New York Christmas Windows

Christmas in New York means lights 

and shop windows

           Bloomingdales - glitz and movement - rotating presents with a peek inside

                                                           White houses at Tiffany's

c                                              the Tiffany's door man looked pretty too!

                                                                Handbag tree lights

                                                                    details...Lord & Taylor I think

 Macy's windows were ten deep with viewers...lines around the block and there were men standing doing queue control.
Macy's windows are more for children and not at all like the sophisticated displays the other big department stores have.
I couldn't get close, but inside there was plenty on display

                                                     a macaron cafe with a touch of Paris

                                               and the best for last : Bergdorf Goodmans

I couldn't get back far enough to show the whole window - all framed 

                                you really need to click on the photos for a bigger slide show.

                                                        a bit of the frame visible above
                                                                and some detail below.

                                                                 A New York Treat.

Some Neighbours

There are a lot of these caution signs in this area.

There is a slightly different one just down from our house - though we have had to drive 30 mins or more before seeing any horse and carts on the road 

On one of our drives we stopped at a market where there are a lot of local Amish/Mennonite* vendors.

There are a couple of old buggies used for display.

    and this one, which had just unloaded a group of children....
 Another with a bicycle hitched to the back with the front wheel removed. While we were sitting in the car ready to leave, a girl rode up on the bike, she walked into the market, and the man hitched the bike, I guess she was planning on riding home in the buggy.

On our way again and we see another Amish girl on her bicycle.

                                 and a small collection of photos taken over the last 5 weeks.

 a farmer with his team of seven horses working the fields.

One stop on the way home, a farm selling asparagus out on the driveway - just drop your $2.50 per bunch in the bucket. (reminds me of the asparagus lady next to the Woodend church) As we pulled up in the driveway we noticed the horse and cart that had also just arrived...out come a young couple and four little children. They walk past me, smile and head to the house - just visiting I think. Meanwhile a little Amish/Mennonite girl rushes from the back door to help me select two bunches of asparagus.

Frank noticed the tractor with it's huge steel wheels. (photo from google images)

We came home from the market with a Shoofly pie.

Four layers of yum!

First a perfect crust, next a soft corn syrup, brown sugar and egg mixture, a cake layer and then topped off with a fine and very sweet crumb. Thanks to the screens on our windows and doors, there were no flies hanging around that I needed to shoo. 

  The Amish/Mennonite baker told me to eat it with cold milk....I broke the rules and poured on cold cream instead. Their French rhubarb pies are amazing too!

*Amish or Mennonite?? some say the Mennonites ride in all black buggies and the Amish in Grey. we have seen both.