Fireflies

We were on the go this weekend. We travelled here and there while tasting a wide range of culinary delights. I got to take a lot of nice photos. But my favorite moment by far was watching the hundreds of fireflies in the meadow at Blooming Hill Farm while trying to capture their nocturnal dance with my camera.

Mom goes to Chicago

A few months back, I re-connected with my client,  Janyce, owner of RTW in Charleston, after I wrote a post about her store. She told me that her son was getting married in Chicago and asked if I would like to photograph the rehearsal dinner she was planning. Last weekend the big day arrived and I spent the day before with the Madoff family and friends. It was a big adventure to be thrown in to this big city with a camera in my hand. Thanks to Max's presence, it made it very easy to get around and photograph whatever I could. (And Janyce threw a beautiful party for her charming son and darling daughter-in-law.)

Flower Love

Kudos

In search of a repair genius who could restore some (once wonderful) pairs of shoes to something presentable again, I've been asking knowledgeable friends for referrals. (Comparing the time spent hunting for new shoes, when I already had pairs beloved by me sitting in a sad heap in my closet- repair seemed the right alternative.) On a shopping site recently, I discovered a firm called Cordwainers NYC who specialize in shoe and leather goods maintenance and repair and they were running some service promotions. After my purchase, I shipped 5 pairs of shoes requiring extensive attention and when the owner let me know my order was ready- I drove to their shop in Queens to pick them up. To say I am delighted is an understatement.  I can't praise Richard Ponce and his team enough. A definite gem of a service- I am so happy to have found them.

Sound and Story comes to our Towns

I recently volunteered for the Sound and Story project- which is an ongoing effort to strengthen community through the power of listening. Last Saturday project director Eileen McAdam visited the Warner Library with her talented colleagues. In the morning they trained us and demonstrated techniques and then sent us out as teams to gather interviews, imagery and impressions. Saturday afternoon turned out to be the perfect time to run in to many interesting subjects. Next comes their edit of what we created and eventually, a film to be shown at the library in the fall. Fun!!

Update: You can see the completed film here.

H.F.D.J.

It's been unusually busy for a Sunday and now heading to the kitchen to make a nice dinner for our #1 Big Daddy.  Happy's Father's Day James (with love!!) from your crew in Sleepy Hollow.

Some serious fun (after hours)

We made a post dinner visit to the beach club to enjoy the darkening skies and the leisure of a Friday night. As the families trailed out to their cars, a new tableau emerged. A poker game complete with piles of chips, a fresh pack of cards, the requisite bottle of scotch and the serious demeanor of the gathered posse of suburban dads- all looking forward to a cool June night uninterrupted by worldly concerns and earthly matters.

A fresh take (for me)

   

For awhile I've been nurturing my interest in making books- longing to feel something solid in my hands, with paper pages that turn.  Last year, I took an Adobe's Indesign class (taught by the talented Lisa Maxwell) and created a few titles on that platform. Checking out self publishing,  I just submitted my first attempt after scanning and uploading a project from years back called "Tiffany Dialogues" to a printing on demand service (whose templates were another learning curve for me). I can't wait to see how it turns out.

Reading Material (not mine)

An intriguing book arrived yesterday that my eldest purchased for a class she''s taking this summer.
Quite a title to ponder through my lens.

Gettysburg 1998

15 years ago next month, I left my family (including my 8 week old son) with great reluctance  to go to Gettysburg, Pa. to photograph the 135th Civil War battle's re-enactment there. I was meeting my collaborator, Susan Sinnott, who had written a  children's book called Charley Waters goes to Gettysburg and I was there to create the illustrations. 

We slept in a camper on a vast campground and spent all the waking hours tromping around the woods following our 8 year old lead character and photographing him and his father's regiment (amidst the entire re-creation there- over 30,000 people in period dress). It was amazing to be immersed in this subculture and bear witness to this epic staging of this historic battle to such extraordinary proportions. Truly memorable.

(and my family survived without me. Thank you Fanny for all your excellent help!)

Me and HP

In the future, where all customer service issues will be resolved by robots programmed with a certain finite number of responses (all wishing to sell you something better and improved- at a discount!!!), there will be a lot more instances of frustration induced events of self-inflicted harm.
Whatever you do- don't even bother with customer service when you have an issue with toner cartridges (whatever...). Just call corporate headquarters, stay calm (and polite- very important!!!!!), and speak to the highest level live person you can find.
Lesson learned.

Uncertainty and Me

There's a lot about life I don't understand. It's not about breaking things down, or about building things up. It's more that at certain junctures, purpose escapes me. There's always a bill to pay, a box to sort, a floor to sweep, a hungry mouth to feed. But beyond the necessities- where is the road leading us- or me to be exact. So, you search out the distractions, or the things that must be done. You create a map that might lead you somewhere worth going, or if nothing else, a chance to enjoy the ride. There is the unexpected, the crisis, the goals. But beyond all that- what is there exactly? So I admire the cicada whose 17 year life cycle is determined in their dna. The worker bee who only knows work. The birds that thrive on chirping, eating and nesting. And us humans, awash with choice and the intellect and imagination to push further- what drives us? A while back, craving a home, a partner, children, I didn't pause to plan for the next interval. And here, with kids mostly grown and sometimes flown, the house that satisfies our need for shelter, the spouse I love and admire, what is the next big thing? This is what haunts me and propels me as I scale uncertainty- without a net and the clarity of desire.

An answer to a homeowner's prayers

The other day my husband mentioned a recent innovation that's arrived in the neighborhood- a robotic mower by the manufacturer Husqvarna. I was fascinated to hear of such a remarkable invention- a device that cuts the grass all by itself! Think of the lack of grumbling when the kids fail to help their dad, think of the hours freed up and returned to my husband, (who is the chief lawn officer and groundskeeper and I, the gardening crew, for our precious abode.)

This morning, driving the kids to school, I saw this latest marvel in action down the street, silently preforming its duties.  So I have documented its unassuming profile as it goes about its business, leaving everything (except the grass) and everyone alone.

Petalled Perfection

Sometimes in the daze of a little too much relaxation, one too many articles absorbed from the Sunday paper, it helps to wander outside in the garden with a camera in hand and record whatever marvels I can find (and especially the many flowers that seem to effortlessly appear).