Brooklyn Blossoms

Although the Brooklyn Botanical Garden hosted Sakura Matsui aka the Cherry Blossom Festival last weekend, the CherryWatch Blossom Status Map shows that the trees lining the Cherry Esplanade are still in first bloom.


I went a couple of weekends ago and caught the Japanese Garden in full bloom. Just beautiful - even on a cloudy day.




Pssst: When there aren't special programs running entry to the BBG is FREE on Sat mornings from 10 am - noon. More info on hours and admissions here.

Sakura Matsuri

I've been following the Brooklyn Botanic Garden blossom status map closely and bang! over the weekend the mall of cherry blossom trees finally bloomed.

And just in time. This weekend at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden is the celebration of the cherry blossoms: Sakura Matsuri. There are over 50 scheduled events. It gets crowded for sure, but is fun, the food is great and the blossoms are breathtaking. My long time favorite is the Soh Daiko japanese drumming group. My husband and I even took a drumming lesson - I mean who wouldn't want to bang on those drums at least once in their lives!!??

Enjoy!

Clearwater Brooklyn Revival?

Quite a busy day yesterday - filling orders, stuffing and photographing pillows - planned on a big WIP post today but look what docked at the Fairway pier yesterday! I recognized her from afar and when she came in close I grabbed my coat and camera and ran down.
The Clearwater:





The Clearwater is a Hudson River Sloop that:

conducts environmental education, advocacy programs and celebrations to protect the Hudson River, its tributaries and related bodies of water.

Clearwater’s story began in 1966, when a handful of Hudson Valley residents came together believing that by learning to care for one boat on one river, the public could come to care for all our threatened waterways. And what better boat for the job than a replica of the vessels which were once a much more common sight on the Hudson.

The sloop was launched three years later on May 17, 1969 in South Bristol, Maine. In the years since, Clearwater has traveled to towns and cities along the Hudson, New York Harbor, and Long Island Sound.

Clearwater is a work boat. Sailing from town to town, she models her course after the Dutch sloops of the 18th and 19th centuries. These cargo vessels were specially designed for the variable winds, currents and depths of the Hudson. Their cargoes and crews were the main communication link between river-front towns and outlying areas which now house one-tenth of this nation’s population.

Clearwater’s cargo is people. Her work is making them care.

Love that. My daughter went on a 'Classroom of the Waves' educational sail in elementary school. What a great experience. Check out their site for news, sail schedules, volunteering and membership info. Don't forget the Great Hudson River Revival festival held every year in June.

I got to meet Captain Sue (couldn't be nicer) and if the Clearwater can find a suitable place to dock, there might be a Clearwater Brooklyn Revival.

Back to work: here's a little taste from the pillow photo shoot:

Counting Sheep

We enjoyed a ridiculously beautiful day yesterday at the NY State Sheep and Wool Festival at the Rhinebeck Fairgrounds. (I forgot my camera - the above photo is by Garret C. Lown.)

We hadn't been in a couple years and we entertained by the recent addition of Punkin Chuckin. Local school teams built giant catapults that hurled pumpkins (and water jugs in a warm up) at targets set up to 300 (?) feet away. They were awarded points for distance and accuracy.

My favorite vendor is Brooks Farm - the colors and quality they products is stunning.


The dog trials are great - amazing how focused those border collies are - make our dogs, 3 yr old rescued cock-a-poo litter mates, seem like toys in comparison because of how untrained and goofy they are.

The sheep competitions are educational - there's an ongoing commentary during the judging followed by a thoughtful explanation of placement by the judge. The paddocks are great for listening to the constant bleating and observing the range of breed in attendance.

That's really the tip of the iceberg - there's so much more - llamas, spinning, cooking, winetasting...check out the site for all the info. The festival is held on the 3rd weekend in October - mark your calendar for next year.