last veggie box day

 today was the last veggie box day for korrina and i at bellevue hospital. unfortunately, the hospital has decided to no longer fund the the fresh food farm to table event that they've held for about five years now. korrina and i will still meet for lunch when we can, but we'll miss our fifteen dollar bag of fresh vegetables each week. it was also a good impetus to get us out together.

 today we worked on our rhinebeck sweaters, which is only a week away (not this weekend, but the next). we're very excited as we're going up on friday for a special indie yarn dyers event, then we'll attend the dutchess county sheep and wool festival on saturday, and then we hope to visit eleanor roosevelt's home, valkill, on sunday. hopefully, it won't be too crowded (with all the fall foliage sightseers).

the following pics are from my walk home:

 the met life building, whose tower was based on venice's st. mark's campanile.

 broadway and 25th (or 26th) street . . 

sixth avenue with the freedom tower in the distance . . (it was a very dark day!)

 flowers on west 11th street . . 

and a rainy courtyard by the laundry room . . 

autumn equinox

autumn

yellow the bracken,

golden the sheaves,

rosy the apples,

crimson the leaves;

mist on the hillside,

clouds grey and white.

autumn, good morning!

summer, good night!

(traditional)

ginger gold apples from larchmont orchards, elmer, new jersey; found in this thursday's fresh food box. these are the first apples we've had since may (we always enjoy taking an apple break when the strawberries and blueberries come into season, as we live on them all winter long).

this is also the first morning since . . probably june, that we've had grits as it has been much too hot all summer long.

coffee with korrina

 it was a warm day and a warm walk to bellevue hospital to get the vegetables and meet up with korrina. the air conditioning at little river cafe is always ice cold so i brought a sweater with me today, and my knitting (taproot magazine's summer rain shawl).

 korrina's shisui grows and grows . . 

tomatillos today . . i've never made tomatillo salsa before.

thursday's walk

 it was still really hot today when i went out to meet korrina and pick up the vegetables.

 i walked along fifth avenue to 23rd street and passed someone putting the finishing touches on his artwork . . (i actually took this photo while talking with morgana on the phone . . which i'm surprised i was able to do--balancing the phone and the camera at the same time).

 well, since i was talking with morgana the whole time . . i ended up walking just a bit too far . . 

 which was actually fun as i discovered new places . . like this cafe/restaurant on lexington and 30th street . . 

and a huge fairway at second and 30th . .

 i'm always admiring how her hair looks with her t-shirts . .

 sometimes we get treated to the most amazing desserts by the pastry chef.

 working on her shisui . . we both lamented at how we need to be knitting on our rhinebeck sweaters . . since it'll be time for the sheep and wool festival in just two months. korrina needs to dye her yarn, but is waiting for a cooler day.

 walking back home . . 

 but stopping at eataly to try out their new pasta cafe with chanda . . (this is the metropolitan life insurance company tower at madison avenue and 23rd street, built in 1909).

 this is a very telling photo as chanda is in the process of buying morgana's airplane ticket home. i can't believe she's finally coming home. she'll stop first to see family in florida.

our dinner made with delicious lemon ricotta ravioli, and mint and pea ravioli from eataly.

home again

i arrived home around 11:30 and was happy to find a parking spot even though alternate side parking was suspended today for eid-al-adha (many folks in my neighborhood are out of town for the last august days of summer . . ).

korrina has made good progress on her shisui shrug.

chanda came along today also, before heading to astoria to help with a mailing for the rioult company.

home again and hugging hermione before dinner.

----

korrina also had news about brian's dad for us. the doctors worked to give him a new heart beginning at 3 am this morning and eight hours later, the surgery was completed. he is now in intensive care and resting and they are hoping all goes well so he can go home in three weeks or so. they do know the donor and the donor's family.

on a thursday afternoon with korrina

korrina is swatching for a new knitting project: shisui shrug by susanne sommer. we were figuring out her colors today . . which color should she start with and which should pop out on the brioche stitch. it was another warm day, but much more comfortable outside in the shade with a strong breeze from the river, than in the cold air conditioned cafe. it's still iced tea season, though. we're not ready yet for hot coffee or tea.

on an urban farm

after picking up my vegetables with korrina, i felt so amazed by the clouds and sky when we turned the corner on first avenue and walked east towards the river and the cafe where we eat lunch before she goes into work.

after a delicious lunch of caesar salad with grilled chicken and a special cinnamon bun brought over by the cafe's pastry cook (i don't think i've tasted one more fluffier or cinnamony), korrina took me on a tour of the urban farm with the urban farmer, jonathan . . 

carrots, melons and beans (three different kinds) on the right, nasturtium, dill, sorrel, strawberries and wildflowers such as the cornflower on the left. there are also cherry tomatoes, eggplant, sunflowers, okra, peppers and squash behind me. and that's only the ones i can remember. there must be a dozen more i've forgotten. 

 the first ripe melon of the season. (i was also impressed with the maintenance of the farm. jonathan works with organic principles: i.e. companion planting and biological pest control.)

 cornflower or bachelor button . . 

violets . .

 some kind of small melon? i can't remember what this was . . but it tasted good!

 eggplant flowers . .

 eggplant . . 

 the tall leaves are sorghum plants, and right in front of them are okra plants.

 i have never seen okra growing before, so this was exciting . . 

 i love this kind of sunflower!

 containers of peppers . . 

 and containers of eggplant . . 

 just a view of what's on the other side of the garden (the people passing by don't realize what is growing here!)

 cherry tomatoes . .

 hello!

 nasturtium . .

 this little butterfly was what korrina was trying to get a picture of. it took us a few tries. it's so dainty looking that it should be called a flutterby (i think that's from the movie an ant's life?) (in harry potter, it's a bush mrs. weasley plants for bill and fleur's wedding).

 now we're on the other side of the building in another section of the garden. on the right is thai basil and on the left is lemon basil.

 shiso!!!

 "regular" basil . .

 i'm not sure what this was, but it was good.

 shiso on the right, and i'm not sure on the left . . 

 thai basil . .

 korrina identified these as lima beans.

 strawberry mint and chocolate mint . . 

 and lemon verbena.

 she named some other herbs too . . i was impressed with her ability to identify everything,

but she said she flavors and dresses her dishes with all of them, so of course she would know them.

 and then we came around full circle to the view of the east river and the united nations and the 59th street bridge.

that was a fun farm tour!