Alright, after two days and several hours trying to get this blog post up, here it is!
With the power of technology - and my external harddrive - I've moved the operation to another computer and another network!
This is my last post about my most recent trip to New York, and I'm excited to show some of what we saw in the museum. We saw a lot of great things, although we didn't get a chance to see everything, what we did see was pretty great.
We spent a great deal of time in the new planetarium, which was absolutely fascinating. I love learning more about how the universe came to be and the possibilities within the galaxy. Knowing how much the view of the universe has changed is very interesting to me.
The Willamette Meteorite weights 15.5 tons and is comprised of solid iron. The plaque goes into a lot more detail about how it is formed in space, but I think the texture of this is completely amazing - there is nothing else like it on Earth.
| This is definitely one of my favorite shots from the museum. I love that I was able to get all eight (no more Pluto...) into the shot - even if I had to lie on the floor. I'm still amazed at how large the gas giants are compared to those planets closer to the sun - Earth being the third from the left on the ledge.
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Moving into the main museum, a lot of sections were closed for an event, but what we did get to see was pretty cool. And a little known fact: as much as I love and adore fish and marine life, I'm also completely fascinated with reptiles.
| I'm not sure which "hall" this is from, but someday, I'll own my own snake. Seeing the structure of the skull and the very fine ribs throughout the body is amazing!
| This is from an area that was closed off. I actually think I'm lucky for being able to get this shot: the secuity guy let me get on the floor (again) to get the whole area in the frame.
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Well, that's it from my New York trip! While I know this isn't all about travel writing and its much more about all things handmade, I still like to share some of the things I do when I'm not knitting, sawing, or stapling (because it's face it, I prefer my staple gun to my sewing machine any day). But now, it's back to the originally scheduled blogging!
Winter is finally here in Minnesota, so even though most people find it miserable, my Friday fives this week are going to be on some of the finer points of snow season! - Shoveling Snow.
Alright, I admit this is probably the lamest of the five, but for anyone who is health conscious, shoveling by hand is one of the greatest ways to get and stay in shape throughout the winter! Last winter, we got 84 inches of snow: It was overwhelming. But, shoveling combines both strength and cardio all in one, it's also great to get finished and really be able to see the results of your work. Shoveling is also eco-friendly since it requires man power instead of gas or electricity for a snow blower. Personally, I love doing it as long as it's not too much (and I will say that last winter I was completely happy with it until about March: by that time I was ready to get back into my spring and summer activities!) - Hot Chocolate.
I rarely ever have any form of cocoa. The exception is definitely when I come in from a long day of being out in the snow. There is a finality to it, something that signals to me to shut off a little from the hectic activities outside and take a moment to relax and unwind. - Snowball Fights!
These can be combined with any other winter activity, usually happen spontaneously, and just happen to be fun! The thick snow we got on New Year's Day happened to be some of the most perfect snow for making snowballs, and they were definitely flying before we left. - Snow Forts.
When I was a kid, we used to build snow forts at the end of our driveway to facilitate our neighborhood snowball fight. We had some spectacular times building up walls and digging different compartments and seats for everyone to take some shelter and store snowballs. As I got older, we moved into a house next to an empty lot: the snow plow would push all of the snow from the street onto the lot, and one year I built an igloo-sized fort. I was stopped when I was running an extension cord out to provide electricity. Getting older still, I'd been able to build forts with my cousins, in college, and continue to just have fun! - Skiing.
This might just be my favorite snow activity of them all. I love downhill skiing, and my mom and I have taken in the past few years to going for her birthday in February. It's one of the reasons I roller blade throughout the summer months so I can keep my legs and body conditioned for the slopes (and to tire out my dog, of coarse!) Someday, I want to get out to places like Lutzen or Colorado to get away for a longer period of time out on the hills.
I don't mind cross-country skiing either: I've been considering investing in my own pair of cross country skis so I can continue to take the dog out as I do when I roller blade in the summer. With how little snow we've had this year, I'm okay with waiting, but I still think it would be a ton of fun!
One of my favorite things about New York City is seeing the diversity and the creativity within the people. Most of the photos I got of people were of musicians, since what they can do just being who they are and showing their creativity is simply brilliant.
We went to Central Park on both Saturday and Sunday, and we got to see a few very talented people playing their instruments.
This violinist was amazing, being able to walk under such a beautiful bridge and listen to him play while my sister and dad took other pictures was such a treat. It was relaxing and completely charming.
