“The question is not what you look at, but what you see.” ~Henry David Thoreau

Flowers are like...

Flowers are like children. Both thrive on tender loving care. And as they grow to maturity, signs of aging appear. Yet both are still beautiful…inside and out.

More flowers...

A flower's appeal is in its contradictions - so delicate in form yet strong in fragrance, so small in size yet big in beauty, so short in life yet long on effect. ~Terri Guillemets

Flowers

Flowers are the earth’s laughter. ~Emerson

45-Cents Per Hour

Albany Union Station, 2010

This old train station, located in downtown Albany, was built in 1899-1900 and served the Capital District until 1968 when a new station opened across the river. In 1971, Albany Union Station was placed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

During a reconstruction project in the mid-1980’s, a bottle was found hanging on a nail inside an old plaster wall ornament. Tucked inside the bottle was a note, listing the names of the workers and companies involved in the original construction. Dated August 12, 1900 and signed by A. A. Johnsen, Foreman, the note also mentioned that these construction workers were paid 45-cents per hour!

Today this historic building houses bank offices. It is reported that the bottle, along with its note, is on display in the main lobby along with other restoration mementos.

Friends and the City

Friends make the path of life worth traveling.

~Author Unknown

ALBANY

VIEW FROM A WINDOW

The incredible, inedible Egg!

Yesterday I had the opportunity to spend the day with very good friends. Our photo group visited the NYS Museum in Albany where “Seeing Ourselves: Masterpieces of American Photography from George Eastman House Collection” is currently on display through Sunday, May 9.

This free exhibit includes beautiful images by the incomparable Ansel Adams, Mathew B. Brady, Harry Callahan, Dorothea Lange, Alfred Stieglitz, and others. If you haven’t seen this exhibit, I urge you to pay a visit to the museum. You certainly won’t regret it!

Next, we headed across the plaza to enjoy a birds-eye view of the city as seen from an observation deck, 40 stories high. In the beginning we had the place to ourselves, and all you could hear was the sweet sound of clicking camera shutters! We were in photo-op heaven!

Afterwards, my friends treated me to a delicious lunch on the patio at Jillian’s in downtown Albany. Good food, great friends, and a warm, sunshiny day…a perfect Saturday!

But our fun field trip was far from over. After lunch, we roamed the city streets, capturing interesting sights with our cameras. Next to a beautiful church, Steve found a discarded playing card, laying face down on the sidewalk. Being the fun-loving person he is, Steve immediately came up with a game. Smiling, he asked each of us to guess the identity of the card. Whoever came closest would win the card…and collect a dollar from the rest of us! I immediately shouted out “Queen of Hearts” as my guess.

Take a look at Bridget’s Page: http://bph50.blogspot.com/ You won’t believe what you see!

Please visit Bits ‘N Pieces again, as more Albany images will be posted in the days to come!

Gratitude

“Gratitude takes three forms: a feeling in the heart, an expression in words, and giving in return.” ~Author Unknown

I am so grateful for my family…and for my friends who are my family in spirit. I love you all.