The Journey

Wow, I can't believe it's almost the end of May and I haven't put up a post yet! As I sit here in my hotel room in Vermont on a business trip the only thing on my mind right now besides getting out to hike (which isn’t happening today) is the trip I’ve been planning to head out West in August. It all started this winter when the bone chilling, damp, cold weather grabbed hold of me and didn’t let go until April. At that point I said “Wow, why in the world am I here? Why would I stand for this?” Anyway, with too many responsibilities right now I knew I couldn’t just pack up and leave so I started to think about where would I go I if could. Well Maui, & Kauai did stand out in my mind but then I had a vision of Edward Abbey and I realized that traveling in the desert is where I need to be. Why? I don’t really know other than like the rainforests I’ve lucky enough to have experienced, the desert pulls me like a magnet. So what I started to plan to help keep my sanity is a 2 to 4 week photography and hiking trip to the Southwest starting and finishing in Las Vegas. The goal and purpose of this journey would be for me to hike, kayak and camp in as many places out west as possible and to get a body of work together to display in one of the many galleries in our area this coming fall. I’m also looking to not only document my journey in photos, but to also keep a daily log, track all my hikes on my GPS and to upload daily logs to my blog site. My plan is to camp for most the trip staying in a B&B or hotel only to regroup and get my stuff together for the next place I head to. Right now I’m looking to fly into Vegas and make a bee-line for Zion National Park then head to Bryce Canyon, Lake Powell, Grand Canyon North Rim and back to Vegas with a trip to Death Valley if time allows. I’d like to spent anywhere from 3 to 4 days in each place. There’s so much to experience out there that I realize I’ll have to think practical and come to grips that I won’t be able to get to every place I want on this journey. Oh Well, I guess that means another trip! As my plan comes together I’ll be posting more information along with my start date. I hope many of you find this to be exciting and inspires you to plan your own journey to where ever your passion takes you. The photos in this post were shot on my last trip out West back in Feburary of 2008. The first photo is Canyonlands National Park & the other three shots are of Bryce Canyon National Park.

Watercolors

Here is a couple more Watercolors I've been working on over the dreary winter we experienced this year. I'm not totally happy with the outcome, but then again, I'm usually not when it comes to my paintings. All my paintings are done from photographics I have taken. With my photography, I try to capture the way I see the scenes I'm shooting with very little photoshop editing - other then the standard adjustments. With my painting my attempt is to capture not just what I see in the scene I'm painting but also how it makes me feel emotionally. In my paintings I always over exaggerate the saturation and contrast in many of the colors I see because for me being outside in the wilderness makes me feel excited, happy, and emotionally attached to something I really can't explain. This feeling to me is loud and in your face but not overwhelming. No matter what my frame of mind is at the time, good or bad, it takes over and gives me a sense of comfort. Ok this is probably more than one needs to know so I'll stop here lol. Hope you enjoy the paintings.

Elements of Nature - A Multimedia Concert Event (Click photo to see video)

Last week - after talking about it for almost a year - my friend Mark and I finally did the first, of what we hope to be many, live shows featuring his music and my photography. His band, the Mark Sganga Trio, played live to a media presentation of my nature photography. We were both very happy with the outcome and received some great feedback from the audience. We hope to make this an event where we can book gigs throughout the Tri-State area. The show took place at NV Lounge in Suffern, NY and even though it was a rainy, dreary evening we had a good turnout with some lively fans of Mark’s eager to listen to some jazz. Mark and his band are amazing! They can play anything from Classic Rock to Jazz, Brazilian music and, of course, many original tunes of their own. My media presentation consisted of images from right here in Harriman State Park, the many National Parks in the Southwest and then one of my favorite places - the Hawaiian Islands.

I just edited down the NY/NJ State Park segment to a 5 minute piece to post on the Internet. I used some of Mark’s original music in the video. Click here to go to my youtube site and check it out and let me know what you think. I'll keep everyone posted on the next show we do together. If you're into good music and enjoy watching some incredible musicians work their craft then the Mark Sganga Trio shouldn't be missed!

