All Dressed Up And Nowhere To Go...

HAPPY 6 MONTH BIRTHDAY TO MY NIECE BABY ALICE!

Izzy and Ringo

My very good friend's dog died last month and we were all very sad. Izzy had the sweetest temperament and was just a love. This is my favorite picture of Izzy where she was happiest, at home hanging around the kids.

Over the weekend my friends brought home a new puppy named Ringo and I stopped by today to meet the newest member of the family. Izzy wil always be in our hearts but little Ringo is already bringing lots of joy into the fold!

Ghost Town

Westport is empty. It's February break and it's a ghost town here. I am getting lots of pics on my cell phone of palm trees and ocean beaches with messages like "wish you were here!" and "start flying!". Since that's not happening any time soon (I haven't gotten on a plane in almost 20 years), I drove around Westport this afternoon looking for scenes that at least looked like a vacation spot in February.

               Did it look like I was on vacation?

Pushing The Envelope

Spring is in the air (in February)!

Old Friends Are the Best Friends

My daughter saying goodbye to her friend who finally came to visit after 

moving across the country three years ago.

Pining For Nantucket

Tap Tap

You expect to see a lot of things in Westport; soccer moms in SUV's, toddlers with iphones, a few famous people speckled here and there but what I didnt expect was a South African making THE BEST maple syrup right in his backyard in the middle of winter. Have you ever tried to make maple syrup? It's not difficult, just tedious. For 10 gallons of sap, you wind up with only 2 little pints of syrup. First you have to tap your maple tree and wait a good five days to gather enough sap. Then you have to spend the entire day watching it boil down and maneuvering vats of scalding liquid all when there is an aisle full of maple syrup right down the block at Whole Foods. Obviously I thought this was going to be a waste of time. I didn't expect much  since I figured you had to at least grow up near Vermont to produce a decent batch. Well this South Afrcian knows what he's doing. The maple syrup was awesome. A little lighter, a bit less sweet with a hint of smoky flavor.  Definitely worth the effort and I should know by the amount of pancakes I eat! 

Collecting sap in a backyard in Westport, CT.

The first transferring of boiled sap to a smaller pot.

Watching and waiting for sap to boil down in the good ol' outdoors!

After a long day the sap has boiled down enough to be finished on the stove inside to control the heat more carefully (no one likes burned syrup).

And after a little while longer- Voila! Syrup!

With professional looking containers!

The South African Sap Tapper

Big Night

There's nothing like having a sleepover date with your favorite 4 year old.

Rada

My nephew; awesome kid, awesome hip hop artist. I'm lucky he's part of our family. I could give you a million reasons why but then he would be too embarrassed by this post. Here are just two of my favorite songs. He goes by the name Rada. Listen, then follow him. He's gonna blow up one of these days! 

*The young woman on the first track has a truly beautiful voice and the second track is a remix and homage to his stepfather (my brother). The little girl on that track is Soleil, my four year old niece!

http://rada.bandcamp.com/track/how-could-you

http://soundcloud.com/the-real-rada/wfb-remix-ft-soleil

Follow Rada here:
http://soundcloud.com/the-real-rada

Let The Music Play

I don't have any cool football pics to show on superbowl sunday but I do have a  really cool shot I took last week on a regular sunday.

Alice is Growing Up

My new niece Alice is 5 months old and my sister is going back to work today. Obviously my sister is pretty torn about it so I thought I would put up some images of baby Alice for her to look at during the day (not that she doesn't have a million pics on her phone already but it makes the blog look cute too).

Foggy Westport

Long Shore Trees

Pond Off Narrow Rocks Road

Compo Beach

Saugatuck River

The Best Baby Shower

Connecticut baby showers can be sort of fun. You get to watch the "mom to be" open presents so everyone can "ooh" and "ahhh" over how tiny everything is. You have to play embarrassingly silly games even if you don't really want to. Then afterwards during a light meal of wraps and fruit salad, the women sit around and discuss all things baby. So that's what I was expecting when I went to photograph a baby shower in Queens, NY...




The ice sculpture that greeted you when you arrived at the shower was hysterical!

There were lots of toasts of well wishes and love...

Teenagers dance at baby showers in Queens...

Everyone gets down in Queens! (do they say "gets down" anymore?)

One more shot of the ice sculpture...

Besides fun, the love in the room was extraordinary. 

 Here is a picture of Soleil kissing her aunt's belly and then asking if her new

 baby cousin can feel her kiss.

The best part of a baby shower in Queens, NY is no one wants to leave!

Here is a link to the BEST continental cuisine in Queens, NY and with the nicest staff around!

http://www.unclepetersrestaurant.com/