Spring is definitely here and some brave souls are even trying to rush summer! What a wonderful day at the beach - summer temps, a perfect picnic, and no crowds. Hope you all have been able to enjoy this weather.
Sent from my iPhone
Claudia Danforth Ward
Collecting drift wood was a great past time, growing up on Cape Cod. On sunny days, we'd comb the beach to find interesting shapes that could be made into pins, dangled on a necklace, or glued to a wicker hand-basket. Those were our rainy day projects - keeping those idle hands busy.
Peter and I came across this piece of drift wood in Montauk not long ago. It was too large to collect but we found it worthy of a few "snaps". I thought it resembled the head of a small calf - what do you think?
Happy Valentine's Day, one and all.
Ashawagh Hall, Springs, East Hampton, NY
Last weekend, Hamptons Photo, Arts and Framing sponsored the 3rd annual Thank You Art Show at Ashawagh Hall in Springs on the east end of Long Island. This is their way of thanking their customers for their patronage over the years. More than 100 artists showed their paintings, photographs, sculptures, and more. There was even edible-art in the form of cupcakes for sale, with the proceeds going to charity.
Edible Art Cupcake
The turn out on Saturday night was excellent despite the snow and slippery roads. The hall was abuzz with people enjoying refreshments, music by William Falkenberg, all of the art work, and each others' company; and, Sunday was equally as rewarding for the artists, as there was a constant flow of visitors right up until the show closed at 4:00 p.m. Live music by "Icepack" Jackson and friends provided a lively background to this day's event. Although the primary intent of the show was to provide a venue to display artists' works, several were also fortunate enough to sell their pieces too. At the end of each day, the hall was filled with a resounding "Thank You" from all of the artists to Dave and Ben, from Hampton Photo Arts.
"Duck" © 2008 Peter Tooker
I've created a brief slide show of photographs I took of just a fraction of the art that was on display to share with you the variety of art that was there. Peter and I each displayed a photograph, he displayed "Duck" and I displayed "Timeless", a photograph of a 1957 Flame-Red T-Bird.
"Timeless" ©2010 Claudia Ward
I must say, I would be hard pressed to say which pieces in the show were my true favorites, although I had a real soft spot for the acrylic paintings of three young brothers, Andrew, Charles, and MJ Schaefer, who range from 9 to 3½ years old. Their pieces were displayed together, vertically, in order of oldest to youngest. I think you'll agree that there's just a little bit of artistic talent in that family!
Paintings by the Brothers Schaefer
So The Thank You Art Show is Hampton Photo Arts and Framing's way of thanking the art community on the east end of Long Island, and this post and slide show are my thank you back to them.
Slide Show by Claudia Ward
Music: Woodstock's Theme from the soundtrack of Snoopy (The Musical)
Hampton Photo, Arts and Framing is a small shop in Bridgehampton but one that supports the art community all over the east end of Long Island. They provide art supplies of all sorts, printing services of nearly every kind, and of course framing, and have been doing so for over two decades. This coming weekend this local business is saying a big thank you to the art community they've come to know so well. For the third year in a row, Hampton Photo, Arts & Framing is sponsoring THE THANK YOU ART SHOW at Ashawagh Hall on Springs Fireplace Road in East Hampton. Over 100 artists will be displaying their artwork which will vary from painting to sculpture, from origami to photography, and Peter and I are participating. This is my first foray into the art community of the Hamptons, so I'm both nervous and excited. I can't wait to see the variety of art that is going to be on display and to meet the artists and creators.
THE THANK YOU ART SHOW begins at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday January 21st and will run until 11:00 p.m. with music, food, and art in abundance. The show will also be up for viewing on Sunday January 22nd from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. with music and refreshments available as well.
This should be a fun event and we encourage you to come to say hello, if you're in the neighborhood. We'd love to see you and we know you'll enjoy the variety of the show.
It's official, Open-Window is now two years old. I can hardly believe I began this blog on a cold January day, sitting at the island in my kitchen, 730 days ago. In the past two years, Open-Window has focused my days on creating stories, snippits, and photographs that I hoped you would find entertaining, sometimes informative, and maybe even amusing. We've covered a lot of ground and many diverse topics over this time ranging from Hawaii to Paris, Hamburger Relish to Caviar, Horse Racing to Airshow Acrobatics. As time has passed, we increasingly focused on the images and slide shows that would accompany a post, and have worked diligently to improve the quality of all that we delivered. Peter has continued to emphasize wide-angle HDR (high dynamic range) photography whether on his DSLR (digital single lens reflex-camera) or his, ever-handy, iPhone, and I have continued with my love of all-things-macro, although we each dabbled in the other's specialty just to keep it interesting.
Mexican Train Tiles and Turtles
Photo © 2011 Claudia Ward
Over the past twenty four months, we've made 388 postings to Open-Window which is an average of almost 4 per week, nearly every one containing at least one photograph and 60 of which included a slide show with music. When we embarked on this endeavor, we expected to focus on travel, food and photography. As it's turned out, the focus has been just that ... but in reverse - photography, food and travel. See, we'll photograph nearly anything - food that we eat, games that we play, children at the beach, machines of any sort, flowers and their residents, landmarks and landscapes, moon-rises and sunsets, and even light itself.
The Outer Banks of North Caroline
Photo © 2011 Claudia Ward taken with the iPhone using the Pro HDR App
This year has been quite a journey photographically as well as geographically. Peter and I traveled over 14, 500 miles. We drove the entire east coast from the east end of Long Island to Orlando, Florida, traversing Florida, and turning north to reach Memphis Tennessee. We crossed the states of Tennessee and North Carolina end-to-end (west to east), photographing some of this country's most beautiful scenery in the Great Smoky Mountains. When we reached the Atlantic Ocean, it felt like we'd returned home, for tidal waters are in our veins, and the days on the Outer Banks are now cherished memories. Early morning sunrises over the ocean, wild horses on the beaches, hang gliding from the dunes, and fish tacos are just a few of the things we captured in-frame. With tornadoes nipping at our heels from western Florida, to Memphis and eventually to eastern North Carolina, we headed home just hours before their destruction hit the locales we'd come to know and love. Atlantic City was our refuge from the storms, before returning to the calm, untouched East End.