Until next time, with the weather finally starting to "Spring", get out there and do some hiking and have some outdoor fun.

Saint Catherine of Bologna Art Show & Then Some

Thank you everyone who came out this past weekend to the Saint Catherine of Bologna Photo and Art Show in Ringwood NJ. This was my first year at this event and WOW it won't be my last! This show had some amazing Artists and Photographers from the NY/NJ tri-state area displaying their work. Not only was it an honor for me to be in this show but also an inspiration to see all the other work. It's so cool to see other people’s work and the passion they put into their craft. My La Sal Mountains photograph received Honorable Mention in the Photography - Nature/Landscape category. I was also happy to see that I was able to help their not for profit by selling my Rainbow Falls piece & also raising some more money for them with my Holly Berries shot I took this winter up in Harriman State Park. A friend, Arthur Gilmore, who is also my painting teacher had his work in the show also. He's an amazing Watercolor painter and it showed by him winning 2 first place awards for best artist and best painting of Ringwood NJ.

On another note I've had some local business owners asking if I'd be interested in displaying my work in their establishments. The 3 places I'm in right now are Caffe Dolce in Suffern, NY, Araya Rebirth Day Spa in Ridgewood, NJ and Mr. Press Printing & Graphics in Suffern, NY. Mark McGuy owner of Caffe Dolce is a friend and what Sue and I call our personal chef due to the fact that we spend more time in his place then we do at home!!! Mark's place has some awesome food, drink & live entertainment. If you're in Suffern stop by for a visit and check out some cool photography of some amazing places right here in our backyard and from across the country while you enjoy a glass of wine and some great food! Mark put a little write up in his latest newsletter about my photography. I thought his words were kind; I’ve been called a lot of things in my life but never a “Renaissance Man” so I posted his words below. Until next time I'll leave you with a quote that I took from a photographer I met at the Art Expo in NYC this month. "There is no reason to look back. You're not headed that way." - Greg Davis

Photography By Mike Malandra- Mike Malandra is a true Renaissance Man: Businessman, Athlete, Artist, and much more - this guy is remarkable. Come in to the Caffe and see Mike's photography on display. It's absolutely breathtaking. Mike has a great eye for nature and brings it right inside for you to experience.

NYC Art Expo

Friday I headed over to the Art Expo Show at the Javitz Center in NYC. My trip had a 2 fold agenda. First I knew I would be seeing some other artists and photographers whose works would inspire and motivate me to keep pushing along and second I wanted to see what the show was all about and if it would be something I'd like to give a crack at next year. The best part of the show for me was heading over to where the solo artists had their booths. I met some amazing people and had a chance to talk to them about their work. The one person that stands out for me is a photographer by the name of Greg Davis . I found his website the other day on the Art Expo site and after reading his Bio I knew I had to find him at the show. Not only is his work incredible, but so is his story. The short of the long is basically that he worked for Hewlett Packard for 10 years and decided that Corporate America wasn't for him. He left his job and traveled around the world for a year experiencing other countries and shooting photos. 3 years later his vacation pictures have turned him into a professional photographer. He is selling his prints and working on a book to tell his story along with another trip, this time to base camp on Mount Everest (my wife’s dream trip that will come true in the near future). Talk about "living" the American Dream! Go to his website and take a moment to read his story it's truly inspirational. I met some other great photographers there as well as this Watercolor artist Sinclair Stratton who does the most amazing paintings of animals. She donates part of her proceeds to many different charitable groups that help animals. After leaving the show I realized something that I kind of knew all along and that's that artists are a little "out there" but it's that being “out there” that has kept them true to living the life they choose and to follow their dreams and passions. They may never become wealthy, then again, maybe they will, but to them it doesn't seem to matter. After speaking to many of them I have found that they’re happy and a passionate group of people that live to create and keep their dream alive. For me this is so important, It's the philosophy I've taught I've my Martial Arts students for 23 years and it's what I struggle to live by in my life everyday. I've listed some websites below of some of the artists I met at the show. Check them out, their work is incredible and motivating to look at.

