Leafy carpet

An uneven season: Many trees are green, but others have already lost their golden leaves. I'll be taking a small break - be well, see you soon!

Ivy at an Ivy League

Traditions: Each year, Princeton University's graduating class adds a sprig of ivy to the walls of Nassau Hall (the former US capitol...and Revolutionary War target!).

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P.S. The term Ivy League evokes prestigious universities, but originally referred to an athletic league.

Delicately fading leaves

Our autumn colors are not yet in full glory, but some leaves have definitely and delicately faded...

Weekend explorations: The NoMad

The beautifully restored NoMad Hotel in Manhattan is full of lush interiors and moody lighting. Its airy atrium offers award-winning cocktails.

The Little Vintner of Colmar

"Replica of a work of Auguste Bartholdi. The city of Colmar France. Birthplace of the Creator of the Statue of Liberty. To her sister city the borough of Princeton." Iridescent in the bright lunchtime sun, the plaque for a (thirsty) replica statue at our borough hall. Princeton High School hosts a regular student exchange program with Colmar students. Enjoy your weekend!

The Newspaper Reader

By J. Seward Johnson, Jr., 1975, Princeton Borough Hall. Remember when most people read print news?

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(Some gossip: Johnson was an heir to the Johnson & Johnson fortune...until his father married the maid and she inherited his money. Bitter battles ensued, but the former maid kept most of the fortune. She lived at the 140-acre Princeton family estate, now a fancy golf course, until her husband's death.)

Great blue heron

My point-and-shoot is too limited for wildlife, really, but I can't say no to a big bird. It soon caught a delectable frog.

Here's looking at you kid II

Kona is probably wondering why I pulled a camera out of my bag instead of a treat. I promise this won't become a pet blog - it's hard to get her to look at the camera:) 

Here's looking at you kid

Our groundhogs (woodchucks) are fattening up for winter hibernation (wish I could hibernate too!).

Princeton University's graduate college

Today, they are students strolling these halls full of dreams. Tomorrow, will they find a cure for cancer? Win a Nobel? Help shape nations' fates? (Like the brilliant Alan Turing, who lived here as a graduate student.) Enjoy your weekend.

Postcard from Manhattan: Little wedding scene {+wedding-themed summer farewell}

Gazebo wedding, Central Park lake. The lake is also a lovely place to rowboat. And below, since our summery autumn heatwave is finally ending, a farewell look at that most summery of scenes - weddings.

{Clockwise from bottom left - all Summer 2013: colorful-quirky Princeton, elegant Paris, Cinderella London horse-drawn carriage and its London bride outside St. Paul's Cathedral.}

Postcard from Manhattan: Central Park ballerina

Alas, I couldn't walk closer for a better shot, but she was a fun/sweet/unusual autumn sight. (Lincoln Center, home to two ballet companies and a ballet school, is nearby.)

Postcard from Philadelphia: Barnes Foundation

I'm not always good about mixing work travel and play, but got to visit the Barnes Foundation on Saturday. After much wrangling, its art collection opened last year in a new, modernist space. It is a heaven for Renoir and Cezanne lovers (Cezanne is of my favorite painters), although sadly I could not photograph the art!

{More on the museum's dramatic backstory and the eccentric art collector, Dr. Albert Barnes, here.}

Postcard from Washington, DC: Autumn light

Back from travels at last - hope to share some recent snaps and look forward to visiting your blogs soon!