Spanish Mustang on the Outer Banks
Photo © 2011 Claudia Ward
Thirty days and thirty nights, and 4,000 miles on the road gave us a tremendous, renewed appreciation for the beauty and diversity of this country we live in. A couple of hundred more miles were covered seeking out horses at Saratoga Springs in August. For one who isn't known as an animal lover, I do love photographing them. Whether in their stance or stride, they speak volumes to me and hopefully that is being captured by the lens. Finally, the balance of those miles (nearly 10,000) were accomplished by a trip to The Big Island of Hawaii, where we were able to photograph the incredible diversity of this island's landscape and all of its beauty from a helicopter.
Antique Hood Ornament
Photo © 2011 Claudia Ward
More locally, we visited Belmont Park just a week before the Stakes were run and attended the Hampton Classic Horse Show every single day it was held over Labor Day weekend. There were at least three Antique Auto Shows, one Road Rallye and a Mini Cooper Scavenger Hunt that we shot as well. Our beaches on the east end of Long Island are some of the most breathtaking in the country (right up there with North Carolina's) and we spent many happy hours either hip deep in snow in January or ankle deep in sand in August, capturing the undulating shapes of their dunes draped in snow or the power of their seas after a storm.
Light Painting for New Year's
Photo © 2011 Peter Tooker
The holidays that dot our calendars were also not ignored. Memorial Day is always an homage to the "Opening" of the Hamptons season. Flag Day, the 4th of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and the Christmas season were all duly noted and celebrated with photographs too.
Meaty Tomato painted by Barbara Andolsek
Let me also add, ever so humbly, that I have once again been thrilled that Barbara Andolsek continues to make paintings based on some of my photographs. Barbara and I have yet to meet but feel a friendship beyond pen-pals. Nearly 3,000 miles apart but with a shared appreciation for the beauty of the world around us, Barbara and I have forged a friendship that could only occur in this wonderful 21st century. It still astounds me at how incredibly open and selfless so many people are using the internet to connect, communicate, and share. I feel incredibly fortunate to be able to be a part of it.
The word "blog" is derived from the expression "web log", which originally was an online journal of sorts and has morphed, over time, into a platform for communicating and exchanging information and ideas. I want to thank you all for your enthusiasm and support over the last two years but more importantly for your participation - "communication and exchange" are exactly what has occurred when you've left comments for us, and you've made it just that much more fun and interesting.
So here is a slide show which represents a snapshot of Open-Window's second year. It's shorter than last year's and yet still longer than most at just under 10 minutes. Perhaps you can set aside a little time next Sunday morning. We've made this for you, to enjoy and remember a year that we shared, and for that I want to say with great sincerity "Thanks for the memories".
Photos & Slide Show by Claudia Ward & Peter Tooker © 2011
Music: Concerto in E-flat Major for Trumpet & Orchestra: 1. Allegro Con Spirito by Wynton Marsalis, National Philharmonic Orchestra & Raymond Leppard
P.S. Please feel free to leave a comment and let us know what you thought of year two and if there is something you'd like to see more of in the coming months.
Montauk Lighthouse at Christmas © 2011 Claudia Ward
Night photography and Christmas are a marriage made in heaven. Peter and I never knew that one of our favorite landmarks here on the east end of Long Island gets all decked out for the holidays until his cousin told us three days ago. So on Christmas Eve, my sister, nephew, husband and I drove out to eastern-most point on the island to see what kind of subject this would make for our nighttime photography class.
The Montauk Lighthouse was trimmed from head-to-toe in white lights and looked stunning in the blue hour atop it's small hillside overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
Photos and Slide Show ©2011 Claudia Danforth Ward
Music: "A Telegram" by Thomas Newman from the Soundtrack of Little Women
To see the highest quality slide show, click on the HD and then the words "watch this video in high def" and you'll be taken to Vimeo to see the slide show.
Happy holidays everyone!
Setting Moon in the Wishbone Tree © Claudia Ward
Nikon D60, 55-200mm zoom at 62mm, ISO 100, f/11 for 1/100 second taken at 7:07 a.m.
The day before a full moon, the moon does everything "before" the sun - it rises before the sun sets and it sets before the sun rises. On the day of a full moon, the moon and the sun rise and set very close to the same time, and the day after a full moon, the moon will rise and set nearly an hour after the sun. Thus it was on December 11th, as the sun was getting ready to appear on the eastern horizon, the moon was still quite high over the western horizon.
Setting Moon in the Arms of the Wishbone Tree © Claudia Ward
Nikon D 60 55-200mm at 55mm, ISO 100, f/11 for 1/100 second taken at 7:06 a.m.
We live on a tree-lined street on the east end of Long Island and directly across the street is a tree I have dubbed "the wishbone tree", for what I hope are obvious reasons. Over the years, I have enjoyed watching brilliant sunsets offset this tree in dark silhouette, and sometimes during the summer the sun even sets directly between its arms. Well, the moon is now nearly as far north as it's going to be and the morning after the full moon, it set directly between those arms.
Moon Setting During Early Morning Blue Hour © Claudia Ward
Nikon D90, 18-55mm at 22mm, ISO 200, f/14 for 10 seconds taken at 6:44 a.m.
These are the images I was able to capture, and one was even in the final moments of the blue hour! Let me know what you think.
