Sunday, August 26, 2018

The Big City, etc.

We are back from a wonderful time in New York, where we struck a lovely balance between the city and the quieter outskirts. Here is a bit of a photo journey through our week.

First (and most importantly!) the completed chocolate tart. It worked! (And it was decadently delicious!)

We spent our first full day visiting the Met (and the Cloisters) to see the highly popular exhibit, Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination. The exhibit is on display in both locations and combines actual papal vestments with fashion inspired by the intricate and ornate designs. It was rather fascinating and over-the-top (in a few ways). These fashions were positioned between the usual art. Here is a statue of Mary and Jesus that I loved. It caught my eye because of Mary; the description spoke of the weariness of Mary that would cause her to lean forward.

Here is cardinal-inspired fashion, on a female (!).

The second day we visited Greenport, which is at the tip of the North Fork of Long Island. There is a taco restaurant there, which I thoroughly enjoyed!

There was also a lavender farm, complete with truly free-range chickens!

The next day we walked the High Line in the city, which was part of an old El line. The place was packed and gave you a great urban experience.

To continue the balance between city and “less-bustling areas,” we visited Dan Barber’s farm and restaurant, Blue Hill, on Wednesday. He has been featured on Chef’s Table on Netflix and is doing important work in the areas of farming and sustainability.

Here is another photo from the farm, inside a greenhouse.

We rounded out our time with a pool day. At day’s end, I heard something atthe hot tub. It was a poor bird caught in the water. After fumbling for a while, I learned about the filters and how to help lost creatures! We got our little friend to safety!

What a generous gift of time we had. When I lived on the other side of the state I was able to visit NY often, so I appreciated the past week. But, I must admit, it also felt great to get back to the monastery and the rhythm of life here. Back to work tomorrow!

Let us walk in the holy presence.

Pax in Terra: A Meditation from Pema Chödrön

" One of the astronauts who went to the moon later described his experience looking back at Earth from that perspective. Earth looked s...