OK, maybe I’m a little defeated by the heat—or not defeated, but slowed down a bit. But I’m still in love with the expansive space of summer, the bike rides, the adventures. Summer may be a stinky, sticky, sweaty beast (especially here in the concrete jungle), but it’s a stinky, sticky, sweaty beast I want to hug and give a big sloppy kiss. Though I wouldn’t mind if the heat island effect were tamed a bit with more cool & green roofs. New York is a tricky city to design for, though—a cool roof doesn’t melt snow and ice as well, and we’ll certainly have plenty of that come February. If only we could build deciduous buildings. Until we figure that out, though, I’m just happy New York has planted so many new street trees in the last few years. They’ve transformed many blocks from summertime deserts to oases of shade. Street trees are the best. Give them some love if you can by watering, keeping dogs away, planting flowers to shade and protect their tiny patches of soil, and avoiding stepping in that soil (soil compaction keeps necessary water from reaching their roots through the tiny opening in the pavement.)

I am loving these summery little prints of paintings (all based on photos) by Etsian Leah Giberson. They help me remember what’s so great about summer when I occasionally get cranky and crazy like everyone else in this overheated metropolis:

I think I need to buy one…  I just have to decide which one.

I hope you’re all staying cool and eating plenty of ice cream. And if you’re short in the ice cream department, just give me a call and I’ll bring some over—my new ice cream maker has been getting a real workout for the past month.