Clockwise below: Natalie & Brynn looking out over the lake; breakfast burritos on Monday morning; Brian and Sean playing at the ICE CASTLE in Saranac Lake; Sean & me smooching on frozen Long Lake; Brynn’s knives have moose hats; the unfrozen side of Long Lake; the men; Brynn & Brian in Lake Placid; and in the middle is a smiley Natalie on Sunday night at the brewery.

This past weekend I took the train from Buffalo to Albany, where my friend Kim was waiting to take me to her place in Northampton, Massachusetts. I’d been there once before, for about two hours, and was eager to check the place out. Kim’s apartment is right in the heart of Noho and we spent the weekend eating tons of food, shopping (and looking) in all the cute little stores, and catching up. I was so distracted by the friendship and eating that I barely took any photos beyond my iPhone (and if you follow me on instagram you know I at least took a ton of those). On Sunday morning before I got back on the train to come home, we had breakfast at The Roost, where I took the below photos. My sandwich was a delicious blend of egg, cheddar, avocado, and pico de gallo, and I did not want to stop eating it at all, even to preserve its memory in a photograph.

So yeah, my two weekend trips were successful and have inspired me to plan a few more for this Spring. What’s your favorite place to visit for a weekend? How far are you willing to go?

Those of you who followed my syllabus project might remember the photography-related assignments. I wanted to explore the possibility of a side business, and that exploration has paid off. I’ve been quietly taking on clients and shooting as much as I can. I plan to officially launch in early 2012, and I’m very excited.

If there’s not enough going on as it is, I have also started a second, photo-only blog about my life in Buffalo. Here’s how I describe the mission of that project:

“Like most people who live and work in my city, I’ve been asked, “Why Buffalo?” Why live here? Why buy a house here? Why deal with the weather? Often I wish I could show those who ask a series of moments from my life: a nice dinner with friends or a beautiful day in Delaware Park or the many times my neighborhood feels more like a small village of 100 and not a city. In those moments, I think, “This is Buffalo” and I know why I’m here. These photos are the closest I could come to capturing and sharing those moments.”

If that description interests you, please visit THIS IS BFLO.

All photos taken in Madrid on the first leg of our honeymoon; I couldn’t choose five. The weather was perfect the entire time we were there: warm days, blue skies, bright and blooming flora. We slept late every day, walked miles upon miles, and stopped to drink wine & beer and eat tapas whenever we wanted. Perfect.

We got back from Spain on Saturday night. Our honeymoon was wonderful, a total blast. Sean, in a habit learned from his mother, will often declare things “magnificent” or “stupendous.” When, on the last night of our trip, he stated that our honeymoon was “spectacular,” I did not tease him. It was.

Obvious post-Europe visit thoughts: so America is pretty isolated, huh? And Europeans are pretty lucky to have access to wildly different cultures by jumping on a high-speed train, short cheap flight, or quick moving ferry? I was and am jealous.

We managed to make it to a friend’s birthday party on Saturday night after we got back, despite the long day of travel and jet lag. We drank beer and wine, got caught up on Occupy activities, and looked at each other with knowing glances. The looks said, “These people are great, we are so lucky. These people are home.”

I got married on Saturday, and it was wonderful. Sean and I leave today for our honeymoon in Spain. I feel so lucky and loved and happy.

Photo by our incredible photographer Brandon Lata. He is the real deal.

Anyway, I’ve been really busy as you might expect and my neglect of this blog is one of the consequences. A lot of you have asked about my syllabus project and what happened in the end. The shortest and most truthful answer is that the syllabus worked and because it did, I spent the summer quietly starting a photography business. I haven’t officially launched yet, and won’t until after our honeymoon) but I have done a lot of planning, portfolio-building, and equipment purchasing. It is very exciting. Thank you for the support on that project, my friends.

Before I go, do you like the above photo? Every single thing in it besides the juice glasses are new items from my bridal shower. My family and friends were very generous, it’s incredible.

A couple weekends ago I got to tag along with Sean and my future brothers-in-law on an hour long fishing trip just around sunset.  I’ve been trying to focus on taking photos for fun lately rather than trying to find the perfect shot for my portfolio, website, etc. While I got a whole bunch of beautiful color on this trip–sunsets from the boat are awesome–these black and whites are really speaking to me today. I. Mike reels in a small one. II. Sean gets ironic or perhaps just complicated with his Sea Shephard shirt and the gilled friend in his hand. III. Michael casts and chats, his fave thing to do. IV. The Canandaigua Lady strolls by, teasing us with her good looks. V. My feet and my flip.

]]> http://whitneyarlene.com/blog/2011/07/15/five-photo-friday-fishing-trip/feed/ 1 http://whitneyarlene.com/blog/2011/07/01/five-photo-friday-summer-time/ http://whitneyarlene.com/blog/2011/07/01/five-photo-friday-summer-time/#comments Fri, 01 Jul 2011 10:45:45 +0000 whitney http://whitneyarlene.com/blog/?p=1131

I. Declan chowing down on some crackers at the cottage. His eyes are just lovely.  II. Sara on the beach at Woodlawn State Park in Hamburg, New York. In previous summers we drove all the way down to Bennett Beach, which is nicer, but discovering Woodlawn has been great because it’s a 15-minute drive from our house. III. Sara and Kevin have been nicknamed Parks & Rec because they are always organizing games, sing-a-longs, and contests. Doesn’t matter if it’s at the beach, at a bar, or in the car. IV. Corn on the cob, chicken on the grill. Bridget and Michael at the cottage last weekend. V. Despite his water-logged diaper, Sam ran around the beach for hours. He finally had to be scooped up and wrapped in a towel.

Last year I decided that what I really wanted to do on my birthday was go for a hike in the Niagara gorge. It was so much fun and we even witnessed a helicopter rescue. According to my father, we assisted a helicopter rescue. And I guess he’s right. Anyway, this year we repeated the hike only stuck to the American side of the gorge. I. The men in my life: dad, brother Josh, Sean. They conspired and got me a birthday donut, complete with a candle in the middle. II. Some great friends who decided to tag along: Matt, Rachel, Kevin. III. Sister and brother. Josh thinks it’s hilarious to make terrible faces in photos. Side by side in this frame I think we look ridiculous. IV. Sara is caught in the crossfire of two redheads! V. My love and me.