Moon Rising over the Beach © Claudia Ward
Nikon D60, 200mm: ISO 200, f/11 for 1/100 second, taken at 4:05 p.m. EST
Once a month, the day before the full moon, the moon rises before the sun sets. Did you know that? I didn't consciously know it until this Night Photography eClass I've been taking with Kent Weakley. Sure I've seen the moon still in the sky early some mornings and thought "that's a little odd" but never did I focus on it as I have over the past week.
The full moon here was on Saturday Dec 10th, so to capture a sunlit landscape image with a nearly full moon in it, we packed up our tripods and gear and headed to the beach on Friday afternoon, to a wooden deck that straddles the sand dunes and provides a perfect panorama of the dunes, beach, ocean and hopefully, the moon.
Rising December Moon in the Hamptons © Claudia Ward
Nikon D60, 80mm: ISO 200, f/11 for 1/30 second, taken at 4:09 p.m. EST
The moon was scheduled to rise at 3:42 p.m. and the sun was scheduled to set at 4:21 p.m. so there was a 39 minute window in which we might be able to get a photograph of the rising moon in a well lit landscape. Well, 3:42 p.m. came and went; we saw nothing. There were a few cumulus clouds along the horizon but nothing anyone would consider cloud cover, so hope persevered. By 3:52 p.m., I was walking the beach, peering around dunes, to see what could be hiding our precious moon - to no avail. We checked our iPhone apps to reconfirm exactly where the moon should appear, and we knew it should be there.
Moon over the Hamptons © Claudia Ward
Nikon D90, 55mm: ISO 320, f/9.0 for 1/15 second, taken at 4:29 p.m. EST
It was nearly 4:00 p.m. before the moon made its appearance, just above the clouds, as a large pale white disk rising slowly in the sky. We were thrilled.
Rising Moon at Sundown © Claudia Ward
Nikon D60, 135mm: ISO 200, f/11 for 1/30 second, taken at 4:16 p.m. EST
The winds were brisk, off the ocean, and it was mighty cold on top of that platform, but Peter and I had a ball and kept shooting until the sky to the west was nothing but fiery orange and black. It was a challenge to firmly anchor the tripods but I think we got some good shots and hope you agree. This is the first post on "Shooting the Rising Moon", more to come.
Full Moon in December © Claudia Ward
Nikon D60, 200mm: ISO 200, f/5.6 for 1/100 second, taken at 4:20 p.m. EST
Let us know what you think and if you have any tips on shooting the moon, feel free to pass them along.
Shooting the moon at the beach on a cold winter's night.
That's me!
Sent from my iPhone
ISO 400 / f/5.6 / 30 SECONDS - TAKEN AT 5:17 P.M.
Did you know "the blue hour" comes from the French expression l'heure bleue, no wonder I'm falling in love with it. It refers to the period of twilight when there is neither full daylight nor complete darkness. A "blue hour" happens twice each day - once in the morning and once in the evening, and is a brief period of time (not an hour) when the quality of ambient light for photography is superb.
Without going in to too much detail, I should mention that there are three widely accepted subcategories of twilight and the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) defines them as follows:
The "blue hour" straddles the end of civil twilight and most of nautical twilight. To us lay-people, it's after sunset and usually when we would pack up our gear and go home, but we shouldn't for the best is yet to come.
I'm learning so much in this Night Photography eClass I'm taking with Kent Weakley. First I've learned that the "blue hour":
To get the best results shooting at this hour, you have to have a tripod, and a remote control or timer on your camera because your exposures can be very long. Some of mine went a full half minute, and many wanted to be even longer, and I could never have stayed still handheld for that long.
It's also a big help to have an app or two to help you pinpoint exactly when l'heure bleue will be. I've been using an app called "Daylight" for the last couple of years which shows exactly when the three twilights are on a twenty-four hour clock. (An added benefit is that it also shows the phase of the moon.) Kent introduced me to another app called The Photographer's Ephemeris (TPE) which is available for free for a computer and for a charge for handheld devices. Ephemeris, according to my very good friend Merriam-Webster, is "a tabular statement of the assigned places of a celestial body for regular intervals" which means it shows you where the sun and moon are or will be. Both are helpful tools if you want to capture l'heure bleue.
These are my first attempts at Blue Hour photography? What do you think?
ISO 200 / f/10 / 15 SECONDS - TAKEN AT 4:54 P.M.
ISO 100 / f/18 / 30 SECONDS - TAKEN AT 6:24 A.M.
ISO 100 / f/20 / 3 SECONDS - TAKEN AT 6:36 A.M.
You'll rightly note that the evening and morning shots were taken quite late. I'll get out much earlier the next time.
At the Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF) last night, "The Artist" was featured as one of the Spotlight films for the closing night.
Once or twice in a lifetime, you will go to the movies and find that when the lights have been turned down low, you are transported to another place or time, one you don't want to leave until you absolutely must. That was the experience I had in East Hampton last night. "The Artist" is a 2011 romance film directed by French auteur Michel Hazanavicius, starring Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo. The story starts in 1927 and is about a leading man in silent films who balks at the idea, let alone the reality, of talking films, and a young star-wanabe woman who falls for the charismatic leading man unwittingly. Not only is this striking film about the era of black and white silent films, but it is one!
"The Artist" is beautifully made. Everything about this film is magical. The acting, the directing, the art, the characters, and especially the music. You can't take your eyes off the screen nor do you want to. I can honestly say I have not enjoyed a festival film this much since the "Stand-ins" which was shown at the HIFF in 1997 and is a beautifully done period piece about stand-in actresses in the 1930s.
If and when you have an opportunity to see "The Artist" I highly recommend that you do. I believe you'll find yourself feasting on everything you see and hear, and wanting more, just as the audiences here did when they awarded "The Artist" with the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature. You might also be interested in knowing that Jean Dujardin won the Best Actor Award at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.
