Finding Art with Jaya in Sunset Park

This is one of the lovely co-op's overlooking Sunset Park on 41st Street, between 7th and 6th Avenues. They do not allow dogs, so we never considered living there. However our friends just bought a great apartment there with a terrific view. They did a great job decorating too, so the inside is just as nice as the view outside.

Ok, I really shot this, because I love squirrels and rarely see them out of the park. Jaya walks so slow these days, that I have time to take pictures while she sniffs. She literally seems to experience life through her nose these days and while outside, the only times it's not glued to the ground, is when her mouth is opening to some revolting, semi-edible tidbit. The sad thing about this building though, is that a group of incredibly efficient, Chinese masons created a beautiful, new, brick front to this entire building in a matter of weeks. However, it's been steadily more and more covered with graffiti since then and hasn't been cleaned. I think it would be great to get a multi-lingual, volunteer graffiti clean-up crew for this block.

A caretaker and child stand in the "Baby Pool" area, enjoying the trees and winter sunlight.

These shots I liked because, perhaps I was feeling a little loopy this day, but I was delighted to watch Jaya's shadow walking with her.

Now we're back home and I find Jaya's sometimes friend, sometimes nemesis, Jazz, cushioned in her little nook under my bed. Jazzy used to be able to walk with us, when we lived in Pelham, NY. Neighbors would stare in wonder at Jaya walking down the block, sans leash, with me (in those days) always few steps behind her and Jazzy even further behind us. A few enchanted folks would tell us we should film these nightly walks for Animal Planet.

As soon as we moved to Brooklyn, though, this changed. Poor Jazzy Kitty was terrified by the noise and commotion of the city streets the one time she found herself outside. Dan and I had a chore luring her back to safety and she never traveled out again. Now I have a window perch for her, where she loves meowling at the birds who sometimes sit in my landlord's grape vines wrapped around the front
porch.

Jaya loves sitting with her daddy while he computes, but is clearly pining for her next trot outside.