Unbeknown to my mother, I had a pet baby squirrel for awhile when I was 11. I rescued it from our cat, who was an excellent hunter, but very poor at delivering the final coup de grâce. The squirrel would sleep in the pockets of whatever coat or sweater was hanging in my closet, and I fed it oranges and lettuce that I pilfered from the kitchen. It was only when he became a little aggressive that I realized it was time to repatriate him to the outdoors. Right now we have a family of squirrels living in a tree in our backyard, so as far as evening entertainment goes, we’ve pretty much given up watching movies or listening to music. There are three babies, one very attentive parent, and a lot of activity in and out of a tiny 2″ doorway. I don’t have a good zoom lens, so until then these guys will have to suffice. The clear plastic bobble-head squirrel, a gift from a friend, is available online at squirrelsandmore. And the lovely porcelain nuts are from the talented K. Grandey who is temporarily on leave from making ceramic nuts so that she can care for a new baby. And while we are on the subject, one of my absolute favorite story books as a kid, The Meanest Squirrel I Ever Met, written by Gene Zion, of Harry the Dirty Dog fame, is reassuringly still available in used editions on Amazon. This post is for Sue, my friend and fellow squirrel fan.

This has got to be one of the most photographed signs in lower Manhattan. And for good reason. The Ideal Hosiery store and sign on Grand Street is one of the last remaining bits of evidence of what was once an entire district of hose.

I don’t know about anyone else, but sometimes in NY I forget to look up instead of down or straight ahead. But the reward of training one’s gaze skyward needs no explanation. There is no trickery to the scale in that last picture. It’s of Mary Lou’s Milk Bottle Restaurant in Spokane Washington — well worth a detour for a crazy delicious burger served with hand-cut fries and some of the best milk shakes you can imagine. The thing is huge. And, crazy as this sounds, it’s not the only giant milk bottle in town. It’s actually one of two in Spokane, built by the Benewah Diary Company back in 1935. The other one is a Democratic Party headquarters.

I am not, have never been and will never be a lover of hot humid weather. As we are well into a week of what New York late spring has to offer with regard to comfort, I find it hard to imagine that it will ever be cold again. This picture from just a few months ago made me think otherwise. I’ve just been told that tomorrow brings relief.