P.S. If you're in or near East Hampton today, Monday October 17, 2011, "The Artist" will be shown again in Theater 2 at 2:00 p.m.
Surfer Off Montauk © Claudia Ward; D90, 400mm, 1/1000 sec at f /5.6, ISO 200
Peter and I love to photograph outdoors, especially events like the Engine Run at Foster's Farm and the Antique Auto Show, but an especially favorite subject of ours is surfers. We've been shooting them now for several years, amateurs and pros, kids and old hippies - we don't discriminate because they're all interesting. The challenge in shooting surfers is obviously motion - the surfer's and the ocean's, and the objective is to stop it when something interesting is happening. Of the thousands of shots we've taken over the years, we probably have a handful that honestly and effectively stop the motion.
In Montauk, near the lighthouse, there's a park called Camp Hero and from the cliffs, which are at least 50 feet tall, you can look down on the surfers in Turtles Cove. A telephoto lense is a must and this day I was using my 120-400mm zoom lens - full out. My favorite setting for shooting surfers when I'm on the beach is the sport setting on my Nikon D90 which gives me the shutter speed to stop the action and a shallow depth of field which focuses attention on the surfer, so I used that setting here too.
Generally I'm pretty pleased with this shot - I was lucky that the barrel wave was breaking at the same time this surfer caught his wave - but we can always do better. What would I do differently next time? Well, given the distance between the surfer and my camera on top of the cliffs, I'd probably use a monopod for stability and perhaps turn off Auto Focus and switch to Manual - at least I'd give it a try. I also might go to Shutter Speed setting and try shooting at 1/500th instead of 1/1000th. Any suggestions?
Last Sunday, the Mini Cooper Club held a scavenger hunt in the Hamptons called MINIs Hunt the Hamptons. A friend told me about the event and said that she and her mother were going to participate and she encouraged us to come see what it was all about. So at 9:00 a.m. we were in the parking lot at Duck Walk Vineyards in Southampton watching a parade of Mini Coopers assemble to collect their maps and instructions for the day. We chatted with the event's organizers and they said we could join in if wanted to since there had been a few last minute cancellations. So we did!
The packet we received had a map of Long Island, a list of 14 items to be collected and a list of 21 questions to be answered by traveling the specific route outlined in detail in the materials. We had really come to photograph the event but now figured we could get some great shots if we got ahead of the pack and shot them arriving at a Town Landing, or turning a corner near the country club. This video/slide show highlights the day and underscores the enthusiasm of the Mini participants. The route took us from Southampton, through East Hampton, deep in to the woods of Amagansett, and back - on some roads that Peter hadn't traveled in 30 years. We think we got some fun shots and hope you agree.
Photos and Video by Claudia Ward & Peter Tooker
Slide Show compiled by Peter Tooker
Music: Notice Me by a local girl, Alexa Ray Joel
If you too are a Mini enthusiast, I'm sure you know the movie The Italian Job which was originally made in 1969 featuring Michael Caine and Noel Coward, and was remade in 2003 featuring Donald Sutherland, Mark Wahlberg, and Ed Norton, but in both movies the stars are the Mini Coopers. Peter's video clips of the parade of Minis rounding the corner near the Maidstone Club certainly bring this movie to mind.
It's been one week since my last post, that's a first in over a year and a half. One week ago today, we were bracing ourselves for Hurricane Irene which arrived in Tropical Storm form the following day leaving a path of destruction and outages in her path. Long Island was hit quite hard with downed trees every where, hitting houses, cars and power lines. We fortunately survived unscathed, however we did lose phone, TV, and my beloved internet on Sunday and just got it back, thus the reason for my silence. There are plenty of photos of the impact of Irene and its aftermath ... being worked on; however, the work is being interrupted by the Hamptons Classic Horse Show which began four days late due to the storm but is now underway and wonderful. So please be patient with this "gap"; I promise I'll be back to regular posts shortly. In the meantime, here's just a few images from the time of Irene.
All Boarded Up
Irene's Fury
Tattered But Not Torn
Hurricane Donna, Gloria, Bob and now Irene. These are the significant Atlantic hurricanes that I recall the most.
I was a young girl in 1960 when Donna came over Cape Cod. What I remember the most about that storm was my father piling us all into his "jalopy" during the eye of the storm to drive the loop in Chatham, to see the effects of the storm before it started up again. I recall the flooding, and branches and leaves being everywhere, but most of all I recall how calm it was compared to the hours before and the hours after.
For hurricane Gloria in 1985, I was on the island of Manhattan and being a true New Yorker at the time, I was, for the most part oblivious, although I did keep an eye on what was happening on the east end of Long Island where friends had a boat in Sag Harbor.
Hurricane Bob was the one that affected me physically the most. It was August in 1991, I lived on the east end of Long Island and ran a bed & breakfast in my home which was a former whaling captain's house. Tornadoes "touched down" in Noyac, just around the corner and winds brought down several very tall trees in my yard, just missing one of our cars. It also wreaked havoc with power lines and we were without electricity for over four days. Electricity was restored and the trees were cleared away (at an exorbitant price) just in time for the next weekend's guests. Whew!
And now, Irene. I have never heard such preparation for a storm of any sort. Between the Weather Channel and our politicians, they have truly convinced me of the danger that comes with this not-so-little lady, but I must say the anticipation is agonizing. We knew she was coming and every detail of her characteristics and quirks has been broadcast to advise, inform, and prepare us - I'm exhausted and she hasn't even reached us yet. The stores are empty now of the throngs of people who have emptied the shelves of water, flash lights, cereal, canned ravioli, paper towels and, of course, batteries. I'm looking forward to the end of this weekend (that's a first), when we'll know how the story ended.
Good luck to us all, and please stay safe.
