St. Lucia Vol. 6.1 - Return of the Photographer

Sunday was the whole reason I came down to St. Lucia. No, not the mango fest, but HD's grandmother's 80th birthday. It was held at the Lucian-owned and operated Bay Gardens Resort (best hotel on the island!!) and I was the photographer. This had many benefits. I didn't have to dance and people were very insistent that I get food or would get it for me. The day started off at an open-air church in...St. Lucia. I truly believe open-air is the way to go, and having gone to so many churches in my life (4) I'm definitely an expert on this. It was very peaceful, at the top of a hill, and the breeze was able to flow through, as were the sounds of nature and the sun. Many things happened that I didn't understand, an altar boy waved the incense holder back and forth and once again, I was denied Communion. The more I'm told no, the more I want it!

The birthday party itself was a tremendous hit and a great time was had by all. I learned there's definitely a sense of humor translation in the Caribbean, and it's more than not just being able to speak patois. How did I learn this? Because not everyone I met immediately agreed I was the funniest person they knew. I'm very scientific.

This was also the first day I really felt like I was back in St. Lucia, surrounded by people I met and adored from the first trip 3 years ago. HD and I had gotten it wrong. It wasn't the things we did in St. Lucia the first time, but the people I met and the love I felt when they took us in. It was the culture and the people and the food, not the resorts and the beaches, that made me love the island.

Now, even though not much had changed in my life, it felt like I'd entered a time warp. Three years was just a drop to me, but it seemed to have aged the entire island. It hurt my soul to hear people who were so generous to me, invited me into their homes, were struggling. Despite fresh tropical fruit falling into your hands as you walk, island life isn't as easy as we tend to romanticize it.

Pretty Pretty Flower: The Prequel

Going back in time, these are my daffodils, which logically bloom before tulips (that's what daffodil means in Latin), apricot tree in blossom, yellow crocuses and some other plant growing next to me. So really, I can't take any credit for that first photo's plant being pretty.

Pretty Pretty Flowers

Last fall, my mom bought me some Dutch tulip bulbs at the Dutch Appreciation Month festival. I was nervous about planting them, because I'd never tried to grow bulbs before, I don't have a great track record with flowers for some reason, and the Dutch scare me a little. However, the results were wonderful, with beautiful purple, red and yellow blooms.







Also, wisteria.

Man At Work

Updating my blog, taking photos, eating dinner and sleeping have all taken a backseat to working over the past month and a half. I'm still trying to get adjusted to working full time again (first full time job in the last two and a half years), along with teaching the SAT nights and weekends. I figure to make a lot of money now, then hibernate through next year's winter. It's been a very strange time though, as I went from working 06, 07 hours a week to the mirror image of 60 to 70 hours a week. Sacrifices need to be made, unfortunately, and that's resulted in both my blogs not being published as frequently, and a 17% loss in humor as well. On the positive side, check out this awesome ID and the swank suit!

Two Blogs for the Price of One!

What a deal! Now you can read about my exploits on this blog while viewing my photos on THIS ONE. And probably still on here as well. I'm not even sure if you guys deserve a treat this awesome. Must be in a good mood. Everyone, you're welcome.

It's a new year, and many exciting changes will be occurring. Mostly to other people, however. I've decided I need a better outlet for my photography work, so I can differentiate between my serious side and the side that continues to make HD and my mom laugh.

Stay tuned for more HUGE news and updates. Seriously, don't leave this website. Please.

Thanksgiving Tales

For the second year in a row, due to bad timing, my family and I couldn't continue our old tradition of traveling to Medford, Massachusetts for Thanksgiving with my mom's entire family. Instead, we've begun a new tradition, eating turkey and traditional foods (screw marshmallow yams or whatever) at my parent's house with a guest or two. This year was Janet's turn, but I think she believed we were actually having a rodeo at the house instead. I made stuffed sweet dumpling squash, roast vegetables, stuffing and pumpkin pie. The stuffing was my crowning achievement, filled with all the normal deliciousness, made from scratch with sourdough bread, and included dried apricots, chestnuts and pine nuts. Start salivating!

My mom is all camera shy

My dad, on the other hand, is all about a camera

Persnickitily Picking Pumpkins with my Phamily

Every year, towards the end of September or beginning of October, my sister and I face the biggest and most important decision for that year: which pumpkin are we going to take home. It's an agonizing and slow process, involving weeding out lots of weaker offerings and plenty of advice asking. Really, it's a collaborative process. And that's why I'm glad the last couple years I've gone with my entire family, since my sister shares the same pumpkin picking philosophy as me. Furthermore, there's no competition, since she prefers a yellow-orange and tall shape while I go for rounder, slightly larger, deep orange-red with deep ribbing. Adds more character.

We go all out too. We're serious about our pumpkins. There are still some fields out on Long Island that haven't been turned into every-single-house-is-identical "communities" our strip malls. We go for that real shit too, where you can cut the pumpkins off their vines. This is pumpkin picking like it was meant to be, not some silly city pumpkins sitting in a box in a corner grocery. My only rule is that neither my sister or I can cut any pumpkins off the vine until we're certain they're a contender. Top 1 or 2 pumpkins we've seen so far.

Elimination can take some time, as all aspects of the individual pumpkin are studied, the specimen must have lasting power to stay in the apartment for months on end, and it must speak to you, call to you in some primal way. If man's best friend is a dog, then man's second best friend is a pumpkin. Damn, they're beautiful. Every fall, I wish I could just be surrounded by different, beautifully colored winter squashes all year long. Pumpkins and hubbards and potimarrons and buttercups and kobuchas and red kuris. Sigh.

This brilliant piece of writing sums up my feelings for Cucurbita pepo, maxima, mixta and moschata. However, if I had written it, there'd be no traces of irony present. That's how close to my heart these wonderful fall wonders are.

