A Foggy Day in Texas

 One fine Sunday morning, we woke to a blanket of thick fog just waiting to be captured on film.  I happen to be a big fan of Instagram (a social media centered around sharing photos) and they announce "Weekend Hashtag Projects" every Friday, providing a challenge to users to capture photos of a certain subject or theme.  This particular weekend, the challenge happened to be photos of something foggy!  I took it to be a clear sign that we should leave early for church, but scour the landscape for photo opportunities until the later service.  This is the result.....

 

Carousing in New York City

While there are so many outstanding photos of the places and things around us, my greatest affection has always been for those that depict us interacting in those seemingly small moments.  With every snap of my shutter, I feel an intake of breath and shivver of excitement, knowing that a memory, the essence of a particular moment in life, has been captured on film. I wish I had taken so many more shots of us while in Manhattan, but I will look back on these for years to come and remember the amazing weekend we had. 

Enjoying the view from a bridge in Central Park.

 

 

 

My friend Danielle and I had a little photo session in the fountain (fortunately dry at the time) and climbing on the sprawling branches of a tree in the park.

 

Enjoying the mild January weather on the patio of the Boathouse.

 



 

Rooftop photoshoot our last day in town...it was a bit breezy!



 

This was taken as we were walking the Highline.  It's an old elevated railroad track that stood abandoned for years before being refurbished and transformed into an elevated park and walkway (a must-see for anyone visiting the city!).

 

The Oh-So-Beautiful Big Apple

This new year has brought about new adventures for this girl...One of these being a weekend trip to the great New York City!  It was a whirlwind three days of exploring, shopping...lots of eating, and hardly enough photos to even come close to capturing the city that never sleeps.  I've visited many places in the past 6 months, but NYC is one of the few that I must visit again, if only because I know there is still so much to see!  This first post from my trip shows only the locations I visited.  There are so many more I wish I could have seen, but as I mentioned, those will have to wait until next time. 

 The Hampton Inn SoHo was our residence for the weekend and the fourteenth floor afforded some pretty descent views.  This flag atop a neighboring building was a subject of my photos each morning.

 

Central Park is one of the most iconic locations in New York, and it turns out it was the most enjoyable of my trip.  Even in the cool January dreariness, it is a most impressive expanse of nature amidst the concrete jungle. Above is Bow Bridge, which I'm sure you've seen in many a movie, and below is the historic Loeb Boathouse.  We spent the better part of Saturday afternoon here sipping wine, playing cards, laughing and loving life. The understated elegance of the place provides the ideal setting for the ever-eclectic Manhattan crowd to gather for some spontaneous refreshment. (We fit right in!)

 

 

 

 

Times Square was a sensory overload!  I've seen it before, but never in it's full glory; never at night.  I wouldn't have imagined so many people could (or would) congregate in such limitted space...but there they were.  The rather high number of police officers left me a little unsure of our safey, but we made it out with no injuries, so I deam the experience to have been one of success.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These final photos are some of the city views and buildings I enjoyed over the short time in town.  I am truly overwhelmed by the expansiveness of the world we live in, and New York is a perfect example of this.  Life is taking place all around us and we are given glimpses into many.  I was most impacted by my time in NYC as I was reminded of how often to we put in our earbuds, look at our phones, or just turn away from an opportunity to bless someone even with the smallest kindness. Love in its purest sense is sacrificial.  There is no expectation of reciprocity or response.  And as Christ loves us, so we are called to love others.  That is what I hope to be reminded of when I look back on these images--that we cross paths with so many each day and we should take every opportunity to share the everlasting love of our Lord and Savior. 

 

 

Walkabout Boston

To wrap up my time in Boston (albeit three months overdue), I have some of my favorite pictures of the buildings and structures I saw around Boston. The first of these is the renowned Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox.  This is a true American treasure.  Being there, you can almost feel the history; the countless memories made sharing peanuts & cracker-jacks, catching that illusive home-run ball, revelling in victory, and rooting for your team in spite of defeat.  Add it to your bucket list.     

The Boston Public Library is one of the most impressive structures I saw in Bean Town.  I was especially captivated by the exquisite murals on the walls and ceilings.  I aspire to paint something in my lifetime that people will someday gush about and take pictures of.  I don't have very many pictures of said murals because no matter how many times or from what angle I photographed them, I couldn't truly capture the impact one receives in person.