Last night I had the pleasure of photographing the 1st Annual Halloween Masquerade Ball at The Castle on the Hudson , along with Deborah Martin and Jessica Watford.
This was a benefit event for the Strong Kids Campaign at the Family YMCA in Tarrytown honoring Sleepy Hollow resident Aubrey Hawes who has made countless gifts of time and treasure to the entire community.
An army of volunteers and committee members planned and worked together to make this fantastic event possible.
The decorations design team of volunteers created the most AMAZING center pieces and room decorations. Here is just one example of their work.
Guests were greeted at the entrance to the Castle by none other than the Headless Horseman and his trusted steed.
Been busy with family portraits. Makes me realize I need to be doing the same thing!! I am going to need to get on the other side of the camera sometime soon.
I had a lot of fun with each of the families I shot this past week. I really love getting to know the children a little better through chatting during their sessions.
Little Charlie wins the prize for the best behaved model!
I was thrilled yesterday when I woke up to discover it was NOT raining. It was a perfect Fall day. We headed to Stone Barns for the final shoot of the week. As I have said before in my Blog, I never tire of taking photographs there. What a picture perfect place. The blue sky and Fall color was a bonus! What a fun morning.
Thank you to the families I spent time with this week.
This week we headed south to Yonkers. Somewhere I had been meaning to explore long ago, when we lived a few minutes away in Hastings!
The Untermeyer Estate was very intriguing. We had a chance to explore the gardens of the estate. I do not think there is anything remaining of the house itself. I can only imagine how grand it must have been if the walled garden is anything to go by.
It is not maintained to the standards it would have been originally, but even in its current state I began to visualize my surroundings in their former glory.
The children had the time of their lives running around, hiding behind columns, climbing trees and gates, as the sun slowly set around us.
Yet another place I would love to go back to. It would be PERFECT for a wedding photo shoot!
Last week my friend offered me a chance to be her guest at NY Botanical Gardens. I jumped at the chance. I have not been to the gardens for so long. It was a very cold day (for the time of year), but still very enjoyable.
I had a fantastic time with my camera. Only now I want to go back with my new macro lens!!
I have been driving past this huge scarecrow for a couple of weeks now and have been waiting for the opportunity to take the boys for a mini photo shoot!!
I think it is awesome, do not know who is responsible for its creation, but well done Anon.
It has been a busy week for getting up to date with my blogging. I am finally catching up!
Yesterday I headed to one of my favourite places in Westchester - Stone Barns. This time without the children (they were disappointed to miss it). I met with Hedi, Stewart and our Tour Guide for the morning , Deborah. Having been a volunteer in the greenhouses at Stone Barns for several years Deborah was a wealth of knowledge on the subject of propagation and the successful running of the greenhouses at Stone Barns.
It was such a treat to me to listen to this "insiders" perspective. It also was a perfect opportunity for me to play with my camera!
We ventured outside to admire the terraced garden after our tour of the greenhouse. The dalias were in full bloom and being enjoyed by the bees, whilst the birds were feasting on the dried flower heads of the echinacea.
We spotted this huge grasshopper in the dalia bed!
This unusual plant is named Asclepias Gomphocarpus or commonly known as Balloon plant. (I had to google it!) Its main purpose is to provide food for the Monarch Caterpillars. I would love to try growing these next year. Watch this space.
Cardoon, commonly known as artichoke thistle. The stems of the plant are edible and are best served steamed or braised. The main root of the plant can also be enjoyed, boiled and then served cold.
Something else to think about for next years garden! I found this interesting recipe online using cardoons:
It really feels as though winter is already just around the corner. It was chilly this morning as we headed up to Yorktown to meet the Kids Unplugged group for a Columbus Day hike up Turkey Mountain. Quite a contrast to the last time I was here with the boys in the summer when it was so hot we struggled to find shade from the sun at the summit!
I was surprised by the lack of Fall colour, I guess we were a week or two early to benefit from that. However it was still spectacular and the views from the summit were amazing. It was a perfectly clear day, which meant we were able to see the Manhattan skyline.
Croton Reservoir and Dam
I love this photo - funny how Campbell is wearing the most "un" Kids Unplugged tshirt he owns!!! Sorry Gina.
This past weekend was finally time for us to celebrate Campbell's fifth birthday with his friends. He decided on the theme of Star Wars, following Cameron's lead from last year.
Craig did a fabulous job of planning the games and decorating the basement in theme with the party. When the children arrived they were happy to chase each other around with light sabers in the garden and I think they would have been content to do that for two hours! However Craig encouraged them to participate in some Star Wars related party games, which they enjoyed immensely.
This is my favorite of the day
Thank you to everyone who came to celebrate with Campbell, we had a blast and hope you did too!
Setting off on our hike this afternoon we were unsure how far we should go, given the high winds. We set off on the lower trail. The children soon discovered these beautiful rocks that had been painted by an unknown artist and left for passers by to enjoy.
THIS ONE WOULD BE A PERFECT VALENTINE CARD!
We did not make much progress along the trail before we started to doubt our plan. With leaves and small branches falling around us we decided to turn around and head back to the parking lot. The children were a little disappointed to have their outing cut short and so they found a safe place, away from the trees, to play for a while.
After forging for acorns, chestnuts, rocks and a wide selection of fallen leaves we headed home, with tired, satisfied children. Another Happy Wacky Wednesday! Thank you Gina.
We used to grow these in our garden in Kew, Surrey, UK. I love them so much, maybe because they remind me of home. I was thrilled to find them for sale at White Flower Farm several years ago. This year they are available a little closer to home, namely Home Depot (probably for a lot less too!)
Today was a great day for yard work. It was so warm! Craig and the boys created the first leaf pile of the season. Cameron and Campbell had fun jumping around in it and then they were joined by Clay and Kelsey. The boys LOVED playing with the dog - the pressure is mounting!!!!
Debbie currently lives in Tarrytown, Westchester, NY with her husband and two sons. She loves cooking, entertaining as well as hiking, camping with her family and friends and of course taking photos!
Quote of the week
"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." ~ Sir Winston Churchill
