Our annual April trip to NY

First, before we left, Selim took his karate test last Friday night and was promoted to brown belt!  We are so proud.

I think this past weekend was our third annual trip to see Heather and family during April vacation.  This year was a bit different in that JT couldn't join all the activities since he had school.  But otherwise, we had a fabulous time.

This won't be a dear diary, hour by hour chronicle...I don't have time this evening for that.  But I do have some pictures to share.

We went into NYC on Sunday to go to the Met and see two exhibits: The Sultans of Deccan India and The Plains Indians, Artists of Earth and Sky. I highly recommend both.  All of went to the Plains exhibit first.  The boys found it somewhat interesting.  There were items that sparked Selim's interest: a bear claw necklace

a ceremonial headdress

and the big skins with battle scenes depicted right on them.  I found the use of porcupine quills really fascinating.  I had no idea that you could make such beautiful intricate and detailed patterns with quills.  One of my favorite things was a belt that a little girl would have worn.  It had pouches, tools, and other essentials.  Sweet isn't the right adjective...thought provoking, smile inducing.  I can't imagine being small and having this be my belt.

As I walked around, I had flashes of news coverage of the destruction of heritage sites in the Middle East going through my mind.  Civilizations have made art and functional objects beautiful. We are so lucky that the objects in this exhibit have been saved so that we can learn from them and have a better understanding of life before we were born.  To watch the willful destruction of other objects half a world away is sickening.  Such a loss that cannot be regained.

After lunch, the boys went to the armor section and then out for a romp in Central Park while the ladies meandered through the Deccan exhibit.  There was so much to see that I found it hard to concentrate. The New York Times had a big write up on the exhibit and that might have been a cause for it to be so crowded.  It was fun to walk through it with Heather.  She loved the beautiful, functional home pieces: door stoppers and pitchers.  I found myself taking pictures of the big photographs of architectural details that were on the walls.

Both of us spent long moments with the textiles.  And so did Tim Gunn.  Somehow we found ourselves looking at the same things as we moved through the different rooms.  There was one tent flap that I wanted to document, I couldn't believe that a tent flap could be so intricately decorated.  Well, Tim and a designer from a previous season of Project Runway also found a lot to enjoy about that particular textile.  I waited and waited and waited.  I didn't want to take a picture with him standing in front of it because I didn't want him to think I was taking a picture of him.  So I waited some more.  Then they moved on and I could take my picture.  And then we kept being in the same orbit.  I hope he didn't think I was a stalker.

Tent flap

I think one of my top five pieces in this exhibit was a prayer mat that was a long strip, with individual spaces marked by different pattern.  This one had nine spaces marked for nine people.  I could just imagine rows and rows of these beautiful prayer rugs.

In that exhibit I was also grateful for my spiritual path.  Growing up, attending services, I listened to stories involving Muslim saints, along with Sikh, Hindu, and Christian.  I heard about Emperor Jahangir in stories, and the devotion of Layla and Majnun -- depicted in some of the paintings and manuscripts.  I have a reference point for the art and objects of this particular display.  The museum provided magnifying glasses and I'm so glad that I scored one.  The detail in the miniature paintings came to life under the magnifying glass that was so surprising.

A family that visits museums together, eats ice cream afterwards by the fountain together and takes other photos.

Shoes!

Monday, Heather, Selim, and I went back to the city on a fabric quest.  We went to Mood first, keeping with our Project Runway theme.  What a place!  We fingered the silks and wished we had a project in mind so that we could rationalize a purchase.  But we didn't, so we passed.  We did find shirting fabric to buy.  Heather is going to make some tops for Grammy Bev, and I have visions of making a dress and a shirt.  At some point, I will have to figure out how to put in a zipper and make a button hole if I want to have success with clothes.  May be I can find a pattern without to start.

Fabric and more glorious fabric

My 2 pink stripe choices

Happy with our choices, we walked another 10 blocks to City Quilter.  I found it harder to be economical with my choices, but I did a pretty good job.  Selim found some ninja fabric that he wants to become a pillow.  I picked up a couple New York City prints and a couple of bag patterns.

After lunch, Heather headed back home to pick up JT from school and Selim and I continued our adventure.  I wanted to find bread pans the same size as I bought in London.  Surely I could find them.  We tried four different shops that took us from Chelsea Market, down to Greenwich St and 13th and then back up to 22nd and 23rd streets.  No luck.  But I did find an off-set spatula, mini doughnut pan and a teapot cookie cutter.  Selim bought a mug with the image of the Welsh flag.  In total, we walked close to 4.5 miles.  We picked up the subway at 23rd and then hopped on Metro North to go back to Harrison.

Chelsea Market

Fountain / water fall Chelsea Market

Grand Central Station

Selfie on the train

Train reflection, wearing his new Real Madrid jersey

This morning, I sewed on the brown trim on Selim's karate uniform and Heather started the shirt pattern.  It was so fun drinking tea, sewing, singing, and just being together.  We need a family compound, for realz.  Seeing each other once a month or every other month is better than once a year...but I wish we could bop over just for a cup of tea or to borrow a cup of sugar.  May be some day.