grab it while you can

That's what I said about this perfect Sept weather...and what a glorious weekend it has been! It is almost making up for the rainy, depressing summer weather we had. And we grabbed, wishing we could bottle it. food Yesterday, in Brooklyn, Jess, Tommy and I walked up to the green market at Grand Army Plaza. It was late afternoon and they were closing, but we managed to snag some beautiful NJ raspberries and blackberries - both of which are so far superior to the ones trucked-in (or worse) from who-knows-where, that it is like eating a different species. Even the eggplants were gorgeous. For dinner tonight, I cut one of those violet ones in half lengthwise, rubbed a little olive oil on it and grilled it. I scooped out the flesh, which is sweeter than that of the ordinary ones on the right, and served it cooled with yogurt mixed with garlic, lemon juice, and cumin seeds. I admit I am an eggplant junkie. There is no way you could possibly prepare it that I would not love.My last purchase was some goat's milk feta from an artisinal cheese maker and it has such a lovely flavor that it made my omelet sing this morning! Tra la. architecture Across Grand Army Plaza from the farmer's market is the main Brooklyn Public Library - a thing of beauty that has just been restored outside and renovated inside. Built during the depression, it opened on February 1, 1941. There are 60 branches in Brooklyn. " The library's notable architecture was created to resemble an open book, with the spine on Grand Army Plaza and the building's two wings opening like pages onto Eastern Parkway and Flatbush Avenue."As we walked back to the apartment, I spied a building which looked like a school.In fact, it had been one and it was turned into co-ops about 20 years ago. According to Jessica, they are apparently gorgeous inside and all different sizes and layouts. What an elegant repurposing! a walk in the park Today was a perfect day for it, and even though I had bills to pay and work to do -- couldn't resist. Here are some pix I didn't get to take two weeks ago because my batteries died while we were walking around the lake. The boathouse, where you can still rent paddleboats (when I was a child they were green wooden rowboats). This tree was lush at the bottom and bare at the top. Very strange. There were a couple of trees like this.

This gnarly one has been mostly cut down but makes a wonderful climbing tree for kids.

At one point, I looked down and saw our shadows on the path. We are distorted. Marty on the left and me on the right holding the camera up with my left hand-- taking this picture. My grandparents loved this park and we often brought them here; I remember walking over this bridge with them and every time I do, I see them in my mind's eye.

an almost finished piece I spent Friday stitching this and all I have to do is decide whether I should face it or leave it raw edged all the way around -- or just face the wonky sides... I have to say I love this piece - it makes me happy just to look at it. No name, but I suppose that will come to me at some point.

I have the luxury of no early appointments tomorrow, so I shall now get to work on something else for the rest of the evening. And maybe have a glass of red wine and some of these lemon, black olive, and olive oil wafers I made the other night. Marty said they were strange but it didn't stop him from eating them. And I really like them - they are so crisp and crunchy. The recipe was in our local NJ paper and I figured it would be perfect for my new low-cholesterol way of eating. (Notice I did not say low calorie.)Next time I will use more lemon zest and more olives and less sugar. But that's me! They might be great with ginger, too - so I will have to experiment. I use the same "what if?" with food as with art: sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But the fun is in the discovery process.