title: the last day in january

i had a wonderful day today. the only bad part was when nathan had to leave.
nina, max and i got lunch with my aunt and uncle, then walked across the public gardens and up the esplanade to sweet where we got delicious, heavily icing-ed cupcakes.i always feel stronger after i see them. hopefully that isn't just because i eat more then.

title: the grounds for sculpture

often when my cousins visit, we find ourselves with a beautiful fall or winter day and nothing to do outside. solution? the grounds for sculpture in hamilton! the landscaping is beautiful and (sometimes) the sculpture is too. but we always have fun.they have peacocks and peahens strutting around the premises. i am sure they are fed up with cameras by now.

i am working on getting my head around florence and san gimignano. there is a lot of beauty to attempt to condense.

title: streets of paris 1: the people

the general pleasantness of the parisians, especially when the weather is nice, came as something of a surprise to me. all we ever hear about the french in america is that they are grumpy and short-tempered. oh yeah, and that they hate us. well, i ran into the sort of americans that even americans hate (i.e. the kind who pronounce pigalle like "pig-alley", which i promise is something i actually heard), and that was the only time i felt self-conscious of my nationality. and at that point, my mom, aunt, and i were laughing at these people along with the rest of the metro car. here are some images of the people of paris, being cute and all-around french.
yup, that's a didgeridoo. the caliber of street performers in paris sets the bar very high for the rest of the world. take this guy for example:i don't know if you can tell, but he has a live goldfish in that jar on top of his head. and he was actually managing to juggle and dance in time with the music. he so deserved the money he was earning! i also gave some change to a guy playing "volare" on his guitar in the metro, and a guy who was playing the entire amelie soundtrack on his accordian in a metro station. i wasn't the only one with her camera at the ready! these people are all taking photos of a solid chocolate-and-swarovski-crystal representation of the paris opera. decadence, thy name is paris.
and what would a post about the people i saw in paris be without photos of my beloved mommy and auntie?
this was while having coffee on the first level of the eiffel tower. yum!
next up will be the sequel: the streets of paris sans people. (i just rhymed)

title: the final days in america

who says you can't go to the beach in september?
we visited plum island, which is also a wildlife refuge and exceedingly pleasant.

i recommend you view the following photo up close by clicking here. it's the brattle book shop on west street in boston. on nice days they have outdoor shelves full of a really robust and interesting collection of used books at cheap prices. on all days they have an immense selection indoors, arranged on tall shelves in classic bookshop fashion.my flight leaves tomorrow at 6:05 pm. next time you see me, i'll be living among the dutch (or, rather, ruling over them from my castle).

title: august, round two

my mom's side of the family recently came up for my grandmother's memorial service. we planted two sugar maples at the main entrance to the stony brook millstone watershed center, one for her and one for my grandfather. this corresponded with the weekend of the watershed's butterfly festival. here are some of the celebrated lepidoptera:
we also rode in the back of my uncle's pickup truck. such are the joys of moving fast during the summer:
tomorrow my dad goes back to work (which is also back to school. imagine that double header.). he and i went on a walk at swinging bridges (behind the insitute of advanced study in princeton). the bridge is awesome! it was super muddy, and we both came very close to taking some major spills.
august is royally and officially over. most of my time is devoted to alternatively worrying about and being excited for my trip to the netherlands. it's all about planning weekend trips and stuff--i wonder if there is a single person on this trip who is thinking about the schoolwork?here's to summer as a big kid.

title: may 24

summer is definitely here. the day was hot and oppressive, the evening was the time for blowing bubbles and drinking beers on the deck. brown brew in green glass bottles.
the beets and carrots have found their way out of the ground. strawberries and tomatoes are growing in pots around the side of the house. marigolds have taken root.

title: mar 15

it's over. spring break is over. we have to go back to work. this is a sad reality. walking through minuteman state park yesterday the immense suckiness of this fact hit me. but let it be said...i had a lot of fun this break! usually my spring breaks consist of sleeping or anticlimactic trips to florida. i think this time around i had a new appreciation for being home. thanks, college! below are 2 photos from minuteman.
i am especially proud of those pigeons. i was just taking a picture of them sitting there, then my cousins walked up and scared them. the forces of the universe organized and gave me a cool picture! i spent the weekend before the trip to minuteman at my aunt's house. observe with wonder!
my camera had been sitting in the cold car all night, then i brought it and every glass element on it got fogged up. it was scary--i thought it was the end of my camera. before it unfogged and i releaxed, i took this hazy photo. i promise it hasn't been edited except for size!

my spring break photos are nothing compared to my photoblog friend jordan's! check out his photos from his italy trip here. as a doctor, i reccomend you read his blog daily--it's often hilarious and always filled with awesome photos. to spring!

title: my christmas break thus far

hi! i have my computer back and that means pictures for you! my mom is sitting behind me on the couch and she keeps trying to get looks at the pictures before i post them. sneaky mom! here they are so you can stop craning your neck. :{)

the first two pictures are the results of my favorite christmas present--a tripod!
this is what i wake up every day in the winter hoping to see. it's my backyard covered in snow, as seen from my bedroom window in the morning!!!! hey weather, let's make with the flakes already!

these next two are not necessarily well-made photos, but i love them!

the first is nathan's present to me. we had christmas with our families (him at home and me in boston) so we celebrated our own mini-xmas on the 23rd. this beautiful arrangement is what greeted me when i walked in his front door!
he made the tree out of papier mâché and painted it those beautiful colors. all of those leaves that have "fallen" off the tree are real--the boy must have been pressing leaves for months! excuse the bed in the background--he was living in his living room. :{O

my dad got my mom the BEST present ever this christmas. she loves to watch "top chef" on bravo, so...she got a top chef apron! it even has her name on it. and, i swear, she wears while she's cooking. yes!!! (i made her pose for this picture. note the sarcastic smile.)

ok, that's it for now! hopefully you'll be hearing from me more frequently now..
p.s. i managed to avoid dick clark and his little monkey sidekick ryan seacrest this year. and guess what--my eve still rocked. can you believe it?! happy new year!

title: thanksgiving day

i have been so busy with the end of this semester. but i'm here! these photos are from thanksgiving, still fresh in everyone's mind. i know this first one is blurry, but it's just one of those things. it has to be displayed.the following picture merits a disclaimer: it may or may not have been taken by nathan. we were both messing with my camera and taking pictures of the pie (perhaps a substitute for eating it. this was before dinner had started and it was off limits.), so this one may have been his. regardless, enjoy.usually i come out of thanksgiving with a lot more photos, but this year i was alternating family time with writing a 10 page paper on the black death. which is the only way thanksgiving should be celebrated.

happy december!

title: weekend of nov 15

i have left the blog post-less all weekend. i was out taking photos for it! and enjoying a nice family visit. here i have for you some immensely moody shots of the fells in winchester, ma:


a tiny sparrow taking a tentative peck while the pigeons aren't looking:
and something sinister:

highly appropriate since i saw the exorcist for the first time last night. imagine that staring at you in the dark! beats out linda blair in pancake makeup any day.