Lifestyle
I love everything about Nantucket! The roses that were incredible this year, the fairy tale perfection of trimmed privet hedges and perennial borders, riding a bicycle everywhere, the grey fog that settles in often, the surf and the sound of the ocean that lulls you to sleep at night.
Shot on Portra 400 & Fuji 400H-processed at the Find Lab
This has been a tough winter in New England. We've had record amounts of snow and a lot of cloudy days. Spring is in the air and the sun came out after a recent snowfall, so I ran over to Ambler Farm to test out my new Rolleiflex. The trees have been tapped for Maple Syrup production-something that I've always wanted to try on my own trees. I'm hearing that the sap is running slowly this year and production is down, more about that later. I am loving the square format of my Rollei!
My son attended the Hyde School Summer Leadership challenge in Bath, Maine this summer. He developed a bit of a following on the track since he is fast as a whip. School just started today and he is excited to be on the varsity cross country team. I'm looking forward to his next meet and I can't help but show my Hyde pride!
I love the holidays and I'm big on decorating. Since we're just moving into our cottage, life is a bit more hectic this year. I have a lot of packing still to do before we have emptied the main house and I just couldn't see putting up a Christmas tree. Last year I decorated the cottage for Christmas and took pictures of my holiday table. It's fun to look back on them and appreciate how empty the space was before we occupied it. Merry Christmas everyone!
The Fairfield County Hunt Club Horse Show benefits The EQUUS Foundation and is the only national horse show in Fairfield County that is open to the public free of charge. The five-day show offers over 250 classes in which national and local equestrians of all ages compete. The show is held on the grounds of the Fairfield County Hunt Club at 174 Long Lots Road in Westport, Connecticut, a landmark in Fairfield County since its establishment in 1923. I could really appreciate the commitment to training and showing on this level. I loved the formality of the event and the majestic beauty of the horses.
I have quite a few Peonies in my garden. They were planted sometime in the early 1900's by the Hildebrandt's and I cherish them. I usually devote an entire week to photographing them when they are in bloom. This years flowers opened sooner than expected and didn't last long due to extreme heat and heavy rain. I picked them daily, photographed what I could and then gave them to friends and family to enjoy before they died.
I'm hoping to go back to Nantucket during the off season this year. Maybe I'll make it for the annual Christmas walk! Here are a few more scenes from summer. This year I was just a couple of weeks early for the hydrangeas which are always incredible.
I'm a big animal lover and "Ellis" and "Delia" my two Labradoodles have an enviable lifestyle. Especially in the summer. We visit with our neighbor's dogs, swim in the river and go to the dog park at Waveny often. I've recently been loving shooting pet owners with their dogs. To celebrate the "Dog Days of Summer" I will be offering pet portrait mini sessions in "Spencers Run" at Waveny Park. Sessions lasting approximately 20 minutes are $100 and include a DVD of your images. Send me a note to schedule an appointment!
My friend Lucy raves about her job, her amazing bosses and the gorgeous children that she cares for. She's recently been showing me pictures of the kids and the beautiful hidden garden surrounding the house. It turns out that Sara and Jason's garden was soon to be featured on one of the Garden Conservancy's Open Days and they invited me to come photograph it before the public arrived. I've been here twice now and it's amazing how a woodland garden changes in just a few weeks. Both Sara and Jason have such great laid back attitudes. The day that I met them they were painting the house exterior, entertaining the kids and expecting guests for dinner the same night. It felt like my crazy lifestyle and I had a blast wandering around the garden and spending time with their family.
Mother's day is coming soon so I thought that I'd share a few images from a personal project that I have been working on to document my Mother's life. My Mom is an incredible woman! At 86 years young, she gets more exercise and has a better social life than I do some days. Her time is her own and she keeps busy with things that she cares about. Several times a week she attends an aerobic swim class at the Tully center in Stamford. She has been going for years and has developed some great friendships. The Tully center gang have been really receptive to my photographing them during class. These guys work hard and I can't wait to go back again.
