Here's Bentley.....

Walton, New York - December, 2011

The day after Winter died, Cindy began reading a book entitled A Dog's Purpose, the premise being each dog's life has its own purpose and dogs live several different lives. The hero of the book dies and is reborn that day as another dog. Great book and she made us all read it.

Also the day after Winter died, Cindy talked to her dad's cousin Ron Sr. Ron loved Winter despite as an exuberant adolescent he scratched Ron's arm resulting in well... a loss of blood. Ron was saddened to hear the news and in the course of the conversation mentioned that Marian, Ron Jr's significant other had recently lost one of her favorite dogs and was mourning as well. Oh, and one of her other dogs had just had a litter the day before.

Hours after Winter died.

Try to convince any of us otherwise, we believe Bentley could just be Winter. He certainly has the coloring. He and Kelsey began the bonding process yesterday.

ONE MONTH TIL CHRISTMAS,
HOW SCARY

McKee Botanical Garden, Vero Beach, FL - October, 2011

It's the scary Halloween Nutcracker

POP!!!

McKee Botanical Garden, Vero Beach, FL - October, 2011

Jumping out of the frame for your viewing pleasure.

Fall in C'wall

Cornwall-on-Hudson, NY- October, 2011

It doesn't always have to be about the foliage...

Winter's Autumn

Cornwall-on-Hudson, NY- September, 2011

Our dog, Winter will turn 77 next month. This is relatively rare for boxers who generally don't live long enough to start collecting social security. His vet tells us most boxers don't make it past eight. Must be clean living on Winter's part. He doesn't drink, smoke or do drugs. Well he is on thyroid medication to help with his thinning coat. It's not a vanity thing on his part, but he will need to keep warm come well.... winter. Still it is easy to see he is well into his golden years. His naps have gotten longer and his walks have gotten shorter. He's got the old man neck thing going on. I tried to capture him on a day when he was looking rather distinguished.

World Trade Center, summer 1978

LOOK WHAT THE STORK BROUGHT

Goshen, NY- September, 2011

Three days and already sleeping through the night. Chen (Michael) arrived from Shanghai via Tokyo on Tuesday. He joins our family as an exchange student attending Burke Catholic. Today was his first day of high school in America.

TURTY ROCK

Cornwall-on-Hudson, NY- August, 2011

Yeah, yeah, bad pun but these turtles are consistent showing up to sun themselves almost every day. We'll see what Irene has in store for their pond and the rocks on which they catch their rays.

SOLO SILO

Lee, MA- June, 2011

Back from 'the road'.... Spent two weeks driving from Cornwall, New York to Boca Raton, Florida with stops in Harrisonburg, Virginia and Morganton, North Carolina with nary a picture to show for it. We did manage to launch Kelsey from bedroom to dorm room.

Good thing I have a cache of pictures left over from the Lee, MA experience where I was shown around by my friend Bob Neaman photographer and tour guide extraordinaire.

152 Pearsall Avenue

Freeport, NY- May, 1935

Today, armed with a seventy six year old deed, some vintage photos and a navigational system Cindy set out to find her father's childhood home...

Freeport, NY- July, 2011

a view of the back

Play Misty for Me

Lee, MA- June, 2011

It's not always sunshine and roses. You just can't fight mother nature. Although the weather channel promised me three days of clear skies I had to make do.

Color Correction Training

Lee, MA- June, 2011

Miracle upon miracle, I recently learned that I can correct colors in digital format. Sure you can do that with film, but first you'd have to take it to a lab. I miss my guys at Color Group in Hawthorne, NY. But unlike my good friend Bob Neaman http://robertgneaman.blogspot.com/ those guys never took me on a photo shoot in the Berkshires.

ONE FOUR THE ROAD

Cornwall-on-Hudson, NY- June, 2011

The owner of one of these four Harley Davidsons thought I crossed the street in search of a phone signal when I captured this shot with my trusty Sprint phone. Unlike the Photographer's camera, my cellphone goes everywhere with me. Notice a theme?

Everyone had an agenda...given my druthers I would have liked a sunnier day for the shot; the bikers wanted to be on the road before the rain set in. Donna, the owner of Hudson Street Cafe, the establishment where the bikers were dining, felt the picture would have looked great if the tables were full. I implored her to get everyone out of the restaurant to dine al fresco in for the sake of art, but alas it wasn't meant to be...

IF YOU WANT SOMETHING DONE

Jones Farm, Cornwall, NY- June, 2011

Cindy here. Been bugging Brian for years to bring his camera to Jones Farm. Always an excuse, always forgetting. Bopped by to pick up the requisite cherry pie for Kerry's 14th birthday when I'd finally had enough and took pictures with my cell phone. Yes shocking, scandalous but even the Photographer had to concede I captured the shot.

The View

Cornwall-on-Hudson, NY- May, 2011

With a slight overuse of the word 'view' (3 times in as many sentences)from the last post I'm almost to reluctant to title this post The View. But, this is the view that Cindy gets from the hottub these days. Me, my back is to this rhododendron (spell THAT correctly first thing in the morning)so I didn't "see" it right away even though it has been in bloom for about a week.

MILLION DOLLAR BABY

Cornwall-on-Hudson, NY- May, 2011

Well, actually a 3.5 million dollar baby. The view itself (from Cornwall's "Glass House" up for auction June 21 through Concierge Auctions) is free and priceless.

Another shot captured by Jane Madden the lucky agent who gets to spend entire days surrounded by the view...



