Poughkeepsie (Cont)

Up to Poughkeepsie...

Up to Poughkeepsie for the Baptism of the Daughter of our good friends, Faith & Brian.
Sophia is a cutie and they just look so happy holding her, that I had to snap a pic.

New England in the Fall

My Wife and I make it a point to get a away for 4 long weekends a year, no matter what. Call it couples recharging or alone time, we call it an MMP. Marriage Maintainence Plan. No phones, no internet, no work, no distractions. The rules are go somewhere we have never been and focus on each other. This fall we decided to check out New England.

Wednesday night, we drive from Long Island to the Boston suburbs and spend the evening with the Grandparents. The older I get, the more I realize that the best parts of me come from my Grandfather. My wife might argue that my sense of humor and stubbornness come from him too, but I think it’s a fair trade.

Thursday we are NH bound. The folks who bring you “Live Free or Die” are fond of 50 cent tolls. We drove by mile after mile of beautiful countryside displaying nature’s fireworks, the fall foliage, in spite of the rain. We spent the afternoon wandering quaint towns like North Conway and Silver Lake and the evening enjoying the fireplace at the Cabernet Inn.

Friday we take a ride on one of the last operating steam trains in the US on the Conway Scenic Railway. Perhaps it was due to the rain, but we had the first class Parlor car Gertrude Emma to ourselves and spent a good deal of time on the back porch marveling at the spectacular, if damp, scenery. There are some sounds that make you smile no matter what. The sound of a steam train whistle is one of them, as it clickety clacks through the countryside.

Down East...

Then we headed Down East for some “Lobstah” at Newick’s in Dover, NH. We didn’t have the heart to pick out our victim, I mean meal, ourselves so the staff there chose a nice one from their tanks for us. If you have never been to Newick’s, it is THE place to go for unpretentious but serious seafood. You can see their boat in the harbor used to catch your lunch and like all the best places, it is mom and pop, started from a shack and grown to be a family tradition.

We walked off lunch around Newburyport, Mass and headed back down the ‘Pike to Newton and some quality time with the Grandparents. I got to play Bob Vila, and handled the many home maintenance items that a couple in their ‘90’s should not be doing.

Headin' South

Sunday, we slowly made our way South, stopping in Newport, RI for the day. Newport is just a magical town for sailors like me. I could stare out at that harbor for days and days. Except, there was a festival going on!

Oysters and Beer Every Day of the Year and I'll be fine...

I'm pretty sure Jimmy Buffet had Newport in mind when he wrote that line. We sampled the wonderful oysters, lobster fritters and other treats as we wandered around the Bowen’s Wharf Seafood Festival.

But Wait! That's not all....

On Newport’s famous Cliff Walk, we walked off lunch by taking turns at which estate we would buy should that lotto thing work out. You know the property taxes must be high when even the very, VERY rich can't afford it. Most of the mansions have been turned into museums or school buildings.

Once the sun went down, we headed back to Thames Street and sought comfort in the Brick Alley Pub.

Two words: Espresso Steak.

Ok, I am a steak fan, and I have heard of this before but never had a chance to try it. Let me tell you, they take a prime NY strip and dry rub it in ground espresso prior to grilling. What a wonderful smokey, complex flavor! And, it was just the thing to perk me up for the long drive home.

With the PDN expo coming up this week, there will surely be some exciting things going on. If you will be at the expo, and want to meet up, let me know. I would enjoy it.

Kali & Matt Wed at the Lily Lake Inn

One of the great things about being a wedding photographer is that I get to constantly surround myself with couples that are having the best day in their life and play an active role in making it that way. The other thing is getting to know and work with other professionals that share my passion for turning a moment in time, into a treasure to be shared.
One such professional is Janie, from Memories and More Photography in Stamford, CT. I worked with Janie to capture Matt and Kali's Wedding on October 6th at the Lily Lake Inn, in Wolcott, Connecticut.

You can check out more of Janie's work at www.memoriesandmorephoto.blogspot.com

Kali and Matt are such a great couple and you can really feel the chemistry between them. Great family and friends completed the celebration.

Grooms: Beware! This could go either way!

Grooms always think it will be a great idea to make sure the Bride has plenty of cake. An emphatic amount of cake. OK. They smush the cake into their Bride's mouth.

Gentlement, take warning. This is not always a good idea.

From the looks of things, this was not a planned event, but a sneak cake attack!

However in Matt's case he got lucky, because Kali was not only a good sport, but but got right into it and returned fire!

Look to the Weddings Portfolio on http://www.jmitchelphotography.com/ for the full event to be uploaded in the coming days.

You know Summer is finally over...

When Rockefeller Center closed the Rink Bar and starts the set up for the ice skating rink. I work my day job nearby and frequently walk by the Plaza to peoplewatch. In a matter of 24 hours we went from faint hint of frost on concrete to ice.

You know it's no longer Summer, when they are tuning up the Zamboni.