World Waterfowl Day January 17, 2025
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: animals, baby animals, ducks, nature, NYC, photography, Sea Ducks, waterfowl, wildlife, World Waterfowl Day, zoo babies, Zoos
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Today (January 17th) is the first World Waterfowl Day. The goal is to spread awareness, knowledge, and interest for waterfowl, as well as the conservation of these birds and their habitats.This group of birds is comprised of more than 170 species of ducks, geese, and swans found throughout the world’s wetlands. Sadly, one-third of all wild waterfowl are considered threatened or endangered. Habitat loss and human population growth are the primary causes of waterfowl declines. Water pollution from agricultural runoff, waste, and other contaminants destroy the food sources for waterfowl. As wetlands are destroyed, so are essential spots for breeding, nesting, and feeding. World Waterfowl Day presents an opportunity for all to work towards the protection, conservation and reproduction of all waterfowl species to stop them from being in danger of extinction. Waterfowl are incredibly adaptable and can be found on every continent except Antarctica. In fact, they thrive in almost any environment that is near water. Protecting waterfowl is crucial. The loss of one species from our ecosystem can have an effect on other species. By protecting waterfowl, we are not only safeguarding the natural world but also the habitats that many other living things rely on – including humans! Enjoy just a small photo sampling of some of these beautiful species.
Postcards from the Edge January 12, 2025
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: art, Art Deco, Art exhibit, Chrysler building, Coney Island, Empire State Building, Musuem of the City of NY, NYC, photography, Postcards, Rockefeller Center
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Remember writing postcards especially when you traveled? I used to send myself postcards at the end of a trip to see how long it took to get to my home. Once again the Museum of the City of NY has brought us an exhibit that makes one smile. During the 1920s and ’30s, the bold new look of Art Deco heralded New York’s arrival as a cosmopolitan metropolis: a center of architecture, design, fashion, and culture.The picture postcard, a form of modern communication, transmitted vibrant images and messages around the globe. Art Deco City: New York Postcards from the Leonard A. Lauder Collection illuminates the key role postcards played in transforming New York into an international capital during the years between World Wars. Featuring over 250 postcards as well as decorative arts, fashion, photography, drawings, and architectural models, Art Deco City immerses you into the dazzling style that defined the modern city. That said – I most certainly was underdressed. More than an aesthetic, Art Deco was the look that sold the city to the world. This exhibit is on through February 17, 2025. While visiting the museum please do not forget to experience the heart pulsing, fun, fast paced, colorful, “You Are Here” exhibit (which is right next to the postcards) and draws on the rich archive of movies set in New York, combining thousands of cinematic moments across 16 screens. That delightful movie experience is on through October of 2025. I have seen it multiple times and have enjoyed it over and over again. FYI – The MCNY is open every day.
Cut it Out! January 5, 2025
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: Art exhibit, Cut-outs, Henri Matisse, MoMA, Musuem of Modern Art, NYC, photography
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I confess that Henri Matisse (1869-1954) is my favorite artist. No one comes close to his talent in my eyes. How could we resist not taking in the latest MoMA exhibit of his inspiring cut-outs. These paper artistic treasures are light sensitive so MoMA only displays them every few years. This beautiful exhibit closes January 20, 2025. I encourage you to visit. In the late 1940s (after abdominal surgery left him in a wheelchair), Matisse turned almost exclusively to cut paper as his primary medium, and scissors as his chief implement, introducing a radically new operation that came to be called a cut-out. Matisse would cut painted sheets into forms of varying shapes and sizes—from the vegetal to the abstract—which he then arranged into lively compositions, striking for their play with color and contrast, their exploitation of decorative strategies, and their economy of means. Initially, these compositions were of modest size but, over time, their scale grew along with Matisse’s ambitions for them, expanding into mural or room-size works. A brilliant final chapter in Matisse’s long career, the cut-outs reflect both a renewed commitment to form and color and an inventiveness directed to the status of the work of art, whether as a unique object, environment, ornament, or a hybrid of all of these. FYI – MoMA has finally given its members their own entrance on West 54th Street. If you are a MoMA member I encourage your using this entrance to avoid the maddening crowds. 
Cheers thru the Years January 1, 2025
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: animals, Audrey and Roberta, baby animals, Benny the dog, Casa Lobo, Cheers, Happy new year, Jack the dog, Madison the cat, Mr. Pepe, photography
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Like most of you, many of my old New Year photos popped up this week. I enjoyed looking at the changing cast of characters these past 13 years. Thought you might like to smile at them too. Wishing everyone a very Happy and Healthy New Year. The cast of characters include: sister cats, Andrew and Roberta, Madison the elder cat, Sweet Benny the dog, One-eyed Jack the dog, Pete the newest cat and of course the very photogenic and charming Mr Pepe the dog.
