Day Seventeen - Update Two

Evening walk. So, this is a funny story. Off we go!

This is Layla, about 5 feet from our building's entrance.



This is me, about the same distance. Maybe a couple of feet back towards said entrance. You'll notice the umbrella.



This is Layla about a minute later. Back at the door to our apartment.



Lame.

Day Seventeen

I decided that, if Layla wanted so much bloody attention in the morning, she'd get it.






Return on investment? Fluffiness. How long did it last?



Under half an hour. We returned to Morningside (which has had a good cleaning-up)



for an extended stay - and play - in the dog run.









Although Layla really didn't last all that long.



It was quite warm outside, though.

The park down on the South corner is a lot more popular on a weekend, I learned.



We saw a black squirrel in the park (still adjusting to the zoom - usually I just take a photo and then 'zoom' in Photoshop. With this many megapixels at my disposal, I'll do alright but, for now, I'm content to mess about with the camera).



Given the overrun by grey squirrels in England, serves them right if they are beaten out by black squirrels here.

Saw more flowers.






Also Morningside Park does a good line in stairs.






Non-Australians: you will already (probably) be familiar with our famed Rabbit-Proof Fence: that fence that borders some of our states. Did you know there is the activity of walking the fence? For it to remain Rabbit-proof, it's integrity must be checked and maintained. Hence the job: you walk that bloody fence (or your section thereof), looking for problems. Which begs the question of why I'm even telling you.



Speaking of fences, I've been meaning to shoot this one for a while. So there's this sign



attached to this "playground".



Yeah, I can see how there're only a couple of fencing issues left before it's a child-hood Shangri-La. Totally.

Parents: Our street (122nd) become Morningside Drive on the other side of Amsterdam Avenue, and curves South (if you return to the post with the map of the park, you'll see it). What do you do with buildings on a curvature like that? One wants to pack as many people in as possible, yet, those people will want, say, windows and ventilation. The solution is to give it to them.



(we had to take that one on the way home: Layla was tired enough to sit there while I took the photos. On the way out she's too damn anxious to get into the park).

Finally, some portraiture against the true urban fauna.

Day Sixteen - Update Two

Crime and medicine
Dead wrong and live in America
Off the block and right in your area
Fresh apples and peaches for the president

Eventide constitutional, abound!









Turns out I still have an excuse to doctor images. Reducing their size, for a start (rather than freak Wordpress right out). Forming panoramic shots, another:



Definitely click for the full version. You'll also notice new dimensionality, relatively speaking.

Group photo!



Erm...stalker photo!



I actually rather like that one.

We call these "Shih-Tzu Stalled, Hoping That Other Dog Will Come Over". This time he didn't.






Earlier, though, we came upon two weird little dogs. Not much going on there for Layla.



Building.



Park Benches.



An interesting aspect of experimenting with the settings on the camera: accidentally decent action shots of Layla, walking.



And, uh, Godzilla-ing



Laugh all you like but, if you lived in Tokyo, I can bet you'd shit yourself if that appeared over Roppongi hills.

Day Sixteen - Update One

New camera!







From B&H. Lumix DMZ TZ4, by Panasonic. 8.1 megapixels, 10x zoom and a Leica lens. Plus it came with some charge in the battery.












The big versions of those are enormous (we hadn't adjusted the settings, yet). My days of Photo-shopping pictures post-camera may be at an end - unless it's to reduce the image sizes!

Yes, we're very pleased with it. It will now be the source of Layalpics (tm), beginning shortly.

Day Sixteen

A sum of your parts are not gonna change any hearts
Not with hate in your eyes.
In order to lead by example you have to show a path to a better world,
Not a cell

Walk. Back to Riverside, today. The weather is quite nice for the early hour.






I learned that Grant's tomb has its own sign






And belongs to the Department of the Interior - which I didn't actually think they still had. Add it to the list with Food Stamps, I guess. And people wonder why the rest of the world thinks the US is lagging behind...

I didn't have the heart to tell the mini-Columbus of Layla's ego that the New World had already been discovered.



She did find me two dimes and a penny, though - so there could be something in this.

Day Fifteen - Update One

Only twice before have I had the good fortune to observe a rubber tide; that rare occurrence when hundreds of electric jellyfish spontaneously wash onto a beachhead at once.

So this evening, the evening of May 29th, is one of only two nights per year when the setting sun sits at exactly the right angle to light up all cross-streets in Manhattan (the grid-patterned ones, at any rate). Read all about it here. And here.

We timed our walk, unfortunately (and no-one is to blame) for sunset which, of course, will not get you the effects of the setting sun. So our photos are a little late to the party.

This is at 120th, facing East



and facing West.



But Layla got a fun walk out of it.

We headed from 116th (down where we'd tried - but failed - to secure better shots) to the park. This building sits on the corner of 116th and Riverside.



Click for the (much) larger version. Ignore the top-right of the shot (it's a panorama stitched together from 6 photos. I'm surprised it worked at all). It's called the Colosseum, appropriately enough.



While I was engaged in this mighty enterprise, my wife walked off.



That's her. No, not that one. Past her, past the block and crossing the street. Hi, honey.

To the park!






Group photo!



Layla got to walk on the wall above the side of the park.









What to do when a tennis ball is not to be found? No problem! Turns out it doesn't matter. This is Layla with a random piece of wood that I kicked in front of her.



Whatever, man.

We gotta keep searchin', searchin', find a place to hide
Searchin', searchin', she'll be by my side
If we gotta keep on the run we'll follow the sun
Follow the sun