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Years ago, I lived on a farm in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. I raised goats, chickens and honeybees. I grew vegetables and trained horses.  Springtime meant seeds in the ground, crocuses and daffodils beginning to flower, baby goats and chickens to tend to. The air was fresh. Horses felt like running and bucking. The temperatures were rising and the days were getting longer.

While the rest of the country has been through countless snowstorms, ice and cold this winter,I have been fortunate to winter in Florida. I greet springtime in Wellington.  In a walk around the block, there was new life to be found everywhere.

 

A mother duck herds her flock across a road. So many tiny ducklings, how does she keep track of all of them?

Springtime Photographs

A pony has a four day old foal. All it wants to do is eat and sleep.

Springtime Photographs

It doesn’t venture very far from its mother’s side.

Springtime Photographs

It has difficulty navigating those long legs to lie down and get up.

Springtime Photographs

I hope you enjoy my springtime and your own.

Take some time to slow down and marvel at the beauty of mother nature!!

 
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Deborah Kalas Photography is a home based business. Thursday, it was completely overrun by two chefs given the task of making 95 cakes of all sizes in less than 24 hours. The kitchen remained off limits to all house inhabitants including Deborah Kalas, Mike Blount, her new assistant, and the nineteen year old cat, Pumpkin Pie. The thirteen year old Welsh Corgi, Buttercup was the occasional floor sweeper who failed to report her delicious findings to the rest of us. The scents of cakes wafted through the house all night and day making sleep and work a delicious task. Noon on Friday the coconut crème layer cake and upside down blueberry cake [ a semi ridiculous idea since when you turn the cake upside down the blueberries fall out] were packed up to ship out. I was reminded several times these were recipes that their employer had provided them with. Not their own!

cakes_01

 

Cakes of all sizes

Both chefs are graduates of The French Culinary Institute in New York City. I had no doubt that they would complete their task on time. With powdered sugar all over one and a day’s worth of beard growth on the other it’s a good thing they created these masterpieces privately.

Cakes of all sizes

Cakes of all sizes

 

When I think back to where this obsession with cakes and baking may have begun, I am reminded of an early photograph I made at my mother’s house twenty-one years ago. The occasion was my birthday. My mother was making the most delicious carrot cake. This particular day she had two helpers in the kitchen, her grandson’s Kristofer at eight months and Jan who was two and a half. Perhaps tasting the cream cheese icing, there was a chef in the making captured forever in the moment of a photograph.

cakes_08

 

Watch for more upcoming food blogs. It looks like chefs Kristofer and Gabriela will be spending the summer in the Hamptons cooking for a variety of restaurants and private clients.

 
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As an equestrian photographer I am asked to photograph many aspects of horses, riders and horse care. For the past week I have been working with Jim Masterson, a renowned equine massage therapist and body work professional on his new book about caring for Dressage horses. The two horses we used were Grand Prix level Bacchus De Light owned by mystery writer Tami Hoag and Betsy Steiner’s horse in training, Conego.

Day One: The project started with equine artist, Susan Harris painting the skeleton of Bacchus. It took four hours of keeping the horse still and comfortable to complete the job.

Equestrian Photography: Equine Body Work Part Two

Next, American World Championship Dressage team member and USDF Bronze, Silver and Gold Medalist, Betsy Steiner saddled up Bacchus and put him through his paces. It’s interesting seeing what bones he uses to perform the various dressage movements like, the shoulder-in, haunches-in, collections, extensions, and so on.

Equestrian Photography: Equine Body Work Part Two

Day Two: Started again with Susan Harris painting the muscle groups on Bacchus. He was a good soul and put up with all the brush strokes of paint and tedious hours.

Equestrian Photography: Equine Body Work Part Two

Once again, Betsy rode Bacchus moving him through advanced dressage movements including; piaffe, tempi, passage, pirouette. You can see which muscle groups he uses to perform these advanced moves.

Equestrian Photography: Equine Body Work Part Two

Day Three: Body worker Jim Masterson went to work. The Masterson Method is a form of bodywork that relaxes the horse’s body and relieves his muscles, connective tissue, and structure of deep stress and pain.

Equestrian Photography: Equine Body Work Part Two

Jim uses gentle and light manipulation of targeted release points; the movement of joints or junctions through a range of motion in a relaxed state. He observes the horse’s response which helps him know he is on the right path. When the horse releases the tension from that area, it is often accompanied by eye blinking, head shaking, and yawning.

Equestrian Photography: Equine Body Work Part Two

Conego, a seven year old luistano stallion stood for almost three hours without being tied, thoroughly enjoying the treatment. He was a champ at yawning, opening his mouth and showing his teeth wider every time.

The book project will target dressage horses and the common places stress accumulates and how to relieve that tension and pain. It has been an exciting project to work on. When the video is released and the book published I will let all of you know!!