I've kind of been lazy about my blog this month and procrastinated getting up some other posts I wanted to write. Within the next couple of weeks I'll be posting some new paintings I've done along with some new locations and shows you can find my work in. Until next time, stay motivated and keep living your dream whatever that may be.

New Watercolor Painting

Just finished this watercolor painting today. It's of Tiorati Brook Road in Harriman NY. One of the best roads to Bike or Run up. It's a winding one mile incline that connects Lake Welch Drive to Seven Lakes Drive. Talk about an adrenalin rush. The road is closed in the winter months due to snow and ice.

Covered in Ice

Driving home from the gym yesterday I noticed how everything was covered in ice "bad for driving but, great for photography!" I eagerly finished all of my responsibilities and headed up to Seven Lakes Drive in Harriman. Hiking was difficult due to all the ice but I parked my car at the Reeves Meadow parking lot and started to slowly make my way to one of my favorite spots in the park. I hiked along the Yellow Trail following the Stony Brook for about 1/2 of a mile then woke up and realized that “WOW, IT’S REALLY ICEY! I better start to turn back”! Along the way I was like a kid in a candy store not knowing what to shoot first. The air was cold and damp with an icy mist hitting me in the face but the scenery was well worth having to put up with the elements of mother nature. Arriving back at my car with about another 45 minutes of sunlight left I headed further up Seven Lakes Drive to the Lake Sebago turnaround and shot some cool shots of the different ice formations along the way. Having Harriman State Park in my back yard is like a child living in Disney. Come to think of it with places like State Parks, why do we need theme parks? Hope you enjoy the photographs.

Annual Suffern DARE/ PBA Toy Drive

I know this blog isn’t about photography or outdoor travel, but for me helping my good friend Clarke Osborn and the Suffern PD with their annual toy drive is an adventure and the best part of the holiday season. Next to being outdoors, helping and working with children is one of the most exciting things in my life. This year my wife, Sue, was able to get the company she works for, Liberty Travel, to have all their employees bring a toy to their Holiday Party. Thanks to Sue and Liberty Travel we collected another 25 bags of toys and more than 25 gift cards! Below is a brief history of the Suffern DARE/PBA Toy Drive history.

For the past 18 years the members of the Suffern Police Department have been sponsoring a holiday toy drive for local needy families. This program began as a result of many local families who were having a hard time receiving assistance during trying times. Since our inception we have identified and assisted these families through many avenues including working with local school districts and organizations to ensure that our toys went to truly local, needy families. We continue to assist families throughout Rockland and Bergen counties including the communities of Suffern and Mahwah.

Unlike other toy drives the items that we collect stay within our area. One of the main reasons that this drive started was because of the bureaucracy that our residents would go through to get assistance from larger programs and on many occasions our residents would be turned away and not even receive a return phone call back as they asked for help. Our drive is very unique in the fact that we identify the families and deliver the toys ourselves to ensure that the job gets done. We have a volunteer staff of over 50 officers and community members who truly lend a hand to make a difference throughout our communities.

Clarke Osborn is Chief of Police in Suffern and in my opinion (and many other’s opinions) one to the most caring and compassionate people one will ever meet.
Next week’s blog will be on the trip Sue and I took out West in early December.

Happy Holidays!

Where are the watercolors?

This is the question I get when people see my business card or visit my website. The answer I give them is “they’re coming, I swear!” Well, here are some of the pieces I’ve worked on this year. I’m looking into having these reproduced so you will see more information on the site when it’s available. As for parting with the originals… well, I haven’t decided on that yet. Right now I feel like the original paintings are part of me and not sure how to say goodbye to them.

