First Snow of Fall 2011

Some pictures of the first season's snow from my little flower garden.  Obviously, most of the flowers have become part of the compost pile, but a few remained.  My husband dug up the dahlias yesterday and there are plenty of bulbs for next spring.

Hot Air Balloon Awesomeness

On Saturday afternoon, and then later in the evening, several hot air balloons drifted through our small city.  As we drove home from the grocery store one floated above the car.  Several hours later we were astonished to see one hovering over the tree in our backyard.  As its destination was our neighbor's yard, it nearly touched our house before landing.
Of course my husband's camera was out and he took a lot of stellar photos.  I've never been so close to a hot air balloon- it was a real treat.

Dog Days of Summer

Today in Oneonta, NY it hit 93 degrees fahrenheit.  What a way to end May!  Today I took pictures of new journals I made a few weeks ago, but also had to take some of my buddy, Owen.

The Ice Storm

Some pics I took while walking over to my friend's studio on Wednesday.  Two more months of this winter wonderland!








The first two pictures were taken of a bush in my front yard.  The rest were taken outside of the studio.

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‎2nd Annual Studio Holiday Sale Extravaganza

Big Bad Art Collective and Studio 2029 are hosting The 2nd Annual Studio Holiday Sale Extravaganza!!!!!  Saturday, December 11th at noon- 8 p.m.  16-20 East End Avenue, Oneonta, NY.

 Come on over to the East End and check out what local artists have been making.

Jewelry, art prints, vegan soaps, paintings, ceramics, knitted goods, holiday cards, journals and postcards, items for kids, and more kool handcrafted stuff will be available for sale.

Work by local artists/crafters: David Kenny, Karin Bremer, Diana Cozzens, Joseph Von Stengel, Hope Von Stengel, Stephanie Rozene, Caitlyn Davey, Dorothy Wisnewski, Elizabeth Brzezenski, and Lori Kenney-Dozel.

Wine, beer, coffee, tea and all sorts of delicious treaty goodies will be available to enjoy. 

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Snowy Afternoon

It's snowing!  Not the first time it has snowed in Oneonta this fall, but the most I've seen land so far.  Just took these pics about 10 minutes ago and already more snow has accumulated.

When my puppy, Owen, came home with us from the Humane Society last January it was snow season.  He loved jumping and playing in the snow then and when I took him outside with me today to take photographs, he raced around the yard.  Here is our buddy, Owen, curiously watching the snow fall, in a rare moment of stillness.

Still snowing as I'm writing this.  Hard to believe that it was bright and sunny this morning.  Not a big fan of cold weather, I do love watching the snowflakes land while sipping a steaming cup of tea.






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A Lovely Time at Alex & Ika Restaurant

I write a weekly restaurant feature on local restaurants in Oneonta and had such a fabulous lunch at Alex and Ika's Restaurant in Cooperstown that I had to blog about it, but haven't had the time until now.
Alex & Ika's is rare find on this side of the Catskills. Not that there aren't some wonderful restaurants in this area, but Alex excels at balancing the fine line between appealing to the gourmand and casual diner. How does he pull this off?
My husband and I sat down with executive chef and owner Alex Webster, his sons Oskar and Lukas, and PR extraordinaire, Elizabeth Huntington, to find out what has made Alex and Ika so successful over the years. He credits a reliable and happy staff, making everything from the
dressings to the soups from scratch, using key ingredients like coarse grain sea salt, and creating an establishment that is family friendly for customers and his own family.
Sure, these things do make a difference. But the food had an attention to detail that isn't common in this area. My eggplant was cooked to perfection, with exactly the right proportion of cheese/sauce/eggplant/breading. Usually I find cheesecake a little garishly rich, but theirs is creamy but not overwhelming. I love that the fingerling potato fries weren't anything you would expect. They were mashed, crispy bites of deliciousness accompanied by a chipolte aioli dip that made ketchup seem overwhelmingly ordinary. And I could rave about the wine and drink list- amazing- but don't have enough space.
The restaurant also has character. Alex is also an artist and it shows. The mirrors and artwork and bar (erected from the wood of an old bowling alley) become part of the visual ingredient necessary to "dining out". There is a reason why I let my husband, Joe, take over as interior decorator at home- he's an artist and knows how to create ambiance.
One last reason to go. Alex and the kids and Elizabeth are incredibly nice people. Oh, and it's vegetarian friendly.

Sunday Trainspotting

Sunday Trainspotting

Trains capture our romantic imagination, like all modes of transportation, because we associate them with freedom and travel.  They also are a culturally significant relic that still exists, while being deemed an outdated technology.  Fountain pens or tobacco pipes are iconic of the past in the same respect.  They exist along more modern technologies like Bic pens and cigarettes, yet have retained their functionality.  

Nearly a year ago my family and I moved to the East End of Oneonta.  Our house overlooks the train tracks and when the leaves fall from the trees we can clearly see the trains go by.  This Sunday, the train stopped for a little while so I ran outside to take some photos.  My neighbors probably thought me a bit strange, but I'm still in love with hearing the whistles of the train and watching the different kinds of train cars travel by.

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