NY State apples. Represent, yo!

The Mr. Peanut pumpkin almost came home with me. Almost.

Selflessly guarding our pumpkin choices with his life

Pumpkin quorum. That's mine, front left, huge stem. WOW.

My sister, smiling due to pumpkin presence

Other Awards

In keeping with the theme of why I'm so fantastically great, I add to the list that I'm the greatest wildlife photographer in the tri-state area. To back me up on that, here are some shots of animals I recently caught wandering around wildly in the vicinity of 81st street and Central Park West. You may think it's odd that I found some of these creatures, such as a badger, over there, but I think it has to do with global warming. Or possibly fall migration routes.

Even though this badger looks like I had just admonished it for not trimming it's claws, in general they can be very ferocious. Not realizing how small they are, they'll stand up to even bears to protect their giant heaps of dirt.

While he looks just like Benedict, the cardinal who hangs out in my backyard, this is actually probably his cousin or something

Ring tailed cats are quite friendly and approached me when they saw I had Butterfingers

My zoom lens allowed me to be safely far enough away from this drinking tiger

This young baboon was startled by some sort of large viper, which unfortunately moved too quickly for me to capture it

Newport Day 3: How TIme and Space Separated Sherman from Giada

Day the third in Newport was one I looked forward to quite fondly. The previous night had been fun, with me getting a self-assigned "C" on wing-man duty performances and thoroughly enjoying the fan's drowning out of any child noises. My old roommate Jesse was coming down from Providence for the day to be intimidated by HD's Prius and wonder what kind of wizardry allowed the car to move so stealthily. Despite his initial trepidation and many confrontations with the disembodied GPS voice, we managed to convince him the car wouldn't attempt to kill him and scored 50 cent muffins. We Crip-walked on the Cliff Walk, which is a 3 mile-long "trail" with a plummet down the cliff on one side and completely obscured mansions on the other. We managed to go 3/4 mile (if I'm being generous), but it's not the distance you travel that's important. It's how many fish did Jesse heal and save from being stuck in a tiny tidal pool, releasing them back into the water, that's important. And ye shall tell tales of Fish Jesus, and what miracles he has performed.

Rhode Island is experiencing a surge in working farms, and Newport especially is a great agritourism destination. That's agriculturally + tourism. We went to one of the nearby vineyards, Sakonnet Vineyards (pronounced immaturely as Suckonit) for a tasting and to make fun of the lady who served us wine. Driving through the town of Suckonit, we noticed a Suckonit Pizza, a Suckonit Yacht club, and signs for Sustainable Suckonit. When Jamie and his lady when last year, I found the joke amusing, but it wasn't till I was in Sakonnet that I realized the genius of it. After sampling some delicious (Gewurtztraminer, port) and not delicious (Vidal Blanc, Winterwine, Cabernet Franc), we headed to Anthony's, an unassuming seafood restaurant that seemed to cater to locals, or at least people who despise atmosphere and decor. The food, however, was delicious. I paired my king crab legs and scallops with a late harvest 2009 Dr. Pepper, which allowed all 23 flavors to shine through delightfully and added a playful touch with a wisp of cherries.

Finally, we headed back into town to grab gelato at a gelateria frequented by Giada Laurentiis in the hopes that HD would finally be able to make an honest woman out of her. After she left her husband, of course. Alas, it was not meant to be. We drove back to Brooklyn, slightly disappointed, yet content in the knowledge that the mascarpone and peas he bought would eventually lure Giada over.

Secretive mansions hiding behind whatever they can on the Cliff Walk

Cliff, of Cliff Walk fame

This is the rare Newport Slow Snail of Many Colors and Small Stature, on a leaf.

Chardonnays are way more bullshit than Merlot, Mr. Giamatti

Ah yes, 2009 was a fine year

Basil gelato + spoon = HD doing his best J-Live impression

Click here or here for more photos
Click here to read about the first two days again

Newport Days 1 and 2

HD and I took the Manlac on yet another road trip, this time to Newport, Rhode Island. We managed to travel the 200 miles in seven hours, yet only used up 1/2 a tank of gas. We finally arrived in Newport, known for it's mansions, waterways, quaintness and vast amounts of sea creatures, that would all be eventually consumed by HD, on Friday night. We enjoyed HD's friend's hospitality, with each of us getting our own room, and HD's brother, wife and 1 1/2 year old daughter getting the last. She caused the epiphany that maybe kids aren't a route I want to travel for a while. They cry all the time, wake you up in the middle of the night or at ridiculously early hours, can't feed themselves, force you to be selfless, and then grow up to hate you. Being woken up at 7 AM by the sound of Naomi counting stairs, but only getting up to 3 before starting over again, can make a man grumpy. What makes a man even grumpier is when her dad and HD both join in, and HD needs to be encouraged to get past 3 as well.

Between eating breakfast Saturday morning and driving back late Sunday night, many things happened. We ate lunch and dinner a couple times, and some ice cream. Some non-meal related things happened to. It was a beautiful, restful, enjoyable weekend, and I took many photos to share with my reader, Mom.
Everyone in Newport was really friendly. Some lady tried to lend us her mopeds, rent us a house, and get us to ride her elephant slide before letting us know where we could watch kids take a long jump off a short pier. Jellyfish and motor oil, ho!

Who wouldn't buy lemonade from this trustworthy looking beagle?

Though she looks sweet, she's plotting her next counting adventure

Shot of a herd of red seaweed digesting their meals of plovers

There is no retouching to see here. Only an incredible Adonis of a man. And no old woman laughed at me while this picture was taken.

HD 1, Water O

Click here for Day 3
For a different take on what happened, check HD's page
To see more photos, click here or here.