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You are here: Home / Archives for Claudia

A Day in Manhattan

June 18, 2013 at 8:35 am by Claudia

Yesterday, I had a meeting scheduled in Manhattan. I’ve got a short gig in July where I’ll be working with the cast of an upcoming production of Much Ado About Nothing – two days of tablework with the actors, director and me. I’ve been talking on the phone with the director and yesterday we finally got to meet.

Don had an audition in the city, so we were able to travel together.

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Isn’t he adorable? Kind eyes, sweet smile. He has a birthday coming up on Monday.

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Getting ready to head into the Lincoln Tunnel; that’s the Empire State Building.

Upon arrival, we split up and went our separate ways. Don’s audition took no time at all and he headed back home on the bus long before I did. I was headed for the Upper West Side, my favorite part of Manhattan. Actually, I was headed for Central Park West, where the director lives. For those of you who are not that familiar with Manhattan, an address on Central Park West is most definitely coveted. Who wouldn’t want a view of that glorious park from their windows? As I walked toward my destination, I snapped some photos (on my iPhone) of the beautiful examples of architecture that abound in NYC.

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Brownstones abound, each one different, each one with wonderful details that we no longer see in modern architecture.

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One of the entrances into Central Park.

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These buildings face the park. Check out the wonderful detail, the bay windows, the rooftop garden.

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Be still my heart. I love this Art Deco-era building. The corners are curved and the windows follow that curve. Could I live there, please?

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Oh my. Stunning.

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I took this shot while standing in the park. I’ll take the penthouse apartment, please.

In my dreams, my wildest dreams, we would have a pied à terre in Manhattan, as well as our little cottage. I really love the city and I have a push/pull kind of feeling about it. I love living in the country but there is so much beauty and stimulation in Manhattan. There’s so much to do, so much to see and much of what Don and I do is centered there. But the three of us squeezed into a teeny-tiny expensive apartment? Not too crazy about that idea.

This director, who runs a respected theater in the Berkshires, lives in a huge apartment overlooking Central Park. She and her husband bought it many years ago, when the Upper West Side was still sort of dicey and prices were fairly reasonable. They converted two apartments into one. It’s gorgeous. Could I live in an apartment like that? Oh yeah.

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The view from her living room window. That’s Central Park. That road you see is within the park and the expanse of water is called the Reservoir. That’s the Upper East Side in the background. At one point during our work session, a summer rainstorm occurred. Afterward, the light over the Park was glorious – a late afternoon golden glow.

Oh yes, I could live here.

After about 3 hours of text work, I headed back home. All in all, a lovely day in Manhattan.

Today, more work on the script, some lawn mowing, some cleaning. Do you find it hard to keep up with cleaning when the garden beckons? I sure do.

I’m debating adding the Pin It button to the end of my posts. I added the Pin It option to my browser long ago – it allows me to pin photos from various websites and blogs, though I don’t do a whole lot of that. If I add it to my posts, it will be at the end of the post, not the kind that appears when you hover over a photo. I find that so irritating. When I’m visiting a blog and my cursor somehow lands in the direction of a photo that I’m focusing on and that photo suddenly gets a sort of white film over it with a big old Pin It button on display and I have to move the cursor off the photo; well, I get irritated. It’s annoying. I find myself yelling, “Stop it!” I figure that if I find it annoying, you might, too. I like Pinterest but I certainly don’t want my blog to be about Pinterest. If you know what I mean.

Okay. Got to get moving. We have a wee ant problem that needs some attention. And a dog corral that needs mowing.

Happy Tuesday.

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Tagged With: Central Park, Manhattan, NYCFiled Under: Don, New York City, theater 24 Comments

Healthy Eating While On The Go: Indulging Your Sweet Tooth With Newtons

June 17, 2013 at 8:00 am by Claudia

What is a girl to do when she has a sweet tooth, is constantly on the go, but is striving to eat in a healthy manner? My friends, this is something that I struggle with on a daily basis. I’m a vegetarian. I try my best to eat foods that are good for me. But, gosh darn it, I love sweets. And I love to bake. Here’s the problem: I am, like all of you, very busy most of the time. At times, I’ll have a pocket of time free to do some baking, but most of the time I don’t. So I find myself indulging in store bought cookies and cakes. As my husband is also a certified sweet lover, you can see the trouble we’re headed for here. Wait a minute! There just might be a solution to this problem. Enter two new products from Newtons. (Yes, the Newtons as in Fig Newtons, a long-time favorite of mine.)

