Labor Day

It's hard to believe that Labor Day is upon us. As I child, I always greeted it with mixed emotions. On one hand, it signaled the beginning of a new school year and the end of summer vacation. On the other hand, it meant I got to wear corduroys and sweaters, buy a backpack full of school supplies and anticipate Mother Nature's new wardrobe bedazzled in amber, scarlet and gold.

These days it comes as a solace - an extra day off, a day to sleep in, a time to catch up on things. My plans? I'll be heading off to a BBQ and bike race. And I definitely plan to take some photos. Speaking of which, I was looking through my archives and recently stumbled upon these shots of a cherry tree in my mom's backyard that remind me of Labor Day. The cherry them isn't particularly synonymous with Labor Day but I guess it reminds me of dining on burgers and BBQ treats underneath this tree.

I also included some pictures of one of my favorite spots to visit at the height of summer - Stonybrook Park in upstate NY.

Enjoy!

My 50th Birthday Party

When I turn 50, I hope to have my dear friends and family celebrate the occasion with a big party and lots of wine. I hope that I'll be able to look back on some terrific accomplishments and look forward to many more.

Why all this talk about the future? My boyfriend and I recently had the pleasure of attending a friend's 50th b-day party and to me, it was the ideal scenario. We celebrated at a local yacht club in Redondo Beach and the evening included lots of delicious food, drinks and even a live band.

The birthday boy also happens to own Castle Rock Vineyards in CA so we were each given a tasty bottle of Pino Noir. The labels were designed for the special occasion and his birthdate was cleverly noted as the vintage year. Even the back of the bottle was inscribed with the a description of how the vintage had pleasantly matured through the years. :-)

Anyway, I guess it's something fun to think about - much better than thinking about whether or not I'll still have a job in the next two weeks. Oh well.

Art Center College of Design Portfolio Review

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending Art Center College of Design's portfolio review. I've been attending the reviews for the past couple years and it's been such an honor and pleasure to have the opportunity to check out work from some very talented, emerging photographers. Each semester brings a new group of fresh talent, eager to get their feet wet in the commercial and fine art photography industry. It's always really uplifting to see photographers at this point in their careers because they've got a raw energy that seems boundless. And I get excited b/c I look forward to seeing how their work will progress in the years to come!

I only hope that my insight was encouraging and useful! :-)

One of the students recently emailed to thank me and let me know about an interview that a few of them participated in on The Candid Frame: A Photography Podcast. The Candid Frame's host, Ibarionex R. Perello, interviewed a handful of the students to get their perspective on their new careers.

If you want to check out the interview and the 16 sweet photography websites, here are links to the podcast and their websites below. You may just find your next favorite photographer!

http://thecandidframe.com/ - Go to the Candid Frame #78 entry.

Mary Amor - http://www.maryamor.com/

Maurice Salazar - http://www.mauricesalazar.com/

Joe Euihyun Kim - http://www.euihyunkim.com/portfolio/home.html

Anthony Cobos - http://www.anthonyfcobosphotography.com/

Jordana Sheara - http://www.jordanasheara.com/

Clement Jolin - http://www.clementjolin.com/

Stephanie Kay - http://www.stephaniekayphotography.com/

Andrew Richard Hara - http://www.arc-technica.com/

Joseph Escamilla - http://www.josephescamilla.com/

Kathryna Hancock - http://www.kathrynahancock.com/

Amber Gress - http://www.ambergress.com/

David Holden Smith - http://www.imagesmithed.com/

Adrianne Techasith - http://www.adriannetechasith.com/

Cecilia Gavia - http://www.ceciliagavia.com/

Marco Walker - http://www.marcowalker.com/

Teresa Lojacono - http://www.teresalojacono.com/

Visiting California Wine Country

My boyfriend and I recently took a trip to the Russian River Valley/Dry Creek Valley to explore the wine country and cheer for our friend who was competing in the "Vine-man", which is regional-speak for Ironman. We stayed at a lovely house/cabin right on the river and the weather couldn't have been better.

If you have a chance to visit the area, specifically the charming town of Healdsburg, I recommend eating lunch at the Healdsburg Bar & Grill. No, it's not your ordinary bar and grill b/c their menu includes ingredients like shaved fennel, fiscalini cheddar, housemade pickles, local rock cod, etc. synonymous with the area's passion for sustainable farming. The BBQ pulled-pork sandwich is fantastic and so are the sweet potato fries with chipotle aioli.

If you're looking to picnic at one of the vineyards or are want to purchase some unique sundries, check out the Dry Creek General Store. It's an old-timey kind of store chock full of artisanal snacks, preserves, desserts, salads, beer/wine, and sandwiches made-to-order. Kick back on one of the rocking chairs outside while you enjoy a local micro-brew and toasted panini.

And of course, a trip to wine country wouldn't be complete without visiting the wineries. Listed below are a bunch of vineyards we visited. Only one of these vineyards happen to be on our itinerary - the rest we just stumbled upon which I thought was a really fun way to discover some new wines, most of which were small, family-owned establishments.

