NPR's Community Idea Stations 50th Anniversary Gala!

Due to our affiliation with the Camera Club of Richmond, me and another photographer had the privilege of photographing National Public Radio's local Community Idea Stations WCVE 50th anniversary gala.

It was such an elegant and formal event, yet it was also so incredibly festive, fun, and warm. I loved working with that terrific group of people. They were professional, caring folks who loved what they did, and it showed. It was an honor to be a small part of it all.

One of my duties was to stick by Judy Woodruff  and photograph her with important folks (I was told who they were because I really didn't know), as well as get candid shots. She was so professional and personable. It didn't matter who she had conversations with or for how long it lasted, she was exceptionally well-versed and always so classy and warm. I was in awe, honestly.

What a great night! Here's just a smidgen of what we saw.....

Canterbury and Teddy

When we travel, at our destination we love finding out of the way places that locals love and frequent.

While we try to do a little on-line research before the trip to find locations to visit or eat, we have always found the best places through recommendations from residents - mostly from people who work in the local shops. Do you find that to be true, too?

Canterbury's Historic Oyster Bar and Grill in Nassau County, Long Island New York, was one of those places recommended by three locals we chatted with. With three referrals, it sounded like a good bet that it'd be just what we were looking for!

We arrived at lunch, just as the place opened. What personality (there was a Teddy Roosevelt thing going on :)! But while we do love great ambiance, we love good food more. Was the food going to be as good?! We hoped so!

The menu had a ton of delectable looking selections. We didn't order huge meals since we were planning to meet up with family later that evening for a grand, home cooked dinner (and I like to leave a lot of stomach real estate open for good, home cooked food).

We split the fried calamari, rustic field and grain vegetable platter, and Canterbury pastrami sandwich. Really delicious! Calamari was meaty and crunchy, and served with a yummy red sauce. The veggie's were cooked just right - still crunchy, and the hummus was garlicky and creamy. The pastrami is a Canterbury specialty, and it was piled high with meat and loaded with sauerkraut, spicy Dijon, and sharp melted Swiss. YUM.

So, so good! We might have to go back with friends on our next NY visit.

Amy's Garden

A few weekends ago on a post rainy, cloudy summer morning I visited Amy's Garden in Charles City.

I was so incredibly drawn to this beautiful place for a couple of reasons.

I believe in what Amy is doing. I believe that good, wholesome food is important and I love that she is working so hard to bring it to our community. Amy and her family farm 10 acres of organic food and flowers and deliver everything to farmer's markets and grocery stores.

Being there also brought back fond memories I have of summer visits with my grandfather. There, he lived on acres and acres of land and grew almost all of his own food and raised pigs and cows. I can still remember the high "mystery" surrounding the slaughter of a hog (I wasn't allowed to actually witness that part) and later seeing its severed head plopped up on a barrel next to the barn. Even then I realized that what I was seeing was sustenance for family for the next month. No worries. Besides, I'm a meat eater from way back. That was good looking bacon to me.

I was a young kid then who's normal life consisted of cement sidewalks, city traffic, and frequent short walks through the urban jungle to get to the corner grocery story. So these visits to "the wilderness" every summer were exotic, hypnotic…breathtaking, to me.

I'd run around the fields surrounding his modest home and play from morning until night barely stopping to eat except for the three squares that my grandmother called us in for. Snacks between those meals were likely pulled from a nearby fruit tree or bush. I can still remember plucking handfuls of berries from prolific blueberry bushes until I was ready to burst! These are some of my favorite summer memories!

Good times.

And on our next trip to the grocery store, Amy was there!