acorn harvest

So I have been working on a month long freelance tv styling job.  It has been fun, different, and is a lot of intense work...it's also been nice to be back around the tv world again.   This weekend however, I took a little break and had some time to relax.  On Sunday morning Tom, (my husband), and I went walking in one of our favorite places, which we happen to live right down the street from, The Ward Pound Ridge Reservation.  The reservation is part of the Westchester County Parks, and is over 4000 acres of beautifully preserved land.  When I woke up on Saturday, I noticed how all the leaves had really changed. Almost overnight it seemed like autumn arrived!   As we started into the reservation, it wasn't the only the leaves we were noticing, but below out feet and as far as we could see, the ground was covered with acorns!  It was as if someone layed down a lovely carpet of fresh acorns for us to walk on.  Now I don't know if you remember, but only 2 years ago, there was an actual acorn shortage in the East Coast; so the the abundance this year is pretty amazing and quite satisfying to see!  I loved looking at all the different species of acorns.  We also collected many that were in good shape and of proper size to use for my felted jewelry and holiday ornaments.  When I returned home, I placed the acorns we collected out on my front porch in a basket to dry.  Later that afternoon I noticed a "friend" stop by to inspect my bounty!  I suppose he was as excited as I was by the fruits of the season :)

maps of the park are available and trails are well marked

this was my favorite acorn...i thought it looked like a cute house

perfect caps for crafting!

even acorns change colors...who knew?

caught in the act!

early autumn inspiration

On a late summer walk; I started to think about autumn.  It was something about the smells, the sounds, and of course, the sights, that could only make me think...autumn was soon approaching.  As the autumn equinox is now upon us, I am posting some of the photos I took that day.

i'm feeling inspired...i hope you are too ♥

storm king art center

My husband and I recently made a visit to the Storm King Art Center in Mountainville, NY.  Nestled within the beautiful Hudson Valley, Storm King is an outdoor sculpture museum that stretches over 500 acres of lawns, fields, meadows, and woodlands.  We had a beautiful day to visit.  It was a warm summer day with lingering clouds, but every once in a while a sweet breeze swept through.  Armed with the map (which was helpful, but could use a little bit of revising), Tom and I chose to walk the grounds to get what we felt was optimum viewing of the sculptures.  For those less adventurous, or when you get worn out (remember the grounds are vast!), Storm King does offer a tram service running through designated areas and also offers bike rentals.  Don't forget to pack a picnic lunch and take advantage of one of the many shaded picnic tables under the beautiful old trees on site (they also have a cafe if you forget your basket!)


I must admit, it was hard to keep "on course".  Everywhere I looked there are sculptures peeking out and beckoning me to come visit.  Some sculptures seemed to blend right in to the environment, some popped right out, and others had a unique balance between the two.  Looking back at my photos, about a month now since we visited, I am eagerly anticipating my next visit to Storm King.   I can't wait to view the sculptures again at a different time of day, with fresh light, and a changed season.  Exciting viewing opportunities await!

this tree/bark sculpture looks so real we were not even sure it was a sculpture at first!

andy goldsworthy, storm king wall

maria elena gonzalez, you & me, platforms are part of an interactive conceptual work

love this: roy lichtenstein's, mermaid

one of the newest sculptures just found a permanent home at storm king, it was actually still being installed and an opening ceremony is being planned for the fall.  zhang huan, three legged buddha

dad's garden

nelle...my dad's right hand dog & garden mascot

My dad is a retired art teacher.  He is also an amazing organic gardener and has a wonderful garden, or small farm, as we prefer to call it.  My father has always been my greatest influence and inspiration when it comes to the arts and I am now following in his footsteps in the art teaching field.  Gardening however...not so much my forte.  Lucky for me, my father's garden is huge and bursting with plenty of home grown goodies to share!  This summer, as most, he has been very fortunate to have harvested so many brilliant vegetables.  Each week I get the call, email, or even a text, with the "weekly specials".  A few weeks ago I stopped by my parent's house to pick up my weekly produce and decided to help with the harvest.  I was on my way to spend the weekend with friends, so I was sure to take lots of extra goodies, as my friends also know to put in their farm requests from my dad's garden.  Nothing beats local, organically grown produce.  I did take a few photos while I was there.  Some on my 
i-phone and some with my new Diana camera.  I am still trying to master the Diana camera, but I am really beginning to like the results!

can you believe how tall this sunflower is?

nelle always stays on the garden paths...amazing!

My bounty the week I was there consisted of broccoli, tomatoes, basil, parsley, eggplant, yellow squash, zucchini, cabbage, garlic (dried and ready to use), corn, zinnias, and sunflowers.  Excellent ♥

the cows of burlington

On a recent trip through Burlington, Vt., I was taken by the sweet, decorated cows that adorned the downtown area. I found out the project is called The Cows Come Home to Burlington and it is a street art program created not only to generate tourism in the area, but also give recognition back to the local artists.  The cows were originally unpainted, fiberglass "blank canvases", which were sent to local artists to paint, collage, and basically decorate in any way they desired!  The cows will remain on view through October 11, 2010, and after, the cows will be auctioned off.  Partial proceeds go towards the Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger, "a statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to hunger prevention through expanding access to nutrition programs that nourish Vermont’s children and families through education and advocacy".

lady mumzy

lacey the cow

rosie

cowphoria

maybe you'd like to find one of these sweet cows a new, permanent home? 

♥