The Weekly Photo Challenge for the last week of the year is to choose a favorite photo from the year. One single favorite photo wasn’t happening. I thought maybe the top 5 would work. But then I figured my favorite 17 of 2017 would be fun. Some of these are favorites because the quality, some because the subject, some just because. I’ll caption each one, because I just know you are waiting with baited breath to find out why I picked each pic! In no particular order:
1) Not only do I love this photo, I love that I was able to get this shot at all. It’s pretty rare that 42nd Street is blocked to traffic–and it’s rarer that I’m in the neighborhood at the time! You can see more here.
2) This was one of my favorite desserts of the year. I don’t make plated desserts frequently anymore and this was a ton of fun to do. It’s coconut sorbet, pineapple granita, pineapple compote, and a pineapple chip–or as I called it, a plated pina colada. I can’t believe the chips worked! The last time I’d even seen one was in culinary school, but it was when we were working in teams, so I hadn’t been the one to make it.
3) This photo has two things going for it: first, the peacock actually walked up and posed for me and second, it’s the first time I’ve tried (and successfully used) GIMP. Such a fun photo–and a fun day at the Prospect Park Zoo.
4) I love this photo (although I still don’t completely understand the “Back to the Future” themed sign). I also loved going to the March for Science. I’m quite a homebody and an introvert so big protests and whatnot are really not my thing. But this was a great experience! Plus, I never take photos of people–I guess because I’m a homebody and an introvert–and yet I had a few photos from the day that were really fantastic pics of people, not just pics where people happen to be in the frame.
5) I think this photo is beautiful, with the orange lilies against the green shutters.
6) Another photo from my parent’s place, and another study in color. The green plants in front of the red barn; I love it.
7) My birthday cake! Not the best photo (just my iphone) but I’ve never done a sprinkle covered cake before–or a homemade funfetti cake, for that matter. It was as pretty on the inside as it was on the outside.
8) I love these three photos with the golden sunlight through the golden leaves. I also love that I took them on my phone on may way to/from work. It’s a pretty great commute when I have the time/inclination to walk it.
9) Another part of my commute takes me through Madison Square Park and past the Flatiron Building. Beautiful, even if it is the crack of dawn (literally).
10) To cap off the year, I made these scones for my classmates. And actually posted them on time! I’m really happy with how they turned out flavor-wise and photograph-wise.
11) I don’t get to Queens terribly often and when I do it’s with my friend’s theater troupe so I seldom see more than the park where the show is being held. So it’s nice when it’s a gorgeous summer day and I have the time to wander away while she’s occupied doing something or other. I ended up wandering past this iconic sign. The red sign and the blue sky–I don’t care that it’s just a shot on my iphone, I quite like it!
12) I spent a lot of my year reading and studying and writing and teaching. I really do like what I do, but sometimes it’s just a lot of words on a page. I took this photo when I was feeling a bit overwhelmed by the work and I wanted to look at it from a different angle. This helped. Plus it’s a pretty nifty pic.
13) I love this shot. Look at him sort of looking at me while he’s eating like, “if you must.”
14) Shakespeare’s Garden in Central Park. Such a beautiful walk on a beautiful day. And I’m so pleased with the photos I took.
15) Another photo from Central Park, though not Shakespeare’s Garden. It’s amazing how peaceful it is, even though this photo was taken maybe a 5 minute walk from a major thoroughfare.
16) And more from the park; I just love the colors of these roses.
17) Oh dear, choosing the last photo is tough. So far these really haven’t been in any order, but I feel like the last one should be more impressive than the rest or it risks seeming like an afterthought. I think I’ll end with one last Central Park photo. I was just wandering through the park and there was a gaggle of people looking at a gaggle of goslings. Two adult geese and about 5 goslings, to be exact. I started snapping away, having no idea how they’d come out. Then the mama goose (or should I say mother goose?) started towards some rather annoying humans who were getting quite close to a couple of the babies. At that point all the humans (including myself) hurried along. I didn’t look at the photos until I got home. I had some cute ones and a couple with all the goslings, but this one stood out as my favorite by a mile. It’s not my absolute favorite of the year bar none, but I really do love it. And it’s so cute; I figure it ends the post on a happy, fluffy note!
Happy New Year!
Pastries, Pics & Politics 
I’d like to try the birthday cake 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person