Arting in NYC

 

We've been all the way to the big apple and back!  Brandon tells me that arting isn't a word, but I think it's exactly what he's been up to in New York City.  He spent nearly two weeks looking at art, talking about art, and traveling to and from art - he's been doing some serious arting! 

I flew up on Thursday to meet him and we traveled home together on Sunday.  We stayed in the same hotel in the Chelsea neighborhood as our last trip, and once again I was happy not to have a long train ride into the city each day.  NYC in May is my official favorite!  And, we discovered the High Line just around the block from the hotel.  It's a raised park, on an old rail way.    

It's so cool to be able to walk up a stairwell and have an elevated trail covered in wildflowers and shady trees.  

The train tracks are visible in some places.  Look, we're outside in public with no mask!  The trees with the white bark and small leaves were labled gray birch.  

The High Line passes between apartment buildings with cool architechture.  You can see inside the apartments sometimes too, which is fun to get a peek at urban life.  

When you look over the trail edge, you can see all the normal hustle and bustle, but on the high line everyone is strolling and stopping to admire the art and flowers.  

Most of the plants were natives, although there were some I didn't recognize.  I saw a bumble bee buzzing around the flowers. There really are polinators in the big city!  The entire trail has benches.  

There are overlooks, and sculptures.  

The trial took us directly to the Whitney Museum of American Art, which has some of the best art, plus the best views from the big windows and balconies.  In this picture you can see the comfy couches that let you view the Julie Mehretu, but if you sit on the couch facing the the other way you get to see this...

Picturesque skylines and boats on the water.  

This sculptural island park was having it's grand opening while we were there.  People were swarming all over it!  

We hopped from one gallery to the next, and spent some time at The Met.  There's so much art in the city, it's impossible to see it all.  When our feet and legs were tired, we took breaks for tasty beverages, and enjoyed Indian or Puruvian take-out dinners in our room in front of the TV, and went to bed early.  The morning we left for home, we watched the city from our room as it revealed itslef in the early light.   

Some of the tallest and shiniest buildings glowed with the sun rise.  It's strange to me to go from way high in the air, to deep underground to catch the train to the airport.  We were home before dark and so glad to get there! 

Our First Lambs!

 

I was at the office on Friday when Brandon called with the surprizing news - we have lambs!  Our ewe, Lambchop, delivered two baby girls with no problems and no assistance from us.  Which is a good thing, since I had given up and assumed she wasn't pregnant, just fluffy.  

Brandon named the one with the brown face Derby...

and the one with the white face and black spot on her back April.  He thinks these names will help him remember how old they are.  

One their first day Lambchop let us hold and examine them, but she was nervous and made little grunting noises when the lambs cried.  They mind her well, and stay close to her side.  Now that they are bouncy I doubt I'll easily catch them again.  By their second day they were already playing and curious.  

Pistol Pete is in the little pasture near Lambchop and the lambs.  The night before they were born, he was acting strange.  Grunting and runnining up and down the fence.  I thought he was excited for his grains, but he didn't calm down after eating.  He acted eratic the whole day after the lambs were born too.  Phermones I guess.  He's rubbed most of his loose wool off by scraping his body on the fence.  

When he rubs on the fence, his wool forms strands of yarn that wrap the wire. 

I think the wool wrapped fence wire looks kinda cool, like a stripe of fabric down the fence.  Brandon does not agree with me!  

Wendigo has been extra playful now that she's an only dog again.  All the attention that was focused on the puppy is now hers to enjoy, and she's loving it.