Backyard Phoenix Wedding

Backyard BBQ Pheonix Wedding : Alex + Alexis

What a beautiful day photographing the marriage of Alex & Alexis.  It started off with cloudy skies and a patch of rain, for good luck 🙂 and then the sky opened up for a warm, sunny, backyard bbq reception.  Filled with laughter, family, and kids running around, it was wonderful to experience and truly was what Alex and Alexis envisioned for their wedding day. So much love went into this wedding.  Their grandmother hand made all the flowers, boutonnieres, decorations, centerpieces and the fantastic cake! Alex’s brother provided the music, and his parents their home, cousins with serving food & beverages etc.  It was beautiful to see how the entire family came together to give them a special day. IMG_1275_Fotor_Collage IMG_9984

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 I wish yal every happiness on your new journey in life begins as husband and wife!

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Syracuse Nationals 2014

What a wonderful year at the Syracuse Nationals! It was their 15th year and there had to be 8,000+ cars this year! My husband and I for the first time camped there all weekend, and it certainly won’t be the last! We just loved waking up to the roaring engines, whining blowers, loappy cams, and squealing tires right outside our camper! Grabbing a cup of coffee, sitting in my chair watching the cars roll in outside my window at 6:00am was absolute bliss.  Not only is this every car lovers dream this event helps raise money for charities, raising just over $104,000.00 last year!

I had so much fun photographing these beautiful pieces of art & history: the curves, details, engines, creativity and personality put into these vehicles is amazing!

I have to start with my husbands first project car! Then followed by my truck! Well the one that I would love to have one day…

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 Our Friends submission for model cars! AWESOME!

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And just a few other favorites and promised pics for people I met along the way..Enjoy! IMG_1018 IMG_1222 IMG_0971 IMG_1180 IMG_0943 IMG_1054 IMG_9907 IMG_9897-Edit IMG_1192 IMG_1231

 I just love everything about this event.  The 50’s music playing in the background as you walk through 1000’s of different vehicles, the excitement and wonder of where this car has been and the streets it drove through 30-80+ years ago, meeting the wonder people who own and have the same passion for vehicles, it all just adds to viewing this beautiful pieces of machinery.

I hope you enjoyed! Were you there? Share your experience or come to this event in 2015!

Thanks for visiting!

Cylinda B

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Delicious Summer Salsa

recipe, salsa recipe, summer, corn & bean salsa

As you may already know from previous posts, I love food!  I came across this a few years ago from our local grocery store, Wegmans, also a main attraction in central, NY, no lie! Those who know about this grocery store and have moved away know what I am talking about. Anyhow, I alter it a bit and its always such a hit that I had to share it with you! The best part is that it’s pretty healthy! Yummy & healthy=my kind of food!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/8 cup white sugar

1 can sweet corn

1/4 cup olive oil- usually less than that!

1 red bell pepper- (I use what color I have on hand , but the red is prettiest!)

1/2-1 cup sweet/red onion-diced (I use half since I half the sugar and oil)

1/2-1 cup celery- (I only use it if I have it on hand-adds a nice crunch!)

2 jalapeños seeded & diced- (I typically use jar jalapeño since I always have it on hand)

1 can black beans, rinsed

1 can black eyed peas, rinsed

Directions:

Mix sugar and vinegar and microwave until sugar is dissolved, then add corn and oil.  Add the rest of the ingredients! ALL DONE!

As you can see this recipe is pretty versatile! I half the oil/sugar etc because it still taste great and feels healthier if I eat a bunch of it! Recommend with wheat tortillas, spoon, on top of a burger etc!

I would love to know if you try it out and what you think! After a few requests I had to share 🙂 Enjoy!

Cylinda B.

Studio Newborn + Family Session

The day after returning from Europe I received an email from Sara inquiring about having photos done of her and John’s baby boy born, July 4th.  Although they may not know it, it was the best welcome home gift! I enjoyed getting to know these new, wonderful parents, they just love him to pieces already at 9 days old.  And of course we couldn’t leave out their first baby, Baco!

