Quoting Nora Ephron

I love Nora Ephron.  She was wit and wisdom personified.  She was famous for her films.  A humorous chronicler of contemporary culture.  Only recently I started reading her books. The last one a few weeks ago.  I Feel Bad About my Neck.  It's so good. Really.  Like her other books, I couldn't put it down.  Here are a few lines that really stuck with me:

Summer: Jacagua Hills

Remember the quiet Sunday we spent on my uncle's hillside home?  Well, I took pictures of almost everything. The hummingbird shots were taken this same day while the bird was humming alongside the pool. The post on the preparation of tuna tartare showcased pictures I took this same day. And finally, the pool photos, where Emilu decides she wants to come out of the pool by herself were also taken that day. Here are the rest of the pictures. It was a splendid day. Sunny and bright, even as the city below was covered in a torturous haze.

Moonrise Kingdom

Coming soon to a theater near you is Wes Anderson's latest flick and I can't wait to see it.  (Before I knew my husband, I wasn't a big fan of Wes Anderson's films, but I now I'm such a convert). 

What's not to love? Here are some Anderson's most notable films I have come to love:

Images: Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.

Children's books

Let's talk about books for children, which I know nothing about.  Really.  I know something about books for adults, but only a little, since I don't have time to read (for now, I hope) and don't know which authors have published new books anymore.  I read somewhere, in a blog, that children's books have their own developmental valve and many are written keeping this in mind.  When I was little, I read whatever book cruised in front of me, regardless of age and maturity appropriateness.  No one was watching closely what I read or didn't read.  It was actually liberating and made me appreciate reading even more.  Besides I was always wanting to read what my elders were reading, it looked far more interesting than what I was reading.  Anyway, I was browsing online and found these three books, which look fascinating.  I wonder what taste in books Emilu will have.

A cousin of mine has started reading The Little Prince to her three year old girl.  It's the first chapter book she reads to her and she's so into it. I don't remember my first chapter book. Which one was yours?

Images via Grasshopper

Autumn around the house

Fall on my coffee table

The spirit of Autumn has finally arrived at my house.  A few displayed pumpkins and the look is almost complete.  There's a crispness in the air today, and the leaves are falling furiously now.  The time for family and friendship and holiday entertainment is here.  Enjoy it. 

When in NYC

Hi everyone.  As promised I have a few pictures I would like to share from our weekend trip to NYC.  Thanks to my sister-in-law who took these photos because I was enjoying myself so much I forgot to take pictures.

Like I told you on this post, we spent Sat. afternoon in Manhattan walking around the Village and Soho, the neighborhoods where my friend Yanil works and plays from.  As a fan of Sex and the City, we took pictures at Carrie's brownstone.  Remember Big's late night visits and how they would sit in his car?  This came to mind when I was walking up "her" street. We also came across a small sidewalk sale, more like junk than anything else, but the man attending the sidewalk was a former dancer from Cuba who had emigrated in the 50s, before the revolution, and we naturally stroke up a lengthy conversation about NYC rent, Miami Cubans and life in the 60s.  He was helping his friend get rid of some of junk and told us that this 80 year old friend only pays $250 a month.  Talk about rent control!  I guess that's the beauty and surprise of NYC, that you can pay $3,000 for a one bedroom apt in Greenwich and live next to an old man who pays only $200.

Zen Sushi

Yanil and I at Washington Square (homage to Henry James)

We grabbed lunch at Zen Sushi, a place in the East Village where you order food from the menu and pay only 50% when the bill arrives.  I ordered a Spicy Salmon roll and the Zen roll, and the total was $8.  Only in NYC!

My mother and Anadel

My brother and Anadel

This was one of my favorite gardens.

There's an English garden.

On Sunday, we went to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and spent a lovely afternoon relishing the 80 degree weather one last time.  Emilu took a nap in the stroller as we walked from garden to garden looking at poison ivy, a variety of herbs and at turtles in the small pond.  I definitely recommend the Garden.  It's much bigger than the US Botanic Gardens in DC. Plus they have a Japanese garden, complete with koi fish and turtles.

Emilu napping ( i love her when she does this)

At Owls Head Park watching the sunset.

Something caught our attention, I think it was another dog,

Anadel, my sister-in-law, my mother, Emilu and our dogs, Piki and Pia.  The sun is going down.

Next time I would like to visit the Brooklyn museum to soak myself in NY's history and culture. If you would like to enjoy NYC from a local perspective, instead of a tourist, this mini guide is a must.

A piece of Summer

Emilu and I went to Target today to stock on cleaning supplies and wandering the aisles we ended up at the outdoor entertainment section.  The bursting colors of Summer were just too awesome to ignore.  It reminded me of that movie Spanglish and their beach front/vacation home.  Although their awesome California style residence was very nice too. You can visit the homes at Hooked on Houses, a fun website that provides house junkies a fix of the most beautiful homes on the screen as well as tours of celebrities' homes. 

The Malibu Beach House, Spanglish, 2004

I took pictures of some of the shelves filled with outdoor accessories.  I had to be fast because Emilu started crying because she doesn't like her stroller that much.  She needs to be entertained all the time, like her mother.

I dream of a nice backyard in the future where the family can spend quality time.  Meanwhile I love the pretty designs out there.