Air & Space Museum

One of the highlights of any visit to Washington D.C. is a stop at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space museum. 

It’s chock full of all sorts of interesting planes from a variety of eras. 

Most of them seem to be so small that you really have to wonder

what the people who flew in them must have been thinking.  

And they don’t seem to have been much protection against bad weather.

Sometimes the painted backgrounds are as interesting as the planes.

And there are some familiar names. 

It really is a visual extravaganza. 

Full of historic icons -- including of course, the best part of any visit – the Apollo Lunar Module. 

Those guys must have really been nuts.  It looks like it’s made from tinker toys and duct tape.

Ciao

PJ

© 2013 PJ Lehrer

Orchids

After mentioning a few weeks ago how pretty the orchids are at the National Botanical Garden

I thought it was time to feature some of them in a blog. 

 As I said they have a lovely collection -- in a room that mists every few minutes. 

 So if you time it right you can get water drops in your photos. 

Despite my green thumb I have never had much success growing orchids. 

It’s simply too easy to over water them.

  

 But I picked up a great tip from a florist recently. 

Assuming that your pot has a hole in the bottom,

you can simply sit it in a few inches of water for a couple of minutes once a week

 and you’ll be all set.

Ciao

PJ

© 2013 PJ Lehrer

South Street Seaport: Part 2

There’s more news about the South Street Seaport,

but sadly, none of it is good. 

In preparation for the upcoming renovations, arrangements were made to move The Peking

– which only has limited ties to NYC, to a naval museum in Hamburg, where it was made in 1911. 

Unfortunately the deal fell through and the ship’s future is uncertain. 

Now, the same can be said of the entire seaport area which suffered from debilitating flooding during Superstorm Sandy. 

According to reports, the destruction at the seaport is so severe that Pier 17 may be permanently damaged. 

While the developers insist the project will proceed,

there is a fear that by the time it is complete in two years, drawing people back to the area will be a major challenge. 

Of course, my first thought was – well at least I got some nice photos while there was still time.

And here's the link for the first set in case you missed them.

http://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2012/08/south-street-seaport.html



Ciao

PJ

© 2012 PJ Lehrer

Peonies

Peonies are the flashiest flowers. 

That must be why I like them so much. 

These are from a display at The Brooklyn Botanical Gardens in 2009. 

It’s funny how some years the weather conditions favor one species

and then another year a new pattern leads to a different favorite. 

This was clearly the year of the peonies. 

Because they are so large and grow close to the ground

it was easy to get in tight for these lovely extreme close-ups

that highlight the lushness of the petals

and the thickness of the bloom.

Enjoy!

PJ

 

© 2012 PJ Lehrer

Amsterdam

Amsterdam is a wonderful place to visit. 

With all the canals, houseboats and pretty little houses, it is very picturesque. 

It has great museums including the Rijksmuseum, which houses one of my favorite Rembrandt’s – The Night Watch. 

The Van Gogh Museum is also terrific. 

Since he never sold a piece while he lived, it is a very robust collection. 

And, it’s arranged chronologically, so you can literally see when he flipped out in Arles and began to paint in his unique voice.  

As for the city itself, maps are useless since the streets change names every time they cross a canal and the names are so long they can’t fit on a decent size map. 

So the trick is to navigate using the four main churches which are tall enough to spot as you travel around town. 

Not everyone gets the hang of it. 

On one visit, we watched some people who were helplessly lost hail a cab so they could find their way back to their hotel!

Ciao

PJ
 

© 2012 PJ Lehrer