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 Just loved how everyone, including Baco were looking at Mom 🙂

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Thank you so much for having me capture this moment for you and help to create memories for a lifetime!

xo

Cylinda B

Would you like to book a session? Fill out your information below. Thank you.

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Overall Greece Experience- Sailing the Mediterranean

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 Captain Foot & Admiral Barbie at Delphi, Greece Stadium

I couldn’t be more grateful to Vince & Barbie for inviting me into their home the last few weeks.  Not only did they have me aboard, they taught me to sail, educated me on various cultural topics, fed me, treated me to dinners, introduced me to wonderful people, kept my photography in mind when traveling to locations and restlessness in mind by docking when they would have preferred to be at anchor :), kept my equipment safe, and gave me an experience of a lifetime that I couldn’t ever thank them enough for.  They are such loving, caring, joyful people.  I loved waking up to Barbie’s smile the mornings I slept in :), made me feel right at home. ❤

Our Crew

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Me with my girls! Loved spending more then 1 day with them 🙂 xoxo

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Riding in the dinghy

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A little tough doing a selfie with my camera, but getting a hang of it!

The Best Parts of Greece

Aside from the tranquility of sailing the Mediterranean and exploring wonderful towns, I met some awesome friends of Vince and Barbie’s.  Whether it was exploring, getting water bombed (AMAZING shot Loryn!) , or celebrating the 4th of July, I enjoyed getting to know them and listening to their stories!

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The Sailing Vessel : Britican

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Going to miss this sweet face! 

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Just dancing over the Med! Love!

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Nepenthe Crew!

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The Captains! Sailing Vessels Nepenthe, Horizons, & Britican

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A Funny Observation in Greece

There was so  much character in the towns we visited! I got a kick out of the amount of different flushers there were! I have never seen so many different ways to flush a toilet, sometimes we had to search or try to figure out how they worked!!  Just a few that I happen to have my pocket point and shoot.

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haha 🙂

Well on a serious note, it was a fantastic trip of a lifetime and I cannot express enough how grateful I am!! I never thought I would sail the Mediterranean and spend two weeks town/island hopping in Greece.  I definitely missed my husband & pups and air conditioner  🙂 After 3 days of feeling jet-legged it is good to back home and back to reality!

A few more favorites, including our last stop, Poros!

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Thank you for visiting! I hope you enjoyed taking the adventure with me! Stay tuned for upcoming work, session specials, etc! Feel free to share blog with friends and family!

xo

Cylinda B

A Path Cut Through the Earth- Corinth Canal

High winds kept us in Corinth for a night, we planned to wait out the storm but we decided to face it the next afternoon. Although none of us got much sleep the first night with the winds rocking the boat and wiping through the cabin, the cool breeze felt wonderful. I was able to see my first beautiful sunset that night and got a few mother daughter shots against the beautiful sky in Corinth, Greece.

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The canal was unbelievable! Manmade, it is 79 meters above sea level at the highest cut, 3.2 miles long, 25 meters wide, it was absolutely amazing to sail through! A railway bridge and two road bridges cross at the highest point. We were able to view the paved roads the ancients use to drag their across the isthmus. It was started by a French company and finished by the Greeks in 1893.

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Sailed through on Independence Day! Happy Belated 4TH!

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We anchored in the water to wait out the storm for the night and then headed to Poros, Greece a 9 hour sail to finish off my visit.

Stay tune for another beautiful island in Greece! I will then sum up my overall experience and share stories and photos of the wonderful people I met along this incredible journey!

Thank you for visiting!

Cylinda B.

 

Exploring an Archeological Site-Delphi, Greece

After an 8 hour sail we docked in Itea, Greece and I met some great friends of Vince’s “Captain Foot” & Barbie’s “The Admiral”, Carol & Jim, on the sailing vessel Nepenthe who introduced us to Simon, Amy, their daughter & Loryn, sailing vessel Britican. It’s definitely a small world when meeting someone in another country whose hometown is an hour away from home. You will hear about them in the next few post since we will be spending my last 4 days of my trip in Greece with them, and they are all fantastic!

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We all boarded the bus and headed to explore Delphi Museum and archeological site. It was incredible to view sculptures and remains of buildings that dated back around 2000 BC. One of my favorite was The Chariott, so lifelike, no matter what angle you stood he was looking at you.

