(Wo)man's best friend

We had a small family gathering Sunday & Maggie was the star of the entire day. (when not coma deep in sleep from all the attention & activity she got from all of us!)
While Maggie is work ( ask her family!) she is also tons of fun & love and it really does bring home the reason why folks love their pets so much.
If YOU are looking to "Do Something New" I encourage you to think about adopting an animal from your local shelter. If you are not ready to take the plunge, start with a small step first : volunteer at a shelter or try foster care. But be forewarned : stepping foot in a shelter can often lead to setting eyes upon some lovely furry friends & that just might provide an unexpected tipping point to adopting, weather you thought you were ready or not for this wonderful adventure.
(Maggie is seen here sleeping with her "kitty" on a fake leopard bean bag. How good does this dog have it? Pretty darn good, I'd say!)
P.S. If you love animals like we do HERE is the petition regarding Michael Vick-see below post for more details.

Do this for all the right reasons:

I am an animals lover. In Istanbul, some of my strongest memories are of the dogs, cats & birds I encountered there. In Paris it was likewise : birds of all different kinds seemed to be everywhere we went. Printing out photos of our trip this past Sunday I was pleasantly surprised to see the many images of the animals we encountered on both cities.
I was given my love of animals by my parents and it is something I am very thankful for as it brings daily joy to my life.
A petition was sent to me this weekend regarding the signing of Michael Vick to the Eagles. Mr. Vick also made an appearance on the television show "60 Minutes" this Sunday in an effort to repackage himself . Mr. Vick , until recently , thought dog fighting was what grown men did in their spare time . Seemingly, he now wants America to believe he is really, really sorry and has found God and is ready to be a role model and leader for all that is good.
Lots of people do this public song and dance and some are indeed sincere. Mr. Vick strikes me as someone who is just going through the motions and reading the prescribed script, written by paid PR people (who were actually pictured on the 60 Minutes interview...).
I personally believe Mr. Vick made some serious mistakes & I think those mistakes are being compounded by the N.F.L.'s decision to reinstate him so quickly and the Eagles decision to sign Mr. Vick to their team.
I say all of this , not just as an animal lover but as someone who knows right from wrong and who does not believe one's relationship with GOD should have a connection to one's P.R. and legal team strategy to revive a career. If you are glad Mr. Vick was NOT signed by your home team, you can go here (petition) to tell the Eagles they can keep Mr. Vick for as long as they like. (I do want to warm folks that there is a rather graphic photos of one of the dogs Mr. Vick mistreated on the petition sight & I did find it haunting & heartbreaking to see.)

FISH!

I could not resist! I love the fish gadget! So cool to have fish on my blog ! 

want to help?

I realize it has been awhile since I have mentioned this but going through my photos of Paris jogged my memory: the wild geese of NYC need your help (see my older posts to find out more on why)and there is a petition set up to voice opinion & support. You can find it here & my beautiful feathered friend from the fountain at Versailles has graciously allowed me to use her image to encourage you to help her fellow water fowl here in the States.

We all thank you, very much. In other words: "Merci beaucoup" . 

who needzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz sleep?

Jet lag is really FUN...

This past weekend:

Stopped by Socrates Sculpture Garden in L.I.C. for their "Maker's Market" , a lovely gathering  of artist and their wares. Best part was the garden's own art : I love the work of Louise Nevelson and this huge sculpture reminded me of her work , with a twist! While walking along the shore I spotted a lone bird floating by - if you have not yet signed the petition to save N.Y.C.'s geese , you can still find it here. I would love to see it reach 3,000 signatures by this 4th of July weekend! 

Last weekend:

We returned to Governor's Island for "Figment" an art happening of sorts. Here are a few of the best pieces that were to be found scattered around the island that weekend. 

The first was a sculpture that made wonderful music and as we got near to it we noticed someone inside of the sculpture, playing their violin along with the music that was being generated by the sculpture. The second piece was created out of recycled plastic bottles of all types and they took on a jewel like quality as they hung from the tree branches. I liked both pieces as each had a magical quality about it.