1931 Ford Model 40 (5 Window Coupe)
Vintage cars in pristine condition parked amongst huge shade trees on a sunny summer day, that was the setting for the 5th annual Southampton Antique Auto Show held on the grounds of Rogers Mansion in Southampton, NY. This is the second year that Peter and I have attended this event and, to be honest, we didn't expect to see much that was different from last year, but we were pleasantly surprised. Of all the vehicles there, and there were between 25 and 30, we only recognized a hand full, a classic 1931 Ford Model A Sport Coupe with etched "no draft" windows, a sexy black 1953 Jaguar XK120 with red leather upholstery, a sky blue Chevy pickup truck with a custom cover, and a beautiful 1956 peacock blue Thunderbird convertible were among them.
The cars and trucks in the show spanned several decades - the '30's, '40's, '50's, and 60's to be exact - and we had a favorite in each. A 1934 Ford Model 40, 5 window coupe with a rumble seat and gorgeous light tan interior captured our attention straight away and we spent nearly an hour photographing it from every angle. The 1940 Ford Business Coupe with its bright yellow and orange flame-job and Mooneyes was eye catching to say the least; and, the 1951 Mercury Sport Coupe stood out with its shiny black and chrome engine, the red pin striping, the levered dash board, and of course, it's fuzzy dice. The 1965 red convertible Mustang just brought back memories!
One other vehicle stood out as special and deserving of special mention here and that was a very sweet 1931 viper-red Ford Roadster Pickup Convertible that just happens to be owned by a woman we met last year. Last year she showed an incredible satin yellow Kaiser Darrin with pocket doors from 1954. I can honestly say, I'm not sure which is my favorite, they are both unique unto themselves and truly classy classics. We can't wait to see what she brings next year.
So here is my slideshow from this year's antique auto show, I hope you find it as interesting and captivating as I did. Peter's compiling his as I write ... so please stay tuned.
Photos and slide show ©2011 Claudia Ward
Music: Swing Me High; Swing Me Low by Mark Isham from "A River Runs Through It Silverscreen Edition"
Saturday was the annual Southampton Antique Auto Show at Rogers Mansion and once again we had a wonderful time. Vintage cars in pristine condition, divine weather, and friendly people ... does it get any better than that in the Hamptons in the summer.
This is just a "sneak preview" ... tell me this isn't fun.
Is that a girl in our window?
This can't be flames in the engine ....
Slide show coming soon.
Cheers!
After a week of unending rain, the sun is shining and we're headed to the beach. Our picnic lunch is packed, our beach chairs are in the car, and the sail bag is chockablock with towels, books and, of course a camera or two. Wish you could join us.
Sisters at the Shore ©2011 Claudia Ward
Peter and I, and two very close friends went to the beach last evening to play, picnic, and enjoy the day's end. After weeks of watching our government representatives act like self-centered children who were never taught to "play nice in the sandbox" with the other children and a single day drop in the market of 500 points, we felt a strong need for some simple diversionary entertainment. Peter and I packed up the cool kites we bought in the spring when we were in Kitty Hawk, NC and hoped this would be the perfect evening for their inaugural flights. The wind was respectable when we left the house, so we were optimistic.
At the beach we set up our tables, poured some wine, enjoyed the yummy appetizers our friends brought and savored the cool, clean ocean air. As the concerns of the day faded so did the evening breeze, but not so completely that my ever-optimistic husband didn't try to make at least one of the kites airborne. Fortunately, we packed our sense of humor too, because it was entertaining watching his efforts to make them fly. Now we can look forward to flying our kites some other day.
Our picnic dinner was sliced grilled lamb in pita pockets with homemade tzatziki sauce, sliced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, and feta cheese, which was followed by an assortment of specialty brownies for dessert - mine was blond and had raspberry jam inside. With each of us now enjoying a wonderfully lazy satisfied feeling, the gents settled back into their beach chairs to chat.
Anxious to get my feet wet before dark, I asked my girlfriend to join me for a walk. We ambled along the beach, arm-in-arm, watching the twilight-sky turn pastel pink and blue, a lone surfer sitting on his board hoping for just one more ride before sundown, and the crescent moon become brighter in the sky as nighttime fell.
We had such a good time enjoying each other's company and the incredible natural beauty we have around us - all worries set aside. As the weekend approaches for the worker bees among you, I recommend you do the same - set your worries aside and enjoy where you are and who you're with - you can pick the worries back up again on Monday as you go out the door.
A week ago I posted a photograph of farm fields here in the Hamptons. I was attracted to the location because of the rolling hills of yellow flowers, next to the brilliant green of the corn field and the dark red barn, however I had absolutely no idea what the yellow flowers were. You all were great and made several suggestions including buckwheat, corn flowers, and mustard. Having checked these out, I've concluded that the flowers are indeed mustard. Thank you Linda!
One of the things I enjoy most about this blog is the variety of things I learn doing research for each post. I never know where it will take me, which is rewarding for me and hopefully entertaining for you. Well today's research has led me to learn a great deal about the agriculture of mustard, its various types, where they're grown, and their value in a number of cultures, but it also reminded me of something my father always said when we were growing up. If and when we were convinced that something we wanted to happen was not going to happen or if we were frustrated with our inability to accomplish something, he would always say, "Oh ye of little faith ... have faith, as in a mustard seed". Recalling this, I had to research it and find something about it's origins.
Well it appears that dear old Dad had religious training in the form of Bible study, and was familiar with the New Testament. "Oh ye of little faith" comes from the story in which Christ stills the Tempest (Matthew 8:26), and the Parable of the Mustard Seed likens the Kingdom of Heaven to a mustard seed, "which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, ..." (Matthew 13:31-32) So I guess Dad was trying to tell us that great things can come if only we have a little faith, for look what becomes of a tiny mustard seed.