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The detail is phenomenal!

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Walking through the ancient city of Delphi was remarkable. The treasury building stood intact, unsure if it was restored at all, but it still was incredible!

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It was a long hot hike up to the top to view the Amphitheatre and Stadium of Dephi, where they hosted athletic contests but it was worth it!!!

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We headed out the next morning for the Corinth Canal, which is absolutely amazing! I will post that tomorrow.

Thank you for visiting!

Cylinda B.

Discovering A Medieval Town, Lepanto- Nafpaktos, Greece

While underway “Captain Foot” discovered a medieval town on the map just past this amazing architecturally designed bridge in Nafpaktos-Lepanto, Greece.  The town was incredible from the tip of the marina to the highest point of the castle that sat at the top of the island. Nafpakos-Lepanto, Greece-1299

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Harilaos Trikoupis bridge was a vision of a statesman, harilaos Trikoupis.  It is world’s longest multi-span cable-stayed bridge.

I felt like a kid seeing the view of the castle from the sailboat, isn’t it fantastic!? I couldn’t wait to explore!

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I was off the boat ready to explore within minutes! I met a local, Nick, who told me about the Battle of Lepanto, which I had to research. So while climbing the mountain through winding streets, steep & narrow walkways, stone buildings, & what looked like original walls and doors I couldn’t help imagining what this town may have been like back in the 1500’s. I walked in awe through the quite street ways imagining the life in the 1500’s, periodically being snapped back into reality from dogs running and barking at me from their gated yard, and stray cats looking for their next meal, but what an amazing experience.  Here are a few images from my walk up.

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The following day we walked to the top, although the castle was closed on Monday’s, it was a beautiful view overlooking Nafpakos and amazing to touch the stone of this amazing piece of history.

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As we settled in for the night we sat on the boat, slightly rocked by the waves, beautiful breeze of the ocean and listening to cheering throughout the town over the World Cup, Futbol game.  We anticipated staying another day but the wind was high so we set sail for our next destination! I am getting more and more duties on the sailboat and learning a lot, it truly is fantastic, especially when the wind is on our side! A few more images from this wonderful experience…

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Horizons at Nafpakos, Greece!

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I hope yal enjoyed visiting Nafpakos with me! Leave a comment to let me know what you thought of Nafpakos-Lepanto, Greece. Place your email in the left column or a friends email to follow my blog.

Thank you for visiting!

xo

Cylinda B

Waking Up to Fishermen and Cathedral Bells in Messolonghi, Greece

We sailed 8 hours to Messolonghi, Greece.  Messolonghi was certainly was a quiet town compared to the last few stops. However, I was woken up the next morning to the sound of church bells, a roaring engine, seagulls and our boat being rocked by waves. Nervously and anxiously I popped my head out of the main salon and saw a local fisherman pulling in their boat filled with the days catch.  After relief set in that we were still attached to the dock, I sat on deck to watch them unload into to truck the fish that they will disperse throughout the town.

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I had 1.5 hours before we hit sail, so while everyone slept I was eager to head out to explore the town.  I was certainly nervous passing through the quiet, lifeless, streets with few homes tucked into trees and a gated school yard, but I was determined to see the square our waitress mentioned the night before.  After 25 minutes I started to see narrow street ways packed with brick and cement buildings, and stone roads, another town full of character.  As I got closer I heard the beautiful church bells again along with faint singing that soothed my soul, I was destined to follow it.  A few winding roads and I came up to this Cathedral where the music was traveling from.  I spotted a café adjacent to the church and enjoyed the best cappuccino I ever had.  I could have sat there throughout the entire mass listening to everyone sing at Sunday church, but I had to find my way back.