Dry Creek General Store
http://www.dcgstore.com/

Healdsburg Bar & Grill
http://www.healdsburgbarandgrill.com/

Amphora
http://www.amphorawines.com/home.html

Tasting cost around $10 I believe and we were offered about 6-7 wines. The man who poured our wine was actually the owner which added a nice touch. He was a jovial sort of fella who told us a salacious story about the annual grape stomp. We brought home one of the Zinfandels and are looking forward to enjoying it with something hearty.

Bella Vineyards & Wine Caves
http://www.bellawinery.com/

$15 got you 6 tastings w/ two food pairings. We started with a Rose that was paired with 2 Fanny Bay oysters (served with a tasty minionette). We then ventured over to the wine cave where we had the opportunity to browse the cave and taste a few Zinfandels and a Syrah intended to be paired with the paella that was simmering outside. Lastly, we enjoyed a Late-Harvest Zinfandel, a dessert wine and perfect accompaniment to vanilla ice cream.

Zichichi Family Vineyards
http://www.zichichifamilyvineyard.com/winery.html

Another small family-owned and operated vineyard in Dry Creek Valley. I believe tastings cost $5-10. The thing that I liked about this place was that they offered a barrel tasting which I had never done. We tasted two futures from the barrel and enjoyed a Petite Sirah and a few Zinfandels in the tasting. My favorite was the Petite Syrah which we bought and plan to enjoy with a beef stew or pot roast.

Peterson Winery
http://www.petersonwinery.com/

A $5 wine tasting got us about 8 tastings, one of which even included a 1989 Cabernet. My favorite was the Bradford Mountain Vineyard Zinfandel. Loved the pepper and berry flavors. We ended up buying a few different bottles. Service was really friendly and it had a family-owned vibe to it. They're into the time-honored wine-growing traditions (as in their philosophy of Zero Manipulation) and practice sustainable farming.

Mauriston Vineyards
http://www.mauritsonwines.com/

Complimentary tasting that includes about 4-5 wines. Surprisingly, my favorite wine was the 2007 Chardonnay and I'm not usually a fan of Chardonnay. It wasn't very oaky but was rich and buttery with pear/apple flavors and a bit of citrus. This vineyard also takes advantage of one of the newest appellations in CA, called Rockpile which has proven to produce some fine Zinfandels.

Post It Note

Just a quick note that I will resume posting again this week. My recent travels took me to Vegas and the Russian River Valley and I got backed up on downloading and touching up images. Stay tuned for more.....

Raising the Bar

At my boyfriend's request, I sought out to find a tastier, less manufactured alternative to Power Bars and the like. After searching the web for hours (not really, I was just trying to add some drama), I came across a recipe for Peanut Energy Bars. They're full of nuts, seeds, fruits and oats, adapted from Amy Harrison's prize-winning submission in the Plains (Georgia) Peanut Festival recipe competition sponsored by The Peanut Institute. The bars include protein thanks to the generous amount of peanuts and peanut butter, and they're a great pre-workout snack or breakfast on-the-go.

Peanut Energy Bars

1/2 cup(s) dry roasted salted peanuts
1/2 cup(s) roasted sunflower seeds, or other chopped nuts
2 cup(s) raisins, or other chopped dried fruit
2 cup(s) rolled or instant oats
2 cup(s) toasted rice cereal, such as Rice Krispies
1/4 cup(s) toasted wheat germ (optional)
1/2 cup(s) creamy or crunchy natural peanut butter
1/2 cup(s) packed brown sugar
1/2 cup(s) honey
1 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract

1. Coat an 9-by-13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
2. Combine peanuts, sunflower seeds (or other nuts), raisins (or other dried fruit), oats, rice cereal and wheat germ (if using) in a large bowl.
3. Combine peanut butter, brown sugar and corn syrup (or honey) in a large microwaveable bowl; microwave on High until bubbling, 1 to 2 minutes. Add vanilla and stir until blended. Pour the peanut butter mixture over the dry ingredients and stir until coated.
4. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan. Press down firmly. (It helps to coat your fingers with cooking spray.) Let stand for about 1 hour to harden. Cut into bars.

Fudge Brownies

It's Monday and I couldn't think of a catchy headline to my post about brownies. "Fudge Brownies" should be enticing enough. I got this recipe from Martha Stewart Everyday. Don't overbake these brownies - otherwise they won't be as moist.


Fudge Brownies

8 oz. semi-sheet chocolate, chopped
1 stick of butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 cup flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch baking pan. Line bottom and two sides with parchment paper - cut it to make sure about 2 inches hangs over the 2 edges. Butter the parchment paper. In a large bowl, microwave chopped chocolate and butter about 2-3 minutes. Mix until smooth. Add sugar and mix until combined. Add eggs. Sift and mix dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add dry ingredients to wet and mix just until combined. Don't overmix. Pour into pan and bake on the middle rack for 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick comes out nearly clean (it should have a few moist crumbs).

Cool 20-30 minutes. Take two edges of parchment paper and pull the brownies up and out of the pan. Slice however you choose. Eat and enjoy.