But closer to what Dad paraphrased is, "If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ... nothing shall be impossible unto you." (Matthew 17:20) So Dad was trying to teach us not to be discouraged or disheartened but to have even the smallest amount of faith and we could accomplish anything.
Either way, these are both pretty good lessons, for just look what becomes of those mustard seeds!
By the way, I want thank you all for your kind thoughts after my recent tumble. All better, thanks.
Took a tumble a couple of days ago, so I'm working hard to be still and mend. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this image of the farm fields here in the Hamptons. Does anyone know what those yellow flowers are?
I changed my routine this week and I think for the better. Rather than toil at everything to do with photography from sunrise to sunset, I've set aside an hour or two every day, just for me. Late last week the northwest breezes were brisk and the air was dry, and I tucked myself away on the second floor deck in the lee of the roof to enjoy the warmth of the sun and read a good book. For an hour I basked in a comfortable chair, watching the new spring foliage move rhythmically with the wind out of the corner of my eye. I finished one book and started another as one day became two and then three.
Yesterday I moved this hour of R&R to the beach and what had been a single hour grew to two. The beaches here aren't crowded yet - that will come soon enough - and those who are on the beach are savoring every moment just as I am. I arrived just before 3:00 p.m. and reluctantly departed about 5:00 p.m. still wanting more of my book, the sea-breeze, and my colorful companions.
There was a family of four nearby - Mom was napping, Dad was reading and the two boys were entertaining themselves either digging their way to China or skidding across the shoreline on their boogie boards. A gay couple, obviously new to the sea, took pictures of each other standing in the waves that were lapping the shore. A tall beautiful single woman wearing a bikini, yet wrapped in a shawl ambled, along the beach lost in thought. A middle aged couple gingerly walked into the water holding hands - giggling and providing each other moral support before they plunged into the chilly sea. Three college-age guys played lacrosse near the dunes, and a single woman walked westward along the water's edge under a bright red umbrella, appearing to have not a care in the world.
© 2011 Claudia Ward, Painter's Filter applied in Photoshop Elements
I always thought I was fairly good at relaxing, fully appreciating the time I had off from work and making the most of my surroundings and the moment I was in, but I can honestly say I'm mastering it now. I'm pleasantly surprised by everything I find my senses appreciating at any point in time, whether it's the sweet smell of privet in bloom, the first light of dawn, the sight of cirrus clouds gliding across the sky, the feeling of cool crisp cotton sheets as I slip into bed, the weight of grandmother's silver in my hand, the taste of homemade chicken soup, or the smile on my husband's face each morning when he wakes. I truly find myself unintentionally relishing every moment and it's immensely gratifying.
... comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb, and this year I just have to believe that this,
is going to give way to this,
... sooner than we think.
Despite the cold, the snow drops (those tiny bell-like flowers I introduced you to last year) are beginning to blossom and the daffodils have broken ground. There's spring in my step just thinking about it.
The Lake Ronkonkoma Ice Boat and Yacht Club held their annual regatta on Mecox Bay in Watermill NY on the east end of Long Island this year. We'd had a pretty long cold snap and the ice was solid, smooth, and snowless - good conditions for ice boating and, in fact, all manner of ice entertainment. On the day of the races, it was a cold, clear day with winds accelerating during the day to possibly 25-30 mph. That's a bit too strong even for these rugged "hard-water" sailors, so they started early, hoping to get all of their races in before the winds were too strong - and they did.
By 8:30 in the morning, there were scores of boats on the ice. There were Scooters, Skeeters, J14s, and DNs for as far as the eye could see. (If you're interested in some of the history and a brief description of the types of boats, read the Addendum following the slide show.)
The Skeeters, J14s, and the DNs were racing this day. Among the Skeeters were boats named Glissando, Hypothermia, I-C-FUN, Mill Bug, Stinger, and On the Rocks - you "gotta" love those names. The DNs (that stands for Detroit News - more on that later) generally have numbers but Passion and Arctic Blast could be seen among their ranks.
Peter and I shot the entire regatta and more between 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Peter stayed on land, mounted his video and still cameras on tripods and got great footage and photos of all the action. I strapped our two Nikons around my neck, one with a 120-400mm telephoto zoom lens, and the other with my beloved 55-200mm, and hiked about a quarter of a mile out onto the ice, several yards from the mark. It was so much fun standing on the ice shooting these speed demons as they rounded the mark, often heeling as they did so. Six races were run and we got it all.
The slide show below is only a small representation of what the day and races were like. As mesmerizing as the races were, there was lots more to see. Scooters, one of which is called Big Mutha, came in and out throughout the day.
Numerous windsurfers were traversing the bay, avoiding the race course as best they could. One hardy, perhaps foolhardy, kite surfer spent an hour being pulling across the ice with a rudderless snow board strapped to his feet.
And, children were learning to ice skate and play hockey near the shore. These were some of the most entertaining and gratifying hours of our winter. Everyone was friendly and everyone was happy, perhaps none more so than me. After 5 hours on the ice, it was wonderful to return home to some hot cider and a warm roaring fire.
Photos and Slide Show ©2011 Claudia Ward
Music: The Rehearsal by Alexandre Desplat; Soundtract of the movie "The King's Speech"
Addendum: Source predominantly Wikipedia
The Scooter, (a.k.a. ice scooter or bay scooter) is a wide, stubby, scow-like boat used in the 1800s for transportation to and from lighthouses and for ice fishing. Parallel rails were mounted on the bottom, like sled runners enabling these vessels to simultaneously scoot across open "soft" water and stretches of ice. These boats have no rudder and are sailed solely by adjusting the main and jib sail trim.
