Flash Failure

You plan and plan. You shoot tests. You get in the right spot, despite the crowd. And then someone accidentally bumps into your camera knocking the flash just enough off of its seat that it doesn’t fire. By the time you notice, the event is nearly over. Ugh. That’s what happened to me during the Sinterklaas parade. Frustrating! I did get some cool shots of the fire-eaters. Richard Prouse’s painting of the Hudson River valley made a spectacular backdrop. Jeanne Fleming did an incredible job organizing the weeklong series of events. Really cool stuff—7-foot tall puppets, dancers, bagpipe players, celestial figures, singers and storytellers. The kids really enjoyed being part of the event carrying their lit stars. Hundreds of people were involved and thousands enjoyed the fruit of their labor.

New York City Christmas

My parents used to take us into New York City at Christmas to see the window displays along Fifth Avenue and the tree at Rockefeller Center. The smell of roasting chestnuts filled the air. Maybe a few snowflakes fell. My dad treated us to lunch at the Gingerman. I always ordered Coquille St. Jacques. Don’t think I’ve had it since. Now, I take my son. This year we went to see the show at Radio City. I had the impression that the Rockettes were all about fluff and leg kicks. Not true at all. The choreography and skill was quite amazing. The kids loved the 3-D ride on Santa’s sleigh over the city. Ryley’s class is making stained glass art, so we ducked in to see the windows at St. Patrick’s. A good day.

Insider's Look: First Move

My Photo Stories
A dapper young Irving awoke after death amidst the ruins of the Overlook Mountain House with nothing but the memory of chess to amuse him.

Or…

Webelos scout Brian had no regard for the nature around him, nor his leaders, sullenly setting up his pocket chess set, when all of a sudden…

Or…

The perfect crime is a debatable achievement, but chess champion Ivan Ropovich was looking for a challenge.

Or…what are your story ideas?

Behind the Photo
The ruins of this hotel are slowly crumbling near the top of Overlook Mountain in Woodstock. Hikers who can withstand the 2-mile-or-so steep uphill climb can wander through its main hall and peer into the depths of the once splendid guest rooms. The Miss Haversham in me sees the fountain spouting ice-cold mountain water and lush gardens welcoming tourists. An unfortunate fate met all three hotels on this site. The first two burned to the ground; one on April Fool’s Day. As a result, an enterprising businessman decided to use concrete for the third, the one pictured in my photo. He ran out of money before completing it.

Be the first to buy a First Move print and get a 50% discount on the size of your choice. This is my December home page photo, part of my Truths, Lies and Legends collection

Sinterklaas: A Feast for the Eyes

Last night Sinterklaas came landed on the banks of the Hudson River. The night sky not far behind, the boat was draped in lights and guided by claus hat-wearing kayakers. The grumpus’ beat their drums and twirled their ritual dances in expectation. Hundreds paraded through the streets of Rhinecliff behind Sinterklaas on a prancing white horse. Next Saturday, the townspeople of Rhinebeck will host Sinterklaas and the grumpus' in a day-long celebration. A parade of lit stars and children will be an event not to be missed.

Blog-o-Meter Reading November 27, 2008

Search results for Molly Ahearn:
• Google: #1
• Yahoo: #1
• MSN: #1

Google Page Rank for my site: 2 (out of 10)

Number of page views to this blog: 4389

Number of page views to my site: 3784

Number of email subscribers: 17

Tag, You’re It!

Bloggers like to have loyal followers, but it’s easy to get lost among all the voices on the internet. One way to increase readership is to share your blog audience with other bloggers’ and vice versa. That’s just what Carol Lambert did when she tagged me. Carol paints found objects in her native Alaska and shares them on her blog. I met her some time ago through artscuttlebutt, a community for artists.

To follow the tagging procedure, I’m supposed to
1. put a link in my posting about the artist that tagged me
2. write 5 -7 unusual things about myself
3. tag 5 - 7 other bloggers and let them know.

Bloggers I Tagged
Sally Ahearn Nepotism is completely okay in cyberspace. My sister Sally is a writer and editor. Her blog offers helpful advice to writers from her own experience as well as many guest experts.

Donna Iona Drozda My cyber friend Donna is a very spiritual person and her paintings reflect a deep sense of thought and symbolism. She also inspires and guides others to reconnect with their own inner creativity. Her blog is always worth stopping by.

Cheryl McClure I also met Cheryl through the butt. A very successful professional artist, she uses color in a sensual way that draws me in every time.

Paul McCubbin I went to high school with Paul. When I first started my blog, he reentered my life by leaving me many helpful comments and suggestions for how to keep it going. He maintains several blogs, I like the Central Park Zoo blog best.

Deborah Mix Deborah is a talented illustrator and uses her skill to make all kinds of gift and craft items. Check out her needlepoint Santa!

Nadine Robbins Nadine’s portraits are so lifelike, many people mistake them for photographs. She’s halfway through her yearlong project to paint artistic couples, so look for a show announcement next year.

Unusual Things About Myself
1. I can still do a handstand.
2. I can whistle extremely loudly using my fingers.
3. I have been in every state in the country except Hawaii and Louisiana, two places I definitely plan to visit.
4. One weekend while my husband was out-of-town, I had a Home Depot employee sell me everything I needed and give me instruction on how to install tile in my bathroom shower. (My husband says I did a great job!)
5. Every year I get together with several girlfriends for Wild Women’s Weekend where we do secret things and laugh a lot.