Some call the city the concrete jungle, but one can stop to admire nature. As I walked by, a patch of sunflowers (one of my favorite flowers) caught my eye. They were nowhere similar to the glorious rolling fields of sunflowers I used to see in Italy as I rode on the train. However it was a nice reminder.

There must be some conspiracy with the pigeons in New York City. All of a sudden, they seem to be attracted me, nowadays. As I took the photos of the sunflowers, a pigeon flew over and landed on the bench behind the flowers, striking a pose for me.

A baby squirrel decided that it wanted to join in the fun, too. Can you see it in the fourth photo?

About an hour later, I looked up and noticed these beautiful clouds gathered in the sky. Does anyone know what type of clouds these are? From my old school days, I’m guessing cumulus. What do you say?

By the way, the next day I passed by spot I saw the sunflowers, and they’d disappeared. I don’t know what happened to them. I’m guessing that someone probably cut them and took them home. I suppose this is typical of the New York City scene, where you’ll see something one day and then it’s gone the next.

Have a great week!

Paz

Ed. Note: Case of the missing sunflowers solved: Elizabeth informed me below that the squirrels could have stolen the sunflowers, as they did in her garden. Also, she mentions that she normally calls these type of clouds in the sky, a Mackerel Sky, which means rain in two days. Interestingly enough, it did rain two days later!

It seems that everyone waits around the bus stop in NYC — in this case, humans and birds alike.

As passengers and I waited for the bus to arrive, a group of pigeons fluttered around closeby. One pigeon left its group and walked over to where I stood and stopped a few inches from my foot. Its actions surprised me because they usually keep their distance, unless perhaps you are feeding them. But even then, they are very careful. So, I wondered why it approached me. Within a few seconds, I realized why it behaved the way it did.

Right next to my foot was a crack in the sidewalk, which I hadn’t noticed before. The crack was filled with rainwater. The thirsty bird sipped the water from its personal fountain and stopped only to look at me every so often.

Soon the bus came and the pigeon and its friends flew out of the way. The passengers and I got on the bus and went on our merry way.

Have an awesome week!

Paz

Click on photo for larger image

Click on photo for larger image