(Back to) The Grind

I love great coffee. For me, that means hanging out at The Grind in Bellmore. I frequently feature my landscape images there and rotate a gallery with other local artists.

I will be hanging my hat there for the next two weeks. Please stop by for a variety of prints that let you see through my eyes.

They are on Merrick Road, next to the firehouse.
2975b Merrick Rd, Bellmore, NY 11710
516.409.6633

Anna & Zoltan's Wedding in the woods

Ok, the Wedding was not actually in the woods. It was in a beautiful Hungarian Church in New Jersey, but the reception was at Camp Greenkill, in Hugenot, NY. The camp is at the foot of the Adirondack Mountains and is a lakeside rustic retreat (think more ski lodge than tents).

I was one of only a handful of folks on site who can not speak Hungarian, and of course most of the night was in Hungarian, so it made for some interesting conversations to say the least. The guests spent the night in bungalow lodges overlooking the lake, and the reception was at the main lodge, on top of the hill. The stars were out and the sky was a deep black, which is a rarity for my eyes to see in the light pollution of Long Island.

The stone fireplaces were roaring and in such a rustic setting the ambiance was right for romance. Even though the toasts and speeches were in Hungarian, I didn't need to understand the words to see the emotions expressed. What a wonderful family you both now have!

Now I am used to working long days, but when I heard about Midnight Stuffed Cabbage, I knew these Hungarians knew how to party! When many guests were too pooped to drink and dance, trays of home made stuffed cabbage came out at Midnight, providing a much needed second wind for all.

Bright Eyed and Bushy Tailed...

OK, Maybe not bushy tailed but in spite of consuming copious amounts of home made Hungarian hooch, Anna and Zoli made it to the lake for some early AM photo ops the next morning.

After a few great shots with a woodlands backdrop, they spent the Morning enjoying the scenic countryside before heading on a plane, back to the Old Country.

Canstruction? What's that?

Each year my wife is active in something called Canstruction. The basic premise is that various corporate sponsored teams design and build sculptures from cans of food, that they donate themselves and/or gather from a sponsor. The hours that go into these things is unbelievable!
Canstruction 07 is over in NY, but check the website to see when it comes near you, and how you can get involved. The food really helps out some folks who could use it and it is a lot of fun in the process.
http://www.canstruction.org/
The area highlighted in green, is a smaller crop of the photo, so you can more easily see the image made up by the cans.

Weekend in Philly (Contd)

After an amazing meal at Buddakan, we walked around Old Town and stumbled upon Beneluxx. They may just be the trifecta of foods I love. Like their sister tavern a few blocks away, specializes in Belgian beer. They have tons of hand crafted ales by the ounce in these cool beaker glasses, so you can try a little of everything.

They also have my two other favorite foods (what? Beer is food, there is nutrition in it.). They have over 20 different types of chocolate and 30 cheeses!

If you ask Mr. Rutter nicely, he will even pair flights of beer with cheese or chocolate.
This may just be my new favorite place. If you are in Philly, check this place out: http://www.beneluxx.com/

While in Philly...

I had my wife come down on Friday afternoon and we spend the weekend down there for our Anniversary. Philly is a really great city, with so much to do. I also found it very walkable. Somehow, that did not stop us from taking the double decker bus tour.
We also found some great restaurants, like Buddakan and Continental. Through a friend of a friend (You know who you are and we appreciate it SO MUCH!) we got in for Saturday night dinner at Buddakan on only a few days notice. The ambiance, service and food were perfect! They also had a very nice flight of Sake.

Off to Philly...

I am in Philly this week for Phase III of the FINRA CRCP certificate at Wharton. Aside from the whimsy and joy of discussing SEC statutes in microscopic detail, it is actually really a great program. A three year program, the CRCP is a way to wrap up my 14 years of securities work, boil it down to it's essence and exchange ideas with other compliance and regulatory professionals about the methods and insights used to protect your investments.

Not sure if you are on the right blog? You are.
One of the reasons I provide such strong value as a photographer is that I am doing it because I truly am passionate about it and want to make your event images something you will enjoy for decades. I am well capitalized, so I can offer a package that really fits what most couples need and not push things they don't. That capital also means I don't take shortcuts to save a buck and can use the best equipment for the specific images.

Not that securities law is not fun....