When I was younger and going to architecture school I took a watercolor class and enjoyed it but never did anything with the skills I acquired. It wasn’t until 20 years later I decided to pick up the brushes again and attempt to create something interesting. In my journey I met a gentlemen by the name of Arthur Gilmore who is a tremendous watercolor artist and teacher. His classes are 2 doors down from my martial arts school in Suffern, NY in his wife Connie’s frame shop. For the last 5 years or so I’m been painting in his class and have found that painting has not only given me another way to express myself but has also helped in giving me an “artistic eye” for my photography. Anyone wanting to give watercolor painting a try should come down to Arthur's class, Monday morning 10am to 1pm or Tuesday evening from 7pm to 10pm. Thank you again Arthur for the inspiration and motivation to see things from a different point of view. Check out his website by clicking his name above.

On a different note next month I’ll have some big news on a show/fundraiser my friend, Mark Sganga, and I will be doing in the new year for the NY/NJ Trail Conference. The show will include Mark’s live music along with my photography. More on this when we work out all the details. Until next time, remember make your daydreams a reality by acting upon them.

Fall Beauty

This week I had a chance to get out at sunrise to do some photography. On Tuesday I headed up to Harriman State Park in New York and on Wednesday I headed over to Ramapo Reservation in New Jersey. Both days were warm with Tuesday being a clear morning which made for some great sunrise photos and Wednesday being overcast and foggy which gave the morning a misty "New England" feel. I hope you enjoy the photos and they help to bring you to that happy place in the corner of your mind.

A thought provoking quote

I’m sitting here on a plane right now flying to Chicago to support Sue and our good friend Lori who are running the Chicago Marathon on Sunday. The other day I had a great idea (at least to me it was great) for a blog but I lost the thought when I stepped out of the shower on Wednesday. If only I could bring my laptop into the shower, this is where I come up with so many thought provoking ideas that I feel the need to act upon. The problem is once I step away from the warm water running off my body the thought to runs off my body too. Don’t ask me why ‘CAUSE I DON’T KNOW! Anyway I still feel the need to put up a post this warm weekend in October, so I guess what I’ll talk about is a quote I just read in a book by David Peterson. The quote is from his once good friend, Edward Abbey, a man who I believe truly understood what it means to live in harmony with the natural world around us. OK, OK here's the quote: “It is not death or dying which is tragic, but rather to have existed without fully participating in life-that is the deepest personal tragedy”. Reading this I stopped and looked out the window from my cramped seat in this sardine can I’m on and thought “WOW, that is a tragedy!” And wondered how many become victim to this without even realizing it until it’s to late?

As I get older I realize the importance of life and small things around me. With all that is going on in today's world that we have little control over it’s important to enjoy as much of our time here as possible—never taking a minute from our daily lives for granted. No matter how stressful life gets remember there is something positive in life to counter balance that stress and that “something” is what we need to bring to the foreground of our minds to help deal with the stress we sometimes can’t totally get away from. I know from this blog on I will keep that quote in my thoughts and when things get tough and life feels like 4 walls closing in on me I’ll look for that “something” that makes me happy and act upon it. The photos I put in this blog really have nothing to do with this short thought that I feel the need to write about. They are here to give you something peaceful and beautiful to look at and to hopefully influence you to get outside away from society and it’s mania for a short time, either by yourself or with a loved one to enjoy the natural places we so often avoid because we know so little about them.

Journey to the Finger Lakes New York

Headed up to the Finger Lakes in North West NY last month. And I was able to get Sue to camp with me! We had a plan to stay in a bed & breakfast for the trip but that plan got changed due to us waiting until the last minute to book our reversions. My wife, the trooper, said to me “why don’t we camp”? It didn’t take me long to say “ummm, ok”! What we were able to do was camp for 2 nights and get a B&B for 2 nights. We had a great time the weather was perfect.
The Finger Lakes region is known for (what else) but its lakes and oh, did I mention its winery’s too? The region consists of eleven lakes ranging from 40 miles in length to an incredible 618 feet in depth. They lie within an imaginary triangle between Syracuse, Rochester and Elmira-Corning. All the lakes are fed by Lake Ontario to the north. We stayed on Seneca Lake, which is the longest of the lakes. It’s also home to most of the wineries in that area and to one of the coolest state parks, Watkins Glen State Park.

