Open Window

Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day, one and all.

Open Window's Second Year

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.

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving from Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Sent from my iPhone

Reflections: Veteran's Day Flag 11/11/11

 
Reflection of a Veteran's Day Flag 11/11/11

Veteran's Day - a day to remember and thank all veteran's who have protected this wonderful country of ours and the freedom that we should all cherish. We thank you all ... for all of your sacrifices, because we know that they were not small.

 

Happy 4th of July

Happy 4th everyone. Enjoy the holiday and stay safe.

 

Flag Day

June 14th is Flag Day in the United States commemorating the day, in 1777, that the Second Continental Congress adopted the stars and stripes as the flag of these united states. Who designed the original flag is subject to great dispute despite us all being told in grade school that it was Betsy Ross. It is clear that Ross was probably one of several who made flags for our young country.

As historian and author Laurel Thacher Ulrich wrote:

There is really no point in arguing over who made the first flag because there wasn't one. The stars and stripes that we know today had multiple parents and dozens of siblings. True, on June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress passed a cryptic resolution specifying that "the flag of the United States be 13 stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be 13 stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation," but nobody specified the shape of the flag, the arrangement of the stars, or the ratio of the canton to the field. 

An early design of the U.S. flag is now known as the "Betsy Ross flag" and had a field of 13 alternating red and white stripes with a blue canton holding a circle of 13 five-pointed stars - one star for each colony. The distinctive feature of the Ross flag was the arrangement of the stars in a circle, symbolizing no colony would be viewed above another.

Personally I believe our flag is one of the most attractive and love seeing it unfurling in the wind. Americans' pride in the stars and stripes and all they have come to mean is evident wherever you look - on city skyscrapers and country gates, on metropolitan bridges and dinghy docks, on Corinthian columns and even on a veteran's bicycle.

 Photos and slide show ©2011 Claudia Ward
Music: The Star Spangled Banner by The American Military Band

These are just a smattering of places I've seen and enjoyed our flag. How about you?

 

Memorial Day Weekend

Memorial Day Weekend marks the opening of the "summer season" in the Hamptons - those who rent houses can take possession and those who own, aired theirs out weeks ago. The variety of people who decide to claim the Hamptons as their own for the summer is endless. Established Wall Street and corporate business types gravitate to the Hamptons to socialize together and with those in the arts and film. Middle aged couples and singles seek out the peace and relaxation that comes from removing themselves from the day-to-day grind of suburban commuting and/or city living. Young couples are attracted to the beach and barbecues, and all that means for their growing families. And the recently graduated singles find the singles-scene irresistible, as they gather to look one another over to find some fun and maybe a mate. 

These seasonal interlopers come in every size and shape, and are endlessly entertaining to observe. Some are decked out in designer wear, others supplied by Target. Some wear leather high-heeled sandals and others find plastic more to their liking. Sneakers may be pitch-black, and top-siders may be blue. Luggage could even have initials of its own. 

Every year Peter and I consider the arrival of the LIRR Cannonball train to be the official start of the season. For nearly two decades, you'd find me on that train every Friday of the year - the 3:58 p.m. out of Penn Station, arriving "on or close" to 6:15 p.m. in Bridgehampton. Once Memorial Day comes around, the railroad doubles the size of the train, from six double-decker cars to twelve, to accommodate the throngs, requiring the train to stop twice in every station. I used to strategically plan exactly where to sit in order to get off the last of the first six cars to stop, which would place me at the top of the stairs, for a quick and "painless" get-away.

The diversity of the crowds on the Cannonball was, and is, always amazing, but their excitement in anticipation of the summer to come and being in the Hamptons is palpable. They arrive on the same train and depart to their various corners of our world in everything from Mercedes to Volkswagen's - always anxious and eager to get under way. The pandemonium they create as they disembark the train in each station by the hundreds, never lasts long - generally not more than twenty minutes or so, but we find it immensely entertaining and worthy of recording - so here is a second year's recording of Friday night's arrival of the Cannonball in Bridgehampton.

 Photos and slide show ©2011 Claudia Ward
Music: Linus and Lucy by Vince Guaraldi

So what do you think?

 

Valentine's Day

A day to celebrate love - new and old. 

Happy Valentine's Day everyone.

Green Beans with Toasted Walnuts and Dried-Cherry Vinaigrette

I love this new trend of using vinaigrettes on cooked vegetables which you can find nearly everywhere these days. The vinaigrette replaces the more commonly used butter and brings with it a lot more flavor and texture to complement the primary vegetable. Perusing November's bon appétit, I found this recipe for Green Beans with Toasted Walnuts and Dried-Cherry Vinaigrette. I made it for Thanksgiving and it was declared "A Repeat" which in our family vernacular means, "Please, make it again".

