Mendez Family Art Exhibit

11/10/12: This afternoon Tony and I went to see the art works of our friend Toby Mendez (sculpture), his father Tony Mendez (retired CIA  officer - go see Argo!), and his mother Jonna Mendez (photographer). See this web site for their studios called Pleasant Valley Studios.

 

 

   

We toured the various workshops, met Tony, who signed a few books for us, along with hundreds of other books, and spent time with others who were enjoying all of the art work.


All three are very talented.

Check out the web site to see more of their work.

 

 

 

 

 

The day after Hurricane Sandy (30 Oct 12)

Here are a bunch of photos I took today, just one day after hurrican3 Sandy hit the area. We lost power from 5:30pm yesterday till about 12:30pm today. We lost a bradford pear tree, which almost hit our mail box (first 2 photos).

We had damage to our chimney, as I spent most of yesterday and evening emptying a bucket that filled quickly. Will need to hire a professional to fix the chimney/roof area. At least I'm not having to clean up any more.

We headed down town to Baker park with Lucy. It's a very cold, bitter day. Lots of trees down, including some power lines. A few roads were blocked off. 

Downtown frederick was pretty empty of traffic. On a day like this, it's best to stay home, but we were curious as to the damage.  



Lost tree





Near our house

 



 









A Short Trip to Deerfield MA

On Friday, October 5th, 2012, I drove 9.5 hours to Deerfield to see family and to attend grave side services for my cousin Grace who passed away last year. Due to hurricane Irene, many people were not able to attend the services. My drive should have taken eight hours, but due to being a Friday, I got caught in traffic in three different locations.

I stayed with my cousin Reenie for the three nights. I helped her prepare for guests for the next day.

Saturday was quite lovely and just right for the services.

Back at the house, we ate well!  Reenie had ordered deli sandwiches and other goodies for everyone to enjoy. It was a sad occasion but was also great to see my relatives.

The next day, Reenie and I went to the Ashfield festival. It was a cold, raw day. I borrowed one of her jackets. I had not expected such a cold day.

We were told by a couple of vendors that the previous day, being so beautiful and warm, was a lot more active with people.  I was fine with the smaller crowds. There were several food vendors (delicious kilbasa grinder), as well as arts and crafts. Reenie bought a beautiful wool blanket for her bedroom.

The fall colors are just coming in. I'm sure peak time will be next week. Here are some photos from my trip.

You can see all of the trip photos here: http://www.pileggiphotography.com/Travel/Deerfield-MA/25837117_p9W9Vz#!i=2139373577&k=P4DpNWG

 





304 lb pumpkin!

Stained Glass by Tiffany himself!

My grandmother's barns

PS: Tony and I celebrated our 24th anniversary yesterday (8 October).