Sue and I hiked and photographed 5 state parks during this trip: Buttermilk Falls State Park, Letchworth State Park, Robert H. Treman State Park, Taughannock Falls State Park and my favorite park of them all Watkins Glen State Park. All of the parks are filled with some amazing rivers, gorges and waterfalls. Many of the photos I shot will be featured in my upcoming show in October. More on that in my next blog.

I have to finish this blog off with a word or two about the B&B we stayed at. The place is called the South Glenora Tree Farm and is owned by Judi and Steve. Steve has a story for everything and can tell you anything and everything about the area. Their place is a true country home with some of the best hospitality in the area. The Tree Farm is on 110 acres with hiking trails, streams and, of course, trees. The trees are Frasier, Douglas and Scotch pines and are for Christmas harvest. Whatever season you head up to the Finger Lakes I highly recommend staying at the Tree Farm. Tell Steve Mike & Sue, the Waterfall people, sent you.

The Catskills

This past week I headed up to the Catskills to do some photography for some shows/events I have coming up this fall. More on that later. I decided that I would camp this time out and not get a hotel room. Let me tell you it was one of the best decisions I made. For me, camping is a way to get back to a “primitive” lifestyle with no societal stress. It's so great to be able to sleep under the stars and listen to the wind blow and the rain fall at night. When I was younger my dad used to take my brother and I camping every summer and there were times when I would think “Why are we doing this? Why not just get a room?” As I grew older I began to understand it's purpose. Most children today are so out of touch with the natural world around them. They are engulfed in a technology filled, over achieving society that they don't enjoy the simple things in life or to have fun without using some type of electronic machine. Technology is great but it becomes a problem when one lets it consume them to the point of not being able to live without it. Anyway, the Catskills are so beautiful and I think I was able to capture it's beauty in the photos I took. When I decided to camp this trip I wanted to find a place where I would be on a lake so I could also do some kayaking. I found a great state run campground up in Haines Falls NY called North South Campground which is on North South Lake. Although I couldn't get a site right on the lake I did manage to get one that was less than a 100 feet from the water. My morning started at sunrise with about 3 hours of hiking and photography then to breakfast and then to the lake for some kayaking and planning where I would hike to for Sunset photos. Some of the photos I shot are in this blog with more to come in the Fall on both my website and at the upcoming events I'm in the mist of planing right now.

Into THe Wild

The other night Sue and I rented the movie Into the wild. I'm sure most of you already know the movie was based on the best selling book by Jon Krakauer. It's about the adventures of Christopher McCandless who after gradating collage decides to give up everything and head out on a road trip to Alaska and live in the wild away from society. I found the movie to be very sad leaving an empty feeling in my stomach not because of path Chris chose but because he chose not to fully prepare properly for his journey. I commend him on doing what he did in the sense of he had a desire and a dream and took action upon his desire. Having been more prepared he would be alive today to tell his own story first hand. Ok your probably thinking I'm crazy for commending his actions. It's not necessary the actions I'm commending although as I stated if better planned and thought out his trip would of turned out to be a true adventure with a positive ending. What I'm getting at here is the desire to act upon and live out his passion and dream. Society today has provided us with so many man made opinions and rules that when we act, we act thinking "what will others think?" or "will I fit in?" instead of acting on what will truly make us happy. Here's a question. How many are truly happy in their journey through life? And how many just think their happy in their journey because their following the herd and playing by all the rules? The rules I'm talking about aren't the laws we have in place to keep people safe. The rules I'm talking about are the ones that prevent us from acting out on a "daydream" or prevent us from thinking "outside the box". We live in a society today that bases one's success on materialistic possession and financial gain. I think most will agree that what truly makes a person is far more than what they own or are worth.
If you get a chance i recommend renting the movie. Not only was it a thought provoking experience but the scenery was fantastic as well.

In closing I ask two questions to all. What is your calling in life? What do you have a passion for? Take some time to think about it and then make the time to act upon it.