Finding dried cherries was a bit of a challenge and worth the search, but if you can't find cherries, I'd imagine that dried cranberries or even golden raisins might be acceptable substitutes. Toasting the walnuts is simple, just place them in a dry skillet and toast over a medium-high flame for 3-5 minutes, shaking the skillet to toss or turn the nuts. Do not leave the nuts, for they can burn. These beans can be made a day ahead, are delicious served at room temperature or chilled, and are great left over. So what's not to like about that?

Green Beans with Toasted Walnuts and Dried-Cherry Vinaigrette
Makes 8 Servings 

⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
⅓ cup minced shallots
3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons Sherry wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
⅓ cup dried tart cherries
1½ pounds trimmed slender green beans (such as haricot verts)
½ cup walnuts, toasted, chopped
=======================================

• Whisk first 7 ingredients together in a small bowl. Mix in the dried cherries; set aside. DO AHEAD: Vinaigrette can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill. Bring to room temperature; rewhisk before using.
• Fill large bowl with water and ice; set aside. Cook green beans in a large pot of boiling salted water or steam them, until crisp-tender, 3-4 minutes (or more if you prefer). Drain. Transfer beans to bowl with ice water; cool. (This step stops the cooking and intensifies the color of the vegetable.) DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap beans in paper towels; enclose in a resealable plastic bag and chill. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before continuing.
• Toss green beans, walnuts, and vinaigrette in large bowl. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Serve.

If you need another vegetable for the holiday side board, try these, they will not fail you.

 

Holidays In New York

Everything dresses up for the holidays in New York - the buildings, the boats and of course, the Christmas Trees. Dressing the columns of the New York Stock Exchange in lights depicting the American Flag began in 2001 - the Christmas after 9/11 and continued for eight years. That became one of my favorite holiday decorations, especially because it was in "my hood". The South Street Seaport puts christmas trees on all of the tall ships and even some tugs, elegant Fifth Avenue shops wrap themselves up as gigantic presents or cinch themselves in golden belts, and of course, Rockefeller Center brings out life-size toy soldiers to herald the season's Greetings.

When we posted Harbour Lights earlier this week, a friend who is a former New Yorker and now an ex-pat in the English countryside, said she'd "love to see some more shots of the city at holiday time." Well, this one's for you Deb, I hope you enjoy them.

  Photos ©2006 Claudia Ward
Music: Guillâume, prends ton tambouri by The Christmas Revels

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to one and all!

Apple-Sausage Stuffing

Everyone loves the traditions of holiday meals, but each generation likes to put their own spin on the traditional classics, at least that's the way I felt years ago when I first began hosting holiday gatherings in my home. Stuffing is one of these classics and in our family it was always very simple - day old bread with sautéed onions and celery, melted butter, and poultry seasoning.

When I ran across this recipe for Apple-Sausage Stuffing years ago, I couldn't resist. Who doesn't like sausage, apples, bacon, and mushrooms? Answer ... my father, oh well. Everyone else has loved this version of the stuffing classic. I made it yesterday and Peter couldn't keep his spoon out of the pot. This recipe is easy and the results are yummy whether you stuff a bird or cook it outside in a casserole. If you're looking for a variation on a theme, try this one - you won't be disappointed.

Apple-Sausage Stuffing
Makes enough stuffing for a 10-to-12 pound turkey

1 pound link sausage
10 slices of bacon
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
½ pound mushrooms, sliced
2 apples, cored and diced (hard apples like Red Delicious)
1 cup chopped parsley
1 teaspoon each sage and ground thyme
1 loaf (1 pound) firm-type white bread cut into 1-inch cubes
2 cups of chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste
=======================================

• In a medium-size stock pot, fry bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towel, cool and then crumble. Drain off some, but not all, of the bacon fat.
• Add sausage to the pot and brown on all sides. Remove sausages and cut into 1-inch pieces. 
• Return the bacon and sausage to the pot.
• Add onion, celery, mushrooms, apples, parsley, and herbs. Sauté; stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
• Stir in the bread cubes and chicken broth.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Pour mixture into a bowl, cover and cool.
• Stuff turkey, loosely (do not pack it in tightly), with the mixture just before placing in the oven. Stuff body and neck cavities; sew or skewer openings. Tie legs together and turn wings under body. Cook turkey according to your preferred method or place stuffed turkey on a rack in a roasting pan and roast in a preheated moderate oven (350℉) for 20 minutes to the pound. N.B. Once the turkey is cooked, remove all of the stuffing from the bird, never leave it inside the bird ... you don't want to get sick.
• If you'd rather not stuff a bird, spoon the stuffing into a well greased 2-quart casserole and place in the oven along with the turkey for the last hour of cooking.