It’s a Wrap! December 29, 2024
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: animals, End of Year, Happy new year, nature, NYC, photography, wildlife, zoo babies, Zoos
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Today’s montage completes 21 years of posting my Sunday photos. By my calculations (and I won the math award in eighth grade) that’s about 1052 Sunday photo montages. Yikes! Thanks for coming along for the ride. Some of you have been with me for the entire 21 years. I am very thankful for that and welcome all new subscribers. Hoping to do my best to keep posting on Sundays. I leave you as always, with no ‘ifs – just ends and butts.’ Wishing everyone a very happy and healthy New Year. 
A Joyous, Merry and Happy Holiday to All December 25, 2024
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: animals, Audrey and Roberta, baby animals, Benny the dog, Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, Mr. Pepe, NYC, One-eyed Jack the Dog, photography
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Holiday time is always fun at our house. We celebrate most holidays (especially the ones that demand the wearing of a hat). My little present gang of critters, Mr. Pepe, Roberta, Audrey and Pete and our loved ones who no longer are here, Sweet Benny, Madison the elder cat and One-eyed Jack) are/were all good sports and since today is Christmas and the first night of Hanukkah we would like to share some of those fun moments with you. Wishing all of you and yours a very merry and a happy. Cheers!
Board Games December 22, 2024
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: American Folk Art Museum, art, Art exhibit, Board Games, checkers, chess, Chutes and Ladders, Monopoly, NYC, Percheesi
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Games have become BIG! I would imagine that you and your friends are wordle-ing, crossword puzzling, Scrabbling, Monopoly-ing, and all of the other newer digital games available today. One of my favorite museums in NYC is the American Folk Art Museum. Their current show Playing with Design: Gameboards, Art, and Culture, demanded two visits by me and I loved it both times. From the fabulous collection of Bruce and Doranna Wendel, it features over 100 game boards dating back to the 18th century. The exhibition includes early examples of classic games of Parcheesi, checkers, and chess, as well as hand-painted iterations of Monopoly and Chutes and Ladders made in the United States between the mid-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. This fascinating exhibit is on through January 26th, 2025. FYI – the wonderful exhibition at the Shed, Luna Luna has extended its run. It is now on through February 23rd and I encourage your going to experience it.
Aloft December 15, 2024
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: champagne, NYC, Observatory, Panoramic views, photography, Rockefeller Center, Rockefeller Christmas Tree, Santa, Skylift, The Beam, Top of the Rock
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My friend Robyn is my ‘go to’ pal who will climb any mountain, soar into the sky and pay stupid amounts of money to do some crazy New York things. We visited Rockefeller Center’s Top the Rock once again this holiday season to try their newest VIP tour and attraction called Skylift. This year’s tour has been remodeled to basically cover all of their major attractions that include the Beam, close up photos with ‘the Tree,’ the 70 story Observation Deck, photos with Santa, champagne, and of course the new Skylift which is an open air circular platform that rises 30 feet above the rooftop and spins 360 degrees for a spectacular panoramic view. It was an exhilarating four minutes. We had a fun (albeit cold) experience and other than me getting spectated and lost from our small tour, it was a flawless day. Cheers!
The Season of Wreaths December 12, 2024
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: Arsenal Gallery, art, Art exhibit, NYC, NYC Parks Dept., photography, Seasonal, Wreath Interpretation, wreaths
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I go to this fun exhibit every year. The NYC Parks’ annual Wreath Interpretations exhibition returned to the Arsenal Gallery. This year’s collection of wreaths was created by artists, designers, and creative individuals of all ages who have used inventive and unexpected materials to re-envision the traditional holiday decoration. The Arsenal Gallery is located on the third floor of NYC Parks’ Headquarters in Central Park, on Fifth Avenue at 64th Street. Gallery hours are Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., except holidays. Admission is free and this art exhibit is open through January 2nd. 
Luna Luna December 8, 2024
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: Andre Heller, art, Art exhibit, Basquiat, Dali, David Hockney, Hudson Yards, Keith Haring, Kenny Sharf, Lichtenstein, LUNA LUNA, NYC, photography, The Shed
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This fascinating article in the New York Times (November of 2022) tells the story of how this 1987 artistic treasure, LUNA LUNA , conceived by artist Andre Heller was lost, then found, then hidden in storage in Texas and recreated by a handful of visionaries and a rapper named Drake yes, that Drake, came to be. We went last Thursday and had a delightful visit to this fun, fanciful, musical artistic experience. You need about an hour or so to experience the depth of the art and the story. It is at The Shed in Hudson Yards and is on through January 5th. It is fun for the whole family. 
While at the Zoo 