Monthly Archives: November 2015

Observing The Seasons

I think that one of the most engaging activities you can do on your own, is to observe and make note of what goes on with a particular change of season.  Reflecting on your surroundings can be inspirational.  When you encounter a difficult or challenging passage in life, I think that looking outward becomes even more important than looking inward.

“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.”                      Leo Tolstoy

Season changes are rarely the same.  Especially these days, with the impact of global warming and the resulting changes in climate everywhere.  This year in the northeast, the winter was unbearably cold and destructive.  But the spring, summer and now the fall have been glorious.

A November Rose?

A Rose in November?

On this off-season trip to Nantucket, I found roses blooming amid the fading hydrangea.  What a contrast!  Here, the autumn had already settled in.  Leaves were falling and the chill of the air made it clear that we had already moved closer to the coming winter season.  Summer was long over.

New Blooms in November

New Blooms in November

What’s really striking about this phenomenon is that it’s not a common one.  These roses usually bloom twice on Nantucket.  Once in June/July and again in September.  I don’t recall ever seeing them bloom a third time, much less in November!

Autumn Roses!

Autumn Roses!

I thought about how meaningful it is, to see new life burst out from the fading plants.  It looked like a significant symbol.  One that represents the notion that, just when you think a certain phase of your own life is coming to a finish, new growth appears and blazes through to remind us that there will be spring ahead.  That, in order to let new things come into your life, you need to allow the old order to pass gracefully.  To surrender to the change.  Not fight it.

Sometimes, you will find yourself at “A Table For One” reluctantly.  That’s OK.  Life is full of twists and turns.  Just remember to look around and absorb what your surroundings are telling you.  It can be so richly rewarding.  Let the old fade away and the new take hold!

Copyright 2015 Marion M. O’Grady

 

 

Off Season is On

Traveling off season can offer wonderful opportunities to explore.  It sometimes seems that life is in such fast motion that it’s hard to recognize the special moments until they’ve come and gone.  And it seems, they come and go far too quickly.  The speed that we all move at these days, creates a blur.  It’s difficult, if not impossible to focus.  There’s always one more thing to rush on to.   One more issue to address.  Not enough time in a day.  Off season can be slow and savoring.

“Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced.”                                    Soren Kierkegaard

The fact is, that most of the things we’re in a hurry about won’t really matter in the long run.  It’s so important to understand this and to do all you can to really “experience” your life.  Planning with purpose is an important aspect to exploring things on your own.  Here’s a great example:  having come and gone from Nantucket to New York so frequently and seemingly always in a rush, there are some things I just haven’t had a chance to do.  Especially in the off season.

Nantucket Scallops Fresh from the Bay!

Nantucket Scallops Fresh from the Bay!

So this year, I decided to slow down the manic travel plans in November and take time out to enjoy a uniquely Nantucket Island experience.  The anticipation of getting one of the first batches of succulent Nantucket Bay  Scallops fresh from the sea can’t be overrated.  This happens in the “off season”, specifically in November for the commercial fishermen.  The bounty is fragile and every year, lately it seems somewhat diminished due to environmental changes.

Glidden's Seafood Store

Glidden’s Seafood Store

 But it’s not just the future peril of this delicacy that draws special attention.  It’s the fact that you can literally shop for them on the same day they’ve been harvested from the sea by the scallopers.  We all love the “Farm to Table” movement.  There’s something equally amazing about the “Sea to Table” phenomenon.

Fresh From the Sea

Fresh From the Sea

 Glidden’s, one of my favorite fish shops sells daily catch, huge lobsters and the first scallops of the season.  I decided to buy 2 pounds and freeze some of them for winter trips to the island.  When the scallops are first in, most of the restaurants that remain open, make their own special recipes.  As for me, I love to prepare them in EVOO with a bit of garlic and butter to finish.  Salt and pepper to season, with fresh lemon, parsley and red pepper flakes.  Keeping it simple allows the sweetness of the bay scallops to shine through.  Nothing could be better.  Visit the island, shop the fish and cook a delightful meal.  “A Table For One.”  Let the off season begin!

Copyright 2015 Marion M. O’Grady

Art Inside Out

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a New York icon.  It beckons visitors from all over the world with complex, diverse collections of art and breathtaking one of a kind exhibits.  For me, it’s also a prominent presence in my neighborhood.  And there’s as much to see outside as there is to see inside The Met!

“Color is my day-long obsession, joy and torment.”  Claude Monet

I love visiting museums when traveling and I’ve been lucky enough to visit so many, both here in the U.S. and overseas.  One thing I find intriguing and sometimes also striking, is the exterior of museums.  The setting.  The building itself.  How it sits where it is.

