Photographs and thoughts on photography and camera collecting
Seen from the covered Pavilion overlooking the pool in Law Park, Briarcliff Manor. I liked the repeating pattern (of the brightly colored umbrellas and their dark shadows) and the contrast between the red and white umbrellas and the green grass.
Taken with a newly acquired Panasonic Lumix GF-1 and Lumix G Vario 45-150mm f4.0-5.6.
My wife loves gardening. She particularly loves roses, especially David Austin roses. She recently found some good local sources for such roses and she’s acquired a number of new ones for the garden.
For those, like me, who might not know who David Austin was he was the great guru growers of English roses. According to Wikipedia:
David Charles Henshaw Austin OBE (16 February 1926 at Albrighton – 18 December 2018 in the same village) was a British rose breeder and writer who lived in Shropshire, England. His emphasis was on breeding roses with the character and fragrance of old garden roses (such as gallicas, damasks and alba roses) but with the repeat-flowering ability and wide colour range of modern roses such as hybrid teas and floribundas.
You note from the above that he recently passed away, but his spirit lives on – and so does his company. Consequently I seem to have become, at least temporarily, a rose photographer. So far 12 of the new roses have opened up and I’ve been asked to take pictures of them (see future posts).
I’m not much of a gardener, but I have to admit that they’re pretty spectacular.
Above: Queen of Sweden with bug.
Taken with a Sony A77II and Minolta Maxxum AF 50mm f2.8 Macro.
Another attempt at bird photography. This time a Red Winged Blackbird seen at Law Park in Briarcliff Manor.
Taken with a Sony Alpha 500 and Minolta Maxxum 100-200mm f4.5
I’ve had this lens for quite some time – at least since 2015, but haven’t used it very much. Most Saturday’s I take the dog for a walk around Briarcliff Manor. We usually pass behind the first station; around by the playing fields; through the library and finally end up at Moon Beam Cafe for a coffee for me and a well deserved bowl of water for Harley. It’s particularly pleasant in warm weather because the Cafe was formerly a house so it has a nice covered porch in front. I love to sit and read there while we wait for my wife.
As for the lens. It feels very well made and is certainly very sharp. However, there’s something about it that I’m not wild about. It’s hard to put my finger on it. Maybe it’s the colors. I find them a little too cool for my taste.
There’s a comprehensive review of it on My Favorite Lens (See: Konica Hexanon AR 50mm f1.7 Review).
I started my walk here, down by the waterfront because it was here that my wife was meeting a friend for lunch.
According to its website:
Chef Navjot’s romance with South East Asian Cusine was rekindled when he travelled this past year to Thailand , Singapore and Malaysia. Spending weeks, immersed in authentic Asian gastronomy invigorated and excited him and he wanted to share his intriguing culinary experiences with people back home, and not only food but he has an experience background in cocktail making so he is sharing all of it with the world to inspire all. If you want to create a home bar like this you need the essential bar tools to make a great job like the Chef Navjot’s.
Having seen the people of Irvington enjoy a bold and vibrant Indian Cuisine for the past 8 years, he felt confident that they would be an eager participant in his dream to introduce the intricate flavours of South-East Asian cuisine in this dynamic Westchester community. Thus, Sambal was conceived.
From womb to the world, this dream was realised with the help of Sushil Malhotra, Chef Arora’s partner, mentor and guide. The feather in our cap is our collaboration with Chef Lucky Thai. She is an award winning maestro of Asian cooking, previously based in Las Vegas, who is at the helm of our kitchen along with Chef Navjot. Their combined expertise will ensure that we stay true to our roots as an Asian dining experience while continuing to create and innovate.
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We bring you the freshest organic ingredients, exotic herbs and spices from Thailand and Malaysia. The cooking process combines the high heat of the wok with constant agitation to create flavors and textures that are crisp, sharp yet complex. The fragrant and aromatic cuisine in a sophisticated, elegant ambience helps us assure that you have a memorable dining experience.
This building has not always housed Sambal. Until a couple of years ago it was a good Indian restaurant called Chutney Masala. Luckily that restaurant, which has the same owners as Sambal, moved to a different location on Main Street in Irvington and Sambal took its place on the waterfront.
I’ve eaten at Chutney Masala many times, but never at Sambal so I can’t comment on the food.
Taken with a Minolta XD and Minolta MD Rokkor-X 50mm f1.7.