 

Harbour Lights in Downtown New York

Downtown New York holds a special place in my heart, as many of you know. It just suits all my sensibilities - the narrow streets, the architecture, the history, and easy access to views across the waters of the Hudson River, New York Harbor, and the East River. Perched above the East River, set deep in the South Street Seaport, is one of my favorite places in all of New York - Harbour Lights, a restaurant with one of the all time best views in the city, hands down.

Harbour Lights is on the third floor of Pier 17, tucked securely into the northeast corner of the building. Peter and I have been going to Harbour Lights for years and were so glad when we saw it reopen after 911. We've loved sitting out on the deck on a summer day, enjoying a lobster salad but even more enjoying the panoramic view of Brooklyn, the river with its three southern bridges - the Brooklyn, the Manhattan and the Williamsburg, and lower Manhattan. Spectacular on any day, this view is breathtaking at night when all the lights of these burroughs and bridges come up, and on a crisp evening around the holidays, there's no more festive location. Harbour Lights dresses itself elegantly in garland and white lights in December, but never seems to detract from the city just beyond it's picture windows. 

Peter and I met friends here last week and of course Peter came with cameras in hand. He couldn't wait to see how HDR (High Dynamic Range) photography would reveal parts of the city we both love. We sincerely hope you feel the festiveness of the holiday season in downtown New York.

 

Photos @2010 Peter Tooker; Slide Show by Claudia Ward & Peter Tooker 

New York's Thanksgiving Day Parade

I have lived in New York City, on the island of Manhattan, for 27 of my adult years, and in all that time I attended Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade only once, just two years ago, and boy did that make me regret not going before! I'd heard many a friend talk about seeing the balloons being inflated on the upper west side the evening before, and the incredible joy and excitement that is in the air on the day of the parade, but none of that ever enticed me away from watching the parade on television, as I have every year of my life. What a shame because I can honestly say it was one of the most wonderful experiences ever. 

I polled a number of people in advance to determine where it would be best to stand. Hating crowds and not being very tall, I was hoping to find a vantage point that would afford us a fairly unencumbered view and the ability to photograph the floats, balloons, and, of course, Santa and his sleigh coming to town. I know I was asking a lot, but a girl can hope. The best advice we thought we'd received was to go up to the 70's, get on the park side of Central Park West and perch on top of one of the gigantic rocks - that would separate us from the crowd and create a good vantage point.

On Thanksgiving morning we targeted to be on the upper west side about an hour before the parade started which was a mistake. The subway left us on the west side of the avenue and there was absolutely no way to cross Central Park West; it was completely barricaded off and lined with police. We meandered north along Columbus Avenue which runs parallel to the parade route and saw the balloons queued up along 77th Street on the south side of the Museum of Natural History. Thinking we might be able to cross to Central Park if we continued walking north, we eventually came across the another queue of balloons along 81st Street. But it was still painfully evident that we weren't going to be allowed to cross to the park. We didn't know it immediately but eventually it became clear that we were smack dab in the middle of the staging area for the entire parade.

You see, the parade starts at 77th Street and Central Park West, and all of the floats and people stand at the ready along Central Park West, and the balloons float patiently together along 77th and 81st Streets. Faced with impenetrable crowds of clowns, jesters, pirates, cowboys, elves, dolls, band members, and balloon handlers, and hearing the announcers starting the parade, we stopped in our tracks and looked around, and to our immense satisfaction found that we were inside the grounds of the Museum of Natural History at the corner of 81st and Central Park West. From here we could see over half of the parade's participants waiting to be called to "Join the Parade". It was wonderful watching all these characters "before the curtain went up". We saw two cherry pies sharing breakfast from a paper bag and another one taking pictures, two brightly clad clowns dancing together under the sun, and the Raggedy Andys admiring Kermit the Frog as he turned from 81st Street. 

Set back from Central Park West and 81st Street, we could watch and photograph the happenings on each with not a single soul in front of us to impede our view or dampen our joy. So we hope you enjoy the slide show of that wonderful morning - but remember it's still no substitute for the real thing. There's real magic in the air in New York, New York on Thanksgiving morning - try to experience it at least once in your life time.

 Photos and Slide Show ©2010 Claudia Ward; Peter Tooker, Production Assistant

Music: New York New York by the Broadway Kids

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! 

Happy Easter

Photo by Peter Tooker 2010 ALL RIGHT RESERVED 

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day to all of you young (and older) lovers out there! 

This is the window of one of our favorite local restaurants, all dressed up to mark this holiday.