upstate. currently obsessed.

It is no secret how much I love the line Upstate, they have shown up in my last two gift guides. Kalen Kaminski and Astrid Chastka who design the line, are two luminous and inspiring beauties! They recently started a home line, a natural extension of their ridiculously gorgeous shibori dyed pieces. Take a look their complete  fall collection  photographed by another inspiring duo  Paola + Murray . We spent a day shooting some of the new pieces from Upstate's lovely home line at our house (geographically appropriately located) upstate!  

Btw I am obsessed with their blog.

Take a peek.

x 

late summer berries.

 

 The  wild blackberries had another good season on our side of the mountain this year. We are on a north facing slope where the berries seem to thrive. Every year the tangle of brambles takes over more land on the slope.

I wasn't able to pick too many berries this year, summer was far too hectic and I found myself in the last hours of upstate time frantically gathering berries before heading back to the reality of the city. I am trying to embrace "small batch" or very "small batch" to be more specific. I don't need to pick every last berry in Delaware County! Last year's larder is still full of jam and pickles... what more do I need?.  This year, I picked just enough for a couple tarts and a few jars of jam.With an apple and blackberry tart in mind, I gathered a few fallen apples from our old but giving trees and headed south.

 

 wild blackberry and apple galette.

 

 Copyright © 2011 Andrea Gentl all rights reserved 

night anemones

 

Once a year, the mountains of Bovina New York roar with something other than the desolate wind or the pounding rain or like today, the crashing thunder. They echo with a boom, a thud in the night. There in the mountains are most spectacular fireworks one could ever see. Two families host two separate parties that light the night sky like explosions on the sun. I have come many years and photographed these night anemones. Every year they are somehow different from last as are the people who come and the children who run wild tearing through the wet grass with sparklers ablaze behind them. There is a moment of brilliance as it fades away to the palest red or green and then it's gone.

to see a larger gallery of fireworks photos go to http://www.hungryghostfoodandtravel.com/photo-archive/bovina-fireworks/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright © 2011 Andrea Gentl all rights reserved