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While walking past the shops and the locals enjoying their morning powwows with buddies I spotted this adorable pup that I had to photograph, then I headed back to the sailboat.  After a few minutes I noticed she was following me and after 15 minutes of her stopping at dumpsters then catching up to be by my side I fell in love! The dumpster stops and ribs showing through were a few hints she was hungry so I stopped and got her a pastry. 🙂 I was limited on choices but she didn’t want any of it, dumpster food must be more appealing! Well 2 miles later she was back at the sailboat, I tried to get Vince, “the Captain” to want her but wasn’t successful L.  After I gave her water and her wining and starring at us for 10 minutes she headed off to her next adventure.  I was so thankful because I wouldn’t be able to watch that face as I sailed off! Seriously as much as I miss my pups and hubby I probably would have cried! Look at this face, wouldn’t you?

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We left Messolonghi and sailed with the wind into our nose so it wasn’t the best of conditions as we motored toward our destination…However because of the slow and steady pace we were able to discover a medieval town after 6 hours underway! It was the coolest place!  I am hoping to have that blog post up tomorrow!  In the mean time a few more images from yesterdays adventure!

 
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Thank you for visiting, I hope you enjoyed this post!

xo

Cylinda B.

 

 

Listening to Stories in Nidri, Greece

We sailed south 7 miles over to the small town of Nidri on Lefkada Island. For being only 6-7 miles away from Lefkas, it was a totally different experience.  It certainly feels like a small world when witnessing the life of a sailor, every corner we turned Vince & Barbie “The Captain” & “The Admiral” ran into fellow sailors/friends from around the world.  I could have listened to the locals and fellow sailors for hours about the history and culture of Europe, every person we ran into had amazing pieces of history and stories to share, it truly is incredible. I will share a few of the stories I loved listening to while exploring Nidri today, enjoy 🙂 We saw this ruin on the way from Lefkas to Nidri and I spent hours researching the internet to find out what it was and within minutes of running into Roger from Britain while at dinner he was able to tell me what it was! It was part of St Georges Castle, the Lefkas Venetians built it to guard the south end of Lefkada Island.

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Dinner was fantastic! I ate liver (taste buds satisfied, mentally it was awful! 🙂 ), lamb, FETA!, pork and cheese pie and it was INCREDIBLE!!! My main dish was Kleftiko.  What I thought was just an ordinary local dish of lamb, turned into this amazing story from history told by Tracy & Tony currently living on the island but originally from Britain.  This dish came about in WWII.  Greeks would have to hide their live stock from the Germans and Italians.  They would dig a hole deep in the ground with hot coal and place a pot filled with lamb, carrots, potatoes, and anything else they had so no one could smell it from above.  They would take it out days later and they would have this AMAZING stew.

I just loved how these beautiful mountains are filled with civilization built right into them.

Nidri Greece

Trying not to get hit by cars and mopeds we explored the local culture walking 1.5 miles from Vhilo to Nidri.  I thought it was beautiful cultural practice to personalize the resting place instead of just a gravestone and flowers for use of remembrance of their time on earth.

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The wildflowers were absolutely beautiful tucked in the most unusual places…Walking the narrow streets with stone and gravel then a sudden burst of colorful flowers on the side of the street or in walkways to homes broke up the hardness  of the town.

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Ahhhh the FOOD! Again with the food, but too great not to share.  We went to this restaurant for lunch and met this little guy. Seairra and I freaked a little but our waitress came up and grabbed it for us.  Such a cutie, loved her facial expression. After he left I had my first ever Greek Salad in Greece and it was amazing.

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Meet Aristotle Onassis! He married Jackie Kennedy, the widow of John Kennedy.  He gave a lot to the Greeks, putting a lot of people to work etc and he owned one of the islands, Scorpios. When he passed he would give the island to Greeks if the family couldn’t afford to keep it.  Instead his granddaughter leased it to the Russians for 100 years for 100 million dollars, so today Russians are still on it.

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A final thought and a few more images before we set sail 60 miles away to Ithaki. Although a little more quant then Lefkada meeting all the people from Britain, friends of Vince and Barbie made this adventure the best so far.  Especially meeting Jan and John, the accents and personality of these two was fabulous.  We shared a ton of laughs and they shared a lot of history as well.  I was never into history growing up but now as an adult I cannot get enough and I cannot wait to explore what’s around the bend!

My home for 16 Days!

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NIDRI

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Thank you for visiting! I would love to hear from you. What interesting story from history peaks your interest? I would love to research it!

xo

cylinda B