Self-Portraits in Norwch...

On yet another winter day, Veronica got dressed up and took some more incredible self-portraits.

Meanwhile in England...

The same day that Ashlynn was becoming hairy, Veronica was competing in Nottingham in the National Indoor Women’s Ultimate Frisbee Championship for UK universities.

Incredibly, although the Aye-Ayes were seeded 16th, they came in 3rd! 

Not only were these ladies very happy with their performance, they had a lot of fun, too. 

More for Sicky Mag...

Here’s another behind-the-scenes shot as Ashlynn was being transformed in a very futuristic way. 

Although I was initially shocked by this image, it really grew on me. I now think it’s super cool and should be in a sci-fi movie. 

As much as this looks painful, she assured me that it didn’t hurt at all. 

And here’s a fashion film made from the shoot that I didn’t find until months later.

A Very Hairy Shoot...

Ashlynn really enjoys doing artsy editorials, so was happy to do a shoot called Whisper in Seoul with an international team. It was later published in Sicky Mag, a digital fashion magazine.

These first few photos look just somewhat hairy.

Here’s a behind-the-scenes photo of her transformation to being truly hairy...

...and the end result.

Metropolitan Museum of Art...

While Jimmy worked with Peter, I went to The Met for the first time. I especially loved the exhibit In Praise of Painting: Dutch Masterpieces at The Met, which included this humorous painting by Jan Steen in 1662 entitled The Dissolute Household.

There were also several van Goghs, including Irises, 1890...

...and Wheat Field with Cypresses, 1889...

...plus Vermeer’s Young Woman with a Water Pitcher, 1662.

Beyond that exhibit, I liked Emanuel Leutze’s Washington Crossing the Delaware, 1851...

...Autumn Landscapes by Tiffany Studios, 1924...

...and the cool glass ceilings of several galleries.

That evening I completed my journey around the world by taking a red-eye flight home, while Jimmy stayed in NY for a couple of days of work.

Spotted in Manhattan...

There were definitely some interesting characters roaming around Times Square, such as the Naked Cowboy...

...Elmo carrying a fancy purse and backpack...

...and a masculine Statue of Liberty. 

Beyond Times Square, we came across ice skating rinks at Rockefeller Center...

...and Central Park.

It was cold, but that didn’t stop tourists from getting their portraits drawn in Central Park.

Evenings in NYC...

We had dinner each evening with Peter, Sophie and two of her sons (the eldest was away on a school trip). As in past visits, Peter took us for some of the most amazing sushi. Another night we took them to their favorite vegan restaurant, which was also incredible.

The most unusual dinner by far was on the concierge level of NY Presbyterian Hospital on 68th Street. We had been along when Peter brought his mother to the hospital and waited in the car while he negotiated to get her an upgrade to the special floor. Apparently no one can say no to Peter, and she was admitted to the floor that has a private dining room that family and friends can pay to join the patient for a three-course meal—luckily it was much tastier than hospital food usually is.

Despite already having dessert at the hospital, Peter said he was dropping me and Jimmy off for ice cream. I wasn’t thrilled about eating again, but it turned out we weren’t there for the ice cream after all. Although it was a real ice cream shop during the day, at night it was a secret bar with the entrance behind this wall of ice cream cartons.

It was very crowded, so we squeezed in near the bar. The cocktail menu was intense with ratings of each drink by strength, complexity and wow factor. I had the Old Silk Stocking, which had activated charcoal to make it black, and Jimmy had the 1040 5th Avenue, which was a modern take on a Manhattan with rye bread on the top.

We enjoyed our drinks and then rushed to the subway so we could watch Saturday Night Live live for the first time in many years.