Traditional stern-steerer boats (none shown here) were largely replaced by front steering boats in the 1930s following the development of this style by Walter Beauvois in a boat he called Beau Skeeter. That boat led to the Skeeter class, which adopted the logo of a mosquito on their sail, like On the Rocks in the slide show. There are sub-classes in the Skeeter class. Class A Skeeters are single seated, have masts in excess of 26 feet, a sail area limited to 75 square feet, and are the fastest skeeters around.
B class skeeters are two seat boats (side-by-side seating), with 23-25 foot masts like Just Add Ice seen in the slide show. C class skeeters have a single seat and are limited to a mast height of 20 feet 3 inches or less.
Some one-design classes have evolved in the C class and the J14 is one of those.
In 1937, The Detroit News sponsored a new home-buildable ice boat design, which became the International DN. The task given to each volunteer was to build a one-person boat with 60 square feet of sail that could be built quickly, was easy to sail, and showed excellent performance. The International DN is the most popular class of ice boat in both North America and Europe.
On my morning walk I pass by a horse farm and never find it dull to see what the horses are doing. In early spring, I watch them darting around their corrals seemingly showing off for a neighbor, and by late spring there's obvious flirting going on, but most often, that early in the morning, they're building their strength and eating. It's hard to distract them from that activity as you'll see in the attached photos.
Misty Morning © 2010 Claudia Ward
I've been watching this filly for a year now and have fallen in love with her eyes and scruffy, uncombed mane. She's short and determined, a combination for which I have a natural proclivity. She's always in the corner corral which gives me twice the opportunities to photograph her at good advantage. The corral, like most out here, has two fences which makes it a challenge to get a photograph of any horse without one and a half to two fences in it. But this morning, Misty Morning, found the greener grass to be outside the first fence, and she was determined to get it. I watched her successfully munch her way down the west fence and all along the south fence, reaching her head as far through the first fence as possible, to get to the sweet longer grass that grew just beyond.
Misty Morning © 2010 Claudia Ward
I think, at the end of the day, these photos demonstrate her determination and personality.
A Hungry Misty Morning ©2010 Claudia Ward
Just FYI: Peter applied HDR processing to each of these single photographs.
The bay was frozen solid this past week and there were ice boat races all day Saturday. This is but a preview of coming attractions for you. Enjoy.
Ice Boating on Mecox Bay © 2011 Claudia Ward
Everyone knows that the weather has been wreaking havoc across the country. Wild snow storms, nor'easters and blizzards have struck time and time again this year, blowing all previous records for snow fall and destruction "out of the water". Well in the midst of all of this extreme weather, extreme beauty can still be found ... we hope you agree.
Photo ©2011 Claudia Ward All Rights Reserved
Opened in the mid-1920s, the Candy Kitchen is an institution in the village of Bridgehampton New York. It's a throwback to the days of yore, when soda fountains and diners were the places to go. A family run business offering breakfast, lunch and dinner-in season, the Candy Kitchen is the anchor of the west-end of Main Street. The food is simple and good, and the service is always friendly. Whether you order a hamburger, a reuben, an omelet, or a greek salad - you will be pleased, especially if you accompany it with an ice cream soda or a malted milkshake, made with their homemade ice cream. They even offer a lime rickey in the summer. You can sit at the counter on a swivel stool or in a booth, and if you have a little one in tow, they have booster seats - remember those!
It warms my heart every time I pass the Candy Kitchen because it just goes to show that not everything has to change.
On the run, digging out from our last storm, and getting as many pictures as possible.
Photo ©2011 Claudia Ward All Rights Reserved
There's a beach there somewhere, right?
Do you know that, once upon a time, I ran a bed and breakfast in a large whaling captain's house on the east end of Long Island. That was at the time of my first departure from NYC - the one done of my own volition. The town doubled my real estate taxes five days after I quit my job and suddenly it was going to be a challenge to find that $6,000 every year. As I was the only one rambling around this five bedroom house, that also had a front and back parlor, a den and a large country kitchen, a friend suggested that I run a B&B to help make the ends meet, and so I did for three years.
Corwin House, as it was called was named after Captain Corwin, the last whaling captain to sail a whaling ship out of Sag Harbor, and was perfectly structured to be a B&B. The guests had their living space downstairs as well as upstairs, as did I - separate, yet together. I met some lovely people and particularly enjoyed the guests who returned, season to season. The guests seemed to enjoy the house, it's location and the grounds.
The experience of running a Bed & Breakfast was rewarding but also challenging. I was in the best shape of my life when I ran that business. The laundry was in the basement and all of the bedrooms were on the second floor, so there was a lot of stair climbing when rooms turned over. One guest, when settling his account in the kitchen one day asked, "Where's your dishwasher?" I replied, "Your looking at her." And, another guest asked who maintained the beautiful lawn, which was a clean acre of mow-able grass. I told her that I did - with my 26" semi-automatic pushable lawn mower. On my best day it took me 2 hours and 53 minutes to cut the grass. You work very hard to earn a dollar in the Bed & Breakfast business.
The really fun part was breakfast. Muffins were the specialty of the house, served with homemade jams, lemon curd, and strawberry butter and large mugs of hot coffee or tea. Sundays were special; every Sunday morning I made popovers, which were anticipated anxiously by returning guests. I had one guest who would come down early and sit quietly at the dining room table just so he could be there exactly when the popovers came out of the oven.
Bran Muffins were one of the favorites at Corwin House and I'm sharing the recipe with you here. Today I added ¾ cup fresh cranberries and the zest of one orange. Enjoy.
The Best Bran Muffins
Makes 12 regular muffins
2 large eggs
¼ cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup milk
¼ cup canola oil
1½ cups wheat bran cereal (not extra fiber)
½ cup oat bran (found in cereal or health food section of store)
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
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Apples abound at this time of year, and we know what they say about those apples. "An apple a-day, keeps the doctor away." Little did we know when we learned that rhyme, that it was really true. We are very fortunate in this country to have the ability to grow many different varieties of this "forbidden" fruit.
