617. Rugged

617. Rugged
Definition: (adj) having or requiring toughness and determination
Location Placed: New York Botanical Garden Library, Bronx, New York
Date Placed: 8/24/14 at 4:19pm





The library had an awesome orchid garden in the middle of the entry way and an awesome exhibit on the woman who made this garden what it is today. It has a very grand entry with a Tulip Tree allee that leads up to the Fountain of Life. Definitely quite picturesque in the grounds of the garden. I can imagine a horse drawn carriage gliding up the allee to the library. I definitely enjoyed my visit to the botanical garden and got lots of really neat flower and foliage shots.

616. Caress

616. Caress
Definition: (v) to touch gently or lovingly
Location Placed: New York Botanical Garden Goldman Stone Mill, Bronx, New York
Date Placed: 8/24/14 at 3:14pm





The Stone Mill was quite gorgeous. Set right by the Bronx River, it used to be used to produce stone blocks back in the day. Now it is used as a wedding reception facility. It was set for a wedding so I can only imagine how lovely it is filled with some couples wedding guests. I imagine it would be a great place for pictures with all the gorgeous flowers and foliage, even in the late summer. The key time to go is in end of April/beginning of May when everything is in full bloom. I definitely want to try to get back there one day for that!

615. Gifted

615. Gifted
Definition: (adj) having exceptional talent or natural ability
Location Placed: New York Botanical Garden Gift Shop, Bronx, New York
Date Placed: 8/24/14 at 2:45pm





I took a trip up to visit a friend in NYC so that we could do some adventuring as we both hadn't been, but wanted to go, to the New York Botanical Garden. And it did not disappoint! It was absolutely gorgeous. We spent about 6 hours there walking and seeing all the different exhibits. Our ticket included the guided tram, which I would definitely recommend. It's all within walking distance if you're able to walk long distances. It was quite hot, so we opted to take the tram. Aside from recommending the rose garden, the conservatory, and library were also worth getting a peek at. I definitely would recommend it to anyone with a love of nature.

614. Pretty

614. Pretty
Definition: (adj) attractive in a delicate way
Location Placed: The Allaire Mansion, Howell, New Jersey
Date Placed: 8/8/14 at 3:31pm





I took a very nice self-guided tour of the grounds and mansion. I think my favorite thing was the writing desk in the upstairs hallway/waiting area. I can just imagine someone writing at that desk (or a similar desk) in this house back during hayday of the Howell Works company. I also got a significant tutorial at the wood shop. Did you know that a number of the things made back then were first made in wood, molds were made, and then iron was poured to make the shape? If you did, you knew more about it than I did prior to visiting. Definitely a place worth taking a solid look at. I'll be going back again in the not too distant future.

613. Blessed

613. Blessed
Definition: (adj) fortunate, privileged, lucky
Location Placed: Allaire State Park Visitors Center, Howell, New Jersey
Date Placed: 8/8/14 at 3:16pm
Status: FOUND!





So despite living in the area for quite a while, I hadn't been to Allaire State Park for year. And definitely a lot earlier than that in terms of going into all the historic buildings. I wish I had been able to get more time to poke around but my kayaking time ran a bit long. Needless to say I will definitely be back to get some more photos and see all the buildings inside and out. It's so close that it would be a shame not to!

Email from our finder, M: "Hi! This is a picture of your crane, Which i found on a trip with my daycampers to allaire state park. It really brought a smile to my day. I am a great origami lover,and it was cool that i found number 613 , since i am jewish and 613 is a meaningful number in judaism (its the number of mitzvot- commandments). I love your project and think its a great way to get people thinking. For now, the crane is resting on my book crates, but i plan on rereleasing it soon. Good luck! - M"

Thanks for the lovely email and keeping 'Blessed' safe!

612. Amazing

612. Amazing
Definition: (adj) causing great surprise or wonder
Location Placed: Historic Walnford Park, Upper Freehold, New Jersey
Date Placed: 7/25/14 at 2:56pm





I decided to check out Historic Walnford Park as I had never visited before. It was a lovely historic farm with a working grist mill that is run on certain weekend days in the summer months. I poked around the mill when it wasn't in motion and it was pretty impressive then. I can only imagine what it looks like when it's in full swing. One of the very kind park rangers opened the house and gave me a bit of an impromptu tour. They also do teas in the spring and fall, so I am going to see if I can wrangle a few friends up into going.

611. Victorious

611.Victorious
Definition: (adj) triumphant; having won a victory
Location Placed: Monmouth Battlefield State Park, Manalapan, New Jersey
Date Placed: 7/25/14 at 10:54am





What an appropriate word for the Battle at Monmouth, where the American forces were victorious against the British troops. The museums was lovely with a map with lights and sounds explaining what happened at the Monmouth Battlefield. It definitely helped me figure out who did what and where the shots were fired. I would love to go and explore the grounds more during the autumn. I imagine the fields and hills will look lovely in the fall colors.

610. Real

610. Real
Definition: (adj) genuine, not artificial
Location Placed: Belvedere Castle, Central Park, New York City, New York
Date Placed: 6/23/14 at 3:30pm





The last thing I wanted to check out while I was in the middle area of the park, but wasn't on my tour, was Belvedere Castle. It has a little information bit and an observation deck, which has a nice view on good weather days. Of course it also has a lot of people visiting it on good weather days too. Thankfully it wasn't too terribly crowded when I went up. Definitely worth a visit if you happen to be in the area.

609. Advantage

609. Advantage
Definition: (v) put in a more favorable position
Location Placed: Le Pain Quotidien, New York City, New York
Date Placed: 6/23/14 at 2:30pm





After my tour concluded, I headed over to Le Pain Quotidien at the suggestion of my tour guide. It did not disappoint! I knew it was going to be a good lunch when I saw they had speculoos on the table. I had a lovely gazpacho and peanut butter, jam, and bananas tartine with granola chunks. A little more "crunchy" than my usual eatery choices, but I am so glad I managed to make it there. If I'm ever in the area of a Le Pain again (and since they are a chain, it's likely I will be!), I definitely want to try some of the other yummy looking things on their menu!

608. Flashy

608. Flashy
Definition: (adj) attractive or impressive
Location Placed: Hans Christian Anderson Statue, Central Park, New York City, New York
Date Placed: 6/23/14 at 12:36pm





So on a day off of work, I decided I would make a quick trip up to the city to take a free tour of central park (the middle bit was the tour du jour of the Central Park Conservancy) and lunch. I have been to New York City many times, and to Central Park twice, but never seen the middle part of the park, only the Northern most highlights and bits of the southern part. So I figured this would be a nice little day trip. I was extremely pleased and impressed with the tour guide and she gave me the name of a really yummy place to eat after the tour concluded. I'm trying to figure out when the next time I can take a tour with the Conservancy volunteer tour guides!