times just so that she will keep smiling at you.


I was hard pressed to tear myself away to go to work this morning, so happy were we taking things out of her little purse and counting "one, two, teee...." as we put them back in.

She's also kept it exciting for all the grown ups by leaving little surprises all around the house in unlikely places. A shoe here, a doll there, a hairclip in your tea cup, a grape in your slipper. I'm hoping my keys will be the next thing to turn up.

If only she did not live so far away and we could see her more often!

A Cookie Extravaganza

It occurs to me that I have not posted much in the way of cooking experiments lately. Well, let me make up for it with a triple-whammy here.

5 hours
+ 3 cookie recipes
+ 1 wannabe baker
+ 1 Kitchen-aid mixer
+ 1 million chocolate chips
_____________________
= a cookie extravaganza

I realize, having been much-reminded lately (curse you, low fat yogurt commercials), that swimsuit season is upon us. But with a Cinco de Mayo baby shower in the works for a colleague, and me assigned to make cookies, I figured I ought to do the thing right.

I had very specific cookie requirements to work with: crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, chocolate chips highly desirable, and if I had time, maybe offer a vegan option as well. A little web searching found me exactly what I was looking for.

Blue Chip Chocolate Chip Cookies from Deb at Smitten Kitchen. A basic all-American chocolate chip cookie made amazing through a heavy dose of chips and finely chopped walnuts mixed in.

Triple Chocolate Cookies (with espresso) from Bobby Flay, via The Food Network. My man Bobby did not lead me wrong. Chocolate cookies loaded with white and milk chocolate chips, with just a hint of coffee flavor.

Vegan Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies from Post Punk Kitchen. They were soft, chewy, and delicious (and no need to qualify that by saying "for a vegan cookie"). I added raisins--a good call.

Folks, swimsuits be damned, these cookies were worth it. 'Nuff said.

In the Name of Art

Sometimes photographers go to dangerous lengths to capture a photograph, perhaps even putting personal safety at risk to bring to light scenes that might otherwise go undocumented. Today was my first foray into such "danger zone" photography.

Okay, so I wasn't embedded with the U.S. forces in Iraq or tracking Maoist rebels in the mountains of Nepal like a certain friend of mine who is a for-real photographer, but today was as close as I have come to risking life and limb for a photo.

I was shooting on the fire escape.

On the fourth floor.

Only three levels of these rusty metal bars between me and a very unpleasant landing.

Why brave such dangers in the name of photography? Well, The Noticing Project has invited their readers to share photographs of things they notice this week, and as a New Yorker in a comparatively small apartment sometimes I just feel I have "noticed" (and photographed) every little thing there is to notice. I wanted a different angle.

I thought to shoot a photo of something on the windowsill, but by the time I got home from work the sunlight had already left the sill and migrated onto the fire escape. I just followed the light. It wasn't until I had two feet out the window and was shifting my weight onto the suddenly quite shifty fire escape that I thought perhaps I'd better make this a quick shoot.

All right, in reality a heart-stopping second or two does not equate to any real risk to life and limb, but I know now that if there is a fire in the building I am going to start making a rope out of my sheets. 40 neighbors fleeing the building down that rickety structure is definitely not a good idea.

A Different Kind of Meet-Up

Every once in a while you come across a scene or event that is just begging to be photographed. Usually in those circumstances I curse myself for lacking the foresight to bring my camera along. But every once in a while, I'm prepared.

Perhaps you were unaware, as I was, that yesterday was the biannual New York City Dachshund Meet-Up in Washington Square Park. Folks, this was no little meet up. This was an event.

Everyone was sporting their very best outfits:



Often with a thematically appropriate touch:



and thematically appropriate accessories too!



New friends were made:


Yes, the Yankee fan was getting friendly with the military dachshund, and the well dressed little lady dachshund tried to make the out-of-place pug feel at home.


Everyone was eager to pose for the camera:




There was even musical accompaniment--an organ grinder churning out "The Dach's Song," which was sung with gusto by the many dachshund parents attending.


Have a look at the lyrics.

Dachsie, meine dachsie, best canine under the sun. Call you "wiener" or "sausage" or "hot dog," we know that you're number one.

Surely enough to melt the heart of any dachshund owner.

I Have to Confess

I have been feeling utterly lethargic lately. I have plenty of blog post plans swirling around in my head, but have been unable to actually sit down at the computer to write anything out. Worse yet, I have barely pulled out my camera for the last two weeks. Considering the incredible sunshine we have had lately, and the trees and flowers blooming all around, (and the fact that just the other day on Shutter Sisters I posted a comment committing myself to taking at least a photo a day) that's practically criminal.



Spring fever? Or perhaps general physical exhaustion from trying to swim many (well, a few) laps at the gym last week? Who knows. In an effort to ease back into things, I took my camera out during lunchtime today and wandered the neighborhood a bit.



Turns out, all of Brooklyn was out and about enjoying the sun.



Fortunately the offerings at the farmers' market never fail to inspire a shot or two...



And by the end of the afternoon I was whipping out my camera to shoot everything in sight. It's funny how you fall out of the groove once in a while. It's nice to be back in it again.