Supermodel

One of my girlfriends allowed me to practice my photography skills with her as my subject. I think she looks beautiful in this picture. We took about 50 pictures, but this one is my favorite.

Another Celebrity Sighting

I went to lunch with a group of girls several Wednesdays ago in NYC. We stopped by the Gap after lunch to peruse the sale racks.  As we chatted, Jen suddenly said, “Ooh, ooh!  I see a CELEBRITY!”

I instinctively reeled around and slipped into stalker mode.  A celebrity?  In my midst?  At the Gap? Jen described her in detail and I zoomed off to find her. 

Unfortunately (for me), I lost her in the dressing rooms.  I debated about checking under the stall doors, but thought that might be considered a felony. I don't need a rap sheet.  So, I halfheartedly retreated back to the group disappointed that I missed the celebrity.

But, don't think that I gave up quite yet. 

We hung out for a few extra minutes by the cash register and waited. We waited just long enough to catch a glimpse of her coming out of the dressing rooms.  We finally got to see her, and although I didn’t recognize her (What has happened to me?) I was happy to add another sighting to my list.

We saw Merritt Wever. She plays a character on the HBO show “Nurse Jackie.”  And, apparently, she appreciates a good sale at the Gap like the rest of us.

Preparedness

Next weekend, Ben will hike the mountain, Pikes Peak, in Colorado with two friends.  He’s slowly been gathering much needed items for his trip, including new top-of-the-line hiking boots.  The boots have gotten him pretty excited. 

About two weeks ago, Ben mentioned that he was beginning to feel anxious about climbing a mountain, especially since he had not done any physical activity to prepare for it.  He also had not yet broken in his new boots.  He then started to panic about possible blisters and not being shape.  He decided that he must practice for his journey IMMEDIATELY.

So, I slipped on flip-flops and he laced up his new boots.  We walked straight to Riverside Park and began a 20-block “hike” along the Hudson River.  I walked on the paved path and Ben marched his way through a well-manicured park. 

He stomped across asphalt.  He trudged though grass. Midway through our “hike”, Ben climbed and jumped off a rock.  He proudly stood up, stretched out his arms, and asked, “What do you think?”

“I think,” I said, “you are definitely ready for a mountain.”  

Nighttime in New Jersey

One night, during our stay at the farmhouse, we tried different settings on my camera in an attempt to achieve a movement effect. You can see our hair blurred a little bit in the first picture. We worked so hard (evident by the intense looks on our faces) to get it right. In the last picture, you can see Ben and Nathan walking.  

I like the background of the black tree line against the dark blue sky. I know that to get a good movement picture the shutter needs to stay open longer, but a belly full of BBQ and the dark made it hard to figure out. We did the best we could.

Barn Parts in New Jersey

Fourth of July

This past weekend a group of us rented a farmhouse in Princeton, NJ to celebrate the fourth of July and to, quite simply, get out of the city.  I know what you’re thinking… a farmhouse?  We laughed, too.  You can’t get much more city slicker than the four of us. 

But, the farmhouse offered some great perks not available to us in the city. 

One, it sat on a piece of grassy land surrounded by fields with no neighbors.  That’s a nonexistent concept in New York City.

Two, Bambi was all over the place!  There was a group of deer in the front or back yard every time we walked outside.  We’re not used to seeing such a lovely, non-disease carrying animal.  Rats and pigeons are the fauna we tend to see within our zip code. We don't "ooh" and "aah" when those cross our path.

Three, the back porch had two rocking chairs and a porch swing. Perfect for chewing on Twizzlers and watching the sun set.

Four, the farmhouse came with a huge outdoor grill where we concocted a delicious meal of hot dogs, burgers, and corn on the cob.  A grill is a rare find in the city. 

Five, we ate on an actual adult-sized kitchen table!  We liked the table so much that we spent the next three nights playing card games there. 

And, six, we got to drive a car around the town.  It’s so fun to drive when you never get the chance.

After this trip, we can think of ourselves as a pretty versatile group. We have gathered together in tiny NYC apartments, in an art-deco Miami hotel, in a cabin in the Catskills, and in a farmhouse in New Jersey.  What's next? Hmm... time will tell.

Newport, Rhode Island

One of the great things about New York is the accessibility to get places.  We can hop on a bus, subway, or train and be just about anywhere within a several hundred mile radius.  We can easily (and pretty cheaply) get to cities like Boston or Philadelphia, or to towns like Cape Cod and Princeton, or to beaches like Long Beach and those in the Hamptons.  Several weekends ago, we took the train to Newport, Rhode Island.

The main draw for tourists in Newport is the mansions.  We toured mansions built in the mid-late 1800s by various American tycoons and millionaires like, for example, the Vanderbilt family.  Walking though other people's homes was something that we knew we’d enjoy and appreciate thanks to years of watching HGTV’s shows “Flip This House” and “What’s My House Worth”.  

Checking out the mansions online still didn’t prepare us for their monstrousness.  The immense size and opulent style of the mansions were insane.  I-N-S-A-N-E. 

Houses were made entirely of marble, adorned with 24-karat gold leaf imprinted walls, decorated with bronze sculptures, and topped with artist commissioned painted ceilings and crystal chandeliers... exactly the kind of stuff you’d probably recognize in our one bedroom apartment.  Look closely to see that our miniature tub is pure porcelain and imported from Italy.  Little Italy, in NYC, that is!

After the mansions, we ate the best clam chowder at The Black Pearl and then walked downtown along the water and piers.  Check out a few of the pictures I took.  Notice how tiny the people are next to the huge Weeping Willow tree that was in the backyard of one of the mansions, and look how tiny we are next to the mansions.