The Met Offers Inspiration in Color Inside and Out!

The Met Offers Inspiration in Color Inside and Out!

On this particular fall day, the exterior of The Metropolitan Museum of Art was ablaze with a full range of autumnal fire-like colors.   The walls of glass reflected both sky and neighboring buildings in a perfectly arranged display.

Explore every angle of the museums you visit!

Explore every angle of the museums you visit!

I like to take a walk around the exterior of the museums I visit, in order to understand and appreciate the eye of the architect/s who designed the buildings.  To imagine how they were inspired to create and choose every detail of the structure.  Architects are also artists in their own right.

Nature's colorful bounty reflected as art

Nature’s colorful bounty reflected as art

On this beautiful day, the colors of autumn bounce in the reflection of The Met’s glassed walls.  The dappled light dances off the cement walls and inspires an unusual sense of life and anticipation of things to come. I think it’s a great idea, when you’re out and about for a museum visit on your own, to be sure to explore nature’s art and how the architect’s eye worked to create the building itself.  If you do, it may even give you better insight into the art collections inside.  And if you have a neighborhood museum nearby, be sure to observe how the changing seasons enhance the structure.  Embrace the moment.  “A Table For One.”

Copyright 2015 Marion M. O’Grady  All rights reserved.

Day of the Month

This year has been so beautiful in the Northeast.  Very unusual, long stretches of balmy weather, blue skies, sunlit days.  The Northeast is normally filled with unpredictable weather, ranging from cold snaps, to fog, rainy days and occasional blue skies.

“Climate is what we expect.  Weather is what we get.”  Mark Twain

In my mind, the best days are sometimes “good weather” days.  Especially if the  weather in a given month is unusual.  I’ve decided to chose a “Day of the Month” every month.  It’s another way to make yourself aware of the delight that each day brings.  Something to look forward to, make note of and celebrate.

Day of the Month November

Look for the magical beauty of nature and light.

This month, November, I thought that “The Day” had already arrived on November 3rd. On a long walk through Central Park,  I couldn’t help noticing how the autumn sunlight burst through the trees, amping up the contrasting colors of the landscape.

Such an unusual November!

Such an unusual November!

On this particular day, I thought that the magical transition of seasons was so clearly evident.  The floor of the gardens were covered with fallen leaves, while newly blossomed autumn plants and flowers were peeking through.  The combination was startling and beautiful.

Summer passes the baton to Autumn as the seasons change

Summer passes the baton to Autumn as the seasons change

I find that the complexity of nature reflects the complexity of our lives and can be very reflective of our emotions too.  It’s easy to lose yourself in the beauty of your surroundings, if you simply surrender to it.  On this day, I fully enjoyed the wide range of thoughts and feelings, reflective of the landscapes.

The day mixed together a summer temperature of 72, the blazing reds and yellows of tumbling autumn leaves and the bittersweet reminder that winter will soon arrive.  Yet, the promise of spring was also present in the newly blooming plants poking through.  A truly perfect day.  Perhaps the best “Day of the Month” for November.  Well noted and captured in thought and memory for “A Table For One.”

Copyright 2015 Marion M. O’Grady

All rights reserved.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Halloween

You don’t have to have a crowd to celebrate holidays.  If you find yourself on your own, for a holiday that you’re accustomed to sharing with lots of other folks, go ahead and explore the new and endless possibilities to enjoy it alone.

“Halloween is an opportunity to be really creative.”  Judy Gold

Ghoulish Gang of Ghosts Gather to celebrate Halloween in NYC!

Ghoulish Gang of Ghosts Gather to celebrate Halloween in NYC!

Halloween is a great example of a holiday that you can enjoy, regardless of who you may or may not be with.  Hang a sign on your door indicating that you’re open for Trick or Treaters.  Spend some time selecting special treats, other than the usual bags of candy.  Wear a costume to answer the door.  Make a note of the best-dressed costumes.  Take photos.

Halloween

NYC Townhouse wrapped in police tape “lockdown” for Halloween!

Or go out yourself, to explore and enjoy the activities that abound.  If you’re in a city, it’s great to photograph all the decorations that folks set out on their doorsteps, for special attention.  For example, in New York, the variations are endless and wonderfully creative.  Every year yields more intrigue and imagination than the one before.  It’s so easy to get caught up in the moment, so go wander and revel in the fun.

NYC

Trick or Treat!

Here’s a great “brainy doorbell” I rang this Halloween at a townhouse on the Upper East side that was wrapped tight in police tape (as a joke).  Of course, no-one answered…that’s part of the spookiness of Halloween delight!  Trick or Treat…”A Table For One!”

Copyright 2015 Marion M. O’Grady

All rights reserved.