Well, it’s that time of year again. All of the Christmas deadlines have been met. Over the past two weeks dozens of beautiful wedding albums and framed portraits have been delivered to our clients to be cherished for a lifetime as their first family heirloom. Now it’s time to celebrate the season with close family and great friends.
A lot of you have been asking to see some pictures of the home we purchased this year. What better time to take a few snapshots then when it is festively decorated for the holidays. (Apologies for the amateurish images…I no longer own a view camera enabling me to do serious architectural studies). Our home is located in Waterside Park, a private beach community located in the Crab Meadow section of Northport, NY.
Like many of the homes in this desirable neighborhood, our dwelling began life as a small summer cottage that has undergone extensive additions and renovations over the years. Some of you may have seen this picture on Facebook a few days ago. The front of our home, with it’s covered porch, is brightly decorated for the holidays. Parked in front is an early Christmas gift…our brand new 2011 Harley-Davidson Electra Glide Ultra Limited.
Those of you that know us well know that we are avid motorcycle tourers. We try to get away as often as we can; and in 2011 we have blocked out four weeks in our busy calendar for two really special road trips. In early May we’ll be touring Skyline Drive and The Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway in Virginia, The Great Smokey Mountains and Deal’s Gap on the Tennessee/North Carolina border, Charlotte, NC, Myrtle Beach, SC, The Outer Banks of North Carolina and the DelMarVa peninsula. That should break the bike in nicely for the real adventure in early August. We’ll be heading north to Canada and, after visiting Montreal and Quebec City, we’re going to ride the entire length of The St. Lawrence Seaway to Gaspé, QC. (At approx. 500 miles north of Halifax, Nova Scotia this will be the northernmost destination I’ve ever travelled to on two wheels)!
But back to the crib…
You enter the house into our living room which is eclectically furnished. (That is to say it’s a combination of Vivian’s furniture and mine). No real design motif here…just a wonderful, warm, cozy, inviting space with two skylights, a roaring fire in the fireplace, some comfy furniture and a 50″ plasma home entertainment setup. What more does one really need?
The country kitchen is the place where everyone congregates and ours features an island seating/dining section.
The formal dining area is adjacent to the kitchen and features a second fireplace, two more skylights and cathedral ceilings. Beyond the double doors to the left is a small covered deck with steps to the paver stone patio and outdoor fire pit. There is also a wonderful covered screened porch to the right…just outside the doors.
The master bedroom is painted in my “trademark” Rhubarb Red paint. (My studio reception area and the living room of my last home were also painted this color. My painter has nicknamed me “Ruby” after professionally applying this hue for me three times in as many years).
The master bath also features cathedral ceilings and a skylight and is located right next to a huge walk-in closet.
The two room guest suite is still a work in progress. It has just been painted and carpeted and we’re now waiting for the furniture to arrive.
The third bedroom is currently set up as “Jake’s Room”. Jake is Vivian’s wonderful grandson who we get to babysit for, enjoy and spoil every Tuesday.
A second full bath rounds out the top floor and features yet another skylight.
The house has a full basement and we are currently refinishing approx. 2/3 of that space as a home gym and recreation room.
I want to finish this post by paraphrasing a quote I recently saw on a sign outside a local house of worship:
“The true measure of our Thanksgiving is not what we say about our blessings, but rather what we do with them”.
We have been fantastically blessed in this past year, not only with the opportunity to make our new home, but also with the good fortune of being able to travel and experience fabulous destinations in this great land. Though my mother passed away this year we are still blessed with wonderful family and true friends. It is because of all of you, my cherished clients, that we have the capacity to live life to the fullest. I pledge to continue in 2011 to give each and every one of you the best of my knowledge, creativity and professionalism as a photographer and as an educator.
“It’s never too late to live happily ever after”.
Here’s wishing each and every one of you the happiest of holidays and all the best for a healthy, prosperous and loving new year.
Wednesday it was back to the trade show, networking with some of my professional associates and making some plans for bringing some new and exciting products to the industry. Wednesday evening was the awards ceremony. My congratulations go out to each and every one of the award winners. It was a privilege to serve as one of the judges. Each and every one of you deserved the awards for the phenomenal works of photographic art that you created. I’m happy to announce that my print “Daddy’s Little Girl” was chosen for an Accolade of Excellence in the portrait category.
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