shaking off the summertime

The night air has a chill now, and truthfully, it’s hard to believe October is here. Where did September go?! Though my flowers keep on blooming, it’s clear that we’ve finally shaken the last warm days of summer. I’ve been going through photos of this past summer in Prospect Park and just wanted to share a little warmth over my cup of tea tonight. Enjoy!

the dumbo arts festival, in pictures

This past weekend, DUMBO once again played host to one of the most fun and interactive art festivals I’ve ever visited — and there were plenty of surprises. Galleries in old dumpsters and shipping containers, crazy light shows on the Manhattan Bridge, and fascinating exhibits with subjects as diverse as Brooklyn’s own residents. I met up with Barry and Ed Friday night to check it out, and though some of the exhibits were closed (or hadn’t yet opened? I still can’t figure that aspect of the scheduling out) we had a fun time trekking around the ‘hood.

Check out some great shots of the festival that are already cropping up in our Flickr group! What were your favorite exhibits?

“Uni Glow,” by Josh Derr:

“DUMBO Arts Festival,” by Jane Kratochvil:

“love love love love love love love love love,” by Joel Zimmer:

“The Fighter,” and Untitled by Josh Derr:

“DUMBO Arts Festival,” by Jane Kratochvil:

“Love Me,” by Joel Zimmer:

“Projection Mapping,” by Josh Derr:

“Horsing Around,” by Deana Setzke and “The Dumpster Project,” by Joel Zimmer:

“Crate Gallery,” by Joel Zimmer:

late summer in the garden

It’s been quite awhile since I posted any photos of my garden, but I am happy to report that the first year experiment went pretty much according to plan! It’s crazy to look back at those before and after pictures and think what a wreck the front garden was only four months ago. We’ve made a lot of progress this year.

Sure, some plants had a rough go of it (I’m looking at you, blueberry bush), but others did remarkably well. The salvia, yarrow, and butterfly bushes have gotten nice and full and lush, while several of the sedum have done a great job of filling in the front of the garden. Confusingly, other varieties of sedum have done great in containers while their counterparts in the garden haven’t hardly grown at all. And of course, all the herbs loved how much south-facing sun the yard gets — I’m pretty sure the Thai basil would mutiny if it could.

But the showstoppers? The single packet of zinnia seeds I planted with the neighbor kids. We had to replant the seedlings and they nearly died in the process, but they have been blooming for more than six weeks now (!) and they’re showing no signs of giving up. Here are some photos from the last month of summer in the garden, and Grandma — these are for you!

above: An explosion of herbs, zinnias and soft fronds of calamintha along the sidewalk.
below: The bees are in love with all of it!


above: The zinnias grew from seed and have been blooming for more than six weeks!
below: Up close and personal with the butterfly bush, and tiny purple blossoms on the thyme are so delicate.


above: I am so impressed with the zinnia’s range of colors, but these hot pink blooms are my favorite.
below: The sedum has begun to bloom! And I’m pretty sure these tall flowers are weeds, but I didn’t have the heart to pull them up.

a little brooklyn love

It’s hard to – and I mean REALLY hard to – share a piece of yourself and who you are through your photos. Trying to is hard when life gets in the way. Every day, I feel so lucky to know so many of you guys.