Growing up with only good-old-McIntosh and every so often a Red Delicious, I never knew there was such a diversity in the taste and texture of apples. Now I know, some are sweet, some are tart, and some combine the two; and, some are really crisp, and others just melt perfectly in to a pie. It's quite an adventure to learn the characteristics of each apple ... but one well worth taking.
The 18th annual Hamptons International Film Festival is just winding down. Peter began going to it in 1992 and we've watched it grow and mature year-by-year. This year films were shown on five consecutive days starting last Thursday and ending today, in theater venues from Montauk to Southampton.
We've always enjoyed the spirit around the festival. The people who are attracted to the festival are obviously artistic and/or film lovers, and they're here to promote and/or view independent films. They may be beautiful people but they don't come with the same attitudes that some of our summer visitors do. In between films, the restaurants and bars are filled with excited participants, eager to talk about the films they just saw and eager to hear about what you just saw. Queuing up for the next film, everyone is abuzz in line sharing their reviews - good and bad - of the works they've seen. The cool autumn air, the clear blue fall-sky, and the crunching fallen leaves under foot - all add significantly to the enjoyment of this long weekend.
One of the special events each year is called "A Conversation with ..." The first year of the festival Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorcese were the featured guests, and since then we've seen Richard Dreyfuss (joined on an impromptu basis by Rod Steiger), Harvey Keitel, Robert Atlman, Kyra Sedgwick & Kevin Bacon, and Vanessa Redgrave. Sadly we missed the conversations with Isabella Rossellini and James Franco this year, but the chatter in line at The Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor was that both were captivating. We were in line for the final "Conversation with ..." - Stanley Tucci. The conversation was funny and enlightening. Tucci says he's not a star and may never be one, but he is an actor who listens, builds characters, and conveys wonderful stories to an audience. He loves the work whether acting or directing, and particularly likes the "independent" work - thanking the audience and festival today for supporting independent filmmakers.
Photo of video of Stanley Tucci and NY Times Interviewer at HIFF 2010 by Peter Tooker
The final film we saw this year was "And Everything Is Going Fine", directed by Steven Soderbergh, which is a documentary tribute to playwright/actor/monologist Spalding Gray. If you don't know Gray's work, seek it out (Swimming to Cambodia, Monster in a Box, and Gray's Anatomy, amongst others). His monologues may be considered an acquired taste but are unique works done with perspective and humor. Those of you who know me may say this sounds a bit unusual for what you might consider my tastes. Well, first of all, remember I love words and Spalding had a way with words, and secondly, remember, he bought my house in North Haven.
Foster Farm sponsored the Fields of Power Engine Run this year which we enjoyed two days in a row. This is a fully operational farm raising corn, grain, vegetables, potatoes, and apparently, chickens. The walk in to the event passed a fenced-in area filled with chickens and this sign. It simply caught my fancy.
Residents of Foster Farm
Ever try to catch a chicken?
The Hamptons don't appear to be any worse for wear post Earl, hurricane Earl that is. For all the alarms that were rung and alerts that were sent out, it really passed the east-end of Long Island with only some rain, minor flooding and higher than normal tides. Peter and I were hoping that the waves would be significant for photos and/or surfing shots, but that was not to be, so we photographed food shots indoors instead. Stay tuned.
This is what Sagg Main looked like this morning. Needless to say those beach fences do bear the brunt of every storm, but then again, that's why they're there.
@2010 Claudia Ward
A dear, dear friend of mine joined me recently on my morning walk and typically our conversation went on many many tangents - family, friends, work, unemployment, the city, the future, the past and the ever-present now. "Now" encompassed planning for a vacation, where best to get dry-cleaning done, apartment hunting in the city, and how to cook corn-on-the-cob off the cob.
I jumped excitedly to answer her question, "I have the best recipe for sautéed fresh corn!" "Well," I said, "to be honest, it's the Barefoot Contessa's recipe, but I promise I'll do a post so you can have it."
"Please do" she said.
So true to my promise here it is my friend, the very best sautéed fresh corn I (and you) will ever have.
© 2010 Claudia Ward ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Sautéed Fresh Corn¹
(Serves 3-4)
4 ears of corn on the cob
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
==================================
Photos & Slideshow: © 2010, Claudia Ward, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Music: "Steam Engine" by Patrick Dyle from soundtrack of Sense & Sensibility
Some of my fondest memories of growing up on Cape Cod center around the water - being on it, in it and near it. Every year, sailing school was part of the "keep-the-kids-busy-and-out-of-trouble" summer curriculum which is now part of my "on it" and "in it" memory bank. As tedious as it was to be sitting on the sandy floor of the one room clubhouse on rainy days looking at a blackboard with pictures of sailboats at different points of sail, it was great fun to be under way, zipping around the harbor, learning to race, and what to do when you capsized. It was guaranteed that you'd be "in it" at least once a summer as there was one class specifically dedicated to intentionally capsizing your boat in the harbor to see if you could right it!
Sailing gives young people an incredible sense of independence and responsibility. Peter and I just happened to be at the Shelter Island Yacht Club (SIYC) recently when the Opti Sailing School launched into the crowded harbor. What memories it brought back and what joy I got from snapping pictures as fast as I could of Splash, Tigger, Speed, Zepher, Max's Odessey, White Fang, Rubber Ducky and, my personal favorite, Sunny Side Up.
The Optimist-Pram is less than 8 feet long and has been designed for "juniors" to learn the basics of sailing. I sailed and raced these "tubs" at sailing camp and had a ball. It was so much fun watching these kids launch, maneuver around the moored boats and each other, and get under way to leave the harbor. Oh to be a kid again!
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