A tree grows slowly on Third Street

This tree is the runt on the block at the moment, but trying to catch up to the other trees. You can tell that the Gowanus Canal is nearby because there are not many plants growing on Third Street.

Read Full Post »

A weed grows in Brooklyn

A thistle, a weed, call it what you will. The plant is beautiful to look at, but prickly to touch. It’s growing in a vacant space on Ninth Street.

Read Full Post »

A cupcake tree grows in Brooklyn

Cupcakes are in vogue at the moment, which I attribute to their general cuteness and handy single serving size. Some will say that it all started with Sex and the City, but cupcakes have been around forever, almost as long as bake sales.

I walked past this bakery twice in one evening, and each time, at a sidewalk table, couples were sitting with an abandoned, half-eaten piece of red velvet cake. The popularity of this cake befuddles me. I can’t get past the half a bottle of food coloring (or more) that goes into every cake. Given a choice, I’ll take a cupcake any old day.

Read Full Post »

Fence trophy

First I saw the hooves. After that, the trophy head made sense. These fence adornments are remnants of the ailanthus tree (tree of heaven). Property owners generally disregard the ailanthus’ metaphoric qualities, written about in Betty Smith’s 1943 novel, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, and chop it down. The MTA, on whose property these tree parts once grew, used a chainsaw.

Read Full Post »