PJ's Studio: June 2025

Sunday, June 29, 2025

Mermaid Parade 2025 p1

I was watching an old episode of CSI:NY the other day, and someone asked what the Mermaid Parade was.

Mac’s reply – “It’s the annual whack fest held in Coney Island kicking off the summer season.”

I couldn’t have said it better myself.

It’s the ultimate NYC experience – fun, inclusive and very weird.

No wonder it’s my favorite parade.

Mermaids abound of course.

But so do sea creatures of various types.

That gives most people enough room to stay on theme but still show off their creativity.

Still some, like the Weiner Sisters with their tribute to Nathan’s – yes those are hot dog buns in their hair and hot dogs on their dresses - go a bit off course.

And others… Well let’s just say that I love the look but I’m having trouble finding the connection to the sea.

I’ll post a second set of pics in a couple of weeks. Meanwhile, here are some from 2023…

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2023/06/the-mermaid-parade.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2023/07/mermaid-parade-2.html

Cheers!

Sunday, June 22, 2025

Karnak, Egypt

We have so many beautiful photos from our trip to Egypt in 2000 it’s definitely time to share some more.

These are from Karnak.

It is the largest religious complex ever made, covering 200 acres. Its size is truly astonishing.

The great temple at the heart of Karnak is so big that St. Peters, Milan and Notre Dame Cathedrals would all fit within its walls.

And the Hypostyle Hall with its 134 columns at 54,000 feet (16,459 meters) is the largest room of any religious building in the world.

The complex which was the center of worship of Amun-Re, chief god of Thebes,

also has spaces dedicated to Mut and Khonsu.

It was built from 2055 BC to 100 AD, with over 30 pharaohs contributing to the site.

Between 1838 and 1840, the Scottish painter David Roberts included Egypt in his tour of the middle and near east. Upon his return he turned his sketches into lithographs. Here is what the entrance to Karnak looked like in his day.

And here is what it looks like now.

A book of his work entitled “Yesterday and Today Egypt” features similar juxtapositions, as well as excerpts from Roberts’ diary. Not surprisingly he often comments about the heat. 😉

Here are some other blogs about Egypt…

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2013/05/egypt.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2018/11/egypt-2.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2019/12/egypt-3.html

Enjoy!

Sunday, June 15, 2025

Conservatory Gardens crabapple trees

The Conservatory Gardens are formal gardens in Central Park located at 5^th Avenue and 105^th Street. There are three different themes – English, French and Italian.

They were part of the original park design, planted in 1937. In the middle of this photograph, you can see the rows of crabapple trees flanking the Italian garden. They were replaced in the mid-50’s by the ones in these photos.

By the time I got around to photographing them in 2010, 55 years later, they were truly magnificent.

Each path had a row of pink trees and a row of white trees. When they combined it was magic.

After I saw a photo of them, I stalked them for several years until I got the shot I was looking for. (This one.)

It was a challenge given their limited flowering season and the propensity for rain in NYC during the spring.

But I persisted. And in a second shoot in 2021 I added some overhead shots to my collection. As you can see, the trees were massive, gracefully spilling into each other creating a dappled shaded area perfect for hanging on a hot day.

I was devasted in 2023 when I read that they had reached the end of their lifespan and would be removed and replaced. They were only supposed to last 40-60 years, so it was time. But I had hoped to photograph them again.