We have become Seattleites

Yesterday marked the beginning of the three-day holiday weekend for me. So I met some friends at 230 Fifth - a somewhat pricey bar that has fantastic views of the city. It was optimistic to meet there, considering how much rain we've had in New York lately.

Before my friends arrived, it began to drizzle. A few people determinedly opened umbrellas at their seats, hoping the clouds would pass. When my first friend arrived, the deluge began. (It was perhaps the fifth storm we had yesterday -- as it seemed to rain on the hour and be clear on the half hour, as regular as a bus schedule.)

I had to respect these folks:


Then again, if I were drinking a magnum of Moet & Chandon (which they were), I wouldn't let the rain stop me, either.

Earlier in the week, I gave my students an exam where the rain was, at times, falling sideways. We submitted to it like abused children. Yesterday: more of the same. As I've mentioned before, I am so very, very tired of this weather!

But, I suppose the one silver lining around the many, many clouds we've seen is that the storms move fast. And it wasn't long before we could return to our seats.


Have a good (dry, hot) Fourth!

Linden Flowers

Most of us New Yorkers are beginning to lose our senses of humor about the weather we've been having. Today's June 19 and I'm pretty sure it's rained 16 days this month. Or at least, it feels like we've had rain 16 days this month. I am not at all a fan of cool weather, nor rain. I prefer my Junes warm and sunny, even a bit hot. But yesterday, in my own way, I succumbed to the climate -- I gave up my own personal stance of not acknowledging the rain -- and took some photos of Tilia tomentosa in the deluge.



Naturally very few of these turned out, and while I intensely snapped photos of the blossoms, ignoring the rain, I got a few askance looks from passersby, briefly noting and cataloguing me as another Eccentric New Yorker.


No matter. They're pretty flowers aren't they? The flower structure you're looking at is called a cyme. Cymes are stems from which several small flowers branch. You can also see that the stamens are the showiest part of the flower. The large green tongue above the cymes is a bract.

This is my third post on Tilia and I've yet to really get into the etymology of the name. But, I will save that for a rainy day (as, um, it's not raining right now, right at this second).