The bongo player provided a completely different feel from the violinist. He was playing a very cool jazz beat using his drum, tambourine, and foot petal (it was similar to a plastic cow bell, but I can't remember what it's called) at the same time. Much as I try, I cannot find the coordination or rhythm to play any kind of drums. 
This violinist under Penn Station completely blew me away. I love the violin, it's on my musical bucket list - as it were - and the types of things she was doing were amazing.
She wasn't just playing the violin: she was playing while hula-hooping. It was magnificent. She moved steadily the entire time, and seemed to radiate a calm sense of confidence as she played.
This was definitely one of the most memorable moments that night, she didn't play classical music as we'd been hearing from other musicians on an orchestral instrument that we heard throughout the city, she played a few classic selections from The Beatles.
Her rendition of "Yesterday" nearly brought me to tears. It was beautiful.
 While we were in Washington Square, we had the opportunity to watch some - quite frankly - impressive skateboarding. This image I took of their photographer. They worked in a three man team: the one doing the tricks, the cameraman, and a spotter.
The cameraman also worked as a spotter, since the skater was to jump the bench we were sitting on and go into the fountain (empty in the winter) on the other side.
There were a lot of kids playing in the empty fountain with scooters and skate of their own. So, the spotter was making sure the people on the front end were safe, and the cameraman was on and off his board the most: working with his camera, going after the skater, and making sure the people in the fountain would stay safe for an attempt.
These were some of the nicest people we had casual conversation with while we were there. Truly wonderful
I do have one more post regarding my trip: it focuses only on the Museum of Natural History. We didn't have a lot of time there, but we saw a lot while we were in there and spent most of our time in the planetarium. So, there is still plenty to look forward to when I can go back with my husband!
So, in this post about our trip to New York City, I'm going to go through some of the sights we saw while we were there. It was definitely a very fun and unique experience for all of us: I got to spend some quality time hanging out with just my dad and siblings, and I do cherish our ability to do so. Since it was my brother's first time to New York, we at least landed our eyes on some of the big things, even if we didn't visit them specifically.  I wasn't kidding when I posted Saturday night about the great view from my dad's office! This shot is right from his office window. The Empire State Building is on the left, and if you look really closely, the East River is right at the end of the street (See it? It's pretty tiny in this shot.).
To the left outside the frame is the Chrysler building peeking out behind a few other tall buildings.
His office is in 2 Penn Plaza between 20 and 30 stories up (I wouldn't give the exact floor!), so it's high enough to see over a lot of the smaller buildings. I definitely find it interesting that 20 stories and under are considered "small" in Midtown Manhattan, since I can probably count on my hands how many buildings are that tall here.
Another really cool thing about this location is that it is right above Penn Station and towers just next to and is connected with Madison Square Garden.
I have a lot, so this is my first ever "Read More" break: but check it out after the jump!
So, I'm in NYC with my siblings visiting my dad for Christmas. My sister and I have been here before, but it's my brother's first time! So, we've been doing a lot of different things this weekend both for the occasional vistor and for the typical tourist. I don't have pictures uploaded yet, but they'll probably roll in early next week. First thing we did was a first for all of us: a visit to Dad's office. Pretty great, and the view from his window is mind-blowing! This is one of the most exciting things I was able to photograph. It's pretty spectacular, located in 2 Penn Plaza: right above Penn Station and Madison Square Garden. We went to some GREAT interior design venues: ABC Carpet and Home on the recommendation from Design*Sponge's Grace Bonney and Bobby Berk Home because I am a huge fan of his work! His outdoor selections are simply amazing, and I fell in love with his Atwood selections. Spectacular! (And very cool to "talk" with Bobby Berk via Twitter while in his store). We went to a few other shops and had the opportunity to window shop, which made the day inspirational. We decided to hold off on Rockafeller Center and Times Square until night, so we got to see the impact of the lights and the attractions more than when I had been during the day. My brother asked a NYPD officer if he could climb the tree... because that's what we do in Minnesota. Today, we went to visit Empire Divers: my dad's new dive shop, where he is hoping to get his instructor certification this year. I'm very excited for him! Great guys, and I hope they can get active with Project Aware in the future. We went through the park to get to the American Museum of Natural History. Super cool, but a lot of the big exhibits were closed for an event. The new planetarium was pretty cool, and I"m excited to put up a few pictures here too. My favorite picture was definitely from here. Tonight, we went to Lincoln Center and Union Square. Very cool at night to get a chance to see some of the archetecture and design. Another few inspiring things to see here. There is a whole lot more that we saw and that we did, but I'll definitely post more when I put a few pictures in, I just knew I'd been neglecting to post this week!
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