These are just the views!! Just imagine the house.... better yet see the house in person or at www.stablewayauction.com

TORN BETWEEN TWO LOVES

Jupiter, FL- April, 2011

There seems to be a question if the love of classic cars has replaced the passion of photography. Three weeks in picture perfect paradise and all the photographer comes home with are cars, cars, cars- thirty one shots in all. Here are a couple of the best of the best...

MIDLIFE CRI$I$

Vero Beach, FL- November, 2010

Nice looking, right? What with the recent addition wood finish for the dashboard the photographer's "new" classic 1978 MGB is likely to turn some heads at this Saturday's "Wheels Across the Pond" car show in Jupiter, Florida. Unfortunately, an untimely clutch replacement is threatening to keep this beauty out of Saturday's pageant. Update$ to follow.

Ironic, isn't it, that once the photographer started saving money by going digital, $omething $pecial came along.

Sometimes you feel like a nut; sometimes you don't

This feels like some sort of cyber April Fool's prank. On the last blog I used photobucket to edit those Florida Key pictures, and I posted them. So I thought. Or did I? When I checked this morning from work there were no pictures, just a photo bucket icon. So tonight I decided to get acquainted with my new HP all in one printer/scanner/copier and reupload said pictures

only to find that when I checked the blog from home magically the pictures were right where I left them yesterday afternoon. No photobucket icon.

So I don't know who is seeing what but I am happy with the ease of this new all in one, my trusty HP Photosmart which incidentally took two hours and Chris from the Philippines to download onto my desktop.

FUNKeYs

Big Pine Key, FL- February, 2009

The Barnacle Bed and Breakfast is one of those out of the way places with nice accommodations and even nicer food. I'm not sure the proprietors were happy with the owner on this one but the whole operation (except for the food and the prices) appeared to be out of the psychedelic seventies. The owner didn't want to put any money into it, the proprietors wanted to buy it but didn't want to pay the price unless the owner upgraded. Bed and Breakfast drama but great bold colors nonetheless.

Z is for Zebra

Sebastian Inlet, FL- November, 2009

Still stuck in winter when the calender says spring there isn't a whole lot of photography going on these days. This is a throwback to the days of film, found in the treasure trove of the photographer's archives when clarity and good color were what was expected from film.

Cornwall-on-Hudson, NY- March, 2011

This lunar event brought the moon closest to earth than anytime in the past eighteen years. I didn't have digital back then but now I do and for once the weather up here worked in my favor.

However if I wasn't in Cornwall, we all know where I would be. I'd be taking a picture like this...

Vero Beach, FL- March, 2011

Thanks for the back up Dena!

BEWARE THE ICE OF MARCH

Cornwall-on-Hudson, NY- March 2011

Actually, Shakespeare cautioned against the Ides of March, based on Julius Cesar's impending March 15 visit to the Roman senate and his vacation getaway plans to leave town on March 19. I'm not sure why he wanted to leave Rome, something about political enemies to be sure. It certainly couldn't have been weather as the Roman March is considerably more temperate than Cornwall where even though spring is around the corner, we're still at risk for the passing ice storm.

(N)ICE BREAK

San Antonio, TX- July, 1996

Enjoy the break from the ice pictures of winter with a fourteen year old throw back to days of print film.

I don't even think I captured this shot. My sister-in-law wrote the date on the back of the print (can't write on the back of digital). In any case "the eyes have it" Check out the cousins' gaze. Wonder what secret they were sharing...

ICE ICE BABY

Cornwall on Hudson, NY- March 2011

Unlike the last ice storm I blogged (December 2008 blogged in April 2009 due to glacier slow turn around film into print) this ice storm which was probably two hours in length cost me NOTHING. No power outages, no hotel stays, no tree removal, NOTHING and no cost to develop film either. Gotta love digital.

Busy, Busy, Busy (not!)

Morrison, CO- August, 2010

While the photograph is busy (plants, spiked grass, trees, rock formations, mountains and sky), the photographer is apparently taking a hiatus. With two and a half weeks in paradise under his belt and quite the tan to show for it, he came home with (sit down) five pictures from of all things.... a car show. Not much to work with. He is full of promises and good intentions planning trips to the Berkshires and Vermont for March. Somehow we'll make do with the car show and his newest (ahem) obsession, a 1978 MG. That's another blog for another time; meanwhile making do with a nice Colorado memory.

EVERYTHING GOLD IS NEW AGAIN

Disney Vero Beach, FL- December 2010

Since I lost so many pictures due to the computer crash I'm trying to make do with what I have left until I shore up my holdings. This digital shot was taken December 24- the chairs are enjoying a quiet moment awaiting the festivities of Christmas Day.

Squam Lake, NH- May, 2004

while these chairs were awaiting summer when I captured them using film which I later used for one of my first blog posts in April 2009.

UNLUCKY SEVEN

Cornwall-on-Hudson, NY- January, 2011

Not refering to the number of storms that have hit the northeast so far this season, but to the number of plagues to have hit the house(s) of Cervini. As our friend Jim noted on a facebook post "you Cervini's definitely know how to keep things interesting" (I don't think he meant it in a good way either).

Starting in December- our desktop fried (lost all pictures), our television went (four year old SONY- what the hell?), Kelsey got in a fender bender. Moving into January, heat in New York ($200 frozen line), followed immediately by heat in Florida ($80.00 disconnect box), topped off by hot water heater (FL) failure, (are we keeping count?) culminating in a small house fire.

Cornwall-on-Hudson, NY- January, 2011

Listen, that could have been much worse, thank goodness it happened when someone (guess who?) was home and had the presence of mind to fight fire with baking soda.

Here's looking to a better month in February and signing off with warm thoughts...

Vero Beach, FL- October, 2010