Y'all might recall that I had a little surgical adventure back in November of last year. I would have preferred to wait until summer when the weather turns evil and time outside is necessarily limited by the heat and humidity. The Executive Producer was loath for me to wait, so I acquiesced, not altogether gracefully, given that this surgery required I spend 8 weeks of great gardening weather under serious activity restrictions. What really made me cranky, though, was not getting the results I needed from the surgery. By March it was clear that tweaking was necessary but I was danged if I would miss out on spring gardening. Evil weather arrived in July, as it always does, and I scheduled the follow-up procedure for August 9th. I'm happy to say that improvement was immediate and the restrictions are less onerous this time. But I still had to take it easy that first week.
So I was sitting in my comfy chair the week after surgery, feeling pretty good but fed up with the weather and to be quite truthful, the garden as well, at least that which can be seen from the vantage point of the comfy chair. Too little rain and too much heat has the back garden looking pretty sad. I had the Sunday edition of the New York Times at hand and was reminded once again how much I wanted to see a couple of shows in particular. And that's when I got a little crazy and booked myself a flight to NYC, tickets for 2 shows and a night's stay in a hotel for this past weekend. I left Houston at 11 AM and by 3 PM CST, I was sitting in Bryant Park with a glass of prosecco, enjoying cooler air and the delights that only New York can provide.
Saturday night, I took myself to the Music Box Theatre to see PIPPIN. What a visual feast: the Players outdid themselves in their dancing and acrobatics. My only regret was that Andrea Martin was on hiatus this month so I didn't get to see her Tony award-winning performance.
Sunday morning, I had the pleasure of the company of fellow blogger Monica Hemingway of Gardening Products Review, who took the train in from Connecticut so we could visit the High Line together. Although I've been to the High Line on most of my trips to NYC, this is the first time I've seen it in full and glorious bloom. The prairie/meadow wildflower plantings are spectacular, made all the more so for their juxtaposition against their urban setting. So here are a few pictures from my iPhone of the High Line Players, as colorful and varied as those I saw onstage!
So I was sitting in my comfy chair the week after surgery, feeling pretty good but fed up with the weather and to be quite truthful, the garden as well, at least that which can be seen from the vantage point of the comfy chair. Too little rain and too much heat has the back garden looking pretty sad. I had the Sunday edition of the New York Times at hand and was reminded once again how much I wanted to see a couple of shows in particular. And that's when I got a little crazy and booked myself a flight to NYC, tickets for 2 shows and a night's stay in a hotel for this past weekend. I left Houston at 11 AM and by 3 PM CST, I was sitting in Bryant Park with a glass of prosecco, enjoying cooler air and the delights that only New York can provide.
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| Me in Bryant Park |
Sunday morning, I had the pleasure of the company of fellow blogger Monica Hemingway of Gardening Products Review, who took the train in from Connecticut so we could visit the High Line together. Although I've been to the High Line on most of my trips to NYC, this is the first time I've seen it in full and glorious bloom. The prairie/meadow wildflower plantings are spectacular, made all the more so for their juxtaposition against their urban setting. So here are a few pictures from my iPhone of the High Line Players, as colorful and varied as those I saw onstage!
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| I can't find this one on the plant list or I don't recognize it. Anyone? |
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| I think this one is Amorpha canescens, Lead Plant. |
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| Liatris aspera, Blazing Star |
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| New York Ironweed, Vernonia boracensis |
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| This was probably our favorite planting area. |
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| On the street below, backhoes and construction equipment have scraped the ground raw. What a contrast! |
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| The Amsonias absolutely glowed! Oh, to get them to do that here. Hello, my name is Cindy and I'm a hopeless believer in lost causes. |
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| The rich colors of Helenium 'Rubinzwerg' make me sigh. |
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| One of my favorite things about the High Line is the inclusion of these staggered beams that echo the old rail lines and provide niches for plants. I'm betting many of these are self-seeded.
Monica and I enjoyed lunch at Colicchio and Sons, followed by a stroll through Chelsea Market, before parting ways in the Theater District. I was privileged to attend the final performance of VANYA & SONIA & MASHA & SPIKE and to witness possibly the single most brilliant monologue ever performed, by the inimitable David Hyde Pierce. Christopher Durang's play was hilarious and poignant ... and well worth almost missing my flight home!
Wildflower Wednesday, on the last Wednesday of each month, is hosted by Gail of CLAY AND LIMESTONE. Do stop by her blog and see what other wildflowers are blooming and where!
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Comments
Frances
I enjoyed reading about your adventure. I don't travel much, but love it when others show photos of places they've been. I was wondering if the mystery flower was a coreopsis, too, but couldn't tell.
I hope you heal soon so you can attend to your garden.
That yellow flower looks like Engelmann's Daisy (Engelmannia peristenia) to me. I have them growing in my meadow.
Hope you are on the mend soon!
Lea
Lea's Menagerie
Visiting NYC has been on my bucket list for forever--I'll have to remember to add the Highline to that list as well.
I wouldn't come back until Sept. 21st if I were you. That's my prediction for cooler weather this year.
David/:0)