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Please say hello to Fruit Thins Banana Drizzled with Dark Fudge and Fruit Thins Coconut Drizzled with Dark Fudge. Newtons calls them a truly unique cookie and I have to agree. They are made with whole grains, dark fudge and real fruit.  Already, we are ahead of most cookies in the cookie aisle of your neighborhood supermarket. I really try to use whole grains when I cook (or more accurately, when my husband cooks.) Real fruit instead of something fruit flavored? Yes. And do I have to say anything about Dark Fudge? I didn’t think so. As soon as I opened the cookies, my husband magically appeared (how did he know?) and we sampled some. I’m being totally honest with you here. We loved them. We ate quite a few in that first session and we’ve eaten even more since. We will definitely be buying these in the future.

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There. You needed to see a close up. Oh, so good. So good that, even though I’m not a big fan of coconut, I loved the Fruit Thins Coconut Drizzled with Dark Fudge. I’m a certified banana lover and the Fruit Thins Banana Drizzled with Dark Fudge did not disappoint. Did you know that there are 8g of whole grains per 31g serving? That matters to me. I suspect it matters to you, too. Listen. If I had the time, I would be making my own healthy cookies because I do love to bake. But I am on the go most of the time. I’ve been very busy lately. I work in the theater and sometimes have to work out of town for 5 to 10 weeks at a time. I just got back from 5 weeks away from home. It’s far too easy for me to eat the wrong foods, especially when I’m far away from my family and need ‘comfort’ foods. I just grab something sweet without thinking. When I’m home, especially at this time of the year, I’m out in the garden or working around the property. I barely stop to eat. I want to have a balanced, healthy diet in spite of being so busy. These cookies will be perfect for us because they’re made of whole grains, real fruit and dark fudge – a combination that says to me, it’s okay to indulge in a little sweetness. Yummy!

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I really love the graphics on the packaging, complete with a ‘Newtonism.’ Please visit newtonscookies.com to read more about all the new fruit flavors and get access to some great tips. Now I’m hungry. I’m off to eat another cookie.

 

Be sure to check out the Newtons brand page on BlogHer.com to read other bloggers’ posts!

Filed Under: life 9 Comments

Roses in Training

June 16, 2013 at 9:43 am by Claudia

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All roses report for duty!

New Dawn rose: Thank you for finally blooming. You are a climber and I was tired of your long limbs falling into the garden instead of growing upward. I think we’ve finally come to an agreement. With the addition of some fabric strips, I have tied your lovely branches to the downspout and to the porch railings.

I must mention here, New Dawn, that I did not appreciate your thorns and their intrusion into my skin.

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But, once again, your beauty has saved you. I would be tougher on a wild rose. But your pale pink perfection gives me pause. Just try to be less painful in the future.

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You’re looking good. I like the way your tendrils are oh-so-gracefully trailing downward. You might want to clean that railing, however.

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I’m impressed with the way you are peeking through the railing just behind the rusty glider. I can catch your scent on the breeze. Well done.

And now for Lady Elsie May.

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Lady Elsie May: After several years of growth and expansion, you have managed to do what I wanted you to do. But you’ve done it naturally. Big points for artfully poking your way through the porch railing. I like the contrast between your green leaves and rosebuds with the porch railing and rusty glider. Excellent work.

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Yes, well done, indeed. You’ve earned a commendation.

And now for you, little bumblebee that I spent long periods of time trying to capture with my camera. You could have stayed still a bit longer than you did. The constant flitting between flowers is enough to drive a girl crazy. But then again, who stands in one place for half an hour, camera in hand, trying to capture your elusive beauty? (I suspect there are a lot of us.)

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You are invaluable, bumble bee. You pollinate. Your presence in the spirea, catmint and anything else that is blooming is appreciated. And you don’t get angry with me and attack me, though you could – unlike your friend the New Dawn rose.

Happy Father’s Day to my dad, who is just 3 months short of his 90th birthday. And Happy Father’s Day to the father of Winston, Scout and Riley, my sweet husband.

Happy Sunday.

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Filed Under: Dad, Don, flowers, garden, life, porch, roses 24 Comments

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Welcome!

Welcome!

I live in a little cottage in the country with my husband. It's a sweet place, sheltered by old trees and surrounded by gardens. The inside is full of the things we love. I love to write, I love my camera, I love creating, I love gardening. My decorating style is eclectic; full of vintage and a bit of whimsy.

I've worked in the theater for more years than I can count. I'm currently a voice, speech, dialect and text coach freelancing on Broadway, off Broadway, and in regional theater.

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