surviving the storm

This weekend my friend and I got stuck in a severe thunderstorm right outside my house. I was about to get out of the car when there was sudden heavy rain, hail, branches falling on her car, and we could hardly see through the windshield. It looked much like the white-outs we New Englanders experience in the winter.

Because of so many trees falling in less than a minute, they are saying that it was a wind shear—think inverted-tornado, where a strong wind hits straight down to the ground and shoots out in all directions. My street seemed to be the only street with damage in Great Barraington.

One of seven trees that fell. Can you see the other tree crushing my neighbor's car in the background?

I was so lucky because the tree which crushed my neighbor's car fell right alongside my car, leaving these branches peeping through the open window.

This telephone poll split in half and hung by the electrical lines!

product and portrait

Michael Wainwright makes beautiful porcelain tableware here in Great Barrington. I've photographed some of his objects for his advertising. These are some of my favorites.

You can check out his work on his website.

I also photographed Michael himself for an article in a trade magazine.

mala beads

Today I photographed these beautiful mala beads, by Satya Jewlery, for the Kripalu catalog.

annex construction

Kripalu is building a beautiful annex to the West side of it's building. Its design is both environmentally-friendly and intended to have an integrated relationship with the Kripalu grounds. So far, it's hard to tell, but it's coming up fast! Have a look at the progress since April.

The new ground floor!

My new friend Dean.

The site from afar.

summer is here in the gorgeous Berkshires

Today, Memorial Day, I wandered the Kripalu grounds hoping to capture all that is coming alive in this amazing season.

group photos

Now that the Kripalu grounds are alive, I've been taking group photos for the staff. Here's a couple.

surprise bouquet

This weekend I was lucky enough to find a simple and lovely bouquet at my doorstep. It's so small that I used a double tall shot glass as its vase.

It was tied together with blades of grass!

leisurely Sunday hike

This weekend my good friend Jess and I took a leisurely uphill stroll at Bartholomew's Cobble in Sheffield, MA. It's a beautiful spot with lots of simple trails and a grassy overlook. I'd highly recommend it for any Sunday afternoon.

Check out the Trustees of Reservation to learn more and visit yourself.

Jess took this photo of me jumping for joy.